Author's Note: I wanted to write this since the moment I read the Clockwork Angel Epilogue. Although all sources point to the following not being the complete reason for why Will went to see Magnus, I think we can all agree that we did, for a moment, consider this happening. This story starts in the midst of the Clockwork Angel Epilogue and goes from there.

As with most everything I write, there is an element of slash in this. As for now it's a one shot but I have this bad habit of continuing stories I write so who knows. However, I'll probably bump up the rating to M for the next chapter, so keep that in mind. Also, with everything I write on this site, I OWN NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS. This is a work of fiction and it should be treated as such and enjoyed immensely. Thanks for reading!

Leave the Lights Off

Will is soaking wet when he rings the door bell, and his shins ache from picking up his soaked pant legs as he stomped through each and every puddle to get here. He's freezing cold and he hasn't drunk nearly enough to take the edge off any discomfort he's feeling. After a moment, there are heavy footsteps inside the door, and then the door opens. The doorman ushers Will in. Every noise from outside is swallowed in the vacuum of silence just inside the door. The house feels like a tomb, as if only death has dwelled here for many years.

The only light in the house comes from the candle the doorman is holding, and from a square of light at the far end of the long corridor that the imposing doorman was blocking. The candlelight reflects off the man's face and shadows pool beneath his eyes, making him look demonic. Will's fingers twitch in his palm, prepared to release the seraph blade he keeps against his forearm but then the cruel realizations sets in when Will realizes he is completely unarmed. The doorman glares, and Will asks to see the master of the house. Will follows the doorman down a long, dark, cold hallway to a brightly lit parlor where a fire burns in a fireplace. He's told to wait, and told that "Mr. Bane will be with you shortly."

Will waits.

It has taken so very long to get to this point. This was always an option Will never thought he would need to use. It has been so many months of denial, and distraction. Thinking when he shouldn't be thinking. Looking into silver eyes in the midst of a sweaty training session and instead thinking about how he could just as easily get lost in a pair of green cat eyes. Will can even remember the day, not so long ago, when Jem told him,

"You aren't enough for me, anymore."

But Will remained faithful to Jem. There had been an agreement when they swore as parabatai, that Will belonged to Jem and Jem belonged to Will, until the very end. Then Tessa has arrived, unexpectedly, and Will began to doubt every promise he and Jem had ever made.

It started with disapproval and then dissatisfaction, and Will thought that Jem might just be getting restless, that he didn't want a boy to sneak off to forgotten corners of the Institute with anymore. He didn't want the awkward groping through layers of clothing or the half dressed tease in Henry's crypt between training sessions. The thrill of sneaking around and pleasuring one another in near silence was gone. Now, Jem wants a girl to walk about town with, to hold hands with in the Library, and to be with in ways Will and Jem can't be, not in the eyes of the Clave, society, or anyone. Jem wants a girl, and Will just wants Jem.

Will remembers tonight and it's like a dagger through his heart. After Tessa came to the Institute, but in the days leading up to tonight, Jem regarded Tessa with a reverent respect. Before tonight, there was only the occasional shy touch, the sad smile, and the briefest of moments when Will left them alone.

Tonight, after Will descended from the roof, he had walked past the music room to hear Jem talking softly with Tessa. There were words said about the right man not caring and when Will looked through a crack in the door, he saw Jem looking at Tessa like he cared for her as more than just a friend. Jem looked at Tessa like he had been looking for her all along. Jem looked at Tessa the way he used to look at Will.

Then there was a feminine hand tangled in silver hair, a clockwork angel clutched between two beating hearts, and two pairs of lips pressed in a gentle embrace.

Will remembers how Jem's lips used to feel against his, and he runs his fingers over his mouth now and feels dry and cracked lips that burn whenever he licks them and bleed unexpectedly. The pain in his mouth distracts him from the burning ache in his chest that hasn't gone away since he saw Jem and Tessa together that way.

It's heart breaking, to know he'll never be enough for Jem. They've gotten older now and they don't kiss the way they used to kiss. There used to be such a fire between them, and Jem kissed with a thirst that Will could barely quench. Now, Will finds his hands touching Jem's, but he finds Jem's hands pulling away, avoiding what he used to welcome. Will finds Jem finding excuses…

"She has so many questions, Will. It's only right…"

And then, tonight. Was that only right?

So many girls that could have come between them before, but Tessa is different. She's oblivious to what she's doing and yet she's always there, always asking questions, always being what Jem needs: a soul who has lost everything and is looking for someone to hold on to. Will was never that to Jem. Will let his family go, he had nothing taken from him.

Will grips the mantel over the fireplace so hard, his knuckles turn white. He grinds his teeth, hard, painful, bone on bone, and he thinks about warm skin slipping against his, and silver eyes over him, warm lips kissing his lips, the quiet voice of the boy he loved whispering,

"Leave the lights on. I want to see you."

