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1.
Magnus was savoring a rare quiet moment with his boyfriend in his living room, relaxed as Alec played with the rings on his fingers, when an urgent knocking at the front door disturbed the silence. Alec groaned and thumped his head against the back of the couch they were on. Magnus just sighed and got up to answer the door with a final pat to Alec’s hand.
“If that’s my brother again, you have my full permission to slam the door in his face,” he said. Magnus threw a smirk back at him over his shoulder.
Jace chose that moment to walk out of his room. “A bit too late for that buddy. I’ve been here all day,” he said, flopping down into one of the lounge chairs across from the couch with a smug grin. Alec glared at him.
Ignoring the brothers’ bickering, Magnus opened the door to find Simon on the other side. He shifted from side to side, looking nervous, and Magnus furrowed his brows in confusion. ‘But then again, has Simon ever been calm in his life?’
“Hey Magnus, could I come in?”
“Of course,” Magnus opened the door wider for him and Simon scurried in. Alec and Jace shut up to look at him when he entered, and Simon smiled awkwardly.
“Alec. Jace.”
“What do you want, vampire?” Alec asked instead of greeting him.
“As charming as ever I see,” Simon returned. Alec just kept staring at him, deadpan. Magnus bit back a smile.
“How can I help you Simon?” He asked. Simon turned to look at Magnus and opened his mouth to speak, but then he closed it again. He did this several times until Magnus frowned in concern. He had never seen Simon speechless before. “What is going on with you? Is everything alright?”
Simon grimaced and just shrugged in answer. Alec seemed to realize Simon was here for an important reason, so he stood up from the couch and gestured for Jace to do the same. “We’ll give you two some privacy.” As he started to walk away, Simon seemed to wake up a little and he held up one of his hands to stop him.
“No. I, uh, I actually was hoping to talk to you — both you and Magnus.”
Alec’s eyebrows jumped to his forehead and he looked at Magnus in alarm. Magnus looked equally confused, but he just nodded and moved back to the couch with Alec. Simon took the empty lounge chair next to Jace and fiddled with his thumbs, still lost for words.
After a few seconds of this, Magnus grew impatient. “What’s this all about Simon?”
Simon pursed his lips and finally asked, “You know Maia Roberts, right?”
“I know everyone, dear,” Magnus smirked. Alec looked at him pointedly with raised eyebrows, and he continued. “She happens to be one of my favorite bartenders at The Hunter’s Moon. Makes a mean dirty martini. She’s quite charming, I must say.”
Simon smiled at that. “Yeah, she really is. She and I … we kind of had something at one point, I think, but then I screwed it up.”
“Of course you did,” Jace interrupted. He shook his head in apparent irritation. “You couldn’t just follow my advice, could you?”
Simon shot him a glare. “Your advice is what ruined everything in the first place. I listened to you and acted like a jerk and now she probably never wants to speak to me again!”
“Wait a second,” Alec held up a hand. “You went to Jace for love advice?” He asked, pointing his finger at his brother just to be certain they were talking about the same person. Simon shrugged again, looking embarrassed. Alec scoffed and leaned back against the couch cushions. “Wow, you really are desperate,” he said under his breath, but Jace and Simon still heard him.
“Hey!” They yelled in unison.
“Jace, I think now would be a good time for you to retire for the night,” Magnus suggested, but it was obvious by his tone that it was less of a suggestion and more of an order.
Jace held up his hands in surrender and stood up from his chair. “Fine, don’t utilize me and my many talents. Just don’t come crying to me when you remain single for the rest of eternity, Lewis,” he said, heading back to his room.
No one spoke until they heard Jace’s door shut. Then Alec said, “Talking to Jace was your first mistake. I love him, but he probably couldn’t maintain a healthy relationship with someone if it was served to him on a silver platter.”
Simon nodded. “Well, yeah. I know that now. That’s why I came to you two instead.”
Magnus and Alec were silent. Alec cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable in his seat as his cheeks reddened slightly. Magnus smiled at him and took his hand, turning back to Simon.
“Okay, so after acting like an imbecile under Jace’s tutelage, you’re concerned that you won’t be able to win back Maia’s affection?” Magnus asked.
“More or less.”
