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Magnus's style had always been admirable to his husband — and to everyone else who crossed his path.
The rings, the colorful nails, the makeup, his clothes. Magnus Bane could have a bad reputation for anything, but they could never say that he dressed poorly. His clothes were made by the best tailor the warlock had known in four centuries, and his bold style always caught Alec's attention, even though he loved his husband's laid-back and newly awakened version.
Even after adopting the children, Magnus didn't lose his beauty habits. Eventually, Max and Rafe got used to the skincare products and eyeshadow palettes scattered around the house. It had always been something common for them, and without favoritism, but both always thought that Dad looked much better than anyone else with all that shine and makeup.
It's Saturday night when Alec and Magnus are lying on the couch watching some mundane TV show when Max appears in the room, next to Rafe, with Magnus's nail polish case in hand. They looked at each other surprised and confused, but a ghost of a smile appears on both the shadowhunter's and the warlock's faces.
"What do you have there, blueberry?" Magnus asks.
"Your nail polishes, bapak," Max replies as if it were obvious – because it really is – but he smiles showing all his little teeth as he walks to the couch, followed by his older brother.
When getting space to sit between his daddies, Max looks at Rafe, who coughs before speaking:
"So," he starts, apparently searching for the right words, "these days Max and I were watching Papa painting his nails," Alec nods gently as the son looks at him and then at Magnus respectively, "and, well, we....we got curious and....you know, we thought if-"
Max interrupts impatiently: "Can we paint our nails too?"
Rafe finally seems to breathe again, as if Max's question were as scary as the answer. Alec and Magnus were far from being the kind of parents who agree with gender stereotypes, but still... Rafe was the oldest, he lived on the streets of Buenos Aires long enough to see how cruel the world and people can be, and having lived in fear for so long made it difficult for him to understand that here, now, in this house and in this family which he is part of now, being yourself will never be synonymous with wrong.
"It's a great idea, my loves. Why would we say no?" Alec says with a smile as big as the kids' with the response, and Magnus is already taking out some nail polishes from the case so they can choose.
"This house is a free space to be whoever we want." Magnus proudly states. "And luckily you two have a dad with pretty good taste in nail polishes."
Alec rolls his eyes playfully and puts Max on his lap so Magnus can have a better position to paint his nails, and the warlock does the same with Rafe, the four forming a small circle on the couch.
"I want blue!" Max promptly exclaims upon seeing Magnus looking for acetone and cotton pads.
"I want...red!" Rafe mimics his brother, giggling along with him.
"Those are two beautiful colors," Alec says taking one of Max's hands and stretching it forward, "do it like this, that way Bapak can paint your nails without smudging." Max nods, doing the same with the other hand.
Rafe leans against Magnus as he opens the small bottle of blue nail polish, observing even the most insignificant movement he made. Max had his blue eyes glued to his dad: Magnus is really skilled, managing to paint Max's small nails without any smudges.
"And so, Max?" Rafe speaks, looking between his brother's hands, his face, and Magnus's concentrated face. "How is it?"
Max seemed to think a little.
"It's cool," he commented, making Magnus and Alec laugh.
"I haven't finished yet!" Magnus made a point to clarify.
"If you just say 'it's cool' when Bapak finishes, he might never forgive you," the shadowhunter joked, causing giggles in his sons.
It didn't take long to finish. Max's nails were small and, anyway, it wasn't necessary to be perfect. Still with his hand stretched out, the little warlock raised them to Alec's face level and smiled.
"Look, Daddy! It's the same as my eyes!"
Alec observed the nails with a huge smile and the best expression of surprise he could put on his face.
"It's beautiful, baby. Did you like it?"
Max nodded, still smiling and delighted by the blue on his little fingers.
"Yes!"
The shadowhunter pulled Max into a hug while Rafe prepared to be his father's next manicure client. The red nail polish was actually a rust-colored shade, but Magnus believed that information wouldn't make much of a difference to Rafe. Just as he did with Max, it didn't take more than a few minutes for both of Rafe's hands to be painted. He seemed as surprised and delighted as the younger brother, and Alec and Magnus couldn't put into words the feeling of seeing their children so happy and fulfilled like this. Alec, who could never express who he really was, who as a child was afraid to even look at a boy, Alec, who often heard from his father that appearance was the most important thing in a man and the more masculine the better; Alec, who now is grown enough to know that he has two sons with the man he loves and will never tell them how they should express themselves to the world.
"Are the clients satisfied?" Magnus asked as he put the nail polishes back in the case, and the expression on the boys' faces already said more than a thousand words.
"It's perfect," Max and Rafe said in unison.
Rafe seemed to hesitate a bit, suddenly quiet and withdrawn as he stared at the nails. Alec approached his son as Magnus spoke with an excited and happy Max about his new blue nails.
"What's wrong, Rafe?" he asked, squatting down to be at the level of the little shadowhunter, his brown eyes meeting Alec's expressed genuine concern blue. "What happened? Did you not like the result?"
Rafe shook his head. "It's not that," he pouted, then sat on the floor. "I have training on Monday. Aunt Izzy said I would start using the bigger staves, and...and my classmates...if they see..."
Alec hated how he understood his son's feeling so well. He hated even more knowing that Rafe shouldn't even be worrying about something so simple, something that has nothing to do with others and which no one should care about, but unfortunately they do. Knowing that his son felt the same as little Alec felt years ago was so unfair.
"Hey, look at me," Alec said softly, taking the boy's little hand. "You don't have to wear it in training if you don't feel comfortable doing so, but you also can't get rid of something that makes you happy because you're afraid of what people will think. I understand how bad it is, really. It's not cool to hear these comments, but painting your nails doesn't define who you are. You're Rafael Lightwood-Bane. You're one of the best shadowhunters of your age, the best in archery. And if they care so much to the point of making ignorant comments about nail polish, you're also the smartest."
Neither of them noticed that Magnus and Max were beside them, listening to the conversation in silence. Max had his curious eyes on his brother, visibly worried about the sudden behavior. Magnus had his cat eyes shining directly at his son, but Rafe didn't feel reprimanded. He never felt, actually. Magnus's eyes were the closest to paternal comfort he ever reached. He could feel the love and genuine concern tucked inside those vertical pupils.
"It's so annoying," Rafe finally said after a moment of a strange silence. "You know, people still being like that. If someone who isn't a woman is using nail polish, why does it matter?"
"It doesn't matter, sweetheart. It's just a senseless rule they created many years ago and there are still idiots who believe everyone is forced to follow." Magnus intervened, and Alec almost reprimanded him for using the word 'idiot'. Almost.
"They're basic bitches!" Max cheerfully exclaimed, and the expression on the rest of the family's faces was too funny for Rafe not to burst out laughing while Alec was amazed. "What's so funny?"
"I can't believe it, Magnus!" Alec said, trying to hold back his laughter while maintaining the posture of responsible father between the two.
"Maxwell! I told you not to repeat those things near your dad!" Magnus whispered – although Alec and Rafe could hear – to the little warlock. "But he's right, what can I do?" he shrugged, prolonging the laughs mixed in the living room.
Rafe, with his eyes almost teary from laughing, looked at those two men he called fathers and said:
"You are the best dads in the world."