From afar
Magnus made his entrance into the ops center of the New York Institute: a peacock among pigeons, dressed to the nine, his beautiful almond-shaped eyes surrounded by eyeliner, his hair combed back and streaked with gold. An epiphany. Beautiful, self-confident, completely unapologetic and powerful with his magic, proud in shamelessly showing his sexuality. Accompanied by two young shadowhunters, who had the clear purpose of escorting him, he seemed to be in charge, those men looked like they were his bodyguards, assigned to protect his bursting majesty. He walked towards Maryse's office without looking around, sure about his authority and attracting more than an admiring glance.
The skittish fifteen-year-old Alexander watched him from behind a column. Only recently had he started to be suspicious about the feelings he was experiencing; maybe they were not what should be expected from a shadowhunter, from a soldier: that turmoil he felt when training with other young warriors, not being able to stay emotionless at the quiet confidence of those young males casually undressing in the showers, chatting about girls. Those feelings, he couldn't put a name on them, but they kept him awake at night as he thought of muscular arms and broad chests, and something awakened in him, a desire he tried to suppress and failed. If he could fall asleep, his dreams were filled with gasps and moans, but when he tried to look at his partner’s face who was making him feel that strange ... pleasure, it was never a woman's face, and he woke up at wet underwear, feeling a weird sense of discontent and unhappiness.
From the shadows in which he was hiding, he watched Magnus walk proudly, melting into the beauty of that slender and muscular body, wondering what other wonders the expensive clothes concealed, staring spellbound at the sharp face, the shining eyes; he suddenly realized he was panting mouth open, as a stray tear ran down his face. He could never have anything like that. He retreated further behind the column, preparing to leave, yearning to lock himself into his room and feed his bewilderment and his despair.
Then Magnus stopped, for no apparent reason. He slowly turned towards the column behind which Alec was hiding and a small smile appeared on his face. Then, casually, without addressing anyone in particular, he said almost to himself "Sometimes we don't know what’s hiding in the shadows: perhaps a mortal danger, perhaps something that could change our lives forever. And forever, for a warlock, it's really…something ”.
His chaperones looked at him blankly, but Magnus made a small careless gesture with his hand and kept on walking. Alexander slid down the column to sit on the floor, short of breath, his heart wanting to take flight.