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Magnus lay on his back, his arm wrapped firmly around Alec. The shadowhunter was asleep, his head on the warlock’s chest, his arm holding tightly to Magnus’ waist. The warlock stared at the ceiling, his mind wandering to everything that happened recently, and how he had ended up here.
He thought of the first time he met Alec, how the young shadowhunter had been so repressed and grumpy.
Magnus heard the sound of an arrow flying through the air at the same time as a warning shout met his ears.
“Look out!”
Magnus turned to see a man, a circle member lying on the floor with an arrow in his chest. He watched a tall and handsome man walk straight for the body.
“Who are you?” he had whispered as the man took the blade from the deceased shadowhunter’s hand.
Not waiting for any further attack by the circle, Magnus turned to the portal he had opened just moments before while trying to convince Clary to go with him. When the redhead grabbed his arm to try and stop him, Magnus’ eyes wandered to the tall, handsome stranger who had saved his life. Without allowing himself to appreciate the view, he headed through the portal into his lair.
Magnus had expected to see Alec for a while, which is why when the group of shadowhunters turned up at his lair and helped protect his people against the Circle, Magnus had been surprised. Not that he would ever complain about having actually been able to speak to Alec and watch the man forget how to function.
Magnus was fighting with one of the Circle members that had invaded his lair. The man was taunting him, telling him about the warlock he had killed and about how Magnus’ eyes would make a nice trophy when an arrow flew past the warlock and into the man’s leg. Magnus sent a pulse of magic to the man, killing him instantly.
“Well done,” a voice had said, and Magnus couldn’t resist a meat pun.
“More like medium-rare.”
When Magnus turned, his breath caught. He hadn’t expected the shadowhunter from earlier to be standing in front of him, and he hadn’t expected him to be even more handsome up close. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to actually find out who the man was this time, Magnus moved closer.
“I’m Magnus, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.”
“Alec,” the man had responded.
Magnus had smiled as Alec had stumbled through his next sentence. A little glimmer of hope had come to life inside Magnus’ heart.
The warlock smiled at the memory. He had flirted with Alec that day, dropping hints to make sure the younger man understood that he was interested in men. The shadowhunter had seemed confused which only made him even more endearing. When the memory of Jace had surfaced, Magnus’ heart had clenched, not because of who Alec loved the most, but because of the pain and fear in the man’s eyes, the sheer dread that his secret might have been exposed.
Magnus brushed his fingers through the shadowhunter’s hair gently. His mind went to the second time he had seen Alec, the way the man had surprised him, a trait that hadn’t seemed to stop.
Magnus’ magic was dangerously low when he heard someone enter his loft. He had collapsed just as Alec knelt beside him, the shadowhunter catching him.
“Help me.” Magnus had panted. “I need your strength.”
Alec hadn’t seemed fazed by the request and Magnus was slightly surprised when the man held out his hand without question.
“Take what you need.”
Magnus couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his lips before closing his eyes and using Alec’s strength to boost his magic. When the others finally came back and Clary had given Luke the potion, Magnus collapsed, once again surprised that Alec hadn’t moved. He let Magnus place his head on his chest, the shadowhunter’s leg behind his back, holding him up.
“You okay?” Alec had asked and Magnus had nodded, not sure his voice would work.
Magnus’ heart beat a little faster at that memory. It had been the first time Alec had stayed over, falling asleep on the couch after drinking alcohol. Magnus had watched him for a moment, taking in the strangeness that was Alec. The words he said to the shadowhunter bounced around his mind, “You’ve unlocked something in me.” Neither of them knew just how much that statement meant.
Magnus continued his reminiscing, his mind jumping to various moments with Alec. He hated that he had stolen Alec’s stele from him, even just for a moment, to “help” the man’s siblings get the Mortal Cup and hide it from the Clave. But none of that really mattered because Alec was here now, in his arms. The man had chosen him, in front of the Institute, his family and members of the Clave.
Magnus had rushed to the Institute, hoping that he wasn’t too late. He wasn’t exactly crashing Alec’s wedding; he had an invitation tucked into his pocket. When he had entered the room and his eyes fell on Alec, his heart had started beating a little faster. The man was beautiful, and Magnus hoped that maybe, just maybe, Alec would pick him. As Maryse came over, Magnus inwardly groaned.
“Magnus, leave this wedding now!”
Magnus wasn’t going to give up, not this time. He could do this, for himself, for Alec, for Ragnor. With that, he held up a hand, eyes barely straying from Alec.
“Maryse, this is between me and your son. I’ll leave if he asks me to.”
It had seemed like hours before Alec moved, leaving his bride and striding confidently towards Magnus. The warlock had a moment to realise just how hot the man was before his mind went blank when Alec pulled him into a kiss. Alec held him close, and Magnus’ hands went to the shadowhunter’s hip, keeping him there, making sure it was real.
That moment never failed to make Magnus smile. it was the moment that he felt worthy, that he was worth something, as hope once again flared to life in his chest. As his memories turned to the moment Alec had seen him with Camille, Magnus scowled. He quickly moved on, to the more joyful moments. Sure, they had had arguments, and problems, but they worked them out, most of the time. Magnus would always regret his decision to walk away from Alec over the business with the soul sword, but that was in the past. They had gotten back together and Alec had shown him just how much he loved Magnus, multiple times that night in fact.
