Hey, everyone. New chapter coming at you. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. As per usual.
ooo000ooo
The crisp New York air hit his lungs like the nectar of the Gods. The bustle of the streets thrummed through his veins. He felt revitalised with every step he took.
They were heading to their final stage. The last stop on their national tour of madness. And it was a big one. Madison Square Garden.
Also known as: The Dream.
They were playing as support not a headliner but that was besides the point. Alec was standing in the one place he had always dreamed he would one day be.
He'd passed through his anger. He'd waded the waters of despair and fear and heartbreak. Being on home soil made him feel more at ease than he had since he left those months ago.
But the hole in his heart had not shrunk. He was agonisingly aware of the Magnus-shaped void in his life. As he had worked through his new songs with the guys, adding their trademark fire to his lyrics, every word and chord cut him like a shard of glass, glistening and razor-sharp. Pretty, reflecting a rainbow of light beneath the trails of his crimson blood.
They made their way inside, preparing to meet with Valentine and the TID gang for final rehearsals. Alec had been raring to leave the hotel bright and early, but now he was facing his old city and the culmination of his dreams, he was trembling in his shoes. He was feeling stripped bare and raw from the lashing he'd been giving himself since the breakup.
Simon clapped him on the shoulder as they passed through the doors, looks of wonder on all the boys' faces. Alec was so glad to have them by his side. They were his steady beating heart, his anchor. And their happiness was paramount to him. He battled his pain for them, he had to bring it home for his family.
A spread of brunch was laid out in a space that had been turned into a conference room of sorts. One side of it was entirely glass, looking out over the 20,000-person capacity arena. Alec's heart hammered against his ribs.
"Welcome, everyone. Please have a seat and raise your glasses," Valentine said, lifting his mimosa high.
They all fell into their seats, grinning, as Valentine toasted to their tour, to their world-wide spectacle. To their talent and to the future. His praise rang out like bells and Alec felt his cheeks flushing. But he was proud, unable to resist the beaming smile on his lips.
They toasted, glasses clinking, laughing like music. Valentine began reeling through particulars of their final show, though he had allowed them free reign. They had proven how well they worked and what they were capable of. He trusted them to bring the tour home.
It was time for them to begin rehearsing on the most coveted stage in the world. They buzzed with energy as their feet fell on the hallowed ground for the very first time. However, as Alec was about to take the stage, a hand circled his arm, and he was tugged back into the shadows.
He was led into a dressing room where the door was closed quickly behind him. He turned slowly, knowing exactly who had brought him there.
He wasn't ready for this.
"Hey," said Will.
Alec took a deep breath.
"Hey," he replied.
He met Will's eyes and smiled sadly.
"Listen, Will. I'm sorry," he began.
But Will held up a hand, his finger ghosting over Alec's lips.
"It's okay, Alec." He said.
Alec blinked. He knew he had been cruel to Will. He knew he had hurt him. Badly. He knew he had been acting immaturely. He pulled away, disappearing for days at a time. Only to show up in the middle of the night, release all his frustrations, then slip away again. He had used Will as nothing more than a sexual punching bag.
"It's not okay, Will. I owe you an explanation at least," he said.
Alec shrugged helplessly, unable to hold Will's gaze any longer. But the man smiled and took Alec's hands in his own. He raised each one in turn to his lips and kissed them softly. Alec felt himself relax.
"You don't owe me anything, Alec." He said.
"I do. I hurt you, I used you. I was beyond selfish and cruel, and I can't forgive myself for causing you pain."
Will grimaced.
"Alec. If anyone is sorry, it's me. I caused your breakup. I used you as much you used me."
Alec winced, hissing. Will clasped their fingers together and Alec held on tight.
"I suppose there's plenty of blame to go around," Alec said.
Will nodded.
"That there is. However, I do want to know one thing," Will replied.
Alec nodded, curious.
"What is it?" He asked.
Will smiled, raising his hand to brush a stray strand of hair from Alec's eyes.
"Do you regret it?" He asked.
