It was just another morning shift for Alec Lightwood, the shop filled with business men who took the strongest coffee on offer to work and other people returning from night shifts who needed a quick drink before they had to be somewhere else. He had just served a grey haired man a large black coffee to go when he was face to face with a head of perfectly styled black hair.

"Just a latte, please," the man said, not even looking up from his phone.

Alec blinked, not used to seeing anyone younger than 30 at before noon and started to prepare the drink. His sister Isabelle nudged him on the arm and gave him a quick smile whilst serving her own customer. It was a family business and their parents had agreed to let them work there to get some money as they were both in college.

Alec placed the large steaming mug on a small white plate and put it on the counter, "Anything else?" he asked, drumming his fingers against the counter top.

The man looked up and Alec was suddenly staring into the strangest yet most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen; green with flecks of gold shining in them. The man suddenly smirked and dropped a wink, "Your phone number would be great," he said, biting his lip suggestively.

Alec looked away and he could hear Isabelle laughing quietly behind him, "That's three dollars," he said, ringing it up on the cash register.

The man paused for a moment, staring at the blue eyed boy who had just flat out rejected him. He fished a five dollar bill out of his leather wallet and took his coffee, "Keep the change," he said.

Alec didn't watch him walk away and sit at the corner table by the window and began to serve the next customer. Half way through pressing buttons on the coffee machine Isabelle grabbed his arm, "What is your problem? He was hot," she whispered.

Alec didn't look up, "Not my type," he replied in a bored tone.

Isabelle scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right," she muttered and flashed a grin to the customer she had kept waiting.

The next day Alec was faced again with the same problem.

"Just a latte," said the familiar voice, "And how about that phone number again?"

Alec sighed and looked up. The man's eyes were just as inviting and today Alec noticed he was wearing eyeliner that made them stand out even more. Alec looked away, "Listen-"

"Magnus," the man interrupted, "I do plan on having you use my name."

His tone made Alec almost choke on his own spit and his cheeks reddened, "Magnus," he said through clenched teeth, "I'm not interested, I'm sorry."

Magnus leaned over the counter, "That would be a lot more convincing if you could look me in the face when you reject me."

Alec scowled at the floor and heard the door behind him open.

"Oh!" came Isabelle's shocked comment.

Alec pulled off his apron over his head, messing up his head of black hair. He looked at his sister who was looking back and forth between the two men, "I'm taking my break," he spat.

"The usual please, Alexander," Magnus's voice felt like music to Alec's ears but Alec bit the inside of his cheeks He would not let this guy charm him into going on a date. He didn't do dating, he just didn't. He wouldn't let some stranger walk into his life and change everything. He liked not having to worry about other peoples feelings and other than that he was just stubborn and didn't appreciate being so obviously hit on.

Alec looked up, glaring, "How do you-"

Magnus waved his hand dramatically, "Oh, your sister," he drawled, "I must say she seems a lot more friendly and her taste in clothes is a bit more my style. But oh well, we can't have everything."

Alec clenched his fists, "Ask her out instead, then."

Magnus smirked, his lips glossy but his eyes noticably makeup free today. Alec mentally kicked himself for paying too much attention.

"But I like you, darling," Magnus said softly, "I'm a sucker for a pair of blue eyes."

Alec clenched his jaw, "You're holding up the line," he said, referring to the two customers behind Magnus that he knew Isabelle would quickly serve but he didn't want to let Magnus know that. He was also mad at Isabelle right now so he didn't really care how many coffees she had to make.

Magnus smiled as Isabelle appeared, bringing in a box of waxed paper to go cups. She paused as she saw the two boys. Magnus admiring Alec and recieving a glare in return. "Hey Mag," she said.

Alec groaned, "Izzy, really?"

Magnus ignored his comment and tapped his painted fingernails against the marble counter, "If my drink takes too long, can I get a refund?"

Alec turned on his heel, angrily preparing Magnus's drink that he deeply wanted to spit in. He would not give Magnus the satisfaction of having won something. Isabelle stood next to him, "Still rejecting him?"

Alec nodded firmly.
Isabelle leaned into her brother and whispered into his ear, "If you don't say yes, someone else will."

Admittedly, Magnus was the most attractive person Alec had ever seen. He didn't know how to feel about seeing Magnus coming into the shop, holding hands with another guy. Alec also didn't know how to feel about what it'd be like to have those beautiful eyes trained on him, being his. Alec's stomach suddenly dropped, his heart hammering in his ears and his hands shaking. He didn't know how to react.

"Think about it," Isabelle said kindly, "From what I could tell yesterday he seems great. He's really nice and funny and you'd like him if you gave him a chance." She looked down and saw her brother's trembling hands trying to work the machine. "I'll finish it," she said.

Alec nodded and bit down on his lip, blocking out Isabelle's and Magnus's conversation taking place just meters away. He'd never been genuinely liked by anyone before, he assumed he was too boring for anyone's taste. He waited till he knew Magnus would be sat down at his usual seat in the corner until he turned back around.

"Thanks," he muttered to Isabelle, taking another person's order.

The next day, Magnus didn't show. Alec couldn't help but feel like he'd missed his chance. Sure the guy was a little out there but it really started to hurt him that he'd pushed someone away. Was he really that horrible of a person? He'd been a total bitch to someone and he felt guilty.

Isabelle noticed and glanced over at the empty corner table. She pursed her lips tightly together in a straight line and didn't mention the way Alec would have to have an order repeated a few times or when he'd accidentally start making a latte instead of the actual order or the way he hardly spoke.

