Hi everyone! Today's chapter takes place during "City of Ashes," right after Jace leaves Magnus' place with Clary and Simon and Alec takes Jace's place. There is an almost-lemon in this chapter because I am a somewhat evil person, so you're just going to have to wait for the real lemon, which I imagine taking place between "City of Glass" and "City of Fallen Angels." (Don't worry, I'll have other lemons after that, but that's where the first one's going to be. Sorry. Remember, I'm a bit evil. :)) See you again soon with another new chapter! :)

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare (not I) is the author of "The Mortal Instruments" series.

Chapter Seven: Magnus

"So," Magnus said as soon as the downstairs door slammed shut behind Jace and the others, making sure to flash Alec his wickedest grin as he spoke. "I have you in my clutches."

Alec rolled his eyes and smiled. "I think this hardly counts as 'being in your clutches,' since I'm here voluntarily, and I happen to have a key to your evil lair."

"True," Magnus said, pulling off his dressing gown and tossing it over the back of a chair before taking Alec's hand and pulling him toward the couch. For a while, they simply curled up together on the couch and watched TV. Magnus kept his arm around Alec, but since Alec seemed oddly focused on the Discovery Channel, he didn't try to kiss him. After several episodes of Mythbusters, Alec turned the TV off and looked at Magnus.

"Like something to eat?" Magnus wondered—he'd begun to associate some of Alec's more serious facial expressions with hunger rather than uneasiness or irritation.

Alec suddenly looked slightly nervous. "Uh…no, thanks. Actually…"

"What?" Magnus wondered, bemused at Alec's expression. He hadn't seen Alec so embarrassed since the last time he'd magically removed an article of clothing while they'd been kissing on the couch.

"I was wondering if…if we could go to your room this time," Alec said quickly, speaking so fast that Magnus barely understood him. Even when he realized what Alec had said, it took a moment to stop looking shocked and actually say something.

"I…of course, if you'd like," Magnus said, wondering what exactly had brought this on. Alec was blushing furiously, but he wasn't staring at the floor or at his hands—his eyes stayed on Magnus's. "Do you mind if I ask where exactly this very tempting request is coming from?"

"I'm getting tired…of the couch," Alec said, and now he looked away.

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "Are you really tired of my couch, which is a lovely piece of furniture by the way, or are you tired of the fact that we never finish what we start on the couch?"

"I'm getting tired of…the second thing," Alec said, glancing up at Magnus before looking away again. "I mean, I'm tired of always being the reason we…stop. Because I do want to…you know. I just—"

"If you're still referring to sex as 'you know,' then I'm not sure we should be trying it just yet, Alec," Magnus said, pushing a lock of hair out of Alec's eyes. It pained him to even suggest that sex might be a bad idea, considering the sleepless nights he'd had the past few weeks, imagining Alec in bed with him, imagining how good it would feel to finally touch and taste every inch of him…

"I know you want to," Alec said, and though he blushed as he said it, his tone was firm, and Magnus wondered, as he had countless times before, how anyone could simultaneously be so awkward and so sexy.

"I certainly do," Magnus murmured, kissing him lightly before pulling away reluctantly. "When you're ready. Do you honestly think you're ready for the bedroom, Alexander?"

Please be ready, please be ready, Magnus thought, and he felt guilty when he realized his baser instincts might just prevail this time. Magnus didn't think that he would have the self control to resist doing anything and everything to Alec once he got him into bed.

"…yes," Alec said, and though his expression was nervous, it was determined too. "I want to be with you, Magnus. I mean…in every sense. I'm ready."

Magnus tried not to sigh. He was worried that he didn't have the fortitude necessary to try and talk Alec out of this. Honestly, Magnus didn't think that Alec was as confident as he was trying to make it seem—he seemed simultaneously thrilled and terrified at the thought of sex, which Magnus guessed was probably normal virgin behavior, but he wasn't really sure. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been with a virgin, but it had been centuries ago, and how had he reassured the boy he'd been with then? Or had it been a girl?

Magnus shook his head ever so slightly to dispel the thought of former lovers. It was surprisingly easy to do so—after several centuries, Magnus had grown somewhat cynical about sex, or at least, he usually was. Generally, he found himself with experienced lovers whose company he could enjoy for a while before parting on cordial terms. But just considering sex with Alec was…different. Magnus was surprised to find that he felt a little nervous himself. Somehow, it seemed incredibly important to do this right.

"All right," Magnus said at last, trying to keep his voice steady. He licked his lips, told himself to resist the urge to pick up Alec and run with him to the bedroom, and instead offered Alec his hand. "Come on, then. Let's try. But if you change your mind, just tell me, all right?"

"You won't mind?" Alec whispered, standing up and taking Magnus' hand. He sounded nervous, but there was an excited look in his eyes that made Magnus momentarily question his resolution not to rush things.

"Well, I probably won't die of disappointment outright," Magnus said, slowly leading Alec to the bedroom, deliberately keeping his voice light and cheerful—he wanted to relax Alec, to show him that this would be something he'd enjoy. "I might slowly waste away and perish after a few weeks of terrible suffering, but don't let that worry you."

