Title: You're It
Author: an-alternate-world
Rating: K+
Characters/Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Word Count: 3,414
Summary: The first date of Magnus and Alec that takes place in the universe of 'The World Inverted'.
Warnings/Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Shadowhunters, Freeform, Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments, or anything else related to the universe.

Magnus wasn't really sure what he was doing here. He knew he'd agreed to it, of course – if you could count stumbling over his words in a vague attempt at accepting the very attractive Alexander Lightwood's offer as an agreement – but he was still struggling to grasp what he was doing here. He'd never done this before and there were traces of anxiety running through him as he took in the swarms of teenagers and young adults drifting to and fro and the glare of coloured lights dancing overheard. It made him feel like he'd stepped into a dimension where he didn't belong.

Not that he could breathe a word of dimensions to Alec, who had no idea that some dormant magical power within him had been unearthed by an over-excitable but tiny redhead.

He shoved his twitching fingers into his pockets and tried to stand still. It was his own fault he felt awkward. He'd arrived early, wanting to scope out the place that Alec had suggested for their first date, but he'd arrived too early and now he just had nothing to do but stand and wait and feel like an absolute idiot and it was giving him far too much time to think about all the ways that this could be disastrous and go wrong and-

"Hey."

He could have sworn he felt the tickle of warm breath against the back of his neck and almost certainly changed direction fast enough to arouse suspicion that he wasn't strictly human. Even though he still wasn't entirely sure what he was.

His eyes met Alec's, a gleaming hazel that were wide and hopeful and happy, and Magnus decided it didn't matter that he might make a fool of himself. He was in the company of someone extraordinarily charming and extraordinarily beautiful and there was nothing else he needed. Not to mention that Alec managed to pull off black jeans and a dark green sweater so well that Magnus wondered if Alec had some sort of magical abilities too.

"H-Hi," he said, realising a moment too late that the silence had probably stretched on an inordinate amount of time. His heart fluttered in his chest like a hummingbird's wings as the edge of Alec's mouth twitched into a smile and he knew, oh God he knew, that he had fallen for this young man faster than anyone else in his entire life and there was no saving him now.

"So I've already paid for the first round. You can pick up the second, if you're up to it," Alec said with a wave towards the counter. A bored teenage girl in a fluorescent orange shirt leaned against the counter, snapping gum and fiddling with her phone. Magnus wasn't sure her disinterest was a good look for the business.

"Okay," he said, aware that his simple answers probably made him sound dumb but he was finding it difficult to restart his brain and form coherent sentences after Alec had moved to cradle his elbow and was leading him towards a side room.

"I was thinking we should be on opposite teams," Alec said, his voice gentle and lilting as they passed through an entryway where rows of black gear was draped over different coloured pieces of wood. "It makes it more competitive."

"Oh?" He quirked an eyebrow, managing the faintest flicker of his former flirtatious self. "What does the winner get?"

Magnus saw Alec's eyes widen, just a fraction, and the pause in his breathing and he immediately felt ridiculously pleased he'd managed to knock some of the wind out of the other boy. It was a nice change of pace from always feeling breathless and flustered.

"Maybe we'll have to decide that later," Alec said with a huff as he turned and moved towards some black gear hung over the blue wood. He looked rather composed as he lifted it over his head.

Magnus found himself distracted by the swell of Alec's biceps shifting inside his sweater and the graceful curve of his wrists as he snapped the buckles. He felt his cheeks warm as he rushed to a piece of gear hung over yellow wood. He lowered it gingerly over his hair, determined not to muss it, and then began buckling the straps. It helped to have something to do and soon he was swept into a crowd of people who were all seeking gear.

"You have sixty seconds to find a starting location," a pre-recorded voice said, the words seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere.

A door Magnus hadn't really noticed swung open and what he saw was a large wooden panel beyond. From the corner of his eye he saw Alec glance at him and he straightened his shoulders, refusing to show fear or uncertainty.

The crowd began to move towards the entrance, people scattering in every direction they could. Magnus soon lost sight of Alec but since they were on opposing teams, he figured it didn't really matter.

