riverviewlogs | Boys Day Out

Entry tags:

Boys Day Out

who: Alec Lightwood, Jace Wayland
what: Bonding time!
when: September 25
where: All Over, Shopping and Food
warnings: To be added as needed.

Good, truly happy moments, seemed more like a falling star you could only catch a glimpse of, feeling that rush of euphoria and genuine emotion, and they were gone. You remembered them, of course, but holding onto them was much more difficult. Bad, truly horrible moments, made time feel like it was crawling, belly down against the earth, fingernails raw and broken, bleeding, as you tried to pull yourself free.

Until recently Jace had been tapped, constantly in fear and pain, suffering and unable to grasp a single good, truly happy moment, without it being ripped away again.

When the cure for the strange plant causing all the even stranger memory loss problems all over Riverview was discovered and shared, Jace had decided to keep the cure on hand, just in case, but he didn't take it. He didn't want to recover the memories. He was sure the only way he could describe what had happened to him was to call it memory distancing or muting. He remembered. But he had healed. Somehow. The pain wasn't gone, the fear still there, all in the distance. Far, far away. Like one of Simon's nerdy stories.

But he was happier. Far happier than he'd been in a long time.

It was a good thing, really, to have things back in perspective and being capable of logical thought without the overwhelming emotions attached to them. Very good. Because dealing with new emotions and complicated emotions was difficult even on his best day. Demons? Not a problem. Mundane puppies in love getting captured and turned into a Vampire? Not as much of a problem as demon pox might be. Having deep emotions--he was not in love--"Alec! Pick a color that isn't a shade of black."

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The change had been profound. The night before Jace had been coping, barely, with whatever had happened to him before he arrived in Quarantine and the next morning... Had been terrifying when Jace couldn't seem to stay awake but afterward he'd acted the way he had after they'd all started to heal from the wars. Alec knew his parabatai was still hurting but it seemed dulled, with no sharp dangerous edges ready to slice them down to the bone.

He seemed gentler than Alec remembered. Jace had always been patient with Max but he spent more time with their little brother than before. He took care of the family instead of looking for danger. It was unsettling in some ways but comforting too. They were really becoming a family even if he still wondered about some of the things Magnus had told him.

Pretending to scowl at his parabatai, Alec almost grabbed one of the woolen caps next to him and threw it at Jace. Almost. Maryse had taught him some manners and starting a mock war in the middle of a clothing store. Instead picked up a deep green sweater, holding it up so Jace could see. "It's not black!"

"But will you by it and wear it?" Because honestly, Jace thought the green on Alec would be beaut-nice. It would look good on him. He was not turning away to find something to grab to hide behind. "What do you think of this one?"

He held up a blue long sleeve, light enough to wear under Alec's green sweater or he could wear it when they sparred. Although he imagined the blue would be just as distracting as the green. Lowering the long sleeve, he smiled over the top.

"Or maybe I'll buy this one for myself. You can be green, I'll be blue, Izzy red, Magnus purple, and Max can be gold."

Ince Magnus had threatened him with real furniture for his room he'd decided to go all the way and buy new clothes, equipment, books, decorations. He was also collecting supplies to start renovating the apartment. Magnus could use magic, but he had the need to do something with his hands. Beyond baking birthday cakes and making meals for the family.

"Yes, I'll buy it and wear it." It was a color that Magnus would approve of. One that he'd said he liked Alec wearing and it it was made of something that felt like a cloud. He could already imagine Magnus looking pleased over the sweater and later cuddling with him or stealing it later.

"I like it." He wasn't sure what else to say about clothes; he either liked them or didn't. Izzy and Magnus were the ones who understood fashion, able to explain different styles easily and what would look good on someone. "Blue would be better for you." It was a color he knew Izzy said looked good on him, but it'd look better on Jace. And it'd fit with the old nursery rhyme they'd learned as children. Blue when the lost return.

He was about to correct Jace on the colors when he thought of the rest of the rhyme, suddenly not wanting to think of immortality and magic. "Max might not want gold since it's the wedding color. It's going to be everywhere soon."

Without realizing it, his hand moved along a gold silk tie. Maybe they'd wear gold this time? Or something else? Were there colors that warlocks preferred? Realizing he was mentally wandering, he rolled his eyes but his expression was fond. "Do you really want to risk buying clothes for Izzy?"

