Happy New Year!

Wow, this didn't take a hundred years (note the sarcasm). But alas, we got here in the end. It mostly took so long because I couldn't find a way to write the middle to the chapter. God bless writer's block. It should go smoother from here on out, at least for a while because I've written parts of the next four or so chapters and they just need to be polished. Thank you for reviewing and sticking with me despite the wait. You guys are the best and your comments make my day!

So, enjoy the fluffiness before the drama descends (chapter 20 - you have been warned).


"Good morning." Magnus mumbled, smiling up at Alec who was hovering over him.

"It is a good morning." Alec beamed. "We're going to spend the whole day in the forest, it's going to be amazing."

Wanting to laugh at the sloppy grin that was spreading over Alec's face and also wanting to kiss it off his face, Magnus propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Alec. They were almost nose to nose now, Alec casually sitting on Magnus' hips.

"Why's it going to be so amazing?"

"Because we're going to be together." Alec said simply, making Magnus' heart melt out of his chest and puddle on the floor. "And you're going to take pictures and we're going to run away."

Magnus laughed now, light and airy as the sunshine that was spilling through the windows. "Is that so? We're going to run away? Become the kings of the forest?"

Alec hummed, pressing a soft kiss to Magnus' lips. "I like the sound of that, kings of the forest."

After much prodding and poking from Alec, along with promises that he'd sing silly campfire songs for Magnus and even smuggle some Oreos outside, Magnus dragged himself out of bed.

And, to Alec's dismay, plopped himself down at his desk and opened up his computer.

"What are you doing?" Alec cried, throwing himself over Magnus' lap and looking up at his boyfriend with a whiny pout. "We're going to go outside! Or at least we were, before you betrayed me for the world of the internet."

"I just wanted to check my messages-"

"Stab me in the heart is more like it-"

"Don't be silly-"

"I'm not-"

"You are-"

Talking over each other, Magnus tried to reach around Alec, but Alec kept closing the computer every time Magnus opened it.

"I'm not even sure I want to know." Isabelle sighed from the doorway, their heads shooting up and Alec sending her a bashful smile. Magnus laughed and pushed Alec off his lap. His boyfriend landed on the floor and sent him a mock pout. Magnus couldn't help but grin, it was so rare that Alec was in such a brilliant mood, not weighed down by the slightest bit of insecurity and almost radiating sunshine.

So, Magnus didn't try and open his computer again, he let it stay closed and he got up from his desk. He threw on some fresh clothes, barely even glanced at his hair in the mirror before grabbing his camera, his boyfriend's hand and running out the door, Alec's laugh mingling with his own.


They threw themselves down at the kitchen table, Alec immediately reaching for the cereal. Jace gave Alec a look that radiated anger and held his spoon up threateningly. "You are not allowed any Lucky Charms." He said firmly, with the authority and cruelty of a medieval king - in rocket ship pyjamas.

"Why not?" Alec asked, reaching for the box one more time. Jace cocked his arm back and waggled his eyebrows.

"Don't make me throw this."

"Jace, don't be a child."

"Jace is always a child." Isabelle piped up with a smile. She was still in her pyjamas as well, a weird band t-shirt that Magnus had never seen before hanging off her shoulders slightly.

"Is that Simon's?" Alec asked, making a face. "That's really gross."

"Yeah," Jace nodded, "it's kind of nauseating that you're happy and we'd really like you to stop."

"Exactly." Alec nodded as well and Isabelle huffed, slumping down in a seat and checking behind her - the routine 'is my mother watching' check - before giving them both the finger. Her brothers just snickered, Jace going back to eating his cereal and Alec reaching to pour himself some.

"No!" Jace yelled, choosing this moment to launch back into his goal of keeping Alec away from the cereal and throw his spoon at Alec. Alec ducked, letting the spoon clatter to the floor behind him and gave Jace a wide eyed, slightly annoyed, look.

"What the actual-"

"Language." Maryse said, making them all jump as she came around the corner completely silent.

