Title: Stele

Summary: Alec and Magnus have a few interesting conversations on their one year anniversary and Alec just can't figure out why Magnus is so curious about his stele! Malec fluff

Notes: This was inspired by a conversation I had with my friend, A+P (actually, I was practically ordered to write it). Anyway, I'm leaving for camp tomorrow so this will be my only update for a while. I thought I might as well leave with a good Malec left behind! I hope you enjoy, I had a lot of fun with this fluff.

Warnings: A sexual innuendo that carries through a good portion of the story. A parent also embarrasses their child beyond belief. But that's all.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments series!

Alec tugged on a dark blue t-shirt and combed his wet hair. It was dripping steadily down his back and face, but the towel was already sopping wet. He ran back to the bathroom in search for a dry one, carefully avoiding the mirror. He didn't want to know how he looked in the new clothes Magnus had begged him to wear for their date.

Of course, they both made compromises, Alec would wear the new clothes, but they were going to have a nice dinner at Magnus's house – no crazy party, no bars and drunken make outs (though Alec wasn't sure he could avoid that last part). Just them, some food, and the memories of the past year.

"Alec? Can I come in?"

Alec finally located a towel and dried his head. He glanced up at the door. His father was standing awkwardly in the hall.

"Oh, uh, sure," he said quietly. "It's fine. I'm just getting ready for my date. It's, uh, me and Magnus's –"

"One year anniversary, I know." Robert stepped into the room, glancing around as if looking for an escape. "Isabelle mentioned it one or five hundred times. What did you decide to get him?"

His parents' acceptance of him and Magnus still baffled Alec, but he wasn't going to turn it away. He simply tried to take it and all the awkwardness that came with his family being involved in his love life. Every once in a while, he tried to turn their attention to Simon and Isabelle, but they weren't so concerned. After all, Simon couldn't come to the Institute at one in the morning lugging a big pot of soup and movies because Isabelle was sick.

Alec had learned to wait until a decent time to notify his boyfriend when he was ill.

Alec pulled the present out of the drawer. "It's not really anything," he mumbled, a faint hotness creeping to his cheek. "Just a picture that I got framed."

Robert smiled. "I'm sure he'll love it. I gave that sort of thing to your mom once."

Alec looked up. He never heard too much about his parents' early days, before him and his siblings. "What did she say?"

"That I was an idiot for dropping it on her foot," Robert admitted sheepishly. "But that she loved me anyway. I was really nervous that night."

"Why?" Alec set the gift down and started rummaging through a pile of things on his bed. He pocketed his phone, his wallet, and a pack of gum. Magnus would be there any minute.

Robert shrugged and sat down on the bed, right in the spot Alec was about to search for his stele. "I was going to propose that night," he said. "It's nerve wracking. Let me tell you, don't drink too much coffee before, you'll get worse jitters."

Alec rolled his eyes and smiled slightly. Where was it? He had it before he showered! Maybe the bathroom? "I don't think I'll be proposing to Magnus anytime soon, but thanks for the advice."

"Why not?" Robert asked adamantly as Alec turned towards the bathroom.

"Because I'm pretty sure that gay marriage isn't legal in New York yet."

It was surprising to Alec how easy to word had become to say. A year before, he would have choked. In fact, he didn't recall ever technically coming out to his parents and saying "Mom, Dad, I'm gay." He couldn't remember even saying it to Izzy. Still, a year with Magnus changed things. Him and his dad had gotten closer, especially since the loss of Max.

Robert nodded slowly. "Well, you two could always move to Canada."

Alec snorted. "Please. Magnus would offend everyone within a seven mile radius. And he hates Canadian accents – don't ask me why, he stormed off when I started laughing. Besides, we're happy as is."

Robert laughed a little at the Canada bit, but fell silent quickly. "Are you sure you two don't plan to get married?"

Alec couldn't find the stele in the bathroom. Maybe he threw it in the hamper by accident. "Well, maybe. I wouldn't mind," he confessed. "At all. But right now, it's not necessary, right?"

