A/N: Wow! Thanks for all the favs/follows and reviews! You guys are awesome!

"Where did your flavor of the night go?" Will asked, approaching Magnus from behind.

Magnus was still watching the door, his gaze unfocused, even though Alec had left the bar several minutes ago. He snapped back to reality and turned, walking past Will to the pool table.

"Had to go."

Will followed. "What was he doing with your phone?" Will asked innocently. He knew full well what Alec was doing with Magnus's phone, but he wanted to make Magnus say it. This was a rarity in the world of Magnus Bane.

Magnus shrugged. "He asked for my number," he said as if it were a meaningless thing, his contact information.

"And you gave it to him?" Will persisted, raising an eyebrow.

"Haven't sealed the deal yet." Magnus lined up the cue ball for his next shot, finishing the game he and Alec had started. He might as well, he'd already paid for it.

"So you're going to see him again." Will stated the obvious.

"I haven't slept with him yet, have I?" Magnus countered.

"But, you never give out your phone number. Ever."

Magnus straightened up. From his full height he had to tilt his head down to look Will in the eye. "Look, he's hot. I just want to fuck him. Okay?"

"Okay," Will said, tossing up his hands in defeat.

Magnus turned back to his game and Will released the grin he had been suppressing. Magnus was so full of shit. He might be able to fool others with his nonchalant attitude, but Will had known him too long, and knew him too well. He could probably count on one hand the number of love interests Magnus had let have his phone number. The number of times he had changed that number once the short-lived relationship had run it's course was probably higher.

This was new territory for Magnus…if he didn't fuck it up.

Alec awoke the next morning with dry eyes, a headache, and feeling like he had swallowed a bag of cotton balls. He rubbed the sleep from his sore eyes and dragged himself from his bed into the bathroom. He filled his hand with water from the tap and drank it, then another and another, trying to sate his thirst. He rummaged through a drawer until he found the bottle of ibuprofen and downed a couple of the little tablets, followed by another handful of water.

The shower did more for him than anything else had so far. He stood under the steamy water, letting it wash away the pain of his hangover. As the pain seeped out, the memories flooded in. His father, the bastard, calling to tell him he was now officially, completely, irrevocably cut off from the Lightwood family and all that went with the name.

He had grown up in a glorious mansion just outside New York City, where the celebrities and other millionaires chose to live. His family home had been massive, and gated to keep out the riffraff, which he supposed he could be counted among their number now. He had hoped that time and distance would make his father come to his senses and realize he was the same son that Robert had raised, the same boy he had taught archery, the same kid he had claimed to love. But it had been a foolish dream, one that he would not repeat. He was on his own now, like he had been since he was eighteen.

He flicked off the water and reached for his towel. Somewhere between toweling his hair and wrapping the towel around his waist to go root through his closet for something to wear, he remembered a pair of green-gold eyes, and spiked hair with red glitter.

A smile split his face. By the angel, that man had been gorgeous. He flopped onto his bed, momentarily forgetting about dressing. He picked up his phone, biting his lip as he pulled up his call history, and saw the name 'Magnus' printed there in black and white. It was confirmation that last night had not been a dream. It had been real. Magnus had flirted with him, and he with Magnus.

He glanced at the clock at the top of the screen. 8:37. Surely that was too early to call Magnus. Right? How the hell would he know, he'd never picked up a guy in a bar. He shook his head. What had he been thinking? Seriously.

He answered his own question. He'd been thinking that Magnus was freaking hot and funny, and coming on to him like he, Alec, was a gorgeous rockstar or something. That had never happened to him.

"Magnus," he said aloud. The name rolled off his tongue as if it belonged there. It was so different, unique, beautiful, like the man himself. "Magnus," he said again, enjoying the feel of the name on his lips. "Magnus."

Magnus what? he thought. He laughed out loud. Here he was getting hung up on some guy he'd just met and he didn't even know his last name!

"Jesus, Lightwood, get a grip on yourself," he said to the room as he rolled off his bed, tossing the phone among the covers, and crossed the room to get dressed.

His first class started at ten and he had a sketch to complete that he should have finished last night, but instead had chosen to go to a bar, get drunk, and give his number to a hot guy that probably just wanted to sleep with him and would likely never call him anyway.

The bed dipped down to accommodate his weight, and he leaned over to pull his sketch pad and colored pencils from his backpack. The day's assignment was to draw a realistic human form. He started drawing with no particular picture in his mind.

An hour later, the drawing was complete. He had done the drawing on autopilot. He was not surprised to see what his subconscious mind had delivered.

A man wearing tight red pants. A stylistically ripped black shirt. Spiked black hair with red glitter. Black eyeliner trimming his lower lids. And that's when he noticed the difference. His subconscious mind had drawn Magnus's unique eyes with vertically slit, cat-like pupils.

Alec eyed his drawing critically. The eyes suited Magnus. Maybe, if they were speaking on Halloween, he would tell him to get contacts with slit pupils. He filed that idea away for later use as he stowed his sketch pad in his backpack and headed out the door.

