A/N: Surprise! So, you guys gave me the most reviews I have EVER received for one chapter for the last chapter. As a thank-you (and because I went on a writing binge and, for once, I'm actually ahead in writing!) I have decided to give you an extra chapter this week! Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. Love you guys!

Maxsunny: Magnus (and I) did not know about Collins. But, as you said, it was the end of his career so I doubt that would give Magnus warm-fuzzies about coming out. Thanks for the info though!

deathslittledoll: Are your parents grieving as hard as I am right now? God, that game gutted me...

Can't comment on anything else without it being a spoiler...

Alec awoke the following morning to a note from Magnus that said he was going to stay at Will's for the weekend. Alec was disappointed, but not surprised. To say things had not gone well the night before between them was the understatement of the century. Alec replayed the events in his mind all night long: Magnus admitting he was gay, Alec kissing him, Magnus freaking out and running away to the sanctuary of his bedroom. Not exactly how he had planned their first kiss. Not at all.

Alec moped around the apartment all weekend, finishing his school work and studying for the upcoming finals, taking breaks to clean something whenever it got to be too much for him. A little elbow grease could be therapeutic. He thought about Magnus often, and hoped he would get some perspective while at Will's, hoped Will would make him see that being in a same-sex relationship was not the end of the world. Was he hoping for a miracle? Probably. But hope was all he had.

Weekend basketball practice and cheer practice did not always follow each other, like they did during the week. So Alec wasn't surprised that he didn't see Magnus all weekend long. He waited up late Sunday night until his eyelids finally made the decision to sleep for him, and yet, still no Magnus.

When he didn't see Magnus on Monday, he started to worry. He'd given him space to come to terms with what happened. He thought he would have done that by now. Every time he returned to the dorms that day, he kept waiting to be called into Mrs. Greene's office, to be told he or Magnus would be reassigned to a different room. Was he being paranoid or realistic? But the call never came.

On Tuesday, he texted Magnus as he made coffee, but received no reply. When he got his things together for his shower, he realized there was evidence that Magnus had been there. The shampoo bottles were in a slightly different place, there was a recently used towel and washcloth drying in the bathroom. So Magnus was avoiding him. Great.

This continued for the next two weeks, through finals. Alec was so distracted by Magnus's behavior he would be surprised if he managed to pass any of his finals. Alec altered his schedule to try to catch Magnus off-guard, but even when he managed to see him, all Magnus would give him was a brief greeting, then do his disappearing act again. Magnus even surrounded himself with his teammates so that Alec felt unwelcome in their group.

At the end of those two weeks, Alec was an utter wreck. Consequently, he was completely floored when he returned home from his last final to find Magnus scurrying around the kitchen, whistling cheerfully and making sandwiches. Alec hesitantly sat down on the barstool that was their only kitchen furniture and accepted the sandwich Magnus pushed across the countertop toward him. He wasn't really hungry, since he had spent the hour prior to his exam eating lunch and figuratively crying on the shoulders of Austin and Cammie, but when your roommate who hasn't spoken to you in two weeks makes you a sandwich, you eat it.

They ate silently, while Alec studied Magnus. He seemed…fine. Like nothing had happened. Like he wasn't upset with Alec or avoiding him. Alec didn't know what to make of any of this. He was more confused now than he was before. At least he understood the reason for Magnus ignoring him. But this was completely unexpected, and a little unsettling, though not unwelcome. Perhaps Magnus just wanted to put the incident behind them, forget it had happened. Alec supposed he could do that, for now, but where would that leave his feelings for Magnus?

Magnus was the first to break the silent truce. "Do you want to go to a party with me tonight?" he asked around a bite of his sandwich.

Alec's mouth fell open. He hurriedly shut it when he realized there was still food inside. Gross. He stared at Magnus, who looked completely calm and carefree, and wondered what the hell was going on. Had he seriously just asked him out?

Apparently he took too long thinking, for Magnus added, "Today's my birthday. I thought it would be fun to go to a frat party."