"I didn't say it." Alec mumbled, sending Jace a venomous glare and opening the Lucky Charms.

"Mum!" Jace practically screamed. "Make him stop!"

"What?" Maryse asked, looking from Alec to Jace and then back again. "I don't understand what Alec is doing wrong."

Isabelle suddenly made a noise of comprehension. "Oh. I get it. Yes," she nodded, "I fully support Jace in his petition for Alec to no longer be able to eat the Lucky Charms."

"I'm so confused." Magnus said slowly, grabbing a piece of toast and leaning back in his chair. He gently spread some jam over it before taking a small bite. He resisted the urge to groan. "Oh my god. This is amazing. What the hell."

"Homemade." Alec said proudly, before going back to his staring contest with Jace and the Lucky Charms.

"Jace, let your brother have some cereal. And please stop throwing cutlery." Maryse said tiredly, picking up his spoon and throwing it into the sink without looking.

"But he ruins it!" Isabelle cried.

"How?" Alec huffed. "You can't ruin Lucky Charms."

Jace pointed a finger at him accusingly. "You can. And you do." Maryse was just pressing two fingers to the bridge of her nose, looking on the verge of having a nervous breakdown when Jace sighed. "He ruins it because he doesn't-"

"He doesn't?" Maryse demanded, waiting for Jace to finish his sentence.

"He doesn't eat the goddamn charms!" Jace screamed, slamming a fist onto the table and scaring the bejesus out of everyone sitting at it. Even Isabelle jumped, before she started to giggle.

Isabelle sent her mother a look. "It's true Mum. Alec never eats the charms, he just eats the cereal and then puts the charms back. Then when we go to eat the cereal, it's all marshmallow."

"You love the marshmallows!" Alec cried. "You always say that it would be better if there was no cereal and it was just all charms."

"True." Jace nodded. "But that doesn't excuse your crimes."

"My crimes?!"

"I bring to the judge a proposition," Jace said, standing and slamming the butt of Magnus' jam covered knife into the table, "Alexander Gideon should be hear-by be banned from eating all the cereal out of the lucky charms."

"The judge will take this into consideration." Maryse said, a wry smile spreading over her lips. "But for now, Alexander is allowed to partake in the consumption of the Lucky Charms and may choose to not consume the charms if he so wishes."

Jace and Isabelle fell into an uproar, while Alec just got up, pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek and then stuck his tongue out at his brother. And then, with mocking carefulness, he poured himself a bowl of cereal and with the precision of a surgeon, plucked every last charm out of it and threw them back in the box.


Magnus had absolutely no idea where they were anymore. He hadn't realized that there was so much land between them and everyone else, but they were still walking. Alec filled the silence with little songs that made Magnus laugh while he took pictures of everything. Convinced that this was a moment he was going to remember, he snapped pictures of the light hitting the trees and catching the blue in Alec's eyes.

Alec was in the middle of some ridiculous country song, one that Magnus had never heard. It made him giggle and Alec beamed. His singing faded as Magnus leaned in and captured his lips in a kiss.

"I should sing more often." Alec mumbled and Magnus raised an eyebrow. His boyfriend just shrugged and smiled. "It gets me kisses and I'm going to remember that in the future."

Every part of it felt like a fairy tale. There were birds in the trees, who were singing, and there was sunshine filtering into every part of the forest. And Magnus didn't even know where to begin with Alec. If his friends hadn't seen him, Magnus wasn't sure they'd believe the stories he would tell them about Alec. He wasn't even sure he could believe them. Alec was looking at him still, so strangely happy that he let Magnus take a picture of him with barely any protest.

"Hey!"

Alright, there was a little protest.

"Don't worry!" Magnus said, moving the camera just out of Alec's reach - thanking every god that he was that inch or so taller. "It was a really good picture."

"I don't like taking pictures of myself." Alec mumbled, stopping his quest for the camera and looking at the ground in adorable - but still somewhat depressing - embarrassment.