He shared an off-campus apartment with Jace. Both terms he used loosely. By 'off-campus' he meant literally three houses and a four-lane highway, and voila! he was on campus. By 'apartment' he meant a poorly renovated three-story late 1800's house that had been divided into three separate living spaces. He and Jace had been unfortunate enough to live in the middle apartment for the last three years. He could hear every movement of his upstairs neighbors, and was constantly chastised by his downstairs neighbors for being too loud.

Ten minutes after leaving his apartment, he was sliding into his seat in his World Civ class. He hated this class, mostly because the professor seemed to hate life and everything in it and projected that hatred onto her class.

Fortunately, it was not a class that required a lot of his attention. He happened to love the course work, and excelled in history courses in general. So when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket, he had no qualms with retrieving it and checking the message. When he saw the name 'Magnus' his heart skipped a beat.

Hey.

Hey. he typed back.

Oh good. You're awake. How are you feeling?

Alec thought for a moment. That was a loaded question. He still felt shitty from the remnants of his hangover. But he also was elated that Magnus had texted him. Neither answer sounded like ammunition he wanted to give this sexy stranger.

Sleepy. he replied.

Lol. Bet you're not as sleepy as I am.

Oh?

Slept at Will's last night. He and Tessa and Jem fuck like rabbits and they aren't shy about it. Or quiet...

Alec bit his lip to keep from laughing. He glanced up covertly at his professor, just to make sure she was still ignoring her class.

They can't be as bad as Jace and Clary. he replied.

Wanna bet?

Alec snorted at that. He looked around nervously. A few of his classmates were watching him, but he had not caught the attention of his professor. Before he had a chance to reply, he received another text from Magnus.

What are you doing?

Sitting in class. You?

On my way to my 11am class.

You're in school?

Yeah. Alicante U

Alec nearly dropped his phone. How had they been going to the same college and never met? It wasn't exactly a big school. It was large enough to have some of the less popular, and therefore less financially lucrative, sports teams, like archery, but it was mostly an arts and humanities type college. He wondered what Magnus was studying.

I can't believe we both go to AU!

Really? Small world. I'm surprised you haven't noticed the dirty old man covered in glitter walking around campus hitting on the younger students.

Alec snorted again. He had to end this conversation before he got caught. He would be humiliated if his prof read these texts aloud.

Lmao.

He sent the text, still trying to think of a way to end a conversation he really didn't want to end. Magnus came to his rescue.

I gotta go. Class is about to start.

:(

Lunch?

Alec smiled. Another chance to talk to this handsome stranger, maybe get to know him a little, and without the influence of alcohol and a bar.

Sure. Meet me outside the south side of the SAC at noon. Okay?

The south side of the sack…sure thing cutie ;)

OMG, I mean the student activities center. Get your mind out of the gutter!

My mind was born, raised and is now KING of the gutter. Welcome, my name's Magnus and I'll be your tour guide…

A sharp bark-like laugh escaped Alec's lips. He quickly typed 'bye' and hit send, then deposited his phone in his pocket. Numerous eyes were staring at him, and he felt his face flush. He lowered his head, shielding his face behind his hand, until class was over.

There was a skip in his step as he left the building to meet Magnus.

Noon seemed to be refusing to arrive. Alec was already waiting at the door to the south entrance of the SAC when Magnus arrived. He couldn't suppress his grin as Magnus came into view.

"Hey," he said as casually as he could, which he suspected was not nearly casually enough.

"Hey yourself," Magnus replied. He ran a hand through his spiky hair, which today was devoid of glitter. He had applied some black eyeliner and a touch of red lip coloring, but nothing as lavish as he had looked the previous night. His tight jeans were a deep blue color, and his purple long-sleeve shirt was his splash of color.

Alec liked this look as much has he had liked Magnus covered in glitter. This was a more discrete form of displaying his personality. Both looks suited him perfectly.

"Tell me you are not going to eat the crap they serve here," Magnus said disdainfully.

"Hell no," Alec said, pulling a face at the thought. He patted his backpack to indicate he had brought food from home. "Do you want to go sit somewhere?"

Alec loved AU's campus. It was small and comfortable. The outer edges of campus were lined with ancient buildings where all the classes were held. The buildings were all historically significant, architecturally beautiful, and cold as hell in the wintertime.

The center of campus looked like a park. Enormous maple and oak trees dotted the grass knolls. There were park benches and picnic tables situated under trees and along the sidewalks for students to use between classes. It was not uncommon to see students leaning against the trees and studying or just sprawled out on the grass, which was Alec's favorite thing to do.

He dropped to the ground beneath the outstretched limbs of a large oak tree. Being late September, the weather was still nice and warm. Early autumn sunlight was filtering through the branches, casting swaying shadows on the ground below.

Alec stretched out his legs, tossing his backpack aside, and soaking up the warmth of the sun. He leaned back on his elbows and closed his eyes as the rays of light warmed his skin.

"Beautiful," he said. He thought he had said it to himself, but quickly opened his eyes when he heard Magnus chuckle.

"Indeed it is," Magnus said. He was staring at Alec, relaxed and comfortable on the ground, with an almost predatory look. Alec could feel his face flushing.