“My dear Simon,” Magnus said with a smile. “I really don’t think there is much to worry about here.” Simon looked unconvinced. “I would say I know Maia reasonably well, and from what I’ve heard from Luke, she is a genuine and confident young woman who has been through hell and back.”
“Exactly!” Simon exclaimed, holding out his arm toward Magnus as if he just proved his point. “She is so strong and put together. Doesn’t she deserve to be with someone who won’t get paranoid about his own lack of romantic abilities and act like an ass to her for no good reason?”
Even Alec was looking at Simon with sympathy at this point.
Magnus was silent for a moment. Then, “If I could extrapolate one thing about Maia Roberts, it’s that she is someone who knows what she wants. So if she was interested in you at one point, then there was a good reason for it. As cliché as it sounds, just being yourself is often times the best option, Simon.”
The vampire looked down at his hands, nodding. “Okay, makes sense. Probably should’ve figured that one out for myself.” He laughed self-deprecatingly. A moment later he looked back up at them. “But what about how I acted before? How do I show her that I’m not just some jerk who’s going to treat her poorly?”
Alec was shaking his head at him now. “You are making this way more difficult than it needs to be. Just apologize and be honest with her. If she truly likes you for how you are — god knows why — then she’ll realize that you made a dumb mistake and she will still like you in spite of it.” Simon gazed at him in shock. “And you can trust me, because I don’t care about you enough to lie.”
Magnus elbowed him and muffled his own laughter. Simon chose to ignore that last part and was nodding again. “God, you guys make it sound so easy.” He stood up from his chair, clapping his hands together. “Well, I guess I’ve got to go and grovel like I’ve never groveled before. I’ll let you guys enjoy the rest of your night. Thank you, honestly, this really helped,” he said as he left the loft.
Alec watched him leave, but Magnus was busy staring at Alec with a knowing grin. When the front door closed, Alec turned to see his boyfriend watching him.
“What?”
“You can’t fool me, you know.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Alec said, narrowing his eyes.
“You said you don’t care about Simon, but I can see how much you want him to be happy,” Magnus said smugly. Alec rolled his eyes in response, getting up from the couch.
“Oh, spare me.”
Magnus laughed and stood up to follow him. “No, Alexander, it’s really quite sweet how much you love your friends. It’s nothing to be ashamed — ” Magnus was cut off by Alec’s lips, but he wasn’t going to complain.
2.
Alec’s feet dragged him forward as he made his way into Magnus’ building and up the steps to his apartment. It had been a long mission, longer than it should have been. There were more demons at the sight than Lydia had estimated, and to top it off Jace was more tense and sullen than ever after his latest fight with Clary. Alec was nearly dead on his feet. All he wanted to do was curl up with Magnus and sleep through the next week.
Which was why he was so disappointed when he made his way into the loft and found his boyfriend sitting with Clary by the bar, the pair deep in discussion.
Both of them looked up when the door closed behind him, and Alec’s horror increased when he saw the tear tracks on Clary’s face. By the Angel, Alec was not good at dealing with crying people, and his relationship with Clary was still awkward at best. In a mild panic, he pointed toward the bathroom.
“Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna go take a shower — ”
“Actually Alec, do you think I could talk to you as well?” Clary asked, her voice so soft Alec could barely hear her.
“Why… What would you want to talk to me about?”
Clary didn’t respond for a long time. Magnus didn’t look at him, just continued to gaze at her sadly, and Alec became more nervous as the seconds passed with silence. Finally, Clary just said, “Jace.”
Alec froze. ‘Oh no.’
During the last few weeks, Clary and Jace had been fighting more than ever. Their relationship had always been something of a rollercoaster, even before they found out they were siblings. When Jace was welcomed back to the Institute, they had tried to maintain some semblance of friendship, but they couldn’t seem to get past their previous romantic tensions from before. This led to several outbursts on both their parts, making life at the Institute awkward for everyone.
Alec had mostly been dealing with Jace’s side of things up to that point, occasionally sitting in and watching his parabatai vent about how frustrating and naïve the redhead could be. He was never expected to say anything in response to Jace’s ramblings, just to listen and nod every once in a while, and that was perfectly fine with Alec. He didn’t even know what he would say if Jace ever asked him to respond.