"Well tough." Magnus said, his voice just as soft. "I do."

Alec leaned in again, slower this time. Magnus did the gracious thing and met him halfway, pressing their lips together gently. Just as Alec's tongue was doing that wonderful thing - namely being in Magnus' mouth - Magnus found his camera wrenched from his hands.

"What? You," he said, still somewhat dazed from being kissed by the worlds cutest- "manipulative bastard."

Alec laughed, cackled seemed more appropriate, and danced out of Magnus' reach, quickly turning the camera on and flicking through to find the picture of him. Magnus raced after him, the two of them running through the forest. Though Magnus had to make an enormous effort not to fall flat on his face, he ended up catching up to Alec. Something that Magnus figured Alec had let him do.

"Give it back!" Magnus said, not really caring that he sounded like a five-year old child whining about toys. "It's mine." Again, whining wasn't really something Magnus was ashamed about.

"I just have to get rid of the picture."

"No." Magnus said, his voice suddenly a little more desperate. "I really want to keep the pictures."

"Why?" Alec huffed, still struggling to navigate Magnus' camera.

"Because soon it will be all that I have left."

Alec fell silent, Magnus stopped reaching over Alec's shoulder to try and get the camera. Alec looked up at Magnus and Magnus wanted to go back five seconds. He wanted to blast that sentence out of existence, simply because it had brought that look onto his boyfriend's face. It was a look that Magnus never wanted to see again. Because Alec didn't look sad or resigned, he looked destroyed.

"All you'll have left?"

"I'm going home." Magnus reminded him. "I'm going to go back to New York and everything is going to be gone. I'm never going to be able to get this moment back. But that doesn't mean I have to forget. I take the pictures so I can remember even a sliver of how this moment was."

Alec didn't say anything. He was still gripping Magnus' camera and he looked down at it. And then, he grabbed the back of Magnus' neck and dragged him in for a kiss.

Tessa had once told Magnus that being kissed by someone you truly loved was like sinking into warm water. That it was returning to everything familiar and relaxing. That it was still exhilarating but natural at the same time. As easy as breathing. Now, Magnus would never dare ask her if this was kissing Jem or Will, but he'd never questioned her description. He'd never had anything to compare it to. Now, Magnus wasn't going to say that he was in love with Alec, not yet. But damn it if kissing Alec didn't feel like coming home all over again. The world could collapse around them and Magnus wouldn't really care, because they were okay and Alec had created a bubble that protected Magnus from the world. His lips were soft and warm and they made Magnus want to melt into the ground and stay there. The hand that wasn't clutching Magnus' camera/baby was still on Magnus' neck, his fingertips playing with Magnus' hair. Magnus found himself clutching Alec's shirt, desperate to pull him closer.

Magnus hadn't been lying. He wanted to capture these moments, to live in them forever. He didn't want to leave Alec, but his more logical side told him that it was going to happen eventually. They couldn't be together from different sides of the country.

"I don't want you to go." Alec whispered, his breath tickling Magnus' lips.

Magnus kept his eyes closed, not wanting to open them and see that look on Alec's face. "I don't want to go." He took in a shuddering breath. "But I'm not going anywhere yet. We still have time."

"Not enough." Alec said, almost mournful.

"We'll make it work." Magnus whispered. Pulling away and trying not to look sad, he gave Alec his best smile. "Now, will you please let me take pictures of you?"

Alec dutifully agreed, making no protest when Magnus made strange requests, like a picture of just Alec's eyes or the line of his chin when Magnus was resting his head on Alec's chest. Because some part of Magnus wanted to remember what it all looked like and another part of him hoped that knowing what it looked like would be enough.


They wandered a little further and a little quieter. Alec didn't sing as many silly songs and held onto Magnus' hand for most of the walk. It was comforting, Alec's rough palm in Magnus' soft one. The only times they'd let go would be the few seconds when Magnus would want both hands to get the perfect photo, and then before Magnus could even look at the picture he'd taken, Alec's hand would be back again. There was something gloriously juvenile about it and Magnus was completely smitten.

