A/N: This was so fast! Woot! Less of a filler, in my opinion. Enjoy, and thank you SO MUCH for the reviews!

(SCENE)

Magnus collapsed onto the couch. Alec was right. He was being a bitch. He just couldn't seem to stop. And now Alec had his car, his backpack, which, incidentally contained the textbook Alec needed, and every right to be mad at Magnus. When had their relationship turned into this? Fighting, yelling, stealing cars and tearing off into the murderer-infested darkness? It was absurd, and Magnus didn't know how to fix it.

It took him half an hour to come up with anything, and another two hours to get it all written down. By then, it was a little past eight o'clock, and Magnus rubbed his eyes tiredly, throwing down his pen. Carefully, he folded the piece of paper and wrote Alec's name on the outside of it, leaving it on the table. He could only hope Alec would come back tonight, since at least his clothes were still in the penthouse.

Magnus was too drained to do anything except crawl into bed, still fully clothed and with all his makeup still caked on his face. He tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, but the elevator did not rumble up to his floor and Alec did not return. He resisted the urge to call his boyfriend, knowing it would only make him angrier. Eventually, he drifted off into an uneasy, uncomfortable sleep.

(SCENE)

Alec pulled back into the parking lot at Magnus's place a little past midnight, rubbing his eyes to clear them of exhaustion and half-formed tears. He had driven around the outskirts of the city for hours, until he finally figured that Magnus had to be asleep. At least, he hoped Magnus was asleep. It would be impossible to face him just then.

When he got to the door to Magnus's penthouse, he unlocked it and pushed it open tentatively. All the lights were out except the one that hung over the kitchen table. It gave the place an eerie, abandoned look, and Alec closed the door quickly and locked it. He tiptoed over to Magnus's bedroom and peered in. Sure enough, Magnus was curled up under the comforter, fast asleep and frowning. Alec closed his door again and returned to the kitchen.

On the normally spotless table—Magnus believed that if you were eating somewhere, it should absolutely be clean, although that principle didn't apply to the rest of his dwelling—lay a folded piece of paper. Alec picked it up and read his own name on the sheet. Slowly, he unfolded it, dreading slightly what he might find. He read,

You're mad at me, and you ought to be. Don't take this the wrong way. It's just that you could do so much better than me—you know I've slept around and I've done plenty of things I'm not proud of. Everyone tells me that I just don't care enough, and I used to be scared you would think that, too. And I still am, sometimes. Because I care so, so much and it's hard for me to let you know that. So I'm possessive and I know it's not right, but I hold you as tight as I can because I don't want to, I can't, let you go. I love you, Alec Lightwood, and I would be nothing without you. So yes, you're angry and I'm ashamed, but this is why I hold on so tight, why serial killers scare me and so do your harshest, truest words. This is why I love you.

Your eyes. They were the first thing I ever noticed about you and I want them to be the last thing I see. I doubt you understand this because looking at your own eyes is not at all like looking at someone else's. Trust me on this one. You have the most incredible eyes I've ever seen.

The way you look at me sometimes, like you can't believe this is happening. I feel the same way, always.

The way you laugh just a little after we've been kissing for a long time and pull away. I'm never sure if you're laughing because it's awkward or what, and then you smile at me and I just melt.

How you have this endless reservoir of self-control (I also kind of hate this). You can always keep me in check. But when you let go, it's both very scary and very sexy.

You take it slow. Everyone before just wanted my body, but you don't ask me for that and it's strange to me, but it's also amazing. It means you like me, not just my looks, and I'm not afraid to like you for something other than your looks because trust me, I do. Not that you're not sexy. You are. Very.

How you breathe when you sleep. You don't snore, but your breath hitches every few moments. I can't explain it. It's adorable.

Your hair. Endlessly, your hair. I adore it. I love everything about it. Enough said.

You're so good and kind and I don't deserve everything you do for me.

How you always know exactly what to do when someone gets hurt. You don't flinch at blood, which is a blessing, because I hate it. But you can always fix people up with minimal fuss.

The way you look at me sometimes like I'm a total moron when I say something crazy, but then you laugh and your eyes light up and you slap my arm.

How strong you are. Physically and mentally, I could never measure up.

You know me better than I know myself (and you appreciate Adam Lambert)

You gave someone like me a chance, even when you're so far out of my league of losers and I've done nothing to deserve it that it isn't even fair.

I feel like I'm dragging you down sometimes, like I'm making you worse, but you never change who you are. You'll always be at the top, always be the best there is.

You. I love you. I love everything about you even when you make me mad and you're stubborn and I don't know what to do with you, and I would never exchange you for anything.

So I'm sorry I'm possessive and overprotective and annoying. It's just that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you. Please forgive me, if you can.

