a/n: I've got exams just tomorrow, and I'm counting writing this as revision for English, haha. I'm sorry if I'm not up to standard- my beta hasn't been online. Enjoy anyway!

When you're waiting for something very, very badly, time doesn't really slow down.

Rather- it turns your days grey with want, and you find yourself doing the same things, just waiting for that day to happen, until everything turns into a general greyish sludge and everything seems to have a personal vendetta against you (especially if they're whipped and made of cream) and you've quite lost the concept of time.

And then that day comes without you even realising that it's just there.

Alec had been on sets before.

Their mother used to be quite the star back in the '80s, with billboards proudly declaring her name and filled with images of her with perfectly coiffed hair, and glamorous in feather boas.

That's how she tells it, anyway.

She had been big enough, though, to be roped in for a few commercials and small roles in small movies even after her retirement, and she'd brought young Alec along, and he'd blink in the glaring lights, the looming equipment, and garishly ornate props; and he loved the showy pretentiousness of it all. His love for the screen was probably in his veins, because his sister came along not long after, and demanded to be showed around all the sets, and well, we all know how that ended out.

He was probably just nervous about going on a set again, he told himself Thursday night, while he lay sinking in his Sesame Street bedspreads, wide-eyed and clutching dearly to his giant Totoro plushie, dipping his fingers occasionally into his precious jar of pickles kept by his bedside. Or maybe it was just the fact that going to the set on Friday meant skipping a day of work and he was probably having withdrawals. Yeah. Maybe that was it.

He lay in bed trying to figure out why he was so nervous before going into a lengthy musing about everything he had done wrong in life.

The hours leading up to Friday, 9am, when he was supposed to meet Isabelle, Alec spent belting his lungs out to One Direction (or at least the One Direction version) emotionally and prancing and spinning along- "one way or another I'm gonna find you, I'm gonna get you get you get you get you/ one way or another I'm gonna win you, I'm gonna get you get you get you get you/ one way or another I'm gonna see you I'm gonna meet you meet you meet you meet you"- which he found described his feelings toward Magnus exceptionally well, although he hoped he didn't come off as creepy as the protagonist in the song sounded like. By 1am he was cracking open his eighth can of apple juice, whispering, "Is this the real life or is this just fantasy" and by 3:15am he was playing Mario Kart and wondering why he had stayed up in the first place. At 4:20am his stomach growled and he decided to make pancakes, tried to flip three at a time, and ended up with pancake batter stuck permanently to his ceiling. At 5am he gave up trying to scrub it off and opened his laptop and began watching Doctor Who. At 8am he was sobbing quite loudly, because TV shows just got to his heart in a way nothing else could. Except pickles. And coffee. And whipped- never mind.

At 9am when Isabelle came over to pick him up, she found him with grotesque eyebags and still in his duck-printed pyjamas, sitting at the edge of his couch with his legs pulled up and muttering to himself.

"Hey, Alec!" Isabelle put on a brazen smile and smacked her brother hard on the shoulder. "Aren't you going to get ready soon?"

Alec turned to look at her, looking positively horrified. "The Ponds are such angels," he said in the gravest of tones.

"I- what, okay. Have you been crying?"

"Ponds," Alec half-whispered again.

"Just get your stinking butt off the couch already and go get changed!" she shrieked shrilly. Alec trudged dutifully toward his room and came out again three minutes later looking dapper, still sporting huge eyebags.

"I don't do this very often," Alec said, rather redundantly.

"I know, you boring responsible idiot. Come along now."

They reached at the set at 9:30 sharp because she was Isabelle and she had to arrive at everything just on time, but still kind of fashionably late. Alec followed her to where the trailers were parked and along the way he thought about how lucky he was to leave the whipped cream machine back in the coffeeshop, and how much he missed the homely aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans, and muffins, and sweet, buzzing happiness and warmth. Then he looked down at the leather jacket resting softly against his arm and reminded himself, "adventure", and then "Magnus Bane", and a twisty feeling spread in his stomach like butterscotch.

Isabelle led him to Magnus' trailer before going back to her own trailer and wishing him luck and he took a shuddering deep breath in, held it, and raised his fist to knock the door before the door flew open and someone flew out.

"Hey, um, Magnus!" He yelled.

Magnus didn't so much as turn around but yelled right back, "Leave me alone, I need my daily chai latte!" Then softer, but still audible, "Ew, morning people are disgusting."

