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When Maryse invited him to a family vacation, Alec was wary at first. Although he did not regret moving away to London, he missed his sibling terribly. Most of all, he missed little Max, who was still in school and couldn’t visit as much.
His parents, on the other hand, he could live without awhile more.
Especially his father, who oversaw their family’s company affiliate in Britain, every other month. If Alec weren’t doing such a great job running it, he’d think Robert didn’t trust him. They kept their meetings strictly professional and went out to awkward dinners in which Robert never asked about Alec’s private life, and Alec pretended it didn’t exist.
So much for his father’s little acceptance speech when Alec came out of the closet a few years ago.
“You could use some time off, you know,” Lydia said from behind her computer screen. She had developed a habit of hacking into his mail inbox in the most inappropriate times. It usually involved her reading a message from someone Alec was hooking up, so a family invitation was an improvement.
“No, I couldn’t. There’s a huge case finally closing off and I have to be here to oversee it to the end.” Alec closed the email and ignored the disbelief in his friend’s eyes.
Raj slid his chair to the side, so he could see both of them. “I could take care of that,” he said with a shrug and, Alec suspected, a complacent gaze to Lydia. “You need the time off.”
Alec raised his eyes to Lydia and she had her stubborn face on. There was no use arguing against her when she looked like that. Alec knew because she got that habit from him.
Sighing, he opened his calendar; it would only be for a week. And his father, owner of the company, would be there as well.
Plus, he missed his siblings so damn much.
“Ok, I’ll go. If it’s a disaster, you’re both buying me drinks for a month.”
Lydia and Raj exchanged another look, what made Alec wonder if Maryse, or most likely Isabelle, hadn’t asked them to talk him into accepting the invite. Strangely, the idea made him appreciate his friends even more.
“He’s acting like spending a week wine tasting in Toscana is torture,” Raj said with a disdainful chuckle.
“That’s it. I’m changing my password. You two stay away from my emails.”
---
The trip had begun in the most predictable way possible. Of course, both Jace’s and Izzy’s flights had suffered delays, so when Alec arrived at the airport, he was forced to spend painful three hours awkwardly sitting in a cafe with his parents.
Thankfully, Max was there too, and he had a long list of Harry Potter-related questions, since it was not possible that Alec had been living in London for almost a year without seeing any signs of magical activity.
Jace’s arrival was announced when he shouted his brother’s name from the other side of the airport, rendering his girlfriend’s face almost as red as her hair from embarrassment. Alec faulted that on Clary herself: after dating him for three years, she ought to be used to Jace by now.
Isabelle arrived just a few minutes after them. She looked every bit as excited as Jace, especially since poor Simon was carrying her heaps of luggage. By then, Robert and Maryse were already fetching the rented SUVs.
The way to the hotel was loud, as their parents went in one car and Alec followed with his siblings and their significant others in the other. Isabelle and Jace had a lot of stories to tell, and Max never had the opportunity to be away from their parent’s strict gaze for this long, so he took advantage of it when he was alone with his older siblings.
“It’s going to be a great week,” Clary said with a fond smile on her lips as she watched Isabelle and Simon trying to guess the character Max was thinking of with only yes or no questions. She sat in the front with Alec, as they used to do when he still lived in the USA.
Alec sighed, “I hope you’re right.”
She was. Spending time with Jace and Isabelle did wonders to Alec’s mood, as did hanging out with Clary and Simon. He missed the four of them fiercely and their presence compensated the uncomfortable silences of his parents whenever Isabelle or Jace made a joke about Alec’s singlehood, or pointed out a handsome Italian boy checking him out.
Alec just laughed at that. It was a family trip and even so his siblings were meddling in his love life. Or sex life, if that cute waiter really had written his true phone number on the napkin that Alec found in his jacket pocket.
Other than that, however, he mostly ignored his sibling’s suggestions. That was until Max joined in and started asking random guys on the streets if they found his big brother attractive. Alec blamed Isabelle for that. Isabelle said it was Jace who told Max to do it. Jace pointed at Simon as the one who came up with the idea. Clary just shrugged and said it was worth a try.
And, naturally, it turned into a game. Alec endured it as best as he could, and he even had a few good laughs at the ridiculousness that was his family.
That was until they all went wine tasting in the region’s most prestigious vineyard and saw their guide. The man was the most stunning person Alec had ever seen in his life, which said a lot, considering his siblings were competing to find him the most handsome Italian of the season. He was almost as tall as Alec and probably a few years older, with Asian features enhanced by his bronze, perfect skin. His highlighted hair was spiked and he wore a thin layer of eye shadow that made his amber eyes shine.
