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The first time it happens it’s an accident.
Alec is very very drunk. After their anniversary dinner Magnus had somehow coaxed Alec onto the terrace for celebratory drinks, clinking his glass with Magnus’ as the warlock had smiled slightly at him and whispered,
“To us.”
He hadn’t been able to protest after that really.
He doesn’t know how he ended up getting spectacularly drunk, hanging off of Magnus’ arm as the older man laughed and held him upright. All he knows is that he feels like he’s floating and Magnus’ arm around his waist is a welcome warmth.
“You’re such a lightweight,” Magnus grins, pulling Alec down to sit next to him.
Alec lays his head, which feels like a ton, down on Magnus’ shoulder and furrows his eyebrows in protest. He might not be as good at holding his alcohol as Magnus but that didn’t mean he was a lightweight. He’s had at least 4 drinks. Or was it 2? He can’t remember.
“Am not”
“Whatever you say Alexander”
Alec hums and revels in the warmth of the other man as he runs his fingers through Alec’s hair. In his drunken state Alec purrs at the contact and lets his eyes roam Magnus’ figure lazily.
Magnus is always beautiful but today he looks especially gorgeous. His hair has a streak of red through it and he’s wearing a dark suit that brings out his eyes in the moonlight. Alec can’t look away and frankly he doesn’t particularly want to, to be honest.”
For once in his life he is absolutely, completely, and irrevocably happy. He and Magnus still have shit going on around them, a war to fight, people who want one or both of them dead, but at the moment Alec doesn’t care. He has Magnus holding him here on the terrace, smiling down at him with his cat like eyes, glitter reflecting the light from the moon. Alec doesn’t really need anything else. He wants to stay like this, in this moment with Magnus, happiness pooling in his chest, and arms around his waist, forever.
He’s drunk, his inhibitions are lowered, so he blurts it out before his brain can tell him not to.
“Magnus,” he says urgently.
“Yes darling?”
“I wanna be with you for the rest of my life” he says quickly but surely, placing a sloppy kiss onto the warlocks neck.
Magnus chuckles,
“You’re quite drunk aren’t you Alexander.”
Alec shakes his head vehemently in disagreement,
“No, no I mean it. M’ gonna marry you so hard.”
His words are slurred together but he can tell Magnus understands what he’s saying when he looks at him with amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Alexander Lightwood,” he pushes Alec’s shoulder lightly, which almost makes Alec topple off the chair before he catches himself by holding onto Magnus’ jacket, “are you proposing to me?”
Alec looks at Magnus, trying to remain serious but the alcohol running through his veins paired with the silly smile Magnus is giving him makes him unsuccessful. He giggles and leans closer, breath getting caught in his throat. Magnus really is looking very pretty tonight. He holds onto the warlock’s forearm to keep his balance.
“That depends” he says, “if I was, would you say yes?” He tries to kiss Magnus’ lips then but ends up missing and kissing his cheek instead.
Magnus rolls his eyes fondly before kissing him on the mouth and smiling.
“You should probably try again when you’re sober, but either way, my answer would be yes.” He smiles, “that is, if that was a proposal.”
Alec’s heart bursts out of his chest at that and he actually does fall out of his chair this time.
Magnus, with his glitter and his beauty, and his kindness, wants to marry him, Alec Lightwood, a clumsy Shadowhunter that stutters through half of his conversations. He can’t believe this.
He stays crumpled on the floor next to Magnus in shock.
“By the Angel, he said yes,” he mutters to himself in disbelief.
“You’re even more clumsy when you’re drunk.” Magnus laughs before picking Alec up and helping him inside.
***
The second time, Alec is sober enough to actually mean it.
Alec rubs a hand over his bleary eyes as he wakes up and groans in pain at the wound on his left side.
The first thing he sees once his vision clears is Magnus’ body curled into a chair by the bed.
He smiles at the sleeping figure. Magnus is still in his dress clothes for the date they were supposed to go on before they had been oh so rudely interrupted by a group of demons. His hair is flopping over his forehead rather than spiked up though and he looks so very soft, if Alec had the energy to move he might have climbed into the warlocks lap.
Alec grins as Magnus stirs slightly, eyelashes fluttering as his eyes blink open.
As soon as he sees Alec awake, he’s out of the chair and leaning on the side of his bed.
“Oh thank god,” he murmurs before pressing a kiss into Alec’s hair. Alec leans into the touch and smiles at the familiar scent of his boyfriend.
“What happened?” Alec asks, eyes closed.
“The demons surprised us, one got you pretty badly on your left side. The iratze helped a bit but you’ve been out for a couple hours.”
Alec finches as he scoots over on the bed to make space for Magnus. He moves his hand to his side as pain shoots up his torso.
“I can see that,” he says through a grimace.
When they are both comfortably tangled with each other on the bed, Magnus lays his head on Alec’s shoulder.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again, you hear me?”
Alec chuckles lightly.
“That’s what you get for dating a Shadowhunter.”
Magnus rolls his eyes and Alec rests his head on top of the older man’s.
“I can’t believe I let some stupid demons ruin our date.”
Magnus burrows his head deeper into Alec’s neck and grabs Alec’s hand, playing idly with his fingers.
“Hmm, I don’t know, I like this a lot better than a fancy dinner anyway.”
