A/N: Hey everyone! This story has officially reached 2k! That's phenomenal for me! Thank you to everyone for the constant support and love for this story! As a thank-you and in honour of 2k, I've updated the cover and written this little bonus chapter in Magnus POV because I feel he didn't get much love in this story! Please comment, vote, and most of all, enjoy.
Magnus POV
"So what if I didn't fill out all the paperwork 'in a timely manner'? Does it really affect you that much to have to sort out your filing on a Friday instead of a Thursday?" I can feel the anger rising in my chest as I begin to blow up at Alexander. We're standing in his office, late Wednesday afternoon, and I may or may not have blown off my paperwork to daydream about his eyes.
It was worth it.
"Yes, it does affect me 'that much'. I'm trying my hardest to keep this company afloat and here you are messing around like it means nothing to you! All I asked for was one stupid file filled out on time and you couldn't even do that!" Alexander's voice is a bit intimidating when it's filled with frustration, but I refuse to back down.
"Whatever, maybe if I'd known you'd be so uptight about all of this I wouldn't have asked you to be my partner in the first place," I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest and staring at him. His arms fall to his sides, his brow creasing a bit and his expression falling before he pulls himself together and turns to look out the window.
But I notice the way his hand shakes as he grips the back of his leather office chair.
"Alec, I didn't-"
"No, it's fine. It's not a big deal." His voice is laced with something I can't decipher, something hollow and distant and I hate the way it sounds. He takes a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling before he grabs his jacket off of the coat rack and slips it on.
"Where are you going?" I glance at the watch on my wrist, seeing it's barely 3.
"Home. I don't feel well."
"Okay..." I know better than to argue. He's obviously upset with me, even though the words I spoke held no truth. I don't regret asking Alexander to be my business partner in the slightest. I don't regret anything that's happened since I met him. He's brought this sense of life to my world that I was severely missing before him.
"I'll finish up the paperwork so that you have it for tomorrow and then I'll head home," I assure him, watching as he closes his briefcase, eyes downcast so that he doesn't have to look at me. My chest aches a little at that, but I push it away.
"Don't bother." He strides past me and out the door, nodding at Meliorn on his way by. But I follow him into the elevator. "What are you doing?" He asks, a harsh edge to his normally calm voice. I shrink back a bit, staring at the buttons as the elevator descends.
"Going home with you."
"If you were going to tag along I would've just stayed at the office. I thought you got the hint." His words hurt me more than I care to admit, but I swallow the pain and flash a small smile that I don't really feel.
"You can't get rid of me that easily, Alexander." He opens his mouth to respond when the elevator stutters to a grinding halt. I'm instantly clinging to his arm, fear rising like fire in my throat, threatening to rip out of me in a terrified scream. His arm wraps around my waist for a second before the emergency lights flick on and he lets go.
"Dammit," he mutters, pulling his cell phone out and turning the light on. "No service in here. Dammit!" His voice is nearly a growl, this low, primitive sound and I swallow thickly. I step forward to press the emergency call button, watching it light up with a wave of relief.
"Someone should be here soon to get us out." I try to sound less afraid than I feel, turning to look at Alexander. He's looking at the elevator wall, avoiding my gaze and I feel my throat tighten with emotion, my chest constrict painfully. "Alec..." I try, watching what little features I can see from the dim light from his cell phone. His jaw is taught, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, defensively. "Alexander, please, talk to me."
"I don't want to talk to you, Magnus. I'm angry." Despite what he says, I can tell that he's not entirely being honest. Sure, he's probably a bit pissed at me for what I said, but I can see it in the way his eyes flicker down to the floor, the way his hands ball into tight fists, the way his lip quivers, that he's not just angry with me. I've actually upset Alexander. I step forward only for him to take a quick step away.
Despite the small square footage of the elevator, the distance between us has never felt so great.
"I'm sorry about what I said," I begin, my voice soft yet loud enough to resemble thunder in the deep silence. He doesn't respond, if anything, turning further away from me. I sigh. "I didn't mean it, you know that I was just frustrated that you were taking it so seriously." He scoffs and rolls his eyes, yet still says nothing. "I've never been the most punctual, or the most serious about my job, but I didn't mean to upset you."
"You took it a whole lot further than bashing my work ethic, Magnus." He snaps, his words quick and sharp. I feel like each time he speaks, it's another stab wound to my heart.
"I know I did, but I didn't mean it. I don't regret bringing you into my career, you've done so much good here..." I trail off, watching him roll his eyes. He's not even listening to my apology, so wound up in the fact that I screwed up. "You've done so much good to me." This seems to get him. His hands loosen a bit, his eyes softening so subtly that anyone else would have missed it. But not me. I've studied every inch of Alexander, spending what feels like hours mapping out every single part of him, watching for his little quirks, the things that will tell me the words he doesn't say.
"You've brought so much...life into me. Before I met you, I was so lonely and depressed. I didn't have anyone who I could depend on. I went home to a huge house with fancy cars and designer clothes, full pockets and exquisite meals and felt nothing. It was so empty, my world was so dark. And then you showed up and everything got so much brighter. I swear, it was the difference between night and day. You entering my life was like seeing the sun for the first time." His hands fall to his sides as I pour my heart out to him in this dark, broken elevator. I don't stop now, my words falling from my lips like a prayer, begging Alexander to feel no pain at my stupidity, to feel no hurt at my foolish words.
