A/N: Short thyme, lots o' C.

Clubbing

Magnus and Alec stepped out from a portal barely concealed in an alleyway. Magnus looked fabulous, as always. Alec looked rumpled and a little queasy.

The line up to get into The Santiago was huge and Alec started for the back of it. Magnus wagged a finger and then looped an arm around his shoulders, leading him to the front of the line. People's complaints were broken off shortly when the bouncer at the doors jumped in surprise at Magnus's arrival and let them go right in.

"Wow," Alec said inside.

"There are some perks to being the High Warlock of Brooklyn," Magnus smiled absently.

Magnus seemed to thrive on the thudding bass and swirl of faces, glimpses caught with the flashing of the strobe light.

The interior of the club didn't do the same for Alec. It made him confused, claustrophobic, and even a little seasick. It took him to a million different clubs all over New York, filled with humans dancing carelessly while monsters lurked among them. It took him to the Seelie Court, where foolish humans danced on for eternity to horribly beautiful music.

He tried to keep at Magnus's side, always in contact. Holding his hand, touching his shoulder, trying to sway to the beat of the music along with everyone else, but ultimately failing. Eventually Magnus kissed him on the cheek and danced off to greet some pixies he was familiar with, leaving Alec to stare around awkwardly in the throng of sweaty bodies.

Feeling more than a little defeated, Alec made his way over to the bar and stared at all of the drinks. He didn't want alcohol, but he didn't want soda. The bartender asked his order and he said "Water?"

He found a spot on the wall to lean against and scanned the mayhem for his boyfriend. Magnus, it seemed, had disappeared. He sighed. Getting left in the dust seemed to be a common theme whenever they went out. Unless it was just the two of them, Magnus always felt the need to flutter about like the social butterfly he was.

Alec wasn't the clubbing type. He thought it was unnecessary and impersonal. Why would he go to a noisy, crowded, confusing room packed with Mundie's and peppered with Downworlder's when there was a nice overstuffed couch in Magnus's apartment? Why would he choose an awkward, cramped, and deafening dive of colour and illusion when the park looked so green this time of year?

Because Magnus loved clubbing, that was why. He loved the noise and the people and the vitality. He loved dancing and shouting when no one could see or hear him. And for some godforsaken reason, he loved bringing Alec along.

He loved bringing him along and loosing him in the crowd.

"Hey there!" a smooth voice shouted in his ear. Alec turned his head and caught the gleam of an earring and the flash of a tooth. "I'm Erik! What's your name?"

A hand snaked out, dead white, and touched Alec's arm. Erik was tall and thick, wearing the usual black that vampires loved.

Alec stepped away. "What do you want?" he called over the music.

"You, me, men's room - let's go!"

Alec make a disgusted face and slapped the hand away from his arm. "Get away from me before I rip you in half!"

The vampire smiled, showing a little more fang, like that would scare him. "I wasn't asking, now was I?"

The hand gripped his upper arm, hard, and pulled. Alec nearly lost his balance, but regained his footing quickly. He straightened up, and a stray strobe light caught one of the Mark's on his neck. It was a simple one for grace in the hopes that it would make him a better dancer. Erik hissed at the sight.

"Nephilim!"

Before anything could happen, the vampire turned a sickly green. Literally. The air around him shimmered dangerously and Magnus broke out of the crowd, eyes flashing. The music drained from the room, but no one besides Alec, Magnus, and Erik seemed to notice.

"Get. Your. Paws. Off. My. Boyfriend." Magnus's voice was a growl, low and dangerous. Slowly, bit by bit, Erik's hand peeled off of Alec's arm.

The vampire's eyes widened and then he fainted. No one noticed the unconscious man lying on the floor.

Magnus smiled at Alec and laced their fingers together. "I lose you for half a second and sure enough you find trouble."

Alec grinned half-heartedly, looking up through his eyelashes. "Then stop losing me."

He rolled his glimmering cat-eyes. "You do realize it's not illegal for you to follow me? If I didn't want you around me, I would come here alone."

"I know..."

"Just try enjoying this a little bit?" Magnus asked, pulling Alec's chin up so their eyes met. "For me?"

Alec looked around the club - the lights, the music, the brightly coloured people - and couldn't help but see why Magnus liked to go clubbing. It was part of who he was.

He nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Okay, okay... For you."

Magnus grinned and kissed him. "Good. Now get out there and shake that tushka."

"Tushka?"

"Tushka."

"Okay then..."

The End