A/N: This chapter does deal with some homophobia, just so you know before you read it!
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Jace and Alec rarely showed affection in front of other people. Soft kisses and gentle touches were reserved for when they were alone, when there was no one to tell them that their relationship was wrong, or that their love was revolting.
Instead, in front of others, there were fleeting touches, smiles and looks that only the other understood. If one of them had a particularly challenging day, a brief touch on the back from the other boy would let them know they weren't alone. When they shared a look, though it might seem like nothing to others, to them they were silent conversations that only they could understand.
When they were out in public, in front of complete mundane strangers, it was different. Of the two, Jace was more open about their relationship. When they walked down the crowded streets of New York, sometimes glamoured and sometimes not, Jace would often reach for Alec's hand and intertwine their fingers together enjoying the slight trill of being able to hold his boyfriend's hand without any consequence.
Alec, unlike Jace, preferred to keep their relationship to himself. He didn't like the attention they got when Jace would grab his hand. He didn't like how he could almost feel their eyes burning into his skin, how he could almost hear them whispering amongst themselves. Alec knew it was irrational to worry about what mundanes thought, but it didn't stop him from feeling a wave of fear and apprehension rush through him every time Jace grabbed his hand.
Looking outside to see the last of the snow had melted, Jace had announced that he wanted Taki's, so naturally he dragged his parabatai along with him. It was a nice day out, the winter weather had finally subsided, and the sun was bright and warm. Jace found himself staring at the dark haired boy beside him as the light from the sun cast shadows off his face.
"You're staring," Alec pointed out.
Jace hummed in response, but continued to look at Alec fondly.
"Take a picture," Alec said, playfully nudging him. "It'll last longer."
Jace snorted a laugh. "Oh, trust me. I will." But nonetheless, he turned away, his hand reaching down to grab Alec's.
There hadn't been any demonic activity near them today, meaning there had been no reason for Alec or Jace to bother putting any runes on, including glamours. Normally the two boys got quite a lot of attention from girls when they went out in public without any glamours, so it wasn't unusual to feel the weight of eyes on them. It was only when Jace and Alec passed a group of college guys, all in their early twenties, when they realized how much attention they were really getting.
"Nice day," A brunette from the group called, snickering to his friends. "Isn't it, faggots?"
Before Alec had time to react, Jace's head had snapped up in the direction of the college boys, and was reaching for the brunette's throat. "What did you just fucking say?"
Instantly, the brunette's group of friends approached Jace, as if they were ready to fight him to defend their friend. The boy struggled to respond, his fingers clawing to loosen Jace's tight grip, though this only caused the shadowhunter to tighten his grasp on the brunette, causing his face to turn bright red from the lack of air.
As another boy approached Jace, his hand in the air, ready to swing, Jace flung the brunette to the floor, and turned his attention to the other boy. The shadowhunter moved so fast, that before the boy could land his swing, he was crumpled on the floor with a broken nose.
Jace grinned sadistically, beckoning the rest of the mundanes on. "Who's next?"
Only, before anyone could do anything, Alec was standing in front of Jace with his hands on his parabatai's shoulders to hold him back. "Jace, stop."
Jace looked at the dark haired boy exasperatedly, his gold eyes were dark and angry, and suddenly Alec could see how Clary often compared him to a lion. "Alec, let go of me. Those douchebags need to be taught some manners."
Alec sighed and shook his head, tightening his grip on Jace. "No, they aren't worth the fucking trouble." Then, seeing a new boy approach them ready to pick another fight, Alec spun on his heel. "You saw what happened to your friends. Either you walk away, or I'll watch as he breaks all of your legs."
Something in Alec's expression must have convinced the boy he was serious, as the boy backed off to help his friends up before basically running away.
When Alec turned back to look at Jace, he saw a frown plastered on the blonde's face. "Look, mundanes are weak, you could have easily hurt them, and then we would have been in shit from The Clave."
Jace rolled his eyes. "It would have been worth it, they were asshats."
Alec scoffed and reached out to grab Jace's hand. "Asshats? Really?"
Jace nodded, but a fond smile had already began to form on his lips.
"Really though, you can't let them get to you."
Jace looked at Alec sideways. "I don't give a shit what anyone says to me, no one is allowed to hurt my parabatai."
Alec raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Do you really think I care what a mundane has to say about me? I've listened to The Clave and The Counsel whisper about me for years. It will take a lot more than a group of insecure jocks to hurt me."
Jace flinched a little, knowing how everyone had reacted after Alec had finally come out. How after years of being asked why he hadn't found a nice girl, Alec had finally snapped and told them it wasn't a girl he wanted. Looking back, Jace wished he could have been brave enough to call out the whispers and tell them how amazing Alec was, but he hadn't, he'd been too busy fighting his own feelings.
"I'm sorry. I should have been there to fight all the gossiping assholes in The Clave."
Alec let out a soft laugh. "It wasn't your fight, don't apologize. Besides, it only made me stronger."
Jace smiled at his best friend, and squeezed his hand lightly. They had finally arrived at Taki's, and Jace was starving. "Pancakes?"
"Pancakes? After last night?" Alec winked. "I'm going to need a lot more than just pancakes to refuel me."
The blonde's eyes widened marginally and began to laugh loudly.
Around them, a group of nixies just shook their head. Nephilim.
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A/N
If you have an idea or prompt for a certain letter, let me know in the comments! All suggestions and votes are appreciated :)
And thank you to my beta @tmi_mickey
