Strange Affections

Everyone was gathered in the family room of the Institute – Clary Fray and Jace Wayland, Maryse and Robert Lightwood, Jocelyn Fray and Luke Garroway, Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane, and Isabelle Lightwood and Simon Lewis. It was early morning on February 14th, and all of the girls were anxiously awaiting their presents from the boys. Well, all of the girls and Alec, who was trying to not look like he was anxious. He was failing miserably, but no one seemed to want to point this fact out to the nineteen-year-old Shadowhunter.

The adults in the room seemed to want to save their presents until later, so it fell to the group of teenagers to make the first move. And, rather bravely, it was Simon who stepped up. Even though the young vampire wasn't actually Isabelle's boyfriend, the pair had a history, and Simon being the sort of person that he was – undead or not – felt that she deserved a present from him.

"I hope you like it," Simon said with a smile as he handed over his carefully wrapped present. Isabelle felt the weight of the gift for a moment, before meticulously lifting the tape and peeling away the paper.

"Wow! Where did you get this? It's gorgeous!" the dark haired girl gushed as she lifted up the black clutch bag. It was made from suede, with a press-stud holding the flap down. A black ribbon, cinched in at the centre by a rhinestone adornment decorated the flap in a bow-like design, and Isabelle's eyes lit up at the sight of it.

"I'm glad you like it," Simon said with a smile, showing just the tiniest hint of fangs underneath his lips.

"Like it? I love it! But where did you find it?" Isabelle wanted to know, turning the bag over in her hands, and running her fingertips over the soft material.

Simon chuckled. "I know someone who knows someone," was all he was willing to say, and after a raised eyebrow from Isabelle, she let it go. She was just delighted that Simon had picked out such a nice present for her.

Seeing Simon's success, Jace decided to go next, and with a suave smirk he handed a rather large and heavy box over to Clary.

"I hope you like them," he said, before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Them?" Clary asked as she took the box, and Jace's smirk only grew.

"Open it and find out," he encouraged, and taking a breath, Clary lifted the lid on the box. Taking a look inside, her eyes widened in surprise. Shooting Jace a look that he couldn't read, she lifted out two twin seraph blades that came complete with thigh sheaves.

"Wow," was all Clary could say, and Jace took it as a good sign.

"I thought that it was time that you had your own personal weapon. You know, like Izzy has her whip, and Alec his bow," he explained with a shrug. "I thought these would suit you, and I've even left it up to you to name them."

"How considerate," Clary replied, and Jace blinked. Was that sarcasm? Surely not! It was the perfect gift!

"Open mine next!" Magnus beamed, cutting off any further discussion between Jace and Clary. Alec turned slightly scarlet as a shimmering gift bag was slipped into his hands, well aware of the fact that both of his parents were present, and were, strangely enough, waiting to see what the High Warlock of Brooklyn had bought for their son.

Sticking his hand into the bag, Alec felt some kind of soft, satin-like material, and drawing it out he saw that it was a pair of dark blue, shimmering boxer shorts. But wait, they had a pattern on them … and it was moving.

Intrigued by his silence, everyone had formed a group behind Alec, and were looking over his shoulder, trying to discern what the pattern was, but more importantly, why it was moving. And then it clicked.

"Are those …?" Isabelle said, before her eyes widened and she looked away, throwing Magnus a scandalised look.

"I think they are, and they're in chibi form at that," Clary agreed, her face now matching the same extreme shade of red that Alec's was.

"But why are they dancing?" Simon wanted to know, and Magnus gave a laugh as he winked at Clary.

"I was inspired by some smoke signals that I once conjured," he explained. "The spell will wear off in a day or two," he added with a shrug.

"Oh yeah, because everyone wants a pair of boxers with naked dancing Magnus's on them," Jace said with a roll of his golden eyes, and far from feeling embarrassed, Magnus grinned.

