I don't know why I can't write a normal proposal. I genuinely tried this time, and this mess happened. Also, I realize the title is incredibly uncreative.

"Can I borrow your stele?" Jace asks.

"What happened to yours?" Alec grumbles, even as he goes to retrieve the stele from his pocket.

"I left it upstairs, and your mom is going to kill me if I bleed all over her carpet again."

That was probably true.

They were having dinner, or rather they were pretending to be a normal family by getting together with each other and their significant others while Maryse cooked. Alec's dad had actually come back to New York for this, whatever this was.

The fact that Jace was bleeding because he had made an offhand remark that offended Isabelle so she struck him with her whip just went to prove that they were definitely not normal.

"Here, let me do it."

Jace nods in acquiescence and lets Alec draw an iratze on his shoulder.

"Are you two going to help set the table or just stand there gossiping like old women?" Isabelle snaps. She sets down a stack of plates.

Beside her, Magnus rolls his eyes as he drops a fistful of silverware on the table. "Even I'm helping, although that's mostly because your mother terrifies me, no offense sweetheart."

Alec shrugs. His mother terrified everyone. "None taken." He puts away his stele as Magnus walks over.

"I think you dropped something." Magnus scoops up something shiny from the floor, then freezes. "Alexander? Why was there a ring in your pocket?"

Shit.

"Everyone ready to eat?" His mom glides into the room, hands full of food, with Clary and Simon at her side holding even more food. "What's going on in here?" Maryse looks around the room.

Another door opens. "Oh good, I made it on time. I Portaled into Brooklyn and missed the subway so I had to wait for the next one."

Oh yay. His dad was here.

"Alexander," Magnus repeats, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Would you like to explain?"

Jace groans beside him. "You idiot. Keep the ring in a drawer like I do."

"You have a ring in one of your drawers?" Clary pipes up, suddenly interested.

"Shh, not now, one or both of them look like they're going to faint, and I want to watch."

Alec takes a deep breath and looks Magnus in eye. It looked like he was just going to have to roll with the punches. "Well you see, the ring is for...I bought it because - and kept it in my pocket because..."

Smooth.

God, his life was such bullshit.

He hadn't even been planning to propose - not now at least. He had seen the ring and thought of Magnus, so he had bought it on a whim. He kept it in his pocket. He thought about marriage. He hadn't bought the ring with the intention of proposing to Magnus with it. It was just that the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Sure, it may have been a mundane tradition, but it wasn't like they could exchange wedding runes.

Alec gives up. "I love you?" He tries.

Magnus raises an eyebrow, then nods, satisfied. He puts the ring on. "No take backs," he says firmly.

"No...What?"

"You proposed to me. You can't take it back. We're engaged now."

"I - I never proposed to you, the ring fell out of my pocket!"

Magnus shrugs, smiling and relaxed. "Just because you didn't do it the traditional way doesn't mean you didn't propose. Here's your ring, by the way."

"My ring?" Magnus was wearing his ring. Both of them actually. Alec had given him the Lightwood family ring a while back, which he proudly sported on his right hand. The new one was on his left hand.

Magus nods. "Here."

Alec glances down at the small box Magnus had just given him. He opens it up, and sure enough, there was a ring in there. Wow. Okay. This was happening. In front of his parents.

Magnus grins the way he did when he was actually incredibly nervous. "Do you need me to help you put it on?"

Alec shoves the ring gracelessly onto his finger and mutters, "Fuck you."

Magnus wraps an arm around his shoulders and tugs him closer, and Alec can't help but smile. Magnus tilts his chin up so he could press a soft kiss to his lips, one that Alec eagerly returns.

Magnus pulls away slowly. He clears his throat and turns to face everyone. "Well then, it seems that Alec and I have some big news to share."

Oh right. His entire family was watching.

Ah, fuck it. He was twenty three years old and engaged. His family would forgive him for what he was about to do.

Alec tries to look disappointed. "Damn it, you know what? I think I left the oven on at Magnus's apartment, and I forgot my key, so Magnus, you better come with me."

Magnus bites his lip to stifle his laughter. "Right, well, what are you gonna do?" He shrugs at Maryse and Robert. "Don't want my building burning down, Chairman Meow is still inside."

Jace is laughing so hard he's near tears.

Isabelle mouths hypocrite at him.

Alec ignores them and nods along with whatever Magnus was saying. "You guys go ahead and start dinner without us," he adds. "Actually, we'll just see you all tomorrow. By the time we get there, it'll be dark and..."

"Demons!" Magnus exclaims. "Tsk, tsk. Gotta watch out for those demons."

"Right. Demons."

"We should really get going."

"Bye everyone!"

Once they hear the sound of the elevator descending, Simon voices what they were all thinking. "Did Alec really just make up a lame excuse to ditch dinner so he could go home and have sex with his fiancé?"

"Yep," Isabelle says, cheerfully ignoring the identical looks of shock on her parents' faces.

"I've never been prouder of him," Jace adds.

AKA: My dream proposal (coughs and winks at my girlfriend)

This started off as a "I found a ring in your sock drawer, care to explain?" prompt.

Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of the story! Or send me prompts for one-shots.