I know I promised to post this yesterday but stuff happened. Anyway, here's the last chapter of this story. I really hope you like it. Please read the notes at the end.

Chapter 12

Alec was a bundle of nerves. His family was going to throw a big New Year's party at their home and Alec had invited his boyfriend. Boyfriend! That was still such a surreal term for him. He had been officially dating Magnus for three weeks now, but he felt as if it had been more. His parents were still getting used to the idea of him having a boyfriend, and he knew they were not very happy about it, but he couldn't care less, he was happy and that was all that mattered.

If anyone had told Alec a few years ago that he would be dating a cute, sexy, and funny man like Magnus, he would have laughed in their faces. Those things just didn't happen to him. But there he was, waiting for his knight in shining armor to arrive. A knight who, incidentally, was late. It was already 7:30 p.m. and Magnus was nowhere to be seen. He was officially half an hour late.

"What are you doing here?" Someone asked, making Alec to jump scared.

It was Izzy, his sister. "God! You scared me, Iz."

"Sorry...are you okay?" She asked.

Alec was pacing around the hallway, fidgeting with his hands, and constantly looking at his phone.

"Magnus is late." He said as a matter of explanation.

"Men are always late, get used to that."

"What if he doesn't come?"

"If he told you that he was coming, then he must be on his way. Don't worry, okay? He must be stuck in traffic or something."

Alec nodded, but he couldn't stop worrying, so he began to pace again until his sister stopped him.

"Alec, relax." Izzy said.

"I can't," Alec confessed, "maybe you're used to this, but I'm new to this whole dating thing. What if inviting him home was a mistake? We've only been dating for a few weeks and I'm already going to introduce him to our parents, who by the way, are not very happy with the news of our relationship. What if they are not nice to him? What if they make him feel uncomfortable? What if-"

"Hey, hey stop, okay? Everything is going to be fine. Our parents aren't going to treat him badly. First, because they are not bad people, and second, because there are too many guests in here already. I can assure you that they won't make a scene." Izzy said. "Also, Magnus is super charming, I'm sure that by the end of the night they are going to love him."

Alec rolled his eyes. Yeah, his boyfriend was charming and all, but he wasn't sure if his parents were going to be very happy with the whole eccentric extraordinaire persona that his boyfriend displayed.

"No, really, big bro." Izzy said. "Just relax, okay? Take deep breaths, I'm sure he will be here any minute now."

Alec nodded and followed his sister's advice, letting in some fresh air into his lungs.

"You really like him, don't you?" Izzy inquired.

Alec limited himself to nod.

"Can I say that I call it out the day I met him? I knew you didn't hate him as you said you did. I knew you were just confused because he made you feel things."

Alec rolled his eyes. "He was an ass…" he said in self-defense, "he taunted me for months."

"But didn't you say he did it to get your attention?" Izzy said, with a playful smile. "He succeeded, right? He got under your skin anyway."

Alec just chuckled.

"And to think that you two could have saved yourselves months of unsatisfied sexual tension if you had just sat down to talk."

"It was not-"

"What? Sexual tension? Of course it was. You two were drawn together like magnets, the caring about each other part happened later, I'm guessing some weeks after or so. But you can't deny that you wanted to rip his clothes off and kiss him passionately the first time you saw him."

Alec rolled his eyes and quickly turned around to hide his flushed cheeks.

"What? It's true, I mean you're not made of ice Alec and your boyfriend is one-"

In that moment the doorbell rang, interrupting whatever Izzy was going to say.

"It must be him." Alec whispered, already out of breath. The wave of nervousness that he had been feeling hit him again but with more force.

"Then go welcome your man, I'm gonna go see why they stopped the music." Izzy said, winking at him and disappearing from view.

Alec took a deep breath and walked to the door. His hands were shaking, but he managed to grab the doorknob and open the door.

Magnus was awkwardly standing there. As per usual, he was dressed like a freaking supermodel and Alec's pulse quickened. His boyfriend looked amazing. He was wearing a pair of the tightest black jeans that Alec had ever seen and a red shirt with shiny golden stripes. The dyed locks of his hair matched perfectly as well as his makeup. He was like a true piece of art.

"Hi." Magnus whispered, smiling at Alec.

