Author's Note: Hey, guys! I'm sorry I haven't uploaded anything on here for a while. I'm a lot more active on AO3. (MoonlightBreeze) I'm going to try to have that Criminal Minds fanfic updated soon. I hate writing the middle of stories. I can do beginnings fine, endings fine, but middles? Those are what get me. Anyways, have some Malec fluff! Let me know what you think and as always, have a wonderful day/night!

~ Em

"Magnus, you didn't have to do all of this for me," Alec objected, a rosy blush colouring his pale cheeks. He was chewing his lip, clearly conflicted over the candlelit dinner Magnus had set up. It was their only day off for quite some time, and Magnus had spared no expense. The tablecloth was fine Italian silk, and the wine was a lavish brand Alec recognised only from Jace's 'guilty pleasure' magazines. The overhead lights had been transformed into soft white lighting that cast an almost enchanting glow over their table. Dinner was steak and potatoes with buttery rolls on the side. Alec was used to Magnus's insistence that they have only the best on their date nights, but he was still a little overwhelmed by the grand gesture.

"Nonsense, darling," Magnus replied, pulling Alec out of his own thoughts and back into their conversation. "I wanted it to be a special night."

"Well, thank you," Alec said, looking down shyly. "I love it."

"Good," Magnus chirped, and he reached over to pull the chair out for Alec. Alec sat, and they began to eat. Chairman Meow wandered over and rubbed himself against Alec's legs, purring. Alec smiled softly. The cat was the last piece of the puzzle needed for him to relax and simply enjoy the dinner with his husband. Magnus, who was even better than Alec himself at picking up on subtle changes in his behaviour, gave Alec a bright smile and locked their ankles together under the table.

"How's the campaign coming?" Magnus inquired. "I asked Isabelle yesterday, but she just said it was 'top-secret'."

Alec smirked. "Good for her."

"Why all the secrecy?" Magnus whined. "I'm your husband. I deserve to know these things, Alexander."

"Well, I have something to show you after dinner," Alec promised. He took a deep breath and reached over the table to squeeze Magnus's hand. "It's going to change a lot of things, Mags."

Magnus raised their interwoven hands and kissed Alec's knuckles. "It won't change my love for you, and that's what's important. Anything else, we can deal with."

Alec felt suddenly and violently grateful for Magnus Lightwood-Bane. His throat closed with emotion, and he roughly shook his head, embarrassed at himself.

Magnus smiled and changed the subject. "Did you feed Chairman today? He looks hungry."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Don't be fooled by his act, Magnus. He does this every day. Haven't you noticed?"

Magnus appeared taken aback. "He's not like that!"

"Not like what, exactly?" Alec raised an eyebrow.

"He's not dishonest!"

Alec chuckled. "Magnus, he's a cat."

"Yes, well, he's not a dishonest cat!"

Alec shook his head. A small smile turned the corners of his mouth up, and he took a bite of steak before answering. "I don't think cats know what honesty is."

"That's ridiculous!" Magnus sputtered. "You know, people are quick to assume that animals are nothing like us because they can't communicate the way we do. But I've had cats for over 200 years, Alexander. They know what honesty is. They're honorable."

"I think that's open for debate," Alec countered. "At least in the case of the Chairman."

Magnus sputtered indignantly but chose not to respond. Instead, he took a roll, tore it in half, and fed half of it to the cat, who was waiting underneath the table with a confident, self-satisfied gleam to his eyes.

Alec rolled his eyes. "You need to stop feeding him human food, Magnus. He's obese."

"No, he's not. He's just fluffy."

Alec shook his head in exasperation, chuckling. "You're blind when it comes to those that you love, Mags."

"Mm, how true that is, Alexander." Magnus rose a few feet from his chair to press a light kiss to Alec's lips.

Alec hummed in gratitude when Magnus pulled away, popping the last piece of steak into his mouth. "I'll clean the dishes," Alec offered, standing up. "Since you made dinner."

"I didn't make dinner, darling. I borrowed dinner from a restaurant in New Hampshire. And I'm too eager to see this surprise of yours to wait for you to clean up all the soap you'll get on my counter in the process of washing the dishes." He snapped his fingers and the plates and utensils disappeared, along with the leftover steak.

Alec pointed to the half-full platter of potatoes. "What are you going to do with those?"

"...give them to the cats."

"Magnus."

"They're hungry! Look at them!" He pointed to the double doors leading to the balcony, where several other cats that Magnus fed had congregated, meowing pitifully and looking at Chairman Meow with something akin to jealousy.

"They're deceiving you, Magnus. You gave them cream this morning, remember?"

Magnus did remember. "That doesn't mean anything. We have three meals a day, and they're only supposed to live on one?"

Alec sighed, inserting every bit of overdramatic Lightwood flair he could muster up into the sound. Magnus smiled and pecked him on the cheek. "Go wait for me in the living room, darling. And get that surprise ready, would you?" He threw his husband a glittery wink before disappearing onto the balcony.

When Magnus returned, Alec had settled himself on the sofa and pulled up the email. His hands shook and his thick black hair clung to his perspiration-dotted forehead. This was it. Time to tell Magnus what was going on.

For better or for worse.

"So what is this?" Magnus asked, gesturing to the email on Alec's phone screen.

"Here. Read." Alec thrust the phone into Magnus's hands.

When Magnus got to the end of the email, to Alec's surprise, he was beaming.