He jogged through the maze, running into several dead ends and turning to find a new path. He also ran into at least two strangers who were searching for a hiding place. Magnus wasn't sure if there was a strategy to the game or a perfect place to hide but when he heard the countdown begin – 10, 9, 8 – he stopped searching and flung himself into a small alcove against a wall with a dead-end nearby.

The countdown hit 1 and then the lights shut off, plunging Magnus into darkness.

Well, not quite darkness.

Black lights erupted overhead, offering an unearthly purple glow around the space and causing markings which had previously been unnoticeable to erupt. Strange symbols marked the walls near Magnus and he found himself interested in them, drawn towards them as if he were under a spell, as if they spoke to the magical part of him which had recently been unlocked.

He startled when his gear came to life, a loud chirp echoing around the maze which suggested everyone else was active too. Yellow lights flickered against his chest and he detached the gun from the clip against his stomach, testing the weight in his hands.

Footsteps thundered past, a few errant yells and squawks and cheers, as strangers shot each other. There were trills whenever someone scored and a disappointed bleeping when someone was temporarily taken out of the game. Magnus huddled into his corner, trying to shield his gear from being shot and preparing to shoot anyone who entered his line of fire. Maybe it wouldn't cause him to rack up more points than Alec but at least he was less likely to lose points for being shot.

His gear gave a sad bleeping and he looked around in shock as his gear went dark. Half a level up, on a raised platform, a shadowy figure in red-flashing gear darted away.

So. Apparently shielding himself didn't do anything.

With an annoyed grimace, Magnus rose to his feet and peered around the corner of the alcove. He could see the flickering light of gear all around him, could hear footsteps and scuffles, and his heart hammered in his chest at the thought of venturing into the fray. He didn't like violence or fighting that much, even when he knew it wasn't real.

His gear made another chirp, returning to life, and he knew he was vulnerable to being hit again.

He stifled a quiet curse at Alec for getting him into this – it was fun and exhilarating and completely terrifying not knowing where anyone was and having no one he could trust nearby – and cautiously stepped away from the alcove.

Almost immediately, his gear gave a whine and turned dark and he scowled in betrayal that someone had shot him already. He took off in the first direction that appealed to him – left – and managed to nearly knock someone into a wall. Lucky for them, he couldn't shoot. Unlucky for them, they couldn't shoot him and score easy points.

Just as his gear gave a chirp of life, he darted into another corner and tried to survey his surroundings. He had no idea where he was in relation to the entrance and he wasn't even sure where he was in relation to where he'd just been. How could he get on the raised platform? Would that help him get a better idea of the layout of the maze or would he just be an easy target glowing above everyone else?

He heard a stampede of feet and braced himself, his finger on the trigger of his gun. Two people ran by – red and blue – and he shot his laser beam at both of them. Their gear gave a miserable whine and they looked around for the source of the attack but he'd already shrunk into the dark corner, a delighted grin on his face. This might be more fun than he thought.

Although he was aware of the countdown, Magnus still found himself dazzled when the blacklights were replaced by normal fluorescent tubes. He blinked several times, his eyes burning, and tried to work out which way was the entrance/exit. A young girl, barely a teenager, looked like she knew where she was going so he fell into step behind her and tried not to feel like it was entirely creepy that he was following a kid through a maze.

A hand slipped into his and he jumped. Alec apparently had an ability to appear out of thin air beside him.

"Were you trying to give me a heart attack, Alexander?" he said, his lips probably revealing his amusement.

"Certainly not," Alec said with a grin, his eyes dropping for half a second to their joined hands before continuing their escape from the maze. "That would ruin the opportunity to play with you again."

Magnus' mind leapt to all the ways that simple statement could be taken and he could only hope his skin didn't flush too darkly. Alec gave his hand a slight squeeze before letting it go as they approached the exit.

And Magnus felt…almost disappointed, the palm of his hand closing around cool air in the absence of Alec's skin.

