Turns out, the swimming trunks that Magnus loaned Alec did indeed fit the much taller Shadowhunter, as Magnus said they would. They were a little bit short on him (even though their height difference wasn't all that noticeable) but they were comfortable enough for him to be walking around in.

"Alec! You ready, big guy?" Magnus knocked on the locked stall. They had decided earlier to go swimming as a part of their date night. As Magnus discovered earlier, Alec didn't know how to swim. He hadn't been taught as a young Shadowhunter and now he was having second thoughts about this particular date.

A little sigh came from the stall. "Uh....you go on ahead. I'll just stay here until the swimming lesson is over."

Magnus snorted. "Come on, Lightwood. You can't learn if you never try, right? I'll be out in the pool area waiting for you. Take your time. No rush."

Alec could hear footsteps moving away from the stall he was hiding in. The door to the pool area opened and then closed. He was now alone.

Unlocking the stall, he poked his head out and looked both ways. Magnus was nowhere to be seen. He must've went out to the pool area. Alec wanted to follow behind so bad but his nerves were still a little shaky. Swallowing his nervousness, he took a deep breath and opened the door to the pool.

It was crowded. Oh, was it ever crowded. As soon as Alec took one glimpse of the crowd in both the water and the sidelines, he wanted to make a beeline back into the change room.

"Hey. You finally found your courage, huh?"

Alec turned and saw Magnus standing next to him, hands on his hips. His rather very distracting hips, that is.

Magnus was very attractive. Alec couldn't help but let his eyes roam over Magnus' body when he wasn't looking. He had broad shoulders and biceps, which flexed whenever he moved his arms. His chest was muscular, his stomach was beautifully flat and muscled and his hips narrowed into the green pair of trunks that looked incredible on him.

"Ready to swim? I asked the lifeguard to clear an area just for us so you wouldn't feel as overwhelmed," Magnus smiled at him. "Come on. Our lesson begins right now."

Alec shuffled along behind him, keeping a close eye on Magnus' feet. He didn't dare look up at the crowd around him. He focused solely on Magnus and Magnus alone. The swimming trunks made him feel somewhat naked even though they were basically the same as boxers. Plus he felt that all eyes were on him; thankfully he remembered to glamor himself before stepping out of the stall.

"First step to learning how to swim is to get in the water." Magnus jumped into the pool. The water only came up to below his waist. They were in the area considered to be part of the kiddie pool, which was the perfect place to start off in. "Come on in. The water is nice."

Alec dipped a toe in the water. "What if I drown?"

"I'm not going to let that happen. Do you trust me?"

Looking up at Alec on the side of the pool, Magnus realized how beautiful Alec really was. Tall and handsome with raven black hair and gorgeous hazel eyes. But that was only the beginning of his beauty. He knew there was much more to Alec than just looks, but damn his looks were something else. This was the first time Magnus ever saw him nervous and frightened, and oddly enough this nearly took his breath away. Alec had broad shoulders and large biceps, along with strong forearms that were currently crossed over his broad chest in anxiousness. His chest had hair on it, as did beneath his navel that led down into his trunks (Magnus tried very hard not to think about that). His abdomen wasn't overly buff but Magnus could see a six pack when Alec breathed in deeply. His hips were jutted out forward a bit, which Magnus thought looked very endearing, and had deep indentations above his hipbones. All of this dulled in comparison when he eyed every one of Alec's stark black runes on his pale skin, glamored from the mundanes around them. He was gorgeous. He truly was a beautiful young man to behold.

"Do you trust me?" repeated Magnus.

Alec nodded. "Yes. A lot."

"Good. Then get your butt in this water. I'll make a merman out of you yet," Magnus playfully splashed Alec.

Alec flinched away from the water. "Magnus! Not-no. Don't. I'm taking my damn time. No rush, remember?"

Magnus raised his hands in surrender. "Right. Sorry. Take your time."

Alec slowly inched toward the edge of the pool, looking out and over. "No sharks though, right? I read once that they swim in dark waters in search of prey."

Magnus looked around the water. "Hold on. Let me check."

Alec gasped when he went underwater, holding his breath until Magnus came back up for air. "Mag-Magnus! Don't do that!"

"Don't do what? I was checking for sharks. And there's none here. You're good to go."