He thinks about all of the many nights spent sitting on Jem's bed, wrapped in sheets, bare shoulders exposed, staring at one another, waiting to join their bodies and lips again and again. When they were tired they would tangle their limbs together and sleep that way, burrowed beneath the covers, skin on skin, together. Jem was always so warm. They would wake up in the middle of the night and never had to say a word, just slip back into one another's arms and kiss as though they have never stopped. Their hands would wander and find the best places to touch. By then, it was all feeling anyway. The each knew the places on their bodies that responded best to each sort of touch. Jem could have been with Will a hundred times, blindfolded, and never once touch him in a way that didn't feel perfect.

"You aren't enough for me, anymore."

Jem had been only being honest but the truth cut far worse than the most dishonest lie. Jem wanted to fall in love but Will had been under the impression that they had already fallen.

Will's eyes well up with tears. He thinks of warm skin slipping away and Jem's silver eyes gazing into Tessa's grey eyes in the seconds after their kiss. Will thinks of her hand in Jem's hair and his hands on her back, pressing her against him. Will believed that nothing could have come between Jem and Tessa in that moment and now he wants to know what it's like to feel indestructible because he can't remember anymore.

"William?"

Will turns around and sees Magnus standing there, dressed in black trousers and a burgundy jacket. Magnus looks unsettled, like the idea of a soaked to the bone Shadowhunter was the last person he expected to see at this hour of the night. In that moment, every bit of resolve Will has been holding onto cracks and he bursts into tears. Magnus rushes over and wraps his arms around him. Magnus is warm. It feels as though he has been sitting beside a fireplace, and Will clings to him, digging his fingers into Magnus's back.

"What's the matter?" Magnus gasps, holding Will just as tightly. "Is it Jem…? Is he…" Magnus can't say the word he wants to. Will shakes his head. He knows what Magnus wants to ask, but the idea of death is so foreign to Will, right now. The fear of losing Jem has been replaced by the feeling that Will already has.

"Jem was with Tessa," Will stammers out. "He and his fucking cat! Since when did Jem want to be with a girl? He belongs to me!"

"With her?" Magnus asks. "You mean… sexually?" The thought of Jem being that intimate with a girl, with Tessa, causes bile to rise in the back of Will's throat. He fights back the desire to vomit.

"Just kissing," Will says. "For now, anyway." Will's tone is bitter and he does not care.

"And you're jealous," Magnus says, his voice nearly purring. He smirks.

"You're goddamn right I'm jealous!" Will pulls away but Magnus just wraps his arms around his cold, wet body, just a little tighter. "That's why I'm here. I need you to…"

"You need me to do what?" Magnus asks. His lips are just inches from Will's ear. His breath feels hot and dry. Will's shivering and he presses himself tighter against Magnus. "Should I send her away? He's human, Will, and so is she, and I can't stand in their way. If he loves her, there is just no stopping it." Will pushes his hands against Magnus's chest, trying to push him away, but Magnus doesn't let him go.

"Please," Will says, "if you aren't going to help me…"

"What are you going to do about it?" Magnus asks, and the next word Magnus wants to say is silenced by Will's lips against his as Will finally let's himself kiss someone besides Jem. It feels satisfying. Tomorrow morning, Jem will ask Will where he had gone the night before, and this time, Will can tell him the truth. He'll watch the pain flash across Jem's face and they will be even in their pain once more.

"This," Will whispers, and kisses Magnus again.

Magnus pushes him away. "You're drunk, Will."

"Not nearly enough," Will says. His eyes are on fire and he's looking Magnus up and down. He isn't sure who moves first but then they are pressed against each other once more. Magnus smells like vanilla and his lips taste like sweet brandy. Magnus, again, pushes Will away, putting a foot of space between them.

"I'm going to mix up a potion that should sober you, and then we'll portal back to the Institute together," Magnus said. "You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't…"

"I don't want to be sober," Will says, looking into Magnus's green eyes, "I want you."

"No," Magnus says. "This is the worst idea you have ever come up with, Herondale. You're drunk, you're heartbroken…"

"I want you. Take me," Will says, in the authoritative tone of voice he's been cultivating for some time. Magnus blinks once or twice, shocked at Will's tone, but his expression changes from stern to intrigued as he looks Will up and down, taking in the trembling boy who could have bathed in the Thames for how wet he is.

"You are going to regret this," Magnus says.

"That's what tomorrow is for," Will replies. Magnus grabs Will by the hand and jerks him away from the fireplace, across the room, and to the door. Will staggers after him, slamming into Magnus's shoulder when Magnus stops and peers out the door. Then, he pulls Will from the parlor, and into the cold, dark hallway. Their footsteps are barely muffled by the carpet as they hurry down the hallway, hiding among shadows.

"The doorman," Magnus whispers, and in a beam of moonlight from a window, Will sees Magnus's face pale and nervous as he keeps watch behind them. Magnus is still holding Will's hand, and their palms are starting to sweat where they are pressed together.

"Are you two an item?" Will asks, and Magnus grabs him by the collar of his shirt and slams him against the first door on the left. Will feels the shock of his back hit the door and then Magnus's body ram into his. He's just got his mouth open enough to take a breath when Magnus presses his lips to Will's again, clasping their hands tightly between their chests.