The man made a blazer and jeans look fabulous. When Alec wore that, he looked like a teenager trying too hard to get into a bar. That man, however, looked like a rock star.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” he said and smiled, gesturing to himself expansively. “My name is Magnus Bane and I’ll be your guide for today. If you follow me, we’ll begin the tour.”
Somewhere to his right, Alec thought he heard his mother’s scandalized gasp as she asked his father if Magnus was wearing makeup. He couldn’t be sure, because he was too busy checking out the Magnus’ ass.
Max’s voice, however, got him out of his trance at once. “Can I ask that guy if he finds Alec attractive?”
“Yes!” Isabelle exclaimed at the same time that Alec stated a high-noted “no!”
That caught everyone’s attention. For all his discomfort, Alec had been relatively okay with their little game, sometimes even engaging in talking to their targets. This was the first time he refused to play.
Isabelle had a shit-eating grin on her lips. “Oh, and why not, dear brother?”
Alec could feel his face growing warm, and he couldn’t even blame the chill air of the winery. “It’s just… Mom and Dad are here. It would be too uncomfortable. And agonizing. Please, Max. Not this time.”
Max pouted, clearly disappointed, but nodded obediently. Isabelle and Jace were exchanging knowing looks, but they wouldn’t do anything to cause even more friction between Alec and their parents. Clary and Simon offered him sympathetic smiles and grabbed their respective boyfriend and girlfriend by the hands, dragging them to follow the rest of the group. That was the end of it.
The ‘end of it’ only lasted until their first stop. Magnus was explaining the storage of the red wine and how it had to rest for a few months before being sent to be purchase when his eyes crossed with Alec’s and he smiled in between words. Alec looked away, too flustered to sustain the gaze, but he had no problem hearing his sister’s giggle on his side. It was going to be a long tour.
“So that’s the reason why red wine has to be stored for an extensive period of time, which is indeed for the better. I do believe it’s true what they say; the best things in life are worth the wait. Don’t you agree?” Magnus’s voice stopped just long enough for Alec to have the unmistakable feeling of being watched.
He raised his face and locked the gaze with the amber eyes that were already fixed on him. In the small light of the winery, they were dark green, even more entrancing than before. Alec had to muster all of his self-control to answer. “S-sure,” he said out loud, and too late, realized that it had been a rhetorical question to the crowd. His parents were frowning at him, and Isabelle had a surprised, but amused smile on her face.
Alec could feel what could only be described as his soul physically departing his body, but Magnus winked at him and kept his explanation with a smiled fixed on his lips, so Alec didn’t care.
They kept walking at Magnus’ pace, stopping from gallery to gallery as he poured out his clearly broad knowledge on all kinds of wine. He posed no more rhetorical questions, but made a few jokes and puns that got Simon and Jace snorting, and the girls giggling. Alec just looked straight at the floor, in a desperate attempt to live with his embarrassment.
When they reached the floor where the wine tasting would take place, Alec made everyone sit in the back by dragging Clary with him. Wherever she went, so did Jace and Simon, so Isabelle had no chance to find a seat closer to where Magnus was standing, with five bottles of wine in front of him. Thankfully, Robert and Maryse seemed to have forgotten their initial wariness of the man’s makeup after he successfully answered all of their questions in rich detail, and they sat up front with another middle-aged couple.
Magnus smiled to the group and picked up the first bottle. “Now just have a seat and relax. I’ll bring the goods to you nice folks,” he winked to no one in particular and began circulating between the tables, pouring wine and making witty comments to the tourists.
Of course he was charming and easy-going. Of course.
“Are you sure I can’t ask him? Mom and Dad can’t hear me from where they are,” Max tried again, and Alec realized he had been staring at the man shamelessly. Not that it took much for his observant brother to understand situations.
“I’m sure, Max,” Alec said, trying hard not to blush. Magnus was just a few tables away and he just laughed at a tourist’s unfunny joke.
“Man, you’re crushing so hard,” Jace said, unhelpfully.
Clary, who was a much more decent human-being, grabbed her boyfriend’s hand in reprehension. “Leave your brother alone, Jace.”
“It’s true. I don’t think I’ve seen Alec so smitten since that guy from the ice cream shop wiped the Chantilly off his lips, and licked it.”
“Oh, that guy was hot,” Isabelle chimed in, and she wasn’t doing even a half-decent job of hiding her enjoyment. “Although Magnus is a thousand times hotter, and he’s already impressed our parents, which is always a bonus. That didn’t take long.”
“Did I take long to impress your parents?” Simon asked with a frown.
Isabelle just took a sip of her water.
