Alec prided himself as a man of his word, only he sometimes wished that he wasn't, especially in times like now. The clock had ticked to 0. No more time left to procrastinate. He did promise that he was going to make a choice today, and that is exactly what he would be doing.

Their position was not unlike the dinner they had two weeks ago and all the moments before that. Magnus sat up from his dining chair across from Alec, walking toward their master bedroom. He didn't say a word about what he was looking for, but Alec thought he knew exactly what.

He was wrong.

Magnus walked out carrying a box he had never seen before. It was tiny, not unlike a ring box, making him wonder if Magnus was going to return his wedding ring or something equally as absurd. What if he is going to propose again? Alec tamped down the outlandish thought, giggling internally as he wondered if it was due to the glasses of wine he'd just drank. Alec still felt sober enough for a serious conversation. Even so, his mind felt lighter - less prone to fret, clouded by the soft haze of cabernet.

All other speculations he thought up were proven untrue as Magnus opened the box, revealing the unmistakable form of a key. "What's that for?" Alec asked curiously.

"It's a key to the loft."

"And why would I need it? You already keyed me in, remember? Or are you forgetful now that you're a ghost?" Give or take a week ago, Alec would never have joked about this, unsure of how Magnus would react or even how his own feelings factored in. Yet, he kept surprising himself.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Magnus sarcastically said, but Alec could see the slight smile he hid.

"It's just - I know that I already set everything in my will." Oh no, Alec didn't like where this was going. "The portions are very clear on who would be getting what and so on and so forth. But I wanted to go about it properly." Properly? There is nothing even remotely proper about any of this.

Alec could hear the sigh Magnus exhaled as his gaze was fixed on the ornate tablecloth Magnus loved so much; it was just on the right side of gaudy enough to still hold Alec's attention. "Look, I'm not even going to presume to understand how you feel about continuing to live in this house. God knows if it happened the other way around, all our happy memories would be my shackles."

Magnus ducked his head in an attempt to catch Alec's eye. "The burden being none other than the knowledge that I would never get to have that again; the joy, the laughter, you. The idea seems unfathomable to me, but it is your reality now."

"Some shitty reality." A hollow laugh left Alec's throat; he stood up and massaged his temples with his fingers.

"But you are so much stronger than me -" Alec automatically shook his head in denial, "- and I know, darling, that it will hurt - badly. I still hope that it won't stop you from building a life here."

Alec should spew millions of things, but the forefront of his mind was almost empty; in disbelief or confusion, Alec couldn't tell - perhaps both. "It's your home." It always would be if Alec had any say about it - which he did. That's why Alec didn't say a word when Magnus suggested transporting the loft to Alicante, instead of going the easy route and just buying a new home.

In the course of his life, there are very few places Alec could honestly say he felt safe at. The Institute had been the backdrop of too much bloodshed for it to still inspire a sense of security, wedding venue aside. The loft, on the other hand, was where Alec had first connected with Magnus, magically and carnally. Although, wherever Magnus was also elicited the same feeling; his inimitable presence exuded safety and comfort for the shadowhunter's fractured soul.

The loft felt safe because it was Magnus'. The possibility of it not being the case shifted the ground under Alec's feet.

He doesn't see it, does he? He knew he didn't. Magnus remained blissfully oblivious as to how deeply Alec anchored it in his very soul. It may seem trivial to anyone else, but Alec had always embraced trivialities; going so far as to try molding himself into one, though he had since realized that he felt drawn simply because of how much he wasn't.

"It's not my home, it's ours. It hasn't been just mine since the first time you asked to move in. I was just too scared to say yes, although I knew I was already in too deep even without us living together." The thought of it not being wholly owned by Magnus, like how he himself felt at times, rattled something inside of him; but it being theirs? That might just be a worthy enough compromise.

Alec could vividly remember that day, how the cuffs of the borrowed shirt felt when he kept fiddling with it, seconds before he popped the question. In retrospect, it really had been too early in the relationship to even consider such a thing, but his feelings felt encompassing enough that it might have been enough to risk it.

He also remembered the taste of salt from the tears he shed as they laid awake that night, the tension between them still rife from Alec's earlier query about the memento box.

