A/N: Hey guys, so I'm meant to be doing an assignment right now, but I got a little distracted after reading City of Ashes with that scene when Alec tells Jace he fell on his neck to hide his hickey, and that plus the fact that I read Malec's first kiss and first date stories the other day inspired me to write this! It's just a silly little thing I wanted to imagine, so enjoy!

"We could always see each other in secret, it could be kind of hot,"

Alec resented those words not long after Magnus has said them, along with the suggestive wink he had given; he was currently trying to sneak out of the Institute in pitch black darkness, and cursing Magnus for his ability to create portals. Alec couldn't believe he was doing this for the second night in a row, that Magnus had wanted to see him again after their first unofficial date; they hadn't even done— anything, they had been caught in conversation after what Magnus called 'second dinner', and before Alec knew it, it had been late.

Something about talking to Magnus had been so easy, he remembered as he shifted his grip on his boots so they didn't fall; maybe it was the two – or was it three? – glasses of wine in his system last night, but Alec had talked and talked, opening up to Magnus like he had never done with anyone else before. It was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he let everything out, telling Magnus about his parents, Clary's arrival, Valentine, Jace…

And Magnus had simply listened, offering the occasional nod of encouragement or gentle smile of understanding, silently until Alec had run out of words and energy, and when he showed him out, Alec had really thought they might…

"Alec?"

He froze in his tracks at the voice, not daring to look up as his heart thumped in his chest like a jack hammer at the thought of who had spoken, who else was watching him; Clary? His parents? Jace?! Cursing under his breath, he reluctantly turned around to find Isabelle standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a steaming mug in her hands and her thick black braid frizzy from trying to sleep,

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, her eyes falling on Alec's boots in his hand "And why are you dressed at midnight?" Alec's tongue was suddenly too big for his mouth,

"I, uh, I'm going out," he inwardly cringed at the way Isabelle narrowed her eyes as she moved towards him; it wasn't his best cover up, and he knew his sister could see straight through it,

"Alec," she said slowly, raising an eyebrow, and he faltered,

"Look, I'm going to see someone, OK?" he said, hoping that would satisfy her "and I'm going to be late,"

"Who do you have to be seeing at midnight?" Isabelle asked her brother; she clearly wasn't dropping this until he told her, so he did so, his voice a barely audible mumble as he stared at his feet.

"What was that?" Isabelle asked, and Alec took a hasty look around him before raising his voice slightly.

"Magnus," he said "I'm seeing Magnus," he hoped he wouldn't have to clarify further; if she asked whether they were dating, what would he say? Did one date where they didn't even kiss mean that they were dating? The thought set off an uncomfortable mixture of fear and excitement in Alec's stomach, but he kept his face neutral as he watched his sister apprehensively,

"As in seeing him seeing him?" she finally asked, although the tone in her voice told him she probably already knew the answer.

"Yeah," Alec cursed himself for the breathiness in his voice as he answered her, like a teenager with a pointless crush, but he couldn't help it; nor could he help the smile on his face at his next words "Yeah, I think so,"

"Alec, I'm so happy for you!" Isabelle smiled, pulling her brother in and throwing her arms around his middle in a tight hug,

"Why?" Alec chuckled as she pulled back "We haven't even gone on our second date yet,"

"Because," she said earnestly "tonight is the first time I've seen you smile like this in years,"

It was nearly impossible for Alec to be quiet as he returned to the Institute later that evening and let the doors swing shut behind him; he just couldn't seem to find it in himself to care, what did slamming the door matter when you just had one hell of a first kiss?

"Alec?" a voice startled him on his way to his bedroom, and he turned to see Jace standing in the doorway to his own room watching him, his head tilted slightly and his eyes questioning "What are you doing up?" it was as if the high Alec was riding had burst like a balloon, and he was plummeting back to earth, trying desperately to build himself a safety net before he crashed.

"I could ask you the same thing,"

"I heard the front door bang," Jace said "light sleeper, remember?" Alec did, and made a mental note to be quieter next time. Jace could wake at the sound of a pin dropping "So, where have you been?" Alec hesitated, deciding he had already told one too many people about his nights with Magnus.

"Out for a walk, I was clearing my head," and with that, he strode the rest of the way down the corridor to his room before Jace could protest.

