Fading Scars: A Series of Malec One Shots

Strip

"Can I take this off my eyes now?" Alec stumbled forward with the blindfold blocking his vision.

"Absolutely not. Not until I say so," snickered Magnus. "I'll let you know. Don't worry."

Alec was beginning to lose his patience. They were walking for ten minutes now and he still had no idea where they were going. Every now and then he felt like he was getting closer to the road but he trusted Magnus to guide him in the right direction and not let him walk out into traffic.

"Okay. We're here," Magnus finally announced. "Are you ready for this?"

"No. Not really. But there's no going back now, is there?" Alec felt the knot on the blindfold loosening from the back of his head. "This better not be one of your surprise parties. You know I hate those."

"You're going to hate this even more," Magnus whispered with a chuckle. "Ta-da!"

The blindfold was removed and Alec finally saw where they stopped in front of. The neon sign above their heads was of a man in a g-string with bunny ears and he was bending over provocatively.

"Magnus...." Alec's voice cracked. "You did not just bring me to a strip club."

"Sure I did! You need to be exposed, Alec. There's a lesson to be learned here. I'm actually going in here to talk business with a client but you...." Magnus poked the Shadowhunter in the chest. "Are going to get introduced to the fine boys of this establishment. Don't worry. They won't touch you unless you ask them to."

"Or pay them...." Alec grumbled. "Fine. Let's do this. How long is it going to take?"

Magnus held open the door. "As long as it takes. Striking deals isn't easy, you know. Both parties have to come to an agreement-"

"I know how deals work, Magnus. It's just-" A man wearing skintight shorts walked past them. Alec swallowed hard. "This is a strip club."

"So observant," said a voice from beside them. Another young man had appeared from behind a red curtain. He was handsome, with dark hair and bright blue eyes and a jawline most men could only dream of having. He wasn't as tall as Alec but he still managed to look Alec in the eye as he walked past them. He was shirtless, his six pack abs shifting as he moved. "You're Magnus, right? We're expecting you. Follow me."

Magnus looked at Alec and wiggled his brows as if to say "I'd follow you anywhere". Alec just scowled and followed with his hands behind his back. He tried not to look at the stripper poles that ran from the floor to the ceiling. It made him sick.

The young man nodded his head towards the back room. "Lucille is in the back doing inventory. She won't be long."

"Fantastic. We're in no rush. Are we Alec?"

"I don't want to be h-"

"What Alec means is that you have a lovely establishment here. What's it like during business hours? And what's your name?" Magnus shot Alec a quick look when the young man wasn't looking.

"My name's Aiden. Business is nearly always a packed house. You'd be surprised the kind of people that walk through these doors sometimes. Old, young. Man, woman. Straight, gay. Other. It's always something different and that's what makes my job so much fun."

Alec squinted in confusion. "Stripping out of your clothes is considered fun?"

Aiden looked up at him. "Sure. If you love what you do, then your job is always fun. Plus if you're doing it for the right person....makes it twice as much fun."

Magnus noticed how Aiden was glancing between himself and Alec and decided to step in. "I should go see Lucille now. She's expecting me. Alec? Please behave. No funny business."