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dicaculus · 9 months

Text

Title: A Pile of Hot Metal and Dirty Dishes

Artist: Crankyfossil

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Magnus Bane/ Alec Lightwood

Wordcount:42,462

Summary: Magnus Bane is the Head Chef at Encanto and doing just fine. Or that’s what he tells Simon the therapist, his boss Raphael, orders him to go to. Magnus is a genius in the kitchen, his food is art, but if he starts a fight with one more disrespectful customer, he’s gone. Simon is useless though, going on about Magnus using work as a means to distance himself from meaningful relationships, and emotional walls that could rival a fortress. What does he know? Magnus is fine. Then everything goes wrong. His best friend, Catarina and her daughter get into an accident. His eight-year-old niece, Madzie, is the only survivor and Magnus finds himself going from cool uncle Magnus to the only parent Madzie has left. To make matters worse, Raphael has replaced him while he’s on leave. Alexander Lightwood is a menace. He’s careless, breezy, and annoyingly good at everything he does. Magnus can’t stand him, but with Madzie refusing to eat his cooking and his hands full, Magnus needs all the help he can get. Along the way, Magnus begins to realize there’s more to life than seared cod and lemon dressing, and maybe, just maybe, it’s a life that he wants Alexander Lightwood in.

This fic was created for the Malec Discord Mini Bang 2023.

READ ON AO3

CHAPTER SIX

The next morning Magnus isn’t woken up by the blinding morning sun shining into his eyes, the beeping of his alarm clock or even Madzie making noise despite her attempts at being quiet. Instead, it’s gentle kisses from behind Magnus’s right ear, down his neck and to his shoulder that wake him.

“Morning chef,” Alec says into Magnus’ neck, his voice still husky from sleep. He presses himself against Magnus’s back and wraps his arm around Magnus’s waist, making gentle patterns on his stomach with his fingertips that make Magnus shiver into the man’s touch.

“Don’t call me chef when we’re naked” Magnus groans with his face still pressed into his pillows, then he lifts his head looking over his shoulder at Alec “Or with your hand so close to my dick,”

Magnus watches that familiar smirk come over Alec’s face, then before he knows it he’s laying on his back and Alec is on top of him straddling his hips, “Why?” He asks before leaning down to kiss Magnus. “Does it make you hot when I call you chef?” Alec whispers against Magnus’s lips.

Refusing to give Alec the satisfaction of knowing that calling him chef just might do it for him, Magnus pulls Alec back pressing their lips together once again, gently tugging on Alec’s hair like the night before pulling the same gasps from him and quiet moans from him.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” Alec pants pulling away from Magnus

“I never start things I don’t intend to finish Alexander”

Alec presses Magnus into the mattress again, the kisses slowly becoming less and less gentle when the moment is broken by the slamming of a door and a cat’s cries for food, almost like someone had never fed them before.

Alec pulls away with a groan. “Raincheck?”

Magnus nods, “I should probably make Madzie some breakfast”

“Why don’t I make breakfast?” Alec offers, “You can rest a little more and I’ll get you when it’s ready?”

Magnus’s heart skips a beat at the kind offer, while Magnus was an incredible chef and had a large repertoire of recipes. Breakfast was never his thing. For Magnus, breakfast was a bitter cup of black coffee, maybe an apple if he was feeling hungry that morning.

“You cook breakfast?”

Alec rolls his eyes. “I worked at a luxury hotel that served brunch every day. I could probably make eggs benedict with my eyes closed at this point.”

Magnus hums, “I look forward to my eggs benedict then”

Alec groans, regretting giving Magnus that information. But he kisses Magnus quickly one more time before getting dressed, winking at Magnus when he notices the other man watching him dress shamelessly and leaving the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind himself. Hearing footsteps chairman come speeding around the corner meowing at a volume Alec didn’t know was possible while weaving between his long legs, making him trip. Not wanting to step on the large cat, he picks up the feline holding him to his chest, scratching behind his ears. Once in Magnus’s large kitchen, he opens a couple of cupboards; he finds dishes, mugs, the snack cupboard, but not cat food.