Alec looked at him. He saw pain in his eyes, sadness, darkness. But also light, fire, passion. He saw warmth, he saw depth. He saw the kind of love that sustained him when everything was hopeless. Will was a complicated man. With a complicated past. He felt with every fibre of his being and dedicated himself entirely to those he cared for.
Despite losing Magnus, despite the ways he and Will shared nothing but desperation, pain, and longing; heartbreak was part of life. People come into other people's lives for a reason. Alec wouldn't change a thing.
"No, Will. I don't regret it. I don't regret you," he said through a smile.
Will visibly relaxed. His shoulders melted and his brow un-furrowed. His eyes glimmered. He smiled a true smile. Alec laughed softly as Will's upper body flushed, a crimson blush blossoming up his neck and over his cheeks.
"Stop laughing at me," Will mumbled as Alec's face split into a grin.
Alec snorted and Will hit his arm. Alec, feigning pain, clutched his arm and gasped. He even fell back against the door for effect. Will barked a laugh and rolled his eyes. Alec stopped laughing and sighed, shaking his head.
"Sorry," Alec said.
"Stop apologising," Will chastised.
"Sorry," Alec repeated on autopilot.
Will chuckled and reached for Alec, pulling him until he was standing straight again. He grinned as it became Alec's turn to blush.
"Honestly, Alexander," he said, his lips curling into his trademark cocky smirk.
Alec bit his lip, wavering under Will's stare.
"Are you flirting with me?" Alec asked.
Will rolled his eyes.
"Apologies. I'll control myself. You're just so cute. And it's so easy to make you blush."
Alec bit his lip harder, and Will pushed him back against the door.
"Will," Alec warned.
"Alec," Will said, mirroring his tone.
Alec sighed and rolled his eyes.
"What's going on?" Alec said.
Will met his eyes and lifted his hands to Alec's face.
"I'm not sure," Will replied.
But then Alec licked his lips and Will's eyes narrowed.
"I know this is over. I know we don't work and that we're not right for each other. You don't love me, and I don't love you. Not in that way. But..." Will trailed off.
Alec smiled.
"One for the road?" He whispered.
Will's grin was all the confirmation Alec needed.
ooo000ooo
Magnus stared around the empty dancefloor.
Black tiles glittered under ethereal blue and white lights. Bursts of red glowed under the rim of the bar and table tops. He could imagine the floor flooding with silver smoke as the music played and the voices rang out and the feet moved. He looked up at the exposed pipes above, the darkness swirling with shadows, reaching to the heavens.
It was all he ever dreamed it would be.
"Magnus, it's incredible!" A voice yelled from his left.
He turned with a beaming smile as Ragnor flew back onto the floor from the VIP area. He slipped behind the bar and cracked open the first bottle of whisky to be poured in their new utopia. He slid a glass across to Magnus and they toasted silently, the only sound was the clinking glasses; words did not seem enough, somehow.
"This is phenomenal, Magnus. Really. Stunning," Ragnor said.
If Magnus were prone to blushing, he would be red as a certain someone.
"Thank you, Ragnor. For trusting me with this," he said.
Ragnor stepped out from behind the bar, bringing the bottle with him. He swung an arm around Magnus's shoulders.
"Please, I knew you could handle it. You're Magnus-Freaking-Bane. People are going wild for the teaser shots you took for the magazine. This opening is going to be the biggest New York has ever seen!"
Magnus snorted loudly, choking on his whisky. Ragnor hollered as he realised what he had said. They fell about the place, giggling as they had when they were teenagers. After everything they had accomplished, they were still the very best of friends. As their laughter died down, Magnus felt the one thing he hadn't mentioned yet to his friend bubbling up in his throat. Before he could chicken out, he ran a hand through his hair and looked Ragnor in the eyes.
"You and Will," he said.
Ragnor coughed into his glass, freezing. Very slowly, he put his drink down and sighed, waiting for the inevitable onslaught of Magnus's wrath.
But it didn't come.
Instead, Magnus smiled.
"He called me a few nights ago. Told me someone had gotten me tickets to the show tomorrow."
Ragnor shrunk in on himself, turtling. Magnus grinned.
