The remaining time flew by before Alec knew it. Izzy had taken care of all the wedding preparations. True to her word, she had not tried to contact Magnus and now, she put her hands on his shoulders as he almost had a panic attack. "Hey, breathe, slowly. You're imagining the worse. It'll be better than you think. Maybe you could treat the first few weeks as your dating period, you know."
"Start with small things. Clary and I would write each other post-its when we first moved in together," Jace added.
"I can't believe I am taking tips for my love life from you and Clary but that's actually not a bad idea," Alec let out a hollow laugh. "I just - it's just - what if - " he could not bring himself to say it but his siblings understood.
"If he does, I will make sure he can never ever have sex again," Jace said, going into combat mode. Alec smiled weakly as he motioned them to head out. "It's time."
Magnus was already at the altar when Alec took his place, Izzy and Jace behind him. He caught Clary giving him a thumbs up sign from where she sat but he decided to ignore it, choosing to look at his - at Magnus instead. The warlock was wearing a royal blue tuxedo with swirling patters in the same colour. The patterns mirrored those in gold over Alec's white tuxedo. The warlock had gone for a toned down makeup, and his hair was styled up with a single blue highlight matching his jacket.
"You look quite handsome, Alexander," he said politely, to which Alec responded with an equally polite compliment, a little less smoothly than Magnus, of course. The rest of the ceremony was a blur to Alec, until they were told to kiss.
Magnus held him at the waist and planted a short chaste kiss on his lips before letting go. "Not so bad, now was it?" He asked making Alec blush.
After the reception, Alec hugged his siblings before heading to his quarters at the Institute with Magnus. They grabbed his suitcase and then Magnus portalled them to his loft. Alec looked around at his new surroundings in surprise. Alec had imagined the place would look at a bachelor's pad, based on what he had heard of Magnus so far. However, the living room was decorated in a classy fashion, white leather sofas over a dull red rug.
"That is the living room, as you can see. Up ahead is the kitchen, there is an office space and library in here," Magnus pointed as he spoke. "My room is in there and right here is going to be your room. Whatever changes you want to make to the decor, please let me know. I wasn't sure what you would like," he spoke warmly. "Alexander, I understand that this is not a situation either of us willingly walked into, but perhaps we can avoid making it too difficult. I guess, what I mean is, please consider this as much your home as mine, and feel free to let me know if you need anything or make any changes you want." With a small smile, Magnus headed into his room.
—
The next week passed without any contact between the two newlyweds. Alec would leave the loft while Magnus was still asleep and get back late at night. His siblings tried to talk to him about it but Alec evaded their questions, choosing to dive into work instead. Yelling out "It's my marriage and I want you two to stay out of it" had helped as well, but not in the way Alec had hoped. Izzy, being Izzy, decided to give her brother's relationship a little nudge. So, on pretence of a date, she headed out and knocked on Magnus and Alec's door.
To say that Magnus was surprised to see her was an understatement. "Isabelle, I didn't expect to see you here."
"Clearly," she said with a smile, gesturing to the warlock's dressing robe around him and his unstyled hair. "I am happy to wait while you get ready." She settled into the couch as if she was a regular visitor to the apartment.
"Did we have something planned? I am sorry I must have forgotten to put it on my calendar," he said lightly, playing along, causing her to smile widely. She was already starting to like the guy.
"We do now, brother-in-law. We are going for a coffee."
"Very well, give me a moment please," Magnus smiled, though he still looked slightly confused. He went into his room and a few minutes later, he was ready in a deep red jacket over a white satin shirt coupled with beige pants.
"Shall we?" He extended his hand, making the Shadowhunter smile. Once she took her hand, he portalled them to a quiet coffee shop in Queens. Once they ordered, they sat silent for a moment before Izzy spoke up. Surprisingly, the silence was not awkward.
"My brother is a real catch," she blurted after a while. "He's just shy," she added at Magnus's raised eyebrow. "He's always been the quiet one amongst us siblings. Angel knows someone had to be. Mum and dad would have ended up putting us into adoption otherwise, forget adopting Jace. In fact I'm sure Alec is why they Jace and I turned out alright." She paused for a breath. "What I's trying to tell you is Alec takes time to open up but - but once he does, he's amazing."
"I am sure he is, Isabelle but how can I expect him to open up when I don't even see him all day? I am sure he would not appreciate if I start coming up to the Institute right away."
Izzy nodded. "You are right about that. He would have a fit," she giggled. "It might be fun to see." She smirked, even as Magnus glared at her.
"I assume whisking him away to Paris might not be fruitful, either?"
Izzy laughed. "Is it too late for me to exchange places with him?" She winked before getting serious. "My brother sees the beauty in small things. Grand gestures will not go ignored but the way to winning his heart is through little, thoughtful gestures. Let him know you see him."
Magnus nodded thoughtfully. "So what do you think my next step should be? What does he like? Or perhaps loathe? That might be interesting to bond over."
"You'll have to find that out yourself, Magnus." Izzy smirked. "If I tell you, he'll know. That reminds me, do not mention this meeting to Alec, please. He will go crazy. He explicitly forbid me from interfering"
Magnus laughed. "I am glad for your rebellious streak. I promise, I won't tell."
"It's your call but perhaps you could start with becoming friends first? It's - He - " she trailed off.
"What is it?" Magnus asked with genuine concern. "Izzy, if there is something I can do, I would be happy to. While I understand that this marriage was not something Alexander or I asked for or expected, I would hate for it to continue being the burden that it was when we were told about it. I know it will not be easy, we are both from different worlds, but I want to at least make an effort to make this a happy marriage. So if there is something you can tell me that would help, please do."
Izzy's heart melted at Magnus' words. She understood Alec's concerns and fears but given the circumstances, she was glad to see the kind of man her brother had married. She knew Alec would be mad at her for what she was about to reveal but she decided it was for the best. She would leave Alec to share his entire story but there were definitely things Magnus needed to know before hand. "Well, Alec has always been a workaholic so he did not have much time for relationships. You - this marriage is his first romantic relationship, even if forced to be so."
"But he's had - uh - encounters I'm sure, right?" Magnus asked, uncertainly.
"No - Magnus, your wedding kiss was my brother's first kiss."
Magnus was silent for a while as he took it in. Izzy stayed silent as well. It was after almost five minutes that Magnus spoke. "I can see the benefit of trying for friendship first." He said softly. "I really don't want to give him the wrong idea. I don't want him to think that I am trying to woo him for sex," he explained. "Given my reputation, I believe it would be easy to arrive at that conclusion."
Izzy giggled playfully, hoping to cheer up the warlock. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to sing your praises when Alec is around."
"We will have to officially meet for that," Magnus reminded her.
Izzy hummed her approval. "We'll figure something out."
"Well, it was a real pleasure meeting you, Izzy. Regardless of what happens between Alexander and I, I would love to see you again. Perhaps we could go have a spa day the next time."
"I have a feeling you and I will get along splendidly, Mags," she said as they got up and she kissed the man's cheek.
She had barely walked out of the coffee shop that she got a call from Magnus. "What's his favourite cuisine?" the man asked.
"Magnus, I just told you that you have to find that out yourself."
"Yes, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I am calling his sister to find out what food he likes."
"You're a cheeky bastard, Magnus Bane," Izzy laughed. "Vietnamese and Chinese. Chinese takeout is his usual comfort food. Other than that he is not picky about food at all."
"You, my dear, are the best sister-in-law ever."