Alec dipped his toe in again before moving his entire foot in. Taking a deep breath, he knelt down and sat in the edge of the water before getting in, wincing at how cold the water felt against his skin. It didn't even come up to his waistline because he was so tall.

"There you go. You did it! You're in the water!" Magnus beamed. "Good job, gorgeous. How do you feel?"

Alec was shivering and holding his arms over his chest. "Am I swimming yet? Is this how people swim?"

Magnus laughed. "Not yet. Next we're slowly going to sink lower and lower into the water until we're under it completely. Sound good?"

Alec swallowed. "Not particularly. How long do I have to stay under for?"

"Just for a moment. Long enough to get your hair wet. Ready for phase two?"

"Phase two. Ready....." Alec mumbled. He squeezed his hands before placing his goggles over his eyes and sunk lower into the water.

"That's it...nice and easy," Magnus said in an encouraging voice.

Alec went even lower again and again until he just went completely under. He was surprised to realize that there was hardly any sound underwater. Everything was muffled; a whole new world that Alec found himself enjoying much more than he expected. It was quieter. Much quieter than the loud and noisy world above water. He wished he could stay here forever....

He was suddenly hauled back up to the surface by a strong hand. He coughed and sputtered, pushing his hair back off his forehead. "Magnus. What-" he coughed again. "What happened?"

"What happened? I said I'd make sure you wouldn't drown. That's what happened. You weren't coming back up for air so I had to grab you and bring you back to the world of oxygen," Magnus fixed a stray strand of hair off Alec's forehead. "You did amazing for your first day. Better than I did."

"How did you do? On the first day?" Alec asked.

Magnus chuckled. "I cried like a baby. I hated the water so much. But you know what? My first lesson was hundreds of years ago. I swim like Michael Phelps these days. Hell, I'm better than Michael Phelps-and you have no idea who that is."

Alec squinted. "Nope. None whatsoever."

"I didn't think so. Your eyes glazed over. But that doesn't matter. You completed phase one and two of our swimming journey," Magnus nodded his head towards the change rooms. "Come on. Let's get changed and head to my place. This place isn't as much fun as I expected it to be. Plus I want to show you who Michael Phelps is. Maybe you'll feel inspired."

Alec's eyes widened. "You mean he's still alive?"

"Oh gosh. Alec. Michael was born around the same time you were. What did you think he was? A warlock like me?"

"To be honest? Yes."

Magnus grinned as Alec grumbled under his breath. "Maybe I can get you to meet him one day. I'm sure it's nothing a simple spell can't handle."

Alec perked up, splashing Magnus by accident. "You'd do that for me? Just to help me learn to swim?"

"Alec. We've been over this. I'd do anything for you. You should know this by now."

Alec smiled. "Sorry. It still baffles me sometimes that I have someone who love me in ways I didn't think I'd ever be loved before."

Magnus laughed as Alec splashed around in the water. "Everyone has someone out there in the world that will love them heart and soul. You just have to keep the faith that one day you'll find each other."

"You sound like my sister," Alec gurgled into the water.

"Interesting. She and I should swap some wisdom between us sometime," Magnus snorted but stopped when Alec gazed at him confusingly. "Sorry. I thought that was pretty funny."

"Don't apologize. You and Izzy really are very similar-"

The lifeguard blew into her whistle to signal the end of the swim, the loud shrill causing Alec to yell and reach for his seraph blade that wasn't anywhere near him.

"Alec! It's okay. You're okay. I got you...." Magnus rubbed Alec's soaking wet back in small soothing circles. "I forgot they blow the whistle at the end of the swim. I'm so sorry...."

Alec scowled up at the lifeguard. "Can we go now? I think I had enough lessons for one day."

Magnus nodded. "Sure thing. You did great today. Until next time?"

Alec nodded. "I'm sorry if this was a crappy date."

Magnus waved a hand. "Pfft. Are you kidding me? I enjoy all of our dates. Especially the ones that make you do very mundane things. I get a kick out of watching you do mundane tasks."

"I'm so glad I keep you entertained," Alec rolled his eyes as Magnus ruffled his hair playfully. "But next time I get to choose where we go for a date. Deal?"

"Deal. But I'm still teaching you to swim. Whether you like it or not. You'll thank me one day, Alexander."