Notes: References in here: I completely made up an explanation how Alec's bow does the invisibility thing it does, and the quarterstaff is the weapon that Jace fights Hudge with in 1x13.
So... have some holiday fluff for a change, I suppose. There is no plot whatsoever; just feel-good stuff. The title is from a Bing Crosby song because of course it is. I hope you guys enjoy it!
This had been a bad idea, Alec decided as he took yet another inconspicuous (or so he hoped) look at his surroundings. There were far more people than he had expected even this close to the holidays and he'd lost Jace in the crowd at some point, which complicated his situation even more. If he didn't know better, he would have suspected that his parabatai had done it on purpose despite the fact that they had both promised not to go overboard with the presents this year. Alec had stressed several times that he didn't need whatever Jace wanted to give him to be a surprise, but he suspected that he wouldn't be listened to anyway. And while that wouldn't have bothered him usually – not for something so harmless – the realisation of just how difficult it would be to find anyone at all in here was starting to make him antsy.
Still, he and Jace had become more attuned to each other recently and gauging how far away he was wasn't exactly a hardship once he focused a little harder. He was somewhere close, somewhere— Alec took a quick look at the stores around him and smiled.
"Do you have this in something less shiny?" Jace was saying. He was holding something small in his hand, examining it as carefully as he would a new weapon. Alec's smile widened and he stepped closer, doing his best to stay quiet. "I don't want it to be too noticeable. It's for my boyfriend and he— Alec!"
Alec had to admit that he'd tried to take a look at his supposed future present, but Jace didn't give him a chance. He squeezed it in his fist and hid it behind his back and usually, Alec would have made a point of telling him to be more careful – he could see in his peripheral vision that the girl behind the counter had noticed how quick the movement had been – but he just couldn't force himself to think of that; not when Jace still had that deer in the headlights look written all over his face. The mention of boyfriend served to brighten his mood quite a bit as well – it wasn't a word they could throw around in the Institute, after all, and it was enough to throw him off for a moment.
Still, Jace put himself together all too soon. "What are you doing here?" He asked, tone accusing. "I thought you were going to get that jacket Izzy was talking about the other day."
"I was, before you disappeared on me," Alec said. They weren't actually having a day off – they'd filed this little outing as an impromptu hunting mission and if someone bothered to track them, it wouldn't do to be too far apart. "What've you got there?"
"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" Jace didn't wait for a response. "No way. You go get the jacket, I'll catch up."
Jace had apparently decided to ignore the lack of necessity when it came to surprising gifts, but then again, that wasn't much of a surprise all on itself. They never kept the promises they gave each other every year when it came to Christmas presents and it would be more than a little unfair to be annoyed at Jace for something he himself was doing. He had made his own plans weeks in advance, of course, and Jace was none the wiser, so it was best to let him do as he pleased.
"See you later, then," he conceded at last and, with a quick peck to Jace's lips, left him to his own devices. He had work to do as well.
Alec was drunk. The more time passed, the more certain he became of that and while it wasn't enough to be unpleasant, it was definitely enough to make his body feel heavy and uncooperative. It was a good thing that the chances of him having to move for the rest of the evening were rather slim and Jace – who was, as of now, leaning against his shoulder – seemed inclined to agree. And who could blame him? The room was warm and quiet, no one was going to disturb them unless the situation was really urgent (and it wouldn't be; Alec had made sure to check out the predicted demonic activity for the next twenty-four hours before he'd allowed himself this luxury) and they were finally on their own.
Not everyone in the Institute celebrated Christmas and Alec wasn't sure if they would have done it either if it hadn't been a family tradition. Now that he was Head of the Institute, he was spared the trip to Idris and the meet up with the numerous distant relatives there. His parents had decided to stay in Alicante, but they'd sent Max to the Institute and here they were now – in one of the many unused quarters of the Institute with only the lights on the small tree they'd decorated and the fireplace breaking the darkness around them and bathing the room in a warm glow. Max had fallen asleep on the couch a while ago, soon followed by Isabelle who had been on patrol earlier that day.