It was when he was leaning back to take a picture of the trees that he noticed. "Oh shit." Magnus said and Alec looked at him funny.

"What's the matter?" He asked, with enough concern in his voice that Magnus had to keep himself from melting. Magnus didn't really need someone who would follow him around and dote on his every need, but it was nice to feel wanted and Alec made him feel special. It was silly, some kind of childish idea that because Alec cared, Magnus had to be different. But it felt different. None of Magnus' boyfriends had ever looked at Magnus the way Alec did. Not that the concern was really needed.

"It's raining." Magnus cried and Alec gave him a look that practically reached out and shook Magnus' hand for being Captain Obvious. Apparently Alec had noticed long before Magnus had. "I mean," Magnus said, choosing to ignore the look, "my camera is going to get wet. I'm not sure how much water it can take."

Alec's eyes widened to mimic Magnus' earlier exclamation. He looked from the camera in Magnus' arms to the clouds that were building over their heads at the rate they would in a cartoon kids show. Then, he just smiled, grabbed Magnus' hand again and said:

"Run."

And so they did. Breathless, with rain drops starting to dot their cheeks and Magnus' camera tucked under his elbow in an attempt to shield it. Magnus followed Alec blindly, trying not to stumble on a root, knowing that he'd take them both out in a heartbeat. But luckily, Alec seemed to have a natural compass, because every once in a while he'd slow for a heartbeat - just enough for Magnus to regain his breath - and then speed off in a slightly different direction, nodding and mumbling to himself.

"I didn't realize we were this far away." Magnus said, looking around at the trees and wondering how the hell his boyfriend knew where they were going.

Alec shook his head, his hair already starting to get wet from the rain. "We've been walking for ages. I'm trying to figure out if we're going the right way." Then all of a sudden he stopped. Magnus stumbled to a halt, falling into him and smacking his nose on Alec's shoulder. Alec mumbled a sorry and then smiled. "Found it."

"Found what?" Magnus asked, slinging his camera around his neck and rubbing his nose gently.

"The barn." Alec led Magnus - slower now - to where Magnus could start seeing the bright paint of the barn. The red bled through the thick canopy of leaves and Magnus let out a revealed sigh.

In that moment, before Magnus had even had a heartbeat of being delighted that they were almost there and it wasn't raining too hard, it began to pour. Alec, just for dramatic effect, let out a slew of curse words that poured out of his mouth almost as fast as the rain came bucketing down from the sky. They continued through the trees, the cool drops tickling their cheeks and sliding off the green leaves. In a brief moment of excitement, Magnus snapped a photo of the rain. Then he quickly wiped the lens, smearing the drops over water of the glass and scowling at it.

"The house?" Magnus asked, immediately hunching over to protect his camera as Alec pulled him forwards.

"No time." Alec frowned. "We'll just sit in the barn for a while."

Magnus nodded and they ducked inside of the barn just as the worst of the rain hit. He listened to the rain pound the roof and frowned. "What are we supposed to do in here?"

"We can just talk." Alec shrugged, throwing himself down in a pile of hay. "It's fine," he said, seeing the look on Magnus' face, "this is the clean stuff."

"Oh god." Magnus took in a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm going to do this." And then, cringing beyond compare and closing his eyes, he let himself fall back into the hay. It flew up around him and Magnus started to laugh, hearing Alec do the same.

"See?" Alec said, gasping with laughter. "It's fine."

"I can't believe some of the things you convince me to do." Magnus said cradling his camera to his chest. "I could have died. Or fallen in poop." He added, after a brief pause.

"You wouldn't have." Alec shook his head. "I never would have let you."

Magnus snorted. "My knight in shining armour." His voice got quieter as he curled into Alec's chest, letting his camera fall next to his leg in the hay. He was filled with a surge of sadness as he thought for the second time that day about having to ever leave Alec behind.

