Alec hated Brooklyn. He was sure of that.

Maybe it was because he got lost when he was five or six years old. One day his mother wanted to visit this friend of hers and she took Alec with her. They went into a supermarket to buy some chocolate and wine and he got lost between the cheese and the drinks department - he was sure he hated cheese too - and went outside to look for his mom. She was nowhere to be found. At last, after half an hour of wondering around the narrow streets of Brooklyn, he went home, deciding to wait for his mother over there. He was still scared and trembling by the time he made it to their house where it turned out that his mother was waiting for him. Along with the police. There was a total confusion: his mother, although she was shouting at a police officer, seemed to be on the verge of tears. The man was holding pictures with Alec, another man was trying to calm everybody down by shouting at all of them. And he just sat there, next to the door, trying to make himself heard. After more than ten minutes, he saw Izzy running down the stairs, and everybody heard her shouting her brother's name from the top of her lungs.

Alec shuddered at the memory. Yes, he was sure he hated Brooklyn, and yet, here he was, waiting in front of a wooden door to finally have the courage to knock. He might never had had...But the door suddenly opened slightly and the same tall girl, with blue curls falling around her shoulders, snicked out of the large apartment. She bumped right into Alec, leaving the door open behind her.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't...I didn't expect someone to come out of the..." Alec was trying to form a coherent sentence, but he was too embarrassed to continue. His cheeks reddened immediately. "Sorry."

"Stop apologizing! And what were you doing, by the way? Spying at the door?"

Alec shook his head vigorously and looked terrified. "No, no way. I was just- I - I was preparing to knock, actually."

To Alec's surprise, Catarina didn't look furious at all. She was rather amused by the situation. "Calm down, Alec!" she said with a reassuring smile. "I was just kidding."

Alec took a deep breath and seemed to have come down to earth. "I came to see Magnus," he admitted in the end, letting out a soft sigh. I didn't know...ugh...he was busy." His hand made a slight gesture towards Catarina and she raised her eyebrows in confusion.

Alec didn't answer but kept on starring at his shoes. His cheeks were becoming red.

Catarina finally seemed to understand what Alec wanted to say but didn't have the courage to.

"Oh! Oh, that! No, honey, Magnus and I are just really, really close friends. He's more than a brother to me. Besides," she got closer to Alec and whispered into his year, "he's more into guys."

Alec instantly took a few steps back, shock imprinted all over his face.

Catraina chuckledand puased for a few minutes, giving Alec time to calm down.

When she spoke again her expression was serious and her tone was no longer cheerful, but grave.

"I thought you didn't want him to know you were here last night."

"I changed my mind." He was now looking straight in her eyes, and his sincerity struck Catarina. It was a shock for her to see such open and innocent feelings on this boy's face. All she could do was to be as honest as him.

"I hoped you will." And Alec knew she did. It was just the way she made him feel: it gave him the impression of safety and understanding. This is why he reacted way better when she suggested that he was gay than how he would have if it had been anyone else. It was easy to be yourself while you were around a that conveys such tranquility. "But I'm afraid Magnus is sleeping. He is really tired."

"Oh." Alec had to admit that he was disappointed. It hadn't been easy to convince himself to come all the way to Brooklyn and it took even more courage not to run away the moment the door opened. It seemed like it had all been in vain. He was struggling with himself; he didn't want to leave, but he had no choice. And all of a sudden a low, tired voice came from where Alec guessed was the living room.

"Catarina?"

They both turned their heads toward the inside of the apartment before making eye contact again.

"Oh, it looks like he is awake now. You go, I am really late."

"Don't you want to talk to him before you go, now that he is awake?" Alec hoped for a moment that he won't be alone with Magnus in his apartment.

Catarina was already on her way down the stairs but she stopped and looked up to Alec. She looked almost sad, although you could only tell that if you looked really carefully. "Not know. I'll talk to him, but not now. You go."

Alec nodded and turned around toward the apartment's door. With all the courage he had left, he stepped inside.

"Catarina?"

Magnus was coming towards him, walking in a funny way and blinking constantly. He looked like he was still sleeping.

"No, she just left. Ugh – It's me."

Magnus stopped walking when he reached the hallway and when he spotted Alec, he seemed to be at a loss of words. He just sat there, watching him in complete confusion with his cat-like eyes half closed and his hand still in his ruffled hair.

"Alec. It's – ugh – Alec." Suddenly Alec felt his heart falling at his feet and realized what a stupid idea it had been to come over here. If he had been thinking about last night over and over again, it didn't mean Magnus had too. He was probably very angry with the way Alec had reacted, but this was why he was here: to apologize and to explain somehow why he acted the way he acted. His plan was not to leave until he would apologize. But actually being here, in Magnus' loft, made him second guess his plannings.

"I know who you are."

