Authors Note:
So, Jace plays the piano in this chapter and the song that I was inspired by was "Kiss the Rain" by Yiruma and I just find it incredibly romantic and when you get to that part you should take a listen! :)
Also, I realized today that I had an error in a previous chapter (7) that I went back and fixed but I thought it would be good to address the change here. When Magnus and Alec are talking about Max's death, Magnus says that he lost his father, but I meant to say that he lost his mother. His father makes an appearance in this chapter, and I can't believe it took my so long to figure out my mistake! So, I apologize for the mistake, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Sixteen
"Jace, you're going to be late to class if you don't leave right now!" Clary yelled from the kitchen of her and Jace's apartment. Their freshman year of college started two months ago and for the love of god Clary didn't know why Jace chose a class at 8 am if he was always rushing to get to it. Jace came running into the kitchen a couple seconds later. "Honestly Jace, next semester pick a class at a decent hour."
"This was the only class available and I needed it." He snapped at her. Jace has never really been a morning person, and Clary knew that.
"Alright. No need to bite my head off." She said as she handed him his mug of coffee. "Just like you like it. See you at dinner." Clary said as she made her way back to the bedroom. Her classes didn't start until 10, so she was going to get some extra sleep in.
Jace watched Clary leave and instantly felt bad for snapping at her. Juilliard was kicking his ass and he was stressed to the max. He didn't realize how hard it was truly going to be and he was up late composing a piece for a symphony for his class and he really didn't want to get up this morning, and Clary had nothing to do with that, so snapping at her was pointless. As Jace made his way to his car he was reflecting on the past couple months. Living with Clary was everything he could ever imagine but it was also really hard. Living with someone exposed some things that you wouldn't normally see when you're just simply dating. It was an odd experience for Jace because this truly was his first real relationship. Sure he lived with Izzy, and he knew how girls could get but he didn't share a room with her, or anything like that. If Izzy was being moody he could simply walk away, not with Clary though. He was exposed to her mood swings when she got her period, or when she was so frustrated with a painting she'd lock herself in the bathroom and he could hear her sobs. He also had to deal with the nightmares she occasionally had about her brother, and her panic attacks, and her temper. Everything was escalated because they lived together. Jace didn't mind helping her through those hard times, but it didn't mean everything was always peachy between him and Clary. They'd fight, he'd sleep on the couch, but he knew they'd always forgive each other because that's how much they loved each other.
When Jace got to Juilliard he sat in his class and took a sip of his coffee. Clary was right, it was just exactly how he liked it and he couldn't help but smile. Despite all the obstacles they had to deal with as a couple who was living together, it truly was heaven for him to come home and be able to spend time with Clary. Despite only being in a relationship with her for a little less than a year he knew that this was what the future was going to be like. There would be fights, and tears, and aggression but there was always love, laughs, jokes, and happiness too and that outweighed the bad for sure. When class was over Jace was packing up his books when the professor took a seat next to him. Jace was a little worried that he was in trouble.
"You seemed off today Jace, is everything okay?" His professor asked.
"I snapped at my girlfriend this morning and I feel terrible about it." Jace said and his professor nodded.
"Does she go here as well?" He asked.
"No, she goes to NYU." Jace said.
"So I'm assuming you don't live here." He said and Jace laughed.
"No. We live in an apartment between the two schools." Jace said.
"You're a little young to be living with your girlfriend." He said and Jace nodded.
"We get that a lot, but it's what we both want, and despite the bumps in the road I'm glad we live together." Jace explained.
"The piece for the symphony you wrote was magnificent. It was so beautifully written and I could really tell that you put everything into it." His professor said and Jace was really proud.
"I wrote it for Clary, my girlfriend." Jace explained.
"Has she heard it yet?" His professor asked and Jace shook his head.
"I didn't want her to hear it until it was completely finished." Jace said.
"Honestly I think it could be published tomorrow it's that good." Jace looked up at his professor with wide eyes.
"You really think so?" He asked.
