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Magnus Bane had had countless of birthdays over the course of his life. His birthday had not been a special occasion to anybody for centuries though. When you were immortal, things like age just stopped mattering after a while.
As a child, Magnus would look forward to his birthday. He’d heard so many good things about them being celebrated in the mundane world and he couldn’t wait for someone to actually celebrate his birth rather than be horrified by it, as his mother had been since the day she’d found out what he was.
The year he moved in with the silent brothers, he’d laid awake in his bed the night before his birthday was to take place and he’d imagined what was going to happen.
He had heard it was customary to bake the celebrated a cake, and hoped that maybe he would be able to get one with strawberries. Magnus loved strawberries. They were sweet and all in all just the best thing he’d ever tasted.
He’d heard about mundane children getting gifts for their birthdays, and wondered about what he might be getting? Magnus wasn’t really in want of anything in particular at the moment, but hehad always loved glittery and colorful things so he hoped it was something including that. Maybe he’d get a glittery journal to write down what he learned from the silent brothers? That sounded like something the brothers would give him, they were always so practical after all.
Satisfied with this conclusion, the young warlock had finally let his eyes slip closed and sleep swept him away.
The next day, he’d woken early and with a huge smile on his face. Today was the day. His birthday. He’d rushed to get ready for the day, worn his best outfit and walked down to where they would be having breakfast, excitement making his skin tingle.
When he’d gotten there though, everything had been just as it always were. There were no gifts, no cake as far as his eye could see. Instead, there’d just been the ordinary bowl of porridge waiting on him at the table. He’d looked under the table, hoping against hope that maybe the silent brothers had hidden his gifts and his cake. But there had been nothing.
“What are you searching for, young warlock?” a voice had spoken behind him and Magnus had realized then and there that there would be no gifts for him, no cake to celebrate his birth. The day wasn’t even recognized as special. With a small, disappointed, sigh, the small warlock child had sat down on the chair to eat his breakfast, shaking his head slightly in response to the question.
“Nothing special”, he’d said.
***
5th of December, for anyone else born on that day, anyone not immortal, the fact that that particular date was showing on their calendar would have filled them with excitement. Magnus Bane, however, had learned long ago that his birthday was never to be celebrated. That it wasn’t anything special.
So, in a try to cheer himself up, Magnus walked into his closet and picked out the most glamorous outfit he had. He then proceeded to spend more time than usual doing his hair and makeup before finally moving out towards his living room.
Where he stopped in his tracks, unable to do anything but stare at the view in front of him.
There, in the middle of the room where his living room-table usually resided, was a nest of pillows and blankets. The table had been moved to the side to work as a serving-table for all the different kinds of foods that flooded it. There were pancakes (chocolate chip, his favorite), bacon, fried eggs, a huge bowl filled with grapes and strawberries plus two big cups of tea and in the middle of the table was the thing that almost made Magnus squeal in delight. A strawberry and whip creamcake.
The TV, stacked with the “Lord of the rings” and “The Hobbit”-series (extended version, Magnus had developed a love for the film-series when he’d been in great need of some movies where the good guys won and the bad guys went back to the hole they crawled out of), had been moved to stand in perfect view from the nest of pillows and blankets on the floor. The nest in which the person responsible for this lay and was looking up at the warlock, a small beautifully wrapped box in his hands.
“Happy Birthday, Magnus”, Alec smiled brightly.
Magnus felt tears building in his eyes as a huge, happy, smile bloomed on his face.
“What… You… You did all of this… for me?” he asked, not quite sure this wasn’t just a dream and that he’d wake up alone in his bed for yet another lonely and unnoticed birthday.
Alec must have somehow been able to read his thoughts, because he stood up from the nest to walk up to Magnus and take his hand in the one the taller man wasn’t holding the gift in. Magnus’ gift, the warlock realized and suddenly he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the small package in his boyfriend’s hand.
“Is that..?” he didn’t finish the sentence, instead looking up at Alec with wide eyes. The shadowhunter gave a small chuckle.
“Who knew all I had to do to make you lose the ability to speak was to surprise you in the morning?” he teased as he led Magnus over to the little nest and made him sit down on the pillows.
“We both know you know exactly how to take my ability to speak, Alexander” Magnus quipped automatically, flirting with Alec coming as natural to him as breathing. His boyfriend blushed adorably before handing Magnus the gift.
“Shut up and open your birthday present, Magnus” he said with a glint in his eyes, smiling fondly at him when Magnus’ face lit up in excitement.
“I’ve never gotten a birthday present before” he mumbled to himself whilst carefully unwrapping the gift. A small, leather bound box fell out of the wrapper and Magnus wasted no time in opening it, gasping at what he found in there.
Picking up the long silver chain, Magnus almost couldn’t believe his eyes when he looked down at the pendant it held. The rune for angelic power had been carved out beautifully in a silver pendant and when he looked closer at it, he saw that there was an engraving on the bottom of the silver plate. The warlock felt new tears well up in his eyes as he read.
Forever, together we stand
He threw himself at Alec, wrapping his arms around the shadowhunter’s neck and catching his lips in a kiss as the tears kept streaming down his cheeks. Alec’s small laughter forced them to break the kiss eventually and Magnus looked up to meet those beautiful hazel eyes with his own.
“I take it you like it then?” Alec asked and Magnus leaned up to press another kiss to his lips.
“I love it, Alexander. Thank you. Thank you for…” he paused, gesturing around them “For all of this. You truly are quite remarkable”.
Alec have him a bright smile and reached out to take the necklace and bring it over the warlock’s head to rest around his neck.
Magnus couldn’t help the small smile that played on his lips the rest of that day as they ate, watched movies and even when they fell asleep tangled together in the nest.
Magnus wasn’t entirely certain what he’d done to deserve someone as wonderful as Alexander Lightwood, but he sure wasn’t about to question it. No, this time he was going to be selfish and just accept this wonderful creature that had somehow decided that Magnus was the man for him.
Forever, together they would stand