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Magnus left the room for five minutes, tops. He went back to the kitchen to make sure dinner was ready to be served and returned immediately . Alexander had been fine, and Magnus hadn’t thought five minutes would change that.
“Darling,” he starts slowly, carefully. He gestures towards the bottle of white wine on the table and raises a delicate eyebrow. “Wasn’t that bottle full ten minutes ago?”
Alexander glances at him confusedly, scrunching up his nose adorably and tilting his head as he observes the bottle Magnus is pointing at. He looks from the bottle to the empty glass in his hand and then back to Magnus. As soon as he spots his husband again, a dopey grin appears on his face.
The bottle on the table is half empty, and Magnus knows exactly where all that wine went.
“It’s good,” Alec smiles sheepishly, reaching for the bottle again. Before he can get his hands on it, Magnus snaps his fingers and the wine appears in his hands. Alec gapes at the empty spot in front of him for a moment before turning back towards Magnus and narrowing his eyes at him. “Why’d you do that? There’s still plenty left for me and anyone else who wants some.”
“I’m aware of that, darling,” Magnus shakes his head fondly. “However, we have guests coming over in less than ten minutes and you’re already drunk. I’m quite sure if you have any more wine you’ll either throw up or pass out. I’d rather avoid both of those things, so how about you have some water instead?”
“You’re not fun,” Alec pouts, and Magnus almost coos at how cute his husband looks right now. Alexander is going to regret this so much tomorrow morning. “You’re going to make me watch everyone else drink the fancy, nice wine, but not let me have any? I didn’t know I’d married such a cruel man, babe.”
This time, Magnus snorts. The pet name is so unusual and ridiculous coming from Alec’s lips, and clearly half a bottle of wine is a lot more than his foolish husband can handle.
“Poor dear,” he answers, snapping his fingers a second time and staring pointedly at the glass of water that appears in Alec’s hands. His husband glares at him for a few seconds longer but sips at the glass anyways, looking incredibly put out all along. “I hope you know the girls are going to be merciless, darling. You should enjoy that water whilst you can.”
Alec huffs but gulps down the last few sips, grimacing as he finishes. Maybe Magnus should have told him to go slowly, but he’s not feeling particularly gracious towards Alexander. That wine was expensive and now half of it was wasted on his drunk husband who probably didn’t even appreciate it to its fullest extent.
The doorbell rings loud and clear in the loft and Magnus hurries towards the door before Alexander even realises what’s going on. There is no way Magnus is letting him take the lead tonight, especially since this will be Catarina’s first time meeting Alec. So much for good first impressions.
By the time he reaches the entrance, the girls have already invited themselves in. He rolls his eyes at them but doesn’t say anything about their lack of manners. They all know they’re welcome in his home and take full advantage of the fact. Perhaps if it were only the shadowhunter ladies, they would have waited outside, but with Catarina there? He’s not surprised they’ve already invaded his and Alexander’s space.
“Oh please, make yourselves at home,” he greets them, smiling as their gazes snap towards him as one. The next few minutes are a flurry of hugs and ‘how are you’s and ‘thank you’s, and before he knows it, they’re heading towards the living room.
“So, Alec’s probably waiting in there,” Magnus says, stopping a few steps away from the room. “He’s also had half a bottle of wine already, so he’s more than a little bit tipsy. Keep that in mind when he starts attacking you with hugs and compliments and obnoxiously loud laughter.”
“Oh my god,” Isabelle grins delightedly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Are you telling me dinner hasn’t even started and Alec is already drunk? I am so glad I cancelled my evening patrol for this.”
“I wasn’t even aware Alec drank,” Clary says, trying to glance around Magnus to catch a glimpse of his tipsy husband. “Wait, did you say hugs and compliments? Is Alec a happy drunk?”
