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The Hunter’s Moon was crowded tonight, various couples and groups filling almost all of the mismatched tables and chairs. It's popularity as a Friday date night spot was showcased in the small amount of available tables and the waiters hurrying around to tend to their customers. The jukebox in the back had been well-fed with dollars and was continuously playing, filling the entire space with upbeat music. The music floated over the various conversations and scattered laughter among the patrons, accented by the clinking of glasses and scuffing of chairs moving across the hardwood floor. All of these factors blended together into a laid-back setting, the perfect place for the High Warlock of Brooklyn and the Head of the New York Institute to wind down after a long week and enjoy a relaxing date together.
Alec and Magnus walked in through the door hand in hand and were greeted by a burst of music. Alec held the door open for Magnus and let him enter first, smiling as Magnus tightened his grip on Alec's hand and pulled him into the restaurant after him. Both pairs of eyes scanned the crowded establishment for an open table, Alec's thumb rubbing Magnus's hand absentmindedly as he looked around. Finally he spotted one near the bar and pointed it out to Magnus, ignoring the muttered curses aimed at him from a passing man that he had almost hit with his extended arm.
“I guess everyone wanted to have a date night tonight,” Magnus remarked as they made their way to the available table and sat down.
“You're right about that!” Alec replied with a small laugh. He tugged his arms out of his black bomber jacket and hung the garment over the back of his chair, not needing it now that they had escaped the sharp chill of winter outside. Alec shifted in his chair so he faced Magnus, rested his elbows on the table, and reached over to take Magnus's hands in his own. Magnus smiled and wove his fingers together with the Shadowhunter’s, settling his elbows on the table in a similar position to Alec's.
“I'm glad we managed to get this date in,” Alec said, and Magnus nodded in agreement. The past week had absolutely hectic and both their schedules had been crammed full. Every type of date that they had tried to schedule had been cancelled because of a meeting or a mission, and they really had tried them all: Grabbing coffee in the morning before work, heading out to have lunch, enjoying a quiet dinner together. Even going out for a few late-night drinks had been shot down by responsibilities. But now that they had finally found time to spend with each other, both couldn't be happier.
“Me too,” Magnus said with a warm smile, and it widened when Alec pressed his lips to his ring-laden fingers in a series of kisses. Magnus pulled one hand away and gestured over his shoulder to the bar with his thumb. “Want me to grab us some drinks?”
Alec pressed one last kiss to Magnus’s knuckles before reluctantly letting go of the warlock’s hands. “Sure,” Alec replied simply with a smile, and Magnus stood up and made his way over to the bar.
Magnus gently pushed his way past people and settled himself in a stool at the bar top, one leg standing on the floor. He noticed that Maia and his bartender friend Lillian weren't working tonight as he leaned casually on his elbow. Instead, a pretty girl with blonde hair was mixing drinks and serving people. Her long blonde hair hung to her waist in perfect curls, and her bright green eyes were ringed by a light layer of black eyeliner. Her tight rose-colored sweater and black skinny jeans accentuated her curvy figure, one that several people had their eye on. She handed a beer to a burly man that was none-too-discreetly checking her out before making her way to Magnus.
“Hey there!” She said cheerfully to Magnus, who smiled in response. “What can I get for you?”
“I'll have a sour apple martini and-” Magnus paused with his finger pressed to his lips as he scanned the beer menu, looking for a choice that Alec would like- “A Moon Madness beer, please.”
“Surely you’re not going to drink all that by yourself!” The girl exclaimed with a laugh, and Magnus managed a smile at the bad joke. “I’m Lisa, by the way, Lisa Jones.” She turned around and started pouring a beer from one of the taps, glancing over her shoulder to keep eye contact.
“I’m Magnus Bane,” Magnus said, keeping his response brief. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk that would lead into lengthier conversations; he was eager to get his drinks and get back to Alec.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lisa said with a wink, before turning around completely to finish pouring the beer. Magnus let out a small sigh at the gesture, knowing that she would only continue to flirt, which he didn’t have the time or patience to deal with. His Alexander was waiting for him.
