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"Magnus?" Alec called, giving a quick kick of his tail, floating in the water next to his boyfriend. He was basking in the shallows like he often did, the mix of green and gold of his scales was an arresting sight that made his heart pound far too hard in his chest. He let his eyes trail down and along the beautiful length of Magnus' tail, cataloging every fin and spine before he brought his eyes back up to meet the eyes that matched Magnus' coloring.
"Hello, Alexander," Magnus said, smiling at him. He reached out a hand and hummed, pleased, when Alec took it, tugging him closer. "How was the hunt?"
"Great," Alec blurted, flushing. "It was great. We did awesome. Max was so excited that he got to come with us."
Magnus laughed, his head falling back as he shifted to lean back into the comforting circle of Alec's body. He was not a merman who felt small, but around Alec, it was easy. "I imagine that he was. And all of you have returned safe?"
Alec hummed and pressed a kiss to Magnus' collarbone, dragging his teeth along the bronze skin. "We did. Safe as can be, and successful. We will eat well at moonrise tonight for the celebration."
"I had no doubt you would be successful," Magnus said, tilting his head to look up at his precious hunter. Especially when Alec's arm curved around his chest and pulled him closer. He let out a steady stream of bubbles. "Shall I dress up tonight?"
It was the only way that he could ask. Magnus closed his eyes and imagined the two of them taking part in the mating ceremony. Presenting each other with their Tokens, saying their vows to show their love and commitment to each other. But Alexander, despite expressing repeated desire to participate in the ceremony with him...
He'd never asked.
Even after years together, even after being so deeply in love that Magnus could not imagine a life apart, Alexander had not offered him a Token so that they could become mates. Most days, under the consistent affection and love Alec blanketed him in, Magnus did not have to think about it.
But with each passing ceremony, he wondered. If he was no longer enough for Alexander. If Alexander was looking for a mate better than he was. But he would still ask because he wanted to be mated to Alec more than anyone else in the entire sea and beyond. He would never want anyone else.
Even with that knowledge, he steeled himself for the soft denial from his lover, the reminder that he never needed to dress up, he was beautiful as he always was. But Alec still hadn't answered and that was unlike him. Twirling easily in the water, Magnus shifted so their eyes could meet. "Alexander?"
Alec reached into the satchel he'd carried with him and pulled out a necklace. He swallowed hard. "I know I always tell you that you are beautiful as you are. And you are, Magnus."
Magnus blinked, staring down at the necklace, then back up at Alexander. His heart began to pound and he stared with wide eyes when Alec produced a second necklace, clearly a matching one. The gemstone at the base of both was carved in an L, and abruptly he realized that he was staring at family heirlooms.
"Would you wear this, tonight?" Alec whispered. He held the necklace out to Magnus, biting down on his lip. "You, you are welcome to wear anything else, and you'll look incredible, I promise. You could wear kelp and you will still be the most beautiful merman I have ever seen in my life."
A laugh escaped him, followed quickly by a flurry of bubbles escaped his mouth as Magnus took the necklace, his vision blurring as he wrapped his hands around it, before lifting it to put it over his head. The gemstones settled against his collarbone and Magnus met Alec's eyes again, his heart hammering. "I am not," he managed, trying to laugh. "going to wear kelp to my mating ceremony, Alexander."
Alec laughed and lifted the other necklace, settling it around his neck as well. The sapphires shone, a matching set for them both, declaring them to be what everyone already knew. A couple ready for their mating ceremony. He swallowed and reached out to tug Magnus closer. "I know you've been worried," he whispered.
Magnus shook his head, even as Alec gave him a knowing look. "I, not worried. I have never doubted how much you love me, Alexander."
"I promise that I have what might pass for a good reason," Alec said, fighting down a chuckle. "But today, I want everyone to know that you will be mine." He pressed his fingers to the sapphires. "These necklaces belong to my family, and when it is time for us to start a family, Magnus. They will be given to our eldest to use for their own mating."
Magnus' breath caught and he leaned in to press his face against Alec's neck, lifting his fingers to press them against the matching necklace. Everyone would know. Everyone would know that tonight they would exchange Tokens and they would, at last, be mated. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," Alec whispered, reaching out to cup his face and pull him in for a kiss. "You are magnificent. And whether you decide to wear kelp or the finest spun fabric the kingdom has to offer tonight, I will have eyes for only you, Magnus."
