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"What are you wearing?" Isabelle's voice appeared out of nowhere, causing Alec to jump and turn around. She had somehow managed to get into his room, which was extremely concerning for multiple reasons, the first being that she wasn't a Hufflepuff.
"How did you get in here?" Alec retorted, then looked down at his outfit self-consciously, smoothing down his shirt. "And what's wrong with my outfit? It's no different from what I usually wear."
"Exactly my point," Isabelle replied, rolling her eyes and stepping further into the room. The fact that she didn't answer his first question did not go over Alec's head, but he decided to let it go, well aware that Isabelle had a way of getting everything she wanted. "This isn't just another day at school, it's Magnus' birthday. You need to wow him."
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that," Alec said, glaring at her. "Magnus has never complained about my clothing choices before."
"Yeah, well that just proves how much he loves you," Isabelle said, her voice airy. She pushed past Alec and began to rummage through his closet, throwing things on the floor as she went.
"Do you mind? I have to meet him in ten minutes." Alec crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot impatiently. There was a small flash of light and a whisper, and suddenly Isabelle had a forest green shirt in her hands.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed, turning around to face her brother and holding the shirt out for him. He eyed it warily before taking it, making sure there was no obnoxious design on it. Deep down he knew that Isabelle had a good eye when it came to style, but his stubbornness held him back from giving her the satisfaction of dressing him most of the time.
"Did you just turn one of my shirts green?" Alec asked suspiciously, holding the shirt up to examine it more thoroughly. It was the same cut as all of his other black shirts, and he was sure he had never bought a green shirt for himself in his life.
"Of course not," Isabelle said, a faux offended tone saturating the words. "Now put it on so you can go surprise your boyfriend."
She backed out of the room with a large grin on her face, and Alec watched in defeat. He stared at the shirt for a few more seconds once she was gone, before taking his current one off and replacing it with the green one. He would never say so if his sister asked, but he was somewhat curious as to how Magnus would react to him wearing color for once. It was not something that he usually did. Black was practical, something that hid stains and matched everything. But as he pulled the shirt over his head and looked in the mirror, he had to admit that it didn't look horrible.
Magnus and Alec had been dating for almost a year by that point, and everyone at Hogwarts knew it. The start of their relationship had been marked by a very public kiss during dinner one night, which resulted in Alec receiving a howler from his parents about how displeased they were. Luckily, Alec was away from home most of the time anyway, so he didn't have to deal with their disapproval on a daily basis. The truth was, that year with Magnus by his side had been the best of Alec's life so far, and he planned on there being many more to come.
With one last look in the mirror, Alec grabbed his wand and the small bag that contained Magnus' gifts and went on his way, feeling suddenly jittery. Buying Magnus gifts was difficult, because no matter how hard Alec tried, nothing seemed good enough. How could he buy something worthy enough of the person who made him happier than anything else in the world?
He halted his thoughts when he almost tripped down the steps, and instead focused on getting to his destination. He was supposed to meet Magnus right outside of the main entrance to the castle, and then they were going to have a nice picnic by the edge of the lake. It was somewhat of a tradition, seeing as it was what they did on their first date. Things had always been simple between them, easier than most things in their lives. That was the part that Alec loved the most, being able to love so easily, to give a part of himself to someone else without a second thought, because he wanted to. There had never been much room for that before he got to Hogwarts, and especially not before he met Magnus. He was no longer afraid to be himself.
Before he knew it, Alec was face to face with his boyfriend, whose eyes were wide. He looked Alec up and down appreciatively, reaching forward to take his hand almost absentmindedly as a smile spread across his face. "Wearing one of my house colors on my birthday. You really are a charmer," he said.
A feeling of fondness that always appeared when he was around Magnus flooded Alec's chest, and he leaned forward, kissing his boyfriend briefly. "You're the only Slytherin I'd risk my reputation for. Happy birthday," he said quietly when he pulled back, and Magnus positively beamed at him. The expression was enough to make Alec's legs buckle, but he managed to stay standing, tugging on Magnus' hand and heading towards the lake.
"So, what's in the bag?" Magnus asked nonchalantly, and Alec rolled his eyes.
"You'll just have to wait and see," he replied teasingly, and Magnus pretended to pout.
The blanket and food had already been set out. Alec had to beg Jace to do it, and only convinced him after getting Simon on his side, who had gushed about how romantic it was and then proceeded to ask Jace why he never did things like that. It had been very entertaining to watch them bicker, but Alec was secretly happy that they were together. Despite the fact that they were disgustingly handsy and had no problem with constant public displays of affection, Alec was content because he knew that Jace had never been happier with anyone else.
Magnus and Alec sat on the blanket, their shoulders touching as they ate and talked about their days. Magnus had received a new makeup palette from Catarina and a first edition book from Ragnor for his birthday, and with each passing second Alec got more and more nervous. His gifts were nothing in comparison to the ones that Magnus had already gotten. He should've listened to Isabelle and went all out, even if it felt like he was overdoing it.
"So, do I get to open my gift now?" Magnus asked, a soft smile on his face, and Alec's stomach felt uneasy as he nodded. He slowly reached forward and grabbed the small bag, handing it over to his boyfriend. Magnus immediately tugged the tissue paper out of the bag and threw it on the ground, and his eagerness was almost enough to make Alec laugh and forget his nerves. Almost. He pulled out the three small items and Alec watched as he studied them.
"That," Alec said, gesturing to the small red charm in Magnus' left hand, "is an omamori charm. It's supposed to bring you luck and protection. I got it when we snuck out and disapparated to Tokyo."
Magnus brushed his thumb across the fabric, the smile on his face fading, and Alec began to panic. He wished that he could read his boyfriend's mind so that he would know for sure how he felt about it. "And I think the rings are pretty self-explanatory." They were both silver and somewhat thick, each engraved with one of Magnus' initials.
With each silent second Alec became more and more disheartened as he took in Magnus' slight frown and lack of words. He should've known that he would be horrible at picking out gifts, he should have-
"Alexander." Arms wrapped around his neck as Magnus flung himself into Alec's lap, and he just barely managed to stay upright. He snaked his arms around Magnus' waist as his boyfriend hugged him tightly. "This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you." Magnus pulled back to look at him and Alec was shocked to see tears in his eyes. The smile adorning his face was so bright that Alec couldn't help but laugh in relief, pressing their foreheads together. Magnus tilted his head after a moment and kissed him slowly, and Alec's head spun. He had been worrying over what to give Magnus for weeks, and he had succeeded in picking the right things.
He had never been more proud of himself in his life than he was in that moment.
They stayed next to the lake, wrapped up in their own little bubble of happiness until the sun set, then walked hand in hand back to the castle. They ignored the various sounds coming from the Forbidden Forest and the snickers of their fellow classmates as they went, completely focused on each other, and instead of parting ways, Alec snuck Magnus up to his dormitory, his heart racing all the while. The cool metal of the rings- which now had a set place on Magnus' fingers- and the sight of the omamori charm sticking out of his boyfriend's pocket filled Alec with so much joy that he was unsure how he ever lived before then.
He fell asleep curled around Magnus that night, and although he knew he would be endlessly teased by the rest of his dorm mates the next day, he couldn't bring himself to care, because every second with Magnus was worth it.