I love you.

Magnus

Alec closed his eyes, biting back the raw feeling in his throat and keeping his eyes dry. He felt like falling on the floor and bawling his eyes out, but he didn't. He let Magnus sleep in peace, and instead of making a racket, picked up a piece of paper of his own and started to write.

Magnus,

I'm sorry I yelled. I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I'll try anyways.

The problem is that it's so easy to lie on paper. It would be so simple for me to just say that I'm not angry and for us to go back to how we really should be. But I don't think that will help, because it's a lie. I have a life, Magnus. I make mistakes, I have friends and things to do, I forget to call. I don't want to have to reconcile those things with you. I want them all, and maybe that's selfish, but it's the way I feel.

But I love you. Trust me, if I didn't, we would not be together right now in any sense of the word. I know I don't say it much, but I love you so much I don't know what to do. You said I'm out of your league, but you're so much better than me. You're always so poised and funny and confident. Sometimes I catch myself watching you just to see how you do things, because I could never get my way like you do.

I think it scares me a little when you hold on so tight. When I was 'friends' with Jonathan, he was always trying to tell me what to do and wear and say, and it reminds me of him when you do that sometimes. I don't want what we have to turn into resentment and I don't want to have to run away from you. I'm not sure I could leave. I love you too much. And that scares me a little bit, too. I've never had anyone to say that to. Even in my family, we hardly ever say it. But you, you're so open about everything you feel. No matter what it is, it goes from your brain to your mouth with no filter and I'm not used to that, but it's amazing at the same time. I'm not as eloquent as you, and I doubt I could put my finger on exactly what makes me love you, but there it is. I do.

Alec

P.S. Izzy is picking me up for school. I'll see you at lunch.

(SCENE)

Alec sat down at his normal lunch table, willing Magnus to come and talk. He hoped he had done enough. When a lean figure dropped a bag on the floor and planted himself across from Alec, Alec looked up sharply and jumped to see his boyfriend.

"We're not okay, really, yet, are we?"

Alec didn't lie. "No. I don't think so."

"Do you want us to be? Because I know that I scare you a little, and you scare me and neither of us are going to change."

"Magnus—"

Magnus plowed on. "But I want this to work because I meant what I said. I love you. I want to be with you. But this won't be a quick fix."

"Magnus," Alec said again. Magnus stopped. "You're right. It's not easy." Magnus bit his lip. "But, yeah, I want this to work, too." Alec looked down at the red plastic of the table.

Magnus leaned forward. "You do?"

"Yes." Alec said quietly. "Why do you think I wrote that note?"

"So, what should we do?"

"I'm not sure," Alec admitted.

"It's just…." Magnus gave a frustrated sigh. "I know I seem really overbearing. It's just that when the going got tough in any other relationship I've been in, I let them walk away and I can't do that with you."

"I've never been in another relationship," Alec said. "The only relationship experience I've ever gotten came from my health class freshman year."

"Now what?"

"Um…. Do the horribly dorky health class thing and 'set some boundaries?'"

Magnus smiled slightly. "Like what?"

"Hm…." Alec thought.

"Because if you say we skip the making out thing, I will pounce on you right here. I enjoy that way too much," Magnus said.

Alec smiled coyly. "I enjoy it, too." His face turned serious. "How about, you don't fight my battles for me. I don't need you to stick up for me all the time. I'm not a damsel in distress, even though it can seem like that because I'm so shy. If something really bothered me, I wouldn't let it slide. I've learned my lesson once, and I don't need it again."

"I can live with that," Magnus agreed. "As long as you can let me worry about the things that really matter, like this whole Hodge thing. Know that I'm going to freak out when I'm not with you. It's not that I don't trust you; I'm scared that you're not going to come home. Just understand that, if you get thirteen texts from me, that I worry because it's serious, not because I don't trust you."

Alec nodded. "Okay. But I'm probably going to get short with you sometimes. I'm not used to that kind of attention. My family doesn't show affection like that. I doubt I would be reported missing for at least three days after I was gone. They don't call or text or anything like that. They just watch out and figure that if anything is wrong, they'll be around to kick some ass."

"Yeah, but sparkles and stiletto heels can only get you so far. If Hodge came after you, I'd be pretty useless."

Alec smiled. "Don't worry. I've been taking martial arts classes since that last run in with Hodge."

"How much trouble do you think you'd be in if you brought a pocket knife in school?"

Alec pretended to think about it. "Depends on if I got caught."

"And the likelihood of that?"

"Low," Alec admitted. "But I'm not sure it would help in any case. I don't know knife fighting. Just ninja moves."

Magnus laughed, and the tension abated some. Maybe they really would be okay.

A/N: You like? Review, please! Thanks for reading! LOVE

K