"I've got chai latte with me right now!" Alec yelled back between pants, jogging after him. It was the most exercise he'd had in quite a while.

Magnus whipped around, already smiling saccharinely and with fingers outstretched. Alec had forgotten how good Magnus looked- he looked like he was glowing all the time, and not just when he was particularly happy (or maybe he was just particularly happy all the time, Alec hadn't had the opportunity to find out which it was yet), but more like a natural glow, an inhuman collection of pheromones that blinded everyone who had the misfortune who passed him by. It was as if the man was exuding a sort of sheer golden aura that expanded over his profile in a shimmering way. Alec wondered how much coffee he would need to overcome his strange thoughts due to lack of sleep.

"Hand it over," Magnus said sweetly, then something in his eyes seemed to light up. "Oh hi, Mr Cute Barista!"

Oh my God, Magnus Bane remembered me, and he called me cute? Alec thought, gulping, and he could already feel his blush creeping up, painting his cheeks red.

"Hi, uh. Uhm. Hello," he stuttered, his tongue flopping around beneath his control. He gestured flaccidly towards the jacket. "Um."

"Oh, that. Thanks, I was wondering where I left it. I can't remember a lot of things that have been happening to me recently. Did you know, on Wednesday I was minding my usual business, and talking to Chairman Meow, then I turn, poof! He's gone! I actually forgot he wasn't there!"

Alec must have looked pretty shocked, because he went on and said, "Oh, don't worry, darling. He likes coming and going, it's his little thing. It's probably just a little cat thing though. I need my latte, I swear I usually tell more interesting stories than that." The last part came out a little snappish, so Alec grabbed the paper cup of chai latte he'd made sure to prepare before setting off and shoved it in Magnus' face.

"Thank you, sweetie," Magnus replied, and Alec wished he would just tone down on the affectionate terms because he thought he would combust, right there and then, which was already highly plausible given the amount of heat flaming up his face. Magnus finished the latte in no time, and let out a satisfactory beam and –was that an actual purr?

"You know, I haven't asked you your name yet."

Oh. "It's um, Alec. Alec Lightwood." He could hear Isabelle chiding him mentally already, because who hesitates to state their name?

Magnus raised a perfectly-shaped eyebrow. Alec wondered how long it took to get to that perfect shape, and those eyes- no, he was a respectable man who did not spend his time getting mesmerised by gorgeous brilliant emerald, twinkling eyes, eyes shouldn't be even able to twinkle that much-

"A little bird told me that Lightwoods are a loyal and interesting bunch."

"Uh, thank you," Alec replied, still blushing, still wondering how he could have held the blush for so long, and wondering if he's levelled up to Level 500 Lame Uninteresting Twat yet. "Well, a little bird told me that he's never heard of the surname Bane before, but he's sure it's a fair respectable line."

Magnus laughed, and it was a beautiful thing- if laughs could sparkle, his would, but at the same time it was deep and rumbly and affectionate, and Alec had never felt so helpless.

"You're charming."

"Nah, just sleepy."

Magnus laughed again, and Alec couldn't help but smiling too.

"If I may ask though, Magnus," Alec said suddenly, just as Magnus is in the middle of humming Pop Goes The Weasel, "what's up with you and Camille?"

"Oh. She was my girlfriend of about, say, 5 years? Give or take. I found out a while back she was cheating on me. With quite a few others, too." There's hardly a hint of sadness in his voice, just acceptance. "She was the one who gave me this jacket. You know what? You can have it, I don't need it."

"But it means something to-"

"Not really, no. Lambskin doesn't really suit me anyway."

"I went through a lot of trouble to find you to give it back to you, you should keep it."

"Fine," Magnus said, something flickering in his eyes and his grin turning slightly predatory. "And you give me your number, deal?"

Alec's blush deepened. He had no idea whatsoever how that even happened. He fumbled, took Magnus' outstretched phone, and keyed in his number with trembling fingers.

"Okay, got to go, I'll text ya!" Magnus said, snatching his phone back, and gave Alec a quick salute and a casual wink that made Alec gag on his tongue and his heart run into overdrive.

And when you're waiting and searching, searching, searching, sometimes you'll find the thing that you weren't looking out for at the strangest of times. Because the universe has a strange way of delivering, but when it does, all the puzzle pieces seem to slide into place, and for once, everything is exactly as you've always imagined it to be in your childhood fantasies.