Right now, however, Alec was completely out of his depth.
At Magnus’ encouraging nod, Alec stiffly made his way over to stand on the other side of the bar, resting his forearms against the counter. He saw that Clary was already nursing a drink, and he briefly entertained the idea of making one for himself before he dismissed it. He was bad at these situations even when he was completely sober. It would be best not to bring alcohol into this.
Alec remained silent, waiting for Clary to begin. Finally, she spoke. “I just don’t know what to do,” she whispered in a broken voice. “I’m not supposed to feel this way about him, but I can’t stop myself, and lashing out at each other like this isn’t making anything better.”
She said all of this while staring into her drink. She grew silent again, and Alec tried to figure out the best way to respond, but he was spared when she looked up at him with wide eyes and continued. “And you … you were in love with Jace at one point,” she said. Alec flushed and Clary switched her gaze between him and Magnus, looking guilty. “I’m sorry for bringing it up like this, but you were! And now you’re not anymore and you have Magnus and everything is great, and I just need to know how you got over your feelings for him, because I don’t think I can take this any longer.”
Clary looked desperate, but Alec was mortified. He stood there for a moment, hoping that maybe a Ravener demon would somehow find its way into the loft as a convenient distraction. When it became apparent that nothing like that was going to happen, Alec sighed and closed his eyes. His relationship with Clary suffered a rocky start, to say the least. But by now they had reached a level of understanding and respect for one another, maybe even a tentative friendship, and she deserved the truth from him.
“I’m sorry Clary, but I don’t know how much help I can be to you with this… I was never actually in love with Jace.” Clary looked like she was about to argue, but he held up a hand to stop her. “I can’t deny that I had feelings for him. Feelings that brothers, that parabatai, should not feel toward one another.” Alec swallowed heavily and grimaced as the shame from his past threatened to swallow him whole. Magnus put his hand on top of his, and Alec found the breath to continue.
“But I was just a kid confused with his sexuality in an environment where being confused was unacceptable. Jace was the only guy who paid any attention to me, showed me any affection whatsoever during a time when I was just then realizing that I was gay. I might have thought that my infatuation with him was the same thing as being in love at the time, but it was never that. I didn’t even know what love was supposed to feel like. Not until…”
Alec trailed off when he figured out where he was heading, and his heart leapt into his throat. He and Magnus had not said “I love you” to each other yet. He hadn’t even really admitted it to himself before just then. But deep down he always knew it, he realized. Of course. Of course he was in love with Magnus. But he wasn’t sure he was ready to admit it to him yet.
Magnus squeezed his hand and Alec looked up at him. Instead of saying anything, Magnus just nodded once, an unspoken understanding in his eyes, and the knot in Alec’s chest loosened. He turned back to Clary and found her gazing at him with a small smile.
“So, I mean, I never really got over Jace, I guess. I just found what I really wanted,” He finished, squeezing Magnus’ hand in return.
Clary nodded, but she still looked slightly disappointed with his answer. Gripped with a sudden need to help her somehow, Alec went on. “But you should know — Jace is taking this just as hard as you are. I’ve never seen him so broken up about anything before. I know it is hard, but maybe if you two told each other the truth it would be easier for you.”
“I don’t even know where I would begin,” Clary said, looking lost.
At this, Alec shared a small smile. “It’s Jace, most of the time just being blunt is your best bet.”
Clary swallowed and bobbed her head in agreement. Then, she stepped off the stool she was on and walked across the other side of the bar to throw her arms around Alec. She was so tiny she could barely get her arms around his shoulders, but she gripped him tightly nonetheless. Alec was stunned, his eyes wide. Eventually, he forced one of his arms to wrap around her waist, patting her side awkwardly.
“Thank you Alec,” she said. Clary stepped back to make eye contact with him. “You don’t know how much help you’ve just been.”
She turned to Magnus, determination back in her eyes. “I need to go,” was all she said, and Magnus nodded in encouragement.
“Have a safe trip home, biscuit,” Magnus called after her as she jogged out of the loft. He made his way over to Alec after she was gone, wrapping his arms around him from behind so that his chest rested against his back. “Mmm, you’re really quite good at that, you know. You should give yourself more credit.”
