Work Text:
Alec’s turned into a cliché.
A cliché with an English degree who works in a coffee shop and has to listen to the I told you so’s from his parents when he gets home every day.
Still, it isn’t so bad. There’s decent pay, the coffee’s not half-bad, and he likes his coworkers. Most days.
The days when they don’t return from their lunch break with a mischievous smirk on their face like Jace has today.
The last time Alec had seen that smirk was when Jace had put dish soap in the dishwasher and turned the place into a sea of bubbles. Luckily that was past closing time, so they only got into minimal trouble. Today isn't. And Alec's paranoid.
He only hopes that, whatever Jace has planned, it at least waits until after the lunch rush is over. Less witnesses for when Alec kills him, that way.
“I know you’re up to something,” Alec tells Jace as he slips back behind the counter, tying his apron.
Jace makes a who, me? gesture. “You’re keeping the line waiting, man.”
Alec narrows his eyes briefly, before switching to his customer service smile and turning to the woman next in line to take her order.
He scribbles her order on the side of the cup and passes it to Jace, but doesn't let go. “What's going on?”
Jace pries the cup from Alec's grasp. “Trust me, you'll thank me later,” he says, and Alec tries not to think about how ominous that sounds.
Nothing happens. Not for the next three hours, and Jace starts looking disappointed and Alec starts feeling smug. Whatever Jace was trying to do, he’s escaped surprisingly unscathed.
There’s a lull in customers around four o’clock, as usual, so Jace decides to make the rounds clearing tables, leaving Alec in charge of both taking orders and making the drinks. He keeps a careful eye on Jace as he makes his way around the cafe. Alec’s not entirely sure what, if anything, he’s expecting to happen, but. Just in case.
Alec’s so preoccupied he doesn’t even notice the customer in front of him. Which is saying something, because he's very noticeable, as Alec’s stomach helpfully points out, doing that dumb fluttery thing it does from time to time.
He composes himself.
“Sorry, hi, what can I get you?”
“Just a regular latte, please. To go.”
“What name is it?” Alec asks and instantly feels stupid. There's barely a handful of other customers in the store and no one else in line. Oh well.
“Magnus.”
Alec takes Magnus’ five bucks and gives him his change, which Magnus sticks straight in the tip jar. He grabs one of the paper cups from the stack next to the coffee machine and smiles at Magnus. “Regular latte for Magnus coming right up.”
As Alec sets the machine going Magnus moves along to the collection point.
“I must admit, I rather like your board out front,” he says, raising his voice to be heard over the coffee machine.
“Oh.” Alec gives him a pleased smile. He didn't think anyone took any notice of those things. “Thank you.”
“You’re the artist, I assume?”
“That’s me.”
Usually it’s Clary’s job to draw on the chalkboard they have out on the street, but on the days she’s at college making actual art, that job gets delegated to Alec. And he’s not one to brag but he’s gotten pretty good at drawing mugs and pastries and cakes over the past few months. He feels rather validated knowing that Magnus has seen it.
“Well, in that case…” Magnus quickly scrawls something on a napkin. He slides it over to Alec just as Alec pops a lid on the cup and slides it in front of Magnus, like they’re doing some sort of lucrative exchange. “You can add this to the collection I’m sure you’ve acquired already today.”
Alec picks up and reads the napkin. It’s Magnus’ phone number.
“Um, thanks.” It’s not the first time he’s had a customer give him a phone number, but it’s definitely the first he’s had today. This month, even. He frowns as he recalls Magnus’ words. “Wait, collection?”
“Most people I know tend to use Tinder and the likes, but you, you’re very… innovative.”
“I’m sorry, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your sign…?” Now Magnus looks just as confused as Alec.
“My sign.”
“Yeah, out front. It says-” Magnus cuts himself off and chuckles. “You know, I do believe you’ve been had.”
Alec’s stomach drops. He should’ve been expecting it. “Jace,” he hisses. He looks around the cafe but the man in question has conveniently disappeared. Alec turns back to Magnus. “Excuse me a second, I just have to go murder one of my colleagues.”
