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- Life was tough for Alec, for a long time.
- First military school, then a strict Religious college.
- Really the college was something he had to fight for since they wanted him to go to West Point and this was the best he could argue them down to.
- Because of all that, and his intense fear of being outed, Alec managed to stay in the closet until he was in his mid 20s.
- Even his siblings don’t know. Well, Izzy knows but only because her and Alec are the closest and she’s smart enough to figure it out on her own.
- This also left him severely closed off emotionally, and with very few friends besides his family because he was kind of a stick in the mud.
- When he gets an internship in his hometown of NYC he moves back there despite his family having moved away when he was in highschool.
- It’s a big fight once again, but finally he’s able to get his own place there.
- As he settles in, he still talks to his siblings most days, but slowly those talks begin to get fewer and fewer until Izzy and Jace realize they’ve really only talked to Alec via text for the last 6 months.
- Worried he might be depressed or worse, they decide to go visit him and surprise him in NYC.
- But when they arrive to Alec’s apartment someone else is living there, but he gives them the forwarding address for where the guy he’s subletting from said he moved.
- “Brooklyn?” Both siblings say to each other with shock.
- It takes them a while to get over to Brooklyn from Manhattan, but when they reach the fancy apartment building they wonder just how much Alec is making at this internship.
- They head up, finding the number of the loft they’d been directed to and knock on the door.
- What they expect to see is a surprised Alec, probably wearing a full grandpa style pajama outfit and having been asleep for hours at this point in the night.
- What they get instead is another man answering the door in a purple, floral print kimono and a full face mask.
- “Why, hello, can I help you?” Magnus asks, not immediately recognizing the two of them.
- “Uh… I think we have the wrong place. Sorry, we were looking for our brother, Alec.” Jace is looking anywhere but at the man whose kimono barely goes past his thighs and is open enough to see the smooth planes of his blemishless brown skin and chest.
- “Oh, Alexander? Hold on. Alexander honey, there’s someone at the door!”
- Jace and Izzy share equally incredulous looks at the man’s word choice before being let in to the lavishly decorated loft.
- Neither of them are prepared for what they see next though.
- “Mags, babe we need more popcorn, I told you if you left me alone I’d eat it all,” Alec says as he walks around the corner smiling, voice and face softer and more carefree than either of his siblings have ever seen him.
- Even more surprising though is his physical appearance.
- He’s shirtless, showing off a few tattoos on his side and arms,his beard has fully grown out there’s one shining earring in his right ear, he’s got on a pair of silk pajama pants in the same purple, floral pattern as the other man and where his hands hold the bowl of popcorn they can see his fingernails are painted a matching shade as the other man’s toenails.
- He looks, Soft, a word neither of them would have ever used for Alec in their entire lives.
- The moment Alec’s eyes land on Izzy and Jace though he straightens, all the comfortable, easygoing demeanor washing out of him as his face flashes quickly to nervous, then an expressionless mask that they’re used to from Alec.
- Izzy has her hand over her mouth, because she can’t believe Alec finally accepted himself and got a boyfriend and she wants to scream. Both from happiness and from the fact Alec didn’t TELL her.
- Jace just keeps staring, entirely confused.
- “What are you doing here?” Alec says, and his voice has lost all the softness it had just a moment ago, sounding like the stern authoritarian they’ve known all their life.
- “We came… To see you,” Jace says, as if he doesn’t want to be seeing Alec right now, or simply can’t comprehend that it’s him.
- Magnus looks between the two visitors and his boyfriend before a lightbulb goes off. “Oh! Are these your siblings? Isabelle and Jace?”
- “Yes,” Alec says, and he flinches for a moment when Magnus comes over and lays a hand on his shoulder.
- Magnus knows he isn’t out to his family, but he figures the cat’s kind of already out of the bag.
- The moment he thinks that Chairman Meow comes over, purring as it brushes against Alec’s leg.
- For a moment Alec forgets to be hard and reaches down to scoop the cat up as he usually does, giving it a soft kiss on the head before his eyes trail back to his siblings who absolutely should not be here.