Alec grinned and gave Magnus a chaste kiss over his shoulder. “I’m exhausted,” he whispered.
Magnus chucked into his shoulder. “You’ve had a long, productive day. Let’s get you to bed shadowhunter. You’ve earned a good night’s rest,” he said as he pulled Alec toward his bedroom.
3.
Magnus and Alec were enjoying some wine on Magnus’ balcony and telling each other about their days when they were interrupted by the distinct sound of someone climbing the fire escape. Alec was instantly on alert, pressing his wine glass into Magnus’ empty hand.
“I’ll be right back. Find somewhere to hide,” he said as he rushed back into the loft in search of his bow and quiver.
When he returned to the balcony, an arrow nocked and at the ready, he found his boyfriend smirking at him, wine glasses still in hand, and his sister looking at him with barely contained mirth.
“Izzy?”
“Hello, big brother.”
“What were you doing climbing Magnus’ fire escape?”
“Oh, so it’s perfectly okay for you to do it, but I can’t?” She shot back, amused.
Alec flushed. He regretted telling his sister so much about the time he’s spent with Magnus.
“What are you doing here?” He asked in an attempt to change the subject. He set his bow down by the door.
“Can’t I just pay a friendly visit to my favorite warlock and my brother who I barely get to see anymore?” Izzy asked innocently, but Alec wasn’t buying it.
“You see me plenty. And if you really wanted to spend time with us you would have told us beforehand so you could plan out something more extravagant than just us standing out here and talking. What’s going on?”
Izzy smiled in response to her brother’s words, but it was weak, which threw Alec off. His sister had always been so confident, and seeing her hesitant to talk made him nervous. Magnus seemed to notice this as well, as he grabbed Alec’s elbow and led them to the corner of the balcony where the seats were located. He gave back Alec’s wine and offered to get Izzy a glass, but she declined. This only made Alec more concerned — Izzy had never been one to turn down a free drink.
When she was settled into her seat, Izzy seemed to relax a little more. She smiled again, but it was still forced. “So… this might be a little bit awkward.”
“Iz, what could be so awkward that you can’t tell your big brother?”
“I’ve been dating Lydia in secret.”
A shocked silence followed her declaration. Alec was frozen in his seat as he tried to process the information, and all he could feel was Magnus gripping his arm. Izzy seemed to be caught off guard as well, as if she had not planned to be so blunt with her news.
“How…” Alec started, but his voice came out breathless. He cleared his throat. “How long has this been going on?”
“About two months.”
Alec deflated against the couch. Two months? How had he not noticed anything? He raked his memories of the time he spent at the Institute over the previous weeks, but he couldn’t recall any signs of Izzy and Lydia engaging in anything more than a professional relationship. Maybe Izzy was right. Maybe he had been neglecting his family too much if he had missed something this huge.
Just as the guilt was threatening to eat him alive, Magnus spoke up.
“Well, that is certainly not what I expected to hear.”
There was a beat of silence, then Alec chuckled, and Izzy and Magnus quickly followed. Soon, their laughter grew in intensity until they were almost hysterical, tears leaking from their eyes, as the absurdity of their situation set in.
Once they had all calmed down, Magnus asked, “Does anyone else know?” Izzy shook her head.
“Why did you not tell me?” Alec asked, trying not to let the hurt seep into his voice.
“Well, at first it was because I was sure this was just going to be a short fling. One night we were together, doing experiments on a fresh corpse — ”
“Sexy,” Magnus commented. Izzy spared him a grateful smile for keeping the mood light.
“The lighting in the research lab is quite romantic, I’ll have you know. Anyway, we were just having a nice conversation and then… I don’t know… one thing sort of led to another. It was casual for a long time, and then suddenly it wasn’t.”
Izzy smiled in a way that Alec could only describe as smitten, and he found himself smiling back at her.
“She’s amazing,” she said. “And she’s so confident and smart, and she’s really funny, but so few people see that about her because she has to act as the strong leader of the Institute most of the time. I’ve never felt this way about anybody before.”
Alec and Magnus both beamed at her now, and she answered back with a grin. But Alec saw a hint of helplessness to her expression as well. “So, what’s the problem?” He asked.
