"Shadowhunters don't celebrate Christmas. At least not to the extent that mundanes do," Alec said as he was typing up his report for the Clave. Magnus was seated next to him atop of the table, legs crossed and using magic to make a Christmas bulb float in midair. "Can you not do that? It's distracting."

Magnus huffed. "Honey, if you wanted a distraction, all you had to do was ask." He gently set the bulb down and sighed. "Why don't Shadowhunters celebrate Christmas? Is it a Jewish thing? All Shadowhunters are Jewish?"

"We're not Jewish. At least....not that I know of." Alec waved a hand, dismissively. "We just don't, okay? We don't have time to be sitting around a tree singing songs about a moose with a red nose. It just seems ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is that you just insulted Rudolph. He's a reindeer. Not a moose. You're getting coal in your stocking this year." Magnus turned the red bulb over in his hands, admiring his reflection in the shiny ceramic. "Spend Christmas with me, Alexander. I'll fill you up with such spirit you'll want to celebrate it every year after that."

Alec snorted. "Yeah. I'm sure you want to fill me up with something," he peered over at Magnus, who grinned mischievously. "My answer is no but thanks anyway."

Grabbing a chair, Magnus swung it around and plopped himself down, arms resting on the back of it. "Is it your parents? Is that why you're so reluctant?"

Alec sighed heavily. "I'll never get this report done in time if you don't stop talking so much-"

"Forget the report for ten minutes. The world isn't going to end if you don't finish one damn report. Look at me, Alec." When Alec looked at him, Magnus let his eyes roam over his gorgeous boyfriend. "Do this for me. Please. It would mean the absolute world to me if you spent Christmas with me. Just one day. That's all I'm asking."

One day didn't seem all that bad. It was just a few hours of spending time together, exchanging gifts and eating food before going back to work again. In Alec's mind, a few hours seemed like a lifetime, which maybe it was to some people. But to immortals like Magnus, a few hours was nothing but a blink of an eye.

"One day. That's all I can afford to take off. We're not exactly crawling with Shadowhunters here. It's an all hands on deck kind of society," Alec whispered so that no one could hear.

Magnus clapped his hands. "Yes! Oh you're going to love what I have planned for us, Alexander. You'll get a full mundane holiday experience in the 24 hours that I have you. You won't regret it."

"I better not!" Alec smiled as Magnus wrapped his arms around his neck and leaned down to kiss him. "If the world ends while we're sipping hot cocoa by the fire, I'll kill you. Won't even hesitate."

"You can't kill me if I'm already dead, Alexander. End of the world, remember?" Magnus whispered in a low voice. He gave Alec one final kiss on the lips before smiling broadly. "Come to my place in two hours. Wear that cologne I got you for your birthday too. It makes me want to eat you up."

Alec felt his face heat up. "Sure. Two hours. I'll sneak away somehow."

Magnus winked as he walked away, his mind working the gears as he planned out every detail of every second that he was going to spend with Alec.

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Two hours passed and Alec found himself standing in the front porch of Magnus' apartment, hand raised and getting ready to knock. It had begun to slowly snow and the longer he stood there, the more he was beginning to think that this was a bad idea.

Shaking his head, he turned to get ready to leave when the door flew open. Magnus stood in the doorway dressed in a burgundy cashmere sweater, hair soaking wet (from a shower probably) and nicely fitted jeans. He was barefoot, despite the snow and cold blowing in through the open door.

"So that's it? You were just going to turn around and leave, were you?" Magnus crossed his arms over his chest.

"Um....maybe this isn't such a good idea, Magnus. I'm probably needed back at the institute-"

Magnus gripped his arm before he could turn around. "You're needed by me, Alec. I need you. Now come inside before you catch your death. I just made some tea."