- “You hate cats…” is all Jace can say, because their cat Church has always been a thorn in Alec’s side.
- Magnus looks shocked, petting the kitty softly with his many ringed hand. “Alexander is a wonderful cat dad.”
- And then for the second time, Alec does something else neither of them have ever seen him do. He blushes, a shy smile coming over his face as he turns towards Magnus.
- That’s the moment Izzy knows, even though she’s never seen it on his face before or even expected to, that the expression Alec has is one of being deeply, madly in love.
- “Mags…” Alec’s voice is so soft, so quiet and gentle.
- He takes a deep breath and finally he turns to his brother and sister and the mask he was trying to wear slips and instead there’s just a sadness, resignation, even a hint of fear.
- “Please don’t tell mom and dad…”
- The words have barely left his lips before Izzy is running to him, drawing him into the tightest hug she’s ever given him.
- “I’m so, so happy for you hermano…” she whispers against his neck and Alec smiles, feeling one weight lifting off his chest.
- “What am I not supposed to tell because I honestly have no idea what I’m seeing…” Jace says, oblivious as usual.
- Alec looks to Magnus who gives him a reassuring smile, taking the cat from him, then he looks to Izzy who’s beaming at him.
- When he turns his gaze back on Jace he just sighs and shrugs. “Don’t tell them I’m living with my boyfriend in Brooklyn?”
- Jace stares from Alec to Magnus, who is now taking the face mask off himself to be a bit more presentable, looking dumbfounded.
- “You… You…”
- “I’m Gay Jace.” Alec didn’t expect to say that, not that he really needed to considering it was pretty clear, but the moment he does he feels the other weight shifting off him like he can breathe again. “Magnus is my boyfriend.”
- Izzy just clings harder to Alec, slapping him on the chest.
- “I can’t BELIEVE you didn’t tell me! Jerk, I need to know everything, where did you meet, how long have you been together, where can I get one of these kimonos because, Gorg.”
- Magnus laughs as he moves to take Izzy’s hand and kisses it.
- “Short answer? We met at my club, Pandemonium, and it was about seven months ago, although it took me nearly two weeks to get Alec to even talk to me. And then another month before he was ready to go on a date. Everything after that has been a bit of a whirlwind. And as for this” he gestures to his kimono, “I bought them on our trip to Japan last month.”
- “So THAT’S why you were mia for two weeks last month.”
- Alec looks sheepish, but he smiles and ducks his head, nodding.
- “It was an early 6 month anniversary trip.”
- “So is Magnus your sugar daddy?” Jace asks, clueless and tactless as always.
- Except when he says it Alec just goes red in the face and looks away, scratching at his neck.
- “Oh my God… He is!”
- “it’s, it’s not like that!” Alec tries, but he knows he’s kind of already given himself away. It’s not like an intern could pay for a loft in Brooklyn this lavish or a random trip to Japan for a 6 month anniversary.
- Magnus is laughing now, coming to hug his boyfriend and peck his cheek.
- “Trust me, Alec fights me on every little thing I try to buy for him. I wish he’d be my sugar baby…”
- “Mags, please…” Alec says, and its a bit needy and whiny and adorable and so unlike the Alec that Izzy and Jace are used to.
- Both of them are realizing maybe they never really knew their brother at all, or maybe he never knew who he was until he was able to find himself on his own.
- “This is literally the best day of my life,” Izzy says, smiling as she moves to the couch and sits down.
- “:Glad you’re enjoying my mortification.” Alec deadpans it, but there’s a curl of lips that hints he’s on the verge of smiling.
- He takes a seat, with Magnus moving as if he was going to flop in Alec’s lap before thinking better of it and sitting on the arm of the chair.
- “I find out my brother, who by the way I knew you were gay, has finally found his happiness, someone that makes him happy and lets him be the the best version of himself? This is all I’ve ever wanted for you Alec. And it doesn’t hurt you snagged a rich hottie.”