Alec was still standing, leaving Magnus to tilt his head upward - more so than usual. "It's okay if you want to move or sell the house, but at least I want you to accept it first. You can use the money however you want, if that's your choice. Hell, you could use it to buy a new place." Magnus' hand gestured to their surroundings with a borderline manic wave, belaying the passion he felt for the matter.

The box sat innocuously on the table, so simply designed that it felt unbefitting to hold something of such momentous importance to them.

"But don't reject it, please? Consider it one of the last things I could give you." Magnus slumped in his seat; cat eyes wide and almost luminous in its silver entirety, so captivating that it almost felt like the real ones were staring back at him.

There were few times Alec could deny Magnus anyway, but especially never with that soft look and cat eyes out on display.

"Okay."

"Okay?" It was clear from the disbelief in his voice that Magnus hadn't expected him to relent so easily. He had always underestimated his own power over him.

"If that's what you want, I'll take it."

Magnus gave him the box. The light weight in his palm transfering to another, and a heavier one made home in his heart. It felt like he had cemented the fact that he no longer had a place in Alec's life.

The capricious weather this past week still hadn't settled, a sudden lightning making both of them jump. Rain drenched their balcony, some of the cats taking refuge inside through the wide opened door. His kind-hearted Alexander had left it open, as he had always insisted that they would be welcome to have somewhere to stay, or at least to hide out during the rain and winter. Some of them were not without owners, and they would've been sent back directly if they didn't look so emaciated and starved.

Speaking of, one of them meowed pitifully from their spot right by the door, the sound tugging at his heartstrings. Alec half-ran to grab the bag of cat food they kept on the kitchen counter; just like that, the serious mood evaporated.

Alec then returned back to the table, hair slightly tousled after bending down to fill the bowl. He almost regretted having to ruin the new comfortable silence between them, but he wanted to broach a subject he had been dying to ask for days.

Right, here goes. "So, how's Tyler?" He was not going to lie, all this still didn't quite sit right with him, despite how pushy he may have seemed; but Magnus knew in his very soul that this is what he was supposed to do. For that was all he is these days, a soul given form.

Magnus knew that Alec had finally caved and texted the man three days after they met. Since, they had been corresponding in small talk and small flirtations, judging by how he caught Alec smiling softly at his phone at odd times during the day. Magnus was looking intently enough that he also caught the guilty grimace that followed each time.

"He's great. Actually, he asked me out on a date for tomorrow." His face was carefully crafted, but a tiny smile peeked through; then it turned hesitant as he kept going, "If that's okay with you?"

It was sweet that he cared about how Magnus felt, but entirely unnecessary, and he told him as such, "Of course it's okay. I'm happy for you, Alexander." His voice sounded slightly high-pitched to his ears, but thankfully Alec either didn't notice or was tactful enough not to point it out.

"Thank you, Magnus." Really, it didn't matter how he felt, so long as he could cause that smile to bloom on Alec's face. It's the kind of smile worth any sacrifice.

"Where are you two thinking of going?" Magnus asked, curious despite himself.

"Central Park. Tyler is the one who's planning everything." Alec ran his hand through the sparse hair on the back of his head.

He actually felt proud that Alec was finally going on a date with someone. He would've cupped his cheeks if he could.

Speaking of a date, "What are you gonna wear?"

Alec's bright face suddenly turned stormy, not unlike the weather outside. Was he actually thinking of wearing something from his endless all-black collection? Not going to happen if Magnus had any say about it.

Alec immediately objected just as he suggested his marvelous plan. "I'm not wearing make-up, Magnus."

"I'm not saying anything about make-up, Alexander." Magnus heard Alec exhale in relief, "Although, maybe a touch of eyeliner under your eyes would truly make it pop, also maybe some eyeshadow-" He was only kidding, mostly, but it remained highly entertaining to see Alec turn horror-stricken with every suggestion he made.

"No no no no-" He even shook his head like a puppy - granted, a 6" tall, tattooed puppy. Adorable.

