TMI belongs to Cassandra.

Beta'd by naelany

Thank you to everyone who reviews. Know that I read and love them all even though I don't have time to answer. :)

They were grand, the pyramids.

Alec could see them for miles before they even got close to them. There were restrictions around them so people wouldn't approach. That is kind of a bummer, Alec thought. They'd come so far and now they couldn't even go closer? He wished he could touch the pyramid.

Magnus looked around at the group of people pointing at the constructions, snapping pictures, effectively not paying them any attention, before grabbing Alec's wrist. "Don't let go of my hand."

Alec's stomach dropped, thinking something bad was about to happen. He gripped his boyfriend's hand as if his life depended on it. With a snap of fingers, and a loud gasp from Alec, they were inside the pyramid.

He turned to look wide-eyed at Magnus. "What happened?"

"You looked disappointed that we couldn't get closer."

"And you had to… What did you do? Wow! We're inside, Magnus!"

Smiling softly, he stared at the Shadowhunter as he started walking around the place, tentatively touching the wall.

"BOO!"

Faster than Magnus thought possible, Alec had a Seraph blade out of his pocket, called its name and was looking around alarmed. Magnus noted that his hand was shaking, but he was having too much fun.

"Who is disturbing the big and mighty Tutankhamun?" the warlock said in a grave voice.

"Mag...nus!" Alec hissed, his whole body shaking. "We have to leave!" When he didn't get a response, Alec looked around and found his boyfriend doubling over in laughter. "YOU!" He pointed the Seraph blade at him. "That was so not funny! At all. Never again."

"It's good to know that if we're ever in danger you have quick reflexes," Magnus managed to say between chuckles.

"I'm a Shadowhunter, of course I have quick reflexes. Get us out of here, please."

"No longer eager to explore the pyramids?"

"From outside."

Nodding, Magnus appeared them outside the construction. "A picture? You know to show the family you're alive and well. I didn't kidnap you or something."

"Yeah, we need to find someone to snap a picture."

"Or, the camera can do that for us."

"On its own? But the Mundanes…"

"They won't see the camera." Snapping his fingers, a small digital camera appeared, hovering in the air. Magnus wrapped his arm around Alec's shoulders. "Smile, Alexander."

They took several pictures, some would be for their eyes only—especially the one where Magnus bent him back, kissing him hungrily.

When they returned to their hotel, Alec bought a postcard so he could send it to his family.

"What's on the list for tomorrow?" Magnus asked as they walked toward their room. "I think we should leave Valley of the Kings for another day. Pyramids seem to scare you."

"That wasn't funny!" Alec snapped, extracting their key from his backpack. "Not one bit. Did you ever hear of the gods' curses? It's all in the books I had to study. I was sure we were going to die, Magnus!"

Alec could vividly recall all the histories he'd read about the Egyptian kings and their wrath. They always managed to give him chills, and Magnus's stunt, by taking them inside a pyramid and using that creepy voice reminded Alec of the books in the library at the Institute. Besides, fighting without his parabatai by his side wasn't the same, and he never felt confident enough to start a fight without Jace around. Sure, he'd killed the occasional demon when Jace wasn't next to him, but fighting something as great as a king...like Tutankhamun ...no way.

"You're overly dramatic. You need to cast a powerful incantation to raise the kings. Besides, we were in the wrong area for Tutankhamun to even be there, which of course, you'd have realized if you weren't so frightened."

Alec huffed and unlocked their door, stomping inside, throwing his backpack on a chair. "I'm going to download the pictures and send them home. Also, I'll try to write something clever on the postcard."

"Greetings from Tutankhamun. I have your son. Ransom: one thousand grand." Magnus laughed and ruffled the young Shadowhunter's hair.

"Is that how much I'm worth?"

"Of course not."

"Is it less?"

Magnus took his face between his palms and stared into the deep blue eyes, suddenly very serious. "You're irreplaceable and invaluable, Alexander."

A tight knot formed in Alec's chest and he was overcome by emotion. "I love you," he whispered, leaning to peck the warlock's mouth.

"I love you, too." Stroking his cheek, Magnus deepened the kiss. He started walking his boyfriend backwards until they reached the bed and fell on it. Alec whimpered when their bodies collided; he loved feeling his lover's weight on him.

"Maybe this isn't the best moment."

