A Little Bit of Chaos, and a Whole Lot of Love | A Collection of Malec One Shots

we're going to be okay

once upon a time, long, long ago, i promised myself i was never going to inflict such torture upon myself. yet, here i am, writing an arranged marriage au.

wonderful.

disclaimer: max is not alive in this one. i am very sorry.

~

Life as Head of the New York Institute was exhausting. It was even more tiring when you were married to the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

Not that the marriage was Alec's choice. He hadn't really put much thought into it. The Clave had needed a political alliance to the Downworld, and had not so subtly attempted to get him married to Magnus Bane. Normally, gay shadowhunters weren't encouraged, if not exiled, but in this case, there had been no other option.

When they had mentioned the idea to Alec, he had blindly agreed. A few weeks later, he was standing on a platform with a warlock he barely knew, exchanging wedding vows, with his family and friends looking on with neutral expressions. Izzy and Jace hadn't exactly been overflowing with joy, but there was nothing they could do about it.

After the ceremony, there was nothing much anyone could do, no matter how many downworlders and shadowhunters despised each other. The deal was done, and people were just going to have to put up with it.

Alec's father, of course, hadn't really voiced his opinion on it, being conflicted between his happiness at the alliance and the repulsion at the fact that his son-in-law was Magnus Bane, of all people.

His mother, however, had been much more expressive - and concerned. Although she knew that Magnus and Alec hardly knew each other, and certainly didn't have particularly affectionate feelings towards each other the way a married couple should, she still wanted them to be happy.

Or as happy as they could be anyway. And that was where the pretense began.

Everywhere they went, they put on the facade of being happily married, and utterly, completely in love. It baffled some people; the fact that their marriage was arranged wasn't exactly a secret, but thankfully, no one questioned them. Everyone let them be, assuming they had eventually fallen in love, that they were content, both with the alliance and each other.

Now here he was. Sitting on the couch in his and Magnus's home, in a relationship that was only slightly different from that of two roommates who had just met each other. No one would ever suspect that this was how their relationship really was. But after that door shut behind them, the smiles were wiped off their faces, their hands pulled apart, and they both went their separate ways. They did sleep in the same bed, of course, but both had gotten used to it; there was nothing awkward about it anymore.

Even when he was younger, Alec hadn't really thought about who he would spend the rest of his life with. Hadn't cared enough to indulge in those thoughts. But now, he wished he had. If he had, he wouldn't be stuck in this love-less marriage, more miserable than ever, with no one to comfort him.

Normally, he would go to Jace and Izzy, but he knew that they were hurting just as much as he was today.

Because it was Max's first death anniversary.

Thinking that thought let another sob rip through his throat. He knew crying wouldn't change anything, but at the same time, there was nothing else he could do.

His baby brother. Never would he see Max grow up, become a teenager, fall in love, get a parabatai. Oh no, Max would be stuck as a nine year old. Forever.