"Hi." Alec replied shyly. For him, it was still so weird the way their dynamics had changed. The playful edge of their relationship was still there, but they acted coyly around each other, like two teenagers in love.

"Sorry I'm late, I went to this store to buy something and the lady wasn't very helpful. She took forever."

"A store? What for?" Alec questioned. His boyfriend was, in fact, carrying a paper bag. "I told you you didn't have to bring anything."

"Oh, but I did, Alexander." Magnus said, climbing the two steps that separated them and placing a soft kiss on Alec's cheek. "Just don't ask what it is."

Alec frowned, not because he wanted to know what Magnus had brought, but because his boyfriend had kissed him on the cheek—on the damn cheek.

"What's wrong?" Magnus asked, clearly sensing the shift in Alec's mood.

"Why did you kiss me on the cheek?"

"Because we are at your parents' house? I don't want to make a bad first impression."

Alec couldn't care less what impression his parents might get. He hadn't invited Magnus for that. He had invited him because he wanted to be with him the last day of the year, and he wanted a kiss—a real kiss. "But I want you to kiss me."

"Always so bossy!" Magnus teased. "But if you insist…" he leaned over, "I guess I can indulge." He added, giving Alec a proper hello kiss. "By the way, you look absolutely ravishing." Magnus whispered. "Have I told you that blue is definitely your color?"

Alec nodded. He had actually picked the dark blue shirt he was wearing for that very reason. "You-you look good too, I mean, amazing." He said all nervous. Magnus's kisses still had that effect on him. They made him feel as if he were spinning out of control.

"Well, thanks for that. I tried my best."

"Come in." Alec said, guiding his boyfriend into the house.

Magnus was looking around, trying to take in all his surroundings and Alec was just so happy, nervous, and excited to have him there that he had trouble speaking. "You can-you can hmmm, leave your-your coat here and-and-"

"Relax…" Magnus said, grabbing Alec's hands. "It's fine, I sense you're nervous, I'm nervous too. This is my first time meeting someone's parents."

"Really?" Alec asked, and Magnus just nodded. "They are not that bad once you get to know them. They are still getting used to the idea of having a gay son, but they are nice. I promise."

"I'm sure they are." Magnus said, reaching for a soft kiss. Alec quickly tried to deepen the kiss. He had discovered three weeks ago that kissing Magnus was like a drug and he was already addicted.

"Ahem." Someone cleared its throat. It was Isabelle, she was back and smiling at them with a playful look. "Are you guys joining us or, what? We have food and drinks, and Simon is about to sing us some songs."

Alec sighed loudly with that last part. He still cursed the day his sister had decided to date a wannabe musician.

"Is he that bad?" Magnus inquired.

"He's an amazing performer." Izzy said, already defending her boyfriend. "My brother here just seems to lack a good taste in music."

Magnus laughed.

"Are you on her side or mine?" Alec questioned offended.

"Yours, darling, of course yours, but considering that you didn't know who Axl Rose was, I can't help but think that perhaps she's partially right." Magnus said.

Alec rolled his eyes and pushed Magnus playfully.

"But don't worry, you have me here to instruct you." Magnus quickly added. "Now, can we join the celebration?"

Alec nodded and with a smile, he walked with his boyfriend and sister to the party.

The place was packed. Friends, neighbors and relatives were all there. Alec spotted his parents at the far end of the room, they seemed to be lecturing Max about something.

"Mom, dad…" he said, trying to control his nerves, "this is hmmm, Magnus, my-my boyfriend. Magnus these are my parents, Robert and Maryse Lightwood."

Maryse and Robert looked a little uncomfortable, but showing their manners, they politely greeted Magnus.

"Nice to meet you." Maryse said.

"Likewise, ma'am."

"Welcome to the party, Magnus." Robert said. "We hope you have a great time."

"Thank you, sir." Magnus replied politely. Alec had never seen him so nervous before and it was all kinds of adorable.

"We have to go check some details, but you guys have fun, okay?" Robert added, grabbing his wife's arm and walking away.

"That wasn't so bad." Alec whispered relieved.

"It was not." Magnus said with a smile.

Alec smiled and grabbed Magnus hand, lacing their fingers immediately.

"Hi, there." Magnus added, greeting Max.