"Maybe not you …" he said, turning his cat-like eyes onto Alec, who hadn't said a word since he had worked out exactly what his present was. The truth was, he was feeling just a little bit mortified by his gift. It wasn't that he hated it, but more the fact that his parents had seen exactly what his flamboyant boyfriend had given him, and he didn't feel like he could ever face them again.

"Hello, Alec? Are you alive in there?" Isabelle said, snapping her fingers in front of her brother's blue eyes. "The oldies have gone, so you can snap out of it now," she added, and indeed the older Shadowhunters had slipped out of the room after the situation had turned a little too intimate for their liking.

"Alec dear, don't you like them?" Magnus asked with a slight frown, and Alec looked up at him with a strange expression. What could he say?

0.0

"I'm gonna kill him," Clary vented as she rolled up a candy wrapper and tossed it into the fireplace that was in the Institute library. Popping the candy into her mouth, she sighed deeply as she seemed to slump onto the table that she was sitting at.

"You think you've got it bad," Alec started, then shook his head as words seemed to escape him for the moment. Clary sat up a bit straighter and glanced at the older teen across the table.

"I thought you liked those boxers," she said, and Alec shuffled slightly in his seat.

"It's not that I don't like them," he started. "I just wish Magnus had have picked something more … appropriate to show in front of my parents."

"True," Clary agreed, before sighing again as she lifted up one of the blades that Jace had given her. "Seriously, thigh sheaves? After I've already stated that I'm not a thigh sheave kind of girl."

"Yeah, no offence, but thigh sheaves really only look good on girls who are … well, taller," Alec said with an apologetic smile, and Clary nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. Who does he think I am? Lara Croft?"

"I don't know who that is," Alec said, frowning at the gaming reference. "But you know what Jace is like."

"Yeah, he thinks weapons are romantic," Clary said with a roll of her eyes as she dropped the blade, and Alec nodded in agreement.

"I hate to admit it, but the only one who got it right was the vampire."

"I know. Isabelle got real lucky there," Clary agreed, and the pair fell into a contemplative silence for a minute or two, both thinking over their romantic situations.

"We should do something," Alec suddenly said, and Clary perked up at his words.

"Like what?" she asked, and Alec shrugged.

"I dunno. Confront them, maybe? Let them know that they got it so wrong?" he suggested, and Clary thought it over for a moment.

"You know, you're right. I should go and tell Jace that Valentine's Day does not equal weaponry," she stated with a firm nod of her head.

"And I should tell Magnus to keep his magic tricks for when my parents aren't around. I think they're finally comfortable with the fact that we're seeing each other; they didn't need to see naked representations of my boyfriend on a pair of boxer shorts," Alec said, growing more confidant with every word.

"That's the spirit!" Clary enthused as she pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'm gonna go and tell Jace right now that he should run out and buy me some chocolates, or I'm never speaking to him again," she declared as Alec too stood up.

"Let's do this, Fray."

"I'm right behind you, Alec."

0.0

Clary found Jace in his meticulously clean and sparse bedroom, lying on his back and reading a book. Clary barely paid it any attention – it looked like a classic – as her eyes were fixed on the blonde Shadowhunter that lazily rolled his golden eyes her way as she stepped into his room.

"Can I have a word with you?" Clary asked, and Jace put the book down and sat forward in one fluid, cat-like movement.

"You're in luck. You can have several words with me," he countered with a cheeky grin, and Clary felt a bit of her resolve crumbling.

"It's just … the present you bought me," she started, and Jace patted the bed next to him, inviting her to sit.

"Did you like them?" he asked, and the look on his face was so earnest that Clary could barely meet his eyes.

"Thigh sheaves, Jace," she said, and the young man cocked his head to the side slightly, not understanding what she was getting at. Clary sighed. "I don't know how Shadowhunters do things, but Valentine's Day to mundanes means chocolates and flowers and … well, cute little bags."

"Is that what you wanted? A bag like Isabelle's?" Jace asked, and Clary made a noncommittal movement of her head. "But Izzy goes to parties where she could use a bag like that. You're not really a party girl, Clary."