"Oh, Alexander, this is wonderful! Congratulations!" Magnus pulled Alec into a tight hug. "I knew you would be appointed Inquisitor. I'm so happy for you, sweetheart."

"Y-You're not upset?"

"Upset? Darling, why would I be upset?"

"Because the Inquisitor position is in Alicante," Alec mumbled. "It's - I mean - I couldn't possibly portal back home to New York every night."

"Alec, look at me." Magnus cupped Alec's cheek in his palm and tilted his chin up, forcing him to meet Magnus's eyes. "Distance means nothing to me. While it is, of course, preferable to have you close, I will love you no matter where you are in the world. Distance can do nothing against our bond." He raised his hand, on which the Lightwood family ring stood out proudly, for emphasis.

Alec felt tears rise to his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. "Magnus, I - you have no idea how much that means to me. I just - I just thought the distance might be too much for you. Alicante is a long way from home." He bit his lip and focused his gaze on his lap once more.

"Well, though I stand by my original point, I have a surprise for you, as well," Magnus said. He raised his hand and, a few seconds later, a scroll flew into his hand from their bedroom. He handed it over to Alec, smiling. "Read it."

Dear Mr. Lightwood-Bane,

Due to your unique skill set, we would like to request your presence in Alicante. The Head of the New York Institute, Mr. Alexander Lightwood-Bane, and his Downworld Cabinet have brought to our attention the need for a more open, welcoming environment here in the city. We would like to ask you to be the first High Warlock of Alicante. Should you choose to accept this offer, please send a return message with your confirmation and we will arrange a date to discuss further details, including your salary and the hours you will be expected to be available for work. Thank you very much. Please reply at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Consul Penhallow & staff

Alec peered up at Magnus from beneath his lashes, blinking incredulously. "Mags, how long have you known about this?"

"About as long as you've known you won the race for Inquisitor," Magnus replied. He smirked at Alec's dumbfounded expression. "Of course I could tell, darling," he said, reading his husband's mind. "You were giddy with joy from the moment they emailed you." Alec chuckled. After all, Magnus wasn't wrong. Despite his misgivings about how it would affect his future with his husband, Alec had been overjoyed to learn he was to be the new Inquisitor. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but then there was that mishap with one of the werewolf packs and the vampire clan, and then you had that nest of Drevak demons to deal with - " Magnus cut himself off with a smile. "Anyway, it just never seemed like the right time."

"And you want to? Accept the offer, I mean."

"I do," Magnus replied steadily. "I've thought about it, and New York is my home. It's where I found my place after nearly a century of wandering the Earth, not quite fitting in anywhere I went. It's where I've lived for the past 200 years and it's where I want to be when I die. But Alicante is a new opportunity, and I want to embrace it. I can very easily see myself being quite happy there. The fact that I am allowed in at all to a city that was once warded against all Downworlders is sign enough that things are changing, and I have you to thank for that. Being the first of my kind to take the leap and change old prejudices is something I dream about. Besides, I can take the best of New York with me." He gestured to his apartment, sweeping over the cats, still huddled around the plate of mashed potatoes, and the framed picture of Catarina that hung on the wall, before turning to Alec and placing a sound kiss on his lips. "Wherever you go, Alexander, I'm right there with you."

Alec rested his forehead against Magnus's and exhaled a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you want to go." He looked up to meet Magnus's eyes. "I agree with everything you were saying earlier, about distance not being able to diminish what we feel, but I think I need to see you." He huffed a breath of a laugh. "If I didn't have you there with me, I think I'd go insane from all of the Clave's politics."

Alec, now fully relaxed with the knowledge that he was not going to be leaving his husband behind to further his career in Alicante, slumped into Magnus's side, resting his head on Magnus's shoulder. Magnus kissed it absentmindedly, reaching down to run his fingers through Alec's hair. Alec purred in delight when Magnus's nails scratched over his scalp, and buried his face into the bright purple vest Magnus was wearing in order to give him more access.

"I wouldn't blame you, sweetheart. The Clave can be quite intolerable." Alec hummed in response.

"Are you tired?"

"No," Alec said, suppressing a yawn.

Magnus chuckled. "Sure you aren't. Come on, darling, let's go to bed."

"But it's only eight!"

"And numbers mean nothing," Magnus said firmly. "We can go to bed whenever we'd like to. Come on, get up."

"I'm pretty comfy right here."

Magnus rolled his eyes. "We are not sleeping on the couch again, Alexander."

"You go on ahead. I'll join you in a minute."

"No, you won't," Magnus said knowingly. "You'll fall asleep here and wake up with a sore neck and a bad attitude. Come on, darling, just a few steps."

"Can't you just use magic?" Alec whined. "You're warm. I don't want to move."

"Alright, alright," Magnus relented. A wisp of cool blue floated from his fingertips and surrounded Alec, levitating him into the bedroom while maintaining the comfortable warmth from the couch. Magnus followed shortly afterwards, magicking himself and Alec into suitable sleepwear.

Alec curled up on his side of the bed and called out for Magnus impatiently. Magnus chuckled and slid underneath the red silk sheets, pressing himself to his husband's side. He dropped a light kiss to Alec's forehead and pulled him close.

By the time Magnus had buried his face in Alec's hair, ripe with the scent of sandalwood and citrus, and whispered, "Goodnight," Alec was already asleep, snoring quietly next to the man he loved.

Centuries' worth of heartbreak seemed like nothing at all when Magnus was with Alec.