"You're thinking about sad things aren't you?" Alec asked and Magnus snorted.

"No, why do you say that?"

Alec shrugged, though Magnus felt it more than he saw it. "Your voice went all quiet and small. You always do that when you're thinking about something that's taking up your mind. Something achingly depressing."

"Achingly depressing?"

"What can I say, I'm William motherfucking Shakespeare."

If 'achingly depressing' didn't have Magnus laughing, 'William motherfucking Shakespeare' had him in stitches. He couldn't breathe he was laughing so hard and Alec joined in in a heartbeat. Wrapping his arms around his ribs, Magnus struggled to get a grip on his hysterics.

"I can't believe you said that." Magnus gasped. Alec just shook his head, staring at the ceiling of the barn. The two of them dissolved back into peals of laughter and leaving was the furthest thing from Magnus' mind. "You did that on purpose." Magnus said suddenly, turning to look at Alec - though really it was just a view of his cheekbones and eyelashes. He suddenly realized, the moment that he wasn't worried anymore that that was what Alec had intended.

Alec flushed slightly and turned his head slightly. "I don't like it when you're sad."

Magnus found himself flushing, something he didn't like to make a habit of. It was completely different, he'd noticed, having someone care about more than just your looks. It made Magnus happy and sad at the same time to know that this brilliant human being actually cared that Magnus was in a good mood. He didn't want to get in Magnus' pants or think of Magnus as the next step up the social ladder. He just wanted to see Magnus smile, to hear Magnus laugh. And the very thought of all this made Magnus want to be with him forever.

Compelled to be near Alec and to ravish him to the best of his abilities, Magnus smashed their lips together in a searing kiss. The heartfelt moment was gone in a heartbeat as Magnus straddled Alec, pulling him in and deepening the kiss. Their tongues met in the middle and Alec swallowed the moan that slipped out of Magnus' lips. Magnus' hands were in Alec's hair, tugging on it as Alec bit down on his lip. Alec's hands were hooked onto Magnus' belt loops. They separated for a moment and Magnus gently bit and sucked at the the hollow of Alec's collarbone. He revelled in the noises that Alec made, letting the collar of his t-shirt slide back up to cover the mark. Their lips collided again and Magnus let his hand drift under Alec's t-shirt. He made no move to take it off - God forbid Isabelle walk in again - but enjoyed the way Alec shivered when Magnus' cold hands roamed over his burning skin.

At some point the kisses got slower and Alec hummed little tunes into Magnus' skin. Magnus found himself curling back into Alec's chest and before he knew it, he was fast asleep with his cheek pressed just above Alec's heart.


Magnus started awake to a bright light.

"Oh jesus." Alec mumbled from beneath him, groaning and throwing an arm over his eyes. "What the fuck was that?"

"Language, brother dear." Isabelle said, giggling above him. Magnus looked up to see his camera in her hands as she examined the photos.

"What are you doing?" Magnus asked, his voice hoarse. He was groggy and it was hard to tell how long they'd been asleep. Isabelle was wearing an old pair of jeans that were already rain splattered from her walk from the house. Her hair was down around her shoulders and it was leaving splotches of water over her old t-shirt.

"Mum sent me to make sure the two of you hadn't wandered off and died, or done the nasty, so I was taking pictures of the two of you all snuggled up in the hay. Which is a little weird and very reminiscent of," she paused, tapping a finger on her chin, "oh yeah, every romantic comedy ever." She emphasized the last word, tossing Magnus' camera back to him. Once the heart attack of seeing his camera fly through the air was over and it was back in his hands safely, Magnus looked up to see Isabelle smirk at her brother.

"You're just jealous because Simon doesn't let you sleep in his barn."

"That sounded a little bit dirty." Isabelle said slowly, looking at Alec. Magnus figured she was most likely, just like him, trying to figure out if Alec had been making the slight innuendo on purpose.

"Huh?"

The answer was no.

