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magnus bane

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It isn't even December yet, and already the city is covered with season decorations that make Elvis cringe every time he steps out of his apartment. There were probably Christmases he enjoyed as a child, but it's hard to remember those now, all of them overshadowed by the year he was twelve. Holiday cheer just about went out the window the year they found his mother's body. However, while Christmas may very much not be his thing, he does have a girlfriend whose birthday is in a week and a half, and he's got to do something about that. He won't just not get her a present because he hates this time of year. If anything, whatever small celebration they have will be a welcome respite from the weight of the rest of the season, a few hours in which he doesn't have to think about the approach of Christmas, just Gwen.

She's never really easy to shop for — no one is, though he also doesn't often go out of his way for anyone else — mostly because he doesn't buy into all of this commercialistic crap, and he doubts she would want anything along those lines, either. He just wants to find something small and thoughtful. He's wandered into a few jewelry stores, remembering the microscope necklace he gave her the first time they celebrated her birthday together, so far coming up blank, and then into a bookstore, where he's usually likely to find something. He's given her favorite books of his before, something they might be able to connect over. When it comes to science, he's a bit at a loss — or, well, he's good at it, but in a different sort of way than applies to her — so something along those lines is generally out, but maybe he can at least get some sort of idea here.

Rounding a corner into another aisle, he almost doesn't look twice at the man he sees there, until Elvis realizes that he looks familiar. There are many few people in Darrow for whom that's the case, so when it hits him, he figures he might as well ask. "Hey," he says. "You're Magnus, right? Alec's husband."

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As time passed and the Christmas season approached, Magnus found himself growing more and more cheerful, more and more excited for the end of the year and the new one to come. Part of the holidays, of course, meant presents. While he could just as easily have summoned up some gifts or conjured dozens of personalized potions, Magnus actually liked the act of shopping. Materialistic as he was, to some extent, he couldn't deny the joy of walking into his apartment after a day of shopping, hands full of bags each carrying something special.

He was doing some early shopping because no matter how hard one tried, one always forgot someone on the list. Better to start early and not scramble at the end then wait. Magnus preferred to spend his holidays relaxed and joyful, not elbowing someone out of the way at the register.

He looked up in mild surprise as he didn't recognize the voice straight off. But after a moment's hesitation, he placed the face without trouble. "And you're Elvis," he said, offering out a beringed hand, nails painted in silver glitter. "Alec's friend. Forgive me for not making the full rounds at the wedding. There was a lot going on."

"Yeah, there really was," Elvis says, letting out an exhale of a laugh as he reaches out to shake Magnus's offered hand. "I don't think I would've been able to, either. I did a lot of sticking to the sidelines, anyway." It's what he always does at parties, though Gwen at least helps bring him a little more out of his shell, so to speak. After the ceremony itself, he'd been more focused on her than much of anything else, which he probably could have expected.

While he'd gone out of his way to make sure he congratulated Alec, though, he never did wind up making his way to Alec's husband, so however unexpected their coming across each other may be, he's glad to have a chance to change that now. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Ah, I see why Alec likes you. Meeting up on the sidelines," Magnus joked with a chuckle. Jest aside, it always brought him happiness to know that Alec was not completely alone in his brooding. With Isabelle gone, he needed friends more than ever. That often proved difficult for him, even though Magnus knew that there was a loyal and true friend underneath that intimidating exterior, someone that everyone could appreciate.

"But it's nice to meet you, too." Taking back his hand, Magnus waved it to encompass the store in a loose circle. "So, up to a little Christmas shopping? Or browsing for yourself?"

"Yeah, something like that," Elvis says, one corner of his mouth pulling a little higher as he nods. All joking aside, it is nice to know someone with whom he has that in common. He's never had a lot of friends, has never wanted to have many in the first place, but he has always found it a hell of a lot easier to get along with someone who gets that. There have only been a rare few exceptions, one of them a woman he tries to think about as little as possible, another his girlfriend. Gwen pulls him out of his shell enough.

At the question, he shakes his head. "Birthday shopping, actually. My girlfriend, it's her birthday on the 10th, so I figure I ought to take care of that first."