“He’s the best drunk,” Lydia smirks. Magnus can tell there’s a story there, but he figures they have plenty of time to bring it up in Alexander’s presence. He’s curious as to what his husband might have to say about his past inebriated states. “If I had known it was one of those nights, I would have brought a camera with me. I guess he was really nervous about meeting Catarina, huh?”
They all turn to look at the blue-skinned warlock, who’s staring at them bemusedly. Magnus feels a little bit bad this is going to be their first meeting; he’s told Catarina all about his confident, self-controlled husband, and now she’s going to get hit with the exact opposite.
“She shouldn’t have taken so long to come over,” Magnus shrugs, ignoring his best friend's outraged gasp. She spent the last few years travelling around the world, helping people in need, and she’s only just gotten back. Magnus invited her to meet Alexander as soon as possible. “I promise you’ll still love him, even if he’s not exactly himself right now.”
“I’d argue that he’s completely himself right now,” Lydia corrects. “Just… A little bit looser. This is going to be the best night ever.”
“I think Alexander might disagree,” Magnus snorts. His husband is going to be a pain to deal with tomorrow, once he’s hungover and annoyed and embarrassed about everything he’s about to do and say. “However, I have to admit there’s nothing quite as enjoyable as watching my husband profess his love for everything that moves.”
Not wanting to delay the inevitable any longer, Magnus walks into the living room, unsurprised to find Alec sitting exactly where he left him. He’s dressed handsomely but comfortably, and there’s a dazed look on his face that makes Magnus melt. He looks beautiful, and Magnus wants nothing more than to embrace him and soak in his husband’s drunken happiness.
“Alexander,” he calls out. The way his husband perks up at the sound of his voice does not make him swoon, thank you very much. He just finds it cute, that’s all. “The girls are here, so we should get dinner started.”
Alec nods easily, standing up and kissing Magnus’ cheek before sitting down at one end of the table. Magnus raises his hand to his face and shakes his head, bewildered, before taking his seat across from Alexander. The girls immediately join them, Lydia and Isabelle on one side, Clary and Catarina on the other. The girls are grinning like loons, looking between Magnus and Alec with raised eyebrows.
A snap of his fingers later, Magnus has the food on the table, ready to be plated. Everyone takes a few moments to grab spoonfuls of whatever they like most and, for an instant, Magnus thinks they’re going to avoid disaster. Alec is strangely quiet and well-behaved for a drunk person, and Magnus lets himself hope it’ll stay that way.
Which is, of course, when his husband finally decides to speak up.
“Magnus made this,” he says, looking at the girls seriously. Isabelle and Lydia bite their lips, obviously knowing where this is going, but Clary and Catarina are oblivious. Magnus sighs, rubbing at his face tiredly. “He’s an amazing cook, you know? He could snap up dinner from all over the world, but he still takes the time to cook things for us whenever he can. Have you ever met anyone as wonderful as that? Because I haven’t; I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Catarina’s gaze snaps to Magnus, amusement obvious in her eyes. She’s trying to contain her laughter and Magnus truly appreciates it, but the other girls are already giggling hysterically. It won’t be long until Catarina joins them.
“I’m very lucky too, darling,” Magnus smiles, narrowing his eyes at his husband’s friends in a silent order to calm down. “You have no idea how thankful I am to have you in my life.”
“But what about me, Alec? Do you not think I’m an amazing human being?” Isabelle asks innocently. Her brother immediately turns to look at her, shaking his head wildly in denial.
“You’re so great,” he tells her hurriedly. “The best sister in the world. You’re so pretty, Izzy, and so smart too. You’re definitely the smartest Lightwood, even though dad likes to act as though he is.”
“Whilst that is very nice,” Isabelle continues. “I’m your only sister, so that doesn’t mean much.”
She’s fishing for compliments and it shows. Alec may be too tipsy to notice, but everyone else at the table – Catarina included – rolls their eyes at the woman’s ploy for attention. However, what comes out of Alec’s mouth isn’t something Magnus ever thought he would hear.
