Smoke and Mirrors ▹ Alec Lightwood [1]

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER FORTY
SKY OF FALLING ANGELS

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     "Here." Adrian pulled a soft white shirt out of his closet and pushed it into Alec's chest. He'd come out of the bathroom wearing an ugly black sweater, only it was so old and faded that it looked dark brown instead. He had taken one look at the sweater and loose jeans and had promptly reopened his closet. He was already dressed in leather pants and a red silk shirt with long sleeves and a wide collar—both of which he had taken from Magnus one night, not that the warlock noticed—and he wasn't about to show up at a party with Alec looking anything less than exceptional. "Put this on. And this. Oh, this too." He pulled out a pair of tight jeans and added it on top of the white shirt, then added a golden bomber jacket.

"Do I have to wear the jacket?" Alec complained, letting the jeans and shirt rest over his arm as he held up the jacket. It was a dark gold. It made his hair look darker. Adrian thought it would look much better on Alec than it ever did on him, though Alec didn't seem to agree. Alec's nose wrinkled as he looked it over, glancing at Adrian with a pleading look. "It's not really my style."

"That's exactly why I chose it. I'm letting you wear a regular t-shirt, Alexander. You can wear a gold jacket. It won't kill you." Alec grumbled and set the pieces of clothing on the end of the bed, then pulled the sweater over his head and let it fall to the floor. Adrian leaned his shoulder against the wardrobe and tried not to make it too obvious that he was staring. Judging by the way Alec's shoulders were shaking in silent laughter, he wasn't doing a very good job. Too soon, the white shirt was on, and Alec was changing into the jeans next. Alec grunted in annoyance as he pulled them on.

"They're too tight," he grumbled as he buttoned them. Adrian grinned and walked forward, reaching up to play with Alec's hair, styling it just right so that his bangs fell in his face. Not in a way that Alec could hide behind them, but in a way that seemed stylishly messy. When he was done, he cupped Alec's face and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then the tip of his nose. Alec was a blushing mess when he pulled away, but at least he was no longer scowling. It only lasted a few seconds, however, before Alec was scowling again. "Why do I have to dress like you, exactly? Why can't I dress like me?"

"Alec, I love you and your crappy style in clothing—" Alec made a sound of offense and nudged Adrian. "—but this is a party, and everyone has to dress up during parties. What's the point of a party if you don't look nice?"

"I think the point of a party is to have fun," Alec said, voice flat. Adrian opened his mouth to argue with that, but found that he actually couldn't. Pressing his lips together, he let out a small huff and flicked Alec on the shoulder.

"Alec, I like seeing you in my clothes. Let me have this, by the Angel," Adrian said, giving up on his previous argument. It wasn't the real reason why he wanted Alec in his clothes, anyway. The truth was that he simply liked dressing him up. Alec never used to let him before they were dating, fighting tooth and nail until Adrian eventually gave up and pouted for at least an hour afterward. Now, Alec couldn't quite do that anymore, and he let Adrian press clothes into his chest with nothing but defeated sighs.

"I look ridiculous," Alec complained as he pulled the gold jacket on, grumbling under his breath. Adrian thought he was overdoing it just a little. There were far more extravagant and loud things in his closet he could have chosen for Alec to wear instead. The outfit he was wearing now was simple in comparison, something Adrian would have worn on a regular, casual day.

"You look beautiful," Adrian said immediately, tugging at the lapels of the jacket once it was on and bringing Alec closer. "You always look beautiful. How many times do I have to tell you that before you believe me?" Alec's cheeks went red, eyes shifting to the side in his embarrassment. Adrian reached up to cup his face, guiding his eyes back up to meet his. Alec took a deep, trembling breath before he dipped his head forward. The kiss was soft at first, almost shy and hesitant, like Alec was too embarrassed to even do it at all. Adrian pressed forward a little more, wanting to show Alec that he wouldn't mind if he kissed a little harder. He was expecting Alec to meet the pressure with some of his own. Instead, Alec fell back a step, and then another and another until his back hit the wall by the door. Adrian pulled away as soon as he heard Alec gasp into his mouth, suddenly hesitant himself.