Magnus seemed to flutter to the ground beside him, choosing to lay on his side, head propped on one hand, looking up at Alec. He was very close. Alec folded his legs in front of him, self-consciously reached into his bag and pulled out an apple.

"So," Magnus said, "tell me about yourself."

Alec bit into the apple, thinking as he chewed. "What do you want to know?"

Magnus grinned. "Well, for starters, how about your full name."

Alec laughed, realizing he had never told Magnus his name either.

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood," he replied.

"Oh, how regal," Magnus teased.

"Yeah, try learning to spell it as a kid. I must have been five or six before I could finally spell it without any errors." He shook his head. "It should be illegal for parents to do that to their children. You would think they had always hated me."

Alec froze, biting his lip. He couldn't believe he had just said that. Magnus was a near stranger and gorgeous and someone he was definitely interested in getting to know, and here he was mentioning one of his worst, deepest, darkest secrets. What was happening to him? Alec Lightwood was one of the most private people imaginable. He didn't talk about what had happened with his parents with anyone but Jace.

Magnus studied him. He had spent a few years in London with Will, Jem, and Tessa. While the others attended the university and earned degrees in their chosen fields, Magnus had taken classes in the school of life and earned an honorary degree in the art of seduction. He was a master. As a consequence of said degree, he was quite able to read people. He, therefore, had no trouble interpreting the fact that Alec did not want to talk about whatever had happened with his family.

"Well, it sounds a lot better than plain old 'Magnus Bane.'"

Clearly relieved that Magnus wasn't pressing him for information, Alec let his posture relax. "Oh, I don't know about that. 'Magnus Bane' sounds more glamorous."

"That's because you know how glamorous I am," Magnus retorted and Alec laughed.

"That must be it." Alec pulled a blade of grass, idly tearing in to shreds.

Magnus reached into his bag and grabbed a granola bar he had stashed earlier. As he chewed it, a thought occurred to him.

"Hang on, did you say your last name is Lightwood? As in The Lightwoods?"

"If by 'The Lightwoods' you mean one of the oldest families in America, and the owners of the largest weapons company in the world, then yeah."

Magnus let out a low whistle. "Holy shit, I didn't know I was hitting on a bazillionaire!"

Alec looked away, reaching for a dead leaf to add to the pile of torn grass in front of him. "You're not. My family, yes. But not me."

Magnus looked sympathetic. "Let me guess, the gay son was ostracized for wanting to be himself?"

"Do you read the tabloids or something?"

Magnus shook his head. "Tale as old as time."

"I guess you've been there?"

"Not really. My parents are dead." Magnus said this with a distinct air of finality, so Alec did not press him. He was grateful that Magnus hadn't pressed him about his family, and he would extend the same courtesy to him.

Alec felt a vibration in his pocket, assumed it was Jace texting him, and ignored it.

"Why are you mutilating the flora?" Magnus asked, nodding toward the pile of crumpled grass and leaves Alec was creating.

Alec grinned sheepishly. "Habit," he said.

"I can think of something else you can do with your hands..." Magnus's voice trailed off. His gaze intensified and he inched closer to Alec. Alec gulped. "I was referring to playing with my hair," Magnus added. "Now whose mind is in the gutter?"

Alec laughed. The reminder of their previous conversation stirred something in his memory. "Did you refer to yourself as a dirty old man earlier?" he said.

"Dirty old man covered in glitter," Magnus corrected.

Alec eyed him. He hadn't really thought about how old Magnus was. He had a timeless look, one that was impossible to pinpoint. "How old are you?" he asked, hoping he wouldn't say he was thirty-five, or worse, a child prodigy and only twelve.

"I'm twenty-four," he replied. "That's not a problem is it?"

"Why would that be a problem? You're only three years older than me," Alec said, then added, "That's hardly an old man."

Magnus laughed. Alec couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to him. He had always been quiet and reserved. His only friend was Jace, and now Clary by default. Even when Magnus was being sexy and making him uncomfortable, he found he was still able to talk to him, not completely retreating into his shell as usual.

His phone vibrated again. This time he checked it. It was Jace, of course. He had missed three messages. When had the third one happened? He couldn't be sure. Had he really be that consumed by Magnus?

Are you coming to class today?

What the hell are you doing?

Get your ass to class, Lightwood.

Oops. Alec couldn't believe it was already time for his next class. He could have sworn he and Magnus had just now sat down on the soft grassy lawn. That had to mean something, didn't it? He had so completely lost himself in conversation with Magnus that he had forgotten he needed to get to class.

He looked up from his phone to see Magnus watching him. Alec made a wistful face at Magnus and said, "I have to get to class."

Magnus stuck out his bottom lip in a pout, and Alec was seized by a longing to kiss him. Instead, he pushed himself off the ground and slung his bag over his shoulder. As he backed away from Magnus, he held his hands in front of him as if holding his cell phone, and pretended to be pressing keys with his thumbs, indicating he wanted Magnus to text him later.

The corners of Magnus's lips turned up in a smile.

A/N: It occurred to me that our virginal Alec will not jump into bed with Magnus right away...so the question is are you guys patient enough to wait for the lemons, or do you want something now? If so, what? Heronstairs? Wessa? Jessa? Jillessa?