Robert opened his mouth to say something, but closed it instantly. Alec narrowed his eyes.

"What is it, Dad?"

Robert cleared his throat. "Well, I just… I, um… I wanted to talk to you about something serious."

Alec frowned. The stele was still missing and he sensed an unpleasant conversation coming. "Go on."

Robert was scarlet. "I just wanted to ask… if you and Magnus know how to be… safe."

Alec's ears burned. "Yes!" he choked out. "Oh God, you're really asking that? We don't – we have – we're not – oh God, Dad, we don't even – Oh God, oh God…" He turned away to continue the search for the missing stele. He really didn't feel comfortable going to Magnus's without it. And he definitely wasn't comfortable continuing this conversation.

Had he let Clary borrow it? She had a horrible habit of misplacing her stele. Considering she was a rune maker, it made Alec question her brain power.

"Come on, Alec, we both know that you and Magnus are… involved."

"Where did you hear this?" Alec dropped his backpack and spun around angrily.

Robert shifted. "Well, I just, uh, assumed. But it's okay! A lot of young couples have sex before marriage now. I mean, uh…. Not that you should, if you don't want to. You don't need to have premarital sex if you don't want to."

"Dad. Stop. Just… please stop."

"But if you do decide to, you ought to be prepared!"

"Dad. I'm begging you. Stop."

Screw the stele, this was way more important. If Magnus walked in right now, he would never hear the end of it. He was nineteen years old and getting The Talk?

"Alexander, this is important for you to hear." Robert didn't look like he agreed with this statement. He looked like he wanted to bolt. Alec couldn't believe Mayrse put him up to it.

"I'm sure I know it already," Alec said firmly.

"I just want to make sure. You should, uh, both use condoms, because even though you can't, uh, get pregnant, you can still get things like… AIDS and, uh…"

"STDs?" Alec finished weakly, a hand over his face. This was too much.

"Yes. Yes, those. You can still get those. So, you ought to be safe. And don't do anything you, uh, don't want to. You can always say no, Alec, you know that, right?"

"Yes, Dad. I know that," he said through his teeth. "Are we done?"

"No. No, there's… your mom told me to… there's something else, but… uh… here, I'll just put it in short. If you need them, the sheets are in the top shelf of the linen closet downstairs."

Alec's mouth dropped. "I… I actually knew that, thanks, Dad," he said in a choked voice.

A rapping noise at the door caught both of their attentions.

The warlock was dressed in subdued colors today, a deep green with gold glitter across the shoulders and tight jeans. "Knock, knock," he said in an amused voice. "Do I get a hello?"

"Magnus," Alec greeted with a huge grin and a sigh of relief. Thank God. "Hold on, I'll be ready in two minutes. I can't find my stele."

Robert stood and a pile of junk fell to the floor. Alec kicked it with his foot halfheartedly, not sure he wanted to go too close to his father. He knew Robert – if he got the chance, he would whisper the rest of his speech as soon as Alec got close.

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "Well, I certainly hope you find it."

Alec nodded. "Me, too."

Robert shook Magnus's hand and excused himself quickly. "Have fun, boys. And remember, Alec –"

"I got it!" he yelled, grabbing the long piece of metal from under his bed. Robert nodded, satisfied, and headed for Izzy's room.

Alec grinned. Isabelle definitely didn't need The Talk, but Robert wasn't going to admit that about his little girl.

Magnus's hands were on his hips before he could even stand. He kissed the back of Alec's neck softly. "Finally, a shirt that doesn't swallow you up. Nice pick."

Alec laughed and twisted slightly to see his boyfriend, who was kneeling on the floor with him. "Thanks, this great guy picked it out for me."

Magnus smirked. "Who is this 'great guy?' Doesn't he know that a gorgeous boy like you would already have a boyfriend?"

Alec leaned in a little closer so he could smell Magnus's cinnamony breath. After a fleeting glance at the door, he said, "Oh, I don't know if you know him. He's just some warlock."

Magnus slid his hand up to Alec's neck. "Bet he's a great kisser."

"I'll take your word for it."

"How about I just prove it?"