Alec laughed weakly, and all at once, they were in the bedroom.

"Here we are," Magnus said unnecessarily, wincing inwardly at his own awkwardness. Since when was Magnus Bane shy about sex?

"So," Alec said, blushing furiously, but he didn't pull his hand away from Magnus'. "How do we…start?"

"Making out for a while seems like a fairly foolproof way to begin," Magnus said, smiling fondly at Alec. "You have no idea how cute you are right now, do you?"

"…no?" Alec said uncertainly, but he smiled when Magnus pushed another lock of curly hair away from his face. "I mean, obviously, you're…"

"Gorgeous?" Magnus offered.

Alec laughed. "And so modest."

"Come here," Magnus said gently, sitting down on the bed and pulling Alec down beside him. Leaning close, he kissed Alec's forehead, then trailed his lips down his nose, which made Alec laugh, and then Magnus reached his lips; Alec stopped laughing then. Magnus felt him shiver a little when he slid his arms around his waist, and as he opened his mouth a little, willing Alec to do the same, Alec's arms wound around his neck, and Alec's tongue touched his.

Magnus lay down then, pulling Alec down with him and hoping that Alec was caught up in the moment to the point that he wouldn't remember that they were on the bed this time, not the couch, and after a few more uncertain moments on Magnus' part, he slid his hands under Alec's shirt, loving the feeling of the delicious boy spread out on top of him.

Alec pulled away then, and Magnus was about to start reassuring him that it was all right to be nervous, that they'd slow down if he wanted…and then Alec simply pulled his shirt off and tossed it onto the floor without a word.

Magnus' eyes widened. "Well, that's…excellent."

Alec grinned and leaned back down. "You've seen me shirtless before," he pointed out.

"But I've never seen you take off a shirt before," Magnus explained, nipping Alec's earlobe before kissing along the side of his jaw and then down to his throat. "Mmm, Alec…"

"My shirt's off," Alec said, his voice shaking a little as his fingers trailed down Magnus' ribcage. "Why isn't yours?"

Magnus had his silver mesh shirt off so fast that he nearly tore it in half. He let Alec look down at him for a moment—most people (well, humans at least) were a little startled by the fact that he had no navel, but Alec had seen or felt most of him from the waist up before, so he didn't seem unnerved. In fact, he looked…appreciative. Very much so, in fact.

"Excuse me," Magnus said quietly, willing himself to do this as gently as possible, and then he flipped Alec onto his back and straddled him. Rather than seeming alarmed, Alec grabbed Magnus' head and kissed him furiously. Magnus blinked, feeling slightly dazed. The shy virgin now had his tongue halfway down his throat, and it was an incredible sensation, feeling Alec's hard body pressed against his like this, no clothes between their chests for a change. After several moments of increasingly desperate kissing, during which Alec was forever running his hands through Magnus' hair and down his shoulders, while Magnus grabbed Alec's waist and ground them together, Magnus pulled his mouth away and slid his tongue down Alec's throat, then along his collar bone, before gently dragging his teeth down Alec's chest to his left nipple, which he licked gently before sucking it into his mouth.

"Magnus!" Alec gasped, and then he moaned when Magnus, his hands still on Alec's waist, ground against him again. The friction was enough to make Magnus grit his teeth with the effort of proceeding carefully; normally, this would be the point at which he'd pull his pants down, tear off his lover's, and then slam into him or her with little ceremony. You could manage that sort of thing with someone experienced, assuming they didn't beat you to the punch and take you first, but Alec, Magnus reminded himself frantically, was different. That was why Magnus moved very slowly when he released Alec's nipple and began kissing down his chest, stopping to thrust his tongue into Alec's belly button. He savored the sound of Alec moaning, and as he kissed his hipbone, Magnus reached for the button on Alec's jeans, undid it, reached for the zipper and admired the bulge beneath it—

And then Alec's cell phone rang. For several seconds, neither Magnus nor Alec moved, but then, slowly, Magnus pulled the phone from Alec's pocket and scowled at the name that appeared on the screen. He turned the phone around so Alec could see.

"It's…Jace," Alec panted. His expression, which had been dazed with lust a second before, was now alert, worried.

Magnus groaned, though this time in frustration, not passion, and rolled off of Alec, thinking that he was going to need more than one cold shower to erase the memory of what might have been if that insufferable boy hadn't chosen precisely this moment to call.

"Answer it then. But if he isn't calling about something extremely important, so help me, I will kill him in the slowest, most painful fashion I can manage."

So close, Magnus thought bitterly as Alec, blushing furiously at (Magnus guessed) just having Jace's voice in the room after what had almost just happened, opened his phone.

"Alec, it's me," Magnus heard Jace say before Alec could even say hello. "Simon's…he's in bad shape. He went to the Dumont after we finished our business at the Seelie Court. You and Magnus need to find as much blood as you can and meet us in the Jewish cemetery on the edge of Queens in thirty minutes!"

Magnus cursed quietly. Apparently, this was as far as he and Alec were going to go tonight, but now they had bigger problems than unfulfilled lust. Businessman that he was, while Alec stared at his cell phone in shock, Magnus wondered where he could get the best deal on blood at this time of night.