Alec wasn't sure when he fallen asleep. Regardless, there was a familiar something that woke him from his slumber. His sea blue eyes cracked open slightly, seeing the soft purple-pink walls in his vision as well as the multi-colored adornments that littered across Magnus Bane's bedroom. However, that wasn't the thing that woke him. He felt a soft tickle down the side of his rib cage and a familiar warmth that cradled from behind.

He took a deep breath through his nose, his breath exhaling in a tired moan. Flipping over onto his back, his head lulling over to the other side of the bed, coming face to face with his bed mate. The gold cat eyes were staring back at him, but instead of scaring him, it made Alec smile pleasantly. Now everyone that knew Alec that a smile like that wasn't one that came easily to the Shadowhunter. The Downworlder eyes stared back at him without faulting, and soon, those familiar lips parted as words tumbled from them.

"You seemed to have slept pleasantly," said Magnus; Alec took a moment to internally admire the fact that Magnus's purple eyeliner and glitter eye shadow hadn't moved a single bit since he had fallen in bed with him, "You make cute little puppy noises when you're having a good dream."

Alec looked slightly horrified, but it didn't impact him as much as it would have if he were more conscious.

"I was dreaming?" he asked.

"Oh yes. I couldn't tell what of, but it was definitely adorable of you, Alexander."

Alec moaned a little, rubbing his face. He had been intimate with Magnus several times since the first meeting at his loft party, but there were still a few things that he was embarrassed to do around Magnus — such as dreaming and making noises while doing it.

"No worries, Alexander," said Magnus with a sly grin picking up at the corner of his lips, "You've made cuter noises when I'm on top of—"

"Okay, okay, no!" Alec exclaimed, sitting up in bed, forgetting temporarily that he was still naked from his previous romp with Magnus. He took a deep breath, raking his fingers angrily through his black hair. He didn't even want to look at Magnus. He was probably either very amused, or irritated. Right now, Alec wasn't sure if he wanted to find out which one it was.

"Was it something I said?" Magnus's voice came from his right.

"No," Alec immediately replied, running his hands down his face and plopping between his legs on top of the sheets, "What time is it? I didn't realize I had fallen asleep."

"A little passed three in the morning."

"SHIT!"

Alec threw the blankets off of him, scrambling helplessly for his underwear. He cursed as he flopped out of the bed as gracefully as a newborn giraffe, fumbling for his boxers as he tugged them on around his hips, finding his clothes that he had come over in.

"Magnus, where the hell is my—" Alec began to say, turning his head only to find a purple glittered finger pointing to the bed post where his shirt was hanging ever so helplessly on top of the spire, "—thanks."

Alec stood up and tugged the faded black sweater from the top of it and tugged it on over the top of his head, fitting it around his slim waist. He was about ready to leave after he had finished putting his boots on, until Magnus interrupted his train of thought.

"Alexander," the warlock declared, "why the rush?"

"If I don't get back to the Institute, I'm pretty sure my sister will kill me," Alec said, finishing off tying his boot as he stared back at Magnus's eyes, "Or worse, my mother."

Magnus chuckled, but not for long. His back hit the intricately designed headboard, his chest still bare but his narrow cat eyes boring back into Alec's blue ones.

"Before you go," he stated with a glimmer of affection and curiosity, "would you tell me what you were dreaming about?"

Alec panicked a little. He knew what he had dreamed, but he just shook his head, giving him a goofy face of 'not sure', and shook his head.

"I can't remember. Dreams are a fickle thing, aren't they?" Alec asked with a soft laugh, nervously shifting on the tips of his toes.

Magnus looked disappointed, his gaze falling to the window on the other side of the room.

"Very."

Alec had made his way back to the Institute with no problem. It was inching closer to 3:30 in the morning before he hit the church steps. Mentally, he declared the door to open and made his way inside where the broken pews were and toward the elevator. His hands were tucked haphazardly into his wrinkled jeans. His head was cast downward a little, his thoughts drifting back toward Magnus and the dream he had asked him about. Alec took in a slow breath, letting it out slowly in a puff.

When the elevator came to a stop, his hands pulled it open and there was a mew that made him jump. His blue eyes widened and he looked toward the floor, and even in the darkness of the hallway, he saw Church at his feet, his reflective eyes boring into his head.