"I didn't want to fall in love because I didn't understand it. I thought it was something so terrifying, I was so afraid that all I'd get out of it was a world of heartache. I've had relationships before you, but none of them meant a thing. I pushed them away because I didn't want to feel. But you never gave me an option. I was so caught up with you that first night, you were so afraid and so timid, but in that moment, I knew 'this is it.' I knew I needed to know you. And I wasn't afraid because you never gave me a reason to be. You were the one thing I was missing, the one thing my life was without. And I don't intend to let you go, not ever because I don't think I could go back to that mundane, lonely life. Not after I've had this." I take his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers until they fit together like one.
His gaze lingers on our hands, his eyes glistening with closeted emotions. Alexander has never been one to open up, even in the past few years we've been together, I've only seen him break down a handful of times. But he's always been a locked door, and even I, the closest person to him, haven't been given my own key, only invited in sometimes, like now, when the tears spill over and I wrap him up in me, burying his face in the crook of my neck. I press my lips to his hair, tugging him impossibly closer until the space between us is indecipherable. He sniffles this small sound that tugs at my heart strings and lifts his head.
I smile cautiously, bringing the back of my hand up to brush away a few stray tears before kissing his palm, nestling my cheek in his hand that I hold.
"You really mean all that?" He whispers, so unsure of himself and his worth that it breaks my heart. He really has no idea the beauty and worth of his soul.
"I mean it more than anything. Alexander, I've made no mistake in choosing to share my life with you. And you have to forgive my stupidity. I just find it so easy to lose myself in you that some days are a complete wash. I get nothing done because I can't get your laughter to stop bubbling in my mind, or I can't stop thinking about your eyes, or the way your hair is a tangled mess in the mornings. Some days, I find myself daydreaming about your kisses until I'm all flushed and bothered." He blushes, his cheeks a delicious crimson colour. I press my lips to the corner of his own and smile up at him.
"I'm so in love with you, Alexander. I can't describe it. You're everything to me and more." He smiles then, releasing my heart from its worried confinements and making my ribcage bloom with flowers. I've become so love-struck and sappy since meeting Alexander that I disgust myself sometimes.
"You're crazy, Magnus Bane," Alexander chuckles, leaning in and pressing his cheek to mine, his little bit of stubble burning my smooth skin pleasantly. I shudder and lean in closer to him. His lips trace the line of my clavicle, his nose nuzzling into place beneath my ear.
"I love you, Bane, you and your running mouth." I laugh and nuzzle into his shoulder, breathing in his scent deeply and letting it intoxicate me.
"How long have we been stuck in here?" I ask finally, pulling back reluctantly as he lifts his phone.
"Barely an hour. I wonder why no one has come yet." I sigh and turn back to the emergency button, pressing it again for good measure while the panic builds inside of me. It must be written on my face, because Alexander's hand smoothes it's way down my back and settles at the base of my spine, rubbing smooth circles there to soothe me.
"What if we never get out?" I question, the panic making my voice slightly higher in pitch. Just before I can get into a full blown panic attack, the elevator whirs to life. "Oh, thank heavens!" Alexander laughs and presses a quick kiss to my cheek. When we get to the ground floor, Tessa stands up and runs over, fussing over the both of us.
"I cannot believe the elevator stopped! Are you both okay?!" I chuckle and smile, pushing her busy hands away playfully.
"We're fine, Tessa, just heading home." She gives us both a quick once over before nodding, walking back over to her desk.
"Have a good night, Tess," Alec calls smoothly, sliding his hand into mine and pulling me towards the door. She smiles and replies back before we head outside.
The streets of New York are bustling, as usual, people in a hurry to get where they're going. The roads are packed, not a taxi in sight and I sigh, wishing we would've taken one of the cars to work today. As I open my mouth to speak, the sky opens up with a thunderous 'crack' and we're caught in a torrential downpour for the centuries.
"Ah!" I cry, desperately trying to pull my jacket up to cover my head. To my surprise, Alec just laughs, his hair already getting plastered to his forehead. He looks beautiful in the rain, lively and bright against the dreary background. His eyes are alight with childlike glee and I find myself laughing with him, despite my previous despise for the rain. He shrugs out of his black jacket and holds it over my head, standing close to me and grabbing my arm with his free hand.
"Come on!" He calls through the heavy rainfall, his open-mouthed grin lighting up my world where the sun has failed to do its job. I let him tug me into action, following him as we run over the rain-splattered pavement, letting the drops soak through our clothes and dampen our skin, our argument long forgotten as we hurry our way home.
Alexander has a way of being the most vivid thing in any room. He spent his entire life living in the shadows, playing the part of someone he never was, forced away from his family, forced to ignore himself because he feared he was wrong. But now, running through the streets, rain pounding down around us, his eyes sparkling with life, he's found himself.
We unlock the door to our home quickly, laughing and giddy, adrenaline coursing through our veins. He shuts the door behind us, dropping his jacket to the floor and looking at me.
"I hate the rain," I state, shaking out my dripping hair and pushing it back with my hand, grimacing at the dampness. Alec just shakes his head and steps toward me, trapping me against the door as his lips come dangerously close to mine.
"I love the rain," he counters, pressing his lips to mine hungrily.
The cold that had seeped right through to my bones evaporates with the sudden influx of heat coursing through me. After three and a half years of being with Alexander, he still finds ways to render me speechless, to make a fire burn through my veins, to bring light into my world. He still wraps me up in him, in his everything, ties me up in a pretty little bow, labels me as 'his' in every way shape and form. And even when we argue, even when my mouth gets in the way of our otherwise lovely life, he loves me, he forgives me ten-fold and reminds me why we're here, why we stay. He gives me new hope and new faith every day, gives me a million reasons to live, a million reasons to love.
Alexander has always said that I'm this wonderful drop of magic that the world needs, but I beg to differ, because in my world? Alexander is all the magic I'll ever need.