Alec finally recovered himself. "H-happy birthday," he said, adopting a wide smile. "I'd love to go to a party with you."

"As friends," Magnus clarified.

"Of course," said Alec, though a little piece of him died.

"Great!" Magnus replied enthusiastically. "It's an '80's theme, which is right up your alley." He grinned slyly at Alec, reminding him of their conversation about his parents' love for all things '80's. "They'll be playing '80's music all night long."

"Do we have to wear costumes?" Alec muttered.

"Of course! It'll be fun!"

Alec grimaced. "Do all frat parties have some stupid theme and require costumes? Seriously, first Halloween, now this."

Magnus laughed. "Come on, Alec. It's fun. You'll see."

With Magnus's encouragement and assistance, he managed to end up wearing his tightest pair of blue jeans and a pair of old Converse sneakers he hadn't realized he had brought with him to school. He just needed a shirt. Magnus offered one of his plain black t-shirts, to which Alec scoffed heartily.

"Your shirts would be skin-tight on me!" he protested.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "That's the point!" he replied, tossing the shirt to Alec.

Alec eyed it skeptically, wondering if his upper body could actually fit in this shirt without ripping it to shreds. He also wondered how this was an '80's costume, but he wasn't going to say anything to that for fear that Magnus would make him wear something even more ridiculous. As it was, tight shirt and all, he was getting off pretty easy. He was also enjoying being around Magnus again, and was willing to do just about anything to keep the light-hearted atmosphere going. With that, he pulled the shirt over his head, and tugged it into place. He could hardly breathe, it was so tight. But he could handle that for a few hours.

Magnus was putting the finishing touches on his own costume. Somehow, he had acquired a pair of red parachute pants straight out of the '80's, and a snow white t-shirt under a red jacket that matched the pants. He looked good. Really good. Alec was pretty sure his mouth was watering.

Magnus gave him a warm smile. "Ready to go?" Alec nodded. "Oh, wait. One more thing. He withdrew from his closet a black leather jacket and tossed it to Alec. Alec looked even more skeptically at the jacket. If Magnus's shirt was too small, there was no way this unforgiving jacket was going to fit him. He was surprised when he tried it on and found that it did. Perfectly.

"Where did you get this?" Alec said in awe.

"It was Will's dad's. Will's mom let me borrow it," Magnus said softly, his eyes darting between the floor and Alec's and back again.

"For me?" Alec said with equal quiet, and Magnus nodded. Alec was stunned. When did he get the jacket? After Thanksgiving, when Alec thought Magnus was mad at him? Why would he do that? He so wanted to know the answer, but didn't want to pry and put Magnus back on edge, not when he had finally started speaking to him again.

"Thanks," he said instead.

Magnus grinned. "Let's go."

Night was falling as they made their way to Frat Row. The sounds of music and laughter filled the air as frat house after frat house filled with people celebrating the end of the semester. The atmosphere was contagious, after all, Alec had plenty to celebrate, too. He had just completed his first semester of college and, though he had been distracted during finals, he knew had pulled out decent enough grades to keep his scholarship.

Magnus pointed across Alec to the house that was their destination. The door was standing wide open and Alec could see a mass of bodies gyrating to the beat inside a large room even from where he stood on the sidewalk. Magnus nudged him, and they entered the house, Alec slightly behind Magnus and a little hesitant.

Inside the frat house was even better than the party he had attended on Halloween with Austin and Cammie. The house was much larger than the other one, for starters, and had a much more 'Greek' feel to it, with large columns out front and an enormous, grand room that he thought was normally probably the living room area. There were no couches in sight at the moment, however, only folding chairs lining the walls. There were long, buffet-style tables near the kitchen that held every type of refreshment Alec could think of. In one corner, stood a DJ with speakers as tall as he was, and flashing, multi-colored lights lighting the dance floor.