- Magnus does a little twirl at that and Alec drags a hand down his face. “Don’t inflate his ego anymore than ti already is.”
- “Too late, I can already feel my head getting bigger.”
- “You won’t be able to fit your necklaces over your big head soon Mags.”
- “Wasn’t talking about that head Alexander,” and Magnus winks at that and Alec goes red down to his chest so fast it’s like someone poured paint over him.
- “I can’t believe our big brother isn’t a tightass anymore.”
- Magnus turns to Jace and smirks. “Oh, he’s definitely still got a tight ass, but I’ve been working on it every night.”
- That gets him shoved unceremoniously onto the floor off the chair by Alec who looks like he wants the floor to swallow him whole.
- “Oh you know if anyone else was here you’d have laughed at that Alexander.”
- “Not when it’s my little brother,” Alec says, but he doesn’t seem angry, just embarrassed.
- “Sorry, just know that hurt my perfect behind.”
- “I’ll kiss it better later,” Alec whispers, not quiet enough to Magnus and Izzy and Jace both about die of laughter.
- Figuring there’s literally nothing else that can make this worse for him Alec pulls Magnus into his lap, holding him close like a security blanket to try to deal with the rapid emotional swings of the night he wasn’t prepared for.
- “Just, like I said, please don’t tell mom and dad about… Any of this,” he looks around the loft, his safe space with Magnus. “I’m not ready for them to know, to deal with that. I wasn’t really ready for you guys to know either but… I guess I’m glad I don’t have to hide it anymore.”
- Alec sighs, resting his head against Magnus’ side. “I’m glad I don’t have to avoid you anymore… I really missed you guys.”
- “We missed you too Alec. You could have told us, all we want is for you to be happy.”
- Alec smiles, sad and soft, fingers reaching out to entwine with Magnus’. “I know, but, just, this has been a lot for me. I feel like an entirely different person than I was the last time I saw you both and I… I didn’t know how to reconcile the version of me I constructed for our family and the real me.”
- Izzy and Jace both understand that, smiling at their eldest brother.
- “It’s okay, I’m just glad I get to meet this new, amazing, happy Alec now.”
- “Thanks Iz…”
- “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy Alec.”
- “I know Jace. Or at least, I always hoped.”
- “Ok one last thing and then we can go and let you finish your little movie night,” Izzy says, “but can we talk about this new look too?”
- Alec smiles, ducking his head again and Magnus scratches at Alec’s beard.
- “He was such a confused little baby gay. I had to do an entire wardrobe makeover.”
- “It’s true, he threw out most of my clothes.”
- “I let him keep the overlong hoodies and sweaters though, he just looked too adorable, this huge man slinking around with his hands looking like mittens from how long his sleeves were. That was the only fashion disaster I could abide.”
- “At least I got to keep a couple things,” Alec laughed.
- “Your body thanks me for getting rid of that, as does your slowly growing fashion sense.”
- “Yes, I get it Magnus.”
- “I mean the poor boy was still wearing tighty whiteys, when he looks like this and to have such ugly underwear? I had to get something that showed off his ass and his impressive bul-”
- Alec slaps a hand over Magnus’ mouth. “I’m comfortable, but not THAT comfortable yet Magnus…”
- “Whoops” Magnus says, chuckling.
- They finish out the night, Izzy and Jace promising to return tomorrow at a normal hour to spend some more time getting to know there brother, for real now, and give Alec some time to rest from it all.
- “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize them or I would have thought…” Magnus says when he’s laying with his head on Alec’s chest in their bed.
- Alec shakes his head, fingers running through Magnus soft hair. “It’s okay. I’m glad it happened like this. I doubt I could have opened up like that if they didn’t catch me with my guard down. It’s, it’s good. I needed this. And I really did miss them and want them to know. I want everyone to know how much I love you.”
- Magnus smiles at that. “I know pup, and they will, when you’re ready.”
- “When I’m ready.”
- “I love you Alexander.”
- “Love you too Magnus.”