Alec had been uncertain about going back to Magnus' place for the next few nights; Jace, being the stubborn person Alec knew him to be, had not given up on finding out where Alec was going but Magnus, with his brilliantly shining eyes and resolve-melting smile, had convinced Alec to go.

Sighing and wondering when exactly it was Magnus had caused him not to think about consequences, Alec stood up from the bed, checked his hair in the mirror – honestly, Magnus must have been having more of an effect on him than he thought! – and made his way into the hallway.

"Ah-ha!" Alec leapt out of his skin as a flash of blonde slipped out of a doorway and blocked his path.

"By the Angel, Jace!" he let out "What the hell are you doing?!" Jace shushed him harshly, grabbing his wrist and dragging him unceremoniously into a nearby cupboard, locking the door behind them with his stele.

Alec would have laughed at the irony of being stuck in a closet with the last person he wanted to come out to, if Jace hadn't been staring at him with piercing gold eyes,

"I'm not letting you out until you tell me where you're going," he said resolutely, leaning against the door. Alec raised an eyebrow,

"Aren't you being a little childish?" he asked his brother, who certainly was being childish as he shook his head, his gold curls bouncing at the movement and catching fragments of dim light.

"Alec, you look like you're about to go out somewhere special at –"he checked his watch "almost midnight, and I've heard you come back the past few nights at all hours of the morning, I just want to know what's going on,"

"It's nothing Jace-"

"And there was that shiny t-shirt you wore home one night, and that neck incident— "Alec cringed as Jace's eyes widened "Alec, do you have a girlfriend we don't know about?"

"No!" Alec spluttered, partly at being caught sneaking out, partly at how close Jace was standing as he interrogated him, but mostly at how weird the idea of having a girlfriend sounded to him; this… something with Magnus was becoming more of a something than he had originally planned…

"Alec, come on, I'm your brother! Don't I deserve to know?"

"Jace," Alec sighed "you don't— "

The cupboard door opened then, revealing Isabelle, stele in hand, looking exasperatedly at her brothers,

"Jace, what'd I tell you? Leave him alone, it's none of your business!" Alec shot his sister a grateful look, but took a breath as he turned back to Jace,

"You want to know so badly? Fine. You were right; that t-shirt wasn't mine, and that mark on my neck was exactly what you thought it was," Jace opened his mouth, his eyes widening, but Alec pressed on "and I have been going out the past few nights to see someone. I didn't want to tell you about it because I wasn't sure it was serious, but seeing them has become the best part of my day, and I think that this might actually be something," he caught Isabelle putting a hand to her mouth in his peripheral vision, but his eyes were on Jace, who was studying him silently,

"But why are you sneaking around?" he asked finally "I'm happy that you've found someone, but why have you been hiding it?" Alec took a moment, building up all his courage and pushing away his churning nerves before answering,

"Because I'm seeing Magnus Bane," Jace's expression was unreadable for an agonizing moment, before he let out a breath and offered his brother a small smile,

"Wow," he said, patting Alec's back roughly "I'm really happy for you, Alec,"

"It's OK if you're not," Alec said, though it really wasn't; this was all new and strange to him, and he was slowly getting used to it, but losing his parabatai over it? He wasn't sure he could take that "I get it… the law and everything," he shrank back instinctively, achieving nothing due to his height,

"Since when have I ever cared about the law?" Jace asked, smirking wickedly, but his expression grew sincere as he smiled and patted his brother on the back again "I'm glad you're happy, Alec," he said earnestly "you deserve it, now get out of here and go on your date," he dropped a wink in Alec's direction, his smirk returning as his brother flushed scarlet.

"Thanks Jace," he said earnestly, rubbing the back of his neck in a bashful and habitual childhood gesture.

"Don't mention it," Jace replied, following him out of the cupboard "and don't do anything I wouldn't do!" he called out as Alec walked down the corridor, smirking and giving the blonde an obscene finger gesture Jace would definitely do.

A/N: So there we go guys, just a little whatever-you-want-to-call-it to get the idea out of my system, Jace might be a little immature, so sorry if that's the case, but other than that I actually don't mind this! As always, let me know what you think, and I shall upload more stories as soon as I get my phone back (I broke it! -sad face-)