It was like stepping into a whole different world once Alec went inside the apartment. From the ceiling to the floor, every inch of the place was crawling with Christmas decorations. A tree towered in one corner, it's lights flashing different colors. A train set flew around overhead, and when it flew over Alec's head, he realized there was actual smoke billowing from it. Even the train sound was real. The entire place was decorated with such beautiful ornaments that Alec didn't even know where to begin.

"Magnus....this is incredible," Alec whispered. His voice had a hint of awe in it as he let his hazel eyes gaze around the room. "Where did you get it all? Especially the train?"

Magnus shrugged. "Decorations accumulate over the years. I collect them, if you will. My journeys over the last few centuries had me buying more decorations then I can handle, but now seemed like a good time to put them into good use. As for the train....." He smiled as it went over his head, making a realistic chugging sound. "It's modelled after the first one I've ever ridden. I put a spell on it to make it fly around the room. Nothing a bit of magic can't handle."

Alec laughed as the train passed by again. Magnus couldn't help but smile as the childlike wonder in his boyfriend's eyes that sparkled brighter than the lights on the tree. It was a look he'd never seen before; Alec wasn't one to be awed by anything. He thought he'd seen it all, being a Shadowhunter. Demons, he'd seen plenty of. Vampires. Werewolves. Fairies. He'd seen a lot in his young life. But flying toy trains and nutcrackers that marched across the room on their own was something entirely new to him.

"So how about that tea? We can sit down. Have a chat. Whatever tickles your fancy," Magnus smiled.

"Yeah. That sounds good," Alec ducked as the train took a sudden turn over his head. "I'd love a cup of tea. Is it chamomile?"

Magnus nodded. "I don't drink anything but."

Once the tea was poured and both men were settled in, Magnus conjured up a fire in the fireplace that changed colors ranging from green to red to gold and silver. Holiday colors, Alec guessed.

"Your home looks amazing. I wasn't expecting this at all," Alec said after a sip of his tea. It tasted amazing and it warmed his entire body.

"Well, if you had left you wouldn't have seen this in all its glory," Magnus pointed out. Which was true, for the most part. He did catch Alec getting ready to turn around and leave without even saying hello. "But still. I'm glad you decided to stay."

"I didn't have much of a choice. You grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go," Alec grinned as Magnus shot him a look. "But you're right. I'm glad I decided to come in. This place is.....magical."

Magnus snorted. "Well I am a warlock, after all. Magic is kind of something I do."

He leaned towards Alec and placed the most gentle of kisses along Alec's jawline, sighing when Alec tilted his head back and groaned softly. He wanted to kiss him so badly. Every nerve in Magnus' body screamed "Kiss him already!" but he reigned it in using what little willpower he had.

"Why did you stop?" whispered Alec when Magnus pulled away. "I was enjoying myself."

"So was I. Trust me. But we're on a schedule. I promised you a full holiday experience. So that's exactly what I plan on giving you." Magnus conjured up a pair of skates and handed them to Alec. "These look to be your size. Guess we'll find out at the skating rink."

Alec stared at the skates. "Skating rink? As in an oval shape enclosure covered in ice and mundanes wear these weapons on their feet while slipping and sliding?"

Magnus smirked. "Yes. That's pretty much what they do. But it's so much fun, Alec! They play Christmas music while you skate and there's hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts. It's magical, Alexander. Perhaps even more magical than I am."

Alec couldn't imagine anyone more magical than Magnus. Deciding to go along with it, he grabbed his jacket and drew a quick Heat rune on his inner left wrist. That should keep him warm for a few hours while he was out in the cold. "Do you have anything warm to wear? I probably won't need my jacket after putting a Heat rune on me....you can wear it if you'd like."

"Aw. How sweet. But I'm good, thanks. Been dying to wear this coat for ages. Never could find the right occasion for it. Now seemed like the perfect time to wear it." Magnus pulled on a long black winter coat, the hem just touching his knees. It looked very expensive and there was no doubt in Alec's mind that it probably was. "How do I look? Dashing? Lovely?"

Alec looked him up and down. "It looks weather appropriate. As long as you don't freeze."