Alec shut his eyes to absorb the short, sweet kiss. Magnus pulled away, his eyes sparking excitedly like a child. Alec could still taste his lips, even after they stood.

"Happy anniversary," he said quietly.

Magnus pulled him closer and closed the small gap between them. "No, no, darling. Happy anniversary to you. Do you remember what happened a year ago?"

Alec cocked his head to the side, smiling slightly. "I had the best morning in the world. And then I found out that my foster brother got in a fight with a bunch of werewolves and was under arrest."

They had chosen what Magnus considered their first date as their anniversary. The day of the battle was too emotional, between the fact that Max's death was so near along with so many others'. Plus, Alec couldn't deny that there was something going on a year before, even if he wouldn't admit it then.

Magnus laughed. "Jace sure knows how to put a damper on things. Come on, babe, let's go."

Alec stuck his stele in his pocket and detached himself from Magnus to grab the gift. "Okay, I'm ready."

Magnus had hailed a cab for them. It was hot and stuffy from the summer humidity, but Alec thought that might have been partially because there was barely an inch between them.

"Can I see your stele?" Magnus asked innocently after five minutes of tracing pictures on Alec's palm.

"Uh, sure?" Alec pulled his stele out of his pocket and handed it to Magnus, confused. It was such a random question, and Magnus had an evil glint in his eyes that severely concerned him. "Why?"

"Are Shadowhunters' steles usually this long?" Magnus asked, twirling the metal in his hands.

"Um, well, I guess it depends. Clary's got a long one –"

"Figures," Magnus muttered under his breath.

"And Jace's is decent. Izzy's is sort of short, though." Alec leaned into Magnus's side. He fit there perfectly, like a puzzle piece.

"How come you don't use your stele a lot around me?" Magnus asked.

These questions were getting weirder and weirder, and Magnus's grin just kept growing.

Alec shrugged. "Uh, I don't usually need to do anything with it. Whenever I would need to, you use magic and just use your hands. But you knew that…" He looked at Magnus curiously. Where was he going with this?

Magnus nodded slowly. "Ah, I see." The stele almost slipped out of his hands, but he caught it last second. "Oh, sorry." He was obviously trying to hold back laughter.

Alec grabbed the stele back and stuck it in his pocket. "Don't break it, that's not funny."

Magnus was still trying not to laugh. "All right, all right, I guess it's a good idea to keep it in your pocket here, anyway."

Alec agreed silently. "Why are you so curious about my stele anyway?"

Magnus kissed him as if that would distract him. It almost did.

Alec was out of breath by the time they separated. He slowly slipped his hands out from under Magnus's shirt and breathed his scent in.

"You didn't answer my question," he said in a low voice, almost temporarily distracted again when Magnus's lips found his neck again. What the hell did the cab driver think of them?

"Why wouldn't I be interested in your stele?" Magnus purred in his ear. The seat belt cut into Alec's throat, but he leaned towards Magnus anyway.

"Because you've never been that interested in runes before," Alec said, craning his neck away from Magnus's mouth. "God, are you a vampire or something?" He rubbed at a spot, sure that a mark would appear very soon.

Magnus smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. You usually cover that up with your stupid sweaters. Just taking advantage of the easy access."

Alec laughed. "Well, can we wait until we get to your apartment, at least?"

"We're not going to my apartment."

Alec sat back so fast that the seat belt locked. "What? You promised! Low key, just at your apartment –"

"We'll get there eventually," Magnus reassured him. "But first I want to take a walk through the park with you."

Alec looked at him questioningly. "Magnus, please."

"You'll love it. I promise."

Alec leaned back, crossing his arms. "You promised before," he muttered sourly.

Magnus rubbed his shoulder with a warm hand. "I mean it this time."

Alec couldn't bring himself to stay angry.

"Okay, where are you taking me?" Alec was gripping onto Magnus for dear life as they maneuvered the park Alec didn't even get the chance to see. Magnus had the cab driver drop them off a block away and instantly blindfolded him.

"I told you. A park. We're walking."

Alec stumbled over a rock and Magnus barely caught him.

