Hello, people! I'm back with a new short story! I don't know why, but I'm pretty inspired at the moment, so expect a lot of Malec in the next few weeks. I'll be posting new stories—one shots and short multi-chapter ones—and of course, I'll also update Looking For You! The next chapter, CH7, is long and !—that's all I can say without spoiling it. Anyway, just know that I'm going big, so I hope you like what I have in store for y'all. But let's start my little Malec fest with this story, shall we?

This one was written as a birthday gift for my dear, dear friend, Chris (bonfireart both on tumblr and twitter) so, Chris, I really hope you like this story. It's not my usual style, angst isn't my thing (or maybe it is lol), but as I told you yesterday, it has a happy ending, so happy birthday, my friend! I think I said something similar last year, but you truly are one of the sweetest, most talented, and most supportive people I've had the pleasure of meeting and I couldn't be more grateful to call you my friend. Thank you for always being there for me! I hope you have the happiest of birthdays! I love you!

Full summary: Magnus and Alec used to be a couple, they used to be happy, but one day Alec was forced to make a big decision and had to leave, breaking up with Magnus and giving up on all of his dreams in the process. Six years later, the universe decided that it was time for their paths to cross again. There's a lot of pain in their hearts and wounds that need to be healed, but can this reunion mean a second chance for them? Can they pick up their relationship from where they left it all those years ago despite all the pain, or is it really too late for this story to be told?

Prologue

Alec was walking down the streets of New York, he had only been back in the city for a week after six years of absence and he was still trying to reconnect with the city. So much had changed over the years that he had been away, that he felt like a stranger, another one of the millions of tourists who crowded the streets of the city every day, even though he had been born and raised there.

All his favorite places had closed or had simply turned into something else. Some of the restaurants he had once loved and that had witnessed thousands of dates with his ex-boyfriend were still open, but unfortunately, they didn't look the same as before. The city and its streets didn't look the same—he didn't look the same.

He sighed, taking one last look at what used to be his favorite independent bookstore and now was another CVS, and resumed his walking, heading towards his brother Max's tiny shoe-box apartment. He was currently staying with him while he found a place for himself. Max, who after finishing high school had decided that Idris—that small country in the middle of Europe that nobody knew about—wasn't for him, had decided to apply for NYU, Alec's Alma Mater, and had moved back to their hometown. Alec had promised to visit thousands of times in the three years that his brother had been in the city, but it hadn't been until he had decided that he had had enough of his old life, that he had actually fulfilled his promise.

A street musician started playing a cover of one of Frank Sinatra's songs and Alec stopped dead in his tracks to listen to the beautiful melody and the soulful voice that the man had. That hadn't changed about New York, music was still a part of it, and Alec couldn't help but smile at the familiarity of the feeling. No matter where you went, music was something that New York always had for you. And Alec had been needing that, he had been needing something known, something that hadn't changed so much.

He sat on a bench near the musician to still be able to listen to his music, but also get a glimpse of the East River. There were far more beautiful places in the city to look at, but as he had said before, he needed the familiarity of what hadn't changed—the remains of the city he had once loved and left behind.

Coming back had been hard enough for him, but finding the city so different from what he remembered had definitely made things worse. However, being back here, in this now strange city, had been something he had had to do for himself. Back when he was younger and life seemed easier, he had wanted to become a best-selling author, he had majored in English Literature to do just that, but then...well, then stuff had happened and he had been forced to give up on all his dreams—being a renowned writer one of them.

But now here he was, back in New York and with two advanced copies of his first novel in his bag. He knew he was six years late and couldn't have back the life he had once had here, much less achieve all those dreams and goals he had set for himself when he was younger, but there were some things that were still under his control and he was determined to get them, starting with becoming the writer he had always wanted to be.

A text from his brother interrupted his reverie. "I'm home, where are you? I want my copy of your book! You promised me that I would be the first one to read it!"

Alec chuckled. "I'm on my way," he replied, "got a bit held back, but I'll be there in 10."

Alec got up from the bench and started to walk to the nearest subway station to head home. And just when he was walking down the stairs with the usual horde of people trying to catch the train before it left, he crashed into some poor guy who was on his way out, causing him to throw some of the papers he was holding onto the floor.

"I'm so sorry." Alec hastened to say, quickly kneeling to pick up the papers for him. He knew that that kind of behavior wasn't standard for a regular New Yorker—if you crashed into someone, it was their fault, not yours, they should have been more careful—but Alec was truly a stranger in this city at the moment and, therefore, he acted like one.

