For a few seconds, Alec could only think of how he used to like Jace, mentally flailing and blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "Are you going to try to kiss me again?"

Wait... no. That wasn't what Jace meant. This wasn't about Alec's teenage crush. Or Alec being in denial over his relationship with Magnus. This was something else that he didn't quite understand.

"I never stopped liking you, Jace. I was hurt but that didn't mean I liked you less or that I didn't love you." He'd tried to keep that hurt from Jace. He still did, not wanting his parabatai to feel guily for falling in love. "Why would you think I like you more in the future?"

But he couldn't help thinking of the moment when Jace had confessed how important Alec was to him. How lost he'd been without his parabatai. "I think things became easier after the second war. We went back to fighting demons, keeping an eye on the Institute. Things were normal again."