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It’s late in the afternoon when Magnus hears heavy footsteps, the snap of their front door being open, and an annoyed wail coming from the foyer. The wail is responded to by a loud, wheezing laugh. Ah, their babies have come home.
“Rafe, stop—” A thud of a small fist hitting something, “Being—” another thud, “Mean!”
“I’m not being mean!” Rafe exclaims through his laughter, “I said I found it cute!”
“Why are you laughing at me then?!” Max demandingly wails, his teeny voice carrying through the house despite the smallness of it. Magnus can’t help but chuckle to himself as he listens on.
“I’m not laughing at you though!”
Magnus lets a ribbon of magic erupt in his hands as he summons salt and pepper from the cabinets. He sprinkles a pinch of both into the stew, stirring it thoroughly, ears still strained to catch the conversation in the living room. By the sound of heavier footsteps coming from the office, Alec has also heard the commotion.
“What’s going on over here?” Alec asks sharply, and just by the tone of his voice, Magnus knows the small crease on his brow and the hands planted on his hips. He can’t help but grin at the image.
Ooh, serious dad voice. Grown shadow hunters have trembled at the sound of that.
“Dad, Rafe won’t stop being mean to me!” Max wails yet again, and from the small peek Magnus makes from the kitchen, he’s put his arms up like he wants to be carried. Oh boy, Magnus thinks, he won’t last long. He can already see Alec cracking.
Alec presses his lips together, using every bit of self-control to not laugh at the situation before him. Max whines at the ignorance of his request, stomping a small foot down onto the carpet.
Alec’s mouth twitches as he looks away, now placing his questioning gaze onto his older son. “Rafe, is this true?”
Rafe simply shakes his head no, a picture of calm and collectedness. “Nope.” He says, “What happened was a girl in Max’s class tried to kiss him and he turned into a bat, and I laughed because it’s cute.”
Max screeches and throws his arms in a childish rage that could only be described as devilishly adorable. Rafe loudly laughs as he runs away, weaving in and out of furniture with a shrieking Max on his tail. Rafe ends up hopping onto the couch and launching himself onto Alec’s back, using his sizable distance from the floor as a safety net from Max’s fingers that are now weapons for pinching. It works until Max, with a burst of magic, transforms into a bat.
It’s pandemonium from that moment on. Magnus presses his lips together, quietly wheezing in laughter, hand over his eyes.
“Fu-uuudge,” Alec breathes out, almost letting one slip, and then winces at the flap of a bat wing and small ten-year-old fingers that simultaneously hit his face.
“Max, Rafe, stop it right now! This is crazy behavior, you two!”
Magnus finally takes pity on his husband, turning down the heat on the stove and covering the pot. He makes his way from the kitchen, hands wiping against his sides, and when he does Alec glares at him accusatorily. Where have you been?!
Magnus grins. Enjoying the show. He turns to their quarreling children.
“Okay my darlings, settle down.” Magnus says soothingly, “Blueberry, come on, stop hitting your brother with your wings. That’s not how we do things in this household.”
Max finally flaps his way towards Magnus and transforms right into his arms, plopping his chin onto his shoulder and whiningly clinging onto his neck. He fixes a pointed look onto Rafe, who’s still plastered onto Alec’s back.
“Mijito, I know you didn’t do it to be mean,” Magnus says kindly, “But when somebody’s embarrassed, we don’t laugh, okay? We try to make them feel better first.”
Rafe hides his face guiltily behind Alec’s shoulder. “Mm’kay, papa. I understand.” he says in a small voice, “Sorry for laughing, Max.”
Alec can’t help the smile on his mouth, and he reaches back to ruffle his son’s hair. Max then pokes a finger repeatedly onto Magnus shoulder.
“Oh,” Magnus says in realization and with a small chuckle he turns around so Max can look at his brother.
“Sorry for hitting you with my wings, Rafe.” He mumbles.
“Okay, good.” Magnus says brightly.
They all collapse onto the couch, Max slipping out of Magnus’ arms and Rafe clambering off Alec’s back. They congregate at the middle, Magnus and Alec bracketing them both. Magnus grins at Alec triumphantly. That’s how you do it, darling, he mouths. Alec rolls his eyes fondly, mouthing back, I dealt with the worst part, you ass.
“You know, speaking of kisses,” Magnus cheekily says, “You know what today is?”
Max and Rafe looks up at him curiously. “What?”
Magnus grins evilly. “Fifteen years ago today, your dad and I had our first kiss.”
Max gives of a shrill, dramatic yell of disgust, thrashing about like a bull trying to buck off its rider. Rafe scrunches his face up and covers his ears like he’d rather have someone yell into it than listen to what they have to say.
Alec snickers, temple propped against his palm as he watches their children act like complete goofs.
“And honestly he needed practice too.” Magnus says matter-of-factly, grinning up at his husband, who now has excuse me plastered all over his face.
“And he did it in front of everybody he knows!” Magnus exclaims, and both kids bursts into loud giggles.
“Ugh, dad, you did that?!” Rafe asks, aghast.
“Your papa was too irresistable.” Alec grins, and both children groan in protest.
Magnus smiles, booping a finger onto the tip of Max’s nose. “So, my blueberry, if you're embarrassed about all that, it’s okay.” He says gently.
He lifts his gaze onto Alec, as lovingly as he did that very day.
“Sometimes it’s the imperfect things that makes the most wonderful memories.”
Alec smiles back at him, reaching over to thread their fingers over the back of the couch.
I love you, Alec mouths.
Magnus runs a thumb over the back of Alec’s hand.
I love you too.
“Eeeew Max, they’re holding hands!” Rafe exclaims, and Max shrieks again, both children jumping off the couch.
Alec raises a brow. “Oh, your making fun of your dads holding hands, huh?” he calls out, an evil gleam in his eyes, “Well, get ready you little monkeys!”
Alec grins as he pulls a snickering Magnus by the front of his shirt like he always does and plants a chaste kiss onto his mouth. Rafe and Max explodes into a fit of screeches and groans of disgust, and they try to climb onto Magnus and Alec’s backs in a mission to pull them away from each other. They falter apart in laughter, fingers digging into Rafe and Max’s sides as they collapse into loud giggles.
The Lightwood-Bane household is rambunctious today.
And that’s exactly how they like it.