"You're walking," he corrected. "I'm being dragged."

They stopped short and Alec felt the press of Magnus's lips on his. "Relax," the warlock soothed. His fingers traced circles over Alec's bare arms, leaving goose bumps.

"Magnus, please. Can we just have dinner?" Alec pleaded for what felt like the millionth time.

Magnus's hot breath left his face. "No."

Suddenly, Alec was lost in the absolute darkness. He couldn't see through the blindfold and he couldn't remove it, either. Magnus had done some sort of magic to it. His boyfriend was nowhere to be found and Alec knew he looked like an idiot, flailing his arms like he was.

"Magnus!" he yelled loudly. "Magnus, this isn't funny!"

And it wasn't. There was nothing more terrifying than being left alone in the dark, even if he was nineteen. Alec's heart sped up and his palms felt sweaty. He strained his ears for the warlock, but heard nothing, not even shallow breathing.

"Magnus!"

"Sh, Alec. I'm here." The voice came from behind him.

Alec spun around and fell to the ground with a thump in his haste. It hurt, but he didn't cry out. He was used to worse pain when Jace hit him in the back of the head.

"Don't do that to me," he said through gritted teeth to the disembodied voice. He set the gift that he was still clutching on the grass.

"Sorry, darling."

Alec carefully pushed himself into a sitting position and crossed his legs. The grass was soft and it was a warm night. He could feel little mosquitoes attacking him like crazy. Whenever he complained about the little bugs' attraction to him, Magnus said it was simply because he was "so sweet." Jace, Izzy, and Simon preferred the explanation that they were trying to suck him dry.

"You owe me an explanation," he demanded to where he hoped Magnus was located.

"I do," Magnus said gravely. Alec still couldn't find him, but heard that his voice was further off.

This was it. Alec was a goner, for sure. That's what this whole relationship was – a trick. A trick to get rid of the Shadowhunters. Start with him, then get his family, then the rest of them. Alec's heart pounded harder and his breathing became hard. He was done for.

His mother always said he had an overactive imagination. It led to so many nightmares as a child that she would have to sing him to sleep. Still, those fantasies never felt so real, so possible. He waited patiently for his potential killer to continue speaking.

"You are aggravating," Magnus said quietly. "You are obsessive and a workaholic and so oblivious at times."

Oh God, Alec thought. This is where he lists all my faults and all the reasons he baited me. This is where he breaks my heart before he breaks me.

Magnus hadn't stopped. "You have a temper, an irrational temper, too. You are insanely protective over people who would be fine on their own. You're full of contradictions – you don't like Downworlders, yet you'll defend me and even Simon, sometimes, to the death. You're horribly stubborn and I hate it when you refuse to let me reason with you."

Alec felt his eyes starting to sting but stopped. My last act in life will not be to cry!

"Why are you telling me this?" he whispered instead. His voice cracked.

"Stand up," Magnus ordered. "And I'll show you."

Shaking, Alec got to his feet. This is it, I'm about to die, this is it, I'm dead!

He felt his hand be yanked from his side, his fist uncurled and held in front of him.

"Alexander Lightwood," Magnus murmured and Alec felt chills go up his back, even though he just knew he was as good as dead, even though he knew this had all been a trick and he had been so stupid to fall for it, because his name from the warlock's lips still enchanted him. "Despite all that, despite the fact that you didn't once catch on that a stele was a metaphor for a certain piece of anatomy –" It clicked in Alec's mind and he felt his cheeks go fiery. Magnus laughed softly and Alec felt his fingertips be kissed before the warlock spoke again.

"Despite that, I love you. No, not despite – I love you because of all that. You're wonderful, Alec, and I love you, and I want to spend forever with you."

Alec was frozen. He couldn't control the words that tumbled out of his mouth. "So you're not going to murder me?"

Magnus laughed so loud that Alec jumped, startled. A snap sounded and the blindfold fell away. Magnus was kneeling on the grass, not caring one bit that he was probably going to get grass stains on his jeans, holding Alec's hand and a glimmering, glinting ring.