"Why? Is someone getting married?" Jace asked, examining the shirt to make sure it would fit. He liked the blue. Maybe it would be distracting. Or make his eyes more noticeable-by the angel he needed to find that plant again and use it to mute his thoughts. He was starting to sound like-like someone not Jace.

He spotted another sweater like the one Alec was holding and moved through the clothes racks to grab it, holding it up for Alec. "Grey-blue. This is soft." He added more to himself, carrying it back and rubbing the material between his fingers. "I am not buying Izzy clothes. I'll enlarge her closet, but that's it."

On the way back he picked up several t-shirts off a display, checking the sizes for himself and for Alec. They could never have enough t-shirts. "Socks. I need socks."

"Magnus and I are going to renew our vows." They hadn't told anyone yet, but he doubted that his husband would mind. Jace was his parabatai, his best friend and part of Alec's soul. He would be the first that Alec would tell. "We eloped the first time so we're doing to do it right this time."

Knowing that he was grinning in the silly, smitten way he did when he thought of Magnus being his husband, he pointed at the blue shirt. "Magnus would approve of that for you." Alec wasn't quite sure why he said it, especially when he was discussing his wedding, but it was true. Magnus would think the color was right for Jace and he would appreciate... What? Seeing Jace dressed in something that looked good on him?

Appreciating didn't mean anything. Magnus enjoyed beauty, whether it was paintings and music or beings wearing clothing that suited them.

Taking the grey-blue sweater, he studied it, smiling a little at the texture of the yarn. It'd be a good replacement for the scratchy sweaters he'd gotten just so that he had something to wear. That should win a few points. "Good choice. I doubt we could ever find anything she'd think was stylish enough."

Smiling and shaking his head at Jace's focus, he began looking for socks. "And new boots. And a leather jacket. We should be able to find something similar to your favorite."

When Jace had heard Alec and Magnus were married he'd been hurt that something so important had happened without him. He was suppose to stand by Alec's side. Be there for him. Witness a very special moment in his life. Now...the news caught him off guard and there was a moment of realization that he'd simply been dreaming and now it was time to wake up.

Alec was getting married. Again. To Magnus Bane. His soulmate. His partner. "An actual wedding? Gold everywhere? Does Izzy know? Or has she already started planning the wedding and bachelor party?"

This time they wouldn't have to be tricked into a room together to apologize. He and Alec were friends, parabatai, and family. There was nothing left to apologize for.

"I say we skip the bachelor party and just have a family celebration with new friends. A party!" He smiled and looked at the blue shirt again, considering what Alec had said about Magnus liking the shirt. "Definitely need new boots, jacket, and socks. Gloves. Black for hunting through the night. I'll wear blue underwear."

Shifting the clothes to one arm, he rubbed the back of his neck, giving Jace a nervous, hopeful smile. He hated that his family hadn't been there to see him married but now he could the people he loved there. He could have Jace beside him during the ceremony, the way it should have been the first time he was married. "An actual wedding, with my parabatai as my best man. You can keep me from being too obvious with the gold." He'd taken it to an extreme that would have been embarrassing if Magnus hadn't seemed to think it was sweet. He seemed endeared whenever Alec gave him gold flowers or other trinkets that was the favored Nephilim wedding color.

"Izzy doesn't know yet." Pausing, he tried to remember the last wedding he'd been to. He knew they'd all been part of the planning, but Alec couldn't remember the details. "What's a bachelor party?" That probably didn't matter if Jace was already planning a party. "I'm not sure who we'd invite." Alec had made a few friends, but some had disappeared and others might be nervous about suddenly being invited to the party.

He was about to remind him that they weren't really hunting anymore when Jace commented about the underwear. Suddenly, Alec felt like was sixteen again, forcing himself not to look at his parabatai. "To make sure you return safely to us?"

Jace may be able to keep Alec from going crazy with the gold, but he wasn't sure he could keep himself from being too obvious about his mixed feelings. Happy. Sad. Mostly happy because Alec loved Magnus and Magnus loved Alec. There was no denying what he could see everyday between them. And what he could feel.

He was Alec's parabatai and he would stand by Alec at his wedding.