“The problem is that she’s the head of the Institute. And yeah, a lot of shadowhunters are becoming more accepting of different lifestyles, but the Clave as a whole is still so strict, and I don’t think they would be very pleased to find out that the head of the New York Institute is seeing another woman. Lydia knows that I’m telling you two, and I probably will tell Jace and Clary soon, but beyond that… ” Izzy trailed off, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Lydia wants to keep your relationship a secret,” Magnus said. Izzy nodded. “And you don’t.”
Izzy sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “It’s just so exhausting having to hide all the damn time. I care about her so much, and I just want to say ‘Screw the rules,’ but she could lose everything she’s worked for. I can’t do that to her. And I thought, since you two were once in a similar situation, that maybe you would have some advice as to how I should deal with this?”
Izzy looked hopefully at the two of them, and Alec and Magnus shared a long look. After a moment, Magnus spoke.
“Isabelle, I can absolutely sympathize with you. I did not expect to meet Alexander. I did not expect to ever fall in love again, actually. But fate has a way of throwing curve balls at us at the most random times, and it’s meant to challenge us. That’s the point. It may have been a difficult road to get us here, but I will never regret fighting to keep Alexander in my life, and nor should you feel bad for fighting to keep Lydia in yours. I was fortunate that Alec was brave enough to be open about himself and our relationship in spite of the risks it presented to his career and to your family’s reputation. But if he had wanted to be with me while he was still in the closet, I would have agreed without hesitation, because it would have been worth it. He will always be worth it.”
Silence followed Magnus’ speech. Alec stared at Magnus, pure affection and astonishment in his eyes, and he found that he was lost for words again. It took a while for Alec to gather himself. When he did, he turned back to his sister to find her looking at the both of them with almost unbearable fondness.
“Magnus is right,” Alec said. “Hiding something like this will be hard, but if she really is important to you and you are important to her, you two will make it work. And who knows what will happen in the future? Maybe the Clave will become more accepting, or Lydia will be willing to come out regardless of the rules. But in the meantime, if you ever want to be together openly and without judgment, you guys can always come here and say it’s for official business.”
Magnus nodded. “I could even portal us all somewhere far away from the Clave’s reach. I’ve always wanted to go on a double date skiing on the Alps.”
Alec huffed out a laugh, and Izzy looked thankfully at the two of them. She checked the time on her phone and sighed.
“I should head back. Lydia will be waiting anxiously to hear how this went,” she said as she stood up from her seat.
“Surely she couldn’t think we would react badly?” Magnus asked.
“No, but she’s a worrier,” Izzy said with enough adoration in her eyes to make Alec’s heart clench. His sister was obviously very happy. “She thought perhaps you would be upset that I kept it a secret for so long.”
Alec smiled at Izzy and pulled her into a hug. “I’m just glad you’ve told us now,” he said into her hair. “I’m really happy for you, sis.”
Izzy hugged him tighter. “Thank you, big brother.” She pulled away from him and gave Magnus a hug as well. “Really, thank you both for being so understanding.” She stepped back from Magnus, but kept her hands on his shoulders, looking at both of them. “The two of you will never know how happy I am that you found each other.”
And yet again, Alec couldn’t find his voice. He just stared at his sister as she jumped back onto the fire escape, blew them both one final kiss, and started climbing down.
When she was out of sight, Alec grabbed Magnus’ arm to pull him close and kissed him firmly. “I love you so much,” he said when they separated. “Do you know that? Do I tell you that enough?”
Alec kissed him again and Magnus giggled into it. “Well, you tell me at least once every day, but I don’t know. I might need some extra confirmation.”
Alec smirked and continued to press quick kisses into Magnus’ lips, murmuring, “I love you,” between each one.
Magnus beamed at him when they finally stopped. “I love you too, Alexander. I don’t think you could ever comprehend just how much.”
4.
“You certainly know how to wake a man up, Alexander,” Magnus said into Alec’s mouth as his boyfriend leaned over him on the bed, the red silk sheet falling to their waists.
Alec smiled, pressing his bare chest against Magnus. “Well, I have to thank you somehow for that amazing night we spent together yesterday.”
“Don’t let me stop you then, darling,” he said, and their mouths met again.
Just as their kisses became deeper and their hands started to roam, the door to their bedroom burst open. Alec and Magnus jumped and flew apart, looking to the door in alarm.
