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Above them the sky is slowly growing dark, the sun setting behind the horizon in the distance, the birds singing their song of another day gone by. All around them the conversation is going steadily and soft laughter spills into the air, the lively sound of silverware against porcelain almost nonexistent at this point.
Alec knows he should probably be paying more attention to what's going on around him but all he can focus on is the thumb repeatedly sweeping over the golden ring on his finger or the way Magnus’ eyes crinkle every time he smiles at him. It makes the buzzing feeling in his stomach intensify and he's pretty sure he's going to vibrate out of his own skin before the night is over.
It still feels so surreal, like a fragment of his imagination, as if sitting here with the love of his life by his side, floating on clouds of pure happiness because they just got married isn't something that happens to people in real life.
He tears his gaze away from his husband for a moment, eyes wandering as he takes in their surroundings for what feels like the hundredth time that day.
The meadow they had settled for as the backdrop for the reception looks like something out of a fantasy world. There are lanterns hung from the trees surrounding the small piece of land, thousands of fairy lights draped between the beams of the wooden pergola above them shining like stars against the night sky.
Their families and friends are all present, the most important people in their lives gathered to celebrate them, their love, and the home he and Magnus have found in each other.
It's perfect.
Speaking of which.
Alec looks back at Magnus, breath catching in his throat just like it did the first time he laid eyes on him and he feels like the luckiest man in the world.
“I love you,” he says, leaning in closer to Magnus despite them already being pressed together at the shoulder.
Magnus chuckles, a warm and joyous sound that makes Alec's heart beat just a little bit faster, before capturing his mouth in a short but soft kiss. “I love you, too.”
Neither of them manages to say another word before they're interrupted by a loud noise coming from the speakers suspended around the room.
“Hello?” a voice suddenly says testing the sound. “Oh, good, it works.”
On the small stage in the corner of the seating area, Jace is standing by the microphone with a lopsided smile on his face.
“I know what you're all thinking,” he says, looking out at the guests before letting his eyes fall on Alec, “wasn't it enough to embarrass my brother with my speech earlier this evening?”
His words cause an eruption of laughter to spread throughout the crowd, and Alec can't help but shake his head fondly at the memory of Jace's little montage of awkward stories from their childhood and youth that had entertained everyone greatly only an hour ago.
“I promise I'll be nice,” he continues, the expression on his face changing into something more genuine, ”there's just one little thing we'd like to do before letting you guys have the floor for your first dance.”
“The thing is,” he says, addressing the rest of the guests as he lifts the microphone stand and moves it to one side of the stage. “About a month ago or so, I found Alec sprawled over the desk in his office with dozens of crumpled pieces of paper around him, looking like he hadn't slept in days.”
Alec narrows his eyes slightly, wondering where Jace is going with this as he's pretty sure this is not another embarrassing story.
“I asked him what he was doing and told me with a deep sigh that he was trying to write his speech for today, that none of the words seemed to really capture all of the things he felt, and he asked me why it was so difficult before crumbling yet another piece of paper and throwing it towards the trash can.”
Beside Alec, Magnus laughs and squeezes his hand. He probably remembers the day Alec finally finished the speech, snuggling close to Magnus as he grumbled something about hoping Jace never got married because he refused to write another speech ever again.
“I remember the last thing you said to me before I left your office that night.” Jace’s focus is back on Alec, this part of his little speech aimed directly at the grooms. “You said ‘Loving Magnus is the easiest thing I've ever done, so maybe it's okay if writing this speech takes a little more effort.’”
He paused for a moment, letting the inevitable ‘aaaaaw’ spread across the room.
Alec feels Magnus leaning closer, the already present warmth beside him pressing against him, and he tears his eyes away from Jace for a moment to look at his husband. He meets Magnus’ eyes and it looks like he's close to tearing up, not for the first time that day, and at the same time, he wants to tell Alec how sappy he is. In the end, Magnus just leans in to press his lips against Alec before focusing back on Jace.
“Before you got to that conclusion, however, you said something about how much easier it would be if you knew how to play an instrument,” Jace goes on with his usual smirk back on his face, a sign that he's finally getting to the point of his little story. “Because even if it wouldn't be your words, there were still songs that could express exactly how you were feeling.”
Magnus nudges Alec with his shoulder but when Alec glances at him this time, there's an amused look in his eyes. He nods to the opposite side of the stage from where Jace is standing.
