no i swear i don't have anyone i want to marry in my life i just. like writing these ok. i think weddings are nice.   i imagine shadowhunter is, like... twelve in this. early twenties. actually i like the idea of them waiting a super long time to get married, but i wanted foeslayer to still be a kid for this, so i made some sacrifices.

(contains light spoilers i guess? like in that they are indeed at peace with the icewings but no more details than that? i tried to keep everything else super vague, you'll find out why they have to go on yearly trips to check in on things there at the end of otq)

***

"Oh, wow. This place brings back memories," Permafrost admits, running her talons along the smooth, glasslike walls.

"Yeah, I know."

We do this yearly family trip to the Ice Kingdom, to check in on how everything is doing. It's mostly a vacation—there's a reason Mom and Dad insist on bringing along all of my siblings, and all of their significant others. We have a cabin, a good hour's flight from here, and I have to admit, it is kind of nice. Although I really don't get why Way has to bring his boyfriend here.

(It's different with Permafrost. She's an IceWing, this is her home, and it is most certainly not Precocious's. I get it, Mom and Dad want him to feel like part of the family, blah blah blah, sappy nonsense. But Mom, if he's a part of the family, why can't I dump ice water on his head when he's being annoying? Checkmate.)

Anyway—every year, Mom and Dad give us the speech about how we're technically IceWing royalty now, so we're expected to conduct ourselves appropriately. And every year, Foeslayer sets an oil lamp on fire, or breaks an ugly ice statue, or tries to melt one of the staircases into a waterslide while Mom and Dad are meeting with the new queen. Sometimes I help, it's great. (After all the stuff these dragons put us through, I figure I'm morally in the right to ruin their staircase for the sake of my sister having a good afternoon. Besides, it's safer if she does vandalism under my supervision—I did draw the line at her idea to do an art heist this year after a lot of convincing on Permafrost's end.)

But anyway—that's all done, now. Mom and Dad are probably on a walk, watching the sunset and being annoying. They get extra sappy on these trips, if that's even possible. I believe Foeslayer is still trying to break it off with that noble's daughter who accidentally might have fallen in love with her—Foeslayer was just supposed to get her out of the way so we could do our race from the foyer to the highest tower without anyone noticing, but she's Foeslayer, so now they're technically dating. (And I have no idea where the rest of them are, because I have a favourite sibling.)

We should be leaving in a few hours, the sunset staining the ballroom a gorgeous pink colour.

"So, where are you leading me?" Permafrost asks, with feign confusion.

"You know where, dummy." I push open the door to the throne room. "This is, um... this is where I met you. Some random guard who was gonna kill my dad. I... I kinda hated you."

"Oh, we're doing a speech. I see, I see." She crosses her talons over her chest. "Go on."

I laugh a little. "Um... anyway. I hated you for a really long time—I hated how you made me feel. I hated you for being smart, and interesting, and nothing like I always imagined IceWings would be. And you hated me back."

"It's a very romantic story," she teases.

"But you—you were sharp, and brilliant, and you called me out on all the stupid things I did. You were kind, in your own way, and you never stopped asking questions, never stopped coming at the world with an open mind—and I fell for you. And, um..." Tears well up in my eyes. "Sometimes I think that we might never have had the life we do if you hadn't been there, that day. I'd we hadn't hated each other for all those months. If all this horrible stuff hadn't happened. But I'd go through it all over again if it meant I got to have you. Because I'm a better dragon when I'm around you. Even when you're infuriating, and your sleep schedule is weird and I miss the forest and you miss the snow. But I'll meet you halfway—I'll wake up in the afternoon, and I'll make it snow every day for you. For the rest of our lives. I just—I can't imagine a future without you, Permafrost. So, um... will you... do me the honour of being my wife and marry me?"

I let out a breath, glad I remembered most of the script I wrote out. I will the box into appearing in my talons, and open it up for her, revealing the engagement ring—a deep blue sapphire set on a silver band.

I look up to meet her eyes, trying to read her expression.

"I... I think I'd like that." She reaches for the ring.

"I need to hear you say it..." I tease, wiping back my tears and grinning ear to ear.

"I would like to be your wife," she says, clearing her throat. (She's totally crying too now.)

"It's one word." I fight back a giggle, then sigh, taking my talon off the ring. "I'm sorry, I'm being terrible. If you wanna take it back, this is your chance."

"Yes!" she shouts, punching me playfully. "I say yes, you idiot." I place the ring on her talon, and lift her up, spinning her around. She shrieks, and then just starts laughing, laughing and laughing as I set her down. She throws her wings around me, holding on tight.

"We're getting married," she whispers.

"I know," I laugh. "My parents have been onto me for about two months about this, so be prepared, when we tell them, they're gonna be very obnoxious and teary about it. My dad will probably make us a cake or something." I told my dad a few weeks ago I was gonna propose, because I was worried about it, and I'm not good at keeping secrets, and Mom is pretending Dad didn't absolutely tell her as soon as I left the room. (Or that she hasn't been seeing this coming for a good year now.)

"I can live with that," Permafrost murmurs, burying her face in my shoulder.