"It's okay, Ragnor. I'm not angry. I was surprised. And it was an… illuminating call, to say the least."
Ragnor nodded slowly.
"You don't have to talk about if you don't want. And you don't have to take the tickets. It's just, he called me and explained everything. That's why I felt that giving him your number was the right thing to do. You needed to hear it. I'm sorry it was all a bit clandestine. But I thought it might help."
Magnus sat on the floor, leaning against the bar, his legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. Ragnor slid down beside him, sipping the whisky right from the bottle.
"It did. Don't worry, I understand better now. For everything that happened between us, I truly had no idea what was really going on back then. I've always believed Will loved Tessa. He pushed me out because he found a new obsession. I got left behind. I had no clue that he thought the same was true for me. He thought I had a new obsession in her. He was just as afraid of being left behind as I was."
Ragnor chuckled.
"Teenagers, eh? Why can't they just talk about their feelings?" He said.
Magnus groaned and leant his head on his friend's shoulder.
"It's not just teenagers, Ragnor. I did it again when I went to see Alec," Magnus whispered.
Ragnor bit his lip to stifle his gasp. It was the first time Magnus had said Alec's name since the breakup. He nodded slowly and took Magnus's hand in his own. Magnus held on tight as he began to speak quietly, as if he were afraid that the universe might hear him.
"I should have listened to him. I shouldn't have run out so quickly. I was right back to being a kid, I was right back there, being left behind, shoved aside. I went into survival mode and lost the best thing that ever happened to me. Ragnor, I made the biggest mistake of my life that day. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."
Ragnor looked down at his friend and smiled.
"Magnus. I love you but you're an idiot. You messed up. It was bound to happen at least once. No one is perfect, no relationship is perfect. They take effort. You have to try. You might think you ruined things beyond repair, but you'll never know unless you ask."
Magnus peered up at Ragnor as the man continued.
"That's why Will sent the tickets; it's why I gave him your number. To give you that opportunity. If Alec is what you want, you need to let him know that you're still an option. Because from what Will's told me, he's made his peace with the breakup. He's trying to move on. Writing their new album, rehearsing. He's pulling himself out of a dark place. You know what it was like going through your first heartbreak."
Magnus sighed.
"Yeah. Hang on, how do you know all this? Have you spoken to Will since he contacted you?"
Ragnor froze, whisky bottle half-way to his lips. Magnus met his eyes and cocked that damn eyebrow.
"Okay," Ragnor started, pushing himself so he was sitting upright, he held out a finger to Magnus, "yes, I have. But! Before you yell at me, I've been asking him about Alec on your behalf."
Magnus stared at his friend; his eyes narrow but his lips quivering with a smile.
"Okay… you were asking about Alec for me. But were any parts of your conversations for you, perhaps?"
Ragnor's mouth fell open as he spluttered.
"What? No. Magnus, we're getting off topic. Point is, Alec is in a better place, and I'm sure if you went to him, he'd take you back in a heartbeat. And you, my dear, sweet, demented elf, have a gig to go to tomorrow so you'd better start getting ready now."
Magnus could only laugh as Ragnor scrambled over his words. They soon dissolved into giggles once again, sharing the whisky and reminiscing. Their voices echoed throughout the cavernous club, the lights still shining around them.
Ragnor took out his phone and captured a photo of the pair, grinning, raising the bottle, with the magnificent dancefloor stretching out behind them. They were showered in blue and white light, glowing with vibrancy. He posted the picture on Instagram, captioning it with a wicked grin.
Sneak peak for you all. 101, the first of many, opening this Saturday night! All thanks to this God amongst men, my dear friend, the magnificent Magnus Bane.
Magnus saw it and sighed.
"Ragnor. I thought you weren't going to tell anyone that we're planning on turning this place into a national chain."
Ragnor bellowed a laugh.
"National? Magnus, we're going international! So, buckle up," he grinned.
