Snowballs and Glitter
Magnus liked the snow, he really did. He liked dressing up Alec for it, matching his gloves to his hat and his scarves to his eyes, and then he liked taking those things off Alec later in the cozy sanctuary of his loft. He liked the different drinks the coffee shops came out with during the winter months and he liked that he typically had half as many clients but twice as expensive jobs over the holiday season. Snow was a good thing overall.
What he didn't like was being dragged out of bed at eight in the morning to help with an emergency situation that was fully diffused before he even arrived, leaving his "much needed" services unrequired.
He tipped the last drops of his non-fat triple-shot peppermint latte into his mouth, then crumpled his cup and vanished it with a wave. He slid his woolen-gloves back on, dug hands into his armpits and glared at the clouds. They were continuing to dump snow down on him even this early in the morning and he hated them for it. He had half a mind to turn all the snowflakes in a three block radius into balls of fire, but it would just be too much work. He could maybe turn all the snow in this park into fireworks…
He was woken abruptly out of this train of thought by the arrival of a cold, wet, splat right between his shoulder blades. He wheeled around, a very rude curse already primed and ready, to find Alec standing about ten feet away.
His cheeks were flushed a lovely sugar-pink from the cold, but his eyes were annoyingly bright for how early it was and worse, his entire face was lit up in childish glee. He was just straightening up, big blue eyes focused unwaveringly on Magnus. Between his gloved hands, another snowball was being carefully rolled and packed. He held it very cautiously, watching Magnus for any sudden movements. A smile devious lit across his face. He'd look absolutely gorgeous if Magnus didn't want to shove his gleeful face into a snowbank at this exact moment.
"Alexander," Magnus said, testily and between his teeth.
Alec's hands worked the snowball over almost minutely, his eyes never leaving Magnus's. They were wide and mockingly innocent, looking up at him through his lashes.
"Don't you d—" Magnus began, but he was cut short, left with barely enough time to turn and cover his face before the snowball was launched and smacked him in the shoulder.
Alec burst out laughing, which was a sound Magnus honestly did like, really he did, but never at this hour of the morning and never when it came along with Alec scooping up another handful of snow off the ground. Magnus backed up, snatching his gloves off of his hands. He made a quick gesture, dropping his gloves to the ground in his haste. Alec's eyes went wide and he let out a distinct expletive just as large mounds of snow to both sides of him rose up and crashed down around him like the Red Sea on the Egyptians.
Alec sputtered and gacked, but as the snow slid off his shoulders and arms, his laughter only grew. Annoying, because being covered in snow was nothing like laugh worthy, but luckily he'd dropped the snowball he'd been holding as he shook the snow off his arms. Magnus stayed braced for another attack.
"We're in public you know," Alec said, grinning as he shrugged the snow off himself, then tried to maneuver to get it out of the collar of his jacket. "You could at least be subtle about the magic."
Magnus gestured again and a large ball of snow sprang up over Alec and dropped directly on his head with a rather satisfying splat.
Alec let out a cry of surprise, then started toward him, holding up both hands in surrender, the snow still sitting on top of his head and across his shoulders. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry. You just looked so cranky."
"I am disturbed that your first instinct was to pelt me with balls of snow."
Alec was right in front of him now. He reached out with both hands and took hold of the lapels of Magnus's peacoat. Magnus relaxed slightly. This was a good position. This was how he would have preferred to be at this hour in the morning—being pulled in close by his boyfriend. Now if they could just get back across town and back into bed…
Alec leaned forward sweetly, cocking his head. Magnus leaned forward to meet him and was instead met with a face-full of snow as Alec vigorously shook the snow from his hair, holding Magnus tightly in place by his jacket as he showered him with a torrent of freezing cold water, giggling over Magnus's curses. Every bit of Alec was wet and Magnus couldn't think fast enough to place his bare hands anywhere that would give him enough leverage to shove the boy off. As soon as Alec stopped shaking his head like a dog, he leaned in and kissed Magnus before he could wipe the snow off his face.
"I hate you," Magnus muttered against Alec's lips. "I hate you so much this morning."
Alec hummed, grinning, and kissed him again.
"Why do you have to be a morning person? And can we portal home now?"
"What's wrong with the subway?" Alec asked, shaking yet more of the snow out of his hair and onto Magnus, though it was almost entirely melted by this point. Where it melted on Alec's face it left frosty drips that stuck his eyelashes together.
"You are severely underestimating how cranky I am," Magnus said. He unzipped Alec's jacket, brushed the snow out of the inside of the collar, then stretched his arms around inside to warm his cold hands on the slip of skin where Alec's shirt had pulled up and away from his jeans. It made Alec squirm, but he was still invested in holding Magnus in place by the lapels and didn't swat his hands away.
"You're already awake. Let's get breakfast."
Magnus ran his cold hands up the inside of Alec's shirt. Alec's body was blissfully warm, which would only have been improved by Magnus being still warm himself. "If you had suggested that before turning us both into icicles I might have agreed."
Alec rocked his hips into Magnus's. He leaned in, his lips brushing along Magnus's jaw just below his ear. "So dry us off."
Magnus slid his hands off Alec's back, around to the front of his hips, then pushed him away. "No. Bad Shadowhunter. I'm taking you home, putting you in the shower, and then going back to bed."
Alec sighed, and suddenly yanked Magnus down just enough to prevent the snowball from smacking him upside the face, then he wheeled on the culprit.
Jace was standing a few yards away, brushing the snow off his bare hands. "I thought you lovebirds would have left by now," he called.
"Okay," Magnus said, speaking low. "Pelt him right between the eyes and we can grab something for breakfast before I take you home."
Alec stooped down and casually scooped up a handful of snow. "Done."