“I need to talk to you two,” Jace said in a matter of fact tone, not even flinching at their nudity.
Alec groaned and pressed his hands into his eyes, while Magnus threw the sheet over his head in frustration. Jace appeared unperturbed and just settled into one of the chairs in the corner of the room.
“You guys can relax. It’s not like I thought you guys were ever abstinent,” Jace said, waving his hands in a sort of half-assed celebration. “Congratulations, I guess.”
Alec was sitting up against the headboard now, arms crossed over his chest. Magnus pulled the sheet down just enough peek half his head out and glare at him.
“That is not a good reason for you to just barge in here unannounced,” Alec retorted.
“This is important.”
“What could possibly be so urgent for you to — ”
“It’s about Clary.”
Alec and Magnus just stared at him.
“You mean to tell me,” Magnus breathed, barely concealed fury simmering in his voice, “that you interrupted us to discuss your relationship drama?”
“I’m in love with her.”
That made them pause. Magnus and Alec stared at each other in confusion for a moment. Then they looked back to Jace.
“Well, yeah. We kind of figured that,” Alec said slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child.
After Jace and Clary found out they weren’t actually brother and sister a few months ago, the two basically pounced on each other. They had been practically attached at the hip — and the mouth — ever since. It was clear even before they were officially together that the pair was in love, so neither Alec nor Magnus could figure out what the big problem was.
“I know! It’s so obvious, right? I’ve known this for so long, but it still feels like it’s too soon to say it. We’ve been dating for less than two months! Wouldn’t telling her something like this just freak her out?”
Now Jace had their full attention. It was rare to see the blond shadowhunter speak so sincerely.
“I think that depends on your relationship with her,” Magnus said.
“But that’s the thing. Clary and I have never been very good at the verbal aspect of communication, even before we were together. We communicate better through other means.”
Alec grimaced. “Too much information, Jace.”
Jace shot him a look. “Dude, you are literally having a conversation with me while you’re naked in bed with your boyfriend.”
“And whose fault is that?”
Jace ignored him. “And besides, when I said that, I wasn’t just referring to physical intimacy. We just have this really strong connection between us. I know that she likes it when I surprise her, and she knows I like it when she draws for me. We don’t need to talk about these things to confirm it with each other.”
“It sounds like you guys are very secure in your relationship, so why don’t you just tell her? You have to know she loves you too,” Magnus said.
“Maybe,” Jace sighed and ruffled his hair. “I just feel like it needs to be perfect, you know? This is so different than any other relationship I’ve been in before. It’s so hard to find the right time,” Jace looked up at them then, suddenly inspired. “When did you guys say it?”
Magnus and Alec shared a tender look, both remembering the day clearly. “It wasn’t anything special, honestly,” Alec said. “It was about six months ago. I was getting ready for a mission, and after I gave him a kiss goodbye it just slipped out, like I had said it a hundred times before.”
Magnus chuckled. “I will always remember the face he made after he said it. He completely froze. He looked like he wished the world would just swallow him up right then.” He laughed loudly as Alec pushed him back into the pillows, but he just bounced back to wrap his arms around Alec’s waist. “I don’t know why you were so worried about it though, darling. You had to have known I would say it back. We both knew it for so long before that moment came.”
Jace was observing them quietly until Alec broke the silence when he turned away from his boyfriend to look at him. “Clary has loved you for a long time, buddy, and you love her. When the time comes, it’ll happen, and it will be perfect. Quit worrying about it so much.”
Jace stared at them blankly. Slowly, a genuine smile lit up his face. “I think you’re right about that, brother,” he said, getting up. “Thanks for talking to me. I’ll let you guys get back to whatever you could have possibly been doing in here before I came in,” he said with exaggerated naiveté, the door shutting behind him with a pointed click.
Alec shook his head at his brother’s antics, and then felt Magnus stroke his chin and turn his head to face him. Alec smiled and slowly leaned forward, Magnus doing the same.
The moment their lips finally met, the door opened again.
“Do you guys want me to make waffles or something?”
Jace was answered by a pillow being chucked at his face.
1.
After searching through the Institute’s training rooms, weapons bay, and kitchens, Alec found his brother and sister in Izzy’s room, examining two dresses.
