Dear Santa,
For Christmas I want a "So, my sister insisted she had to go talk to Santa (and ask him to pull my brother's head out of his ass so he can finally ask this Clary girl out) in the Mall, and it turns out the sparkly elf assistant is really hot" Malec AU
Alec did not care what they told him, not the weatherperson, smile plastered on as they gestured to the south of the country and promised sun and dry weather; not his sister as her clothing grew more and more festive as the days ticked steadily onwards, fluttering from room to room leaving tinsel and the persistent tinkling of bells in her wake; not Jace, tan slowly seeping out of his skin with the sole illumination of his phone screen, the same avatar flashing onto the screen and lighting up the dark rooms and Jace's face with a strange devotional happiness; and not even Max, made old before his time, words sometimes concealed beneath the hiss of the oxygen tank as he pulled it along with him, wheels squeaking. It was freezing. And it was not about to stop as another day dawned, cold and clear, no protection from the bright ineffectual sun as it raged through the thin curtains, the glass partially shielded by frost.
Alec let out a groan as his phone began to beep, cheery music spilling out from underneath his stomach from where it had slipped during the night as the first of his alarms sounded, set by Isabelle the night before, her eyes dark and serious despite the tinsel draped around her neck, tickling Alec as she hugged him goodnight.
"Oh good you're awake."
She was too awake for whatever time this was, Alec decided, not even bothering to reply as he rolled over, dragging the pillow down to press against his ears, willing the emptiness of sleep to overtake him once more as fragments of his dream slowly welled up before disappearing once more: the rumbling of the motor bike beneath his legs as it sped across the sun-baked road, dust clouds billowing up in his wake before they were whipped away by the cool breeze; the scent of leather in his nose and a warm body in the confines of his arms, taller and leaner than him and yet with a strange aura that was conveyed even now in wakefulness; his own reflection staring back at him from the mirrored visor as dark hands moved to remove it, a grin splitting his face before-
"Alec?"
The older boy let out a yelp, his previous train of thought derailed by the cold air impacting against his newly bared skin, instinctively latching onto the edge of the thin blanket and curling himself into it.
"Alec!" Isabelle repeated slightly louder, her voice still pitched to a theatrical whisper despite the annoyance creeping into her words, "You promised you'd come with me!"
Alec emitted a sleepy questioning noise, shivers beginning to wrack through him as he slowly and reluctantly pushed himself into a seated position, limbs feeling like they were moving through tar, leaden and uncooperative. This was obviously important to her: the early start and blatant insistence that Alec be awake and moving was key in her plan. And so he scrubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, blinking away the grit gathered there will he sleep and concentrated on what she was saying. Isabelle looked ready to go into battle standing in the middle of Alec's admittedly plain room, although she normally did in recent months, the war paint of times gone past replaced by powdered shadows and glossy lips, eyeliner flicked up to a warning point.
She grinned as his eyes finally managed to focus on hers, the metal squares he kept expecting to see on her teeth no longer there and she began to rummage through the set of drawers tucked underneath the window, her rapid fire explanation punctuated with clicks of her tongue at the state of his clothes.
"We have to go and see Santa so I can ask for a Christmas miracle for Jace- really Alec would it kill you to fold these?- because if I have to walk into a dark room one more time and see him there like a zombie I'm going to stab him with my shoe. It's all because of that new girl, y'know Clary? That really rude redhead because how dare she ask that in front of people, like that could've been really serious and everything but Jace's in love and we did eventually give her chance after that wonderful baked apology."
"Why aren't you taking Max?" Alec finally managed to interject as Isabelle paused in her tirade to inspect an old jumper prised from a bottom drawer. She set it to one side atop the dark jeans laid down and began to repack the upheaval of items away once more, returning the room to it's barren state.
"He went last week. And anyway it's colder out now, I don't want to strain his lungs again." Her voice cracked on the last words, gaze rolling to the ceiling as she blinked furiously, forcing tears back down at the painful memories.
