"So," Magnus grinned as he took a hold of Alec's hand. "Where do you want to go next?"
A warm summer breeze brushed their faces gently. Magnus had been traveling around with Alec for nearly two weeks, taking him to places Alec had never been before. Of course, most of these places were already well-known by Magnus, but he didn't mind at all; he loved sharing personal stories with Alec.
But he had never expected stopping in Étretat. In fact, he had never even heard from Étretat before. It was Alec who had come up with the idea of going there. And if Alec wanted to go somewhere, Magnus would always take him.
Étretat was a small town in Northern France and surprisingly beautiful. When they had arrived in the late afternoon, Magnus had suggested to have dinner first, but Alec had refused. "There is somewhere else we need to be first," he had said. And that was the first time Alec had taken Magnus somewhere.
That is how they ended up sitting at the edge of a cliff, staring out into the open sea. Two hundred feet below, waves crashed against the chalk natural arch. Magnus wondered how Alec had found out about Étretat, but his answer would probably be something work-related and that was the last thing Magnus wanted to talk about.
Alec leaned in sideways. "Nowhere," he said quietly. "This is perfect."
Magnus hummed in agreement. He lifted his head and looked at Alec. He had seen Alec calm before. Alec was calm whenever he was reading a book or having a drink on the balcony. But there was a constant frown on his forehead. His shoulders were always tensed, and he would never stand, sit or lay anywhere without carrying a weapon (or at least have one nearby, because carrying a weapon while being naked is not particularly easy).
So yes, he had seen Alec calm before, but these past few weeks Alec seemed genuinely relaxed. Content. He even looked younger. And for the first time ever, Alec hadn't brought any type of weapon with them. He did, however, make Magnus swear that he would protect both of them with his magic in case they were in any type of danger.
"You're staring," Alec said.
Magnus jumped a little at Alec's sudden comment, but recovered quickly. "Yes, I was," he admitted shamelessly, a huge smirk on his face.
Alec tried to suppress a smile as he nodded toward the salmon pink sky in front of them. "The sunset is that way. That's where you should be looking. Not my face."
"Alexander," Magnus started, running his free hand up and down Alec's lower arm. "All sunsets are beautiful and unique for sure, but if it were the end of the world, I'd miss the very last sunset ever if it meant being able to look at your pretty face for the last time."
The Shadowhunter groaned in amusement. "Smooth. Cheesy," he said, "but smooth."
Magnus laughed. These were the moments he enjoyed the most. Where it was just the two of them; no demons, no mundanes (Magnus knew how much Alec hated them) and no Jace, who had the extraordinary skill of barging in at the worst moment possible.
He also loved it when nothing much was said. When they were just enjoying each other's company, their touches and their kisses.
"You're doing it again."
"I can't help it," Magnus said. "It's really hard not to stare at you."
Alec chuckled. His cheeks felt hot, but it was a feeling that wasn't new to him. Magnus always made these sappy comments. Alec thought he would get used to them one day, but Magnus will never not make Alec blush. "Stop distracting me," he said. "We're missing the best part.
Magnus took both of his hands away from Alec, lifting them in defense. "Hey, you're the one who hasn't looked at me for at least fourteen minutes now. I'm the one who can't take his eyes off of you. So I'm not distracting you, you're distracting me!"
"Yes, you are!" Alec laughed.
Knowing that he wouldn't win this argument, Magnus glanced back to the disappearing sun in front of them. It was true, he had seen many sunsets before. But none of them could be compared to this one.
It wasn't just the sun that made this all so beautiful, so unique. It was the location - Magnus had fallen in love with Étretat - and it was the sound of the ocean and Alec's laugh. It was Alec's hand in his and the overwhelming feeling of nothing but complete happiness.
It was everything he hadn't felt in a very long time.
Dark clouds started to roll in, along with a threatening thunderclap. Magnus looked at Alec, who seemed to be unaware of the upcoming storm. In fact, he seemed to be unaware of anything.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Magnus asked quietly.
Alec looked toward Magnus, face as serious as ever. "You know, this isn't what I thought it would be."
Magnus blinked, completely taken aback of Alec's comment. "Alexander?"
"No, wait!" Alec grabbed Magnus' hand immediately, pulling him a little closer. "That's not what I - I'm not talking about - Alec, by the Angel," he cursed to himself. He ran his free hand through his hair and took a deep breath before starting over.
"Before I met you, and I thought about the future and relationships, I could only see the Nephilim side of it. Always fighting demons, barely having time for a partner, only getting married because it's part of our duty. I never thought about the more… mundane parts of it."
"Alexander, I -"
"I never thought I would portal from one city to another just to go on a vacation. I never thought I would go on dates, visit museums, have dinners in fancy restaurants or watch sunsets. But Magnus, thanks to you I get to experience that. You have given me all of that and so much more. You've given me love and you taught me how to love." He paused, taking the time to look at Magnus. "You gave me more than I thought I deserved and you have made me so much happier than I ever thought I would be. And I can't thank you enough for that. I don't even know how I can do that."
Magnus smiled, running his hand over Alec's cheek. He took a moment to take it all in before he answered. "You don't ever have to thank me for that. You just have to promise me one thing."
"What is it?" Alec asked.
"Promise me you'll love me until the end."
Alec wanted to ask what he meant, but deep down he knew exactly what he meant. And he didn't want to think about that just yet. So he just nodded, kissed Magnus' hand and then nodded again. "I promise."