“If I were tins of cat food, where would I be?” Alec mumbles to himself, then looks down at chairman who stares at Alec purring with blown pupils “Where’s your food kitty, help me out here,”

“The cupboards above the fridge”

Alec spins around and smiles when he sees Madzie in her matching sunflower pajama set, dinosaur stuffy tucked under her arm.

“Magnus had to move his food because he learned how to open the cupboard and ate all his treats.”

Alec looks down at the cat in his arms, who he swears looks guilty. “Chairman, did you do that?” He gently taps the cat’s pink nose. “Naughty kitty eating your treats like that. I bet you gave yourself quite the stomachache.”

“He was sick on my bed,” Madzie says with a grimace, but it quickly disappears and replaced with her soft smile. “Could you get a tin of food for me, Alec, so Magnus doesn’t catch me standing on a chair again?”

Alec sniggers to himself. He can see the scene unfolding in his head as Magnus squawks at his niece for dangerously standing on a dining chair, much the same way he’d yelled at the chef, who put their knife in a sink full of soapy water. Alec easily reaches the cupboard above the fridge and hands Madzie a small tin, which claims to be chicken and lobster. Not wanting Madzie to feel like she’s being watched, Alec turns around and opens the fridge, grabbing the various ingredients he knows he’ll need for the eggs benedict.

“Are you making breakfast?” Madzie asks from behind him.

“I am,” Alec confirms as he opens a container labelled, ‘Herbs Fresh’. He finds the basil giving a quick smell, checking its freshness. “You want to help me sous-chef?”

Madzie nods excitedly, a big smile appearing on her face. While Alec continues to rummage through the fridge, Madzie skip to the other side of the kitchen, grabbing the same apron they wore the night Alec came over to make pizza. Alec takes the apron handed to him, easily tying it himself, then he helps Madzie with her own.

“What are we making, chef?”

“Eggs benedict..minus the bacon, because there seems to be none.” He closes the fridge and turns to Madzie, who looks at him with wide, excited eyes. “But a good chef can adapt, so instead of a traditional eggs benedict we’ll do caprese eggs benedict with a basil hollandaise.”

He sets Madzie up to make the marinated tomatoes on a nearby counter while he puts a pot of water on to boil, then begins making the basil hollandaise. Most people, when they think of or learn to make hollandaise sauce they think of all the whisking you have to do and the hot melted butter you have to slowly add to create an emulsion. While working in hotels Alec learned an easier method of simply using a food processor and instead of multiple dishes a single saucepan to melt butter. Once the butter had melted and became foamy with food processor on, he drizzles the butter into the previously blended egg yolks and lemon juice until a creamy sauce forms. After the sauce forms, he adds a bunch of basil and blends again until it’s fully combined and is a beautiful light green colour. Alec generously seasons the sauce with salt and pepper, then takes two spoonfuls, handing one to Madzie to test.

“What do you think? More pepper?”

Madzie nods in agreement about the pepper. Alec sets the container of sauce on the counter then hands her the pepper, letting her season it to her taste while he gets to work on poaching the eggs.

“Madzie, would you toast the English muffins for me?”

“Yes chef!”

Magnus appears in the kitchen wearing a robe open enough at the top. Alec can see the dusting of hair on his chest and it takes everything in him to turn away and not stare at him. Madzie abandons toasting when Magnus enters the room to set the table, then with Magnus leaving Alec to finish breakfast up. He quickly melts a slice of fresh mozzarella under the broiler in the oven on each English muffin until it’s melted and bubbly. Once finished, he tops them with a spoonful of the marinated tomatoes, the poached egg, then he drizzles the basil hollandaise on top.

“Eggs benedict as requested,” He announces, placing plates in front of Magnus and Madzie. “Coffee will only be a moment.”

“This doesn’t look like any eggs benedict I’ve ever had. Where’s the bacon?”

“You didn’t have any,” He says pouring two mugs off coffee then walking them over to the table and sitting down. “So I had to adapt”

“It’s what a great chef does,” Madzie says with a mouthful of food

Alec nods in agreement while Magnus shakes his head, suddenly regretting let the two spend time together.