“You’re not my only sister,” Alec frowns, as though he can’t comprehend why Isabelle would say something like that. The brunette sends a confused look to her brother, obviously waiting for an explanation. “I have Clary, don’t I?”
The redhead, who had been in the middle of a bite, promptly chokes on the food in her mouth. She sends a perplexed look Isabelle’s way. Magnus is suddenly reminded that this is Clary’s first time dealing with an inebriated Alec. She doesn’t know how soft and honest he gets around the people he loves.
Or perhaps she simply wasn’t expecting him to call her family within ten minutes of being in the loft.
“I didn’t know you were related to the Lightwoods, Clary,” Catarina pipes up. Magnus opens his mouth to correct her, thinking she’s truly confused, but the teasing light in her eyes belies her. “You have a completely different colouring. Really, I never would have guessed.”
Alec scoffs, and Magnus bites down hard on his lip, struggling to keep his chuckles in. It’s tempting – so tempting – to laugh at his husband, but he knows it’ll only prompt another series of compliments.
He’s been here before, he knows how it goes.
“We’re not technically related,” Alec is telling Catarina, his hands flying as he speaks.
For some reason, being drunk makes Alec want to move and express himself with hand gestures instead of just words. “But Clary’s been with us for a few years now, and we’ve gone through a lot together. Family isn’t just about blood, you know? Our brother’s adopted, but I still love him as much as I love Izzy. The same goes for Clary. She’s bubbly and sometimes a bit reckless, but it doesn’t mean I don’t love her. You know I love you, right Clary?”
The woman in question is grinning, looking more pleased than Magnus has ever seen her. It’s adorable, the way her gaze softens as she looks at Alexander. His shadowhunter is eagerly waiting for her to say something, and Magnus feels himself fall even more in love with him.
He hadn’t thought that was possible.
“I know,” Clary finally answers, squeezing Alec’s hand. “I love you too, big brother. I still can’t believe I didn’t know about this side of you before, though.”
“What side of me?”
This time, Magnus loses the fight against laughter. The girls are no better than him. Surprisingly, Lydia is the one who’s folded in half, bending over the table and clutching at her stomach as though it’s physically hurting her. Alec is looking at all of them puzzledly, a small smile twitching at his lips.
He has no idea why they’re laughing and yet, instead of assuming they’re laughing at him – though they are, in a way – he simply goes along with it. Magnus doesn’t think he’s ever been this enamoured with someone.
“You guys are so pretty when you laugh,” Alec says contentedly, resting his chin in his hand and staring at them as they continue to snicker quietly. “I mean, how is it possible for all of us to be so beautiful?”
The question comes out sounding genuine and Magnus has no idea what he’s supposed to say. The girls are clearly going through a similar thought process because they’re opening and closing their mouths uselessly, glancing at each other as though to say ‘ you answer’.
“Maybe it’s a magnetic pull thing,” Alexander continues, apparently fine with answering his own question. “Pretty people are attracted to other pretty people. And I get the prettiest one of all.”
Next to Magnus, Catarina mutters something that sounds suspiciously like ‘ disgustingly precious ’ under her breath. Magnus takes a second to hit her shoulder playfully before turning back to Alec, who’s staring at him with hearts in his eyes.
Magic, this man is going to be the death of him.
“I think you haven’t looked at yourself in a mirror, darling,” he tells his husband.
When he’s sober, Alec will inevitably blush at compliments and stammer his way out of them. When he’s tipsy, though he still flushes at his husband’s kind words, he tends to beam at Magnus, giggling happily and not even attempting to deny the truth behind Magnus’ words. It’s adorable, this tiny show of confidence he doesn’t allow himself when he’s completely in control.
“Dessert, anyone?” Lydia interrupts loudly, smirking at Magnus. “Or are we all supposed to have a staring contest with our significant others? I think it’d be a bit unfair for Clary and Catarina, but I certainly wouldn’t mind.”