"I guess that means we should be shopping for wedding clothes, too." Jace's smile was warm and affectionate, the confusing emotions carefully buried out of sight. He would not ruin this for Alec.

He did give Alec a slightly confused look when he asked about bachelor parties, but then he filed the moment away to worry about later. "We could invite Lucifer and his plus one. I already extended an open invitation for dinner once I finished destroying the walls." He smirked, recalling his conversation with the Devil. "Did you know he has wings we can't see?"

Spotting another display of boxer briefs, he grabbed several pairs of black and one pair of dark blue with a little yellow-oh, by the angel, no. That pair got tossed across the store, hitting someone in the back of the head. Jace quickly turned back to Alec. "I always return safely."

"Not yet. We haven't set a date. We're still talking about how we want the ceremony. I don't want it to just be a Shadowhunter wedding." Even if anyone heard them, they wouldn't know what Shadowhunter meant. Alec doubted anyone outside of their family really believed in Angels or that Nephilim existed.

"How will the rest of the family react to Lucifer being there?" But it'd probably be a bad idea not to ask him. "But it's probably not a good idea to annoy the devil by not inviting him." Lucifer might not have a connection to the Princes from their world, but that didn't mean that annoying a Fallen Angel was a great way to renew their wedding vows.

Looking up from the henley he was looking at, Alec scowled at his parabatai. "Everyone yells at me for leasing an apartment from him and wanting to talk about the afterlife and you invite him to dinner?" Why did everyone automatically accept Jace's friends or potential friends and Alec got lectured when he was actually trying to interact with others?

Realizing that it was a childish thought, he focused on the wings instead. "I would have assumed the wings disappeared when he Fell." Noticing the pattern on the underwear, he stifled a laugh, only to choke when Jace mentioned returning safely. His stomach twisted painfully while ice settled in his chest. Returning his attention to the ties, he tried to ignore the memories that were creeping up on him. "You always return."

"If Simon was here you could ask him about Mundane weddings. I'm sure he'd babble your ear off about them." The thought amused Jace and he realized he actually missed Simon. So he focused on the shirt Alec was looking at instead. It was nice. Until Alec snapped at him about Lucifer.

"Hey. I didn't freak out or yell at you. I did go have a talk with him while being as obnoxiously charming as I could be without pissing him off. He is a fallen angel, but he shared with me while I played his piano without his permission that he recently got his wings back and hinted I could have a peek at them if I asked nicely."

It was Jace's turn to scowl, but he didn't say anything about the laugh or the underwear. Ducks did not belong on underwear. "I always return, no matter what or who tries to stop me." He plucked a tie out of a group of ties and held it up. "The gold should be an accent color, not the entire outfit."

"I don't think he knows about wedding in other countries or warlock traditions." Even if he knew Magnus wanted to marry him, Alec was still nervous. He wanted it to be perfect even if they'd just started discussing the ceremony. Pausing, he almost said something about Simon, remembering something odd about training, when he shook off the thought. Jace probably wouldn't know what he was talking about even if he brought it up.

"No, you didn't, but everyone else thinks he seduced me." Probably not the best choice of words but Lucifer had tempted him with knowledge and Alec was curious. "Your friends always get welcomed," he joked, trying smooth over the annoyance he'd accidentally shown before. "Mine almost get me disowned." Not that it mattered now. His siblings were happy for him. Their parents couldn't condemn him when their marriage was falling apart. "Make sure his wings won't blind you before you say yes."

"I'm not planning on wearing a gold suit. Magnus is the only one who could pull that off." Making a vague sound he began looking for something purple for Magnus. "Don't tempt Fate, Jace."

"I didn't realize Warlocks had wedding traditions."

It wasn't something considered important in their lessons because he didn't remember reading anything related to weddings and Warlocks.

Putting the tie back, Jace started searching through another rack of clothes, considering the things Alec had said to him about friends and Lucifer. And Magnus. Especially Magnus. "Did-uh-Magnus have a good time at the mask ball?"

He asked the question casually and curiously while finding a couple of long sleeves he liked and adding them to his growing stack. Eventually they were either going to need to try them on or simply buy them so they would have bags to carry their growing collection. He still didn't have socks he realized.

"Where are the socks?"