Magnus stared, mouth agape, as his friend headed for the door, giggling like a schoolgirl. He put the whisky bottle on the counter and followed, shaking his head in wonder. He was smiling as he locked the place up, for the first time in a long time, truly walking on air.
ooo000ooo
Alec was alone in his bed. Darkness had fallen and the day was hitting him as he drifted in and out of consciousness, dreaming of the following day. He trembled with nerves and excitement. He knew he needed to sleep but he fought it at every turn, unable to quell the blooming hope in his chest.
He took out his phone, smiling as he caught up on pictures and posts from his family.
Jace and Clary walking in Central Park.
Izzy painting Max's nails. Captioned Pretty in Pink 3
Simon had posted about tomorrow's show, it had been reposted and shared thousands of times already. Alec supposed he should probably put something out there too. Though he had no idea what to say.
But then he scrolled to another post and the breath caught in his throat.
It was a photo, no filters, just two guys, arms around each other, whisky bottle raised, wide smiles and laughing eyes. They were bathed in blue and white light. The caption revealed it was a sneak peak inside the new 101 club, that was opening the day after Alec's final show. Alec smiled, knowing just how much it was going to mean to the man in the photo. Not Ragnor, he already had everything he wanted. But to the other man. The 'God amongst men' as Ragnor had so eloquently described him. He wasn't wrong.
Alec stroked his phone screen, staring deep into those beautiful eyes. The eyes that had haunted him since the night he first saw them all that time ago, in that dingy alley. He remembered the furtive glances he cast, trying to catch those eyes again as they rode side-by-side on the bus. He remembered the way he had seen them as he got off the bus and Magnus gave him the most heart-breaking smile Alec had ever seen as he headed off down Greenpoint Avenue.
He smiled. He was glad Magnus was happy. He was getting everything he had worked so hard for. The comments were nothing but positive as well. Everyone was praising the pair, raving about the club, begging for more. Alec bit his lip before typing a comment of his own.
Looks incredible, Ragnor. Can't wait to pay the place a visit. Magnus has clearly done some amazing work. And you're right, he is magnificent.
He didn't know what possessed him. But he had to let Magnus know how proud he was.
In that moment, looking at the picture of the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, Alec had a stroke of inspiration. He raised his phone, switching on the bedside lamp, before starting up a livestream.
"Hey, everyone," he began.
Within seconds, millions were watching. But he felt no nerves, as he spoke from his heart.
"I know I've been radio silent for a while but, as you might be aware, I've been busy." He chuckled as the comments blew up and his screen was swamped with heart emoji's.
"But tomorrow is our last show. And I just needed to say how unbelievably grateful we all are for your support. We're just five guys from Brooklyn who had our entire lives turned on their heads in a matter of weeks. It's been a whirlwind and I'm honestly just so thankful. I keep thinking it's all just a very elaborate dream. I also need to thank you on behalf of Will, Jem, and Tessa, without them, who knows if the stars would have aligned for us to get a gig like this. To all the TID fans out there, thank you for putting up with us this whole tour. But anyway, thank you all. Any of you coming to the show tomorrow night, I look forward to seeing you. It's going to be special."
He was about to sign off when he stopped for a second. He licked his lips and looked back at the camera. He sighed slowly and bit his lip.
"There is one other person I need to thank," he said.
The screen filled with inquisitive emoji's and gasping faces. Like the whole fanbase was collectively holding their breath.
"I can't name names. But you know who you are. At least, I hope you do. You believed in me in a time where I didn't believe in myself. I was lost and you found me. You gave me all of this. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am right now. The boys and I wouldn't have gotten this opportunity. I know so much has happened, but I had to let you know how much this means to me, how much you mean to me. So, thank you. For everything."
He smiled, feeling a weight life off his shoulders as he blew a kiss to the camera.
"Goodnight, everyone. See you tomorrow," he signed off with a wink.
Reaching over to turn off the light, he settled into the duvet, snuggling in for a night of peace and sweet dreams for the first time in a long time.
While he slept, his stream received millions of comments. All full of love and support. Cheering him on. But there was one comment, one he wouldn't see until he woke up, that made all the others fall away like confetti.
You are quite something, Alexander.
ooo000ooo
A/N: I hope you enjoyed, guys :) Not sure how many chapters will be left, exactly, but we're near the end. After all this time xx