"You've got to be kidding!"

The warlock pulled away. "I'd rather look presentable for our first time, darling. And right now my hair is hanging limply, I'm sweaty and I don't know about you but I'm hungry. We need our energy for what you want."

Alec flushed bright red and rolled around, burrowing his face into the soft pillow.

"Don't tempt me, Alexander."

He looked over his shoulder, realizing that his boyfriend was staring at his ass. In an un-Alec-like gesture, he shook his ass, earning a loud groan from Magnus.

"I need a shower. A freezing one."

"Or you could join me," Alec insisted, sitting up and pulling his sweaty shirt over his head. Holding Magnus's eyes, he started unbuttoning his jeans, shimmering his way out of them.

"You're killing me!"

Smirking, Alec threw his pants at the warlock. He was ready for the next step in their relationship. And he was ready to show it to his boyfriend any way he could. Then he jumped out of the bed, took the camera and his phone out of the bag and walked to the small desk where his laptop laid.

"What are you doing?" Magnus asked shocked.

"I'm going to transfer the pictures in the laptop. Then I'll choose a few and send Jace. Why?" he asked back, sounding bored.

"You're the biggest tease I've ever met in my whole life!"

Alec turned to show his big smile. "That makes me feel special considering you met tons of people."

"You are special, but still a tease. I'll be in the shower."

Wiggling his fingers to Magnus, Alec turned around in the chair and focused on the pictures. He chose the first one—where Magnus had his arm around his shoulders, both smiling at the camera—and attached it to a text message, adding a few words to it before sending it to Jace. Only after pressing Send, he counted the hours, and realized he probably just woke up his friend. Oh, well.

"Sweetie, can you bring me the conditioner?" Magnus called from the bathroom.

"Is this a scheme to get me in the shower with you? It's you who said no!"

"It's in my bag. The green bottle!"

Alec rummaged through Magnus's bag, finding things he wished he hadn't—too much glitter and too many hair products. Finally, he found the conditioner and went to the bathroom.

The cold shower had turned into a steaming hot one apparently because the room was filled with steam and the mirror was foggy. He walked to the bathtub, trying not to look at his naked boyfriend—too much—and thrust the bottle in his direction. Magnus jumped, startled, not having heard Alec.

"You sneaky little Nephilim."

"If you want name-calling, just let me know, warlock."

"You're too easy, Alec."

The Shadowhunter shook his head and left the bathroom, musing at how nice it was to hear Magnus calling him by his name. He'd always preferred Alec to Alexander. The full name was usually used by his mother when he was in trouble. Though, hearing it from Magnus's mouth it sounded luxurious and made him feel powerful in a way. He'd been told how important his name was and how many notable men had worn it over the years, but he had never felt special—until he met this glittery warlock that turned his world upside down.

Alec grabbed the postcard and wrote down the first thing that came to his mind:

Hey guys!

Wish you were here, except not really. We're having fun.

Check it out-the pyramids!

—Alec and Magnus

After, he traced the rune on the corner of the postcard and watched it catching fire before disappearing.

While Alec waited for Magnus to finish his shower, he went to lie on the bed, looking over the pictures they had snapped since they had left New York. There were already about fifty photos in the camera. His eyes started closing when he reached the one made in the plane at the fluffy white clouds. The last thought Alec had, before succumbing to sleep was: Magnus sure takes ages in the shower.

The warlock wrapped himself in a white bathrobe and stepped out of the bathroom toweling his hair dry. He stopped in his tracks when he found his boyfriend asleep on the bed, his muscled arms wrapped around a pillow, the camera lying next to his head. Walking to the bed, Magnus sat down and stroked a hand through Alec's hair. The young Shadowhunter snuggled closer but didn't wake up.

Smiling, Magnus settled on the bed next to him after grabbing a few necessities from his bag—gel and glitter for his hair and nail polish. Once his hair looked presentable once again, he started working on applying black paint on his toe nails.

Alec came around from his nap to a horrid smell—a smell that usually he associated with his sister. Still sleepy and confused he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He was in a hotel room, on his trip with Magnus, but why was he smelling nail polish?

He sniffed loudly. "What's that?"

Magnus jumped, startled, tracing a wrong line on his toe. "You were asleep, darling. I took liberty to go through my usual routine after a shower."