Magnus grabbed Alec's arm and pulled him onto the dance floor, into a group of five girls, all dressed like some version of Madonna circa 1985. Their hair was teased and pulled into ponytails on the side or top of their heads. They wore frilly skirts and legwarmers and too much make-up. But they were dancing like there was no tomorrow and gladly welcomed the two men into their group.

As Alec had anticipated, Magnus was a great dancer. He looked so smooth and fluid on the dance floor. Alec's mouth was watering again. He tried not to stare too much at Magnus, but it was impossible. And he wasn't the only one staring. All the girls in their group looked like they wanted a piece of him, and so did many others, evidenced by the number of people inserting themselves into the group and brushing up against Magnus. Alec felt his claws extending, and had to talk himself out of a jealous cat-fight…with everyone.

Alec wanted so badly to move closer to Magnus, to be the object of his attention, instead of the multitude of girls that surrounded him, but he knew that wasn't possible. Magnus may have invited him, but as a friend, not a date, and knowing Magnus the way he did, he definitely wouldn't appreciate Alec making a spectacle of them. Besides, at this point, he didn't even know what Magnus wanted from him, and he was just thrilled Magnus was speaking to him again. Those two weeks had been hell for him.

As Madonna sang "Live out your fantasy here with me, Just let the music set you free, Touch my body and move in time, Now I know you're mine", Alec suddenly needed a breather. He slipped off the dance floor and quickly headed for the refreshments. He almost reached for the beer…God, I could use a drink right about now…but opted for a cola instead. He rarely drank soft drinks, and it didn't take long for him to be wired on a sugar-high.

He leaned against the wall, finished his drink, and was just about to return to the dance floor when a cute brunette approached him. She had a slightly predatory look about her, like a lioness stalking her prey. Alec was afraid he was the prey. She had made minimal attempt at the '80's look, and what she had done was ruined by the numerous facial piercings and tattoos covering her body. At least the streak of hot pink hair fit in pretty well, Alec mused.

"Hey, cutie," she said. Her voice was seductive, and Alec found himself mesmerized by the rings in her lower lip. "Care to dance?"

Alec shrugged. "Sure," he said, and let her lead him onto the dance floor. He fleetingly wondered if he should tell her he was gay, but somehow, he doubted it would make a difference. This girl seemed to embrace different and wear it proudly. He wondered, if she knew, would she try to 'convert' him? He chuckled to himself at that thought. She was cute, and he was interested in her, just not like that. That was never going to happen.

"My name's Melissa," she said, and Alec nearly snorted. He was so not expecting that! She winked at him as if reading his mind. "I go by Mo. My parents are the only ones who call me Melissa. I think they are in denial that I am not their sweet little girl anymore."

"Hey, Mo. I'm Alec." He had to shout over the music, which was now some upbeat '80's boy band song. Alec wasn't sure who the artist was, he tended to get those boy bands confused, ironically enough.

"I know who you are," she said through a smirk and Alec was taken aback. If she knew who he was… "Yes, Mr. Cheerleader, I know you're gay, too." She had dropped her voice conspiratorially, and Alec had to lean in to hear what she said.

"Then, why…?"

She laughed loudly, tossing her head back. Her voice had a sweet, tinkling quality to it when she laughed, much higher pitched than her speaking voice, so far anyway. "See that guy over there?" She jerked her head toward a tall guy in the corner that was currently shooting daggers with his eyes at them. Alec nodded. "He's been hitting on me all night. Won't take no for an answer. When I told him I was a lesbian, he said, 'Cool, let's find another girl and head back to my place.'" She said this last bit in a funny, masculine accent and Alec laughed.

"Shame you already told him you were a lesbian," Alec said. "Otherwise, I could just kiss you and we could pretend to be hooking up."

She laughed and snapped her fingers in exaggerated disappointment. Alec liked this girl and hoped they would get to hang out again.

They danced in their little carved-out space, and Alec lost himself in the music and rhythm. It felt good to cut loose after the hardcore studying, not to mention the worry over what was happening with Magnus. At the thought of his roommate, Alec's eyes immediately searched for him, and found him just a few feet away, still surrounded by girls. He rolled his eyes, but as the next song started up, his eyes made contact with Magnus's.