Magnus laughed and kissed Alec again, hugging him tightly before shoving him away, his eyes wide. "I only have a matter of hours before moonrise! I have to get ready!"
Alec grinned and pulled Magnus in for another kiss, the two of them tumbling and rolling through the sand in the shallows, making a mess before he kissed Magnus again. "Go, spend time with your friends. I will see you later."
Stealing another kiss, Magnus pumped his tail hard, driving him deeper into the ocean, racing for Catarina's house. He barely managed to stop himself before he was ringing the bell of her door and soaring through the warmed waters. "Catarina!" he shouted. He could hear Ragnor's voice in the background, gruff and irritated and where normally he would perhaps be more careful, today, there was nothing, absolutely nothing that would darken his spirits.
"Magnus?" Catarina asked, her eyes wide as she swam in from the reef at the back of their home. "What on earth is the-" she caught sight of the necklace displayed proudly on Magnus' chest and grinned, bright and wide. "Finally!"
Magnus did a pleased twirl and flip in the water, unable to keep the grin from his face, pressing his fingers to the necklace. "Alexander has asked me to swim tonight!"
"And here I had despaired on that boy ever asking you," Catarina said with a laugh, watching as Magnus did another spin. "I suppose you are here to have us help you get ready?"
Magnus nodded, settling down into the firm rock of her home, his tail still twitching in excitement. "And to collect my Token, of course." His eyes flew to the box that she kept nearby, locked and sealed for him. His token for Alexander was precious, and he had asked Catarina to spell it and hold onto it to prevent it from being stolen. "You think he will love it, right?"
Catarina smiled faintly. "I think you could give him a rock you selected five minutes before the ceremony, Magnus, and he would love it, and you, just as much." She gestured him closer, pulling out a brush. "Now come, let me tame your mane of hair. What beads do you want?"
"Blue and gold," Magnus said, tangling in his fingers in the sapphire necklace again, pulling it up to stare at the gems. "To match me, and Alexander."
Catarina rolled her eyes. "Poseidon save me from the two of you. I did not think it was possible to be sappier, and yet the two of you prove me wrong every single day."
"Magnus?" Ragnor snapped, huffing as he stepped into the room. "What's all this ruckus then?" His eyes shifted to the necklace and he let out a grunt. "Boy finally get his head out of his ass?"
"Ragnor," Magnus said, huffing at him. "Stop that. He said he had a good reason, and I believe him."
"Make sure you actually get the reason," Catarina teased, starting to braid Magnus' hair, carefully weaving beads into it. "You deserve at least that for as long as he has made you wait."
Magnus rolled his eyes. "I would have waited a thousand years for Alexander, as you well know."
"I know," Catarina said, blowing a stream of bubbles into Magnus' face. "But I'm glad he only made you wait two."
Magnus shared a look with her and smiled. "Me too," he admitted. "Me too."
~!~
Alec breathed out a slow, deep inhale and kicked himself into the deeper, darker waters of the ocean. He might have asked Magnus to attend the ceremony with him tonight, but that meant he did have to have his gift to present. He'd never been more glad for his midnight black coloring (nevermind the tips of his fins that shone silver as Magnus liked to remind him) when he caught sight of a sperm whale, diving deep and hiding in a rock outcropping until it passed.
Alec waited until he was sure the sperm whale was gone before he dove deeper, finding the cave that he had hidden all of his work in. He'd kept it here, to keep it away from all of the nosy people in his life. This was for Magnus, so he deserved the absolute best. He picked up the Token carefully and cradled it to his chest, exhaling a small stream of bubbles. Magnus was going to love it, and hopefully not think that he was crazy. He was.
The journey back seemed to take longer than it should and Alec was carefully eyeing the moonrise as he dashed home. He could see that Isabelle was ready to lecture him, but the sight of the necklace he was wearing made her freeze.
"Finally!" Isabelle shouted, darting forward, wrapping her arms and her tail around her brother. "Finally, Alec!"
Alec laughed and held her close, smiling. "Yes, finally. He agreed to join me tonight."
Isabelle's grin was wide and bright. "I am so excited for the both of you!" Her eyes darted to the window and she frowned. "But you've barely given me any time to work!" She grabbed his hands and tugged him to her room. "Come, hurry, we have to make you presentable!"
"Izzy!"