"Absolutely. Jace you're a talented guy. One of the best students I've had in a very long time. You have a promising future a head of you, but my advice is don't ware yourself out now. You're young, and putting all this stress on yourself now isn't healthy."
"I didn't realize it was going to be this hard. I mean I knew when I applied to Julliard that it was going to be challenging, but it's really kicking my ass." Jace said, and his professor laughed.
"I understand. This program is meant to push those who are in it to their absolute limits, but Jace, you are already far better than a freshman."
"Really?" He asked for the second time. He didn't really believe he was that good.
"Really kid. I was in the room when we were going over applicants and when I heard you play I was blown away. You play with so much passion, passion that no 18 year old should have. You tell a story with every song you play and I can even see it in your writing. You will go far in the music world, but you need to stop putting so much pressure on yourself."
"I just want to be the best. I want to prove to myself, and to my family, and to Clary that I can make something of myself. I want to show Clary that I will be able to give her everything she's ever wanted and I feel like I need to give 120% in order to give her that." Jace said and his professor put his hand on his shoulder.
"You're good Jace, and I know that's all pure talent, and I know you want to be the best. I really admire how hard you try, and how much effort you put into everything you do. I want you to take the rest of the week off. Get some sleep, and make up with your girlfriend and come back next week refreshed and ready to work." He said and Jace nodded. Jace felt better after the talk with his professor. He didn't realize how badly he needed conformation that he was actually succeeding until he heard the words. Now all he had to do was apologize to Clary. He hated making her upset, and he would do anything to make it up to her.
When he got home he was surprised to see Clary's car still in the driveway. When he walked inside she was on the couch curled under blanket with her sketchbook in her hands watching something on the TV. He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. He loved this part about living with her. He made his way over and took a seat on the coffee table in front of her.
"Why are you home?" He asked and she smiled.
"My class was cancelled. My professor went into labor." Clary explained and Jace laughed. "How was class?"
"Informational." Jace said and Clary looked at him with a confused look. "I'm really sorry about snapping on you this morning. It was totally uncalled for, and you didn't deserve it."
"I understand you're stressed Jace, trust me I'm stressed too, but snapping at each other like that isn't going to help." Clary said and Jace nodded his head in agreement.
"I know, and I felt awful all morning about that. You know I love you, and the last thing I ever want to do is make you upset." Jace said and Clary smiled.
"I know, and I forgive you for this morning. I know you had a late night last night working on the piece of music." Clary said and Jace smiled and grabbed her hand.
"Have you heard any of it?" Jace asked and Clary laughed.
"You had Maryse sound proof that room. I can't hear a thing." Clary said and now it was Jace's turn to laugh.
"I knew I would have late nights and I didn't want to disturb you." Jace said and Clary smiled at him.
"I hardly think the soothing sound of a piano would make it hard for me to sleep." Clary said.
"No, but how many time I bang my fists into the keys might." Jace said and Clary put a finger under his chin and lifted his head so their eyes locked.
"You're an amazing musician Jace, and I wish you had the self confidence to realize that whatever you write, and whatever you play is going to be absolutely beautiful." Clary said and Jace smiled.
"I just want it to be perfect, and I feel like no matter what I do, it's never good enough." Jace admitted and Clary couldn't help but smile.
"Jace, you are the most confident person I've ever met. Put that into your work, and everyone will soon notice the talent you are." Clary said.
"My professor thinks my piece of music I wrote for this class is amazing." Jace said and Clary smiled.
"I know you're currently working on writing a symphony, which in my opinion is a huge task for a freshman but you have it in you. I also know it's going to be amazing."
"You wanna hear the piece I wrote for class today?" Jace asked and Clary nodded. He reached his hand out and Clary grabbed it and he lead her to the piano room.
Jace sat on the bench and Clary sat next to him. He lifted the lid of the piano and took a deep breath. He started playing and Clary was in awe. She knew Jace was brilliant but she had never heard him play his own song before. She knew he was working his ass off to create this piece of music and hearing him play it now was something that completely overwhelmed her to the point of tears. She looked at Jace and he was completely lost in the music, and Clary couldn't blame him. Whatever he wrote was some of the most beautiful works of art she'd ever heard. When he was finished Jace looked over at Clary and saw the tears streaming down her face. He smiled and slowly wiped them away.