Now that Elvis had mentioned her, Magnus did seem to recall a pretty blonde girl who had been at his side during the party. Again, Magnus had not had time to go and greet her properly as well, but at least he remembered the connection. He was grateful that he and Alec had collected friends who didn't stand on ceremony, otherwise he would have been afraid of being read the riot act about now.

He held up a finger to give himself a moment to think, then snapped lightly. "Gwen, right? At least I can remember my own guest list. And she's a reader? Or are you trying to make her into one?"

"Good memory, yeah," Elvis says, brow raising, slightly impressed. "Gwen, yeah. And she's a scientist, really, but I never know what the hell to get her along those lines, so I figure I have a pretty good idea of what she likes to read by now." It isn't the most sentimental gift, but at least it's a thoughtful one, that she'll be able to get some use out of, and there will still be time for him to find something a little less practical to go along with it — not very much time, but time all the same. He might never outdo that first Christmas, before they were even a couple, when he bought her a microscope necklace and a stack of his favorite books, but maybe he can come close. "It's a start, at least."

Magnus nodded thoughtfully, already thinking of suggestions that he might make. Elvis hadn't asked for suggestions and perhaps he didn't need them at all. But Magnus couldn't help himself when it came to gifts and presents. He liked to have the perfect gift in mind for each friend. Of course, he didn't know Gwen at all, but there were some generic things that could please anyone interested in science.

"Have you thought about getting an original or older edition or some text that's in her realm of study? Or is she not much of the collector?"

"You know, that's not actually a bad idea," Elvis replies, head tilting to the side. Even if it isn't something she could do much with where her work now is concerned, she'd almost certainly find it fascinating, and be able to get some good use out of it. He isn't exactly sure where or how he'd go about finding such a thing, but it would be a far cry from some generic trinket, and that, he thinks, is what counts. "I don't know if I'd say she's a collector, but I think she'd definitely like something like that."

Magnus nodded his approval with a small, self-satisfied grin. He still had it and it felt good. Darrow had put a minute cramp on his style given the sometimes limited resources and the lack of inspiration from other cultures and countries and people. But Magnus had been gift-giving for centuries. It was hard not to be able to hit on something clever.

"That or one of those cute molecule necklaces I've seen floating around. Like caffeine or something." All scientists and researchers needed caffeine to live, didn't they?

"Alec, of course, is impossible to buy for if only because I don't like to give him weapons."

"Yeah, I can see how those might not make for the best Christmas presents," Elvis says, voice a little wry. There's probably plenty of other time for that, anyway. He may not be much a fan of Christmas himself, or particularly overtly romantic, but whether for the actual holiday or Gwen's birthday, he still likes to aim for something in the realm of sentimental. Granted, his girlfriend doesn't have a penchant for weapons, but even if she did, he would probably want to go for something more thoughtful, even if it wound up being off-base. "Those are cute, though, those necklaces. I gave her one that was a little microscope charm a few years back, but it's not like she can only wear one piece of jewelry, right?"

Magnus shrugged helplessly. What could he do? Marrying a Shadowhunter was his choice, not something forced upon him. But sometimes he wished Alec was a little more amenable to experimenting with his fashion more than experimenting with his weapons. Just once in a while.

"Oh, they're adorable and no, one can never have enough jewelry. I mean..." He waved a hand at himself, at the three necklaces, seven rings, watch and bracelet. "I'm totally unbiased, obviously."

"Obviously." Elvis lets out a laugh at that, an unusual genuine one. Usually, that sort of ostentatiousness would be something he'd roll his eyes at, but that isn't the case now. Maybe it's just because his first real introduction to Magnus, even though they didn't actually meet then, was the wedding. All of that had been far more extravagant than his own tastes would have called for, but he'd seen how it suited each of them, in a way, and it really had been a lovely ceremony. That, apparently, goes a long way. Then again, Alec is one of the few people here he would consider a friend, so maybe it shouldn't be surprising that he would be inclined to think well of Alec's husband. "I don't think she'd ever go for that much, but you do make a good point."

Magnus could tell that clearly Elvis wasn't one for such flashy displays, which meant that his girlfriend also probably leaned the same way. Unless they were like Alec and Magnus himself, opposites attracting. Like more often called to like. But a little sparkle here and there went a long way. For Magnus, a lot of sparkle went even further.

