This is right after City of Ashes. I haven't read Glass yet, so no spoilers, please! :D Fun fun fun with Alec and Magnus... Enjoy!~Grey Silverstone

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare is the mother of Alec and Magnus (does that make this incest?) and I am not. So I can love them inappropriately. :D yessss.

"Magnus?" Alec hissed, climbing the warlock's stoop. There was no answer. He pulled the slim silver key from inside his jacket pocket, feeling his cheeks heat up as he did so. It wasn't as if he was dropping in unannounced; he'd tried to call. Magnus was just… busy. Or avoiding you, a voice in the back of his head quipped.

"Shut up," he muttered, closing the door behind him. There. That wasn't so bad.

"Excuse me?" The voice, though the one he had hoped to hear, was petulant. He flinched, fumbling with the key. It thunked down and rolled a few feet before stopping at fuzzy, sequined green slippers. Magnus.

"Not—"His voice caught; he cleared his throat to try again. "Not you. I was talking to me. Myself. Um, no one. Never mind."

Magnus raised his eyebrows and said nothing as Alec fumed. Finally: "If you're just going to stand there, I'm going to bed."

"I—no. I mean…" Alec sighed, trying to ignore his fraying nerves. "I came to thank you. And apologize. Whichever came first. So…thank you." Alec glanced up nervously.

"For what?" Magnus's angry glare was slowly melting into confusion. Alec took advantage of it while he could.

"Helping us. Saving us, back on the ship. Keeping us alive." His voice softened and he shrugged and stopped struggling. "Thank you."

"Oh." Was it him, or did Magnus look disappointed? He shrugged. "I offered my help, and I helped. Can I go now?"

"Wait! And…I…" Alec squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his lips between his teeth. This wasn't going the way he had wanted it to. Not right at all—

"What?" Magnus's voice was dangerously, temptingly close, startling Alec into opening his eyes. He took a step back and stumbled; Magnus caught him by the shoulders, only holding on long enough to steady him, then letting go. Too soon, Alec thought, in vain.

"You what?" Magnus repeated, shoving un-glittered, straight hair back and staring at him hard.

His hair was longer, Alec noted. Much longer; it was hanging in his eyes. "I…" Alec took a steadying breath. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Magnus's eyes on his were hard and unflinching. Alec looked down.

"For… for this."

"Alec…" Magnus sounded hurt, and Alec almost smiled.

"Shut up. Not… this this. I mean, for not… knowing. For being so confused."

"Alec." Magnus was smiling now, grin wide and Cheshire.

"What?"

In three short steps, Magnus was right in front of him again, but Alec, though beet red, didn't step back.

"There's nothing wrong," he said slowly, "with being confused." Slowly, he brought his face closer to Alec's, only stopping when their lips met gently, sweetly, then pulling away again with a smaller, sweeter smile.

Alec's expression mirrored his. "No?"

"Nope."

"Then why were you avoiding me?"

"Avoiding you?" It was Magnus's turn to look away. "I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. Look." Alec flipped out his phone. "No calls."

Magnus muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"What?"

"I said, Chairman Meow got curious." Hearing his name, the tuft of white and grey ran up to them and around Magnus's feet, picking at the sequins.

"Wait, what? What would a cat want with a cell phone?" Alec eyed the fur ball, wondering exactly what a warlock's cat did do.

Pink spots appeared on Magnus's angular cheekbones. "He thought it was a piece of tuna."

"A piece of… you made your phone look like fish?"

"Not for him. For a kelpie. It only looked like a fish. It really still tasted like a phone and everything—"

"Can't you just… I don't know, get it out of him?"

"Both ways would be unpleasant and messy. For both of us."

"Then how am I supposed to get in touch with you?" Alec knew he sounded petulant, but the cat was an inconvenience. He stepped back as it took a swipe at his shoes.

Magnus grinned and pushed Chairman Meow away with his slipper. "I could probably think of something."

And the door closed.