Alec's brother had been staring at him, clearly delighted with all the glitter.

"I like your hair." Max said. "I'm Max, Alec's brother."

"Magnus." Magnus said, extending his free hand to the boy. "Your brother talks a lot about you."

"Really?"

"Yes...and he mentioned that you like manga?" Magnus inquired.

Max immediately nodded enthusiastically. Alec didn't know what was going on, but he liked the way Magnus was treating his little brother and how Max seemed to genuinely accept him. The fact that his siblings approved his new relationship was too important to him.

"Well, I brought something for you." Magnus said, finally revealing for whom was the paper bag he had been carrying around.

Max opened it and immediately started to squeal at the sight of a brand new edition of his favorite comic book series.

"Alexander said it was your favorite." Magnus continued.

Max didn't reply and just leaned in to give Magnus a quick hug. "Thank you!" He said excitedly. "I've been waiting for this one for so long."

"That's what I heard."

"Do you want to see my collection?" Max asked hopefully.

Alec knew that Max was so used to people telling him no that he probably wasn't expecting a yes from Magnus. Adults tended to ignore him.

"Of course," Magnus said, "sorry, Alexander," he added, gently squeezing Alec's hand, "but this young man demands my attention and you know I can't say no. I find the Lightwoods simply irresistible."

Alec just smiled because, what else could he do? He was so happy at that moment he feared his heart might explode.

Max immediately took Magnus to one side of the room where a trunk with lots of comics stacked inside was resting. Alec knew his brother carried or better said, dragged that trunk everywhere.

Alec stayed where he was just looking at them and smiling like a fool until his other siblings approached him.

"He won Max already?" Jace asked, puzzled. He was eyeing Magnus with some sort of apprehension.

Alec nodded.

"Well, he moved fast. It took Clary and Simon a couple of days." Jace added bitterly.

"Jealous much?" Izzy questioned.

"Why would I be jealous, huh?" Jace asked, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Besides, he cheated...he brought him one of those comics he loves. He's buying his affections."

"That's not cheating," Izzy immediately fought back, "that's called being smart. Besides, wasn't your girlfriend the one who helped Max learn how to read those things?"

Jace remained silent.

"Better admit that you're jealous." Izzy continued, smiling playfully at Jace. "You're still jealous of Simon and we've been dating for months." Their brother was shaking his head and rolling his eyes like trying to dismiss her comments, but they knew better. If Jace was bad at something was at lying.

"I'm not jealous of anyone, but you think whatever you want. I'm gonna get some drinks." He said, disappearing behind the mass of bodies cramming the party.

"He's jealous." Alec said, the moment he knew Jace couldn't hear him.

"He so is." Izzy agreed, and Alec burst into laughter along with his sister.

"I love to see you smiling and laughing like that." She added. "You're always so serious."

"It's hard for me, you know?" Alec confessed. "I've never experienced anything like this. All my life I thought that protecting you all, making our parents proud and getting a college degree was what I wanted, but I was wrong. All I ever wanted was to feel like this, Iz. To know that there's someone by my side who thinks I'm good enough, who sees me and likes me for who I am, who protects me, who is proud of me…"

"In short, someone like Magnus." Izzy said, and Alec just nodded. "I'm happy for you, big bro. You deserve to be happy."

Alec smiled again. Lately that was apparently the only thing he could do—smile.

Max and Magnus joined them again. Max looked so happy and proud of himself that Alec's heart filled with joy.

"I have to show Clary and Simon my new comic!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"I'll go with you." Izzy immediately said. "The show is about to start so don't you dare to sneak out to do some naughty stuff, eh? I want to see you both there."

"We will be there, darling." Magnus said.

Max and Izzy disappeared from view, giving them some privacy.

"What?" Magnus asked.

Alec had been looking at him with a goofy smile on his face. "Nothing...I'm just happy to have you here."

"Well, I'm happy to be here, so thank you for having me." Magnus said, smiling shyly. Alec had been shocked to discover that he had that power over Magnus. He could turn him into an awkward man with just a simple smile.

"Are you ready for this new year?" Magnus asked.

Alec nodded. He was so ready, like he had never been before.

"We should probably start to write down all our resolutions."

