Alec Lightwood had a shoe box full of all the things that he had. It contained everything thing he owned and had any right too. It held one hundred dollars, a faded hole covered grey jumper, a single pair of jeans, three books and a small box. Everyday he used to open it and go through all of the items but he stopped as they began to dwindle. Some he sold and some he lost. That box was his world, quite literally. Every night he would sleep in the tiny room he was lucky to have and everyday he would work his three jobs to earn just enough money to buy food and other necessity's though often he went without electricity and running water and yet Alec Lightwood never once complained. Not about the conditions he lived in or the fact that he was utterly alone, no in fact Alec Lightwood was insanely grateful for what he had.
Magnus Bane had a huge loft in Brooklyn. It was his home, everything he cared about contained in it. His wardrobe pull of designer clothes from all the places you could imagine, his kitchen stocked pull of food that he would probably never eat. Every night he would fall asleep on his huge double bed with his cat and everyday he would work for his fashion company often followed by attendance to parties thrown by various people who wanted to be like him. He had enough money to buy a mansion and still live comfortably and yet Magnus Bane wanted more. He wanted to be known world wide as the best fashion designer, he wanted to live freely without the restriction of family and friendship. Magnus Bane always wanted more, always thought he deserved more than what he had. Magnus Bane was the person who would run when things got hard.
They were too people so different it seemed impossible that they would fall in love but they did. Alec Lightwood who wanted nothing more than someone to love him and Magnus Bane who was scared of making emotional connections with anyone.
Magnus Bane thought Alexander Lightwood was a toy just like any of his other friends, thought his soft words were harsh judgements and he tore him into pieces with his words but Alec didn't leave like the others and he didn't retaliate with harsh words, he spoke softly and let himself be ripped into pieces because he loved Magnus and thought he deserved all the terrible things that were said and done to him. Magnus was blind and selfish as he broke the boy who had already been broken for he only saw what he needed and what he wanted not what anyone else might have felt or needed. He played with the boys emotions and never saw what it did to him.
He never saw until that sweet, selfless boy finally broke down as Magnus said those terrible things. Until those tears finally broke free from where they had been kept for so long, until that beautiful boy gave up hope of a better world, of ever being enough for anyone to love. Magnus finally saw what he had done when that amazing, sweet, beautiful, selfless boy was standing on the edge of that roof weeping and everything came tumbling out in a endless torrent, everything he had kept locked up inside for years. All the feelings and emotions and the turmoil he thought he deserved. It was then that he remembered the soft words and the silence that Alec had used to retaliate against his harsh, mean accusations.
In that moment Magnus realized what kind of a person he really was and he realized just how terrible all the things he said and did really were. He realized that he had broken this already broken boy, he realized what was in that small box and he reached out to catch Alec as he fell.