Chapter Text
Epilogue
June - Four Months Later
Magnus
The first time Magnus Bane saw his boyfriend wearing makeup, he was at a loss for words. Izzy had painted the pride flag on both of Alec's cheeks, and she had brought out his blue eyes even more by putting on a generous amount of black eyeliner.
"I look weird," Alec said after examining himself in the mirror for several seconds. "Like a clown."
"A hot clown," Magnus joked, resting his chin on Alec's shoulder. He whispered in Alec's ear, "You look sexy, Alexander."
Alec's cheeks turned bright red—so bright that Izzy wouldn't need to brush any blush on them.
"Get a room," Jace yelled from the sofa before Clary scolded him to keep his eyes closed. She had convinced him to let her paint a pride flag on his right cheek and was wearing several rainbow-colored necklaces.
From the corner of Magnus's living room, came a meow. Magnus bent down and picked up the Chairman and The Great Catsby in each hand.
"They're excited, too," Magnus said. Alec reached over and scratched The Great Catsby on the head. "I'd bring them with us, but the noise and the people might freak them out."
"Everyone, look!" Madzie's voice called from the other room. There was the sound of light footsteps on the hardwood, and she emerged from the hallway. Her nails were rainbow-striped with a heart on the ring finger. Blue and purple ribbons were threaded through her pigtails, and she had a large grin on her face.
"Hey, sweet pea!" Magnus picked her up and swung her around in a circle, and she shrieked, her eyes lighting up with delight.
"You're so good with nail polish, Catarina," Izzy sighed enviously. "I don't know why, but that's the one thing about makeup that I can't do well."
Catarina smiled modestly. "Thank you, Isabelle." Like everyone else, she was completely decked out in rainbow.
Magnus looked around the room and felt a sudden appreciation for his friends. Every other time he'd gone to a pride parade, Camille had come, and she'd always acted like it was something she had to do and post on Instagram to gain likes and followers and to hear people tell her how great it was that she was a supporter of the community.
"Thank you," Magnus said.
"What for?" Jace asked.
Magnus smiled. "For being such great friends."
A chorus of "aww" overlapped one another. They seemed to come from everyone except Jace.
"Sorry," he said, shrugging. He let out a fake cough. "I'm allergic to sentimentality."
"Jerk," Clary said, but there was no bite in her voice.
"Are we ready?" Alec asked, looking around the room. Simon picked up the stack of posters from the corner of the room and nodded.
"This is so exciting!" Simon squeaked.
Alec
He could hear the music from the parade when they were still four blocks away. Alec knew he didn't do well with crowds, but he wanted to be here. He was out now, and he wasn't ashamed of it anymore. What better way than to go to a pride parade to openly show his support for the community?
"Okay, who wants this sign?" Simon asked, already having to talk louder to be heard over the music. He held up the poster that said: IF GOD HATES GAYS, THEN WHY ARE WE CUTE? Magnus had come up with the words, and Clary had sketched it with bright bubbly letters.
"I do!" Alec volunteered. He noticed their surprised looks and suddenly felt self-conscious.
"I'm loving that confidence, Alec!" Simon cheered, handing the poster to Alec. "Okay, I wanna hold this one."
The next poster said: MAY THE FORESKIN BE WITH YOU. Jace had actually been the one to come up with that one. Alec figured it was meant to be sarcastic, but everyone had liked it. Simon especially had been delighted with the Star Wars reference.
"It is a great poster," Izzy agreed. She bumped her brother. "Thanks, Jace!" She grinned at his annoyed expression.
"I guess that leaves Jace and Clary and Catarina and Madzie to argue over who gets the last poster," Simon said. "Just a quick fight to the death."
Jace flexed his muscles. "Let's go, then," he said.
Catarina chuckled and wrapped an arm protectively around Madzie's shoulders. "We have our own little sign," she said. Madzie waved a poster that she had obviously made herself. Alec squinted and was able to make out the words "LOVE IS LOVE."
"I made it myself," Madzie said proudly. "And I used all the crayons in my art box."
"Look at our future artist," Magnus said, and Madzie began skipping faster down the street.
"Madz, wait!" Cat yelled, and she began chasing after her daughter.
"C'mon!" Alec yelled, and he began to run down after Cat. Laughing, Simon handed the poster board off to Jace and Clary and followed him. Alec had never felt freer.
Magnus
To nobody's surprise, Jace had beaten all of them to Cat and Madzie. Not that it was a race, or anything. Alec had come in a close second, and Magnus, Izzy, and Clary all tied for third. Simon was last with tiny beads of sweat lining his forehead.
"I have got to join a gym," Simon wheezed, putting both hands on his knees.
"We can join a gym together!" Izzy suggested brightly, and Simon's eyes grew wide with pure, unadulterated fear.
"Why, that sounds like a fabulous idea," Magnus chuckled. He was also slightly out of breath, but he was doing a good job at hiding it.
Looking around, Magnus noticed Alec staring at the crowd of people walking together and dancing. "What do we do now?" he asked, and they all turned to Magnus with questioning looks. It made him feel very important.
Magnus shrugged. "Just join in!" He grabbed Alec's hand and pulled him in the midst of the crowd. "Hold up the sign," Magnus instructed. "That's the whole point of having one."
"Oh." Alec looked and sounded like a lost puppy. "Okay." He slowly held up the sign and smiled. "Okay," he repeated.
"This is insane!" Clary yelled over the noise. "And I love it!"
Magnus looked behind them and noticed Simon waving the sign back and forth with such enthusiasm that he almost hit several people in the head. Jace was also holding up a sign which read simply: LOVE HEALS. Alec had come up with that one. Below the words, Clary had drawn a heart with stitching and band-aids on it.
"I have to admit," Jace shouted, "this is actually pretty cool. You know, seeing everyone come together like this and knowing there's a whole community of people who understands what you've been through or are currently going through, and who are willing to be there for you."
"Now who's getting sentimental?" Clary teased. There were tears in her eyes.
Half-expecting a snappy comeback, Magnus was surprised when Jace looked straight at him. "Thank you for being there for my brother." His voice was dead serious.
Magnus bit his lip to try and hold back his tears of happiness. "There's no other place I'd rather be." He kissed Alec hard on the mouth. "Aku cinta kamu," he whispered against Alec's lips.
"What does that mean?" Alec whispered back.
"It means 'I love you' in Indonesian," Magnus answered.
"Aku cinta kamu," Alec responded clumsily, tripping over the foreign words.
Alec
It was a while until Alec noticed the protestors. They held signs with Bible verses on them, and their faces were angry.
"Magnus..." Alec trailed off, pointing to the group.
"Don't pay any attention to them," Magnus said, clutching Alec's hand tighter.
"Bastards," Jace cursed, glaring at the crowd.
"Why are they here?" Alec asked. He knew that before him, his parents would've likely been a part of that crowd.
"There will always be haters, Alexander," Magnus said fiercely. "There will always be people who disapprove of us and try to make us feel ashamed of ourselves. Don't. Let. Them. Win."
Alec let out a shaky breath and raised the poster higher, ignoring his already aching arms. "I've let those kind of people win for too long," he said. "No more."
Magnus's words echoed in Alec's head as he looked around at his friends who were not part of the LGBTQ+ community themselves, but were there being their crazy, supporting selves nonetheless.
Never in a million years would Alec have thought that he would attend a pride parade. Yet here he was. Maybe that was proof that anything was possible.