"Absolutely not!" Isabelle huffed. "You will be fashionably five minutes late, Magnus will appreciate it, I promise, now let me do something about your hair, and you brush your scales!"
Alec took the brush from her and smiled as she grabbed a handful of beads from her dresser, quickly picking out the gold and green ones that would match Magnus. He focused on making sure that his tail shone, the black bright, even in the well-lit light of their home.
"Look at that sappy smile," Izzy scoffed, rolling her eyes. "The two of you. This is long overdue, I'm so glad that you asked him, Alec."
"I know," Alec said, reaching down to the bag, patting it nervously, glad that he could feel the Token. He took a deep breath and exhaled a large stream of bubbles. "I promise that I have a sorta good reason for it."
Izzy huffed and kept weaving the beads into Alec's hair, watching them shimmer in the water. She nodded firmly and pulled back, swimming around in front of him. "I don't care what the reason is, I know Magnus has never doubted that you love him. You two are mates as far as anyone knows."
Alec hummed happily and smiled at her. "I know. But tonight we'll make it official."
Isabelle reached out and trailed her fingers along the sapphire necklace that Alec was wearing. The one that both he and Magnus would be wearing. "Ready?"
Alec nodded and grinned at the thought of exchanging words and Tokens in front of Magnus, promising themselves to each other. "Yes," he whispered. He dipped his fingers into his bag and closed his hand around the Token, nodding again. "Yes, I'm ready. I love him so much, Izzy. I didn't think it was possible to love someone as much as I do him."
"All right, well, get going, the ceremony is going to start soon and I know you want to show off the fact that you're wearing that necklace," Isabelle said, carefully tying a golden sash around Alec's waist, surveying him with one last firm nod. "You're ready."
Alec darted forward and kissed her cheek. "Thanks Iz," he whispered. He turned and made his way out of the building, swimming through the streets and past the other merpeople who were starting to gather for the mating ceremony tonight. He could feel the multiple sets of eyes on him, on the beads, jewelry, and colors he was wearing. Whispers were steadily growing and he couldn't help grinning. He was going to mate Magnus tonight.
"Lightwood!"
Alec glanced over at Aldertree, and frowned at him. He wasn't sure why the other merman had called out to him, but he slowed and allowed him to catch up, raising an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"
"So, you and Bane are finally tying the knot. Here I thought you'd finally become tired of him," Aldertree said. "There are those of us who would have liked a chance, you know."
Alec narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. "As though I would let you near him. He is mine, and tonight everyone will know it."
"If he even accepts whatever paltry gift you have for your Token," Aldertree scoffed. He frowned and tossed his head. "Bane deserves to be draped in the finest silks and jewelry the ocean has to offer. What can you give him that could begin to come close?"
Alec swallowed, tightening his hand on the bag by his hip. The reminder of the difference in their stations was a painful one, no matter how often Magnus swore that it did not matter. "He is with me because he wants to be, Victor," Alec said, lifting his chin. "And he wears my necklace. We will exchange Tokens tonight."
Aldertree snorted and dropped his eyes to the sapphire necklace. "A family heirloom of such paltry value will hardly impress him." He rolled his eyes. “What could you possibly give him as a Token that he would value?”
“I don’t think that matters to you,” Alec said, turning away and kicking his tail hard, sending him sailing away from Victor and towards the reef where the ceremony would take place. The moon was starting to rise and he could feel his heart beating hard. A flash of gold had him spinning around, but then Magnus was swimming and spinning around him in tight circles, making him laugh before he finally came to a stop, holding his hands out with a grin.
Alec’s breath caught and he grinned at Magnus. “You look magnificent,” he whispered, reaching out to touch the necklace resting on Magnus’ chest, proudly displayed. Royal blue and golden gauze were draped around his waist and arms, trailing behind him in the water, and his hair sparkled with beads of the same color.
“As do you, Alexander,” Magnus said with a grin, pressing in close to Alec, wrapping his arms around Alec’s shoulders, stealing a kiss from him. He could feel the skin-warm gemstones against Alec’s chest and pulled back to press their foreheads together. “I’m so excited, Alexander.”
“I am too,” Alec breathed against his lips, unable to keep the smile off of his face. “I hope you like your Token, Magnus.”