"I don't know if they do or not but there has to be special traditions he's liked in the past." Probably from Indonesia but Magnus rarely talked about his homeland and Alec wasn't sure if that was something he wanted shared. "He's seen four hundred years of cultural changes. Something has to be special to him."

He began searching for socks when his parabatai asked about Magnus. "Uh, yeah. Did something happen that I don't know about?" Magnus had mentioned the flirting and he knew that Jace had been more forward that Alec would have assumed. Jace had never been interested in guys before and he'd never thought his parabatai would hit on Magnus.

"The socks are over here."

"I could make the wedding cake." Jace offered, wondering what types of traditions Magnus would find special. Magnus and Alec would figure it out planning the ceremony so he should leave it to them. He hadn't given it much thought personally. He never imagined he would ever get married.

"I was drunk. I'm not sure I really remember." Not a complete lie. Now really wasn't the time to tell Alec he'd been naked in a pool with Magnus and had wanted to kiss him. More than kiss him. He'd wanted to pin him to the side of the pool. But he'd been drinking. That's what he kept telling himself. More recently things had gotten far more complicated. "And I haven't had a drink since. Not even when Lucifer offered at the bar."

He joined Alec at the socks and started picking through them, looking for ones that would work well with boots. Thick, absorbent, drying quickly, and protecting his feet. What he found was a pair of socks with little hearts in various colors and another pair with arrows. "Here. Matching socks for you and Magnus. Magnus gets the hearts and you can have the arrows."

"I wouldn't ask anyone else to make it." Not after tasting Jace's experiments. He doubted they could find anything in the city that could compete with his parabatai's baking.

"Then it must not be serious." If it were, Magnus would have told him. His husband wouldn't stray and if Jace had crossed a line, Magnus wouldn't hide that from Alec. "Is that why you quit drinking?" he asked cautiously. Did Jace really think he'd seduce Magnus if he was drunk? Or was it something else?

Smiling when Jace handed him the socks, he shook arched an eyebrow at his parabatai. "I'm surprised you didn't suggest boxers instead of socks."

"Matching boxers would be a perfect compliment to the socks. Thank you for the idea." Jace smirked, avoiding the question for the moment. "Pajamas. I should find matching pajamas to go with the socks and underwear. As a wedding present."

His present would be more thoughtful, but he couldn't resist. He would have to find them matching sets now.

Picking up another pair of socks, Jace considered the color and texture before taking the blue pair for himself.

"I quit because I'm an emotional idiot when I drink. Because you hate it when I drink. And because I can't just have one." He couldn't trust himself when he was drinking. It was less of a problem now simply because he really was happier than he had been in a long time. But the temptation was still there.

"Pants. We both need pants. Sparring and fighting pants. And pants to wear around the apartment. Comfortable pants. Are you going to try anything on?"

Mentally headdesking, Alec tried to decide what would be the best way to disuade Jace from his ideas related to wedding gifts. He almost said that Magnus was almost as 'dangerous' to shop for as Izzy, but they both knew that wasn't true. Magnus probably would find the idea either adorable and hilarious and parade around the apartment in archery themed pajamas. "Make sure they're silk if you're buying them for Magnus."

Alec had been more willing to shop once the arrived, thanks to his husband cajoling him into shops so the necessities he looked over only for his parabatai, handing him another pair that he knew would be comfortable with the type of boots they usually wore on missions. "They'll work better if we have to hike."

Looking down at the socks, he hoped that Jace wouldn't notice his expression. Alec couldn't disagree with his parabatai's assessment of how he acted when drunk. "I do hate it. It's dangerous. I'm afraid that you'll get hurt when you're like that." The last time Jace got drunk regularly, he'd taken on a bar full of werewolves. "You used to be able to just have one drink."

Surprised by the change in subject, he nodded his head toward the dressing rooms. "Yeah. I want to try on the sweater at least. Wait, do you have any clothes at the apartment?"

"Silk. Got it." Jace was already imagining Magnus dressed in silk pajama's with colorful hearts. "Would you prefer flannel or silk?"

He was serious about finding these pajamas for them. Taking the socks without question, he shifted the clothes a bit and looked around for a dressing room.

"I have a change of clothes."

He wasn't ignoring Alec's comments about drinking, or his concerns, but he prefered to finish that topic of conversation somewhere with a bit more privacy.

"I should try on some pants."