They removed their gear and Alec pulled off his sweater, catching the hem of his black t-shirt and giving Magnus a sinful glimpse of his toned abdomen. If anything, his face flushed harder so he looked away and tried to fix his hair.

"Looks like I beat you," Alec mused and Magnus was about to ask how he knew when he saw where Alec was looking: a TV screen that listed various scores attached to a variety of names.

"How do you know which one you are?" he said, figuring his score was probably the lowest listed in yellow. He'd been too hesitant to leave his corner very often.

"It's on your gear pack. Pay for a second round and I'll show you where to find it," Alec replied with a wink and Magnus felt another flutter of his heart as he reached into his pocket and withdrew his wallet.

They had to wait until the round after the one just commencing to play again so Magnus paid for a couple of bottles of water and wandered over to where Alec was sitting on a stool, his sweater tied around his waist. It was unfortunate – Magnus wouldn't have minded eyeing off his ass on the chair.

"So why laser tag?" Magnus said, cracking the seal of his water bottle and then forgetting what to do with it once he began watching Alec drink. The bob of his Adam's apple was hypnotising. The stray drop that spilled down his chin was begging to be caught with a finger – or tongue.

Oh God.

Alec shrugged and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, something Magnus found completely distracting for reasons he couldn't fathom. "It's fun." His eyes traced over Magnus' face. "It's physical."

Magnus wasn't sure all the water in the world would ease the dryness in his throat after a look like that.

He searched around for an appropriate topic but Alec had already launched into something about the Institute party, about how he'd been the primary organiser and had Magnus enjoyed himself and what had he thought of Isabelle – his sister – and Simon – her boyfriend – and Clary – someone Magnus felt he knew far better than he should – and Jace – someone who confused Magnus a little. It was difficult to offer commentary on people he didn't really know when, at the same time, Clary – or whichever version of Clary he'd met – had unlocked some part of him he'd never known existed. He could still remember the way she'd swirled her arms around like an erratic octopus in his living room, trying to convince him he could do magic.

They exchanged idle information about each other. Magnus explained what he did in the most obtuse way possible (because what he'd always thought was a talent may actually be an innate magical ability, and how could he explain that?) and Alec shared stories of growing up with his sister. Magnus found himself hanging off every word, or perhaps just the way Alec's lips moved around the words. Was there a difference? He wasn't sure.

There was a brief, piercing bell and Alec sealed his water bottle and jumped to his feet. "That means the round is over," he explained and Magnus nodded, swallowing another quick mouthful and running a hand through his hair. He could already feel the adrenaline seeping into his bloodstream and maybe that was why he missed the way Alec looked at him as he stowed his sweater and water bottle in a small locker. Magnus tucked his water bottle to a different side of the sweater and tried not to think about how he'd touched a piece of clothing that had been on Alec's skin.

Once the hoard of people had exited the maze and discarded their gear, Magnus and Alec scooped up sets. This time, Magnus was blue and Alec was red. True to his word, Alec showed Magnus the thin label on the inside of the gear that revealed the name to search for later although Magnus wasn't sure it mattered. He knew what to do this time but he still wasn't confident enough to stand in the open and seek targets.

The pre-recorded voice announced they had sixty seconds and the door rolled open and, like last time, Magnus was swept into the current of people entering the maze. He made different choices this time of where he went, trying to find the elusive staircase that would allow him to gain the higher vantage point, but all too quickly the ten-second warning began and he shrank into an alcove as the lights changed.

The blue on his gear wasn't nearly as dazzling as the yellow but it still stood out in the darkness of the maze. He could hear the echoes of gear coming to life and the triumphant shouts of successful shooters mingled with the unhappy whine of dying gear.

He heard footsteps to his left and reacted instinctively, shooting the shadowy figure in red gear before he registered who it was.

"You shot me," Alec said, shocked and amused as he approached Magnus.

"We're on rival teams, Alexander," he pointed out, taking half a step back into the wall when it appeared Alec was going to walk into him.