"That's was the most beautiful piece of music I've ever heard." Clary said and Jace smiled.
"I wrote it for you." Jace said and Clary was taken aback. She couldn't believe that he created that with her in his mind.
"Really?" Clary asked and Jace smiled and nodded.
"I love you." Jace said and Clary smiled and pressed her lips to his.
"I love you too." She said and Jace smiled. "You truly are so much more talented than I thought, I mean, I can't believe you wrote that."
"It took a lot of long nights, and a couple broke keys on this piano until I finally got it right." Jace admitted and Clary laughed.
"I loved it, and one day when you're a famous composure it's going to be big." Clary said and Jace laughed and pressed his lips back to hers.
"Thank you for always believing in me." Jace said when they broke apart and Clary smiled.
"It's hard not to believe in someone you have so much faith in." Clary said and Jace laughed. He was happy that he finally felt like he was doing the right thing in life. He knew his future was a bit murky, he didn't know exactly what he wanted to do with music, but after today he felt even better about the future than he already did, and that lifted a lot of stress off of him, and he finally was able to relax and be with Clary in a happy mood and it had been far too long since he felt so content.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~
Izzy had been spending the majority of her time in the fashion building working on her outfits and Simon totally understood that, but when midnight hit and she still wasn't back Simon thought that he'd go check on her to see if she was okay. She wasn't answering her phone and that's what made Simon a little worried. Izzy also checked in when she knew she would be running a little late.
When Simon got to Yale he knew exactly where to go. He has had to bring Izzy dinner or a late snack on more than one occasion but he didn't mind. He loved seeing Izzy in her design mode, and he was happy to help in anyway he could. When he got to the fashion building he could see the light was still on so he assumed Izzy was in there working. He opened the door and made his way to the room where she usually posted up in and when he opened the door Simon couldn't help but laugh. Izzy was completely passed out on one of the table with a pencil in one hand and fabric in the other. Simon shook his head and made his way over to her. He slowly started rubbing her back until she started to wake up. When she opened her eyes she was instantly confused.
"Simon?" She asked and Simon laughed and nodded. "What are you doing here?"
"It's after midnight Iz, and you weren't answering your phone, which I understand now because it's dead." Simon said and Izzy slowly sat up.
"I can't believe I fell asleep." She said and Simon laughed.
"You need to relax a little Iz. All this staying up late and barely sleeping isn't good for you." Simon said as he helped her off the table.
"This project is really important." Izzy said.
"And so is your health." Simon said as he scooped her up into his arm. "I'm taking you home and you're going straight to bed."
"What about my car?" Izzy said.
"It'll be here in the morning. There is no way I'm letting you drive home tonight." Simon said and Izzy rested her head on his shoulder. She was extremely tired and she didn't realize how exhausted she was until Simon woke her up.
When they got home Simon carried Izzy into their room and placed her on the bed. He took her shoes of and started taking her jeans off as well. She was slightly awake but not enough to undress herself hence why Simon was doing it. Once he got her jeans off he took her sweater off as well. He walked over to his dresser and grabbed her one of his t-shirts. When he walked back over Izzy had gratefully taken off her bra and gave Simon quite a view. He slipped the shirt over her head and than he tucked her into bed. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and she smiled.
"What did I ever do to deserve someone as sweet as you?" Izzy said and Simon smiled.
"Go to sleep Iz." Simon said and Izzy laughed.
"I love you." She said on her way to falling asleep.
"I love you too." Simon said and with that Izzy allowed the darkness to wash over her.
When Izzy woke up she was extremely confused about how she ended up in her bed last night. She knew she was at Yale working on her project but she was so tired she didn't remember after that. She got out of bed and looked down and noticed she was wearing one of Simon's t-shirt. She smiled to herself before making her way to the kitchen where she heard some noise. When she got there she saw Simon cooking something and she smiled to herself again. She took a seat on the stool and just watched him cook. When he turned around and saw him he got the biggest smile on his face.