"So shall we go see Santa then?" Alec said cautiously, tapping his feet against the cold wood floor to try futility to warm it up before his inevitable exit into the cold morning. Isabelle nodded, eagerly grasping at the distraction and pushed the pile of clothes at him, a dark red dangling loose from where her fingers had unconsciously began to pick at before standing up to exit, twirling a strand of hair around one finger, hands desperate to be doing something.
Sunlight was beginning to seep through the cracks in the heavy blackout curtains, spilling like curious tendrils to stop just shy of his toes. Alec glanced around the room, partially trying to delay movement and partially because of the unease gripping him, a sudden icy fear coiling inside his chest, claws fastened around his heart. The floor was bare as it normally was, worn smooth by generations upon generations treading across the floor, save the ragged patchwork rug, edges frayed and colours faded and yet he would not be parted from although the scent of spices had long since faded. Once he had braved the chill, a light dusting of snow visible beyond the frost covered glass, the wilting patterns fading away at a touch of his fingers, birds startling and disappearing into the slate grey sky, dark smudges amongst the swirling white. Alec averted his eyes from the mirror, unwilling to look too deeply at the hidden shadows lurking there or at the press of bones against his skin as he pulled the clothes over his head, forcing himself to take a cursory glance.
The jumper was baggy, a white pattern picked out on dark red fabric, and the belt was pulled to the smallest notch which he knew Isabelle had noticed. But now it was time to bite the bullet and he clumsily pulled his socks and shoes on, the weight of the boots strangely comforting as if he was about to dive into a fight.
The rest of the house was slowly beginning to wake to the sounds of the fire alarm cheerily blaring intermingled with Isabelle's exasperated swearing, Jace's phone, released from its silent confines starting up its daily chiming of messages both sent and received, and the nurse beginning to hum as she prised Max from his bed, Alec's brother even harder to wake than he was. Burnt toast quickly disposed into the bin, leftovers were scrounged and Alec was pulled out of the back door, Isabelle tossing a quick goodbye over her shoulder.
Alec could remember the shopping centre from his childhood: packed with people rushing to and fro, all set in their frantic pursuit of goods which were brightly packaged and perfect for the receivers; the decorations hanging from the ceiling which shined so invitingly to children, mittened hands stretching up to grab; and then the Santa's grotto, simplistic and minimal with a dusting of powdery snow and a queue which stretched out of the confines of the fence to snake past shops and stalls, all guided by the elves, decked out in tinsel and festive clothes. Isabelle looked very similar to them as she forged her own path through the shopping centre, ignoring the looks she got as she disrupted other's path, in places deliberately disrupting the flow of people to reach her own destination faster, abandoning Alec in her wake as he slipped through the mass barely noticed by the crush, until a simple misjudgement. A bag slammed into his side, closely followed by the shoulder of the man carrying it, a gigantic brute of man whose muscles pulled against the striped fabric, knocking him backwards as it caught him mid-step and he staggered. Knees collided with something, the pressure on his knees causing them to buckle as he fell backwards into-
Magnus had a headache, a deep stubborn thing that radiated through his head and refused to go away. Though that was not surprising given his current situation: the constant jangling of bells in his ears as well as the cacophony of carols streaming out from every shop, some new and some old, all blurring together into an undistinguishable mess and factoring in small children, all grubby hands and runny noses and Magnus was positively alive with fresh twinges of agony with every passing breath. Camille had been less than sympathetic, wrapped up in a thick knitted blanket and lying on his couch with his cat, that traitorous ball of fluff, curled up on top of her. She had sounded sincere on that first day when she turned up on his doorstep, face flushed and breath raspy from coughing as Raphael fled in the background, surgical mask wrapped around his face. Him and his bleeding heart. So now he was here, squeezed into a hideously festive outfit which was definitely too small for him, sitting on a bench amongst crowds of harassed shoppers and trying to savour the final few minutes of peace before he had to re-join his perpetually grinning comrades in the battle to herd small children.