“What are you guys up to?”
“I’m helping Izzy pick out a dress for her date with Lydia tonight,” Jace answered.
“I like the black one,” Alec commented with a nod toward the flowy garment Izzy was holding up next to the red wrap dress.
“Shocker,” Jace replied.
“Yeah, see big brother, this is why I don’t ask you about these things,” Izzy said. Alec rolled his eyes, and Izzy put both dresses back into her wardrobe. “Why are you here anyway? This is your day off. Shouldn’t you be spending it with Magnus?”
The younger Lightwood siblings turned to really look at their older brother for the first time and were surprised to see Alec looking more nervous than they had seen him in years.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Well… actually, I… I kind of wanted to talk to you guys about Magnus.”
“What happened? Is everything alright with the two of you?” Jace asked in a worried tone. Alec looked startled at this response.
“What? No, calm down, it’s not anything bad… I think,” Alec said. His siblings did not look reassured. He sighed. “It’s just… I’ve been thinking about — I’m not good at talking about things like this, so just — here.”
Frustrated at his inability to communicate how he wanted, Alec dug into his jacket pocket, taking out a small dark object and setting it on Izzy’s desk. A thick silence weighed heavily in the room as the Lightwoods stared at the ring box together. Jace’s eyebrows seemed to disappear into his hairline. The enduring quiet made Alec increasingly nervous, desperate for one of his siblings to say something, anything.
Finally, a smile slowly spread across Izzy’s face until she looked like she was about to explode from excitement. “Oh my god, Alec!” Izzy practically flew at Alec then, almost tackling him to the floor. Alec laughed and caught his sister, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged the breath out of him.
Meanwhile Jace had picked up the box and opened it, examining the ring inside. When Izzy noticed this she rushed over to him and gasped at what she saw. It was a thin silver band with several runes inscribed on the outside. Trust. Devotion. Love.
Alec looked awkward again, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I know it’s not much — ”
He was cut off by his brother’s scoff. Alec lifted his head to see Jace staring at him with a shit-eating grin. Jace took a few steps toward him to clap his hand on Alec’s shoulder. “Dude,” he breathed. “This is amazing.”
Alec looked shocked, but pleased, at the reactions he was receiving. “Really? You two don’t think that this is too much, too fast for us?”
Izzy and Jace looked like Alec had just said the dumbest thing they had ever heard.
“Seriously?” Jace asked, incredulous. “I’m less surprised by this than I am that Magnus hasn’t asked you by now.”
Alec was shaking his head now in disbelief. “No, no. Look, I know we’ve been together almost two years now, but… I-I…” Izzy and Jace watched as their brother paled and appeared to deflate before their eyes.
“Bro, are you okay? What’s going on?” Jace asked. Alec looked at him with wide eyes, as though a terrible thought had just occurred to him.
“I mean, Magnus is centuries old, right? And he’s never been married once. Not once. There has to be a reason for that right? He probably never wants to get married, and I’m going to go and ruin everything we have by asking him to do this.”
Izzy looked on, helpless as her brother tumbled further into a panic. “Alec, stop it! I love you, but you are being so stupid right now.” Alec looked like he was going to interrupt, but Izzy pressed on. “The reason Magnus hasn’t married before is because he’s never loved anyone the way he loves you. He’s told me this, and I know he’s told you as well. And you love him just as much. What the hell is stopping you?”
Alec struggled to answer his sister. No matter how many thoughts or arguments came into his head, nothing would come out of his mouth. His tongue felt like it was made of lead as the gravity of the situation fully set in.
Finally, Jace spoke up instead. “Why did you get a ring if you don’t want to propose?”
“I do want to propose!” Alec looked sure of this, almost desperate to convince his siblings of it. “I want to marry him, more than anything. He’s the best thing to ever happen to me.” He swallowed thickly and sat down on Izzy’s bed. “I just… I just want to be enough for him.”
Alec spoke so softly Izzy and Jace almost didn’t hear him. The two looked at each other in astonishment. They knew it was hard for their brother to be so open with his emotions, so they would have to proceed with caution.
Jace blew out a frustrated breath. “Alec, didn’t you tell me once that Magnus has been with more than 17,000 people in his life?”