“Very funny, Lydia,” Magnus snarks, refusing to let himself smile at her. Secretly, the blond shadowhunter is his favourite out of Alec’s friends. He’s never told her, though, because she would never let him hear the end of it. “But yes, actually, dessert would be lovely. Are you volunteering to go get it?”
“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to intrude on my host’s territory,” Lydia immediately quips back. “I’ll stay here with Alec and your other guests. Please, take your time, we’ll be waiting for this fantastic dessert impatiently. Alec has nothing but good things to say about your baking talents, and I’m eager to find out if your cakes are as delicious as he claims there are.”
Loathe as he is to leave his husband alone with their friends, Magnus hates summoning desserts with his magic. He leaves them and rushes to the kitchen, trying to be as quick as possible. It’s a bit of a balancing game, getting the dishes to float around him as he speed walks back to the living area, but he manages.
Once again, Magnus is only gone for five minutes. And once again, when he comes back, the bottle of wine he had set on the table is significantly emptier than it was when he left. Alec looks like a deer caught in headlights, his half-empty glass raised to his lips.
“I can’t believe you all!” Magnus exclaims, throwing his hands in the air and barely avoiding a disaster as one of the dessert plates almost tips over. “I leave you with him for a few minutes, and you decide to get him even drunker? Were his earlier love confessions and cute compliments not enough for you?”
“Oh come on, Mags,” Catarina pouts. Magnus grits his teeth at the despicable nickname and crosses his arms over his chest as he sits back down. He takes a moment to snap his fingers and replace the wine in Alexander’s glass by water. His husband glares at him weakly but doesn’t protest. “He asked us for more, and how did you expect us to say no to him? He looked so eager and innocent.”
“That’s because you’re fooled easily,” Magnus says, pointing at Alec accusingly. “You’re a menace, darling. You may be drunk, but I know you’re perfectly capable of being your usual manipulative self even in this state. You can trick them, but you won’t get me. Now, eat your dessert.”
Alec’s glare deepens for a second before he catches sight of his favourite chocolate pie Magnus baked specifically for him. His eyes light up and he makes grabby hands at the plate until Clary caves in and hands it over. Immediately, Alexander bites into the dessert and sighs happily.
“Does your husband have a sweet tooth?” Catarina asks softly. Out of everything she’s seen and heard tonight, of course this is what catches her off guard. “Your tall, dark, serious Nephilim secretly loves desserts? What else have you been keeping from us, Magnus. Honestly, I have no clue how you managed to snag such an adorable human being. Is he always this…”
“No, he isn’t,” Clary shakes her head. “This is the first time I’ve seen him smile so much in such a short amount of time. He’s also usually a lot less outwardly loving and giggly, not that this isn’t a delightful side of him.”
“I’m certainly not complaining,” Isabelle grins. “I’m just sad I can’t use this against him at his wedding.”
“Of course you can’t,” Alec cuts in, looking at Isabelle as though she’s one of his particularly dim-witted subordinates. “I’m already married, Iz. You were there, remember? Magnus looked even more beautiful than usual, and we wore matching outfits, and there were flowers everywhere that didn’t make me sneeze. It was the best day of my life, Izzy, how can you not remember?”
Isabelle looks caught between being offended, amused, exasperated, or downright fond. Magnus can relate; his drunk husband is quite the sight.
“I remember it, Alec,” she finally says. “I was just making a joke.”
“A terrible joke,” Lydia completes, smirking at her girlfriend. “Not that that’s anything new. You are many things, Isabelle Lightwood, but funny isn’t one of them. Your puns need some serious work before you can use them in a public setting.”
“Izzy can be funny when she wants to be,” Alec frowns. “Sometimes, I think. But Lydia’s way funnier. You don’t even know how good your jokes are, Lyds. Everyone says you’re stuck-up and annoying, but you’re really not.”
With an extra glass or two of wine in his system, Alexander turns out to be even chattier during dessert. The girls don’t even have to say anything, he just keeps the compliments coming. Catarina doesn’t get as many as the other girls, since Alexander is still visibly more cautious around her, but the other three receive more love than they probably have in a very long time.