"Don't worry, it's fine." The man said, and suddenly Alec's world stopped spinning.

He knew that voice almost as much as he knew his own. It was Magnus's.

"Magnus…" He whispered with shock as he looked up at the man—looked up at Magnus. Magnus Bane, aka his first love, his ex-boyfriend, the man of his dreams, the love of his life, his one true love, but also the man he had abandoned six years ago.

"Alexander…" Magnus said. There was surprise and something else that Alec couldn't quite decipher in his voice. "You're here." He added.

"Hmmm, yeah, I-I..." Alec said, trying to calm down a bit and also to refrain himself from doing something stupid like throwing himself at Magnus's arms, kiss him, and beg for his forgiveness. It was kind of a surreal experience to have Magnus, his Magnus, standing right in front of him after all these years. "I came back a week ago."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

The encounter between them was awkward, not to mention that it was exactly what Alec had been trying to avoid since he had returned to the city. Not because he hadn't wanted to see Magnus again, there was nothing else in the world that he wanted more than to see his ex-boyfriend's beautiful face again, but things were complicated between them and he knew it. They were no longer part of each other's lives, and Alec had to admit that he had feared Magnus's reaction the moment he saw that Alec was back in the city that they had once said they would conquer together. Alec was well aware of what he had done, of the pain he had caused, and knew that Magnus probably hated him, so when he had set foot in New York again, he had decided that it was best not to look for him. It wasn't fair to Magnus, Alec couldn't just walk back into his life after all these years and hope that everything was as before. He knew that he had arrived six years too late for that.

"Oh, wow, it's been so long." Magnus said. He looked a bit uncomfortable and unsettled, as if he was still recovering from meeting with Alec again after all these years; and Alec didn't blame him for that, he felt uncomfortable too, but for very different reasons.

"I…" Magnus added, quickly glancing at his watch, "I have a meeting I'm already late for, but do you want to maybe catch up? It's really been so long." He said.

Alec was surprised for a second. For years, he had pictured this moment in his head and in all of the scenarios he had imagined and re-imagined, Magnus either yelled at him for what he had done to him or straight up ignored him, letting his silence speak for himself and making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with him. But this scenario? This scenario was unexpected.

"Sure." Alec said unsure if he had imagined the whole thing or not, because if he was honest with himself, this was too good to be true.

"How long are you staying?" Magnus asked, but didn't give Alec the opportunity to respond because he immediately added, "never mind, are you free today? What about tonight? At my place sounds okay?"

"Hmmm, yeah." Alec said.

It was too soon and it only gave Alec a few hours to prepare his apology speech and get himself mentally ready to learn what had really been of Magnus's life in all these years they had been apart, but it wasn't as if he was in a position to demand anything, not really.

Magnus quickly grabbed a piece of paper from his satchel, scribbled an address, and handed it to Alec.

"8 p.m., don't be late." He said and walked out of the subway station, leaving Alec standing there, in the middle of the stairs, with a racing heart, a note with an address to some place in Brooklyn Heights, and a promise to see Magnus again.

Chapter 1

Alec looked up at the impressive and quite luxurious facade of the building where Magnus lived and a lump formed in his throat. Back when they were young and a happy and very naive couple, they had talked about many goals and dreams they had wanted to achieve together and one of them—besides adopting a cat and one day having a big happy family—had been buying an expensive and luxurious apartment in Brooklyn with the best view of the city skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. And it seemed that Magnus had, after all, achieved that dream for himself. Alec hadn't seen the actual view from the place yet, but in the address Magnus had given him it said: Penthouse #1; so that only meant that his home was at the top of the building and Alec could already see it having the best view of the bridge and the city—just as they had once dreamed their future home would have.

"Shit…" Alec whispered, hesitating whether to enter or not.

Maybe being there wasn't a good idea for any of them. Magnus didn't know it, but despite everything, Alec hadn't stopped loving him—not a second in all these years—and no matter how much he had told himself that it was pointless. He had left Magnus and hurt him a lot in the process, he had deliberately lost him. But for some reason, his heart had refused to let go of that feeling. And, in fact, it had been the love he still felt for him what had ultimately helped him make the decision to take control of his life again and do what he wanted to do for himself, and not for other people.

The doorman looked at him suspiciously from inside the building. Alec knew that he was surely wondering what Alec was doing there, standing by the main entrance of the building, but not actually entering when it was freezing cold outside.