Chuckling, Magnus rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Alec, for your input. It's been duly noted. Do you have everything you need? Once we're gone, we're not coming back until the rink closes or when it's time to move on to the next part of the Christmas experience. Just letting you know now."

Alec pat himself down. "I'm good. I have a seraph blade with me just in case-"

"You brought a blade with you?! Why? In case we get ambushed by the abominable snowman?"

"I was thinking surrounded and attacked by eight tiny reindeer, but your scenario sounds a lot more deadly."

"Oh just-" Magnus huffed, shoving Alec out the door. "Get out. Go. And bring your seraph blade if you need to. But there will not, and I forbid it, be any incidents during my Christmas with you."

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Alec had never been to the Rockefeller Center before. He heard stories from Isabelle that it was a beautiful location in New York, but he was never one to be adventurous and go have a look at it for himself.

It was lit up with hundreds of beautiful Christmas lights, and towering over the rink, was a huge tree decorated right to the very top branch. The place was also crawling with mundanes of all ages; small children, teenagers, adults and seniors all were skating around the rink with smiles on their faces.

"So.....that's it?" Alec asked.

"That's what?" Magnus slipped on a skate and tied it up. "What's wrong?"

Alec pointed to the skaters. "They just move aimlessly in one direction? Same circular motion over and over?"

Magnus finally had his skates tied and got to his feet. The blades on the skates gave him another inch in height, making him almost eye level with Alec. "No. Not entirely aimless. Sometimes they switch and go in the other direction."

Alec didn't laugh or crack a smile. There was nothing amusing about going around in circles over and over. "Very funny. I meant.....what's the point in this?"

Magnus sighed. "Sit your pretty ass down. I'll help you with your skates." When Alec reluctantly obliged, he nodded his head towards an elderly couple just getting off the ice. "See that couple over there? The man and woman with green toques?"

Alec saw them. The woman had a broad smile on her face as the man kissed her cheek and laughed, his mouth toothless. "Yeah. What about them?"

Magnus slipped a skate on Alec's foot. "The lady paid for my services once some time ago. The man has cancer. He's dying and this is more than likely their last Christmas together."

Alec frowned. "And you're telling me this because....."

Magnus sighed, looking up at Alec with sad eyes. "Because sometimes you don't have to have a reason for the things you do, Alec. Like skating. There's not really much of a point to it but look at how happy everyone here is. They're with the ones they love, skating around and having a good time. Sure, they're going in circles but isn't that what life is about? Don't we all go in circles at some point in our lives? Skating is a lot like life. If we slip and fall, we have to learn to pick ourselves back up and keep going."

Alec had no words. None that he could retort to what Magnus said, anyway. The warlock had centuries on him, so what could he say? Magnus was wiser, as much as he hated to admit. He'd seen more. Experienced more. He had a much better grasp on life than Alec did-

"Your skates are on, Sasquatch. You ready to slip and slide? Quite possibly fracture your tailbone?"

Alec blinked, waking up from blanking out, and sighed. "Yeah. Sure. I heal fast anyway."

Magnus snorted. "Right. How could I forget about your magical tattoos?" He stepped out onto the rink, holding onto the railing. "Make sure you're glamored, pretty boy. The last we need is the Clave to march in like Storm Troopers and take prisoners."

Alec had no idea what Storm Troopers were, but the Clave coming into a very public mundane place didn't sound like a situation he wanted to be in. Following Magnus' steps, he carefully inched his way out onto the ice, holding onto the rail for dear life.

"Mind if I go for a round?" Magnus asked, nodding his head towards the other skaters.

"Oh no. By all means. Go for it. I'll just....be here. Trying not to slip and fall," Alec felt his legs failing him in the skates so he held onto the side of rink even more.

Magnus laughed. "You'll be fine, Alexander. Just hang in there. I'll be right back."