The simple statement was followed by a pause and a frown. Alec had a feeling he wasn't suppose to say anything. Magnus's tone had a tint of annoyance. It made him nervous. What if Magnus would not want to talk to him?

"I just don't know why you are here." Magnus seemed to have woken up.

Alec stopped for a minute taking a deep breath. "I came to apologize. To apologize for what I said the other night."It was the only way he would have another chance. Another chance to what, Alec? What do you want? He didn't know how to answer the question that popped up in his mind so he chose to ignore it.

"Is that so?" Magnus was tensed again. It made Alec realize that Magnus was in no way over their little encounter from last night. Magnus' frowned deepened.

Alec took a few steps toward him. "I am sorry I said I didn't know you. I panicked. Jace and Izzy – my siblings – were there and I just...I am so sorry. I never meant to – hurt your feelings." Alec looked up to Magnus and saw that the man's eyebrows were raised in wonder and his lips were slightly parted. It was only for a second, because right after that his look changed to its normal expression and he looked as if he was trying to understand what Alec had just said. Realization hit him after only a few seconds.

"They don't know, do they?"

"Know what?" Alec's body became even more tensed and his heart began to beat faster in anticipation.

"That you're gay."

Alec's head jerked up and he was breathing harder and faster. He avoided looking directly at Magnus and his lips were slightly trembling as he was trying to give a response.

He was on the verge of denying it, but how could he, when he was here, in Magnus' apartment, doing the exact opposite.

"No – no, they don't." Alec's lips unfolded as he spoke and the words came out with a long sigh of relief. For a moment he thought it was better if he ran down the stairs and save himself and Magnus from his endless stupidity.

But he looked up to the man in front of him, trying to excuse himself for what he was about to do next, and, to his surprise, he didn't see no anger or wickedness in his eyes. He only saw gold melting in green and a smile curving Magnus' lips.

"Yeah, I thought so." He laughed slightly. "Come on, I can offer you a drink." He moved away from the door frame, gesturing to the living room.

Alec hesitated, his body still tensed.

"Look, I am not upset anymore. I understand, okay? Now, since you are here, you could stay a little bit longer." His suggestion was followed by a wide grin.

For a moment, Alec couldn't speak and he resigned with swallowing the knot that had formed in his throat.

"Alec." The man spoke and his voice was soft and calm and steady – so opposite from the way he liked to present himself. Alec's heart began to beat normal again and he nodded, following Magnus inside the leaving room– or what Alec guessed it was supposed to be. Because like most lofts, Magnus' was divided into "rooms" by groups of furniture spread neatly around the loft. There were some armchairs and a velvet sofa placed in front o a plasma screen TV were a documentary on Discovery Channel was on. Behind it were the ceiling-to-floor windows that offered a beautiful view of New York, of it's high buildings and narrowed crammed streets.

Not too far away were some walls covered entirely by shelves – there were mostly CD's and DVD players, but what caught Alec's eyes were the book shelves. Magnus was now behind the bar, only a few feet away from the so named living room, opening and closing different drawers while mumbling something to himself. So Alec headed towards the shelves, eager to find out what beautiful titles Magnus' small library contained. The shelves were made of wood and they were very old, bringing an air of antiquity to the place, like a memory that was never to be erased. Alec loved it instantly. Before he knew it, he was absorbed by the the books, tracing each of their covers with his long, lean fingers. Dickens. Wilde. Shakespeare, of course. And then he saw them. There were some princeps edition of this author - he couldn't quite understand the writing as the books were placed on the bottom shelves.

He reached for it, forgetting that he was not in a library or a bookshop, but in someone's apartment. He immediately regretted his intentions as he heard someone clearing their throat behind him.

"That stays there. Always." Magnus was frowning and he had his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm sorry. Is just, you have some nice books over here." Alec moved his hand away from the shelves as though he had just committed a sin by simply touching them. He continued to apologize and stutter.

"They're not mine. I just like to keep them here, in my apartment." Magnus tone was softer now but his posture indicated that it was very unpleasant for him to talk about anything related to those books.

Alec didn't know what to say, especially when he saw the sadness in Magnus' eyes as he seemed to remember something.

"It's okay. Just...Is tea okay? I have nothing else." Magnus finally spoke,trying to let go of the memory by frowning and waving his hand, dismissively, in front of his face.

"Yeah, tea is perfect." Alec ignored the sudden switch from one subject to another but thought that it was better to leave it as it was. Hemoved away from the shelves, regretting ever bringing that in discussion, and thought about where he could stay so he wouldn't touch anything again or ruin the mood somehow. He decided to lean over the couch, shoving his hands in the pockets of is leather jacket.

He watched Magnus head towards the small kitchen only to come back a few minutes later, holding two mugs, both filled with tea. As Magnus handed him his mug, Alec could tell by the smell of it that it was green tea. Ugh, he hated it.