Alec took a deep breath, gathered all the courage he had left and decided that he couldn't miss the chance to—although six years later—apologize to Magnus for what had happened all those years ago and ask for his forgiveness. He knew that that wasn't going to solve or change anything between them, nor did he have any expectations for that whatsoever, but at least it was going to give Alec the closure he needed and some kind of peace with himself. So he took another deep breath, climbed up the few stairs that separated him from the door and opened it, heading for the front desk.

The doorman eyed him suspiciously again, but tried to be polite. "Are you here to visit someone or to deliver something?" He asked.

"Visit," Alec said, a bit nervous, "hmmm, penthouse number one—Mr. Bane. My name is Alexander Lightwood, he's expecting me."

"I'm going to need an ID, Mr. Lightwood." The man said.

"Of course," Alec said, taking his identification from his wallet and giving it to the doorman.

"Okay, all good." The man said. "The elevators are over there." He added, pointing to the far left side of the lobby.

"Thank you." Alec said, walking with determination toward the elevators.

There was no turning back now. Most likely, the doorman was calling Magnus right this second to inform him that he was there, so he had no choice but to go up there and face him again. Even if the uncertainty of what to expect from tonight scared him to death.

The doors of the very fancy elevator opened and Alec pressed the button that would take him to the top floor, it was a 10-story ride, so he took advantage of the few minutes he still had to prepare himself for what was to come. He was about to find out for sure what had been of Magnus's life in all these years. Was he married? Did he have a husband or wife? Kids? Was he living with someone? Was he divorced? Single? Alec knew that he had become a renowned fashion designer and had his own brand, 'Bane,' just as he had once dreamed; he also knew that he was very successful. Alec had seen him on the cover of an international fashion magazine a few months ago, and, in fact, seeing him there had been the reason why he had decided that he couldn't keep living the life he had been living and had decided to leave Idris to have a chance to pursue his own dreams too. He had called a friend of his family who knew the head of a publishing house in New York, had sent her the manuscript of his novel—the one he had written over the years and was inspired by his love for Magnus—and the rest was history. They had signed him on the spot and had given him a 20,000 copies deal. He had packed his things, quit his job, and moved back to his hometown to be the writer he had always wanted to be.

The elevator doors opened and Alec immediately saw the door of Magnus's penthouse, so a bit nervous, he walked towards it and knocked, waiting for Magnus—or his partner, for that matter—to open the door. He wasn't being a pessimist or anything like that with the partner thing, it was just that for him it made sense that Magnus was with someone. He was famous, extremely handsome, generous, caring, funny, and overall perfect. Someone must have seen that during all these years and done what Alec hadn't been able to do—make him happy.

"Alexander, hi! I'm glad you decided to come." Magnus said with a sincere smile when he opened the door. "I wasn't sure if I was going to see you again. Please, come in." He added, moving from the frame so that Alec could walk into his home.

Alec entered the place and was immediately surprised, not only by the fact that he had been right about the more than spectacular view that this place had to offer, but that the whole penthouse was beautifully decorated with things that Alec himself would have bought if given the chance. It was like walking into a place that felt like his home, even though he knew it wasn't—and never would be.

"You have a beautiful home." Alec said.

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

"Here, I brought you this." Alec said, handing Magnus the bottle of wine he had brought with him tonight.

The ghost of a smile appeared on Magnus's lips. "My favorite," he said, "you remembered."

Alec wanted to tell him that of course he remembered, that he remembered everything about him—how he liked his coffee black and with too much sugar in it, although he usually drank tea in the morning and, for that, he preferred honey; how whiskey was his favorite drink for when he was sad or angry, but that wine was always a good replacement; how he had a sweet tooth, although he swore he didn't; how he loved to travel and get to know new places, but complained all the time about not having enough time or money to do it more often; how much it bothered him being interrupted when he spoke and how ridiculously meticulous his morning routine was; how much he hated when Alec left the bathroom door closed after taking a shower because that made the mirror fog up and Magnus liked to put on his makeup in the bathroom where the light was better, and hated with a burning passion to have to put it on with a pocket mirror somewhere else—but instead, he just smiled back and continued observing the place.

"May I take your coat?" Magnus asked politely. It was very obvious, at least for Alec, that he was trying really hard to be a good host even though he seemed to be a bit out of his comfort zone with Alec there.

"It's okay," Alec said, taking off his coat on his own and hanging it himself. He wasn't sure if he was ready for a more close contact between them. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to control himself this time, and he didn't want to do that to Magnus—not after what he had done to him all those years ago. So keeping a safe distance from the man seemed like the smartest thing to do.

"Then, please make yourself at home, I'll go fetch us some glasses for the wine." Magnus said, disappearing down a hall and into what Alec assumed was the kitchen.

