Arrested (Book 1 of the Arrested Trilogy) {malec au}

Chapter Four

Driving alone in a car with Magnus Bane was a nightmare. Turns out, as Alec discovered the hard way, Magnus liked to fidget. He tapped the same button five times. He rolled the window up and down. He changed the station over ten times.

"Can you not pick at everything in sight? You're like a damn kid on a road trip. Sit still like a normal person," Alec spat as Magnus rolled down the window for the millionth time.

"Geez. Sorry. What's wrong with you, Grumpy Cat?" Magnus rolled up the window. "Are you mad because Jace dumped all the responsibility of looking after me on you?"

Alec took a quick glance at him. "What? No. Of course not. I'm mad because you won't sit the fuck still. It's making me anxious just looking at you squirm around like that."

Magnus frowned. "Sorry. Didn't realize it was bothering you that much."

They went quiet as the light turned red. From his peripheral vision, Alec could see Magnus bopping his head to an unknown song. His fingers drummed on his knee as he went to the beat of the music inside his head.

"I've never been to a Broadway show before," Magnus said.

Alec looked at him. "Huh?"

"Broadway? The famous stage where musicals and plays are held? There's a sign for a musical right there," Magnus pointed to a giant ad that flashed across a screen. "I've always liked Annie. My mom used to sing her songs when I was a kid. Never did see the play though. Couldn't afford it."

"Sorry to hear that. You can always rent the movie."

Magnus snorted. "Movie? Oh, Alexander. The movie is nothing compared to the real thing. Not that I would know. I was told it's an incredible experience. Hopefully I get to see a Broadway musical one day." He pat Alec on the arm. "That's my building there."

Alec peered up at the skyscraper. "For real? This is where you live?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with it?"

"N-nothing. I'm just surprised. It's smack dab right in the middle of the city. Why would anyone want to live here? It's madness."

Alec pulled into the back of the building where the parking lot was. It was an underground lot, which could only mean that there were a lot of people in the building. Finding a free space was a pain, but he managed to find one eventually.

"I like the madness. Reminds me I'm still alive," Magnus said after ten minutes of silence. "The noise is soothing. If I tried to sleep with complete silence, I think I'd go insane."

"I can't sleep with noise. It bothers me. Even having the tv on with the lowest volume annoys the hell out of me." Alec looked up to see Magnus smirking at him. "Why are you smiling at me like that for? It's creepy."

Magnus shrugged. "I just think you're cute. The little imagery of you waking up in the morning with bed head made me smile. Like what you have now."

Alec's hand automatically went to his hair. "This is my natural hair. Not bed head."

".......oh. Then it looks lovely. Let's go to my apartment, shall we? The quicker we do this, the better."

"What's the rush?" Alec asked as he climbed out of his car. The door alarm chirped as he pressed the lock button on his keys.

"No rush. I'm just so eager to work on the Morgenstern case with you," Magnus cleared his throat. "I just want to pick up a few things. If they're still there...."

Alec caught his mumbling. "What's that supposed to mean? Why wouldn't your stuff not be there?"

Magnus said nothing. The elevator ride to the 37th floor felt like it took forever, but when the familiar ding meant they were on their floor, Magnus was only too eager to get out and into the hallway.