Alec woke early.
Of course, he was a Shadowhunter, and had been trained to wake early, so this was no surprise. Grey November dawn light was filtering through the mesh curtains- Alec sat up. The blankets next to him were rumpled and empty, meaning that Magnus was already up.
Alec swung himself out of bed, grabbing clothes and random and heading down the hall to the bathroom. He showered quickly, toweled off, and stepped into jeans and a clean black tee, then went down the hall into the living room. Magnus was sprawled out on the couch, soberly dressed in a faded tee and frayed, wrinkled jeans, meaning that he was planning to spend the day without leaving the apartment. One hand was crooked behind his head- the other was stroking Chairman Meow, who was curled up on Magnus's chest, purring like a lawn mower.
The moment Alec walked in, Magnus sat up straight- the Chairman gave a yowl of protest and skittered under the couch. Magnus's cat eyes glittered. "Sweet pea!"
"You did not just call me that." Alec poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip. The first swallow sent energy washing through his veins.
"Do you think that Sweet Cheeks would be better? Or Sweet Crumpet?" Magnus's mouth crooked into a half-grin.
"Neither." Alec sank into an armchair across from Magnus, taking another bitter gulp of coffee.
"Well, since you protest to my fantastic nicknames, you cannot protest to my amazing idea."
Alec raised one eyebrow. The last time Magnus had had an idea, he had ended up with twenty designer jackets and three hundred dollars spent. Not the most delightful day. "Yes?" he said warily over the rim of his coffee cup.
"It occurred to me that we haven't gone on many dates, besides our first one." Magnus tipped his head to the side. "I have an entire day planned. What do you think?"
Alec frowned at him. He had been planning to go to a weapons shop and get a better bow. "And… why?" He had to admit, though, the idea gave him a warm feeling, a home feeling that he felt whenever he was with Magnus.
"Because what else is an insane warlock to do with a day off?" Magnus took one of Alec's hands in his own, pulling him upright until they were nearly nose-to-nose. "Come on." Magnus's lips moved against Alec's cheek. "Let's go." They were so close that Alec could feel and see Magnus's lips curve into a smile- a crooked grin that made him smile, too, almost against his own will.
"Fine," Alec said.
Magnus kissed his cheek lightly, drawing back. "I knew it." He flashed Alec another brilliant smile. "You look wonderful. Let me go get changed."
Fifteen minutes later, Magnus emerged from the bedroom. Alec looked up at him- he was dressed in bright yellow slacks with neon orange stripes, his hair wild, a clean, button-down bright blue shirt on. "Ready to go?" Magnus grabbed one of his jackets, a flashy, dark purple and yellow striped one.
Alec hesitated. "I don't know… I mean-"
"Oh, come on. You look great." Magnus pulled Alec up- before he knew it, they were outside, the chill of the November air cutting through the scarf that Magnus had wrapped around Alec's neck before he could protest. He shivered and knotted it tighter. It smelled like Magnus, like magic and burned sugar, like Magnus's overdramatic cologne.
Magnus linked his fingers with Alec. "You hungry?" Before Alec could respond, he continued. "I know the perfect place."
Magnus walked swiftly, the hem of his scarf fluttering in the icy breeze, leading Alec into one of the grimier, dirtier parts of town, Alec's shoes nearly slipping on the slushy ground. Alec could feel his breath in the thick, silky material of Magnus's scarf- he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "So-" the icy air stung his throat- "Where are we headed?"
Magnus flashed him a grin, looking briefly over his shoulder. Snowflakes dusted his dark, dark hair in a white frost. "You'll love it." He pointed ahead with his narrow, slim index finger. "You see?" Alec followed his boyfriend's gaze to see a ramshackle, half-falling-down building sandwiched between two other ones. He narrowed his eyes, imagining peeling off layers of glamour. It seemed to stick to the building like flypaper.
"There is no glamour." Magnus's shoulder brushed Alec's as he came to stand near him- Magnus ran one hand through his hair, scrubbing his scalp with his fingers, making it even more tousled than it was. His eyes were warm with amusement, filling Alec's chest with a heavy golden light. "Let's go."
Magnus pushed open the door- a tiny, rusty bell clanged overhead and Alec jumped slightly, cautiously following Magnus into the building. The floor was sticky, almost clinging to his boots. He shivered, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, and gave a quick scan of the room.
There were several plastic chairs and tables, all mismatched, scattered seemingly at random around the room. There was a long counter, rocky and bumpy in places, with chips in the wood- a woman stood behind it. She grinned as she saw Alec and Magnus, revealing pointed canine teeth. Vampire. Her soft black hair was swept up from her shoulders in an elegant bun, a red headband pulling it back, and she was wearing a sleeveless black dress that made her already waxy skin even paler, making her eyes seem like bottomless tunnels.