When Magnus takes his first bite, Alec stares at him, his heart pounding in his chest, waiting for the verdict. Magnus takes is first bite, chewing thoughtfully for an only moment before a smile appears on his face as he chews.

“Alexander, this is incredible…”

Magnus is full of praise. He talks about the flavour of the hollandaise, the perfectly poached egg, the mozzarella of course, the marinated tomatoes which perfectly balance all the flavours, cutting the richness of the dish.

“I made the tomatoes Magnus,” Madzie pipes up, “I did it all by myself!”

“Did you? Well, they’re delicious sweet pea”

“Madzie is an incredible sous-chef, couldn’t have made breakfast without her,” Alec says, leaning over to squeeze the girl’s shoulder. “You could become a chef and start your own restaurant. Call it Madzie’s.”

Madzie shakes her head “No,” she says looking down at her plate and her voice suddenly small “I’d call it Catarina’s after my mom”

Magnus’s heart shatters in his chest at the mention of his friend. Some days it’s like she was still alive and Madzie was only visiting then he’d suddenly remember Catarina’s dead and it hits him all over again how much he misses her, how he wishes he’d visited more and told her he love her more. The table is silent and Magnus wishes he knew what to say in that moment, but his mind is blank and all he can do is clear his throat, feeling awkward. But then he sees Alec reach out and squeeze his niece’s hand in his large ones and give her a warm smile.

“That’s a beautiful idea Madzie, I think she’d love that”

Magnus’s heart unclenches when he sees the way she beams from Alec’s gentle praise and continues with her meal. Magnus mouths a ‘thank you’ to Alec and squeezes the other man’s knee, who smiles back at him with a nod. Much like the night he’d gotten her to eat spaghetti that night at the restaurant. After the small hiccup, the rest of the meal goes smoothly, filled with light chatter and giggles from Madzie, when the two men bicker.

“I hate your coffee machine, Magnus. It’s so complicated”

“Complicated? All you have to do is push the brew button. I’ve preset it, Alexander”

“Well, how am I supposed to know that when there’s a hundred buttons? Do you know how long it took me to find the on and brew button?

“Let me guess, your coffee maker only has an on switch?”

“Her name is Cora the coffeemaker, and she does a great job! I’ll have you know she also has a warm button. If you’re going to insult her, do it correctly.”

Eventually Alec looks up at the clock on the wall and with a sigh he knows he needs to get going. Staying the night with Magnus hadn’t been part of the plan. Hell, kissing Magnus hadn’t been part of his plan, but between the blindfold and the way Magnus had pursed his lips, waiting for another spoonful, Alec couldn’t resist. So he had to head home to shower, change, and prepare for another service without Magnus. Alec says his goodbyes, giving Madzie a tight squeeze and a gentle kiss on top of her head. When he reaches Magnus, he leans over, intending to give him a goodbye kiss, but he’s stopped with a gasp from Magnus and a finger pressed against his lips.

“Not in front of Madzie.”

Alec rolls his eyes with a playful sigh. He turns his so he can see Madzie, but otherwise doesn’t move away from Magnus. “Madzie, I’m now going to kiss your uncle.”

Madzie covers her eyes with a groan. “This is so embarrassing!”

Alec gets his goodbye kiss from Magnus. In fact, he gets a couple.

“Why don’t I walk you out Alexander? Madzie, can you put the dishes in the dishwasher?”

In typical Magnus fashion, he doesn’t wait for an answer, and leaves the table with a hand on the small of Alec’s back, leading him out of the apartment and down to where he knows Alec’s car is parked.

“How are we gonna work together now?” Magnus asks, “Will it be weird? Us..together and working together?”

Alec shrugs “We’ll do what we always did Magnus.You tell me what to do and I’ll go behind your back and do whatever I want.”

This time Magnus grabs lapels of Alec’s coat and pulls him in for another kiss before Alec heads out. For once, Magnus wasn’t scared about being absent from the restaurant. He’d proved himself many times over, and Magnus trusted him. For once, he was positive the kitchen would still be standing when he came back.

