Chapter Text
Alec had always like to think of himself as the kind of man who was always punctual. He was never late to school, never late to important family events, never late to anything of importance. Except maybe an important job interview that took him to the saharan desert and back to get. This job interview would determine his future, his father’s opinion of him, and a possible scholarship. But all hope of a bright future began to fade away as the clock struck 9:05, indicating that Alec was now five minutes late.
Jumping out of the cab, half tugging at his jacket and half doing up his tie, he ran up two flights of stairs until he found himself inside the large Bane Building. The Bane building was home to some of the world’s greatest inventors, including the great man himself, Magnus Bane. Alec had been inspired by the Bane building for as long as he could remember. It was tall, modern, and most of all, the largest building in New York City.
Walking over towards reception, Alec glanced sideways at the glass mirrors hanging on almost every wall. He looked presentable enough. With his normally messy black hair coamed neatly to the side and his body shoved tightly into an oceanic blue suit that brought out his eyes. He was almost certain that his brother and sister would laugh if they saw him. Trying not to overthink the upcoming interview, he practiced his best looking smile and polite nod of the head. An old woman with snow white hair sat down in reception, a large grey telephone glued to her hand. She glared up at Alec as he approached, forced to put down the telephone with a clang.
“Yes?” she asked tiredly.
“Uh, hi” Alec said with a small, tight smile. “I’m Alec Lightwood. I’m here for the job interview”.
The woman blinked. “Lightwood? You’re…late”.
“Yes, I know” Alec sighed, running his fingers through his hair like he normally did when he was nervous. “I just wasn’t sure what to wear and then my cab came late — oh and the traffic was-“.
“Mr Bane will see you now” interrupted a kinder voice coming from a doorway to his right.
He turned his head in surprise, delighting his eyes with a friendly smile belonging to a friendly face. A young woman was gesturing for him to follow her, her dark eyes inviting and warm. This, despite the old woman’s bitter eyes still on him, made him feel a lot better about the place. With a polite smile and a wave goodbye, Alec left the old woman to return her phone call, glad to be able to follow the friendlier lady inside.
“I’m Catarina Loss” the woman said as a greeting. “I’m Mr Bane’s personal assistant. I’ll be showing you to his office, Mr Lightwood. How are you feeling?”.
Catarina Loss was the first personal assistant Alec had ever heard sounding so genuinely nice. He’d met plenty other personal assistants in his lifetime. His father, Robert Lightwood was the head of an internet company called Wires and with that role, came many angry and stuck-up personal assistants. But Catarina was nice and friendly — something Alec wasn’t entirely used too.
“I’m fine thank you” he replied with a small smile. “A little nervous…but I’m fine”.
Catarina lead Alec down a long, long corridor before turning right down a corner. It was like running a marathon to keep up with Bane’s personal assistant. She walked so incredibly fast, fast enough to make Alec feel bad about his current sporting and fitness.
“You’ll do great” she said encouragingly. “Mr Bane isn’t the scariest person you’ll ever meet. In fact, I think you’ll find he is quite an easy going young man”.
Young man? Alec had always pictured the famous Magnus Bane to be some old guy who was too rich for his own good. Maybe Catarina was calling him young to be funny. Alec was almost certain that a great inventing company like Bane couldn’t be run by someone young.
“Yeah I’m sure he’s great” he replied, more to convince himself rather than to agree with Catarina.
The assistant continued leading him down another long corridor before pointing to a large electric blue door that had three words carved into it. MR MAGNUS BANE. This was it, Alec thought anxiously. This was the moment that would define his life forever. Catarina knocked on the door three times before inviting herself in. Alec stood well behind, taking the time to shove his hair away from his eyes and control the shaking in his legs. But he wasn’t given enough time.
“Let him in” he heard an unfamiliar voice say.
Catarina glanced over her shoulder at Alec and jerked her head towards the inside of the office. Alec nodded and straightened up, trying to remember exactly what he’d say to Mr Bane. But his mind went completely blank and he was suddenly left defenceless against one very powerful man. As he stepped inside, his eyes were quick to scan the small office. The walls were painted a dark Gold, a gold that resembled that of the Pyramids in Ancient Egypt. The furniture were a mixture of colours, ranging from a hot pink to a dark grey. The door clicked shut behind him and he suddenly realised that he was now alone with Magnus Bane. At first, he could not see any sign of another human being. But as Alec’s dark blue eyes relaxed, he could make out a tall figure slumped into a dark black chair that faced the book shelf at the back of the room. Before Alec could even think of how to attract the other man’s attention, Mr Bane was already turning around in his chair, turning so slowly that Alec was almost certain the man was being melodramatic.
“Alexander Lightwood?” Mr Bane asked, perking one eyebrow up as he studied his hopeful guest.
He looked Alec up and down, his green cat like eyes widening at the sight. He hadn’t expected such a young man to enter — and almost certainly not an attractive one. Alec’s dark blue eyes were the first thing Magnus noticed, then it was the dominant jawline, then the way Alec’s hair flopped over his eyes.
“Yes” Alec answered quickly, snapping Magnus from out of his daze. “But I prefer Alec”.