“Here’s your beer,” Lisa said as she set it on the bar top in front of Magnus. She cocked her head to the side and propped one hand on her hip as her eyes flicked up and down Magnus’s body for a moment. Magnus resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the shameless checking-out she was giving him and opted to keep his face neutral.
“I do hope you’re going to pay me! Stingy and attractive just don’t go together,” Lisa said with what she thought was a flirty lip bite, and Magnus resisted the urge to laugh out loud. She was just so obvious and flat-out bad at flirting! It sure wasn’t the cute, stuttering flirting delivered from blushing cheeks that he got from Alec, which was incredibly endearing.
“Oh, of course, I just have to grab my…” Magnus’s voice trailed off as he checked his pants pockets, coming up empty-handed without his wallet. He hadn’t worn a jacket so he must have left it back at the table. “Let me go grab my wallet,” Magnus said with a gesture to his table, and Lisa smiled and nodded.
“Sure thing! I’ll fix your martini while you get it,” Lisa replied, and Magnus quickly hurried away. When he arrived at the table he was surprised to see that Alec was sitting with his arms folded tightly across his chest, his brow furrowed and his mouth pulled into a scowl. Magnus glanced over his shoulder to follow Alec’s line of vision and his eyes landed on Lisa, who was happily chatting to other patrons as she mixed his martini.
“Darling, what is it?” Magnus asked, and the sound of his voice snapped Alec out of his thoughts. He looked up and seemed surprised to see Magnus standing there, and he coughed and let his grumpy expression drop.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Alec said quickly, and Magnus raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend. Alec was a terrible liar when he’d been caught or was flustered, and Magnus saw right through it.
“Just tell me,” Magnus said, and Alec let out a huff of breath before answering.
“That bartender,” Alec said. He pointed at Lisa, who was know laughing quite loudly, and his face fell back into a scowl. Magnus slowly put it together but he asked Alec the question anyway. “What about her?”
Alec’s frown deepened as he looked up at Magnus. “I don’t like the way she’s looking at you,” he grumbled, and Magnus couldn’t help but smile, even as Alec crossed his arms across his chest again. Over the several months that they had been together, Magnus had picked up on a small streak of jealousy in Alec. It really wasn’t jealousy, now that he thought about it, because they were both deeply in love and only had eyes for each other. It was more like a possessiveness, a desire to show the world how lucky he, and he alone, was to be dating Magnus.
“Oh, don’t worry about her,” Magnus said with a shrug of his shoulders. Alec sighed, knowing that Magnus could care less about the flirting, but he couldn't help but be bothered by it. He nodded in acknowledgment but his face betrayed his true feelings, and the frown stayed present on his face.
Magnus bit his lip as he looked at Alec, trying to think of a way to smooth his ruffled feathers. The corners of his mouth twitched up in a smile as an idea came to him, and he slipped his wallet into his trouser pocket.
“Give me your jacket,” Magnus said, holding out a hand. Alec's eyebrow rose in confusion and he leaned forward in his chair. His angry expression melted into one of confusion as he asked “Why do you need my-”
“Just give it to me!” Magnus cut Alec off and shook his hand to emphasize he needed it. Alec paused for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, giving in to whatever Magnus had in mind. He pulled his jacket off of the back of his chair and handed it over to Magnus, who smiled and started to put it on. The sleeves were much too long, covering his hands, and the jacket was too tight around his chest and shoulders, but Magnus was satisfied with the result. Alec watched him pull the collar up around his face and inhale deeply, breathing in Alec's scent that seemed to be woven into the fabric. It smelled like sandalwood and a hint of mint, and it felt like home.
“I'll be right back,” Magnus said with a flirty wave of his fingers, winking at Alec before he turned around and headed back to the bar. Alec watched him go with a confused expression and couldn't help but chuckle. Magnus sure was something else.
“Look who's back!” Lisa said in a chipper tone as Magnus retook his stool at the bar. She set the martini down next to the beer and looked at Magnus, leaning back a bit as she noticed the jacket. “Did you get cold?”