"Marry me?" he asked quietly.

Alec stared at Magnus for a moment. Marry him? Was it even a question? They had only been together a year! Alec wasn't even twenty, he couldn't even legally drink in New York! Magnus wanted to marry him?

Alec bent over and kissed him, hard.

The couple fell over in the grass, their lips only separating for a few seconds at a time.

"I – love – you," Alec whispered between kisses.

Magnus held him away and Alec smiled at his sparkling green eyes. "Is that a yes?"

Alec kissed him again. "And you call me the oblivious one?"

Magnus laughed and sat up so he could slip the ring on Alec's finger. Alec admired it – it was pretty. He didn't really like wearing "pretty" things, but this was. And he loved it.

"You need a ring," he said suddenly, looking up at Magnus. Wordlessly, the warlock reached into his pocket and started to slip a matching ring on. Alec stopped him. "No. Let me."

Grinning, Magnus handed over the band. Alec took Magnus's soft hand with no calluses and slipped the ring onto his finger. It was perfect.

"You know, I only waited this long because I didn't want to have to worry about remembering another date," Magnus murmured, hugging Alec close. Alec could feel his heartbeat, steady and pulsing.

Alec laughed. "Why don't we make the wedding a year from today? That way, we only need one day."

He expected Magnus to shake his head, insist on sooner, but he nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea. After all, it might take a while to get everyone to Idris and make the arrangements. Plus, you need a good suit. Don't even argue, Alec, you are dressing nicely. What do you say? Armani?"

"Idris?"

"No, darling, that's a country, not a designer."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Why are we getting married in Idris?"

Magnus shrugged and laid back in the grass, taking Alec with him. By now, they were both covered with a sheen of sweat and Alec couldn't believe how hot of a summer it was already.

"Why not Idris?" Magnus asked. "There's no law against it. Even Downworlders are allowed happiness in life, you know. Besides, last time I was in a church – and I don't mean like the Institute – someone tried to spray me with holy water, so I'm a little iffy on those places. And don't most Shadowhunters want to get married there?"

Alec nodded slowly. "That's a Shadowhunter's dream… unless you're Izzy, she wants a synagogue now that she's with Simon, which obviously isn't happening since he can't enter. Oh, and now Clary and Jace. She wants to get married somewhere artistic. Watch, they'll end up in Vegas."

"Then let's go with tradition," Magnus prompted. "And it's beautiful there, anyway."

Alec sat up suddenly. "I almost forgot!"

"Almost forgot what?"

"Your anniversary present!" He crawled over to the patch of grass where he had been before, feeling around for the small, wrapped package before scrambling back. "It's not much, but…"

"But nothing." Magnus took the gift and removed the wrapping paper in one fluid motion. He gasped. "I love it."

Alec laughed. "I thought you'd like the frame." It was rainbow colored with sparkles – exactly Magnus's style. He made Isabelle buy it for him, though, he wasn't going to be caught purchasing something like that himself.

"No!" Magnus jabbed Alec gently in the side. "The picture." He lifted a finger to gently trace their outlines. "It's perfect. The best. I love it. I really do." He paused and smiled. "But the frame is a nice touch, too."

They spent the rest of the night having a small picnic (Magnus had lied when he said they were going to the apartment for dinner) and fooling around in the grass.

Regardless of his previous idea that Magnus was going to kill him, he knew that this anniversary wouldn't be anywhere near their last.

Unless Robert tried to give him The Talk again. Then… well, then he might die from embarrassment.

Note: I hope you enjoyed! I honestly have no idea where the proposal came from, but I guess when Robert started talking marriage, Magnus decided he wanted to propose. Feedback would be a great coming home gift! Thanks for reading, guys! (By the way, we have less than two months until Clockwork Angel. Who else is excited? Though I'm iffy on the Magnus with some girl... I really hope she's likable, because I can't see him in a serious relationship with anyone but Alec. I can see him with a girl. Just not for a decent amount of time. And I'd like to know what happened to their relationship, too, because the girl is supposedly a vamp, so I want to know why they broke up or something.)