He skated away, kicking up small bits of ice as he did so; Alec had to spit out a few that landed in his mouth. Coughing, he turned just in time to see Magnus skating.

It was beautiful. Almost like watching art on ice, Magnus moved with such grace and power that even everyone on the rink noticed his ability and not just Alec. All eyes were on the warlock at this point. He was like a swan, graceful and beautiful as he twirled and spun around, sometimes even jumping and twirling in midair. Alec felt self-conscious now. He couldn't even hold himself upright.

Magnus came back as promised, slanting his skates sideways to stop himself from crashing into the wall Alec was leaning on. "Whew. That felt good. I haven't done that in years."

Alec slipped and fell face first to the ice, groaning. "Really? I thought it might've been beginner's luck and was hoping I'd have some too."

"Don't feel bad, Alec. Not everyone knows how to skate on their first try. It takes a lot of practice." Magnus offered his hand. "Come on. I'll teach you how to skate."

Alec gripped Magnus' outstretched hand and pulled himself to his feet. "You're going to teach me how to skate like you? Those twirls and whatnot?"

Magnus threw his head back and laughed. "Oh god no. You're nowhere near ready for that. I'm going to teach you the basics. Like how to stop and go and make turns. That's all you really need to learn right now. We'll save the Winter Olympic moves for another time."

Alec looked down at his gloved hands that were gripping the railing with such force he thought for sure he was going to snap it in half. "If I let go, I'll fall."

A pair of hands appeared in front of him and gently loosened his grip. Looking up, he saw Magnus smiling softly at him. "Then hold onto me. I won't let you fall."

Alec reluctantly gripped Magnus' hands and allowed himself to be slowly pulled away from the side of the rink. He slipped and lost his balance so many times but Magnus, not once, did he let go of Alec's hands. They were like iron around his own.

"Okay. So first things first. We need to keep your legs closer together. You won't fall as often and you'll have better balance," Magnus said. "Then move one foot forward at a time. It's like walking except you don't go heel first. Keep both feet flat on the ice."

Alec did as he was told. "Legs together. One foot forward at a time. Should be easy enough...." He moved his feet forward one at a time, hands still holding onto Magnus. "Hey! I'm skating!"

Magnus laughed. "Excellent! Now here comes the hard part. Stopping." He slowly let go of Alec's hands and backed away a few feet. "In order to stop, you kind of have to angle both your body and the skates a certain way so that the blades are working against the ice. Not with it."

"Angle my body and the skates-whoa!" Alec stumbled forward, landing on top of Magnus, who was now laying flat on his back on the ice with Alec on top of him. Their faces were inches apart. "Oops.....sorry. I-I didn't mean to. It wasn't some ploy to get you underneath me-"

"Alec. It's okay," Magnus grinned. "You did amazing, all things considered. I don't mind being underneath you. It wouldn't be the first time."

Alec flushed and cleared his throat. "Well you broke my fall, anyway. Thank you."

Magnus shrugged. "I said I wouldn't let you fall, didn't I?" He took a stray strand of hair that fell into Alec's eyes and pushed it back. He could smell the chamomile tea off of Alec's breath, as well as a hint of mint. "Goddamn, you're beautiful. Did you know that?"

Alec smiled so broadly that his eyes crinkled around the edges. "You tell me this everyday, Magnus. Sometimes more than once."

"I can't let you forget it. Plus I do it in case no one acknowledges your beauty," he leaned upwards and kissed the side of Alec's neck, right along his Deflect rune. He knew this was Alec's weak spot and that's why he did it.

"Magnus...." Alec groaned. "Not here. Not now....."

Magnus hummed. "You're right. This is the last thing on the schedule. I got ahead of myself there." He got to his feet with the grace of a cat and hauled Alec up as well. "Moving on with the full mundane holiday experience. You're going to love this next bit."

Alec had a funny feeling about this one. "Does it involve something I'm not going to like?"