With Alec left in charge of his kitchen, Magnus tries to enjoy some time off. Normally he’d be on edge, and twitchy while worrying about every little thing that could go wrong and ruin not only his, but the restaurant’s reputation. But he trusted Alec, and he knew how to put out small fires, make all the dishes, except for the saffron sauce Magnuswas known for, that recipe he kept to himself. More importantly, the staff loved him and wouldn’t walk all over him.

So he spends the week waking up early not to go to the pier but to make breakfast for himself and Madzie, along with her school lunch. He gets her to school on time, even early, so she can see her friends and Magnus stays as long as he can, watching her play with a big smile on her face and giggling with other kids. Alec, of course, somehow knowing Magnus better than he knows himself, continues to keep Magnus in the loop regardless of his absence. He texts Magnus pictures of the menus for the week and even going as far as sending a video of himself as he slowly braises down the beef cheeks in a red wine sauce, making Magnus’s mouth drool. Monday is probably the hardest day for Magnus. At first, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He doesn’t pick Madzie until 3:30, and Magnus doesn’t see Simon until 2, which meant he had hours to himself.

“I just don’t know what to do with myself,” Magnus explains to Simon in their session, “What am I supposed to do? I took time off for Madzie, but what am I supposed to do when she’s in school?” Magnus shakes his head, laying back on the couch. “I shouldn’t have taken this time off. What was I thinking?”

“You were thinking of your niece, who has recently gone through one of the most traumatic things a child can experience.”

Magnus sighs, knowing the man is right, besides if anyone could understand what losing a parent young felt like, there was no one better than himself.

“Besides,” Simon continues, “I think this will be good for you, personal challenge, so to speak”

Magnus groans, “I hate being challenged”

Simon ignores him and scribbles on his notepad. “I want you to do things this week you used to enjoy, but haven’t had time to do with your schedule. Read, walk in the park, knitting, yoga, video games…whatever it is you enjoy. He closes his notepad and looks Magnus directly in the face. “Find joy this week, Magnus, and we’ll talk about it next week.”

“Find joy? What the hell does that even mean!?” Magnus exclaims to Alec when he shows up much later that night with a smile making his knees weak, a bottle of wine and container filled with a serving of the braised beef cheeks and sides from tonight.

“He just wants you to do things that make you happy, Magnus. It’s not a trick question. Hobbies, projects you haven’t had time for anything that isn’t work related.”

Something not work related, right? He could do this.

Tuesday after sending Madzie off to school, Magnus stands with his hands on his hips in the middle of his living room. He approaches his bookshelf that covers an entire wall and browses the spines he realizes he hasn’t actually looked at in quite a while. When his fingertips come back dusty, he decides he better give the shelf and probably the book spines a dusting. So Magnus lightly dusts the shelf with a cloth, lifting every book wiping the dust from every space. When he’s on the bottom shelf and pulls out a large book, a stack of papers comes out with it falling around the room. As he picks up the recipes, he realizes they’re recipes, but not just any recipes, recipes of his own that he created. Traditional Indonesian recipes, Indonesian food done in a more modern way, fusion recipes, all recipes for a restaurant he wanted to open, showcasing the Indonesian flavours he’d grown up with and loved and wanted to share with others. After he’s finished working for Ragnor Fell, the original plan had been for Magnus to open his own place but building leases were expensive as was his rent. So his dream restaurant was put on hold and he took a job in another kitchen. Eventually being Raphael asked him to be his head chef, which he accepted. Raphael’s restaurant was the new chic place in town and with it being so new came hard work, pushing Magnus’s restaurant further and further to the back of his mind until it was completely forgotten. Instead of putting the papers back on the shelf, he sets them on the coffee table and goes back to cleaning. But Simon would be proud of him. He’s found his project even though it may not be totally non work related.

So for the rest of his week off, other than taking and picking Madzie up from school, and helping her with her homework, Magnus studies. He goes through some of the many cookbooks he own including a few that were his mother’s, all written in her neat and familiar penmanship. He makes list after list of his favourite dishes from his childhood and typical American dishes he enjoys trying to figure out ways of fuzing the two together. He’d done it with the spring rolls, so why couldn’t there be an Indonesian taco? Magnus watches cooking shows, and browses through the many Asian markets the city provides, hoping to come up with some kind of inspiration.

