A/n: I officially love cats...*dirty chuckle* ahahaheh...
Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns these characters. I own the unsuspected twists. *grin*
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When Alec woke up the next morning, Magnus was nowhere to be seen. The puffball that was Chairman Meow yowled from the ground as he stepped on a well-concealed chair.
Quietly, he slipped from the room and out the door, scrawling a quick note that he stuck to the door.
Had to go back. Will see you soon.
-Alec
He was at the Institute quickly enough, and nobody had noticed his presence. He crept past the darkened rooms on either side of the hallway. Great. Nobody's awake. Walking more calmly now, he passed Max's door, Isabelle's and Jace's.
"Alec?" Crap. He stayed motionless against the wall, hoping no one had called him. Maybe he was imagining things. Or maybe Church had finally learned English.
"Hey, Alec, is that you?" Jace stuck a disheveled head out of his door, squinting into the darkness. He sighed. "I can see you."
"Mmm," Alec mumbled, stepping out from the wall. "Goodnight." Hoping that would end any interrogations, he continued down the hall, feigning grogginess. But Jace followed him.
"Where were you?"
"Ah…asleep."
"No, you weren't. I checked. Unless you disappear when you sleep. Or… you were sleeping somewhere else?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Either way, I'm sleepy now," Alec fidgeted. "G'night."
"You're no fun anymore," Jace grumbled, beating him to his bedroom door and blocking the way. "Entertain me."
Alec gave a martyred sigh. "Not now, Jace. I'm in a good mood."
"Blissful, are we? Care to say why?"
Alec raised an eyebrow. "Care to move?"
Jace grinned. "Well you're just going to have to fight me for that, aren't you?"
Alec smiled grimly, then fell into a crouch. "You asked for it."
"Yes. Yes I did."
The boys moved at the same time. Alec swiped out with his arm. Jace ducked and charged, ramming them both into the opposite wall.
"Ooof. Jesus, Jace, don't kill me."
Jace laughed softly, pushing sweaty hair out of his face. "Then fight back harder."
They were at an impasse, both testing the others limits. They wrestled silently as the rest of the house slept on. All except for Church…