Magnus smirked, taking Alec's hand and guiding them to the side of the rink where they first started. "Of course. You'll thank me later for it. Trust me."

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"What's a.....carol?" Alec asked as Magnus handed him a blue booklet. "Christmas Carols? Magnus this better not be what I think it is-"

"Christmas songs! We go from door to door and sing songs to people at their homes. Aw, come on. Why the long face? It'll be fun!"

This was definitely not Alec's idea of fun. Fun was practicing with his bow. Fun was slaying demons. Fun was doing anything but this. This was not fun. "I'm just going to embarrass myself, Magnus. I don't know any of these songs. I don't even sing!"

Magnus opened the booklet to the first page. "It doesn't matter. I just want to do this one thing with you. Just to say we did it together. We're going to look back at this 20 years from now and laugh at how much fun we had. So we're doing this, whether you want to or not."

Sighing, Alec followed behind Magnus as they approached the first house. He didn't know who lived there and quite frankly, the idea of just going to someone's house and singing was a little creepy. But Magnus seemed to be excited about it. So he might as well go along with it.

The person who opened the door was a familiar face to Alec. It was another warlock, Ragnor Fell. His green skin nearly glowed under the light of the porch and his horns were a bit longer than the last time Alec saw him.

"Ah. Look what we have here. Carollers. Feeling the Christmas spirit this year, Magnus?" Ragnor crossed his arms over his chest and grinned, his skin instantly changing to a pale white and horns disappearing. A glamor. Clearly, he was getting a kick out of this.

"I'm doing this with Alec, Ragnor. He doesn't celebrate Christmas so I thought I'd give him the full experience. Carolling is part of the package," Magnus snapped.

"Now, now. No need to be so hasty. Catarina! Come see who's here pretending he has any actual talent and is trying his hand at a mundane custom!"

A woman with blue skin appeared in the doorway. Her immediate reaction was a loud snort. "Seriously? Magnus, I knew you were crazy but.....not this kind of crazy."

"Love will do that to some people," Ragnor smirked.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "If you're both done making fun of us, we'd like to start our song now." He looked at Alec, who appeared about ready to vomit from nerves.

"He's right. The sooner we let them sing, the faster they can leave us alone. Sing away, Bane," Ragnor waved a hand.

Magnus began to sing a song titled "Deck the Halls". As his voice carried, Alec was struggling just to figure out how the song even went. He knew Ragnor was smirking at him and Catarina was snorting behind the collar of her shirt, but he tried not to focus on that.

"....of holly.....jolly....la la la....." Alec grimaced at his awful sounding voice and lack of knowledge. He felt stupid doing this, standing here in the cold while he was getting laughed at by two warlocks who probably just got this entire century made for them because of him.

When they were finished, Catarina whipped out some change and shoved it in Magnus' front pocket. "Buy the poor Shadowhunter a drink. The lord knows he's gonna need it to try and forget about this tonight."

They were still cackling as they shut the front door, their laughter echoing from inside the home. Magnus shrugged. "What a bunch of Scrooges. Sucking all the holiday fun out of everything. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Alec scoffed. "You humiliated me, Magnus. In front of two very old and powerful warlocks."

"To be fair, they are old but not powerful-"

"I don't care!" Alec yelled, causing a pile of snow that was precariously hanging over the roof of the porch to fall down and land on his head. When he shook his head clear of snow, he saw that Magnus was shaking with laughter. "This isn't funny, Magnus!"

"Oh, I beg to differ! That was the best thing I've seen in ages!" Magnus roared with laughter, but it was cut short when a pile of snow hit him in the face. He shot a look at Alec, who was now standing on the sidewalk looking innocent. "You did not just throw a snowball at my face."

Alec shrugged. "Maybe I did?"

"This isn't funny, Alec."

"Oh I beg to differ," Alec smirked. "That was the funniest thing I've seen in ages!"

Growling, Magnus grabbed some snow and shaped it into a ball, tossing it at Alec's head. Naturally, it missed. He was no match for Alec's Shadowhunter reflexes.