"Oh here it comes
That funny feeling again winding me up inside
Every time we touch
Hey I don't know
Oh, tell me where to begin cause I never ever
Felt so much"

Something flickered in Magnus's eyes, and he looked away. Alec returned to Mo, who was dancing a sexy circle around him. He chuckled at her antics.

They danced through several more songs, then took another break. Alec was hot and sweaty in the leather jacket, but he wasn't about to take it off and trust these strangers to not harm or steal it. He was just finishing a bottle of water when Mo squealed, said, "I love this song!" and dragged him back on the dance floor.

The song was a slow one, meaning he had to slow dance with Mo, who was really just slowing down her fast-dance movements. It was a comical sight, and she and Alec laughed.

"I don't want to touch you too much baby
Cause making love to you might drive me crazy
(Love bites, love bleeds)
It's bringing me to my knees
(Love lives, love dies)
It's no surprise
(Love begs, love pleads)
It's what I need"

Alec's eyes flicked back to Magnus, who was now draped around a tall, slender girl with black hair and, Alec was willing to bet, blue eyes. He couldn't see that to know for sure with her back facing him, but he would bet his entire trust fund it was true. And again, Magnus looked away.

When the song ended, he politely told Mo that he didn't want to dance anymore. The party atmosphere was draining him, especially with Magnus dancing with that girl. He watched from the shadows of the doorway as Magnus spun the girl around, and he could see that she did, in fact, have blue eyes, and she was certainly not either of the other two girls he had slept with. An all too familiar scenario was beginning, and Alec was getting seriously pissed off about it. He knew exactly what Magnus was doing now. All the pieces fell into place. He knew Magnus didn't have a 'type' because he had slept with Cammie, who had blonde hair and green eyes. This girl, like the two before her, were nothing but surrogates…for Alec.

Magnus swayed with the girl in his arms, watching Alec the whole time. He wondered if his roommate could sense the anger radiating from him, if he could see it written on his features. The next song struck a nerve in Alec, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

"I've been lonely, I've been waitin' for you
I'm pretending and that's all I can do
The love I'm sendin'
Ain't makin' it through to your heart

You've been hidin', never lettin' it show
Always tryin' to keep it under control
You got it down and you're well on your way to the top
But there's somethin' that you forgot

What about love?"

Magnus was holding the girl even closer, but his eyes didn't break contact with Alec's. Alec turned and found that the doorway where he stood led to the kitchen, and then a straight shot to the front door. He was out of there. He tossed the rest of his drink into the sink and searched for a trash can to toss his red plastic cup. He finally found one in the corner, and when he turned back around to head toward the exit, he saw Magnus with his arm around his latest conquest, and heard his said, "Let's get out of here."

And then, he lost his shit.

He stormed over to Magnus, anger licking the insides of his body and boiling over. "Can I have a word with you?" he spat.

Magnus looked at him in shock, which pissed Alec off even more. "I'll be back in just a moment," he said to the girl and followed Alec as he stomped out of the house and around the side of the building. It was dark there, with only the quarter moon for illumination, just enough to see Magnus's eyes sparkle, but not enough to make out his features.

"What the FUCK are you doing?" he demanded as soon as Magnus joined him on the side of the building. He could just make out the puff of steam coming from his mouth as his warm breath hit the cold December air.

"What do you-" Magnus began, but Alec cut across him.

"Why did you invite me here? So, I could have a front row seat as you pick up your next piece of ass? One that just happens to look like me."

"I thought it would be fun," Magnus said, regaining his composure. "Sorry you didn't agree."

"Fun?" Alec said, his voice rising even further in anger. "Magnus, I kissed you. And it meant something to me. I guess it didn't mean anything to you."

"Shhh," Magnus pleaded, "keep your voice down."