Flannel was the automatic choice, but he paused, considering what Magnus would like even if he'd look ridiculous in heart patterned sleep pants. "Silk."

He began walking toward the dressing room, balancing his armload of sweaters and henleys when he realized what Jace had said. "You have one change of clothes?" Alec had to be mistaken. The lack of furniture in Jace's room was bad enough, but not having clothes implied something that made Alec feel queasy. "Yeah, you should. More than just clothes for training or when we're at the apartment."

Jace smiled. Alec wearing silk. Now that was something he'd like to see. And then he remembered the pajamas weren't for his enjoyment and grabbed a pair of pants off a rack that looked close to his size.

"One change is all I really needed." Not really. The truth was he hadn't cared enough about himself to bother with anything outside of the very basic necessities. "I showered." He added, just in case Alec was getting the wrong idea. "And washed my clothes." When they needed to be washed.

He went back and grabbed two more pairs of pants and some that looked comfortable for sparring. Light, flexible. Mostly all black except for the blue jeans.

"Happy?" Jace stuck his tongue out at Alec and went into one of the available rooms. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." He teased.

His steps slowed as he slowly began to realize what Jace meant. One change of clothes. Defending himself with the claim that he'd showered and washed his clothes. How had Alec missed that his parabatai was in so much pain?

Guilt gnawed at his thoughts and he almost reached for the rune at his side, but he'd end up dumping all the clothes on the floor if he did. He was no better than Jace had been when he'd been fixated with Clary, ignoring his parabatai because he was so happy with Magnus. Despite not knowing what exactly had happened with Robert and Michael, he couldn't help thinking that maybe he was more like his father than he ever wanted to believe.

"Yeah," he said vaguely, forcing himself to smile. "You've seen mine before."

Jace poked his head out of the dressing room, already mostly naked except for his underwear, "Alec?"

The "are you okay" went unspoken. Alec should know the look and tone of his voice well enough. The same way he knew something was up with Alec. he smiled slow and easy, still concerned, but the warmth and affection he felt for Alec clear in his eyes.

"I'm fine. Better than fine. And getting better every day because I have the best parabatai."

He disappeared behind the door again and added, "It's been a while since I've seen yours. Why don't you trip and show me what you've got. And try on that sweater while you're at it."

If he was blushing Alec couldn't see it.

Even knowing that Jace would sense his emotional state, he still mentally winced at the look. "I - " Should have notice. I should had realized how much pain you were in. He was a terrible parabatai...

But Jace was smiling at him the way he used to. Like he was one of the most important people in Jace's world and they'd never hurt each other in the past. It reminded him of when they were teenagers and Jace could make him a bumbling, stammering idiot with just a smile. By the Angel, he was nineteen, had fought in wars and married. He was not an infatuated sixteen year old.

"I don't think I'm the reason you're getting better." They spent more time together now than they had in months, but that wouldn't cause Jace to heal. Following Jace, he paused at the door, not sure if he should go inside or not. "Nothing's really changed since the last time you saw me naked."

Why were they talking about getting naked in ways that didn't relate to trying on clothes?

"You've had sex since the last time we were naked together." Jace pointed out, grinning and also trying to remind himself he couldn't flirt like that. ALec was married and he'd already nearly crossed a line with Magnus.

"Alec. If you don't come in I'm coming out there. Naked. Do you really want to spend our shopping trip fighting off the crowd of people wanting my phone number when you could have me all to yourself?"

He really was naked. He didn't need to try on the underwear, he was going to purchase them either way, but he wanted to wear the blue underwear for Alec. He'd just give the cashier the tag at the register.

He pulled on the briefs and opened the door.

"I'm coming out." He warned.

"How rough do you think we like it?" Why would sex change how he looked? It wasn't like his body had changed afterward or there was some kind of mark that proved he'd lost his virginity. "Having sex isn't going to change anything vital."

Knowing that Jace would follow through on that threat, Alec sighed and began banging his head on the door. Either to knock or to deal with his crazy parabatai. He wasn't sure which. "I will leave you to your horde of adoring fans the way I did when Izzy dragged us to clubs." Even know he disliked seeing girls throw themselves at Jace. Because it was weird considering how Jace felt about Clary. Not for any other reason...

"I'll come in. Just get out of the way." Why could he never say no to Jace?

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