When Alec follows his line of sight he sees Simon standing with his guitar slung over his shoulder. Behind him, Izzy and Max and Clary are carrying what he's pretty sure is Jace's keyboard, and they're all grinning in his and Magnus’ direction.
“Well, since you ended up sticking with the speech, we thought we'd sing you guys a song instead,” Jace finishes off before helping out the others set everything up.
Alec almost can't believe what he's seeing.
After his siblings and their significant others are done preparing everything, including a small row of microphones, Alec spots Luke at the side of the stage where Jace had been standing a few moments ago. He's helping Maia and Alec's mother onto the stage, and they're soon followed by Ragnor, Cat, and Raphael who are all looking at Magnus with amusement written all over their face.
Only two weeks before the wedding, the three of them had spent the evening at the loft, and Alec is sure that Magnus, too, remembers how they repeatedly had insisted that they wouldn't be getting on any stage to entertain an entire party, not even for him. That clearly wasn't true, and when Alec looks at Magnus, it's obvious that he hadn't expected this turn of events either.
The first notes of the song fill the air and Alec quickly shifts his focus back to their family and friends. He doesn't immediately recognise the song but as soon as Jace starts singing the first line, it hits him, and he can't stop the smile that spreads across his face.
It's the song that played in the background as they danced the night away during their weekend getaway for their first anniversary. It's the song Alec has been singing to Magnus while goofing around in their kitchen every Sunday morning since he proposed, telling Magnus again and again how he couldn’t wait to spend the next many many centuries by his side.
It's their song, and he can hear the lighthearted chuckle that escapes Magnus the moment he realises it as well.
Jace and Simon carry them through the first part of the song, the melody and their voices mixing in a sweet, almost peaceful duet.
It isn't until the chorus that the rest of their friends and family joins in, but as soon as Alec hears them, as soon as he sees the smile on his mother's face, sees the way Magnus’ found family mixes right in with the rest, he can feel the tears welling up in his eyes.
you make my heart feel like it's summer
when the rain is pouring down
you make my whole world feel so right when it's wrong
that's how I know you are the one
that's why I know you are the one
After everything that day, Alec didn't think he could possibly get any happier but when he looks at Magnus, who's looking back at him with pure joy and tears flowing as freely as Alec's, he's pretty sure the euphoric feeling coursing through his veins is only going to get more intense as the evening goes by.
He lets out a quiet laugh, still not quite able to believe his luck as he rests his head on Magnus’ shoulder, and looks back up at the stage. He feels Magnus press his lips to the top of his head before resting his own against it, and he can't help but wish they could stay like this forever.
when we are together you make me feel
like my mind is free and my dreams are reachable
you know I never ever believed in love
or believed one day that you would come along and free me
For the next couple of minutes, Alec lets himself enjoy the rest of the song, revelling in the warm feeling inside him as well as the warmth radiating from Magnus’ solid body against his.
As soon as they the song, he and Magnus are out of their seats and begin to make their way towards the stage as applause erupts all around them. He loses Magnus somewhere in the crowd but before he can even look around, he’s being squeezed flat between all three of his siblings, all of them laughing as they asked if he liked their little surprise.
He slowly makes his way around, thanking everybody for the song, for coming to the reception, for being part of their lives. The last person he gets to is his mother who - like Alec himself - looks like she has been crying on and off since she came to talk to him before the wedding ceremony.
“Please, don’t cry or I’ll never stop,” he laughs as he wraps his arms around her and hugs her close. He can hear the small sniffle followed by a laugh coming from her as she runs her hands soothingly across his back before pulling back enough to look at him.
“I’m just happy for you, Alec,” she replies, bringing a hand up to brush away the tears on his cheeks. She lets it rest there for a moment, thumb sweeping lightly over his cheekbone as she smiles at him. Then, something behind him catches her eye and she gives him one last smile before taking a step back and letting him go.
Before he can turn around, a strong pair of arms are wrapped around his waist and he's immediately hit with the sweet scent of Magnus’ cologne. Closing his eyes, he leans into the embrace and just as he's about to ask Magnus if he's ready for their first dance, he hears him humming softly. It's the melody of the song from before and Alec decides that they can wait a few more minutes as he lets Magnus sway him gently where they stand.