Parallels (Mad Universe)

The Engagement

"I don't know if I can do this." Alec says, quite clearly on the verge of hyperventilating as he looks at his sister, wide-eyed. He tries to breathe through his nose and out his mouth, but he's still drowning. It's awful, the feelings a hundred times worse than when he first came out on his Youtube channel. "This is a mistake. We don't have to share this with the public. We're going to get mobbed. Magnus..."

"Is going to love it." Isabelle reminds him, manicured fingernails firmly fisted along the lapels of his suit as she tries to keep him from vibrating out of his body. The Lightwood family ring weighs like a ton of bricks in his pocket. "You know how much he loves bragging to the entire world that you're together ever since you came out. And he's going to be over the moon if you proposed to him in such a public way, immortalizing your love for everyone to see and get jealous about." She sends him a smirk and a look that manages to be both comforting and aggravating. "You're going to do fine, big brother."

Somehow, Alec doubts that. Six years together and he still fumbles awkwardly in public when they're spotted by a fan. One would think he'd get used to the sheer amount of following he and Magnus amassed after confirming that they were a couple, but he never did. Instead, he's developed a nervous twitch whenever he hears someone scream "Malec" because he knows from experience that what follows after usually involves complete disregard for his and Magnus' personal space. Yes, they were fans. They liked him and Magnus together. But they didn't have to be all over his boyfriend.

Speaking of which, Alec's gaze falls on Magnus a short distance away in the parlor, exuding such strong charm and charisma that not for the first time Alec wonders what Magnus saw in him, why he chose him and stuck with him when he could have anyone he wanted.

He was just a college student who made videos on Youtube as a hobby. He thinks of how his life would have turned out if he hadn't been invited to that first Vidcon he attended and met Magnus on the blind date panel. Probably still in the closet and sighing like a hopeless lovesick fool over his crush's videos.

Alec shakes his head. Nope. Not thinking about that. The internet fame and living in the public eye might suck, at odds with his introverted personality, but it also brought Magnus into his life. As long as he has Magnus, he knows he can face anything the world throws his way.

He still hates reading Malec fanfiction though. Objectively, the ones Magnus recommended to him for their monthly readings on their channel were actually well-thought-out pieces of literature. There's even one he's quite fond of despite his feelings against reading about him and Magnus like they're fictional characters and not actual people. Something called War of Hearts. A love story between a Nephilim Shadowhunter and a Warlock Downworlder. That was some excellent reading material. But there's no getting rid of the sense of nausea whenever he thinks about the fans imagining him and Magnus doing intimate stuff that they should really have no business of imagining in the first place.

There's a throng of people around Magnus, looking enraptured at the words coming out of his mouth. He really knows how to captivate an audience. Alec's been stubbornly ignoring the uncomfortable twinge in his stomach whenever he sees a hand so casually press onto Magnus as they converse.

Magnus laughs, purple-streaks in his hair bouncing across his forehead, dark-shimmering mascara making his large brown eyes all the more arresting in its beauty. God, he's enchanting. Like a magical creature that came straight out of the pages of a book. Alec's so inlove he wants to cry.

Magnus throws his head back, causing Alec's gaze to zero in on the thin artfully-draped maroon scarf wrapped around the graceful curve of Magnus' neck, the same neck where Alec had sucked bruises and hickeys just that morning, knowing perfectly well that they had an event to attend tonight. Magnus had panicked about the marks, chastising Alec for his caveman behavior until he put two and two together at Alec's loaded silence and was next sporting the biggest delighted grin ever. Isabelle had been apoplectic with anger at Alec when she saw the bare skin of Magnus' neck that afternoon when concealers didn't work shit.