“I think this great Magnus,” Alec says with a smile as he reads the over the notes and recipes Magnus showed him when he shows up Saturday after service. “These dishes they sound incredible and they’re truly unique. I really see you in these recipes”

Magnus swallows, trying to hold back tears that suddenly come up. He’d always heard from chefs about how personal their food was to them and until now, Magnus didn’t really understand it. But these recipes, they were him on a piece of paper, eventually on a plate. His life, his upbringing, his experiences, and it made him feel incredibly vulnerable.

Alec gently places the papers back on the table in a neat pile and leans over, kissing Magnus gently.

“Thank you for sharing this with me, Magnus. You have to make the fried chicken for me one day, who knew so many countries enjoy their chicken fried!” Alec says referring to an ayam goreng recipe.

Alec stays over that night under the guise of going to the pier and markets to help prepare for the new menu in the coming week, despite Magnus having done it on his own multiple times. So early the next morning, hand in hand joined by Madzie, of course, who holds Alec’s other hand, they go to the pier. The only people there of morning are other restaurant owners. Magnus nods in greeting as he recognizes other chefs from nearby restaurants and waving at merchants who try to get Magnus’s attention, but he promises them he’ll be back. The first stop is at his favourite fish monger who greets him and Madzie and shakes Alec’s hand when he’s introduced.

“What’s fresh?”

“Caught the prawns this morning myself and the scallops are quite plumps” he says, gesturing to each thing.”

“Do you have any tuna?” Alec asks

Without a word, the man turns around and only a moment later; he comes slapping the fish down in front of the chefs. Alec leans over and gently runs a finger over the fish and inspects it before looking at Magnus with a shrug.

“What do you think? We could do a tuna tartare with chopped shallots, chives and avocado with micro greens, and some kind of spicy sauce .”

“Tuna tartare?”

Alec shrugs again. “Yeah, it’s been a while since you’ve had a tartare on the menu. I know normally it’s steak or lamb, but I thought we could try something different.”

Collaborating like this on the menu was already very different for them. Normally, Magnus preferred to do it on his own, not letting anyone near it until he was sure of the dishes. But Alec was right, as annoyed as it make Magnus different could be good sometimes and the tuna was beautiful. So Magnus agrees.

“Okay, but if people hate it, it’s your head”

The pair discuss more seafood dishes putting their final order in and the man promises to get it there on at eleven. After the fish it stops at various butchers ordering cuts of meat, ribeyes, filet mignon, racks of lamb, whole chickens, pork belly all for the week. Then it’s the produce vendors ordering the usual onions, garlic, potatoes, various greens and anything extra the two chefs think they’ll need. When Madzie complains about her stomach, they stop by a small cafe in the market that Magnus knows makes incredible food. It’s a small family run cafe, so small Magnus had walked past the place multiple times before he ever realized it was there. Whenever he popped in, he’d order croissants. They were always so buttery, flakey with perfect layers inside and delicious. Once Madzie is satisfied and they’ve wiped her face, removing the remnant of sticky maple syrup, the three spend the rest of the morning wondering from store to store in the market.

“I wanna show you something.” Magnus says spotting an asian market across the street, “Quick! Let’s go.” He says pulling Alec and Madzie across the street.

Magnus walks up to the brick building, on the outside people shopping,picking food out from the displays. The three walk in the door when a man walks towards them with a name tag saying ‘owner’ asking if they need any help.

“Yes, do you sell kaffir lime leaves?

“Over there.” The store owner says in an accented English as he gestures in the general direction of produce. “You touch, you buy!”

“Of course, thank you”

“Kaffir limes leaves? What do you need those for?” Alec asks, letting Magnus pull him towards the produce.

“You’ll see!” Is all Magnus says. Once in the produce, Magnus quickly scans the displays until he stops pointing to a cardboard box amongst other green herbs. “Here they are.” He pulls two leaves from the box, handing the first one to Madzie, who immediately presses it against her nose to smell.

“Smells good.”

“You like it, sweet pea?” Magnus takes the other leaf and hands it to Alec. “And one for you.”