"Why can't you just magically paint your nails if you must do it at all? It reeks."

"As I said, you were sleeping," Magnus repeated, capping the small bottle. With a snap of his fingers black paint appeared on all his nails. "Do you want it too?" He turned to look questioningly at Alec.

"No way!" he exclaimed horrified.

The warlock inspected his fingernails then glanced up again, shrugging. "It can be for just a moment."

"Magnus, no," Alec said loudly, determined.

"Fine, you party pooper. Now that you've rested, are you ready for dinner?" He leaned over and moved a lock of dark hair from the beautiful blue eyes, before kissing his soft plump lips.

Alec had other ideas. He wanted to show his boyfriend what he was too nervous to say out loud—the things he wanted to do with him. He wasn't sure what exactly fueled this sudden bravery, but he was taking advantage of it. Alec rolled them around until he was on top of Magnus. Kissing him frantically, he pushed the bathrobe aside, his fingers gliding over the newly discovered skin. When his boyfriend wrapped his arms around him, Alec took it as encouragement, deepening the kiss and pushing his hips into Magnus's. A guttural sound escaped his throat as he met hard flesh, and his eyes nearly crossed from pleasure.

It was finally happening!

Alec couldn't be happier. He was going to experience this intimate moment with Magnus.

"Darling, darling, slow down." Magnus stroked his lover's cheek. "I don't mean to sound like a cock-blocker, but I think we should stop. I want this to be memorable for you. Don't pout, Alexander. We will get to have many, many nights together. I promise you, but for now—for our first time—allow me to lead."

"Then lead," Alec said petulantly, kissing down Magnus's neck.

"I want it to be special for you. That's why I want us to wait. It's your first time, sweetheart. Shall we get some food?"

"You do realize I'm...a guy, right? I don't need you to romanticize it. No flowers and scented candles. As long as I have you and share this with you, it's going to be special in its own way."

"Humor me."

Scowling, Alec got up and stomped to his suitcase looking through it for some other clothes, making a mess as his hands shook. He couldn't believe he got turned down by the person he loved. Magnus walked to him and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, pressing his lips to his ear.

"I love you. Let me show you exactly how much. We will have time for rushed and needy once I've given you sweet and special."

Alec shuddered at the words spoken in his ear, that hot breath tickling his nerves. He was so wound up. "Why must we wait?"

"You won't have to wait for too long. I promise."

"Really?" The Shadowhunter whirled on his heel and stared in excitement at his boyfriend.

"Indeed." Magnus kissed him softly. "Hmm, would you do something for me?"

"Anything." Alec had an inkling he was going to regret it, but he couldn't think straight with Magnus so close and the prospect of finally making love with him looming in the air.

"Great!" Magnus clapped, tearing the black shirt from Alec's hands and tossing it back in his suitcase. "Wear this for dinner." He produced a tight, red shirt from his own overflowing bag. The shirt looked fine except for the large picture on the front—it was a stamp-like print where it read: TAKEN.

"Are you serious?" He looked pleadingly at his boyfriend. "Don't you have some less… I don't know…" He flailed his arms about.

"There's this too, of course, but I thought you'd prefer the other one." Magnus showed him the other option. It was a black shirt, though its huge flaw was the large rainbow across the chest and the sketched white male figures under it, kissing.

"Don't you own something normal? Like, I don't know...plain? I'd take the red one, I really would if it didn't have the print on the chest."

"If I take it off, do you promise to wear it?"

"You can do that?"

"For you, darling, anything. Especially when I get to see you in color."

"So I don't look good in black?" Alec retorted, trying not to laugh.

"Black is black, Alexander. You rock it, but during this trip, I've set a personal goal—to make you wear colors. Life's so much more beautiful in colors."

Laughing loudly, Alec looped his arms around Magnus's neck and kissed his lips. "Let's see how that turns out. Now, take this off." He pointed to the printed words.

"I don't see what the big deal is. I'd like people to know you're off market. You're mine."

"I'm not...as confident as you. I thought you figured that by now."

"Bringing you out of that shell is my personal job." A soft hand stroked Alec's cheek and the look in Magnus's eyes told him that he wanted to leave all the worries aside and be himself. Of course, he'd never be as flamboyant as his boyfriend, but he wouldn't worry every minute about what others thought of him.