Magnus laughs. He looks pretty when he laughs. Alec wants to make him do it again.
“I understand.”
“Careful, you’re- I mean. With your drink. It’s hot,” Alec says.
“Yes,” Magnus eyes Alec up and down, “it is.” He picks up his coffee and takes a tentative sip, before giving Alec an appreciative smile. Then he points to the napkin in Alec’s hand. “I hope to hear from you.”
Alec shoves the napkin in the pocket on the front of his apron and watches Magnus leave the shop. He follows his footsteps a minute or two later. Time to assess the damage. See just how bad it is and how long he’ll have to leave the country before it’s safe to show his face here again.
There’s someone taking a photo of it when he gets outside, which is just great. Clearly people other than Magnus do look at these chalkboards. He marches round to the front of it and reads the sign that is, essentially, begging for guys’ phone numbers. Complete with stickman drawing that Alec assumes Jace meant to be him.
All he can think is thank god his parents never come to this part of town, because if his mom had seen that sign...
His face is bright red as he grabs the chalkboard and folds it shut, ignoring the protests from the group of teenagers milling around nearby.
“Guess he got enough numbers,” one of them says, followed by a round of raucous laughter.
Alec finds Jace loading cups into the dishwasher.
“What,” Alec shoves the board into Jace’s hands, “is this?”
“My foolproof plan to get you laid,” Jace says, smirking. “Did it work? Please tell me it worked.”
“Get me- I don’t need to get laid, Jace.”
“C’mon, Alec, it’s been, how long? Definitely since college, I reckon. You’re wound up. You need to relax. Have some fun.”
“I am not wound up,” Alec retorts, knowing full well just how wound up he sounds. “I mean, what do you think you were playing at, putting that outside our shop? Do you know how much trouble we could get in?”
“You have to admit it was pretty funny.” At Alec’s glare, Jace puts the board down and holds up his hands. “All right, all right, chill. I’m sorry, okay? It was just a stupid joke. I’m sorry.” He holds his fist out for Alec to bump. “We good?”
Alec sighs and touches his fist to Jace’s. Somehow he can never stay mad at him for more than two minutes.
“Just please tell me it was worth it and you at least got one number.”
Alec rolls his eyes.
*
The napkin is still in the pocket of Alec’s apron the next day. And there it stays for the days after that, except for the times Alec has a brief moment to himself and finds himself taking it out and reading the number over and over again. He pretty much has Magnus’ phone number committed to memory by now.
Magnus seemed nice. More than nice. And Alec can't deny he was easy on the eyes. But he still doesn’t know if he should call.
Today is the furthest he’s got, standing in the storeroom with the napkin in one hand, phone in the other. He almost jumps out of his skin when Jace bursts through the door.
He eyes the objects in Alec’s hands. “Oh, are you finally doing it then?”
“No,” Alec answers immediately. He moves his hands behind his back as if there's even a sliver of a chance Jace hasn't seen them. “Doing what?”
“Calling napkin guy. What's his name again?”
“Magnus,” Alec says, bringing his hands back round to his front. “And no. Maybe. I don't know.”
Jace looks exasperated. “Alec, dude, seriously. Why not? Clearly he wants you to.”
“I just- What if he did it as a joke? Because that's what your stupid sign was. A joke. And Magnus is just playing along to be funny, or something.”
“Look, I'm sorry for that, okay? But give the man some credit. Magnus didn't know that when he gave you your number, right?”
“I guess not.”
“So just call him. Text him. Whatever,” Jace says. “If he turns out to be an asshole then screw him. And if he turns out to be nice then you should still screw him. But in the good way.”
Alec grabs a handful of sugar sachets out of a cardboard box beside him and throws them at Jace. “You're terrible,” he says, but the grin on his face betrays him.
*
Alec doesn't call.
Or text.
Or whatever.