Magnus's kisses are so rough compared to Jem's sensual and gentle kisses, but Will doesn't mind. He feels a cut on his lip reopen and Will tastes iron and alcohol. Magnus's eyes are closed and Will's head is pressed against the door as his body absorbs all of Magnus's weight. Will wrenches his hand from Magnus's and forces his hands down their bodies, onto Magnus's waist band, feeling hipbones and warmth. Will is freezing and Magnus is an inferno.

Magnus grinds his hips against Will as he forces his tongue into Will's mouth; Will opens up and accepts it willingly. Will can feel blood dripping down his chin and when Magnus pulls away, for just a breath, Will sees that his lips are painted red. Then they kiss again, forgetting to breathe, ignoring the taste of blood and stale alcohol, focusing on the feeling of bare skin rubbing together. Will is kissing, hard and passionate, and Magnus is just trying to keep up.

Magnus slips his hands around Will's back, and his finger nails rake against Will's tail bone. Will gasps; his hips shake and he finds himself pressing against Magnus, harder. Magnus slides his hands down Will's ass, and he grips it tightly in his hands. Magnus begins to rub himself gently against Will as both of his hands slide back up Will's body and tangle themselves in Will's hair. Will feels Magnus, hard, beneath his pants and drawers, and Will is just as aroused as he. There are just so many layers of soaking wet clothing between them, and Will is dying for the feeling of warm, naked skin against his.

"What do you want?" Magnus whispers, and his mouth is curved into a half smile as he stares up at Will. Will leans over and licks at Magnus's lips, taking some of his blood back.

"I want you on top of me," Will replies. Magnus shivers, closes his eyes, and opens them. His pupils are huge in the dark, contracted to take in as much light as possible. Will runs his hands down Magnus's side and draws him close, feeling his heat against every part of his body.

"I can't," Magnus says.

"Of course you can," Will says. His fingers slip under Magnus's jacket. They find a way, past the shirt and undershirt, to Magnus's bare skin, stretched over taut muscles. Magnus feels like a man in Will's arms.

"You're with…"

"I'm not," Will says, "I never was." Magnus looks deep into Will's eyes, weighing his words and turning his thoughts over and over again.

"I'm with Camille," Magnus says, but he bites Will on the neck and then sucks on the spot, gently. He pushes Will's head to the side to give the same attention to the other side of his neck. Will closes his eyes and lets his fingers stroke Magnus's stomach. "She's not here at the moment, and…"

"Oh, Magnus," Will whispers, as Magnus licks up the side of his neck. His saliva stings as it traces over the rune just beneath Will's ear, giving Will a warning that he knows all too well.

Warlocks and Shadowhunters were never meant to mix. Will smiles. Sex with Magnus is going to hurt but it's just the sort of pain Will needs to distract him.

"What?" Magnus asks.

"When your wife finds out about this she is going to KILL you," Will says, and Magnus grabs a handful of Will's hair and slams his head against the wall, hurting him now so he can heal him later.

Will laughs and Magnus kisses his lips again. Will pushes him away and then they are running down the hallway, pausing to lick and kiss and touch, until Magnus finally reaches a door, opens it, and throws Will inside. Will hears the door lock before Magnus is in his arms again.

"The doorman will never know," Will says, and he lifts his arms as Magnus rips Will's shirt down the center, tossing it in a tattered pile onto the floor. Magnus kisses Will on the chest, exhaling hot air on his goose fleshed skin, and Will finally allows himself moan out loud before they return to kissing.

Will hastily strips Magnus down, Magnus jerks Will's soaking wet pants down so hard Will nearly falls, and Will kicks them off and falls onto the bed. Magnus climbs onto the bed as well, immediately straddling Will and pressing his body down into the feathery soft bed.

There's a line of light coming from outside the window, breaking up the inky blackness of the room. Will can just barely see cinnamon colored skin and dark hair and eyes that look so similar to Jem's. There is the warmth as well. Magnus radiates the heat Will has been searching for. This heat is the reason why Will went out into the cold night. He needed to find a way to be warm again, and now, he has found it.

Magnus looks down at the boy between his legs. He's perfect.

"Are you sure?" Magnus asks, quietly. He places a hand on Will's chest and rubs him, gently. Will focuses his eyes on Magnus and nods. "It's going to hurt, you know." Will nods again. Some of the best joy is born out of the worst pain.

Magnus kisses Will again, gently this time, letting his hand remain against Will's jaw line, just over the pulse that beats at his neck. Then he points to a kerosene lamp on the bedside table, prepared to snap his fingers and ignite the wick.

"No," Will whispers, "leave the lights off."

It's a simple enough request. Everything about this has been simple and certainly more than enough.

Author's Note: I never like to play favorites so I will let you know that I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading it as well. Please feel free to let me know if you enjoyed reading it. I have had a few new story ideas and this is the first one that really came together. Thanks for reading!