So does Magnus, of course, but he’s used to it, for the most part. It never gets old, but at least he’s not cooing and blushing like the girls are as they realise Alec just isn’t going to stop . He wonders if they regret slipping him more alcohol whilst he was gone, now that they know how many words Alec keeps locked in that beautiful and compassionate mind of his.
By the time everyone is done with their meal, all four women look positively endeared, and they all hug Alexander extra tightly as soon as they stand up. There’s a brief moment when everyone wonders what to do next, but the girls eventually decide to leave.
They had planned on having a game night or on watching a few movies all together, but Alexander is in no state to do anything and Magnus wants to take care of him. Their friends, bless them, understand immediately and excuse themselves.
Before they can leave, Alexander pulls Catarina towards him, staring at her very seriously. He’s still drunk out of his mind, but whatever he’s about to say is obviously very important to him.
“I’m sorry for the poor impression I must have made tonight,” he murmurs. Magnus is just close enough to hear them, though he pretends he can’t. If his husband wants a private moment with Catarina, the least Magnus can do is play into his illusion. “I was really looking forward to meeting you, but you’re very intimidating and you’re Magnus’ family, so I think I got a little bit drunk. I’m not usually like this, I promise.”
“Oh, Alec,” Catarina shakes her head fondly. She takes Alec’s hands in her own and smiles at him softly, and Magnus’ heart is so full he thinks it might explode. These are his two favourite people in the world, and now they’ve finally met. Better than that, Catarina is clearly smitten with Magnus’ husband. “You have nothing to apologise for. I think this was a perfect first meeting. Besides, what’s a friend if not a person who sees you at your worst? I promise this didn’t ruin anything between us. If anything, it just makes me very happy to know you’re Magnus’ husband.”
“Yeah,” Alec grins sappily, ignoring most of Catarina’s speech in favour of focusing on the last part of it. “I’m very happy to know I’m Magnus’ husband too. And that he has such amazing friends. We’re all very, very lucky people. I hope I get to see you again soon when I can think better and the world isn’t spinning around me.”
“I hope so too,” Catarina giggles, pressing her lips to Alec’s cheek before finally leaving the room. “And Magnus, please make sure he drinks water before he goes to sleep! I would hate for you to waste a hangover cure on your wine-tipsy husband.”
Magnus rolls his eyes at her. As though anything could be ‘wasted’ on Alexander. If his husband needs a cure, he’ll get one. In the meantime, though, his best friend has a point. He needs to hydrate his husband before the man falls asleep on him, or he’ll be a pain to deal with in the morning.
“Come on, darling,” Magnus murmurs, curling an arm around Alexander’s waist. “Let’s get you some water before we go to bed.”
He tries to pull Alec towards their bedroom but the man is staying stubbornly still. When Magnus looks up at him, Alexander is already bending down to catch his lips and kiss him gently. Magnus hums into it happily. The kiss tastes more like wine than anything else, but Alexander is melting against him and his hands are looped around Magnus’ neck and the moment couldn’t be more perfect if they tried.
“I love you, Magnus,” Alexander mumbles into his hair as he pulls away and rests his chin on top of Magnus’ head. The position can’t be comfortable for him, but he looks so content that Magnus can’t find the strength to displace him.
“I love you too, darling.”
He loves him even when he’s drunk, especially when he’s complimenting Magnus and showering everyone around them with love. Alexander is sweet and happy and loving and completely his , and Magnus is the luckiest person in the world. Tomorrow, he’ll let Alexander know just how much he appreciates him and his drunken confessions.
For now, though, he has six feet of shadowhunter to get to bed. He’s not looking forward to it, but he has Alec pressing up against him and littering kisses down his neck as they walk, so he’s not exactly complaining.
Besides, there’s very little he wouldn’t do for his husband.