"You missed!" Alec shouted. He made his own snowball and threw it at Magnus, who magically conjured a protective shield around him. "Hey! That's not fair! No magic allowed!"

Magnus made a face as he jumped behind a large pile of snow, throwing snowball after snowball at Alec. The Shadowhunter yelped as one hit him on the back of the head and fell to the ground, still as stone.

"Alec? Are you okay?" Magnus yelled. When Alec didn't move, he cautiously made his way over, giving Alec's boot a nudge. "Stop it. You're scaring me."

Alec never budged. His eyes were closed and his skin was deathly pale all except for the pink in his cheeks.

"Alec I'm serious-" Magnus yelled as he was suddenly pulled down into the snow, falling on top of Alec in a rather compromising position. Good thing they were both glamored.

"Gotcha," Alec laughed, his breath coming out as smoke in the air.

"You scared me! Why did you do that?" Magnus slapped Alec's chest in anger. "I thought I was going to have to make funeral arrangements! What the hell was I supposed to tell your family?! 'I'm sorry I killed your son in a snowball fight'?!"

Alec's laugh was so hard that it made Magnus bounce up and down on top of him. "Relax. It was just a joke. The one time I pull a joke and you lose your damn mind." He rolled his eyes as he ran his gloved fingers through Magnus' hair. "You're covered in snow. You're going to ruin your jacket this way, you know."

"Oh gee. I wonder whose fault that would be," Magnus grinned as a drop of snow dropped from his hair into Alec's eyes. "Sorry. Let me get that for you."

Magnus gently reached up and brushed his thumb across Alec's eyes. It was pointless because it had begun to snow again and Alec's hair was quickly turning from black to white.

"Maybe we should head back to your place before we get soaking wet," Alec said. The tip of his nose was now the same color as his cheeks: pink.

"You're probably right. How does a hot shower together sound?" Magnus beamed as Alec was caught so off guard that he nearly slipped and fell on a patch of ice. "Hey! Easy there. We're not skating anymore so you don't have to show off."

"I wasn't trying to. Patch of ice...." Alec mumbled something like "hidden under the snow" before shaking his head. "Let's just head back. I'm curious to see what you have in store for me next."

Magnus rubbed his hands together. "Been waiting for this all day. I hope you're hungry, Alec. You're in for a real treat."

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Alec never had turkey before. Not like the way Magnus had it prepared, anyway. A fully cooked turkey sat in the middle of the dining room table, along with everything else for a holiday feast. Potatoes, assorted vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce, fruitcake. The entire works was there, all laid out for Alec to hungrily gaze upon.

"How in the....did you cook all this by yourself?" Alec dipped a finger in the gravy and tasted it. It was incredible.

"I most certainly did. Me, myself and I worked hard on this feast before you," Magnus set down two plates in their chosen spots at the table.

Alec snorted. "Let me rephrase my question: did you cook all this by yourself without magic?" Magnus opened his mouth to retort, but shut it again. "I didn't think so. What did you do, power cook this in the pits of Hell?"

"You're close. I power cooked it using a fire demon. Had to sacrifice one of my favorite pieces of art in exchange for its services but it was well worth it."

Alec snorted at the thought of a demon cooking in Magnus' kitchen. "Great. This is lovely. A holiday feast cooked by a demon. Really feeling the love here, Magnus."

Magnus said nothing as he pulled out a chair for Alec. "Just sit down, you sarcastic asshole. Don't make me regret doing all this for you."

After sitting down, Alec piled his plate high with everything that appealed to him, which was pretty much everything on the table. Turkey, potatoes, turnips and carrots, peas and corn, stuffing and every inch of it covered in gravy.

"Eat what you want. There's plenty here," Magnus said as he picked up his share.

"Plenty is an understatement. Were you expecting more guests?" Alec asked. His mouth was too stuffed with potatoes and turkey to sound coherent.

