#yes jelly jesus shall rule

[malecsecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @forensicsisabelle!

The Happiest of Holidays

“Do you celebrate,” Magnus asks randomly one night while they are out walking around the city.

“Do I celebrate what?” Alec answers softly.

“Christmas,” Magnus answers while looking at the tree in Rockefeller Center.

“Oh, no, not really.  I mean the institute puts up a tree, but I think it’s just for appearances sake, not that we get very many mundanes or anyone else who would care. Do you?” Alec, suddenly really curious.

“I do and I don’t. When I was a boy Islam was the religion where I lived, but my mother wasn’t all the interested, especially because my step father was white. But I’ve dabbled in almost every religion. There’s something magical in every faith.  Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to Christmas and the decorations. But Chanukah is also a very beautiful holiday. I’m very fond of Yul and Winter solstice.  I adapt to the situation I’m in.”

“I’ve never really cared to be honest.  We are descended from angels, and angels belong to many religions.  I know that the institutes in various countries celebrate according to the region they are in. people who have ascended celebrate what they were born into. Werewolves don’t have rules like that, Vampires have that God issue, and Seelies go with the flow, they would probably really like the whole worshipping a tree thing.”

“People don’t worship trees Alexander, it’s just a way to decorate the holiday with joy and love”

“Yes well, it’s all the same to me really.”

“I’ll have to change that.”

A week later Magnus dragged Alec to the Hotel Du Mort in search of his Catholic son and his Jewish fledgling.

“Can’t we just have met at the institute? The downworlder counsel exists for a reason Magnus.”

“I highly doubt you created it to learn about religion.”

“Well no, but it would still work.”

“Come now, this will be fun, and if nothing else you can scoff and roll your eyes at Simon as you enjoy doing.”

“Fine, but I want it known I’m doing this out of duress.”

“I’m fine with that.”

The two are granted entrance into the Vampire den and climb the stairs to Raphael’s penthouse suite.

“Does it not occur to these people to fix the elevator?”

“They have super speed Alexander, an elevator is hardly necessary.”

“Not all of us have that you know.”

“You have runes, I have magic, it equals out.”

“Then why are we walking?”

“We’re in no rush sweetness. I’m just enjoying your company,” Magnus bats his lashes at his boyfriend.

Alec rolls his eyes extra dramatically. “Okay I get it, let’s just get there already.”

Simon greets them at the door when they arrive. “This is really cool of you to ask Magnus, Clary never really cared about Chanukah because it was always so close to Christmas.  I’m excited to tell you about it.”

“Simon, let them come in before you scare them niño.”

“Right sorry, come in.”

“So Simon, why are you here celebrating instead of with Maia?” Alec asked suspiciously.

“When Magnus suggested this I figured it was easier to come here.  My stuff is portable, a tree is not.”

“Oh, yeh, right.”

“Anyway, do you want something to drink? Eat? We prepared some traditional holiday dishes.”

“Dios Mio, I prepared, he went to the store!”

“It was a group effort really.”

Magnus looked upon his children fondly, Alec was wondering around the apartment aimlessly.

“Is Izzy coming to this little get together?” He asked absentmindedly.

“Maybe, if she finishes her patrol in a timely manner, I usually don’t expect her ‘til much later,” Raphael said softly.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Alec had slowly become more comfortable with the idea of Izzy being in a relationship with the clan leader.  He made her happy.  She made him far more personable; he’s sure she is the only reason this little holiday thing was even happening.”

“Shall we get started? I don’t want to keep my night children from their night.”

Magnus and Alec sat down on the couch while Simon flitted around gather various things.

“Okay this is a menorah, they used to have ones like it in the temple-“

“Temple?” Alec looked confused.

“Right ok, um, I didn’t think this was gonna be a history lesson.”

Magnus chuckled, “it’s okay, I’ll fill in the holes later, go on.”

“Great, okay so the Temple used to use there candle/oil holders. But the one for Chanukah is called a Chanukiah.  So there was a fight. The bad guys tried to conquer the Jews, but somehow the Jews the prevailed.  But the temple was desecrated, and there was only a little bit of oil left. Somehow it burned for eight days. Most people say that was miracle of Chanukah but really it was that we won against a greater larger foe.   Anyway. We celebrate by lighting candles each night for eight night, we have games and we eat oily food, like latkes which are potatoe pancakes and donuts.”

