Famous: A Malec AU Fanfiction

Chapter 21

Catarina did not look too pleased. Next to where Magnus's agent was seated, was the director, Raphael, tapping his foot so quickly against the floor that Alec thought it was starting to blur into his vision. Even Magnus seemed to be more tense next to him, and Alec had never seen him like this before. The Magnus Bane that was sitting next to him now was sitting on the edge of his chair directly upright, and his eyes were dimmed with seriousness and determination. He felt for a moment, like he was completely foreign to Alec, he was more like the successful actor who had strived through everything, he was more like the celebrity Alec saw him as.

Alec's mother was there as well, and he wasn't so sure if that was an improvement to the room. Maryse Lightwood just seemed to make everything so tense, so nerve-wracking whenever she was around.

"Alexander has completely no experience whatsoever with filming and starring in anything at all?" Catarina's voice was cool and controlled, but Alec sank a bit lower into his seat when he heard the tint of annoyance that laced her expression in bitter blue.

"No," Maryse said, "None. He's never been to an acting school, or a photoshoot, or anything."

Catarina sighed, rubbing the back of one hand over her eyes, and Alec could tell how tired she looked. There was a brief moment of quiet before she turned to look over at Raphael, who was looking alight with a burning flame.

"It doesn't matter, Ms. Loss," Raphael's tone was professional as well, "I'm a director, and I can sense that there is something inside of him that will make him perfect for this role. We need him to be in this movie."

"I'm not sure if all of you are aware about the process it takes to actually recruit a new actor into an agency," Catarina continued, and her voice was impatient, "it's simply not something I can do with a quick flick of my fingers, you know. This sort of thing takes more time than I bet any of you could possibly imagine."

"Can't you speed up the process in any way?" Magnus was the one who spoke up now, and he leaned in more towards Catarina's desk as he spoke up.

Catarina looked up from her desk, which was currently littered with too many papers. She looked so tired, and the way her face was pulled together, and it seemed to be drawn into herself, made her look older than she really was. Alec had seen all the passion that had been in her as she did her job, and the way she tried to hold herself up high. He knew, though, no one could stay that strong forever.

She locked eyes with Alec. For a moment, just the two of them looked at each other. Alec didn't know what she was thinking, it was as if she was simply too good at hiding her emotions. She let out a long sigh, blowing bits of hair out of her face as she started to right something down. Everyone watched as her pen scribbled across the paper, filling out the form quickly. Her eyes seemed to blur for a moment as she locked them on the small, black print. At the very bottom of it, her pen paused for a moment. Then, Catarina Loss let her pen slide easily over it like water, filling it out with the last thing it needed, her signature. Alec watched as the dark in pulled and twisted together easily, like the lines of a dance, in a version of Magnus's agent's name. Catarina moved onto the next paper. Alec listened to the sound of the rustling paper, just like everyone else did. As Catarina did her work, no one said anything. There were no noises to be heard in the agent's office. Alec could barely hear the sound of his own breathing now.

Magnus was quiet next to him as well. Slowly, cautiously, as if he wasn't quite sure of himself, Alec reached out from underneath the desk they were sitting at to take his hand. His palm slipped over the back of the other man's hand, and he gave it a small squeeze. Magnus moved his own hand to clasp it over his, as if it was what was anchoring him to the world. Alec didn't know why it felt so nice, the fact that Magnus could take comfort from a small touch from him. His mother was right there, but she didn't seem to notice. She was too focused on Catarina and the papers she was filling out. Alec would dread the day when he would tell her, and he had no idea how she might react. His mother, he knew, was not someone who was very open to new things that changed in the world. To her, the world would always remain calm and still, and even as it revolved, nothing would change. To his mother, the world was made of ice, and everything would be perfectly frozen inside of it.