The New York Institute was packed with people and Ty instantly wished he had his headphones with him, but he was a fighter of the Scholomance now and not a little kid anymore, he couldn't use the headphones, except when he really needed to concentrate.
Ty looked around wondering if he could spot his family between all the Shadowhunters dressed in gear, when he suddenly heard a very familiar voice from a long forgotten past, shouting: "William Carstairs, stay here!"
Ty's heart leaped so much in his chest, when he recognized Kit's voice, that he wondered if he was sick.
He must've made a funny face, because Gwenyth, a girl from the Scholomance, looked at him and asked: "Everything okay?"
Ty had never understood why people asked such a question when they obviously knew that not everything was okay.
"Yeah", Ty answered anyway, because that was what Julian would've answered.
"And Kit. Kit would've said that too", a voice whispered in his head that sounded suspiciously like Livvy's, even though Ty couldn't see her ghost anywhere.
"Just lots of people", Ty added when he noticed Gwenyth was still looking at him.
She nodded, apparently stratified with his answer. "Yeah, Consul Lightwood must have something very important to say if he summons the whole Clave."
Ty nodded, distracted by the familiar of Kit's laugh. "Stop it, Will."
"Go to him", a voice sounding so much like Livvy's whispered yet again in his head. "What are you waiting for?"
"But he said, he wished he had never met me. He left without saying goodbye. He doesn't want to see me."
"And you really think that's true?"
Of course it's true, Ty thought. Kit had said so himself. Why would he lie? Kit had never lied to him. What reason would he have had to start then?
"William Carstairs, you are a rotten child", Kit said and laughed again.
Ty had missed his laugh. He hadn't known how much until he heard it again now.
"I'm sorry. Gwenyth", Ty said, cutting the girl of in the middle of a sentence. "I think I heard someone I used to know."
Ty left her without waiting for an answer.
The crowd was even bigger than Ty had thought as he made his way towards Kit's voice. He spotted Clary and Jace out of the corner of his and dugged behind another Shadowhunter, effectively avoiding both the dreaded senseless small talk and being held up. He caught Diego's gaze, who waved at him, which Ty ignored and saw Isabelle Lightwood holding a struggling Rafael on his wrist. And then finally, finally he saw Kit.
Christopher Herondale looked different than the last time Ty had seen him. He had changed in those three years. His arms weren't thin as sticks anymore, he had built up the typical Shadowhunter muscles through years of training. His face was covered in stubble, as though he desperately needed a shave. He looked… grown up. Probably also due to the little kid he held in a way that made it obvious that he had done this loads of times.
He looks so different, Ty thought disappointed.
"But his smile", Livvy whispered, "his smile is still the same."
And as if Kit had heard her, he looked up and directly at Ty.
Ty had never been the best to read other people's expressions, it was like a closed book to him and even years of practice, years of Julian teaching him, couldn't open it, but now Ty was pretty sure the expression Kit wore was shock, which wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. Shock wasn't an emotion people liked, was it?
Kit's mouth formed a word, which Ty guessed was his name, but Ty had already seen enough. It had been a stupid idea to look for him. He didn't want him there. He hated him. Obviously.
Ty surpressed the tears that suddenly threatened to spill, turned and ran. He didn't hear Kit calling out to him.
This is just something that was inspired by Cassie's last book. I wanted it to have a happy ending but it didn't turn out that way, so maybe I'll add a second part. No promises though. Also published on AO3 under the same title and username.