Well, that was one way to go.
Alec scowled. “This is not making me feel better.”
“Yeah, where are you going with this Jace?” Izzy questioned with a glare.
“All I’m saying is that he’s had relationships with a lot of people, but he’s stayed with you for over two years. Do you know that that’s the longest romantic relationship he has ever had?” Alec nodded at the floor. “Yeah, he told me that once when we were out drinking together, but I’m sure he’s let you in to so much more. You probably know him better than anyone ever has or ever will. And that means something, Alec. Izzy’s right, he loves you unlike he’s ever loved anyone.”
Jace was getting himself worked up now, and Alec still wouldn’t look at him, so he sat down next to his parabatai. “Look, you and Magnus are the best couple I know. Why do you think so many people come to the two of you when they’re having trouble with their own relationships?” Alec shrugged weakly. “It’s because we see you two, and we see how good you are together, and it’s so obvious. You two were made for each other. So please, before I go crazy, just stop worrying about whether you’re worthy of Magnus’ love, because you absolutely are. You prove it to him every day, and if you want to spend the rest of your life with him, I’m positive he’ll say yes.”
Alec was sat there, stunned, soaking in his brother’s words. Finally he said, “You know Jace, I think you may be right about something for once.” Alec looked at him with a small smile.
Izzy breathed a sigh of relief and Jace threw himself back onto his sister’s mattress.
“Thank the Angel! I’m glad you didn’t make me drag you to Magnus’ place myself and propose to him for you, because I’ll be damned if I let your dumb insecurities get in the way of your own happiness again, brother.”
Alec shook his head, but couldn’t stop an exasperated chuckle from escaping his lips. Izzy walked over to him, the ring box in her hands. He took it from her and turned it over in his palms a few times. “So? You’re really going to propose to Magnus?”
Alec looked at the box, a grin growing wider on his face. “Yeah, I am.”
Izzy held back a squeal, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I am so proud of you, Alec. Do you have any idea when it’s going to happen?”
He lifted his head to smile at his sister. “I was thinking maybe on our two-year anniversary, but I don’t know. Is that too cliché?”
Jace barked out a laugh, still lying on the bed. “It doesn’t matter how you do it, bro. You could propose to him over the phone right now, and it would still be absurdly romantic and sickening.”
“Says the guy who cried when his girlfriend gave him a portrait of the two of them together on his birthday,” Alec returned with a smirk.
Jace sat up to punch his brother’s shoulder. “Hey! That was a thoughtful gift that Clary spent a lot of time on!” Alec raised his hands in surrender.
“Do you know how you’re going to do it?” Izzy prodded. Her eyes brightened as an idea flew into her mind. “Ooh, do you want us to help you plan it?”
Alec stood up abruptly at that, his hands still raised with the ring box grasped in one. “I think I’ll manage this mission on my own, thanks. The last thing I want this turning into is a big Hollywood production.”
Izzy and Jace looked offended. “Your loss, big brother,” Izzy shot back.
Alec’s phone buzzed in his back pocket. He checked the screen and lit up, making Izzy smirk knowingly Jace wrinkle his nose in mock disgust. Their brother was so lovesick it wasn’t even funny.
“I should get going. Magnus wants to take me to Morocco for dinner,” he said. Alec walked to the door, but paused halfway there. He took a few steps back to give Jace and Izzy each a tight hug. “I love you both. Thank you for this. I needed it, honestly,” he said sincerely.
“We know,” Jace told him. “Now get out of here and go see your man.” Alec smiled again in response and rushed out of Izzy’s room.
Jace turned to his sister. “He really can be such an idiot sometimes, can’t he?”
Izzy rolled her eyes and shook her head fondly at her oldest brother. “I know… He’s going to be just fine though.”
“Yeah. I think he is too.”
“On slightly different note,” Izzy said, sending a devious smirk Jace’s way. “I sure hope that monologue you performed a few minutes ago was a sneak peek at the best man’s speech you’re going to give at their wedding. I’ve never seen you quite so eloquent before.”
Jace’s eyes widened into saucers at that revelation, and he started frantically searching Izzy’s room for a paper and pencil. “Fuck! I can’t remember everything I said! Help me out here Izzy, what did I say to him?”