“ That was…a lot.” Alec was trying to prcess.

“Sorry, I get excited.  If you have specific questions let me know.”

“ I think Magnus can fill in the gaps.  So this is a holy day?”

“I mean it’s not like the New Year or Yom Kippur but it is important.”

“Gotcha, I think.”

“Wait ‘til you hear Raph’s story, you’ll be begging for more of my story!”

Raph came to the living area carrying drinks for everyone, blood cocktails for himself and Simon, a martini for magus and a beer for Alec.

“Isabelle tells me you like this kind.”

“I do, very much, thank you.”

Magnus gestured for Raphael to sit and begin his Christmas lesson.

“It still pains me to talk at length about this, but I will tell the basics, if that’s alright.”

“Of course gendhakan.”

If vampires could blush Raphael would be, as he always does when Magnus uses that term of endearment for him.

“Alright, so Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. Who we believe to be the son of…” Raphael gets choked up and points upward. “His mother had a baby without having sex; it’s called the Immaculate Conception.”

“Yeh, even though Mary was married and clearly had sex with her husband.”

Raphael smacked him upside the head. “You had your turn!”

Simon rubbed at his head and apologized.

“As I was saying, Catholics take Christmas a little more seriously than other parts of the religion. I remember going to mass with my family. I swear I could feel…him around me.  It kept me grounded while I was growing up.  I think the tree tradition is as old as Magnus here.  It evolved from pre-Christianity. But I believe now it’s a way to outwardly celebrate what we feel inside. I usually don’t have one, too painful, but Isabelle got a small one as a gift to me and who am I to say no to her.”

Alec smiled; it was very hard to say no to Izzy.

“Okay, so someone mentioned food?” Magnus said to break the silence.

Simon jumped up and sped over to the kitchen. He rushed back with plates of potato pancakes, jelly donuts, Bacalao Navideno (Mexican Christmas salted cod) and cinnamon bunuelos(fritters).

Alec looked at everything with wide eyed, grateful he had listened to Magnus when he said not to eat much that day.

“Everything looks amazing anakku.”

“Thank you papa.”

Magnus started making plates for himself and Alec.  Simon sat watching them eat with rapt attention.

“Simon, can you stop staring?” Alec pointed his fork at him.

“Sorry! I sometimes miss food, or the first taste of holiday foods you only have once a year.” Simon looked downcast.

Raphael put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He understood.

When Magnus and Alec had eaten more than their fair share of food, they got up to go.

“What will you do with the leftovers,” Alec asked curiously.

“I’m taking some to Maia, and Raph promised Izzy he’d save her some of everything. Don’t worry; it will get eaten by those who can.”

“Thank you both for this.  It was a lot of information but I think I understand the gist of everything.”

“Of course Alec, anytime.  I’m glad I had someone to share this with.”

Alec smiled genuinely at Simon, grateful that this pesky nerd had found a way into his life.

“Portal or walk my love?”

“I think a stroll is in order.  Gotta work off all this food.”

“There are certainly other ways,” Magnus winked at Alec.

“No, not in here!” Raphael threw his hands up and fled to the kitchen to clean up.

“Love you too my boy!”

Both men left sated and peaceful.  The walk home was brisk and calm.

“Thank you for arranging this. Don’t think I don’t know what you were doing by getting Raphael and me in the same room for a considerable amount of time.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Magnus smiled while playing with his ear cuff.

Alec stopped, pulled Magnus to him with the hand he was holding.  “I love you, thank you for always taking care of me even when I don’t know I need it.” Alec leaned down slightly and kissed Magnus on his nose, smiling at how cold it was. He placed his forehead on Magnus’s and they just breathed into each other.

“Tonight was perfect. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“I want to share everything with you.”

“And I you cinta.”

Alec backed away and the two started walking again.  As they walked home they saw trees with lights and the menorahs in the windows of apartments above them.  Alec smiled a knowing smile, and he felt like maybe these holidays were something he could start doing, because with Magnus by his side, anything was possible.

Translations:

Nino: child in Spanish

Dios Mio: oh my god in Spanish

Gendhakan: sweetheart in Javanese

Anakku: my child in Javanese

Cinta: love in Indonesian