Okay so i have been dyingggg for someone to write this fic Malec after Alec rescues Magnus from Edom and the Clave have to thank Magnus for saving alicante with a ceremony or something cause if it wasn't for him they all would have been fucked. And some of them look like they are actually dying inside to be thanking a downworlder but they have to and Alec standing beside Magnus being that #proudAFfiance⢠Pleaseee write thiss, will give you my firstborn
weâll stand up champions tonight
âRemind me whyweâre going to this, again?â Magnus asked, fiddling with his cufflinks. Hisfingers played with them absently for another minute before he moved to thedresser to swap them for another pair. For the fifth time that evening.
Alec rolled his eyesfondly, stepping up behind his husband to run a comforting hand up and down hislower back. Magnus sighed, some of the tension leaving him as he relaxed intothe sensation.
âWeâre goingbecause the Clave invited us. All ofus,â Alec said softly, the importance of the words still conveyed. When Alecsaid all, he meant every single oneof their friends and family that had helped save Idris and then the world fromJonathan Morgenstern and his destruction. Of course the Clave had invited theShadowhunters involved, but it wasnât only them. It was Simon and Maia andLorenzo and Meliorn. Everyone whoâd been in Idris during the initial attack andeveryone whoâd been to Edom to stop the aftermath.
Magnus turnedfrom the dresser, arms looping up around Alecâs neck. âI know,â he sighed. âAndI know itâs a big step for the Clave, I justâŚâ
Alecâs armtightened around his back as he brought his other hand up to cup Magnusâscheek. âYou donât have to explain. I know the Clave probably hasnât been verykind to you over the years. And I know going tonight is going to beâŚwell,itâs going to be a lot. For both of us, but especially for you.â Magnus wassuddenly torn between the urge to kiss his husband senseless or to sob into hisarms for the rest of the evening. Alecâs thumb stroked along his cheekbone. âIunderstand why youâre apprehensive about going, but I think we need to bethere. Itâs a big step for the Clave to invite you, to invite every single oneof our friends. Itâs an even bigger step that theyâre acknowledging how big a role the Downworld played in saving Idrisand the world.â
Magnus nodded.âYouâre right. I never thought I would see the day,â he whispered.
âMe neither,âAlec whispered back, a small, proud smile gracing his lips. âIâll be rightthere beside you, no matter what happens. We can even leave early if you wantto.â
âThank you,Alexander,â Magnus said, pulling his husband into an embrace.
âYou donât haveto thank me,â Alec said into his shoulder. âI would do anything for you. Notthat I would ever mind ditching out of a Clave event early.â Magnus laughed.âCome on,â Alec said, pulling away and gently grabbing one of Magnusâs hands asthey fell from his shoulders.
âMr. Lightwood,Mr. Bane,â Consul Penhallow called as soon as they stepped through the portalinto the Gardâs reception hall.
âLightwood-Bane,actually,â Alec corrected, squeezing Magnusâs hand. Magnus grinned at the pressof cool metal from Alecâs wedding band.
âOf course,â Jiareplied without falter. âMy apologies. I wanted to extend my welcome,â she saidto both of them, before flashing a smile at Magnus. âAnd my thanks,â she added.
Magnus returnedher smile and nodded. He couldnât help but feel a little shocked. Of course,heâd known what this evening was about. The Clave had made it perfectly clearin the invitations that it was to celebrate and thank the work of the Downworldin protecting both Idris and the world from Jonathan Morgensternâs destruction.
They turned inunison, spotting Aline and Helen bounding through the crowd towards them. Thetwo were grinning ear to ear, and Magnus found himself grinning when he noticedtheir hands clasped between them. He shifted his gaze to Alec, finding asimilar grin on his husbandâs face. Alecâs eyes were knowing, happy. Proud,even, Magnus thought.
Aline pressedAlec into a hug, and then Magnus, to his surprise. He hardly knew the Consulâsdaughter, but he supposed her new affection made sense. It was clear she caredabout Alecâabout all of the Lightwoods. Now Magnus was part of that family.Magnus smiled.
Magnus watched inamusement as Helen looked at Alec, clearly unsure of herself. She stuck out ahand as though to shake his, but Alec laughed and shook his head. Aline snortedaffectionately at the surprise on her face when Alec pulled Helen into a huginstead. Magnus pulled Helen into a hug as well, trying his best not to let herexpression of awe go straight to his ego.
âIs the rest ofyour family here?â Aline asked Alec.
He nodded.âHavenât seen them yet, but theyâre around here somewhere.â
Alineâs handfound Helenâs again. âLetâs go find Isabelle,â she said, waving as she pulledher girlfriend away.
âMy daughter andher girlfriend have been raving to me about your heroics,â Jia said as thethree of them watched Helen and Aline disappear into the crowd once again.
âOh, I donât knowabout that,â Magnus said, shifting a little on his feet.
