Chapter Text
Alec let his eyes rove over the house as he waited for someone to answer, scanning for any signs of vulnerabilities. His eyes narrowed at the cracked open windows—even though it was a warm summer, he could already see he'd have his work cut out for him with this lot.
The door opened.
"You must be Mr. Lightwood." a sallow-skinned man said, opening the door wider.
Alec held back an annoyed sigh. "Are you Raphael? Mr. Bane's manager?"
"That would be me. Come in. I'll take you to meet Magnus."
Alec followed the man down a hallway towards the growing volume of music. There was a group of dancers behind the star, all working in sequence while Magnus Bane took the spotlight.
The cameras were circling around, capturing every angle of the group, and Alec crossed his arms as he took in the scene.
There were service workers milling about, Magnus' posse lounging nearby and sipping at drinks, and most eyes were drawn towards the center of the room where the show was taking place.
Alec didn't follow the mainstream music scene, but even he had heard of the man. Shot to fame almost instantly after auditioning for one of the many talent-seeking reality shows, and every album broke more records than the last. He sold out venues, maxed out any place he was meeting fans at, and generally seemed to be one of the most talked about celebrities in the current spotlight.
He wasn't oblivious to talent—Magnus' body could certainly move and he definitely had a voice on him, but Alec wasn't much of a dance pop music fan so he didn't find himself star struck by any means.
The song ended, Magnus striking a pose, and the director signaling cut caused the room to burst into applause.
Magnus was breathing hard, beaming at the group, and he started in their direction when Raphael motioned for him to come over.
Alec gave him a good once over, which seemed to please Magnus a little too much, if his smug grin was anything to go by.
"Who are you?"
"Alec Lightwood." Alec said, holding out his hand.
Instead of shaking it, Magnus curled Alec's hand and then nudged his own knuckles against it. "You're so formal, Alexander."
"Alec." he corrected.
Raphael must have sensed his irritation since he cleared his throat. "I told you he dances to the beat of his own drum."
"I thought that was some sort of dancing celebrity pun." Alec admitted.
Magnus chuckled. "Raphael doesn't make jokes. That was your first mistake."
He let his eyes run slowly up and down Alec's form, and Alec tried not to blush. He felt like he was being x-rayed.
"So, Alexander… what brings you to my humble abode? Couldn't wait to see the video air in a few weeks time like everybody else?"
Raphael cut in before Alec could speak. "Magnus, we talked about this. I told you I'd be hiring you a new personal bodyguard."
Magnus sighed. "And I told you I don't need one."
"Your tour starts in less than a week. You're going to need better security than a bartender."
"Hey, Lucian can throw down if he needs to." Magnus commented, nodding towards a buff, dark-skinned man by the snack table.
"Magnus, I'm not risking your safety. This is non-optional. Mr. Lightwood is your head of security. And you will follow his directions, got it?"
Magnus waved his hand in mock-agreement.
Alec had a feeling he and the star were going to butt heads a lot, if his nonchalant attitude towards respecting him was anything to go by.
"So, what kind of qualifications do you have? Mall security?"
Alec didn't react. "I was Secret Service during Obama's run."
Magnus' eyebrows shot up. "And what caused you to leave that position? Too big of a salary?"
"The change in presidency. With that came a change of staff and I figured I wouldn't make the cut for the specifics set by the new man in charge."
Magnus found his response amusing, if his hidden smirk was anything to go by. "Well, I'm sure you'll be pretty bored babysitting me all the time. But no matter. Welcome to the party."
And with that, he headed back to his group of friends, who immediately fawned over him and started talking a mile a minute about how awesome his music video would be.
Alec turned to Raphael. "He has no idea why you hired me, does he?"
Raphael grimaced. "Not exactly. I trust you can still do your job without informing Mr. Bane of the specifics?"
"It's not how I usually work… but let's move on. I need to get to work on securing the premises. We need to talk about some major changes."
"Of course. Mr. Bane's safety has no price limit. Tell me what you need."
"Well, to start, the windows. Anyone can walk up to the house, pop one of those cracked windows wide open and climb in and wait to pounce. Especially with no security system in place. We need to start there. Surveillance cameras around any entrance, alarm on the windows or bars in place, and some sort of new way to welcome people in. You offered my name to me when I came, instead of letting me introduce myself. What happens if someone else does that and you give them a passable identity? You might as well leave the door wide open…"
Raphael was quickly scrawling down each of his suggestions on a notepad as they walked through the house, and Alec started pointing to other areas as they went.
Magnus was eying the newcomer skeptically but Alec paid him no mind. Their working relationship was going to be… interesting, to say the least.