Alec could hardly breathe. His expectations of an old fat man wearing a suit covered in money may have been a little overly excessive. But that was nothing compared to what the real Magnus Bane actually looked like. He was incredibly stunning. With dark purple eyeshadow and glitter covered nail polish, the head of the company looked like he just walked out of a fashion parade. He was wearing a red velvet suit that hinted a tad of glitter. Alec had only just met the guy, but he had seen enough of him to know that he was a glitter covered freak.
“Alexander” Magnus said as though the boy had never spoken. “Please, take a seat”.
He watched the boy carefully as he pulled back a chair and plopped himself down. He delighted himself with the fact that before he had spoken, Alexander’s blue eyes had wandered all over his body. But if Magnus was being honest with himself, Alec wasn’t the only one whose eyes tended to travel.
“Sorry I’m late” Alec said anxiously, rubbing both of his hands hard against his thighs in order to stop the shaking. “Traffic was…uh…terrible”.
“New York traffic” Magnus sighed with a shake of his head. “I completely understand, Alexander”.
The way his name rolled off of Magnus’ tongue made Alec shiver. No one really called him Alexander, to everyone around him, his name was just Alec. The only time he’d ever be called Alexander was if he was in trouble. But when Magnus said his name, there was no hint of anger or disappointment in it. It sounded more like admiration.
“So how old are you Alexander?” Magnus asked, leaning forward in his seat eagerly. “And where did you go to school? And by school, I mean collage. High School was a complete and utter waste of time”.
At that, Alec let out a small laugh. “Uh, I’m twenty-three years old and I went to Stanford University. I’m almost certain I wrote that in my resumé”.
“Stanford?” Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow. “Rich family?”.
“I-I guess” Alec said unsurely. “My dad owns the wires company further south. You may know it?”.
Magnus’ eyes widened. “Is that so? The wires company?! Why on earth aren’t you working for your father?”.
Alec must of flinched or something because Magnus had a sudden look of concern on his face. Alec had really hoped that he wouldn’t have to talk about his family. He had been so sure that he wouldn’t have to in order to get a simple reporting job. That was all that Alec was applying for. He wasn’t smart enough to be an inventor, but writing reports…that was his speciality.
“You don’t have to answer that” Magnus said as if he could read Alec’s thoughts. “None of my business”.
“Sorry” Alec apologised, averting his eyes from Magnus’ daring gaze. “It’s nothing bad. I just — I don’t think working with my dad would be - would be-“.
“Right for you?” Magnus offered.
Alec nodded. “Yeah something like that”.
“Alright then…now to the important stuff” Magnus clapped his hands together and lifted up a bright pink folder with the name: Alexander Lightwood scribbled all over it. “You are apparently a fantastic reporter”.
Alec opened his mouth to say something smart, but decided better of it, and closed his mouth. He was never any good at sounding smart or making jokes or anything that normal human beings could do. So he often said nothing at all.
“I read the report you wrote for your job application” Magnus said, his face suddenly becoming more serious. “It was well written, descriptive, elaborate — I could use that here. The current reporters are actually useless. Don’t tell anyone I said that”.
Alec nodded quickly. “No of course not”.
“Often the inventions my employees create never have much of an…extravagance that could be seen from just looking at it” Magnus explained, waving his hand in front of his face as he spoke. “I like my reports to be written with a descriptive and elaborate way of writing…that just hasn’t been happening”.
Alec wasn’t sure if he should say anything. He was to busy staring at the pink folder in Magnus’ hands to be able to come up with anything smart to say. Thankfully, Magnus didn’t look up from the folder, indicating that he wasn’t expecting Alec to say anything.
“I think” Magnus said slowly, drumming his fingers against the folder. “That I’d like to see you work here”.
Alec almost fell off his chair. The words he had been dreaming to hear. The words that he had been so convinced he would never hear. They hung in the air, giving Alec a long moment before he could properly absorb them and choose an appropriate choice of words to reply with.
“I-I would be honoured to work here” he said almost breathlessly. “T-thank you”.
Magnus smiled and handed Alec the pink folder. “Don’t thank me yet, Alexander. Thank me when you get your first glittering pay check”.
**
“I got the job!” Alec announced as he opened the front door to his parents house.
Jace and Clary were sitting in the living room, arms wrapped around themselves as though they’d just been making out. Jace was his step brother, the annoyingly handsome step brother that everyone adored. And Clary was his girlfriend. Jace was still living at home, which wasn’t at all surprising, and Clary was there so often that she practically lived there.
“You got the job?” Jace echoed, his dark eyes betraying the wide smile on his face.
It was clear that he was annoyed at being interrupted, but Alec didn’t care. For once in his life he finally had something good to share with the family and he wasn’t going to let Jace’s make out session ruin that. Of course, hardly anyone in the family knew he had even applied for a job. But it didn’t stop him from spreading the news around to every single member of the family.
“Thats great, Alec” Clary said as she removed herself from Jace’s grip. “But what exactly is the job?”.
“Probably cleaning toilets” Jace scoffed and Clary was quick to smack him.