Alec took a seat by the nearest couch and looked around. The view and ambience of this wonderful place sent a wave of sadness that almost caused him to shed a tear or two. It hurt him to see how familiar this place seemed to him even though he had never been here before. He didn't know why, but he could see himself living here with Magnus, their cat scratching their elegant couch, and their little kids staining the new carpet with grape juice or drawing with crayons on the walls. He knew that this could have been his home, his life—if he hadn't decided to go be the man his family needed him to be, exchanging for that his dreamed future with Magnus.

Magnus reentered the room and placed two glasses on the coffee table, quickly opening the bottle that Alec had brought and pouring them some wine. "To the old times." Magnus said, handing a glass to Alec and raising the other as if to toast with him. He seemed comfortable now, as if that trip to the kitchen had helped him relax or something.

Alec just smiled and limited himself to raise his glass because the wine and the confident smile on Magnus's face were making him go back in time and that hurt—a lot. He didn't know what to do with the turmoil of emotions he felt inside. Seeing Magnus again, being with him, even if it was just for a friendly dinner, was something he never—in his wildest dreams—thought would happen. In fact, he never thought he would be back in New York at all.

"You look good." Magnus said, being his usual confident and easy-talking guy. "I like the stubble and the glasses." He added.

"Thank you." Alec said, trying really hard not to blush at the sudden compliment, although he wasn't sure if that was something he could actually control. "You look good too. Your hair…"

"You like it?" Magnus asked, slightly touching his very styled hair. "You know I always need a little change in my life. I get bored easily."

"I know and yes, I like it." Alec said sincerely. Magnus was sporting a Mohawk and it did look good on him—really good if Alec was completely honest. "It makes you look both bold and young." He dared to say.

"I'm glad to hear that, I'm getting closer to thirty, so the younger I look, the better."

Alec chuckled, he was getting closer to thirty too and although Magnus's birthday was definitely closer than his—less than a month away—he could certainly relate to the feeling. Especially because unlike Magnus, in the last six years of his life, he hadn't been really living the life he had always wanted for himself, he had only been doing what other people had wanted him to do.

"But tell me," Magnus continued, "how's your family? How are they all doing?"

"They all are okay, thanks for asking." Alec smiled, glad that Magnus had thought of his family and wanted to know if they all were okay. They had been together for a little over four years before everything went to hell, so he had hoped his ex-boyfriend hadn't forgotten about them, but there was always the slight chance that he had. Even if it had only been out of spite.

"I'm glad to hear that, and little Max? He must be so big right now...he must be a man."

Alec nodded. "He turned 21 this year."

"Wow…" Magnus exclaimed, "we're getting old. When I first met him he was, what? 10 about to turn 11?"

Alec nodded. Magnus had met Alec's family—including his then baby brother Max—the moment they had become an official couple back when the two had met in college. They had fallen in love way too fast and made everything official even faster, despite the fact that both their families weren't 100% okay with their budding relationship. But they hadn't cared, they knew what they had and had even rented a crappy apartment together to survive college, because somehow, college, living with the love of your life, sounded ten times better than without him.

"And Isabelle and Jace? What became of them?"

"Isabelle became a forensic anthropologist and Jace is, well...Jace went into the family business as well."

"Isabelle's a forensic anthropologist? I could have sworn that she would become a top-model. I would have hired her on the spot."

Alec smiled. "Don't tell her that or she'll accept your offer without thinking twice. She wouldn't mind putting the science on hold for a couple of years just to be your model."

"Do you remember when she helped me on my first fashion show in college?" Magnus smiled. "She was my best model. I thought she was a natural that's why I assumed she would become one...she was beautiful. I can only imagine that she's even more beautiful now. You, the Lightwoods, have quite the genes."

Alec blushed.

"But keep telling me about them and about you, I want to know what's been of all of you." He said. "How's the business going? Is dear Maryse as lovely as she used to be?" Magnus asked sarcastically. Alec's mother had been a bit of a challenge for them back when they had been together.

"She's softened over the years." Alec confessed. "She met a guy, Luke, and that helped."

"That's good to know, and Robert?"

"Well, he's still as annoying as ever." Alec said, thinking about his father.

"I wasn't expecting anything less from him to be honest, but come on, start talking, I really wanna know everything there is to know about all of you." Magnus said.

And just like that, Alec began to tell him what had been of him and his family in the past six years.

**By decree of the birthday girl, the next chapter will be up in 3 hours, that is, at 12 p.m. EST ;)