His coffee was still slightly too hot as he took a sip, still slightly bemused as to flavour, mind still too clouded to remember the order before his lap was suddenly full of a beautiful boy, all black hair and wide, shocked blue eyes and reddening cheeks.
"Sorry darling, but you're sitting on the wrong lap," Magnus joked, lips twitching into a languid grin, coffee mercifully remaining inside the disposable cup.
"I- what?"
"Hey are you okay?"
The stranger placed his free hand on Alec's forehead, biting out a curse as he realised the thin green fabric of the shimmering glove was still covering his hand. Breath that didn't seem to be reaching it's desired destination was roughly pulled in as the glove was swiftly removed by the mans teeth, head turning in the process revealing a strong line of dark skin. His other hand was holding a cup, arm keeping Alec upright, muscles like steel against his back.
"Is that a peppermint spice latte?" Alec managed to say, the familiar scent finally reaching his nose, heat beginning to sink into his chilled bones.
"It might be? I can't really remember," the man said, eyes widening in surprise, laughing quietly as reached his free hand over to take hold of the cup, enclosing Alec in a makeshift embrace for a long moment, "Would you like some darling?"
Alec spluttered, flush coming back full force as his eyes flickered from the mans face, still alarmingly close to his and the offered cup. He could see every freckle on the man's face, a constellation marked out on flawless skin, although he could see the faint smudges around the corners of his eyes as the man grinned, at ease with the intense scrutiny.
"I'm so sorry!" Alec gasped, lurching upright, only stopped from lurching backwards into the sea of people by the grip around his wrist before another collision caused him to stumble forwards once more, this time mercifully remaining upright.
"Alec!"
"Magnus!"
The other man snarled out another curse, hastily gulping down the last few mouthful of his drink, one hand balled against his throat as it seared his skin on the way down.
"Sorry beautiful boy, duty calls," Magnus murmured mournfully and Alec was hyper aware once more of the presence against his back, as warm thumbs rubbed against the exposed skin of his arms, jumper long since pushed up against the artificial heat and then he was gone. Alec stood for a long moment, mind wondrously quiet before Isabelle slid up beside him, an unreadable expression on her face.
"You know we're here to see Santa right? Not one of his elves?"
"I- what?"
Isabelle grinned, a more common expression to see on her face and yet Alec was not put at ease by its reappearance.
"Only you could be sitting on a man's lap-"
"I fell!"
His words fell on deaf ears as Isabelle thundered on regardless, pushing her way through the crowd once more, Alec safely recovered and in tow.
"And not notice that delicious get-up he had on? Does the word 'tights' ring a bell?"
Alec made a strangled noise, face turning pale as each and every moment of his encounter began to pay back in his head: the almost inhuman warmth of the other surrounding him, the kind look in their brown eyes which almost appeared yellow in the harsh fluorescent lights, even the way his throat had bobbed as he swallowed.
"Don't worry," Izzy said far too at ease with herself for Alec's comfort, "I'll ask Santa for help with your love life too."
"Izzy!" Alec hissed, managing to regain his footing as she at last stopped at the end of the line, a few curious glances being directed their way at their ages or lack of younger child but the adults attention was soon diverted once more by their offspring.
She batted her eyes innocently, the effect ruined by the snorting giggles she broke down into a moment later.
"Can't have Santa thinking I play favourites with my brothers," she said patting his hand in sympathy, still laughing.
"I don't need any help," Alec grumbled, his resolve weakening with every passing moment as they carefully moved through the queue, the pace faster than would have been expected this close to Christmas.
"But I do!' Izzy snapped, her carefully maintained patience breaking slightly. She paused and took a deep breath too compose herself before continuing, her voice pitched low and secretive promoting Alec to lean in, the duo unaware of the hungry eyes following them.
