Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update, but this past week was a bit tricky; between the heat wave (it got up to 104° on Saturday!) and the holiday (Happy belated Fourth of July, by the way, to U.S. readers), it was hard to get a chapter done. The AC in my apartment is…inconsistent at best, so rather than writing last week, I was more concerned with not expiring from the heat. Also, just so you know, next week's chapter will probably be late too, since I'm going to have relatives visiting this weekend, and I always have a hard time writing lemons under those circumstances...:P
Today's chapter takes place the morning after the previous one. After this chapter, the action is going to start to take place during the events of "City of Lost Souls," so let me just warn you again if you haven't read the book, though I'm pretty sure most of you have by now, that THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!
One last thing: "You and I" has been nominated for an Energize W.I.P. Award in the category "Most promising Mortal Instruments FanFiction"! Apparently, the voting will be from July 13th thru July 20th; I'm not exactly sure how it works yet, but I'll give you an update next week, and if you could possibly take the time to vote, I'd appreciate it very much. :) Thanks as always for your reviews, and I'll see you again sometime next week! :)
Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare is the author of "The Mortal Instruments" series, and the "City of Bones" movie is only…a little over a year away. Ouch. (And have you seen the cover of "Clockwork Princess"? SO PRETTY!)
Chapter Twenty-Five: Magnus's POV
Magnus woke feeling better than he had in weeks. Not touching Alec on the few nights they'd spent together had been torture, but he'd known that any romantic overtures would be ill-timed, given how overwrought and exhausted Alec had been ever since Jace had vanished. Jace…where the hell could that maddening boy be?
Alec was already getting dressed by the time Magnus was starting to feel fully awake. It was difficult to do more than blink drowsily at things until he'd had some coffee, but Magnus was trying. He wished that Alec didn't have to leave yet…
"I'll call you when I know where I'll be today, all right?" Alec said, grabbing his bow after he'd buckled his weapons belt.
"Sounds like a plan," Magnus said, reaching over to run his fingers through Alec's hair as he sat down on the bed to tie his boots. Alec smiled slightly at his touch, but as Magnus draped his arms around him, resting his head on Alec's shoulder so he could see his face, Alec looked pained.
"What is it?" Magnus asked gently.
"Before all this, when I was…angry with you," Alec said hesitantly. "I just couldn't stop asking myself how I could be…enough for you; smart enough, or good-looking enough, or…enough of anything. Because compared to you, I'm—"
"Alec," Magnus said sternly, "if you say 'boring' or 'ordinary' or some other uncomplimentary adjective, I will be very displeased."
Alec chuckled nervously. "But it's true. And maybe when this is all over, I'll find a way to deal with it, but until we find Jace, I'm just going to try to forget about that stuff, all right? So, I guess I'm trying to say…thanks, for putting up with me while I try to figure out…everything that's happening right now."
"You shouldn't have to forget it, because it isn't true, Alec," Magnus said impatiently. "And I'm happy to be here for you now—it isn't some kind of burden, you know, helping the man I love in his time of need. I want to be here to help you."
"Well, thanks," Alec said awkwardly. "Sorry, I guess this is another one of those things that I don't really understand about relationships yet. I'm still getting used to having friends outside the Clave, let alone…someone I love. It just seems like the rules are different sometimes."
Magnus rolled his eyes but hugged Alec a little tighter. "The rules, as you put it, are never the same. They always depend on the people in the relationship. So, for example, I'm the sort of person who's more than happy to help his boyfriend look for his parabartai, and you're the sort of person who will move heaven and earth to find said parabartai, even if doing so means depriving yourself of your wickedly handsome boyfriend's attention for weeks at a time."
Alec smiled. "'Wickedly handsome'? I'd probably just say that you're handsome and leave it at that. I'm not big on modifiers."
Magnus chuckled, letting his hands, which had been resting against Alec's chest, roam lower, tracing the lines of his lover's stomach and thighs. Alec sat still for a few moments, clearly enjoying the sensation of being touched, but after a minute or so, his breathing started to get ragged, and he made as if to stand up.