"I'm not really a thigh sheave girl either, Jace," she shot back, feeling some of her previous resolve returning. "It didn't have to be a bag. You could have bought me books, or better yet, art supplies. I'm out of some of my favourite paints, you know?" she said, and Jace shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, but I didn't know what sort of paints you like."

"You could have asked my mum. Or Simon. Or hell, even Luke would have had a clue!" Clary said, feeling slightly exasperated with her boyfriend.

"I could have," Jace admitted, before his suave smirk returned. "But I think you'd look cute in those thigh sheaves," he said, letting his gaze trail down towards her legs. Clary felt the heat rise in her cheeks, and did her best to squash it back down. She was supposed to be angry with him, dammit!

"I wouldn't even know how to use a thigh sheaf. And I'll probably slice my own hand open trying," she grumbled, and Jace gave an amused chuckle.

"I'll teach you," he said as he reached out to pick up her hand, yet Clary pulled it away at the last minute, trying once more to be firm with him.

"Why couldn't you have just bought me a normal present? Chocolates and flowers aren't that hard to find, you know?"

"Yeah, but that's not me," Jace countered.

"Right. You like to slice and dice things for fun," Clary shot back, her voice laced with sarcasm, and Jace sighed.

"I bought you those blades so that I could teach you how to use them properly, Clary," he said seriously, all traces of sarcasm gone. "It's a dangerous place out there."

"Okay, fair enough. But to buy them for Valentine's Day? Jace, today is the day that you buy something that shows how much you care about a person."

"Which is what I did," Jace countered, and Clary frowned at him. "Like I said, the world can be a very dangerous place, and I wanted to give you something that you could use to protect yourself with. I want you to be safe, because you're the person that I care about the most, Clary," he finished, and this time when he reached for her hand, she didn't pull away. She was too shocked.

"You …" she tried, and then had to clear her voice and try again. "You really thought this idea through."

"Of course I did," Jace replied, his usual cockiness back in full force. Clary was still reeling from the fact that she had got Jace's motives so completely wrong, and when he leant in and kissed her, it didn't even register until she blinked and realised that his golden eyes were all that she could see.

"Thank you," she breathed, and Jace smiled as he kissed her again.

0.0

Alec stormed into Magnus's Williamsburg loft like a black-clad hurricane, slamming the door behind him. A nanosecond later and Magnus appeared like a sparkling gust of wind, all smiles and glitter.

"Alec dear, it's so good to see you!" he beamed, before dropping his outspread arms and frowning at the look that was on the young Shadowhunter's face. "You look annoyed."

"I am annoyed," Alec stated, and Magnus looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"Is this about your present?" he guessed, and Alec gave one firm nod. "But I thought you liked it."

Alec sighed. "It's not that I don't like it," he started with a sense of déjà vu. "It's just that my parents saw it, and … well, it wasn't very appropriate," he finished, and Magnus gave a theatrical sigh.

"I thought that we were past all of that awkwardness with your parents, and that I didn't have to tread lightly with them anymore. Besides, that spell will wear off in a day or two, and they'll just be plain old boxer shorts once again," Magnus explained, before giving a sly smile. "Of course, if you DO like them, I can always refresh the spell later," he said with a wink, and Alec felt his cheeks flush.

"Magnus, I'm trying to be mad at you!" Alec snapped as the warlock stepped in close and placed both of his hands on his shoulders, bending his head down slightly so that he could look Alec in the eye.

"Well, stop it. It makes your face do this crinkling thing that really isn't very flattering," he said in all seriousness, and Alec looked flabbergasted for a moment, before he shook his head in bewilderment. Was it even possible to stay mad at Magnus? Maybe he had some sort of spell that he used to prevent people from holding any kind of grudge towards him for too long? Either way, Alec could feel his anger slipping away, and noticing this fact, Magnus beamed at him.

"Much better!" the glitter-encrusted warlock said, and Alec couldn't help it; a smile was creeping its way onto his face.