"I'm gonna be stuck in the house, unable to leave it for long because of worrying about Max and Mum and Dad, and I am not gonna have two love struck idiots adding into that."
Alec opened his mouth to argue, then closed it once more, unable to find an adequate real response. He had seen the effect of devotion on Jace, a modern day Romeo with a new true love every other week. He'd screw it up as well, accidentally insult them or their family, or the notable time where he spent an hour waxing poetic about something or another and his date had thrown their soup over his head. And he'd seen the aftermath of obsession on his although he did not realise it at the time, and yet that was a dark time.
"Nearly there!" Izzy squealed, a sudden childlike enthusiasm flooding through her as she began to bounce in one spot, clutching Alec's hand. Alec began to laugh, uncontrollable little things that were mostly silent.
"Well hello there darling and darling's sister."
Alec stopped laughing, mind whirling.
"Hello!" Izzy said cheerily before narrowing her eyes at Magnus, tapping one manicured finger against her lips.
"Aren't you Camille's friend? The one with all the parties?"
Magnus was saved from answering by the appearance of another elf, this one looking even more fed up than Magnus with her current situation.
"Santa will see you now."
Izzy began to bounce once more, her hands clutched together underneath her chin.
"Could you keep an eye on him? Only I don't want him getting lonely wok by himself," She suddenly asked Magnus, face suddenly serious and as the startled man reflexively nodded, she grinned and skipped into the small cabin leaving Alec and Magnus fairly alone as the other elf ducked back inside.
"Come round this side and we'll wait for your sister," Magnus mumbled, a sudden wave of nerves causing his system to flood with doubt for a long moment as he gestured for Alec to precede him, even adding in a garish bow when he saw the others lips twitch in amusement at his actions.
"I'll be fine by myself," Alec added, nerves clear in his voice and in the way his fingers sought out a loose thread to twirl as if laser sighted, "that is if you're busy."
"And what could be more pressing than spending time in your company, gorgeous?" Magnus said cheekily, sidling closer, "so was I right?"
"Right about what?" Alec asked, still rattled from the close proximity and all the blood beginning to pool in his cheeks as Izzy's remark about the elves uniform resurfaced.
"Is she your sister?"
"Are we playing twenty questions right now?" Alec questioned, tilting his chin up and grinning at Magnus, causing the other man to form a blah of his own.
"That's more of a date thing..." Magnus said, seeing the way Alec's face seemed to freeze at the merest mention of the word date, but he was not one to be perturbed, "So shall we stay now and continue tomorrow? Say cinema at 10?"
Alec blinked furiously, mind working so quickly Magnus fancied he could see smoke beginning to billow from his ears before finally: "Okay."
"Was that okay to one or okay to both?" Magnus asked, trying desperately to maintain his calm exterior (he had a reputation to up hold after all).
Alec cleared his throat and unclenched his fists, tiny half moons littering his skin. "Okay to both. And yes she is my sister."
Magnus grinned in a way Alec could only describe as Camille in his superiority.
"Good. I like it when I'm right about things. Your turn, sweetheart."
"What's your number?" Alec asked in a moment of almost uncharacteristic boldness, before his nerves caught up with him again and he mumbled, "Just in case I need to contact you about tomorrow."
"But of course darling," Magnus purred, tapping his number into the offered phone and showing Alec to do the same just as Izzy emerged from the cabin, lollipop jammed into her mouth and managing to restrict her speech enough that Alec could grab her by the shoulder and begin to hustle her out.
"Bye Magnus," he called, turning his head to get one last look and catching the elf outfit in all its glory.
"Bye Alec! And next time I will be wearing something a lot more flattering!"
"I quite like it. Tights suit you."
"Merry Christmas cutie pie."
"Merry Christmas."
First Malec and first mortal instruments fic as well :p
Hope you enjoyed it and sorry if the formatting is a bit messed up