Alec glanced around. They were completely alone. "It's too fucking cold for anyone to be out here eavesdropping." He paused, gathering himself. "Magnus, would you just talk to me? Please." He tried to keep his voice steady, but it wavered nonetheless. For some reason, he knew, he just knew, that this was it. This was his last chance with Magnus. If Magnus went home with that girl…

"What do you want me to say," Magnus said stubbornly. Alec could see him shift positions and cross his arms in front of his chest. A defensive stance.

So Alec threw in all the chips. "I want you to say you feel something for me, too. I want you to say we have a chance to be together. I want you to choose me…not some replacement who is acceptable because she has a pussy."

He could see in the dim light as Magnus's eyes grew wider, and after several long, agonizing moments, "I can't Alec." And now Magnus's eyes were shining brightly, too brightly. Were there tears in his eyes? Did it even matter? Magnus was saying no, in the end.

"Fine," Alec said forcefully, choking back his own pain. "Fine. If you want to pretend we don't mean anything to each other, go right ahead. Go fuck your little girlfriend and think about me while you do it. But don't you dare bring her back to our dorm."

He started to turn away, then stopped and added, "Don't worry, it's not forever. Monday morning I'll go see Mrs. Greene and get a transfer. Then you can fuck whoever you want in your dorm. Who knows, maybe you'll get your wish this time and they won't give you a new roommate. After all, if I can't handle you…"

He turned again and stalked off. He heard Magnus call his name, and only paused long enough to say, "I'm done!" As soon as his feet hit the sidewalk, he broke into a run, putting as much distance as possible between him and Magnus. He honestly couldn't believe that had just happened. Then, he honestly couldn't believe that he honestly couldn't believe it. How stupid and naïve does one have to be to think that him kissing Magnus was going to suddenly make him come out and land directly into a relationship with him? But God, he had so wanted it.

He kicked at an empty can laying on the sidewalk, sending it flying up ahead of him, and kicked it again when he reached it. He didn't know what to do with himself now. He didn't want to go back to his dorm, partially because it reminded him of Magnus, but also because a small part of him was afraid Magnus would take the girl back there despite what he had said, and he definitely didn't want to see that! Thinking about it was killing him. Unfortunately for him, it was fucking freezing outside, and he needed to get indoors. He made a snap decision to go to Austin's. He needed a friend right now.

His knock on Austin's door was probably more insistent that it needed to be, but Alec could only vaguely care about that right now. Austin opened the door, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, shit. Did I wake you?" Alec said, feeling like an ass. "Sorry. Go back to sleep. I'll talk to you later."

"No, it's okay. I mean, it is one o'clock in the morning, but I'm already up now." Austin took a step back, swinging the door open to admit Alec. "Come in."

Alec entered his old dorm room with a vague sense of nostalgia. He'd only lived there for two months, but it had been a good two months. He briefly wondered if he would feel that way about living with Magnus. Up until this moment, he would have said yes, but now he was starting to wonder if it had been worth it. Or maybe that was just the pain talking…

"What's up?" Austin said, finally recognizing Alec's agitated mood.

"I'm moving out. I can't live with him anymore."

Austin raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Alec's eyes darted around the empty room. "Are we alone?" he asked. He may be mad at Magnus, but he wasn't going to out him to people he didn't know and trust to keep the secret. He had already told Austin and Cammie that he had kissed Magnus and that Magnus had freaked out, but that wasn't going anywhere else.

"Yeah."

"Good. I basically told Magnus that he needed to make a choice: me or his numerous girlfriends."

Austin sucked in a breath. "Wow. What did he say?"

Alec gave him a pointed look. "I'm here with you aren't I?"

"Oh. Right. Sorry, man."

"Yeah. It sucks. I don't know what to do."

"So you're moving out?" Alec could hear the disbelief in his voice, and his eyes darted up to his friend's.

"What else am I supposed to do?" he said desperately. "I'm in love with him, and he's off fucking some girl. I can't do this anymore."

"Okay. So your knee-jerk response is to move out." Austin said this like he was trying to make it make sense to himself.