"Church!" Alec hissed under his breath, waving his hand as if to swat at the dark furred animal, "Go away!"

Church let out what sounded like a mix of a purr and a huff, if that were even possible. Alec groaned, raking his hand through his hair again, trying to walk around the cat to get to his room.

However, Church had decided to wiggle his way beneath his feet, tripping Alec up along the way. He let out a string of curses, nearly ready to start kicking Church — that is until footsteps approached and Alec felt everything tighten in his body. His eyes looked up in a frenzy, feeling his heart start pounding in his chest. He was expecting Isabelle or his mother. However, out of the darkness came fair blonde hair that had a slight shine to it underneath the hallway lighting.

"Jace, you scared the hell out of me," Alec snapped, kicking Church lightly in the butt.

He turned and looked at him, letting out what sounded like a growl.

"Oh piss off, you little shit. You did this on purpose."

Church let out a pleased purr before strutting his way down the hallway. Alec looked up at Jace with a forlorn sense of acknowledgement. Jace, as it turned out, had a half-cocked smirk on his face and a risen eyebrow that was almost accusing Alec of where he had been. Alec groaned and shook his head, walking forward and attempting to get passed him.

"Don't ask," Alec said.

"You know I'm going to," Jace trailed along behind him.

Alec sighed and stopped in the hallway, looking at Jace with an exasperated and slightly tired look. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep at Magnus's loft. He was desiring the comfort of his own bed in the Institute now.

"I was out. That's really all you need to know," Alec said, shrugging his shoulders with his hands still tucked comfortably in his pockets.

"I got that much," Jace quipped, tilting his head as if to bore into Alec's mind to read his thoughts. Alec just simply turned his gaze away as if the wall lamp held much more interest than his parabatai, "Where were you?"

"None of your business."

Alec rolled his eyes and stalked down the hallway after his very snappy comment toward Jace. He didn't want to talk about it. How could he discuss the person he had been sleeping with to the person that he loved the most in this world?

"My best guess is going to be Magnus Bane unless you tell me outright," came Jace's amused voice.

Alec stopped in his tracks, his face flushed in anger and he spun on Jace. He looked almost tortured with the way that he stared at his brother. He swallowed hard, but didn't say anything. It would assure Jace that was where he was without Alec having to admit it.

"You're very poor at hiding it," Jace commented, walking forward to meet Alec further in the hallway again, "You could have stayed over, you know."

"I know," Alec said quickly, looking sheepishly up at Jace, "I just had a dream. Didn't want to stay there longer than I had to. Didn't want to bother him, I guess."

"What was the dream about?" Jace asked.

Alec's heart clenched, and his brow creased, looking up at Jace with a hard stare. He wanted to tell him, but his heart was telling him not to. Rationality was dictating one part of him while his heart overcame all rational thought. Alec shook his head.

"I don't really remember. I really need to go to bed," Alec murmured, walking away from Jace. This time, the blonde didn't follow or try to stop him.

Once Alec got into his room, he took a deep breath and flopped onto the bed. He didn't try to take any of his clothes off for now, mostly because he knew that he had lied to both Magnus and Jace about the dream. He licked his bottom lip, his stomach churning. It was killing him not to tell someone, or something, what his dream about. Alec quickly sat up from his bed with a sigh. He walked over to his dresser where a small notepad rested with a pen on top. Alec plucked it from the dresser, flipping open the cover to a blank page.

Alec hesitated, his stomach in such distress with nerves and butterflies that he barely had the strength to put the pen on the paper. It was subtle, but it wouldn't give Magnus too many ideas. Jace couldn't know. He wanted to preserve at least the notion that Jace could possibly…

But he wouldn't. Alec closed his eyes tightly — the original fierce ocean blue was now replace with a dark navy as his thoughts turned to that of Jace and how much he loved Clary and would never return the gestures.

Alec wrote what he wanted to say, and he plucked his stele from its resting place in his room, conjuring up a small fire in the fireplace. He took a deep breath, glancing at the note before folding it up and igniting it in the fire — ultimately sending it to Magnus Bane's apartment. When it completely drifted away and the fire was extinguished, he couldn't help but smile as he stood and made his way back to his bed.

While laying in bed, Alec couldn't really sleep. When slumber finally did claim him, his written words on the piece of paper were engraved in the back of his eyelids:

You want to know what I dreamed about? It was about you.