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It was Rafael Lightwood Bane’s birthday, and Ty couldn’t understand why he was so nervous. He had done all he could to prepare. He had double checked everything. Nothing could have gone wrong. Tavvy, who was now nine years old and apparently responsible, had been given the task of making sure they remembered the present and card. Dru had written the card, making sure to include all their names (Ty, Dru and Tavvy) and had wrapped the present with coloured wrapping paper. Jules and Emma would be bringing a separate present, as would Helen, Aline, and baby Andrea. Ty was dressed in what seemed to be a suitable outfit; not too casual but no more formal than needed for a seven year olds birthday. Still, the root of his nerves was not something that could be fixed with good preparation. It still didn’t change the fact that he would be there.
Christopher Herondale would always be Kit to Ty Blackthorn. The two had built an unlikely friendship years ago, and for the first time since Ty had tried to raise Livvy and Kit had disappeared to England. The time in between had been like a limbo of going from weeks of not talking to long detailed letters. It took months for them to even send a postcard. It wasn't until Livvy had insisted Ty write Kit that they'd had any form of communication. At the time, Tiberius hadn't even know what he'd say to Kit. "Hello, I know we haven't spoken since I attempted necromancy and you confessed your love for me, but how's England? What's the weather like? Oh, by the way, I think I might love you back, but how are your parents?"
"It will be fine, Ty-Ty," Livvy said reassuringly as the Blackthorns recovered from the rush that came with portal travel and walked up the steps to Magnus and Alec’s loft. Even as a ghost, she could read Ty’s emotions without failure. She walked alongside Ty, though he was the only one that could see her. She seemed to float beside him, looking eerily beautiful in her white dress. She still looked fifteen, though if she hadn’t died she’d be seventeen. Ty would have been taller than her, except ghost Livvy found it funny to float just a few inches taller than him.
Ty didn’t reply to Livvy. The rest of his family couldn’t see her, and he wasn’t in the mood to alarm them. Tavvy skipped up the steps happily between Emma and Julian, looking smug with the present in his hands. Dru held back a little to stay beside Ty. Helen and Aline were still downstairs and in the process of calming their baby girl. Andrea, at nine months old, was not a fan of portal travel.
Magnus opened the door before the family even knocked. He beamed at them, playing the role of the party host very well. Ty hadn’t been surprised to hear that Magnus was throwing a birthday extravaganza for his seven year old. He had once heard a story of Magnus throwing a party for his cat, so one hoped that he loved his son as much.
It seemed he did, because as soon as he greeted the family he turned so that Ty could see the inside of the apartment. It looked as though a toy store had exploded inside of Magnus’ apartment. The ceiling had been magically raised so that a trampoline could fit inside, and Ty could have sworn he saw Isabelle Lightwood helping Max Lightwood Bane onto a pony.
Emma made a beeline for Jem and Mina while Tavvy raced to find the birthday boy.
“Don’t eat all of the chocolate or you’ll be sick!” Julian called, but Ty wasn’t sure if his call was directed at Emma or Tavvy. Dru entered the party and immediately found Kieran and Mark. Ty held back and Julian, being Julian, noticed.
“It’s okay, Ty,” Julian murmured so that none of the party guests would hear. Ty had told Julian about Kit eventually, and Jules had been more understanding that Ty had ever thought. Who knew Julian knew anything about love? “If it makes you feel any better, you don’t have to talk to him. I’m sure he’ll manage to keep occupied,”
“No, it’s okay,” Ty replied, shaking his head. He wanted to talk to Kit, no matter how much it scared him. He needed to talk to him after so long. He needed to know that there was still hope for them to have some sort of relationship, have it be romantic or simply as penpals. He just knew that his life was better with Kit in it. “I want to talk to him,”
Julian smiled. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,”
They entered the party.
It wasn’t like in the mundane movies, when the whole world seemed to go into slow-motion as the two love interests re-united after so long apart. In fact, it took Ty a minute or so to even spot Kit in the crowd of people. When he did, Kit wasn’t even looking at him.
Ty spotted him, standing by the snacks table and talking to Jace. Ty’s mouth went try, and for a moment Ty couldn’t remember a single word in the English language. Kit was laughing, his blue eyes like the pacific ocean. His hair was gold and he had somehow maintained a tan despite living in England. To Ty’s surprise, he was nearly as tall as Jace. He had gotten more muscular too, and there were marks on his arms.
Huh, Ty thought. So Watson decided to become a shadowhunter afterall.
Then they made eye contact, and Ty was pretty sure fireworks went off from inside him.
Jace was looking in between the two. He glanced at Kit, then at Ty, then back and forth a few times as if he were double checking what he was seeing. Then he smirked, whispered soemthing to Kit, and left to talk to his Parabatai. Kit was blushing.
Ty took a deep breath. He was going to be the one to make the first move. He walked over to Kit, overthinking every step, and stopped in front of him.
“Hi,” Ty said, trying to keep his voice from jumping up an octave. That was always a good place to start. Kit was looking at him as if his hair was on fire. Ty wondered if he’d ever say hello back.
“Hey,” Kit replied, and his obvious attempt to be cool could have made Ty laugh. It didn’t help that Livvy was floating behind Kit, giving Ty a grin and a thumbs up.
“Look Ty, I-,”
“You don’t have to apologise, Watson,” Ty interrupted. Then he realised he’d slipped up. He quickly worried that Kit wouldn’t appreciate Ty using his old nickname, or if he’d even remember their inside jokes. Then Kit gave a smile. It was a little weary and a slightly confused smile, but it was still a smile that gave Ty butterflies not in his hands but in his heart.
“I think I need to,” Kit said softly. Ty wasn’t the biggest lover of physical affection, but at that moment he would have loved to have reached out to Kit and put his arms around him. Out of respect for Kit’s comfort and personal space, he controlled himself and stayed put.
“No, Kit, really,” Ty insisted. “I get why you left. Everything with Livvy, and- I think I understand now,”
“That’s not what I need to apologise for,” Kit continued. Ty frowned a little. From behind Kit, Livvy was doing a poor job at pretending she wasn’t listening. “I- I said that I wished I’d never known you. That’s not true-,”
“Kit honestly it’s fine-,”
“No Ty, it’s not,” Kit’s voice was low. It was lower in a serious way, making Ty a little nervous. “Knowing you... I’m glad I know you, Tiberius Blackthorn,”
“Kit..,” Ty started, but the words died in his mouth. The he heard Magnus start to call everyone to gather around for the cake, and he panicked, worrying his chance to talk to Kit would be gone. Kit started to turn away.
Screw it, Ty thought. He took Kit’s wrist and turned him back around. No one would be watching; they would all be too distracted with singing happy birthday to Rafe.
Kit turned around and he and Ty collided. Ty had pulled him back around with the intention of speaking to him, but this was okay too.
There was only an inch or so height difference between them, and Ty was now discovering that this was the perfect height for kissing. They seemed to fit with each other in a way Ty didn’t know possible. He had seen how Helen and Aline were with each other, and Emma and Julian. He saw how in love they were and how the seemed so smitten for one another. He had wondered what that had felt like. He never imagined wanting to kiss someone. It had never been an urge. Not until now.
Luckily, Kit didn’t pull away. He kissed back with just as much power, making Ty shiver. What could have been a millisecond or a decade later, they pulled apart. Kit’s lips were as red as his cheeks.
“Ty-,”
“Does this mean we can still talk?” Ty blurted out, so quickly he was surprised that Kit understood. “I don’t ever want to not be talking again,”
Kit made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a breath of relief.
“Oh, Sherlock,” he said, smirking like a true Herondale. “We are never not talking again,”