"I'm only kidding, darling." He had kept a straight face so far, but now, he let his mirth shine through. He then suggested they should pick out his outfit right away and dragged him to their bedroom. Magnus ignored his aborted protests of how the date was tomorrow and there was no need to rush at all; but he almost froze when he heard Alec whisper something so low, it was probably not meant for his ears, "No one can wear make-up as good as you, anyway."

He would have melted on the spot.

At first, Magnus tried to let him choose for himself. He stepped back and let Alec model it for him. The choices weren't bad, exactly. They were downright atrocious.

Alec really should consider himself lucky he was blessed by the Angels with that pretty face of his, because his fashion sense could use a lot of work.

Even with access to Magnus' side of the closet, he still chose the most black shirt Magnus owned and a pair of pants that looked too worn - it had probably been a century since Magnus last laid eyes on it. The only redeemable part was the rather stylish burgundy leather casual boots.

Magnus couldn't hold back his grimace. He dashed to the closet to come up with a much better ensemble. He could hear Alec's sigh of resignation. Good on him for understanding that I won't be swayed on this.

"Magnus- honestly, it's just a date, Magnus. It's not a big deal."

Magnus mumbled to himself as he continued to browse through his wardrobe, "Not a big deal, he says. It's a date, obviously it's a big deal."

With a sharp "Voilà!", Magnus pulled out a mint long sleeve shirt and one of his slightly baggy jeans - but he knew it would fit Alec like a glove. He knew that the bright top wasn't within Alec's comfort zone, so he went to the other side of the closet to pull out his beloved dark brown pea coat.

Magnus couldn't name the date when he bought it, or any of his other pieces, but the feeling he first associated with it would always stay in his mind. He vividly recalled the day he bought the coat; a cold of borderline Arctic proportions, though he was doubtful if it had been due to the weather or his pounding head. Wandering aimlessly through God-knows whatever city he was in, too drunk, too tired, too apathetic to the downward spiral his life had become - a series of attempts to live life to its full capacity while forgetting what truly made it worthwhile.

Shopping had always been therapeutic to Magnus. He might have been swindled, if the price was anything to go by. Getting to hold it in his hands eclipsed the instant depletion of his wallet. He was wearing it when he tried to turn his life around, not for the last time. The coat symbolized his feelings at the time, optimistically indifferent but still determined. Mere months later, he was cruising to New York, to do exactly the same thing he had been doing, only within the borders of the city people recently coined as the Big Apple.

He also preserved his outfits or else most of his 20th century possessions wouldn't be able to greet the next century. It would be quite a waste to have to entirely refurbish his wardrobe every decade even though most of them were still in the trend, only starting to, or were iconically his. He won't deny himself of any selfish and altruistic usage of his own birthright.

He blinked his nostalgia away as quickly as it arrived. Without preamble, he proffered the pile of clothing in his arms to Alec. "Put these on." It was definitely a relief to see him take off that ghastly outfit, Magnus savoured every inch of bare skin exposed to his gaze. He would prefer him to stay uncovered, but alas, Alec quickly put on Magnus' outfit of choice.

Damn, was all his mind could produce; Magnus patted himself on the back; he still got it.

"Keep the boots," Magnus instructed.

He let his eyes roam over Alec for a minute or two, lingering a second too long in particular places, humming to himself as he noticed that something was still lacking.

Alec looked dashing already, but still missing a certain je ne sais quoi. Magnus pondered on what he could add, but then he saw an aegean beanie hanging on his coat rack. Perfect. He picked it up and placed it directly atop Alec's head. An errant lock of hair fell from his beanie, only serving to add to the rugged but classy image he had going for him.

"Now, that's a worthy outfit for a first date." Not to toot his own horn, but he knew that he nailed it; even Alec acknowledged it, in his own way, given how he kept spinning in front of the mirror - partly to check out how good his ass looked in those jeans - pretty damn great, in Magnus' opinion.

He saw Alec eyeing his own pants more speculatively and Magnus didn't miss a beat before saying, "Don't bring your seraph blade to a date." He laughed as he heard Alec let out an anguished groan.

Magnus left the room in search of other entertainment, but he poked his head back inside just to waggle his eyebrows and jest, "However, I do think he would appreciate your other blade, Alexander." He could hear Alec's spluttering and he would bet that his cheeks were fiery red.

"Magnus!"