Magnus grinned as he remembered the first time Alec told him he loved him. The warlock wasn’t entirely sure whether the shadowhunter had actually planned to say it or not, but he wouldn’t change a thing.
After porteling into the Institute, Magnus and Clary had split up. The warlock had found Madzie and had managed to gain her trust. Not wanting to leave the little girl in the clutches of Valentine any longer, Magnus had scooped her up and headed to Catarina’s. He dropped Madzie off, quickly explaining things to his friend. They had both felt a shudder go through them as the sword was activated
“The sword,” Catarina had whispered.
Magnus had been glad to have managed to get Madzie out in time. He wanted to run back to the Institute immediately, but Cat had held him back for a moment. When the threat had passed, Magnus ran. He had run through the streets of New York, his heart racing. If the sword had been activated, then Valentine had won, which meant that Alec… Magnus forced the thoughts from his mind and picked up his pace.
When he arrived in front of the Institute, he had been relieved to see Alec standing outside, looking around, fear evident on his face. The man had turned as Magnus touched his arm and pulled the warlock into a hug, a sigh of relief leaving his lips.
“Magnus, of all the missions I’ve been on, I’ve never felt that kind of fear. Ever. Not knowing if you were alive or dead, I was terrified.”
Magnus ran his hand down Alec’s arm, trying to comfort the man, “So was I.”
“Magnus, I … I love you.”
Magnus had been stunned for a moment before his heart thumped happily in his chest.
“I love you, too.”
Alec had kissed him before pulling him back into a tight hug. Magnus hadn’t ever wanted to let go.
The warlock was pulled from his thoughts by Alec moving slightly. He looked down at the shadowhunter and was met with the man’s beautiful eyes. Another memory sprang to mind, the day Alec had seen his real eyes.
They had been making their way towards the bed and Magnus couldn’t help but giggle when Alec almost tripped over trying to remove his shoes. The shadowhunter had been eager and while Magnus had been feeling a little vulnerable, they both wanted this. When they crashed onto the mattress, Magnus had savoured the feeling of his lips on Alec’s and wanted nothing more than to explore the man’s perfect chest. He hadn’t been expecting the feeling of Alec, slowly pushing his shirt up his torso and running his pinkie finger along Magnus’ skin, to make him lose control. He had pulled away from Alec almost violently and his heart hurt at the sound of Alec’s voice.
“Magnus, did I do something wrong?”
“No such thing.”
“Then what is it?”
Magnus had taken a deep breath, “It’s just… sometimes, I lose control.”
The warlock had expected Alec to leave, as most of his other lovers had. But his wonderful Alexander was always surprising him. Magnus’ heart had skipped a beat when the shadowhunter placed a hand on his cheek and whispered,
“They’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.”
Magnus had grabbed his wrist, stroking the soft skin there before kissing Alec and worshipping the man. He may not have been ready to say exactly what he felt for the man out loud at that moment, but at that moment it didn’t matter.
“What are you thinking about at 5 am?” Alec asked, pulling Magnus back to the present.
Magnus smiled down at the man, running his finger down Alec’s side, “You.”
“Me?” Alec asked, slightly confused.
Magnus hummed, “It’s just… I was wondering how we ended up here.”
Alec shifted so he could lean on Magnus’ chest and looked at the man.
“What do you mean?”
“You are everything I have ever wanted and thought I would never get. I’ve been in many relationships and no one wanted to spend the rest of their lives with me. I hadn’t been with anyone in a century. I had closed my heart and was beginning to calcify. And then, there was you. A Nephilim who saw me, who chose me multiple times. A Nephilim willing to spend the rest of his life in Edom for some random warlock.”
Alec smiled and moved his hand to brush away the tears running down Magnus’ face. “Magnus, you’re not some random warlock. You are the first person to actually see me. Not Jace, not Izzy, me. You didn’t give up on me, even when I pushed you away. I never thought I would have this, never thought I would find someone who would love me. And then I found you.”
Magnus chuckled, “We’re getting sappy, darling.”
Alec grinned, “We are. But we can since we got married last night after all.”
Magnus’ heart thumped at the reminder of the day. Their wedding, in the middle of the Institute. He had never been so happy in his entire life, and he really hoped that that feeling would last. He shifted to kiss Alec, the shadowhunter moving to make it easier. The kiss was soft, deep and full of love. Alec broke the kiss and snuggled back down onto the warlock’s chest.
“I’m sorry I woke you, darling,” Magnus muttered.
“It’s okay,” Alec replied sleepily.
“Go back to sleep.”
Magnus kissed the top of the younger man’s head before tightening his arms around him, holding him as close as possible. Once Alec’s breathing evened out, Magnus let the small happy smile return to his face. It didn’t matter how he had ended up here, all that mattered was that he was with Alec and that his husband was close and safe in Magnus’ arms.
“Alexander, my Alexander, I love you so much. Thank you for coming into my life, my little ray of sunshine.”
Magnus was about to doze off, when he heard Alec speak, filling his heart with even more love than before.
“Love you, Magnus. Always and forever.”