"I don't need to." Alec confessed. "I already have what I want. I have my family, I'm doing great in school, and I have you. I don't need anything else."

"Oh, Alexander." Magnus said, lacing his arms around Alec's waist. "You really, really know your way to my heart." He confessed. "And because of that there's something I need to tell you before this year ends."

Alec frowned confused. Magnus looked serious and nervous all of a sudden.

"Please don't freak out, okay? But I think it's fair that you know." Magnus said.

"If you don't want me to freak out then start talking because that's exactly what's happening. You're scaring me."

"It's nothing bad, I promise." Magnus said, but he didn't seem convinced. "It's just that, well, it's just that...I love you. There, I said it. I've probably loved you since our first week sharing the room. I know we've only been dating for three weeks, six hours and thirteen minutes, but for me it feels like way more, and I know that this probably freaks you out and you think I'm some kind of weirdo because it's too soon to say those words, but it's what I feel and-"

"Hey, hey, stop...it's fine." Alec said, grabbing Magnus's hands. "I love you too." He added, completely taking Magnus and himself by surprise.

"You do?"

Alec nodded, leaning down to kiss his boyfriend. "Of course I do, how could I not? You got under my skin a long time ago."

Magnus smiled the most beautiful of the smiles. "It's going to be such a great year. Can you see it? We're going to be together, I'll finally be able to decorate your side of the room, we're-"

"No, no, no, no, no. The room is going to stay the way we have it right now. We're not going to cover all the walls with those shiny ornaments you happen to love."

"But-" Magnus said, making some puppy eyes.

"Don't even try it, you're not going to make me change my mind, I'm telling you."

"We'll see…" Magnus said, being his cocky confident self, "I've discovered a few things about you in the past weeks that I can certainly use in my favor."

"Is that so?" Alec asked not so surprised. He had discovered things about Magnus too that he didn't know before.

"Yes, Alexander, so we will revisit this conversation and probably fight about it in the near future."

"Fight about it?"

"Of course, darling, I'm planning on driving you crazy in any way I can."

Alec laughed because little did Magnus know that he already did. "You're impossible, did you know that?"

Magnus nodded. "But you love me."

"I do." Alec said with confidence, because there was nothing truer than that. He loved that man with all his heart.

"Then," Magnus said, getting closer to him and barely brushing his lips against Alec's, "everything will be fine. I'll try to make you change your mind and you won't. Then I'll try it again and you'll finally say yes."

Alec rolled his eyes and pulled Magnus closer to tease him the same way he seemed to be doing. "Or, you will try to make me change my mind and I'll just kick you out of the room."

"You wouldn't dare...you'd miss me."

"I could always get a new cute roommate." Alec teased.

"Don't even think about it! You're stuck with me forever." Magnus complained.

Alec smiled. "Well, I guess I can live with that."

"Good."

"Good."

"You always have to have the last word, don't you?" Magnus quipped.

Alec nodded, capturing Magnus's lips and kissing him properly, pouring into that kiss all the love he had. Because even when this man drove him crazy, he loved him. He loved him as he had never loved anyone.

It was curious how life had a way of putting the right people in your life. When Alec had met Magnus, he hadn't expected to find his missing half on him, his perfect complement. But it had turned out that his odd, quirky, and quite annoying roommate had been it for him. And now that they were together, Alec intended it to last forever.

"Always."

First of all thanks for reading this story and commenting. I read and smiled with each and every one of your reviews, comments or private messages, so thank you. You guys really made writing my first multi-chapter Malec fic an amazing experience and that's why I have decided to continue doing it—I'm already writing my summer multi-chapter Malec fic.

In other news, one of you approached me via tumblr to ask me if I could write a Magnus's POV version of this story, and although the idea sounds tempting I think that in doing so I would be detracting from the essence of this story. An important part of what I wanted to achieve with this fic was that we learned to know Magnus through Alec's eyes. However, because I love you all so much, I've decided to write a one shot from Magnus's POV and post it as a complementary story. Just let me know which chapter you'd like to see through Magnus's eyes and consider it done. You can write your choice in the reviews section, send me a private message or contact me via tumblr (links on my profile). I'll see which one gets more requests and write it as soon as I can ;)

Anyway, thanks again for reading and sticking around. I love you all so much!