Alec sniffs the leaf. Immediately, he squints his eyes and looks back to Magnus. “I know this smell. How do I know this smell?” He smells the leaf again, this time closing his eyes as he inhales then pauses for a moment to think before his eyes shoot back open. “Is this your saffron sauce?”

Magnus nods with a smile, “The secret ingredient”

Alec leans down and gently kisses Magnus. “Apparently, we have no secrets anymore.”

“Hey! You touch..”

Magnus rolls his eyes and looks back at the man. “I know. I buy.”

The man points at Magnus,” Two dollars!”

Sunday turns into Monday too fast for Magnus’s liking. Alec stays for dinner and plays video games with Madzie filling the apartment with her high-pitched giggles, then reads her a bedtime story before they both tuck her into bed with her multiple plushies. Despite her pleas for Alec to stay and take her to school in the morning, Alec declines but promises he’ll see her this week and they’ll cook something delicious together. So Magnus goes to bed that night alone, tossing and turning missing the warmth of the other man’s warm body.

—---

“Today for our appetizer special, we are offering a caesar salad croquette covered a delightfully golden, crunchy coating filled an unctuous chicken thigh centre with parmesan and anchovy. Served with a familiar zingy caesar dressing and spinach puree, topped with a parmesan crisp.

Monday afternoon, Magnus finds himself sitting in on another lunch meeting. But unlike the other lunches, Magnus and Alec sit side by side close enough he feels the familiar heat of Alec’s body against his. Alec’s arm rests on the top of Magnus’s chair, his hand nearly on his shoulder and his thumb occasionally stroking him, making Magnus shiver. Magnus sits quietly during the meeting eating the prepared lunch, only half listening to the servers practice selling the menu, having a hard time paying attention to being surrounded by Alec. His body heat, his smell, his touch and the rumble of his voice as he praises the servers and gives them notes.

“What do you think?”

Magnus jumps, not noticing Raphael approach the table. In his hands are small white boxes, which remind him of Chinese take away containers. “What’s that?”

“Alec came up with a great idea of sending mini desserts home in a box.” He holds the small box in front of Magnus, waiting for him to take one, which he does, turning it around in his hand to inspect it. “It’s so obvious. Alec is always so full of ideas.”

“So obvious.” Magnus says, destain clear in his voice. Apparently, Alec and Raphael were getting along better than Alec had described to him.

“And Alec, I love those wines you recommended for the new menu.”

Wine recommendations? When had they discussed that, and why wasn’t Magnus invited to this conversation? And how many other secret conversations had the pair had? Magnus is suddenly suspicious and feeling anger bubbling inside him. He’d only been gone a week. Originally, he’d planned on taking two, and if he had, what would have happened? Would he have even had a restaurant to come back to? Instead of making a scene at the table, he buries his feelings, shoving them down and puts them away for later.

“Well, you’re gonna have to discuss that with Magnus—” Alec calls after Raphael but the man has left the room, leaving the dining space quiet with servers staring at him. Alec clears his throat, ignoring Magnus’s stare he can see from his peripherals and the way Magnus shifts his chair, making his arm fall from the top.

“John, tell us about the cod dish.”

John quickly stands from his seat, nearly knocking his chair to the floor. He wipes his sweaty hands on his uniform, then takes a deep breath, looking at the two chefs. “For our fish main, we’re serving a cod fillet with a luxurious chive butter sauce, topped with a poached egg for a final flourish, sitting on a bed of crushed jersey royals and wilted spinach.”

—--

“Table five’s coming up in two seconds, chef.”

Dinner service is tense. It’s like the first night they worked together all over again, opposite sides of the kitchen, not speaking, and barely making eye contact. Magnus focuses on his dishes, afraid of speaking to Alec in fear of everything he’s feeling falling out and say something he regrets. It’s clear Alec knows he’s upset. Magnus can see how Alec studies him when he thinks the chef isn’t paying attention and multiple times he comes over to speak, but thinks better of it and backs away. But despite the tension and lack of speaking, the everything runs smoothly, their dishes are perfect and leave the kitchen one after another, coming back with good reviews from customers.

“Alec,” Raphael says, interrupting Alec. “The couple at table eight want to say hello. They’re drooling over the cod.”