Alec is hit with a warmth in his chest that he never wants to go away. What he has with Magnus is just something he’d never expected he’d ever have. He never expected to ever be so happy by something as small as one person. He never expected someone to care so much about him. He never expected Magnus, but he’s so glad he has him and god he wants to keep him forever. He wants to keep this forever.
He wants to tell Magnus all of it, everything he’s feeling, but he’s never been good with words.
So instead he turns and kisses the warlock softly before smiling and whispering into the space between them.
“You’ll marry me one day won’t you?” He searches Magnus’ eyes for some sort of response and sees them shining back at him. “When this war is over, when everything and their grandmother aren’t out to kill us. Will you marry me then?”
He can see the emotion in Magnus’ eyes and has to gulp back his own.
“Oh Alexander,” Magnus smiles, “there’s always going to be a war, but I’d marry you anyway.”
Alec feels his heart start beating ten times faster than it was before. Magnus Bane just said he’d marry him. The High Warlock of Brooklyn wants to marry him.
“Alexander you are the love of my life, I’d marry you any day.”
Alec is very stuck. He doesn’t know what to say. While he is terrible with words, Magnus is decidedly not.
He’s saved from having to reply when Magnus tackles him with a hug and then a kiss to his lips.
***
The third time Alec actually has a ring.
He walks into the loft to find Magnus sitting on the couch flipping through a book.
Alec had planned to stay at the Institute until their date that night but he’d finished up his work early and he wanted to see his boyfriend.
He shrugs off his jacket before turning to look at Magnus fully.
“Alexander,” he says setting his book down and smiling at him.
Alec smiles back softly. Magnus is still in his pajamas, his face clear of any makeup. He looks unfairly soft and young in the morning sunlight as he looks up at him.
“I’m glad you’re here. I need your help deciding what to wear tonight. I was thinking about that suit, you know the one that matches your eyes-”
Alec is barely listening. Instead he’s trying to memorize the soft familiarity in the air and the sound of the warlock’s voice as he talks. He can’t help but be overwhelmed by how much he loves this man. The box with the ring feels heavy in his pocket.
He’d been planning to propose tonight. After dinner in Tokyo and a walk around the city. Jace and Izzy had helped him plan the whole thing and he’d nervously placed the Lightwood family ring into the box this morning with a determination in his veins. It was going to be perfect.
Looking at Magnus now though, book left forgotten on the couch, hands gesturing wildly as he spoke and smile lighting up his face, Alec couldn’t think of a more perfect moment than this one.
“Magnus-” he chokes out before sinking into one knee.
Magnus turns, his voice trailing off as he sees Alec kneeling on the floor.
“Oh.”
Alec’s throat goes dry and he’s suddenly very nervous. This is big, no it’s huge. He takes a breath to try and calm himself before pulling the ring out of his pocket with shaking hands. He fumbles with the box for a second before producing the ring and finally looking back at his boyfriend, breathing shallow.
“Well,” Magnus grins down at Alec, “I was wondering when you’d finally put a ring on it.”
Alec feels himself smile despite himself and he feels less anxious than he had a few seconds ago. Somehow Magnus always knows what he needs without him ever saying it.
“Shut up, you’re ruining my proposal.”
Magnus lifts his hands in surrender.
“By all means, do go on.”
His eyes are twinkling and Alec can’t stop a happy chuckle from escaping him as he looks up at Magnus.
He clears his throat before continuing.
“Magnus, I never thought in a million years I would ever find something, um someone who makes me as happy as you make me.”
He feels his confidence growing with each word, “Falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done in my life. You make me stronger, you make me unafraid to be who I am, and most importantly you make me happier than I ever thought I would be. I don’t want any of that to end. Ever. I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you’ve made me. Raziel knows you deserve it. So,” Alec takes a deep breath, there’s no going back now, “Magnus Bane, will you marry me?”
He looks up at Magnus and smiles shyly,
and gasps when Magnus’ strong hands pull him up to his feet and he almost drops the ring in his surprise. When he looks down at the warlock he’s surprised to find tears pooling in his eyes.
“Magnus-”
He’s cut off with a finger to his lips and then Magnus’ lips are ghosting his. Alec exhales shakily into the space between them. He’s never quite gotten used to the burn that ignites in his chest every time Magnus is this close.
“Alexander Lightwood,” he whispers against Alec’s lips, and Alec has to to hold back a shudder as his breath makes his lips tingle, “it would be my honor.”
Alec stands frozen because what? Did Magnus just say yes?
He doesn’t know why he’s so surprised. He’d known he would say yes, it’s just that there was a small part in the back of his mind that had been scared. After all Magnus was hundreds of years old, been with countless other people before Alec and he’d never married, what made Alec any different?
“I- er, really?” He stutters out and Magnus rolls his eyes
“Yes you idiot,” he slaps Alec’s arm lightly before pecking him on the lips, “did you really think I’d say no?”
“I, um, I don’t know, I didn’t want to assume-”
Magnus cuts him off with a kiss that is more a clash of teeth than anything else since neither of them can stop smiling.
“I love you.” Magnus says as they pull apart and Alec grins, “but you really are stupid Alexander, what made you think I’d say no? I’ve already accepted your offer of marriage twice before. Or have you forgotten?”
Alec feels himself blush before he steps closer and grabs Magnus’ hand.
“Shut up,” he mumbles and slips the ring onto Magnus’ finger, next to the assortment of other rings.
Magnus examines his hand for a moment before looking at Alec with a grin that sends Alec’s stomach swooping in happiness.
“Third time’s the charm.”