"That's Carolyn," Magnus muttered in Alec's ear. "She's perfectly fine, even though she looks fairly freaky."
"Do… other Nephilim come here?" Alec asked, studying the room again. There was a pair of teenagers, boy and girl, muttering quietly over in the corner- their jacket hoods were pushed back, revealing slightly pointed ears, and a lanky man drinking coffee and eating pizza, wearing ratty jeans and a tee, with a surprising amount of facial hair and a ring of gold around each dark iris. A werewolf, and a fey couple. As far as Alec could see, there were no other Shadowhunters.
Magnus lifted one shoulder. "Sometimes. This is mostly a Downworlder diner- but you'll be fine." He interlocked his fingers with Alec's, thumb brushing briefly but reassuringly across his palm, and swept up to the counter.
"Hello, Magnus." Carolyn opened her mouth in a smile that didn't warm her eyes- her teeth flashed in the dim diner light.
"Carolyn." Magnus nodded, placing one hand between Alec's shoulderblades- Alec could feel all of Magnus's fingertips, their gentle pressure. "I've brought Alec to try your lovely food. Could we have the apple-plum waffles with syrup and…" Magnus drummed his fingernails against the countertop. "Two coffees, please?"
Carolyn gave another grin, this time directed at Alec. He felt a shudder run down his spine, his fingers instinctively going to the belt loops of his jeans, where a shortsword or seraph blade usually hung. He forced himself to relax. This is a vampire. Like Simon. Who wouldn't harm anyone… and Magnus says she's okay, he reminded himself.
"Certainly." Carolyn swept out from behind the counter- Magnus guided Alec over to a table for two in the corner. Alec sat uneasily, undoing his scarf.
"How do you like it?" Magnus leaned towards Alec.
"It's… different," Alec said truthfully.
Magnus laughed, eyes sparkling. "This- this is what I love about you," he said simply, shaking his head. Alec's heart leapt.
"Really?" He couldn't stop himself- the word just jumped out. Immediately, Alec thought it was lame and wished he could eat the word back.
"Yes, really." Magnus brushed his fingers over Alec's knuckles, just as Carolyn flounced by, sliding styrofoam plates onto the table and two steaming plastic cups. She looked at them, dark eyes glittering. "Enjoy."
Alec pulled his plate towards him, eyeing the waffle suspiciously. It was drenched in sticky brown syrup, the edges looking crisp and thick… his mouth watered. Magnus was already digging in. He glanced up.
"Why aren't you eating?" Magnus pointed a fork at Alec. "This is the best diner in town."
Alec took a hesitant bite. The golden taste of waffle flooded his mouth- he closed his eyes, tasting it everywhere, and when he looked back up at Magnus, Magnus was grinning.
After Alec had finished every bite of the waffle and the coffee, he and Magnus took cups of hot cider and left the diner. Magnus insisted that he had a wonderful place to show Alec, leading him to Central Park.
Alec wrinkled his nose. "Central Park? Magnus…" A layer of snow covered everything, the dead trees, the brown grass.
Magnus took his hand. "There's more than dead bushes that I want you to see, don't worry. I have something much more special planned."
Alec let Magnus lead him across the frozen ground, until they reached a stretch of barren, snowy land. Magnus turned to Alec. "Close your eyes."
Alec obliged, shutting his eyes, though it made him feel like a five year old. He heard a slight crackling, Magnus murmuring softly, and then Magnus's hands took his again. His voice was gentle, a soft whisper. "Open your eyes."
Alec did so, and gasped.
In front of him were fiery letters, burning across the snow, flaming up as they died. ALEC AND MAGNUS WERE HERE. It was such a cheesy thing to do, Alec knew it, but it made his heart flood with light. He watched as the letters slowly crumpled, fading into scorch marks, then disappearing all together. The fire still burned at his eyes.
He could feel Magnus's hair tickling the back of his neck, feel his steady breaths. "Do you like it?" Magnus whispered, his voice so vulnerable that it made Alec's heart crack.
Alec turned around and locked his hands behind Magnus's head, winding his fingers through Magnus's wild hair, and kissed him. Magnus made a noise of startled pleasure in the back of his throat- he pulled Alec closer by the belt loops of his jeans. Alec pushed back his doubts, his thoughts and fears about being seen by strangers.
"I love it," he whispered against Magnus's cheek, and he could feel Magnus smile.