"Good morning." He said and Izzy smiled.
"Good morning." Izzy said as she leaned up and gave him a kiss. "How did I get home last night?"
"I went searching for you. I got worried when you didn't text me or answer my calls. I found you passed out on a table in the fashion building." Simon said and Izzy laughed.
"I'm really sorry. I guess I was a lot more tired than I thought." Izzy said and Simon smiled.
"Don't worry about it. I got you home and into bed." Simon said and Izzy was grateful that she had a man who cared so much about her.
"Thank you for coming to find me." Izzy said as Simon put a plate of food in front of her.
"Of course Iz." Simon said and Izzy began eating. It was a Saturday and Izzy knew that she should probably work on her design more but something in Izzy was telling her to take the day off and that's exactly what she was going to do.
"Do you have any plans today?" Izzy asked Simon and he smiled.
"Nope. I have the whole day off." Simon said and Izzy smiled.
"Wanna have a lazy day with me?" Izzy asked.
"I think that sounds perfect." Simon said and Izzy smiled. They continued eating breakfast and had a light conversation about schoolwork and what they had to do next week. Izzy knew she needed to relax and calm down, and she was glad that Simon was able to bring that side of her out, otherwise she'd never get any sleep.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~
"Can we please just not face today?" Magnus said as he and Alec lay in bed.
"We can't just skip today Magnus." Alec said and Magnus groaned. "It won't be that."
"You don't know my father." Magnus said and Alec sighed.
"Look, we just have to get it over with and we might not have to see him ever again." Alec said and Magnus sighed as he sat up.
"You don't know my father Alec. He will start coming around more and more now that he got this idea in his head that I'm going to be rich." Magnus said.
"Listen, let's just meet with him today, see what he wants, and if you think he's just after the potential money and fame you might get in the future we can cut contact with him." Alec proposed and Magnus nodded.
"We just never got along, and I don't think that will change. He's never accepted my lifestyle." Magnus said and Alec grabbed his hand.
"Which lifestyle? Being gay, or wanting to be a fashion designer?" Alec asked and Magnus smiled.
"Well, he didn't understand the whole bisexual thing. He just thought I was conflicted, and being into fashion wasn't exactly what he had in mind for his son." Magnus said and Alec nodded.
"Look, I know this is going to be tough, but you're a successful guy Magnus, and you have a whole future ahead of you, and guess who did that?" Alec asked and Magnus looked at him. "You did that. You made this life for yourself, and I don't care what happens today, your father can't take that way from you."
"I hope you're right Alexander." Magnus said.
"And if he stats being a dick I'll punch him." Alec added which caused Magnus to laugh.
"We might as well go get ready for the day." Magnus said as he got out of bed.
"That's the spirit." Alec said with a smile. He knew this was going to be a hard day for Magnus and he was going to do everything he could to make sure it didn't go completely sideways.
After Magnus and Alec got ready they made their way to the restaurant where they were meeting Magnus's father. Magnus thought meeting in public was a better idea because he would be less likely to cause a scene with others around. When they walked in Magnus didn't see his father anywhere and he released a breath. He hadn't seen his father since high school and he was hoping that he'd never have to see him again. They were seated and they ordered a couple drinks before Magnus recognized a man walking towards them. He could spot those cat eyes anywhere. Magnus stood up and Alec followed. When he got closer he smiled at Magnus and it took everything in him not to roll his eyes.
"Magnus, it's been awhile son." His father said.
"Not long enough father." Magnus said, and Alec put his hand on Magnus's back and it instantly calmed him. "Father, this is my boyfriend Alexander."
"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Bane." Alec extended his hand and Magnus's father just looked at it and took a seat. Alec put his hand down and looked at Magnus to let him know that it was okay. He never expected Magnus's father to be warm on fuzzy or to even accept him as Magnus's boyfriend, but a little decency wasn't too much to ask for.
"I thought it was just going to be you and me son." Mr. Bane said after a moment.