"Well," Magnus shrugged, "not really. It would only have sounded dirty if Simon was a girl I guess."

"I still don't get it." Alec said, looking between the two of them slightly helpless.

Magnus just shook his head and dragged himself out of the hay. He extended a hand to Alec and yanked his boyfriend up with him. "It doesn't really matter. It's a dirty-minded people joke."

"I'm super confused."

"Don't worry sweet pea." Magnus winked, brushing off his jeans. "I'd let you sleep in my barn anytime."

"You make my physically ill." Isabelle said seriously, making a face and wandering out into the rain. Magnus followed her laughing and pointedly ignoring Alec's questions about what on Earth made sleeping in the barn dirty.


They'd barely even stepped out into the rain and Magnus was already starting to get soaked. It was raining cats and dogs - if you'll pardon the overused expression - and they quickly started the run to the house, with Magnus hunched over his camera.

They were about halfway when Magnus stopped and looked at the mud puddles, making a face. "God, can you imagine falling into one of those?"

"Nope." Isabelle said, popping the 'p'. "And I'm not God, though I appreciate the thought."

Magnus was about to make another comment when Alec gave Isabelle a massive shove, sending her flying into the mud puddle and splashing to the ground. She looked up at him, mouth open and eyes indignant. "You woke me up. And I was sincerely enjoying sleeping next to Magnus." Alec said by way of explanation. His hair was still adorably rumpled as Isabelle took a handful of mud and smeared it over his cheek. Both Magnus' and Alec's mouths popped open. "Holy fuck."

"I have mud in places where there should not be mud." Isabelle hissed, still dripping from the mud puddle. Magnus let out a little giggle and she sent him a long glare. "Let's get him." Se hissed to Alec, who gave Magnus a rather sinister grin.

"Whoa." Magnus said, stepping back slowly. "I'm just going to put my camera down on the porch." He did so as slow as possible, walking over and carefully laying it down on the table. And then, as quickly as he could, he made a dash for the back door. But clearly, Alec had been anticipating this, because he seized Magnus around the waist and dragged him back into the rain.

Where Isabelle put mud in his hair.

Magnus was almost certain that at this point he was on the brink of committing genocide. If there was one thing that Magnus took seriously, it was his hair. No one messed with his hair. And so, with as much grace and composure as he could manage, he took a rather large bit of mud and placed it on Isabelle's head.

The loud scream that followed was said to break a small number of records and also a handful of eardrums. It also had Jace poking his head out of the back door and demanding to know who was murdering Isabelle and whether or not he could join. And so, Alec - god bless him - picked up a large scoop of mud and threw it.

Hitting Jace right in the forehead and dripping down his nose.

"I'm going to kill you." He said slowly, stepping out of the house and closing the door behind him. He ran out of the house and tackled Alec into the mud - which Magnus imagined was very painful. While the two of them rolled around in the mud like small puppy dogs, Isabelle and Magnus were far more mature and took to throwing mud like snowballs in the world's most poorly aimed snowball fight. It was embarrassing how little of the mud met it's target, but the mud that hit Magnus' crotch and Isabelle's face made it still entertaining.

Isabelle was just laughing at the mud that spread across Magnus' thighs, when Alec - being the loyal and protective boyfriend he was - poured an enormous quantity of mud down Isabelle's back.

"That's my boyfriend people!" Magnus yelled, cheering and sending Alec two thumbs up. Isabelle shrieked and the two of them fell back into the mud. Magnus, feeling that it was now his duty, went over to protect Alec and ended up getting dragged into the mess.

It was at this moment that Jace let out a rather girly and undignified yell that had the others looking up. Max was standing behind him, laughing and holding the hose. Isabelle looked like she was going to laugh, when Max turned the hose to her, Magnus and Alec. They all froze. Almost literally, because the water that came out of the hose was so cold that Magnus was convinced it was coming directly from the Arctic or Queen Elsa herself.

"Holy mother of god." Jace said, his hair dripping ice water onto his chattering teeth.