"No. I just made extra in case you wanted to take some home with you," Magnus replied. "Are you going to chew your food or do I have to start doing the Heimlich on you?"

Alec waved a hand as he chewed his food before swallowing. "Sorry. It's just so delicious. Even if a demon did cook it-ow!" He winced as Magnus swat him. "A demon did cook it! I'm just speaking the truth!"

"I cooked it. The demon....helped. But it didn't plan this holiday special now, did it? No. So shut up and enjoy my food."

They ate quietly after that, the only sound being made was the occasional satisfied moan coming from Alec as he shovelled more food into his mouth. When Magnus finished his first plate, Alec was already on his third. The man ate like nobody Magnus had ever seen before. It was like he was starving. He especially enjoyed the turkey, eating an entire leg with ease.

"Damn. Do they feed you at the institute?" Magnus snorted.

Alec nodded. "They do but it's a strict diet. We never have any meals like this. I'm going to have to work out twice as hard tomorrow during training to burn off what I ate." He pat his flat stomach and sat back in his chair with a sigh. "I'm stuffed. That was amazing, Magnus. Thank you."

Proud of himself, Magnus beamed. "You're quite welcome. And feel free to any leftovers later on. Everything here is yours for the taking."

Alec slipped another piece of white meat into his mouth. "I can't eat another bite. I'll explode if I do."

A snap of Magnus' fingers had the leftovers neatly put away into small plastic containers on the table. "What you just ate was your typical mundane Christmas dinner. Not all mundies have one, but some do. Now we move on to, personally, my favorite part of Christmas."

Alec watched curiously as Magnus went under the tree and took out a present. Guilt immediately replaced the curiosity. "Magnus....I don't have anything for you."

Magnus shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You being here is enough for me." He handed Alec the present. "Open it. I got it just for you. No Christmas is complete without one."

Slowly and carefully, Alec unwrapped the gift and gently folded the wrapping paper up beside him. "Do you save this to use again for another time?"

Magnus smirked. "No, babe. It gets thrown out."

Alec frowned, clearly bothered by the fact that it was a waste of wrapping paper. But he was soon over it when he saw a medium sized box now settled on his lap. He shook it, ear close to the cover. "What is it?"

Heaving a sigh, Magnus replied "A puppy. You just gave it head trauma." He rolled his eyes as Alec's mouth dropped open. "It's not a puppy, Alexander. Just-just open it, would you? God. You're impossible sometimes."

Lifting the cover of the box, Alec peered inside and pulled away the colorful tissue paper to reveal a red sweater. Taking it out, he almost yelled at how hideous it was. "What....what is it?"

"It's an ugly Christmas sweater! It's mandatory to have one this time of year. Do you like it?"

Like it? Alec couldn't even look at it. It had a white bearded man on it holding a red and white cane of some sort while sitting inside an odd looking contraption. But Alec couldn't say he didn't like it. It would break Magnus' heart if he did. "I love it. It's very....different."

Magnus chuckled and shook his head. Alec didn't like it. He could tell by the tone of his voice and by the way his eyebrows scrunched together when he looked it over. Sure, it wasn't an Alec thing to get for him, but Magnus felt that Alec needed a bit of holiday cheer. This whole Scrooge act was getting a little old. "You don't like it. There's no point in lying to me, Alec. You're like an open book. Very easy to read."

Alec flushed, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Magnus. I want to like it. I do. But...." His voice trailed off as he became at a loss for words. 

"Don't worry about it. If you don't like it then that's fine with me. Don't wear it. I just thought you might like to have one because it came from me," Magnus picked up the leftovers and made his way into the kitchen. Setting the containers in the fridge, he leaned against the counter with both hands, letting out a heavy sigh. He knew. He knew that he should've picked out something that was more suited for Alec instead a goddamn Christmas sweater. Like a new weapon. Or a leather jacket. Something more Shadowhunterish and not individual preferences. Shadowhunters weren't big on individuality. It's either follow the guidelines or you're out. Strict wasn't even the word Magnus would use to describe their society.