“Magnus’s responsible for all the food.” He says without looking at Raphael, continuing to dress plates.

“Magnus won’t mind,” He chuckles, following Alec down the line from the other side of the metal tables. “He hates leaving the kitchen.”

“Interesting.” Magnus bites, looking at the two men. “What else can you tell us about him?”

“You know what?” Raphael says, slapping the table. “I’m not gonna get into this. I don’t care who goes out there.” He turns to Magnus, pointing a finger at him. “ But if it is you, do me a favour and try not to stab anyone who complains.”

Raphael leaves the kitchen, the door swinging closed behind him. Magnus spins on his heels facing Alec, who leans against a table, his arms crossed over his chest, a frown on his face.

“Don’t look at me.”

Magnus exhales deeply, trying to remain calm. Ever since lunch, he’d felt like something was off. At first he thought he was paranoid about being away from work, but between the wines and just then with Raphael, something was up. Magnus was sure of it. Raphael had always used sarcasm with him and was rough around the edges, but he’d never insult him.

“You. Me. In there. Now.” Magnus orders, gesturing to the walk-in freezer. Magnus walks ahead, leaving a confused Alec who only moments later follows him into the freezer, letting the door slam shut behind him.

“So, what’s the story?”

“What do you mean?”

Magnus scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest “I turn my back for a couple of days and it’s: “Alec, the wine. Alec, the customers. Alec, the boxes-“

“He offered me your job.”

“What?” Magnus is stunned at Alec's admission. He takes a small step back from Alec. “Why didn’t you tell me? I can’t believe this!”

“I was going to tell you—”

“When?” He shouts. The cold tone in Magnus’s voice surprises Alec, who backs up a step as Magnus steps forward again. “Tonight? Next week when I came into work and no longer have a job?” He steps into Alec’s space again until he hits the opposite wall of the freezer. “Or were you going to wait until you were in my bed again?”

“Magnus that’s not—”

“I knew I couldn’t trust you.” He snaps, turning away from Alec. Suddenly everything falls into place in his mind, and it all makes sense. How easily time off was given to him, the difference he felt in his kitchen, hiring a chef who was a fan of his. Was it all part of Raphael’s plan to replace him? Despite being in a freezer, Magnus is hot with anger. His blood feels like it’s boiling under his skin and he loses it. “The moment I met you, I knew–”

Alec grabs his shoulder, forcing the chef to turn around and face him. “No, the truth is you can’t trust anyone. You’ve never trusted anyone in your life–”

“Why should I when this happens?” Magnus hisses, tears of anger falling to his cheek. “Why didn’t you have the balls to run your own kitchen, Alexander? Or do you prefer just coming in and taking over another chef’s kitchen so you don’t have to work as hard?”

Alec looks at Magnus, shocked at the accusation. “Is that what you think?”

“Yeah,” Magnus confirms, “That’s exactly what I think.”

Alec sighs heavily and nods. He wipes away tears which had fallen from his eyes at some point and unties the apron from his waist. “You know, Magnus, it’s okay to let people in sometimes. Maybe one of these days you’ll figure that out.”

“You don’t understand.” Magnus pleads. He blocks the doors of the freezer with his body, stopping Alec from leaving. “This place is my life. This is who I am.”

“This isn’t who you are, Magnus. It’s only one little part.” He places his hand on Magnus’ shoulder, gently moving his aside, “and it’s not even the best part.”

Alec leaves the freezer, letting the door slam shut with a bang behind him, leaving Magnus alone not only in the freezer but in the kitchen for the first time in a while.

Dinner service moves on without Alec, with only Magnus running into the kitchen. He barks orders at the chefs, snaps at the servers and refuses to speak with Raphael, who attempts to pull him aside multiple times. Magnus knows he’s being terrible to work with tonight, but he can’t help it and can only hope everyone will forgive him by tomorrow. When dinner service winds down and the kitchen is wiped clean, Magnus leaves in a hurry before Raphael can catch him to talk. Once home, he takes his phone he’d left at home for Madzie and notices he has a single text message.

For the record, said no. I turned Raphael’s offer down.

#malec fanart #magnus bane #alec lightwood #MALEC FANFIC #malec #fic rec

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