Alec exchanged a look with them all and then shouted at the top of his lungs. "Get him!"

They all surged towards the youngest, who squealed and laughed as they picked him up and smeared him with mud. They tumbled to the ground, rolling in the mud and laughing. At some point, Jace lost his shoes and Alec got mud in his eyes, but they kept laughing until they were out of breath.

"Truce." Jace said breathlessly, holding up his hands. "I call a truce." He held out his hand to Alec, who was sitting on the ground, who nodded. And then grabbed Jace's hand and pulled him down into the mud.

With Jace groaning on the floor, Alec laughed and nodded again. "Jace's right, truce. Let's clean up and head inside." He held his hand out to Magnus who took it and got up. The two of them chuckled as Jace pulled himself to his feet and Isabelle patted him on the shoulder.

"I can't believe you didn't see that one coming." Max said, shaking his head. His glasses were coated in mud and smeared from where he'd made an effort to clean them. It made Magnus laugh again and he nodded.

"The kid's right, Jace. That was such an easy move."

"Shut up." Jace said, though he smiled regardless.

"Smile guys!" Maryse said, from where she was standing on the porch. She was laughing slightly and they all quickly got together for the messy group shot. Their arms slung around each other, they fought back the laughs to try and smile.

Then, with the pictures taken, they slowly began to walk back over to the house. Alec came up beside Magnus and took his hand, though they were both covered head to toe in mud. "I've never been kissed in the rain." Magnus mussed, staring up at the sky and letting the drops run down his face. "It always looks so fun in the movies."

Alec smirked and then grabbed Magnus by his muddy shirtfront, pulling him in and smashing their lips together. Magnus almost laughed, but it was completely swallowed up by Alec's kiss and he found himself going weak at the knees again.

"Ew." Jace said, making a face that did nothing to cover up the smile that was starting in the corners of his mouth. "PDA much? You two seriously need to stop making out in front of me, it's getting weird."

"You're just jealous." Magnus made absolutely no effort to hide the smug grin. He could feel the flush that was spreading over his cheeks, but it didn't really matter because he could also feel Alec's hands were they were still holding onto Magnus' shirt.

"Obviously." Jace rolled his eyes. "I'm just desperate for Alec. I long to kiss him and love him forever." Jace made kissy faces at Alec.

"That's incest." Isabelle said, though there was a smile on her face and she looked like she was on the brink of laughing. She pushed Jace's shoulder and almost sent him stumbling into the mud and massive puddles that were covering the ground rapidly.

"Don't listen to her Alec!" Jace cried. "I will always want you!"

"Shut up dickface." Alec called back, laughing. Magnus grinned, watching the crinkles form near Alec's eyes the way they always did when he laughed. He watched Alec's dimples find their way onto his cheeks and the rain pour down the side of his face to where it pooled in his collarbones.

"You wound me." Jace mimed being stabbed, staggering around in the mud and making mock noises of pain.

Alec laughed. "You wound my eyes."

"Oh nice one. Are you twelve?" Jace was back to being sarcastic, standing up straight and putting his hands on his hips. He sent Alec a look that was almost entirely attitude. Alec sent him back a look that was more incredulous and confused.

"I'm pretty sure that makes you a pedophile."

"They have feelings too Alec."

Magnus shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe we're talking about this." He said slowly, looking back and forth between the siblings.

"I can't believe that Alec doesn't believe in my love." Jace said, abandoning any semblance of sarcasm in favour of the previous gag of being madly in love with Alec. He looked to Isabelle for pity, though she did nothing but

"I can't believe I'm listening to my children have this conversation." Maryse mussed, looking at them. They all jumped, like they'd forgotten she was there. She was holding Magnus' camera, but she placed it down on the table and walked inside, shaking her head. Jace snorted, stifling a laugh.

"I can't believe Mum heard Alec say dickface."


Alright! Let me know what you thought and I'll get the next chapter up before you all die of old age. How does that sound?

xx