"I—I should go," he stammered, but then Magnus kissed the back of his neck, then slipped his tongue into Alec's ear, tracing its shape, and Alec started shaking. Clearly, he was too turned on to really will himself to get up and walk away now.
"You know, I wish you'd take the time to sleep more than once a week," Magnus said quietly. "But since I know you're not about to slow down, I'll just have to take care of you as best I can. So, let's take five minutes right now to make sure that you're relaxed and refreshed for the rest of the day."
"I'm…already dressed," Alec breathed, inhaling sharply when Magnus's hand cupped the front of his pants and didn't let go.
"You're dressed, but I'm not," Magnus pointed out, his voice low and seductive, and when Alec turned and kissed him, it was easy enough to pull him down on top of him and unzip his pants.
"Magnus," Alec said raggedly, already hard from the way that Magnus had been stroking his stomach and thighs.
"Don't worry, I know you just put on your clothes," Magnus said, a little breathless from the way that Alec was running his hands all over him. "So, I won't take any off. Come here."
Alec took a deep breath, and Magnus stroked the tip of him, a little lube magically appearing on the tips of his fingers. Alec shuddered and leaned down, nibbling and sucking at Magnus's neck until Magnus was sure that he'd see a hickey there later, whenever he cared to finally get out of bed and examine himself. Magnus shifted under Alec, showing him with his hand where to go. Alec grabbed his legs, and Magnus grinned as he slid his knees over Alec's shoulders and Alec entered him, groaning as he did so. Magnus groaned too, and squeezed Alec's forearms. As soon as Alec was all the way inside him, he raised his head to look at Magnus, panting slightly.
"Fast now," Magnus said, staring up at Alec's intense blue eyes, narrowed in concentration; Alec always worried in this situation, both about possibly hurting Magnus or coming too quickly, so Magnus had learned the best way to do this. "Fast and hard."
Alec pulled out slightly, then slammed back into him, and they both moaned. Alec was still relatively inexperienced, but somehow, that always seemed to make this better; his movements were always unpredictable, thrilling, and Magnus relished the way that Alec quickly stopped trying to move slowly and gave in to the urge to thrust as fast as he could. Feeling Alec inside him always did something to Magnus that unnerved the warlock a little. Maybe it was because he was the one who'd shown Alec this and a myriad of other forms of physical love, but the pleasure of Alec thrusting inside him was always nearly unbearable.
"Alec," Magnus moaned, writhing underneath him, stroking himself in hopes of coming when Alec did, and then Alec was crying out, and so was Magnus, and then they were both finished. As they lay together, panting in the light of early morning that one curtain, only partly drawn, admitted to the room, Magnus motioned with his hand, some blue sparks escaped from his fingertips, and two Styrofoam cups of coffee appeared on the nightstand.
"Here," he said quietly, nodding at the coffee and helping Alec sit up. "So neither of us tries to take a nap after that. See, if you'd rest during the night more often, you could always have that kind of energy in the morning."
Alec smiled lazily and zipped up his pants. "I'll keep that in mind. And thanks for the coffee and…morning festivities."
Magnus snorted. "Clearly, you need coffee if that's the best euphemism for sweaty sex you can come up with. Go on, you'd better leave before I drag you back into bed again."
Alec nodded, knowing to take the threat seriously. He kissed Magnus one more time, slowly and gently, and then he stood up, grabbed his coffee, and waved goodbye.
"See you later," he said.
"Bye, love," Magnus called, yawning and stretching, feeling pleasantly sore as he sipped his coffee and thought about what the new day might have in store for them: news of Jace, at long last? Magnus still wished for a definitive answer about the future he might have with Alec, but until he could find one, he was certainly grateful for the present they had together. Of course, Alec would never really be happy until he found Jace. When we finally find that boy, it'll be a struggle not to curse him with something horrible for causing so much trouble, Magnus thought irritably. With a sigh, he stood up and began to move toward the closet, seeking search party appropriate clothing.