Taking another deep breath to gather himself, he put on his best fake smile and walked back into the living room area, pausing when he saw Alec was by the fire, poking it with the metal poker.

He was wearing the sweater.

Of course, he had the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, revealing his noticeable Angelic and Soundless runes, but at least he was wearing it. And it fit him, miraculously. Magnus had guessed the size and just went by what he saw.

"Alexander," Magnus whispered.

Alec turned. The fire made his hazel eyes look brighter than usual and the red sweater didn't make his face look as pink as it had been all day. His hair was now dry, causing it to look fluffy on top of his head. "Oh. I uh....I put on the sweater. It really is nice, Magnus. And I really do like it. It's cozy."

Magnus nearly keeled over and died of cuteness as Alec blushed at the word cozy. "Well, I'm glad you like it, Alec. That makes me happy to hear you say that."

Alec reached up and rubbed his neck nervously. "I actually have something for you too. I forgot that I brought it along with me, so this gift exchange isn't entirely one sided."

Magnus watched as Alec reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. "You didn't have to get me anything. I told you that you being here was enough."

"I know. But it's not enough for me. I need to give this to you or else I'll regret not doing it while I could," Alec held out the box with a hand. "It's not much but it's something."

Magnus took the box and opened the lid. Inside was a small bronze key with a chain attached to it. It wasn't just a necklace. It was an actually key to something. "What does this belong to? If you say your heart, I'll choke you."

Alec chuckled. "It's the key to my bedroom window, actually. Seeing how you're not allowed into the institute without the head's permission, I figured I could bypass that rule by giving you permission into my room. They have no claim over it....it's just a bedroom. You won't find anything in there except for me."

Magnus felt his heart swell twenty times its size. It was such a beautiful gesture that it made him feel guilty for giving Alec such a crappy sweater. This was by far much more meaningful. "Oh, Alec....I don't know what to say. Other than you lock your window with a key?"

This made Alec laugh. "Say you'll accept it. That's all. Nothing more."

Magnus looked down at the key in his hands before slipping the chain down over his head, the key resting just between his collarbones. A perfect fit.

Alec was watching him the entire time. "So does that mean you accept it?"

Magnus took a few steps over to where Alec stood by the fire and gripped a handful of the ugly sweater, pulling the Shadowhunter into a passionate kiss. Their lips moved in sync, Magnus' goatee scraping across Alec's upper lip and causing a pleasant burn on his skin. Alec eventually reached up and held Magnus' face with his two hands, slowly moving them down over his neck before stopping at the necklace. He broke away, looking down at the key (also at Magnus' beautiful collarbones sticking out from under his open collar white shirt).

"What's wrong?" Magnus whispered.

"Nothing. Just thinking," Alec shivered as he felt Magnus' hot breath against his neck.

"Well don't leave me in suspense, Lightwood. What are you thinking about?"

Alec sighed and rest his forehead against Magnus'. "I was just thinking....about how this is the best first Christmas I've ever had."

Magnus smiled broadly at this. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. But there's just one last thing on the to do list that we haven't done yet. And it's the most important part."

Alec closed his eyes for a brief moment as Magnus twirled a lock of his hair around his finger. "What's that?"

Magnus bit his lip and looked up, prompting Alec to do the same. A green plant hung just inches above their heads. "You know the meaning behind mistletoe, don't you?"

"No. I know it's a herb used in some medicines but other than that....what does it mean?"

Magnus smiled and brought Alec's lips towards his own, kissing them again. "It means this. It's tradition for couples who are standing under the mistletoe to kiss each other."

Alec tried not to smile but failed miserably. "I'm starting to really like Christmas after all."

Magnus laughed and draped his arms around Alec's neck and shoulders. "Just shut up and kiss me, Alexander."

And that's exactly what Alec did.