“You have already given me the only Token I’ll ever need,” Magnus promised, reaching out to press his fingertips to Alec’s heart. The sound of a gong echoed and spun through the water as the moon reached its peak, flooding the reef with moonlight. He looked up at Alec and stole another kiss. “Come find me, darling. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Alec laughed and watched Magnus dart off and into the water, the different colors of gauze trailing after him. He hung back and waited for the sound of the second gong. He’d find Magnus easily, and they would have their moment of privacy, exchange Tokens, and then-
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t little Alec Lightwood.”
Alec scowled, ordering himself to ignore the voice of Camille Belcourt, even as she swam a slow circle around him, jewels dripping from every inch of her body.
“How quaint, that necklace of yours. Magnus should be dripping in jewels from every corner of the ocean, and yet he deigns to wear only what you offer him,” she scoffed and rolled her eyes.
Alec’s eyes snapped to her. “He’s proud to wear it, and you shouldn’t be chasing after someone in a planned mating, Camille.”
She laughed. “Planned, right up until he finds someone who can offer him what he truly wants.”
"Good thing I know exactly what that is." Alec grinned and winked at her as soon as the gong sounded, pumping his tail hard, going sailing over the reef. He knew exactly where Magnus would be waiting. Hopefully. If he remembered. A few minutes of hard swimming brought him to the very edge of the reef on the cliff that led to deeper waters. Magnus was there already, sitting on the edge, staring out at the ocean. He settled down next to Magnus and smiled, looking out into the darker waters. “You remembered.”
Magnus chuckled, his head falling back as he turned to look at Alec, reaching out to take his hand. “Did you think I would forget?”
“No,” Alec said, squeezing Magnus’ hand. “But I didn’t know if it would be something that you wanted. This is yours as much as it is mine.”
“The man I want to mate told me where he wanted to ask where he first told me he loved me,” Magnus teased. “I was never going to forget, Alexander. And I never cared about where, as long as I was yours and you were mine at the end of it.”
Alec lifted Magnus’ hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I can’t offer you titles or jewelry, Magnus.”
“Alexander-”
“Shhh,” Alec said, giving Magnus a look. He started to grin. “I’ve been practicing this. At least let me get some of my speech out.”
Magnus grinned and shifted to rest his head against Alec’s shoulder, squeezing his hand again. “My apologies, darling. Please continue. But know I won’t take you disparaging yourself for much longer.”
“I promise that’s the only place I will,” Alec teased. “I can offer you a family who likes you better than they do me-”
Magnus laughed, his head falling back, bubbles escaping in a stream from his mouth as he grinned, bright and wide.
“-and I can offer you my heart, that will be wholly and completely yours for as long as it beats,” Alec continued. He took a deep breath and kicked his tail up, looking at the black coloring next to Magnus’ gold. “I knew I wanted to mate you the first day I saw you Magnus. Long before we met, when I saw you, and you were the most beautiful merman I had ever seen in my life, I wanted to spend my life with you.”
Magnus’ breath caught and he stared at Alec in surprise. “Alexander…”
“That same day,” Alec said, looking over at Magnus with a smile. “I found a stone that is the same color as your tail.” He reached into his bag and pulled it out and showed it to Magnus, but didn’t hand it to him. “Which then, unfortunately, led to my problem.”
Magnus blinked and tilted his head. “Your problem?”
“Every relationship milestone, we have ever had? I have found a stone, a gem, or something, to…indicate the moment,” Alec said. “Meeting you for the first time, asking to court you, kissing you for the first time, telling you I loved you for the first time, to asking you to join me here tonight…” he trailed off. “I have Tokens from each of them.”
Magnus pressed his free hand to his lips, his eyes filling with tears. “Alexander.”
Alec smiled faintly and winked at Magnus. “I haven’t asked you to swim with me in a mating ceremony, Magnus, not because I don’t want it with every fiber of my being - I do. But because I had no idea what Token to offer you. To choose one of those moments as my favorite, or the one that was most important to me was…” He sighed, long and low. “Impossible.”
“You idiot,” Magnus muttered, huffing, even though he couldn’t stop smiling. “So what did you decide to do instead?”
Alec took a deep breath and reached into the bag and pulled out a few pieces of jewelry and heard Magnus’ breath catch. “This art doesn’t come naturally to me. It took me time to learn. Which is why it took so long.” He winced and glanced towards Magnus. “That’s my semi-decent reason.” He looked down at the bracelet, the belt, and the ear cuff.