Instead he leaves Magnus’ napkin in his apron and doesn't think about it at all, not one bit, and brushes off his customers’ comments about that sign the other day with professional ease. He definitely doesn't keep reaching into his pocket to check Magnus’ number is still in there every now and again, and Jace definitely doesn't give him a pointed look every time he catches Alec doing it.
And, no, he absolutely doesn't consider hiding under the counter when he sees Magnus entering the shop, smile on his face, looking even more attractive than the first time.
“Magnus, hi.” Alec winces at how formal his voice sounds. “What can I get for you?”
“Oh, just an Americano please,” Magnus says. He doesn't sound mad. He doesn't look mad.
“Sure.”
Alec takes Magnus’ money and tries to hand the cup to Jace, who tucks his hands under his armpits like the child he is and refuses it.
“No way, buddy, this is your time ,” he says.
“For what?” Alec hisses.
“Getting your shit together. Impressing Magnus. Apologising for not calling him.”
“And how am I meant to do that with an Americano?”
“Make it with love,” Jace suggests oh-so helpfully. “Write him a secret love note on the cup. Then decorate it with hearts. He'll get the picture.”
“Your advice sucks,” Alec says, “has anyone ever told you that?”
He turns to the machine and makes the drink as normal, and the only thing he's written on the cup is Magnus’ name. He takes it over to the collection point to give to Magnus. Their hands brush as he passes the cup over and Alec would be lying if he said he didn't hold onto that cup a second or two longer than he does with his other customers.
“I was hoping you'd call,” Magnus says.
“I'm sorry, I, uh. I lost your number,” Alec lies. He doesn't know why he does it. He panicked. Talking to attractive guys is much easier in theory than in practice.
Thankfully Jace steps in to help.
Or maybe not so thankfully, because immediately he turns to Magnus and says, “No he didn't. He's had your number in his pocket ever since you gave him it. He's just an idiot who needs to sort himself out.”
“Hey, I-”
Jace silences Alec with a wave of his hand. He turns to Magnus.
“So, Magnus, this is Alec, and sadly he's already had his break for today otherwise he'd be spending it tucked on that sofa over there with you. Instead he's going to finish his shift in a couple of hours and call you the second he’s done to arrange a date.” He gives Alec a meaningful look. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah,” Alec says, before realising he's supposed to be talking to Magnus. “Yes. I will. I promise this time. And if I forget you can come in here and demand free coffee whenever you feel like it.”
Magnus smiles softly, and Alec’s stomach does that butterfly thing again.
“Careful,” Magnus says. “I'll hold you to that.”
*
When he first took the job, Alec didn't mean to still be working at the coffee shop almost two years later. Only, he really enjoys it these days.
His regular customers will come in and ask him how his week is going. His recent promotion means his boss has recently allowed him to start developing new drinks they might sell.
But best of all, if there are any leftover pastries when they close for the day, Alec gets to bring them home to Magnus. That definitely earns him some boyfriend points.
Alec’s experimenting with one of his new frappuccinos when a customer arrives. He looks up and smiles at her. “Hi there.”
“Are you the one I'm supposed to be congratulating?” She asks.
“Oh, um, I guess. How did you…?” Alec trails off as he tries to recall if he knows this woman. He's usually good with names and faces but the lady standing before him is unrecognisable. Maybe she knows Magnus.
“Your sign,” she says, pointing out the window.
“Oh, god.” Alec sighs. He already knows the culprit.
Although, Jace doesn't even work here anymore, so quite how he’s managed to pull this stunt again Alec doesn't know. He guesses it involved Clary.
He finishes serving the lady her drink and tells Clary to cover for him while he slips outside to investigate.
The chalkboard stands proudly in the middle of the sidewalk, and written in Jace’s handwriting it reads:
Today your barista is:
- Hella fucking in love
- No, seriously. It’s kinda disgusting
For your drink today I'd recommend:
You congratulate me on my recent engagement!
Alec grins. This sign can stay where it is.