Second Chances. Chapter 3.

Alec lied nestled in Magnus's spare bed, feeling unbearably cold. The room, which had seemed so much brighter earlier in the evening had turned into a twisted setting that was worse than the nightmares that he kept waking up from. Alec had dreamt of coughing up blood, his fingers and limbs falling off, and worse of all, his family absent from his funeral, ashamed to call him their son. Alec didn't want to close his eyes, too afraid of what waited in the pits of his mind.

He dragged the comforter around him, cocooning himself inside and hoping to get a little warmer. It felt like he was dead already, wrapped in his own burial cloth and set to die. The thought made him throw off the comforter and roll onto his side, wanting to escape the confining fabric. He sat up in bed, rubbing his cold arms and wondered if he was really dying right now. It felt like it, but he'd been feeling that way since earlier in the evening. Should he go ask Magnus? Alec felt like he would know, but he was probably asleep, and he'd given Alec not only a bed, but the first hot shower he'd had in weeks. Magnus had also told him to accept his offer of charity, something that Alec was hesitant to do. His father had always told them that charity didn't really exist. Either someone what going to collect on the receiver's end (the thought of Magnus kissing him or worse came to mind) or Magnus was getting something out of it. But what could Magnus get from helping Alec out? His family wasn't rich, it wasn't like he could collect a ransom of sorts. Alec was juggling the thought in his head when he heard the floorboards creak. He froze, looking out into the room with wide eyes. Maybe Magnus was planning on having him be the sacrifice to whatever creepy ghost was living in his spare room. It seemed completely normal compared to the neon the man seemed delighted to decorate his home with.

Alec nearly yelled when a pair of yellow eyes appeared over the side of his bed. He grit his teeth, scooting away on the bed and taking in the way they reflected off the thing light coming from the window. It took a terrifying moment for him to realize the eyes belonged to a white tabby.

"Oh." Alec breathed out a sigh. "Are you Magnus' cat?" He asked. The cat mewed, crawling up onto the bed and proceeding to rub his face into Alec's stomach. "Glad I'm not allergic." Alec mumbled, patting the cat gently. The cat purred in response, burrowing its way against Alec's chest to rest in his lap. Alec wasn't an animal person per say. He had a cat back home, but Church ignored you on his good days unless you were Max, who fed him. It felt better though, knowing that he wasn't alone in the world, as silly as it sounded. Magnus was right down the hall, but he was a total stranger. And besides Magnus there was no one else. He hadn't made contact with any of his family members, partly because he didn't have the money, and mainly because he was afraid of what they'd say. Magnus' cat seemed perfectly fine with showering him with purrs and snuggles that Alec seriously needed it right now. He shifted back until he was lying down on the bed, to which Magnus' cat responded by proceeding to burrow his way into the crook of Alec's neck. The white tabby curled into a purring ball, Alec's fingers running through the soft fur until he fell asleep.

"Good Morning." Magnus greeted from the living room couch, a steaming cup in hand. Alec rubbed at his eyes, wondering how the man had found a space to sit in all of his clutter. "Have a good rest?"

"A bit, yeah." Alec yawned, walking towards the older man and peering at his cup in interest. "Is that coffee?" He asked hopefully. Magnus chuckled, nodding his head.

"There's a pot in the kitchen, cups are in the cabinet right above it." He told Alec, who immediately made a beeline for the caffeine. The cat that had spent the night in Alec's room trailed out after the Lightwood, meowing loudly in greeting. Magnus regarded the feline with surprise.

"You spent the night with Alec, did you?" He leaned over until he could see Alec in the archway of the kitchen with a mug of his own. "He must like you."

"Your cat's nice." Alec said, reentering the room. He reached down and picked the tabby up with his free hand. The feline was purring loudly, in that way that clearly said 'this human pleases me'.

"No, Chairman Meow is completely vicious and will maul the ankles of any intruder that enters his domain without a catnip toy. I suppose you're a lucky exception though." Magnus stood up, walking over and poking at the cat's stomach. He nearly got his finger shredded off in the process.

"Chairman Meow." Alec repeated. Magnus smiled proudly.

"An excellent name, isn't it? Only the best for my little devil incarnate." Magnus chirped, pulling the cat out of Alec's arms and into his own and proceeding to snuggle him. Alec felt his stomach rumble with hunger. Magnus grinned at him. "Are you hungry?"

"Um..." Alec felt his cheeks tingle with embarrassment. Magnus turned away, walking down the hallway, Chairman in hand.

"Well, how about you show me your stealth cooking skills?" Magnus tossed over his shoulder as he disappeared into his kitchen.

"S-sure!" Alec replied, following Magnus through the archway. "Did you want anything in particular, or...?"

"Surprise me." Magnus said, sitting down at the kitchen counter and watching Alec curiously. Alec paused, looking to Magnus for a moment before taking a second to organize his thoughts. An idea popped in his head, and he went to work. He opened the refrigerator, pulling out the ingredients he needed. Alec moved quickly, remembering the days spent darting behind Isabelle's back when Jace and Max had distracted her. He'd been so set on not getting caught and making something edible, that he'd learned to adapt to just about every cooking disaster imaginable.