"Nope. I thought this would be a good time for you to meet the man in my life, since you'll probably disappear for a couple years after this." Magnus said an Alec could tell how much venom he put into that sentence.
"Let's not get too vicious son. I just wanted to catch up. See how you've been." Mr. Bane said and Alec could tell he had more in his mind than just wanting to catch up with his son.
"Let's see, you haven't contacted me since I was 18 and left for college. Why the sudden interest?" Magnus asked his father.
"Oh you know, just thought it was time." He said which caused Magnus to let out a dry laugh.
"What's your agenda father?" Magnus asked.
"I read about you in the paper, and saw that you've made quite a name for yourself." He finally said and Magnus crossed his arms over his chest.
"So now that I'm getting somewhere in life, you think I'm worth your time?" Magnus asked.
"Son, that's not what this is about." His father said.
"Bullshit. You never once cared about me. Everything you've ever done as been to benefit yourself, and this is no different. I'm finally known as 'Magnus Bane, amazing up and coming fashion designer' and now you want to get to know me? I'm not longer just your queer disappointment of a son to you. I'm somebody, so it's okay to claim as yours again." Magnus said and it hurt Alec to hear how terribly his father treated him.
"I gave you everything." His father said as he gritted his teeth.
"Yea, until you realized that I wasn't straight, and into sports. Face it, I'm not the son you wanted back then, but now that someone else thinks I'm important enough, and worthy enough, I'm worth your time again." Magnus said.
"I didn't come here to fight with you Magnus." He said and Magnus just shook his head.
"Than you shouldn't have called." Magnus simply said as he stood. "You don't care about me, and you never have. That part of you isn't going to change." He said as he left the restaurant. Alec didn't want to be left alone with this man but he couldn't simply up and leave like Magnus. Alec looked back at Magnus's father and smiled. He pulled out his wallet and paid for the meal.
"It was nice meeting you Mr. Bane." Alec said as he started walking away. He was stopped when he felt a hand grab his wrist. He turned around and saw something in his eyes that wasn't familiar.
"He's happy right? I mean, he has a good life?" He asked. This completely shocked Alec. In the hour they had been in his presence he didn't come off as the type of man who cared.
"We have a great life." Alec said.
"You live together?" He asked and Alec nodded.
"Look, I understand that you had certain expectations when you found out you were going to have a son. My parents did too, and I lied for a long time to give them the ideal son." Alec explained. "It was the shittest time of my life. I had to pretend to be something I'm not because I thought it was better for me to be miserable than to tell my parents that I was gay." Alec said. "And I lost Magnus for a shot period of time because of that. Magnus isn't afraid or ashamed to be who he is. He wears his personality on his sleeve and people love him for that. I love him for that, and I wouldn't want him to be any other way. He's an amazing person, who doesn't deserve how you've treated him. I would appreciate if you just left him alone if this is how every meeting is going to turn out, and if you do want to meet him again, I'll be there. Every single time." Alec turned and walked away leaving a dumbfounded Mr. Bane behind. When he got to the car he could see Magnus through the window and he looked absolutely devastated. Alec hated that Magnus wasn't accepted by his father, and seeing him this hurt pained Alec. When he got in the car he didn't start it. They sat there for a few moment before Magnus spoke.
"I'm sorry I left you in there with him." He said and Alec laughed.
"I told him if this was how every get together was going to go between you two, than he should just cut his losses. I don't know if he'll get in contact with you again, but you always have me." Alec said and Magnus looked at him and smiled. He leaned over the consul and gave Alec a sweet kiss.
"Thank you Alexander. I don't know how I would have gotten through that without you." Magnus said.
"You probably would have smashed a plate over his head." Alec said and Magnus laughed. Alec started the car and they made their way home. Today was an emotional day for both Alec and Magnus. When they got home all they wanted to do was rest and forget about the horrible time they had that afternoon. In a strange way Magnus felt lighter after confronting is father after all those years apart. He felt like he could finally leave that part in his past and move onto his future. A future that was nothing but bright, and Magnus couldn't wait for that.