Alec lifted the ear cuff and put the stone from the first time he’d met Magnus into the eye of the dragon that was silver and would hug Magnus’ ear. “I know, sometimes, you have to wear necklaces and headpieces for state occasions,” he started, swallowing. “So I wanted to make you things you could... always wear if you wanted.”
Magnus reached out and took the ear cuff, cradling it in his hands before he scrambled to put it on, setting it into place. “Help, help me put the rest of them!” he insisted, grinning as Alec carefully latched the bracelet around his wrist and tied the belt around his waist with the fabric he had there. He twisted happily, admiring all the different stones, and turned to Alec with wide eyes. “You’ll tell me about each of them, right?”
“Of course,” Alec whispered, reaching out and running his fingers along the silver of Magnus’ belt, and couldn’t help smiling. “Do you accept my Token, Magnus?”
Magnus laughed and reached out, pulling Alec in for a kiss. “Of course I accept your Token, Alexander. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life.”
Alec exhaled, hard in relief and grinned, pressing his forehead against Magnus’. “Thank you for waiting, Magnus.”
“I would have waited forever,” Magnus whispered against Alec’s lips. “Forever, darling. You are worth that.”
Alec wrapped his arm around Magnus and held him close, tangling their tails together, smiling faintly. He’d done good, and Magnus had accepted his Token.
“I’m afraid that mine is going to look rather plain after all of this,” Magnus said with a faint chuckle, pulling back to meet Alec’s eyes.
Alec shook his head. “It’ll be perfect,” he whispered. “It’ll be perfect, Magnus, because it’s from you.”
Magnus reached into his bag and pulled out the jeweled dagger, holding it between them. The dragonstone hilt and gleaming metal shone in the light of the moon. “I worry about you whenever you hunt, but I thought I might worry a little less if you took this. It’s been spelled to always return to your side. Whenever you throw it, it’ll return to your belt. The blade will never break, and it will always be sharp.”
Alec’s eyes widened. This kind of magic was not only rare, it was powerful. He reached out to trail his fingers along the length of the blade before looking up at Magnus. “You want to give this to me?”
Magnus laughed, tears gathering in his eyes. “Alexander, I want you to someday understand that you are worthy of every possible gift I could give you and a thousand more.” He presented the dagger to Alec properly. “Will you accept my Token, Alexander?”
“I, yes, of course, of course, ” Alec breathed, reaching out to take the dagger from Magnus, feeling the jolt of magic run through him. He brought it close to his heart and met Magnus’ eyes. They’d exchanged Tokens under the moon. “I love you.”
Magnus waited only long enough for Alec to tuck the dagger carefully into the belt he wore at his waist before taking his hand. He could hear the sounds of the others, the joyous sound of laughter and squeezed Alec’s hand. “I love you too,” he whispered, pulling Alec in for a kiss.
Alec pressed their foreheads together and exhaled, slowly, before nuzzling Magnus’ neck, moving in closer to him, their tails tangled until it was impossible to know where one of them ended the other began. “In the eyes of the goddess,” he whispered, feeling Magnus melt against him. “I take you as my own, Magnus Bane. To have and to hold. To love and protect. To cherish and adore. From this moment until the day the oceans no longer breathe life into us both.”
Magnus knew he was clinging, perhaps embarrassingly so, to Alexander, but hearing the words he’d longed to hear for so long had him emotional. “I take you as my own, Alexander Gideon Lightwood,” Magnus whispered back, nuzzling into Alec’s neck. “To have and to hold. To love and protect. To cherish and adore. From this moment until the day the oceans no longer breathe life into us both.”
Excited sparks leaped out of Magnus’ fingers and danced around them both, a mix of gold and royal blue surrounding them both as his magic danced out of control. Magnus laughed in delight, looking up at Alexander as he was pulled into another soft kiss, sealing their promises to each other.
Alec carefully traced Magnus’ cheekbones with his thumbs and grinned at him. “Swim with me?”
“Show you off, I think you mean?” Magnus asked with a laugh and a quick spin of the both of them in the water. “Gladly!” He took Alec’s hand and kicked his tail, hard, tugging him back towards the feast and the watching crowds. He could hear everyone talking about them, about their finally confirmed mating, but the only eyes that mattered to him were Alexander’s, always on him, and always smiling.
Alexander was his, and now the entire world knew it!