Famous: A Malec AU Fanfiction

Chapter 18

Alec returned to his house to everyone who seemed to be waiting for him. He stepped into the living room, tucking his key back into his pocket, and found his mother, Jace, and Isabelle in there.

But now, there were two other people.

There was a stern man with dark hair like his own, with broad shoulders and an air of formality and forbidden strangeness to him. Then there was the warm, little boy, with the bright smile that instantly lifted up his entire world. Alec recognized them immediately, their faces had been burned into the back of his mind for so long.

"Alec!" Max, his youngest brother, ran up to him immediately when his father's face broke into a gentle, soft smile, the one that Alec had inherited from him. Pleasantly surprised, and joy filling inside of his chest, Alec knelt down so that the little nine-year old was able to wrap his arms around his neck and pull him into a tight hug. Jace was grinning bright, and Isabelle was as well. Even their mother had allowed herself to relax, putting a gentle arm on their father's elbow, where it stayed there like a comfort.

"You guys never told me you guys were getting back, I thought you weren't coming back for a couple of months!" Alec said from where he was kneeling, hugging his brother.

"We wanted to surprise you," Max said, and his eyes were burning with bright excitement. His large glasses, which for an odd moment reminded Alec of Simon, dangled dangerously off the tip of his nose when he released Alec so that he could talk to him better.

He continued to speak, although his nose did twitch slightly when Alec gently pushed his glasses back up to the top of his nose. The glass seemed to make his eyes look even wider, they dominated his small face, and made him look younger than he really was. Alec liked it, if it meant that his youngest brother was going to stay younger and smaller for a while, he was fine with it.

"And guess what else?"

"Yeah? What is it, Max?"

"Dad says that I don't have to go on any more of the stupid business trips with him for a while. I can stay with you guys around here!"

"That's great!" and Alec felt as if he truly did mean it. Max Lightwood, even though he was the youngest, was the one who always brought a smile onto everyone's faces. Even Jace, who was so used to looking indifferent no matter what had happened, couldn't stop the smile from creeping up from him as if by surprise whenever he was around. Just by walking into a room, Max could light the entire place up. His presence held everyone together like glue, and Alec knew that the entire house in New York would be warmer now that the youngest Lightwood had finally come back.

"The person going on the 'stupid' business trip is still waiting for a greeting," coughed Robert Lightwood indignantly. Alec moved over from his younger brother after one last, tight squeeze, and went over to his father.

He opened up his arms wide to Alec, a smile lighting up his eyes even though the fading, dark circles under them proved how tired he was from work. Alec felt as if his father's arms were the strongest in the world, and he remembered how he had been little, and he would be able to swing him up high in the sky so he felt as if he was flying. They were still comforting right now, and what Alec could run to when he was so tired of the cold world, and just wanted to be held in something secure for a moment. When the pang in his chest rose up, Alec realized just how much he had really missed his father after so long.

"I'm so glad that you're back, Dad," Alec told him in the middle of the warm embrace.

"I am, too," his father said, his voice was deep, and Alec could feel the vibrations in his chest, as if he was laughing right now, "Although I can't stay for as long as your brother can."