"No. My knee-jerk response is to kick his ass, but that's not going to help matters. So instead I came here. You know, for your help." He looked at Austin as if he were doing anything but helping him at the moment.

"Okay," Austin said again. "So how can I help you?"

Alec took a deep breath. "Do you remember when I told you I had a crush on Magnus, and you said I just needed to get laid? Well, I want you to help me do that. Set me up with that guy you said was interested in me."

Austin shook his head sadly. "Alec, getting laid with help you get over a crush. It won't do anything but cause you more pain if you love him."

"I don't care," Alec said loudly. "I have to do something, have to get over him somehow. Please, Austin. Just set up the date, and leave the rest to me. Just let him know I'm interested, alright?"

Austin was still shaking his head. "I don't think this is a good idea, Alec."

"It doesn't matter if it's a good idea or not! It's got to be better than this," Alec said. He was dangerously close to tears and didn't know how much more he could take.

Austin sighed. "When?"

Alec gave him a watery smile. "Tomorrow. After the game. It's an early game, two o'clock, so there will be plenty of time afterward. Something casual, like I did with you and Cam."

Austin nodded. "Alright. I still think this is a bad idea…"

"I know. It's just…I've never been in love before. I don't know what I'm doing but I can't just sit back and watch my heart break."

"This is what Cam and I have been worried about." Alec's eyes met Austin's again. "You getting hurt. We never thought you and Magnus were a good idea, but you seemed to have everything under control, and he seemed to be opening up to you. So we thought, maybe. Maybe it'll all work out. But I don't really know what you see in him."

Alec shrugged. "The heart wants what it wants. Besides, he really is a great guy, if he would just let others see it. He's also his own worst enemy. He's hiding something. I don't believe for a second that he won't go out with me because of the NB-freaking-A. That's just an excuse he can hide behind."

"What do you think he's hiding?" Austin's interest was piqued now.

Alec shook his head. "No idea. That's the point, right? He's hiding whatever his secret is from me. God!" Alec said in frustration as he flung himself backward against the couch. He pulled his knees up and hugged them close to his body. "I wish I knew. How am I supposed to get around the obstacle when I don't even know what it is?"

"So…you're not giving up, then?"

Alec sighed. "No, I am. He's made it perfectly clear that it's not going to happen between us."

Although, he did call your name as you ran away, a little voice inside his head reminded him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It didn't matter anymore. He was done chasing Magnus. He'd go on this date, and maybe even have meaningless sex with the guy, and hopefully, in the process, make Magnus see what he's missing. If not, then he would at least know for sure that it was over. Over before it ever really began. That thought saddened him more than any other. Magnus hadn't even given him a chance to make him happy. And he knew that he could make Magnus happy. He knew it. Magnus would never be happy with a girl, no gay man could be truly happy with a girl. I'll be damned if there is anything I can do about it.

He left Austin's a short time later. He knew Austin was tired, and he was feeling pretty worn down himself. After making Austin promise one more time to set up the date for tomorrow after the game, he said goodnight and headed to his own dorm room.

When he entered the room, he gaze immediately landed on Magnus's closed bedroom door. He hadn't been at Austin's more than half and hour, and he knew they had left both bedroom doors open when they left earlier that night. So that meant Magnus was home. He better not have brought that girl up here, he grumbled to himself, then tip-toed over to Magnus's door and listened. He half expected to hear sounds of sex, but he heard nothing whatsoever. Magnus's room was as silent as if it were empty.

Alec didn't know what to make of that. And he was too exhausted to contemplate the meanings. He crossed the room to his own bedroom, closed the door behind him, and just barely managed to shuck off Magnus's jacket and shirt, and toe off his shoes before collapsing onto the bed and falling fast asleep, tight jeans be damned.

A/N: These lovely '80's songs, in order, are: 1. "Get Into The Groove" by Madonna, 2. "Why Can't This Be Love" by Van Halen, 3. "Love Bites" by Def Leppard, and 4. "What About Love" by Heart.