It was obvious that Magnus didn't know a think about cooking, judging by the fact that he was watching Alec cook with an expression of mild confusion.

"You dip the bread into the egg? The raw egg?"

"Yes..?" Alec said, tossing the French toast onto the frying pan on the stove. The pan gave out a hiss and Alec lowered the heat considerably before looking back at Magnus. "You've never had French toast before? Not even when you were younger?" Magnus shrugged, looking away.

"My family ate Asian cuisine growing up, American food is a mystery to me outside of pizza and take out."

"Pizza is Italian." Alec remarked, and Magnus sighed.

"There you go. My knowledge of American cuisine in a nutshell." Alec snorted, flipping the French toast over with a spatula, pleased to see the other side was a nice golden brown. The kitchen lapsed into a comfortable silence, save the sizzle of the pan and Chairman Meow's cries for attention. When Alec was done, he set three slices of French toast down in front of Magnus, cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the food. Magnus accepted the fork from Alec, cutting into the french toast and taking an experimental bite. Alec watched, standing next to the man, relaxing slightly when Magnus' expression melted into complete bliss.

"This...is completely delicious." Magnus complimented, looking as though he was trying to wrap his mind around the meal. Alec sat down across from him, cutting his way through his own slice of French toast.

"It's just French toast."

"Your French toast completely delicious." Magnus repeated, for lack of a better compliment, having always gone through his second slice.

"I don't mind making you some more when you want it." Alec said, shifting in his chair nervously. Magnus hummed, sucking on his fork in a way that could be considered inappropriate.

"Well, I would hope so, considering the fact that you're going to be staying here from now on." He replied easily. He sent Alec a lazy smile, looking like a cat with a full stomach.

"Staying here?" Alec repeated, last night's conversation rushing back to him. Magnus tilted his head to the side, still smiling at him. "I-I can't stay here!"

"But you need a place to stay, right? Other than that dingy hotel?" Alec looked away, gritting his teeth.

"I don't want your pity!" Magnus rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

"It's not pity. It's an exchange. I'm offering you a job." Alec opened his mouth, before abruptly shutting it again. He looked at Magnus amused expression, before choking out a few words.

"I-what? You-you're offering me what?"

"A job. As my cook." Magnus ran a finger across his empty plate, before licking the cinnamon sugar off his fingertips critically. "I could honestly eat your French toast for the rest of my life. But I'm curious about the rest of your stealth cooking." He grinned at Alec's dumbstruck face. "What's wrong?"

"A job as your cook?" Alec repeated, his head spinning. "Just like...that?"

"Yes, in exchange for room and board." Magnus informed him pleasantly. "It's really nice when you think about how pricey New York homes are. We could draw up a contract if you want." Alec's mind struggled to wrap itself around Magnus' words. Was it really that easy?

"Uh, yeah. I mean, yes, please." Alec corrected himself, still staring at Magnus in surprise. Magnus laughed.

"No need to get formal, Alec darling." Magnus stood up, walking over to the living room and grabbing a paper-thin laptop out of the din. "I typed up the rough draft of the contract last night." He explained, sitting down next to Alec and opening the computer. Alec saw Magnus' desktop image first. It was of Magnus, who looked a bit younger than now, along side a blonde man with green eyes and glasses. They were both laughing, their arms wrapped around each other with what looked like Central Park in the background.

"Who's that?" Alec asked as Magnus brought up a word document. Magnus didn't say anything at first, earning a confused look from the teen. "Magnus?"

"Woolsey. A friend." Magnus finally said, pointing at the lines of text. "You never told me your full name. What is it?" Alec looked at Magnus' face, taking in the tight lines along his mouth.

"Just a friend?" Alec questioned slowly. Magnus sent him an exasperated look.

"Alec."

"Because you aren't holding each other like friends." Alec thought back to Magnus gripping his hand and leaning in to kiss him last night. What was he? Magnus' mistress or something? "Where is he now?"

"Are you jealous?" Magnus shot back with enough venom to sting. He started when he saw the look on Alec's face. "Alec, I-"

"Lightwood." Alec clasped his hands together tightly, staring resolutely at the contract. "It's Alexander Lightwood." He said lowly, not meeting Magnus's eyes. Magnus opened his mouth to say something, but instead he turned to the contract and began typing.

"Here. Read this over and let me know what you think." Magnus handed Alec the laptop, who stared at the screen, processing words like 'conditions', 'expectations' and 'payment' and storing them away with what Magnus had written under them.

"...I'm cooking all of your meals?" Alec asked finally. Magnus shrugged his shoulders.

"Just keep something I can heat up in the fridge. I eat at weird hours, and you're not my personal butler after all. You can take vacations if you want too. With due forewarning, of course." Magnus accepted the laptop back when Alec handed it to him without another word. "Well?"

"It's good. I accept." Alec said, as if he had a choice in the matter.

A/N: A bit of a slow chapter, this one. But don't worry, things pick up in the next, I promise. ;)

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