As he sipped from his glass again, Alec realised that he'd let his guard down even more now, aware that they were safe here. They'd told Izzy about their relationship a while ago, but Max was still far too young. There was no point in burdening him with something like this when he wouldn't even be able to understand all of it, so they had preferred to keep quiet instead and now, as he finally realised how quiet it was around them, Alec turned to the side for a kiss that he'd been waiting for in the last few hours.
He could never get enough of the sensation the touch brought with itself and his only comfort was that Jace had admitted that he felt the same way. It was slow and easy and felt far too much like the only natural state they could achieve together apart from fighting. It only seemed to make their bond that much stronger – Alec could feel the joy of it sparking on his lips and it was enough for Jace to fully wake up and respond in kind until one of his hands tangled up in Alec's hair and brought him even closer. It was barely even a kiss at this point – Jace's mouth, sticky sweet with the liquor they'd both had far too much of, brushed over his lazily. There was no urgency to it, not even when Alec's hands came to rest on the small of his back, but it was enough to coax a pleased laugh out of Jace and they only pulled away from one another when they found themselves short of breath.
"Merry Christmas, Alec," Jace said, only to grin at the surprise likely written over his face. "It's midnight. I have something for you."
"You really couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Alec asked as his parabatai got to his feet, but didn't make a move to stop him. Jace shook his head.
"I'll give you something else tomorrow." He said it as if it was a given as he dropped the box he was holding on Alec's lap. "I wanted you to have this now, while we're still alone."
It was as alone as they were going to get. Tomorrow morning the world would have to go on as usual and their lives would fall back into their usual rhythm; these few stolen hours felt like an eternity here and Alec only now realised just how much he cherished them.
"I actually got this from a mundane store," Jace said while he watched Alec struggle with the wrapping, "but I went to a Warlock to put the spell I wanted on it. It works like an invisibility rune," he continued and Alec could feel his parabatai's eyes flicking from his face to the box he'd finally opened – and, more importantly, to the small object nestled inside. It looked like two spears crossed in the shape of an X and the material looked like muted silver; barely reflecting the dim lights around them. "Except you can control it with your mind. I thought that maybe if you attach it to your quiver—"
"Thank you." Alec closed his fist around the charm, feeling its magic swirl under his fingers. He leant in for another kiss, quick and appreciative, before getting up to get his own gift from under the tree. He had intended to wait until the morning – it was supposed to be traditional, or so he'd always been told – but he couldn't not return the favour when his parabatai had set the bar so high.
His own present looked significantly less festive, locked in its sleek metal box as it was, but Jace's eyes lit up with interest nevertheless. He could already guess what it was, that much was for sure, since they got countless similar packages from Idris on monthly basis, but it was still worth it to see him try and guess what this specific one contained before he managed to pull the safety mechanism open.
The weapon lit up under Jace's touch the moment he took it in his hand and Alec jumped out of the way just in time for it to spread out to its full potential.
"Is this a quarterstaff? I've been trying to commission one for years!" Jace turned it in his hand, watching the blades attached to it pierce the air with a distinct buzz. Alec couldn't hold back his smile at the face of his enthusiasm.
"I know. Turns out it's not that difficult to get hold of it once someone else campaigns for it too."
Alec was fully aware of how enamoured his parabatai was with this specific weapon. He had always favoured Seraph blades above everything else and this one was more functional than most; enough for him to want it more than anything.
Jace dropped the weapon back on the sofa where it folded back in on itself and before Alec could see him coming, he had wrapped his arms around him in a hug so tight it almost knocked the breath out of him. "Thank you," he said and repeated it a few more times, too, covering his face in feather-light kisses and even as Alec laughed and tried to tell him that it hadn't been any trouble, he held him close to his chest, relishing in the shared happiness glowing between them.