"Wait," Jace said, realizing now the folly of his ways. "Alec, show restraint…" Jace warned, but Alec had already wound up and let one fly. It may not be the same as archery, but Alec was an irritatingly good shot. Jace was barely able to duck in time—anyone other than Jace wouldn't have had the reflexes—and reached for his own ammo. Alec was ready though, and before Jace could arm himself again, another snowball came careening in and smacked Jace in the neck. He cursed colorfully and raised his snowball into the air.
Just before it left his glove, Magnus waved his hand. The snowball turned into a handful of glitter, which the wind caught so that it mostly landed up and down the front of Jace. Alec nearly doubled up laughing and scooped up more snow. As Jace was blinking the glitter out of his eyes in surprise, Alec crossed the distance between them.
"No fair using your boyfriend to get the upperhand."
"Sorry," Alec said, and he really wasn't because he reached up and plopped him handful of snow directly in the middle of Jace's forehead. Jace reacted by shoving him back hard enough that he fell on his butt and curled onto the snow in a fit of giggles.
"Why are you in such a good mood?" Jace shouted, making a more concerted effort to get the glitter out of his eyes. He was scooping up an armload of snow and Alec was scrambling to his feet when Magnus managed to retrieve his gloves and slide them on. Isabelle and Simon were coming up now, each holding a steaming beverage in their hand. Clary, of all people, had been allowed to sleep in.
Magnus stepped forward quickly, hands in the air. "That's enough boys, it's time for a truce! Truce and pancakes. Come along, morning people. We're getting breakfast."
"I'm so glad we walked in at exactly the right time," Simon said, groggily, holding his coffee cup up like a salute of solidarity to Magnus.
"You people already woke me up and dragged me here, I may as well see what all the hype is about."
"It's good for you," Isabelle said, and put the drink she was carrying into his hand. "It'll build character." The drink was something chai-y. Magnus tried it, didn't like it, and handed it immediately back to Isabelle.
"Please don't encourage him to build any more character," Alec said, reaching out to help Jace up off the ground where he'd inexplicably ended up.
"I see Jace has also built up enough character for today," Isabelle said, looking him up and down. "Snowball fights are harmless, you know."
"Glitter is also harmless," Magnus countered.
By now Alec had made his way over to them and suffered Magnus to wrap his arm through his. Magnus had to admit, he liked it this way. He may be freezing, but Alec was in a good mood and literally sparkling from where Jace had smeared the glitter that was stuck to his hands across Alec's face. Jace had also walked up to Simon, spread his arms and gave the boy a very extensive, very wiggly hug to distribute the glitter. Isabelle had stopped Alec as he'd reached out to smear some on her face too with a death glare.
"Don't you dare Alexander Lightwood, my make-up is flawless." It was an excuse Magnus wished he too had thought of, though there had been no time for make-up that morning.
Magnus rolled his eyes and leaned over to kiss Alec's cheek. It wasn't worth getting up before noon ever again for, but it was nice. "So, where are we going?"
"Well, no straight-person diner is going to let the three of them in," Isabelle said, pointing at the boys.
"Good. Just you and me then," Magnus said, unlinking his arm from Alec and relinking arms with Isabelle. "Alexander, I'm taking your sister on a date. Meet you back at the apartment?"
Alec frowned, the crease between his eyes showing up solidly. Jace reached over and rubbed glitter there too, calling it a masterpiece as Alec batted him off and reached for Magnus's gloved hand, which he gripped tightly in his own. "No."
Magnus's heart fluttered at Alec's sudden seriousness. It felt like something had melted and was all warm and lovely in his chest. He squeezed Alec's hand. "Alright, you can come too. I'll even let you bring the glitter twins."
"That's us. We're biologically identical now and it's all your fault," Simon said. Jace shrugged.
"At least I got all the good genetics."
"Jace? Call Clary. And Maia, she'll be awake by now like a normal person. We should do this every morning," Isabelle said cheerfully, placing her chai drink carefully into the hand that was linked to Magnus and reaching to hold Simon's hand with her other.
"What, snowball fights?" Jace asked, trying to make his phone work with cold fingers.
"Yes, very funny," Magnus said. "You Nephilim keep your morning activities to yourself from now on and stop bothering the actually normal people."
"You aren't that normal," Simon pointed out and was immediately drenched in snow that seemed to fall from out of nowhere.
"But maybe breakfast sometimes. Occasionally," Alec said softly, bumping Magnus with his shoulder. His hair was plastered to his forehead and sticking to his cheeks, a bit of it curled up and touching his lip. Magnus raised their joined hands and brushed the hair from Alec's mouth, then kissed his gloved hand.
"Very occasionally," he agreed. "Almost never."
"Right, because you hate me." Alec was looking up at him through those stuck-together lashes again. The feeling rumbled up from the core of Magnus's stomach. He let his arm fall away from Isabelle's, let go of Alec's hand, and placed both of his gloved hands on Alec's cheeks, holding him in place. Somehow Alec's lips were so warm where his were cold, and he let out a soft sigh that made Magnus's heart flutter.
He broke away, almost dizzy. Alec's face was flushed clear down his neck.
"Wow. You really hate me," he breathed.
Magnus grinned. "Exactly." He leaned in and kissed him again and broke away when a snowball hit Alec in the arm.
"Oh my god, keep your hands off each other for ten minutes, would you?" Jace called back, then apologized into the phone that was wedged between his ear and his shoulder.
"We're just going to go to Taki's," Isabelle announced, steering the group in the appropriate direction.
"Do you Nephilim just not know any other Downworlder establishments in New York? Because I could introduce you to dozens," Magnus said.
"Taki's is the best," Alec protested, then he took Magnus's hand and tugged him along after everyone. "Come on. Breakfast then shower then back to bed, right?"
Magnus shivered. Very occasionally this wasn't so bad.