"All right, but just promise me that next time you won't give me anything that I can't show to my parents?" he asked, and Magnus sighed.

"Alec, I think you misinterpreted the meaning of my present," he started in a serious voice, and Alec raised an eyebrow at him. "Granted, I can see how your parents would have found it a bit strange, but I wanted to get you something that you would like, and something that would be so uniquely me," he said, beaming once more. "I didn't want to get you just any old gift. It had to be something special, because you're special."

"Really?" Alec asked, feeling that persistent smile growing.

"No, I only keep you around because you add extra colour to the place," Magnus countered, eyeing off Alec's black clothing with a look of disdain.

"Right, of course," Alec said with a knowing nod of his head, before he shook it in puzzlement. "But, smoke signals?" he asked, remembering the glance that the warlock had shared with Clary earlier. He'd meant to ask her what the significance was, but it had somehow slipped his mind.

Magnus laughed. "Oh, that. Idris, Clary, that evil-yet-gorgeous demon-child, and warlock impersonating. It's a long story," he said, waving the topic away as he busied himself straightening up Alec's jacket.

"Uh huh," Alec said, and yet when Magnus looked at him with those kitty-cat eyes of his, it no longer seemed to matter.

0.0

"So," Clary said as she once more sat opposite Alec in the Institute library later that evening.

"So," Alec repeated, before a long pause seemed to settle between the two of them.

"We were just a little bit wrong," Clary finally said, and Alec nodded.

"Just a little," he agreed, before Clary gave a slight laugh.

"I guess it's our own fault for choosing the less-than-normal ones," she said, and Alec nodded.

"I just thought Magnus was being flashy as usual, but actually there was a deeper meaning and sentiment behind it all," he said with a little smile on his face.

"I know," Clary said, gently running her finger along the edge of the seraph blade that she had brought with her. "I automatically jumped to the conclusion that Jace only ever thinks about fighting, and things to fight with, yet I was so wrong. He was just expressing the way he felt in the best way that he could."

"That's Jace for you," Alec said with a smirk. "Showing he cares through the giving of weaponry."

"Well, at least my seraph blades don't have naked dancing Jace's on them," she shot back, and Alec frowned for a moment, and then shuddered. Clary didn't even want to know what he was picturing.

"It's a weird way to show that you care, but I guess it works for Jace," he finally said, and Clary nodded.

"And we all know Magnus likes to show off, so I guess the boxers were perfect for that," she said teasingly, and Alec's face reddened.

"Yeah, well I'm just waiting for the spell to wear off so that I can actually put them out to be washed," he admitted, and after a slight pause, Clary gave a knowing laugh.

"There you two are!" Isabelle's voice suddenly rang out through the library, and both teens turned to face the annoyed-looking Shadowhunter. "What have you been up to all day?" she wanted to know, and Clary and Alec just shared a look with each other, before Alec smirked as he turned back towards his sister.

"Just appreciating Valentine's Day. Right Clary?"

Clary bit back a laugh as Isabelle's piercing eyes turned her way. "Right. Just appreciating the day, and all of its twists and turns."

The End

Author's Note – After writing "Gift Wrapped", I wanted to write another Mortal Instruments story, but didn't quite know what to do. I didn't get to write much of Jace in the last story, so I wanted to do that, but I also love Magnus/Alec, and wanted to do more with them. So, my best friend Mara came up with the idea for a Valentine's fic where Alec ends up completely mortified by what Magnus gives him. I had no idea what this present should be (what would be sufficiently embarrassing?), so it was Mara who came through yet again with the idea of boxers with chibi Magnus's on them. Then I got the idea to have them dancing like the smoke signals he creates in CoG when Clary and Sebastian come to visit. And then for added mortification, I made them naked too.

As for Clary's present … well, I ran with what I already knew – she doesn't like thigh sheaves. I got halfway through this and realised that buying weapons could easily be a way for Jace to show his protective/caring side, so it ended up changing from a comic sort of story, to a comic story with a mushy ending. Oh well. I hope you all enjoyed it, and please review!