“So,” Magnus stopped right at Alec’s side and rested a hand on the back of his chair. “Ready for some Merlot?”
The man was flashing his most gorgeous smile yet at him, so Alec just did the most sensible thing he could think of; he nodded, raising his glass.
Magnus poured and turned to the rest of them, serving everyone but Max, who had to content himself with a glass of grape juice. “Did you guys enjoy the tour?” Magnus asked to no one in particular, in his professional tone.
“Yes,” Isabelle smiled at him with a growing smirk, “some of us more than others.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Magnus smiled again. “It’s been a while since I’ve had such a lovely group. Where are you guys from?”
“The US,” Jace answered over his glass and gestured towards Alec, “but my brother lives in London.”
“Oh, that’s… Interesting,” Magnus said, looking back at Alec. “I’m moving there in two months.”
Alec had to stop drinking. There was no way the hottest guy he’d ever met was moving to his city, his life was not that good. “Oh… Are you?” he said, suspiciously; it had to be some kind of prank.
Magnus just nodded, looking utterly sincere. “I’m moving back in with a friend who’s from there. I actually grew up there, then I decided that I needed fresher air. Now it’s time I go back home.”
Alec looked around and saw the surprised faces of his friends and family. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t an elaborate prank. “May I have some more?” He raised his glass again. If this was real, he needed more alcohol to believe it.
Magnus chuckled. “Of course, darling,” he smirked at him and poured again. “Maybe we could do this again on British soil?”
Alec felt his jaw dropping hard. Isabelle’s giggle and Jace’s low whistle didn’t help in the slightest, but he managed a nod. “S-sure,” he said, but the idea of repeating his horrible mistake was enough for him to gather some stability into his voice. “That sounds fun.”
“Splendid,” Magnus smiled again and winked at him. “I’ll be back with the next bottle. Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone.”
And just like that, he turned around and left to pay some attention to the rest of the group. Alec was too struck to speak, and both Jace and Isabelle seemed to be fighting a fit of giggles, while Simon and Clary exchanged stunned expressions with what just happened.
Max, on the other hand, just looked unsure. “So… I guess he does find Alec attractive?”
And that was the last straw. Everyone at the table burst into laughter at the same time as Alec buried his red face in the table, unable to refrain the wide grin on his lips.
---
All in all, the family trip was huge success. Robert and Maryse were both happy to spend time with their children, oblivious to the fact that Alec had been given the phone number of their incredibly stunning wine guide, by whom they were still impressed with and quoted every time they tried a glass of wine.
After the wine tasting, the little game stopped, since Alec had been too engrossed in exchanging texts with Magnus to pay attention to any other pretty guys his siblings found. Max had accused him of being no fun, but he had such a wide grin on his lips, mirroring Alec’s own, that the accusation fell flat.
Going back to England was easier than he thought. Even if it would be another few months until he saw his siblings again – on Clary’s birthday, since she made him promise to go - Alec was excited to go back home. London had never seemed so bright.
---
The next two months seemed to take three years to finally pass. The only thing that made the wait tolerable was the fact that Alec and Magnus talked every single day. They moved on from texting, to phone calls, to skyping into the night, until the sun came up in one of their locations. Sure, Magnus was gorgeous and charming, but Alec wasn’t expecting him to be so smart and funny. Nor did he think they would have so many common interests and such a good time talking.
Mostly, he didn’t expect to fall in love with Magnus over the phone.
“What if he’s forgotten how tall I am and that puts him off?” Alec asked, looking over his computer screen. Magnus had arrived two days ago and was already settled in Ragnor’s apartment. They had decided to give him a couple of days to organize his new life, but now that time was up too, and they were meeting for wine in a few hours.
Alec just could not concentrate. His phone was buzzing with Izzy’s and Clary’s texts, who had both grown very fond of Magnus, asking what he was wearing, where they were meeting, how long until he got off his ass and went to kiss the love of his life. That last one, surprisingly, didn’t come from his sister, but Alec had a suspicion it had been Jace who wrote it.
“He knows how tall you are,” Lydia answered without moving her eyes from the document she was reading. They had been playing the ‘What If’ game for two days and it basically consisted of Alec hyperventilating every possible insecurity his mind could come up with, and Lydia and Raj taking turns to calm him down.
“Besides, tall guys are attractive,” Raj said, but he had the decency to look at Alec and wink supportively at him.
Alec cringed and looked at the time again. At that point, he was doing it automatically. “I should’ve worn something else.”
“You look great,” Lydia said immediately. They had had that exact exchange of words a few times already.