He nodded approvingly and jokingly said, "Well, now that I've solved one shopping issue for you, I could do the rest of your list. Who are you thinking of for Christmas? Or do you even do Christmas?" While Elvis appeared to be someone Magnus might run into on the street back home in Brooklyn, that didn't mean he had come to Darrow that way.

"I'm... not really a Christmas person," Elvis admits, his expression an almost apologetic wince. It's not a subject he tends to get into, mostly because it's too fucking morbid for most people, especially those he isn't already close to. Still, he supposes he can talk around it. He isn't just going to lie and say he's looking forward to celebrating a holiday that he dreads every year. "Wasn't a great time of year for my family, back home. I've got a few people I might try to find something small for, but..."

He shrugs. It's hard to buy into all of the commercialistic shit surrounding it, to put up with Christmas carols and excessive cheer being shoved in his face in the name of trying to track down something nice for the few people here he actually cares about. Maybe he'll get belated gifts, once the decorations are down and everything is on sale. Chances are, he wouldn't be exchanging gifts with anyone before then anyway.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Magnus said. Of course he felt badly for his faux paus, but he didn't let it stop him. Over the centuries, Magnus had learned that it was impossible to stay completely within the realms of polite conversation and never make any mistakes. What mattered was moving on from them quickly but not so quickly that it drew attention to the fact that there had been an error in the first place. It was delicate work, but Magnus had honed it as a skill.

"It's better that way, to be honest. I think that's really what the holidays are really supposed to be about. Something small and personal. It used to be far less commercialized. I mean, it used to honestly be about religion and being with people. Gifts were secondary. But of course, we have to make money now and spend it." He rolled his eyes.

"So your girlfriend's a scientist. What do you do, Elvis?"

"Oh, s'fine," Elvis says with a shrug. It's usually an awkward conversation, and mostly, he appreciates the fact that Magnus hasn't pushed for information. It's too personal, for one, and it tends to be a rather immediate conversation killer. Even with Gwen, he doesn't much talk about the Christmas they found his mother floating in the river; she knows, and therefore she knows his aversion to the holiday, and that's enough. Better to just let it speak for itself and move on. "It comes up a lot when Christmas rolls around."

The latter tends to be a bit of a morbid subject, too, but at least it's an easier one to talk about. "And I'm a mortician," he answers. "It was the family business back home, and then I just stuck with it."

"Oh!" Magnus noised with somewhat genuine interest. He wasn't particularly keen to learn the ways of the trade, all the gritty and gory details, but it was an unusual line of work, something he rarely encountered. After centuries of having to watch people pass around him, death didn't scare him. Loss hurt, badly; that never changed. But the reality of death was settled in his mind.

There was a dark joke here about an influx in business post-Purge, but even Magnus was not crass enough to go there.

"Do you enjoy it? I know that family businesses can feel more like a burden than a calling sometimes, but other people seem to take to them easily given that that's all they know."

"I do, yeah," Elvis says, brow raising slightly as he nods. He's well aware that it's got to sound weird as hell, and maybe a little insensitive, to say outright that he likes what he does, but Magnus's interest seems genuine, not like he's bothered by the prospect of it, which is a nice change of pace. Most people tend to find it off-putting, if not outright upsetting. "I can't say there aren't other things I wouldn't've thought about doing, but... You grow up around something like that, it becomes normal pretty quickly."

He never had a chance to think about it otherwise. Besides, like all jobs that could potentially be considered unpleasant, someone has to do it. He knows what he's doing and knows he's good at it, so it might as well be him.

"I can imagine." Here was an opportunity for Magnus to tell Elvis about his own past. Being raised by a group of (essentially) monks who had their eyes removed or stitched over, along with their mouths, inured Magnus at a young age to a particular brand of grotesqueness that turned the stomachs of even the most valiant Shadowhunters. But such things were rarely spoken about even with Alec, let alone a friend of Alec's that Magnus had only just properly met.

"You didn't think of doing those other things here?" he asked. "Or are they things like... airplane pilot, which aren't exactly in heavy demand here."

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