Alec finished his shift twenty minutes earlier than usual and made his way home through the rain, the cold drops hammering against his skin making him feel equally awful inside and out.

Alec was shivering despite his usual thick sweater and he didn't really want to put any effort into anything today. He wanted to go home and stay in bed at not feel so damn cold. He now regretted being caught out in the rain and feeling too shitty to even put dry clothes on when he finally got home. The shop was a lot quieter than usual which he put down to the weather. A lot of people would want to get to their workplace and homes as soon as possible and out of the rain, not stop for a drink. Alec wiped down the same spot on the counter top for the third time and sighed.

"It's quiet today. Maybe I'll get my drink on time for once."

Alec turned around, relief flooding his chest making him feel childish. He tried to hide the blush that appeared on his pale cheeks but no such luck. "Where were you?" he asked.

Magnus looked slightly shocked. He shoved his phone into his back pocket and smirked, "Are you trying to not so subtly hint that you missed me by any chance?"

"No," Alec grumbled, folding his skinny arms over his chest. "I was just wondering why I wasn't being harassed for once." Alec felt a pang in his chest and he instantly regretted what he said. How great, he thought, way to give him a chance, Alec.

Magnus ran a hand through his black silky hair making it stick up in all directions from the rain, "I was working if you must know," he said, "I do have a life outside talking to you, you know. I had forgotten to hand something in and I really didn't want to get fired so I skipped my usual dose of rejection to keep my job, is that okay?"

"Right, sorry," Alec muttered, still not making any attempt to prepare Magnus's drink. He knew that the conversation would end right then and there if he did and he wasn't about to let that happen. He was going to get this right, he was determined.

"Is that an apology? May I bring up my past offers of your number?"

Alec raised his eyebrows, "You don't give up, do you?"

Magnus smiled, "Like I said, I'm a sucker for blue eyes."

Alec blushed even more and bit the inside of his lip. He had no clue what to say, he had no idea how any of this worked. He awkwardly coughed, "Would you um.. would you like to talk?"

This time it was Magnus who raised his eyebrows, "Was that a yes?"

Alec stared at him, "It's a maybe."

Magnus smirked and reached for his wallet but Alec stopped him. Magnus didn't question it and gladly accepted the free coffee. Alec hoped it would at least make up for some of the rudeness he had shown in the past few days. He quickly opened the door to the back room and carefully stepped in, finding Isabelle leaning against one of the piles of boxes, idly playing with her phone.

Alec cleared his throat, "Isabelle," he started.

Isabelle looked up and noticed the colour in her brother's face and his heavy breathing as if he'd just ran a marathon, "Alec," she said slowly.

"So.. Um, that guy Magnus is out there and I was wondering if you could take over for a while so him and I could maybe-"

She cut him off, "God, yes. Finally," she said but then looked him up and down, "You're shiverring."

Alec shrugged, "Lost my umbrella," he answered.

"Idiot," she muttered. "Make yourself a drink too before you get even sicker."

Alec stepped back out to find Magnus waiting for him and his breath hitched in his throat. His cheeks felt warmer as he produced two steaming hot drinks, a latte and a plain hot chocolate. He had a feeling coffee would give him a headache and the last thing he needed was looking like an idiot with his sister taking him home because he had been stupid enough to get sick.

Alec and Magnus made their way over to the corner table where Alec fidgeted nervously, "I'm sorry.. I haven't really ever.."

Magnus nodded, his hands bringing up his beverage to his lips. "It's fine, take your time. You look adorable when you're nervous."

Alec groaned and placed his face in his hands, "You're not helping."

Magnus chuckled and waited for Alec to calm down slightly. It only took a moment until Alec's cheeks were slowly becoming a less bright shade of pink and he managed to form an actual sentence.

"Why didn't you ever come here until a few days ago?" Alec asked, wrapping his hands around the hot mug in front of him and ran his hands over the hot surface, grateful for the warmth it provided.

"I just finished college and got a new job in the area so I moved here. I didn't know this place existed until about a week ago."

Alec nodded slowly, but then finally met his blue eyes with Magnus's green ones. "I'm sorry, for being so rude."

Magnus blinked, "I wasn't exactly the nicest person either."

Alec sighed, "It's just.." he fumbled for words, "I'm not as.. out there as you are. I don't like attention so when you asked for my number in front of everyone I just-"

Magnus placed a hand over Alec's arm and Alec froze. "I understand," Magnus replied but then frowned, "You're freezing."

Alec pulled his arm away and scowled, "I'm fine."

Magnus sipped at his hardly touched coffee and thought for a moment. His gaze settled at the large mug on the table, "You know, I don't even really like coffee that much," he admitted sheepishly.

Alec stared at him for a minute before breaking into a grin that Magnus thought was the most precious sight ever. He nudged his own mug away from him, "I'm not the biggest fan of sweet drinks," he said and bit his lip as Magnus laughed.

"Well then," said Magnus, standing up and literally pulling Alec up with him. He removed his scarf from his own neck and wrapped it around Alec's, the red standing out against his pale skin. Isabelle stood behind the counter, watching the whole scene with a smirk on her face as her brother blushed furiously. "Isabelle, I am taking your lovely brother out for a while to warm him up. I'll have him returned in one piece by tonight but I can't make any promises." He winked at Isabelle and laughed, urging them to go.

Alec's jaw dropped, "No! What- I-"

Magnus tutted, grabbing Alec's hand and pulling him out of the door. Isabelle watched them and went to clear away their barely touched drinks still sat at the corner table.