Alec rolled his eyes. “You’ll be surprised to know that I now work in the Bane Building. For Magnus Bane”.
“You work for Magnus Bane?!” exclaimed a familiar voice from behind Alec.
It was Isabelle. The beautiful younger sister that Alec had a tough time competing with. He and Isabelle were very similar in looks, if you removed Izzy’s over excessive amount of make up. But their personalities were completely different. Whereas Alec was the shy and quiet type. Isabelle was loud and confident.
“Yes, yes I do” Alec said proudly as he turned around to greet his sister.
Izzy wrapped her arms around her big brother excitedly and jumped up and down. The commotion must of been heard from upstairs because Maryse and Robert Lightwood were storming downstairs. Alec was surprised to see that his dad was home. Robert normally spent his nights stuck in his office, not at home with his wife and family.
“Alec, what’s going on?” Maryse asked worriedly, her blue eyes unable to hide her confusion.
Isabelle pulled away from Alec, nudging him forward so that he could tell their parents the good news. He’d never really been good at news telling. Jace and Isabelle were experts. They’d always come home from school when they were kids, showcasing brand new sports ribbons and awards. The only thing Alec had to show was a brand new bruise on his left cheek.
“Alec?” Maryse urged, staring at her son with a steady gaze.
Alec looked from his mom and then to his dad — who looked tired and angry as usual — before managing to take a deep, reflective breath.
“You know how I applied for that job as a reporter” he started, trying not to sound like a stuttering five year old. “Well, I got the job. Today. Just now”.
“He works for Magnus Bane!” Isabelle chimed in before Alec could do the honours.
The Lightwood parents both had very different reactions. Maryse looked thrilled. Her eyes widened and a wide smile broke out on her hard and sculptured face. She wrapped her arms around Alec proudly and pressed a light kiss onto his cheeks. She also whispered the words Alec had been dying to here, “I’m so proud of you”. Robert, on the other hand, looked as though he were about to ram Alec into a brick wall. His dark eyes were narrowed and he folded his arms crossly over his chest. It was a known fact that Robert hated the Bane company. He’d hated how successful it was for its inventions. He also hated that he was often compared to a Magnus Bane guy who didn’t even show up to meetings that he arranged himself. Alec wasn’t really surprised by his father’s reaction — didn’t make him feel any less shittier though.
“A reporter isn’t going to pay well” Robert stated, matter of factly. “You’ll be working six hours for nothing”.
“Robert-“ Maryse began, but her husband hushed her with a raised hand.
“I’m glad you’ve found something to do with your life, Alec” he said, his voice tainted with sarcasm. “Lets just hope that you don’t screw this up this time. Oh, and maybe don’t get a boyfriend”.
Of course, Alec thought bitterly, here goes Dad with his homophobia again. Alexander Gideon Lightwood was gay. This simple fact hadn’t been well know until a couple of months ago. Alec had been well prepared to live out a closeted life, not tainting himself with the life of ‘sinners’ as his father liked to call it. But he hated having to live a lie. Or at least, his sister Isabelle told him that he would hate it. So one night, as the family all sat around the dinner table, he came out. The reactions had all been very different. Isabelle had been proud, smiling like a fool as she wrapped her arms around her big brother. Jace had been surprised, not by the fact that Alec was gay (( he kind of guessed)), but by the fact that Alec was brave enough to come out. Their younger brother Max, who was fifteen years old, almost spat out his drink. He’d always wanted a gay family member, but he always thought it would turn out to be him. Maryse and Robert weren’t so supportive. Maryse had been lost for words, almost dropping the glass of wine she had been raising to her lips. It had been clear then that Maryse was now aware of the fact that her eldest son wasn’t going to marry and have children. That was what upset her the most about the revelation of Alec’s sexuality. Robert’s reaction wasn’t as subtle as the rest. He’d kicked his chair back and started shouting. Harsh words and insults that Alec could barely understand. It had resulted in a slap across the face and Robert sulking out of the room. The memory was almost unbearable.
“I’m pretty sure a boyfriend won’t affect my job, Dad” Alec snarled. “Not every boss is a homophobic asshole like you. Pretty sure thats why Magnus Bane is so freakin’ popular. He’s a lot nicer than you”.
“Alec” Isabelle said warningly, brushing her hand along Alec’s arm to calm him down.
Robert and Alec both glared at each other. Their eyes locking in some sort of show down. It didn’t break off until Max came downstairs, his dark hair spiking up in all different directions just as Alec’s normally did.
“Does this family always have to fight?” he asked, looking from his parents to his siblings and then at Alec with an uncertain expression. “Congratulations on the job, Alec”.
Alec smiled at his younger brother. “Thank you, Max. I’m glad someone’s pleased”.
Without waiting to be invited to dinner, Alec stormed out of the house with a slammed door echoing behind him. He had moved out on the same night he came out to his family about being gay. Since then, he’d been living in a small apartment near the city. It was nice and peaceful to live alone…but he very much missed his siblings. But he no longer cared about going home alone on a night he was supposed to be celebrating. He just had to get away from his dad.