Magnus looked down fondly at the borrowed jacket and smiled. “Yeah, I got a bit chilly. It's hard to keep the winter chill away,” he replied, and Lisa smiled.
“Well, it looks fantastic on you!” Lisa said with a wink, her eyes flicking across Magnus's accentuated biceps and shoulders as he pulled money out of his wallet. He set the money on the counter and grinned even wider, the perfect opportunity now waiting for him.
“Thanks! It's my boyfriend's.” Magnus beamed at the statement, but Lisa's happy face fell completely. Her jaw dropped open and and she quickly closed it, her eyes widening at the information.
“Y-your, um… You're boyfriend's! J-jacket,” she stuttered, regarding the garment with wide eyes and a furrowed brow. Her flirty and cheerful disposition had completely disappeared now that Magnus had delivered the blow that he was unavailable, and he resisted the urge to laugh giddily.
“Yes! He's such a sweetheart, and I need to get back to him! Thank you for the drinks,” Magnus said warmly. He picked up his martini and Alec's beer and turned away and walked back to their table. He could feel her eyes follow him and his face slipped into a devilish smirk. It had been all too easy.
“What's with that look? Thank you,” Alec asked before thanking Magnus as he handed him the beer. Magnus sat down in his chair and took a sip of his martini, letting the tart drink flood over his tongue before he answered.
“I solved our little bartender problem,” Magnus said lightly, and Alec cocked his head to the side. Alec leaned to the side in his chair and glanced over Magnus's shoulder at Lisa, who looked away with blushing cheeks as Alec caught her staring. She quickly busied herself with fixing a drink, averting her gaze to her work. Alec leaned back in his chair and a smug smile appeared on his face, although it was quickly chased away as he took a sip of his beer.
“How'd you do that?” Alec asked, and Magnus stirred his martini with his pinky finger, pretending to think hard about the question.
“Oh, you know, just dropping the little fact that I'm wearing my boyfriend's jacket,” Magnus replied in an airy tone, and Alec grinned. He was much happier now that Magnus had laid down the facts, and he couldn't help the butterflies in his stomach at the mention that Magnus had called him his boyfriend. Magnus set his martini down on the table and shifted his chair around to Alec's side of the table.
“And if you want to put the icing on the cake…” Magnus slid a hand up Alec's arm and placed it against his neck rune, using the contact to pull him close and into a kiss. Alec smiled into the kiss and rested a hand on Magnus’s shoulder as their lips moved against each other. The music, the background noise, and everyone around them melted away as they kissed and escaped into their own little world. Magnus knew Lisa was watching them, so he made sure that it was a long, sweet kiss where they took their time.
Magnus slowly pulled away and Alec chased his lips. His hazel eyes were dreamy when they fluttered open again, and Magnus slid his chair even closer. He roped an arm around Alec’s waist and smiled as Alec draped one long arm across his shoulders. Magnus ran his thumb along his bottom lip, his lips tingling from the kiss and the ghost of Alec’s lips still resting on his mouth.
“That was a good one,” Alec said, his fingers rubbing small circles into Magnus’s shoulder. Magnus smiled and casually slung his leg over Alec’s thigh, glancing past his boyfriend to look at the bar. Lisa had her head down and was giving her full attention to the beer mugs she was polishing, but Magnus could see the blush that had creeped up her neck and settled in her ears and cheeks.
“They’re all good ones with you, Alexander,” Magnus said warmly, turning his attention back to the Shadowhunter. He picked up his martini and extended the glass to Alec, who obliged and raised his beer mug to clink against Magnus’s glass.
“Cheers to many more,” Alec said, and both took sips of their drinks. Magnus set his glass down again and rested his head against Alec’s shoulder, enveloped in the warmth of the arm that was wrapped around his shoulders and the worn, beloved black bomber jacket. Alec rested his temple against the top of Magnus’s head and smiled, knowing that there would be many, many more kisses and dates to look forward to.