So he sat there, awkwardly, holding a hot mug in his hands, not daring to taste its content. Magnus was watching him over the rim of his mug with a puzzled look. So Alec was forced to take a sip, but immediately regretted it. He swallowed it with a grimace all over his face and quickly placed the mug on the kitchen's counter top.

"I'm sorry. I can't drink this. I hate green tea." He was vigorously shaking his head. When he looked over to Magnus he saw that the man was holding in a laughter.

"What?" Alec was worried that he had done something wrong, again.

The moment he asked the question, Magnus couldn't refrain his laughter and began to chuckle. But then, as Alec was making all kind of weird faces, clearly disgust by the taste of the tea, Magnus burst out into laughter so loud that it scared Alec at first. Magnus' head was thrown back, his chest shaking powerfully and his eyes were watery.

Alec's cheeks were a shade of flaming red, but a small smile was curving his lips. He thought, at first, that he had done something wrong, that he had embarrassed himself somehow but as he looked over to Magnus, all he could see was pure happiness imprinted on his face.

He watched the man in front of him, absorbed by its beauty and cheerfulness. For a moment, it all faded away. There were no bookshelves hiding unforgettable memories, there was no bad taste in his mouth, there was no past haunting his every step. There was just them: Magnus and Alec, one laughing and the other one letting the beautiful sound reverberate through the thick, invisible walls of his safety bubble.

With that laugh, Alec thought,you could crawl inside my soul. And I would willingly let you.It hurt to accept the truth; that he was so weak, so vulnerable, but he couldn't ignore the feeling of complete serenity when he was around this young man.

Alec's eyes racked Magnus up and down. He was wearing a pair of loose black sweat pants that were hanging dangerously low on his hips and a a faded T-shirt, revealing his flat stomach, his collar bones and all the sharp angles of his face. He wasn't wearing make-up at all and Alec was struck once more by the beauty of this man. The question that followed immediately his drain of thought was "Who are you?" It was really all he could think about. Because a few hours ago he had been in the exact same place, watching the same man wearing funny colors on his eyelids, dancing and drinking all night and smiling to everybody that passed by him.

Now, the room was clean, not full of people, no loud music deafening him, only the noises from the TV and the lovely sound of a laughter, like the sweet clinking noise made my the bells.

But Magnus, even though he looked tired, even though his clothes were crumpled and he was wearing no make up at all, he was the same – he was still emanating energy from his every pore, the way he moved around the living room, the way his tongue danced when he was talking or laughing and the flavor – God, it drove Alec insane. It wasn't cologne, he was sure of that. It was just the way Magnus smelled: rich and deep and powerful and provoking.

The words that followed were inevitable.

"Do you want to go out with me?"

Magnus was still slightly laughing when Alec asked the question. He stopped for a moment, watching Alec with a sort of confusion.

"Wh – "

Alec didn't let him finish his sentence, but he took a few steps toward were Magnus was standing and leaned a bit forward.

His blush crept along his neck and Magnus could feel the heat coming from Alec's cheeks.

"I think you heard me the first time. But..." Alec's lips were shut closed only to be open by soft ones a minute later. He heard a small hitching gasp coming from his own throat and then they were kissing. He felt the bitter flavour of the green tea deluging his mouth and senses. But this time it was not only the herbal taste, but also a sweet and deep one; the taste of Magnus's lips brushing smoothly against his own. He moved his lips, synchronizing with the feeling of a hot breath in his own mouth, the long, lean fingers that were running through his hair. At some point, their bodies were so close that Alec could actually feel Magnus's heart beating along with his: one fast and uncontrollably, accompanied by a slightly tremble of the body, the other steady, and calm, and insecure; both completing each other, steadying each other on the ground, both damaged and broken, crying mutely for love. It was all too much to bare in one first kiss. They both pulled apart what felt like centuries later and in both their eyes it could be read: the ardent desire of having their mouths entangled one more time.

Alec was breathing very fast while Magnus was watching him with burning flames in his eyes. It was not only urge and lust smoldering inside them, but also confusion, and fear and intrigue. Alec could only guess and slightly hope Magnus was struggling with the same questions he was: how could someone you've barely met burn so mightily inside your veins?

If he had looked up, instead of dropping his gaze on the floor, he might have seen the answer in those glowing eyes: it wasn't about stumbling upon something novel and brittle, but upon something so familiar that his heart heart ached when it recognized.Oh, it's you. It's going to be you.

"Is that an yes?" Alec's voice came out like a low whisper.

There was an impenetrable silence and then he suddenly felt a thumb brushing along his cheekbone. The finger left burning traces on his cold skin. He lifted his hand just as Magnus dropped his and they met in midair, fingers entangled.

"Friday night?" Magnus' voice was too, a whisper.

Alec just nodded and before he left, he gave Magnus' fingers a soft squeeze, like a wordless promise.