Alec shook hishead. âNope, donât let him be modest. Izzy and I were about to stupidly try totake on dozens of the edomai when Magnus appeared out of nowhere and blastedall of them in a matter of seconds.â He grinned. âIf thatâs not the definitionof heroic, I donât know what is.â
Magnus shrugged,smiling as he fought the urge to blush. âI did have a badass one-liner andeverything.â
âWell,â Jia said,smiling. Magnus was more than a little surprised to see how genuine of a smileit was. Maybe the Clave is changing,he thought. âIdris and I thank you for your heroics and your sacrifices. Wewonât let them go unappreciated, Mr. Lightwood-Bane.â
âThank you,âMagnus said quietly. âBut, please. Call me Magnus.â
âOf course,â Jiasaid. She clapped her hands together, intertwining her fingers. âIâll leave youto it. Please enjoy the party.â A moment later she was gone, leaving Alec andMagnus alone.
âWow,â Magnusbreathed.
âI know,â Alecsaid, turning and placing his hands gently around Magnusâs waist. He smiledproudly at Magnus.
Magnus foundMeliorn standing by the refreshments table and bar. Heâd wandered away fromAlec in search of a drink after one particularly awkward conversation with someClave official whose name Magnus had already forgotten.
He had to hand itto the more close-minded bigots of the Clave for trying tonight. Heâd even shaken hands with a man Magnus recognizedto have once been a part of the Circle. By the time the man had walked away andMagnusâs polite smile fell once again, he was exhausted. After a few moresimilar interactions with people whoâd clearly lived in Idris all their livesand rarely interacted with Downworlders, Magnus had mumbled to Alec that heneeded a drink, preferably something strong.
The eveninghadnât been entirely bad, though. The many Downworlders in attendance were warmtowards him, smiling and celebrating. Whispers of congratulations followed himand Alec around the party from friends and strangers alike.
Meliorn smiledlazily at Magnusâs approach. âMagnus.â
âMeliorn,â Magnussaid as cheerfully as he could muster, pleased to find a familiar face in thethrong of people. He wouldnât say that he and the Seelie knight were friends,necessarily, but theyâd been through a lot together in the past few months.First with the beginning of Alecâs Downworlder cabinets, and then Meliorn hadjoined the rescue mission to Edom. Had almost died on the rescue mission to Edom.
Magnus looked outat the crowd, taking a sip of his dark red wine. Heâd wanted somethingstronger, but he hadnât drankânot reallyâsince the night heâd broken down inAlecâs arms. Somehow the thought of whiskey set a coldness in his bones that hewasnât quite yet ready to face.
He and Meliornwatched the party-goers in companionable silence. âItâs strange, isnât it,âMagnus murmured after a moment. âShadowhunters and Downworlders in one room. Inthe angelsâ city, no less.â
âI canât say Iever imagined a Seelie would receive such a warm welcome in Alicante,â Meliornreplied, face unreadable as he skimmed the crowd. âI believe this change to bea long time coming, as does my new Queen.â
âYes,â Magnusagreed. âPlease express my congratulations to your new Queen on her coronation.â
Meliorn nodded.He smiled at Magnus, the upturn of his lips there and gone in a flash, and amoment later, so was Meliorn.
Magnus turnedback to the crowd, suddenly finding himself face to face with Robert Lightwood.
âMagnus,â Robertsaid with a warmth Magnus never wouldâve expected.
âHello, Robert,âMagnus said, smiling and bracing himself once again. Whatever blow he wasexpecting, it didnât come.
âI wanted toexpress my thanks,â Robert said, looking somewhat sheepish. Magnus raised aneyebrow. He couldnât stop himself. Heâd never expected Robert Lightwood, once amember of the Circle who so desperately hated him and the man whoâd been afraidof Magnusâs relationship with his son, to thankhim. âThank you, of course, for what you did to save us all, but what Ireally mean isâŚThank you for what youâve done for Alec.â
Magnus opened hismouth, entirely unsure of what to say. Maryse had said something similaronce:Â Thank you for loving my boy. Her sentiment had arrived as a shockto both Magnus and Alec, but she hadcome so far from the woman whoâd tried to kick him out of Alecâs almostwedding. Magnus knew she loved him like a fourth son. He couldnât imagineRobert ever harboring any such feelings for himself.
âDad, hi.â Alecâsvoice broke through the crowd, saving Magnus from replying, but still he smiledwarmly at Robert. Alecâs hand found his as he approached, and he squeezedMagnusâs hand gently. Magnus squeezed back, probably a bit harder than heâdintended.
âHello, son,âRobert smiled. âI was just saying hello to Magnus, but I think Iâd better gofind your brother. Who knows what kind of trouble Max will get himself into ata party like this,â he joked, making a graceful exit into the crowd.
âYou okay?â Alecmurmured, stepping closer.
Magnus hummed,watching the spot in the crowd that Robert had disappeared into. âYes,â he saidtruthfully. âYes, I am.â