Brooding on his chair, Alec let his eyes wonder around the room, looking for a distraction. He still had a couple more minutes until he could safely go without it looking like he was leaving early just because he was the boss, or the son of the boss.
Now was a bad time to realize they had the most boring room of the company. “What if…-“ he started again, but shut up when he saw the murderous look on Lydia’s face.
“Alright, that’s it.” She stood up and turned to him, pointing at the door. “Get out. Go. You’re driving me insane.” When Alec didn’t move, she spoke up. “Go!”
That was all the incentive he needed. Alec got up in a jump, gathered his things and left without looking back. He texted Magnus saying he was on his way, and almost fell on his face when Magnus answered saying that he was already at the small winery they were meeting in. Alec vaguely remembered that it belonged to a friend of Magnus’, someone with a Latino name that sounded like the grumpiest person in the world, but who Magnus loved dearly, and it would be empty but for the two of them.
That thought made Alec stop. In his haste to see Magnus, he had completely forgotten to plan how to behave. He couldn’t just burst in there; he had to settle some rules for himself. Rules were good; rules made things easier.
He decided to walk, and not run like he was doing, and to greet Magnus with a hug, since a kiss was much too intimate. Even if Magnus had changed in front of him numerous times now, that had always been on a computer screen. They haven’t even touched each other yet.
Yes. Walk there. Greet Magnus with a hug. Ask him how he is finding London. Take things slow. Those were solid rules. He could do it, if he followed them.
Of course, London weather wouldn’t cooperate, so it began to drizzle when Alec was just a couple of blocks away from the winery. His instincts kicked in and he ran the rest of the way. He was panting when he entered the small shop, his hair completely wet, and his leather jacket dripping water.
But Magnus - beautiful, stunning Magnus - stood up and smiled at him, and no rain in the world seemed to matter anymore. He was there, in the flesh. They were in the same country and there was no ocean between them anymore.
Alec crossed the room and grabbed Magnus by the lapels of his personalized jacket, smashing their lips together in a desperate, longing kiss. His mind went blank when Magnus reciprocated, his lips and tongue claiming Alec to himself. He clenched Alec’s waist, bringing them even closer together, without any indication that he intended to let him go. They kissed for what seemed to be an eternity, but it was not nearly enough time to compensate the wait.
They were both panting when they broke apart. Alec couldn’t help the smile on his lips, which were no doubt as red and swollen as Magnus’. They didn’t let go of each other, neither wanting to move an inch away.
Magnus blinked and frowned, as if coming out of a stupor to a sudden horrible realization. “We screwed up,” he announced, seriously.
Alec felt his heart drop. “What? How?”
“I should have listened to you and let you pick me up at the airport,” Magnus sighed, but the smile Alec had grown to love was back on his lips. “If I knew you’d do this, I wouldn’t want to be welcomed back in any other fashion.”
With a chuckle, Alec kissed him again, but this time it was a quick and sweet thing. “I should’ve come to you sooner. I’ve been to Ragnor’s a few times already, I know where it is.”
“Oh, I know all about that. Ragnor is a miserable man and all he has to amuse himself with is my love life. He craves for it like an old crone craves for her favorite soap opera.” Magnus chuckled with Alec’s affectionate roll of eyes. “Enough about what we should have done. We’re here now, and I don’t want to think of anything else besides you, Alexander.”
A shiver went through Alec’s spine. It was the very first time he was hearing Magnus say his name in person. It was so different from the many times he heard him on the phone; so much more important.
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” Alec said, more to himself than to Magnus, and buried his face in the curve of the other man’s neck. Magnus smelled of citric fruits and excitement, it was intoxicating.
“I’m here,” Magnus reassured him, hugging Alec tight. “And I’m not leaving anytime soon.”
Alec lifted his head up just enough to kiss him. He intended for it to just be a small peck, but Magnus captured his lips and they lost themselves in each other again.
“So,” Magnus said after they managed to catch their breaths. He had a different kind of smile on his lips now, one made of joy. Alec could recognize almost every expression Magnus had after two months of looking at his face everyday, but seeing him in real life was a completely new experience. “How about that wine you promised me?”
Alec smirked and touched the man’s face. “Sure.”
Magnus giggled and kissed the palm of his hand, turning around only to pour them both a glass of red wine. “To us?”
Alec accepted it and toasted with Magnus. “To us,” he said, and they both smiled as they drank together. Alec couldn’t help staring and smiling to himself. Magnus blinked at him with question in his amber eyes. “You were right,” he finally said, as if it explained everything.
“I usually am, darling. But is there anything specific that I was right about?”
Alec just smiled. “The best things in life are worth the wait.”