"Are we?" Alec murmured, his right hand reaching out to cradle Magnus' cheek and tilt his head back and before Magnus had even registered what was happening, Alec's lips were on his. He felt the tremble that started at his shoulders unravelling down his spine. The grip on his gun faltered when he let go to grasp at Alec's shirt instead. He felt the curve of Alec's smile against his mouth as he deepened the kiss, the faintest lick of his tongue against the seam of Magnus' mouth that had his lips opening and oh God oh God oh God, Alec was stealing the breath from his lungs and Magnus was letting him and he could hardly think.

His back was against a wooden panel and the gear dug uncomfortably into his spine but he hardly registered that over the rush of blood in his ears, the staccato of his heartbeat in his chest, the warmth of Alec's hand on his face, the certainty in his kiss and the tugging, low down, in his stomach that he hadn't felt in so long and-

Alec's gear gave an excited chirp as it came to life, disturbing the kiss at the worst possible moment. Magnus could feel Alec's breath against his mouth, a series of unsteady pants that he suspected was mirrored by his own, and for a second he was disoriented when he opened his eyes and found he could hardly see. It was like he'd been seeing in blinding technicolour for the duration of the kiss and being plunged back into darkness was disorientating to say the lea-

His gear gave an unhappy whine as it died and he looked down at the blue lights blinking out before realising Alec had taken a step back, gun outstretched, grin glowing in the dark of the blacklights.

"You shot me?" he squawked, betrayal burning icy in his stomach as he fumbled to pick up his gun from his side. When had he let it go? He didn't remember.

"Now we're even. Remember we're on rival teams, Magnus?" Alec said, the grin widening until he looked like some sort of morbid Cheshire Cat, and darted out of the alcove.

"You little-" Magnus growled and gritted his teeth together.

It was on.

Magnus felt flushed and sweaty with exertion at the end of the second round of laser tag. Part of that owed to the all the running around he'd done, shooting anyone he saw whose gear didn't flicker with blue lights, in his pursuit of Alec. The other part was his shameful chasing of Alec in an attempt to kiss him again.

Not that he'd ever tell Alec that.

They discarded their gear and scanned the screen, Magnus delighted to see he'd not only made a significant improvement on his first round but that he was also slightly above Alec's score. Perhaps running around was the key to winning the game. Perhaps if you stood still, you were only victorious if someone chanced across your hiding place.

"Nice work," Alec complimented with a nod and raised eyebrow, turning towards his locker and retrieving his sweater and the water bottles. This time, Magnus gulped down what was left in the bottle and was only mildly disappointed when he noted it was empty.

Now he didn't have a distraction or something to fiddle with.

"So… Now what?" he said, fighting the urge to bite his bottom lip as he looked up at Alec. Alec, whose hair was a mess from taking gear on and off and running around. Alec, whose cheeks were flushed pink with running around. Alec, whose lips still looked like they might have been kiss-swollen. Maybe. If Magnus looked hard enough. Which he wasn't.

"Dinner?" Alec suggested before glancing at his watch and realising it was too early for dinner and too late for lunch. "Or not. We should probably kill some time before then."

Magnus was ridiculously pleased that Alec wanted to kill time until dinner. It meant the date hadn't been a disaster. It meant Alec wanted to continue to spend time with him.

He hesitated and twisted his fingers into the hem of his shirt for a moment, an unconsciously anxious gesture he forced himself to end. "My place is only a few blocks away," he said, avoiding Alec's eyes.

"Oh?" Alec inched closer, invading Magnus' personal space enough that he could smell Alec's cologne mingled with the salt of his sweat from running around. "And what can we do there?"

Magnus quirked an eyebrow nervously, his lips not really forming the words, but the smile that spread across Alec's face was radiant and some of the jumping sensation in his stomach subsided.

"Lead the way," Alec said, his fingers slipping between Magnus' and tugging him away from the laser tag venue.

And if they ended up ordering take-out that could be delivered because they decided they'd much rather not leave the couch and end the make-out session… Well… Could anyone blame them?

~FIN~