Hey guys! I know it's taken a while, but here is the next update!

Thank you all sooo much for the reviews and whatnot. I LOVE to hear what you guys think about everything!

S/O to my incredible Best friend/beta Amanda for being kick ass and getting the chapters back to me like SUPER FUCKING FAST. Love you bae

I don't have a lot of time to talk, nor do I have a lot to say, so I'll just leave you with that.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, yadda yadda.

Enjoy Aruba!

"Come on, Isabelle! We haven't got all day!" Jace shouted, giving Alec a look of annoyance. Magnus couldn't hide his amusement when Alec shrugged at him, a slow smile spreading across his face.

They were meant to be in the airport within the hour, but at the rate Isabelle was going, Magnus didn't think they would make it within the day. Alec, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind being locked out of Isabelle's room while she got ready to get on the plane. Apparently, he was used to Isabelle's antics.

Clary, Simon, Tessa, Brad, and Max had all already gone to the airport an hour ago and the absence of Clary was obviously not good for Jace's patience, if he possessed any in the first place.

"Jace, just give her a minute." Alec urged, the corner of his mouth twitching in an obvious attempt to conceal a smile.

"I've already given her twenty!"

Magnus laughed out loud when Alec rolled his eyes and walked over to where he was standing.

"Where are Will and Jem?" he asked.

"They're going to meet us at the airport." Magnus replied.

Alec nodded and glanced over his shoulder at Jace, who had begun shouting profanities at Isabelle's door along with the incessant pounding of his fist, and sighed.

"Jace, if you would just give her a minute…"

Magnus let Alec's words float past him as he watched the scene unfold. While Jace seemed angrier than Magnus had ever seen him, Alec seemed positively light. Magnus couldn't take his eyes off him. Everything he said, every tiny shift of his eyes and body radiated happiness—something Magnus wasn't used to seeing in Alec. It wasn't like Alec had never been happy, that wasn't it at all; Alec had just never seemed so alive, so absolutely content to live in the here and now. It was like nothing could get to him, nothing could ruin his high. Nothing could touch him.

Alec laughed and Magnus could see his eyes dancing, could practically feel the heat of the sun shining through them. He had never looked more beautiful.

Isabelle's door swung open, snapping Magnus out of his thoughtful musings, and she walked out of the room haughtily—not looking the least bit remorseful for having taken such a long time.

"Hallelujah! The Queen has decided to grace us with her presence!" Jace seethed.

"Even peasants need a little bit of sunshine." Isabelle said, tossing her hair behind her shoulder as she rolled a large bag through the doorway. "I hope you three already have the car packed."

"We do," Alec said before Jace could add his own snide remark. "We did it this morning."

"Magnus has a hell of a lot of stuff." Jace said, turning to Magnus. "How many bags did you have? Three?"

"To be fair, one was a carry-on." Magnus said, winking at Isabelle.

"Jace, will you take this?" Alec piped up from behind them, holding one of Isabelle's bags. There was another rather large bag at his feet. Magnus was impressed to see that Isabelle's three bags were all almost double the size of his own and his bags weren't small by any stretch.

Jace complained about the size of Isabelle's bags all the way to the car and the majority of the way to the airport. Isabelle looked annoyed by it, but Alec just looked amused.

When they arrived, there was a security guard already waiting for them at the entrance—one that Jace and Alec both seemed to know—along with ten or fifteen photographers. The security guard quickly ushered them through security and into the private plane they would be taking, where the rest of the group was waiting for them.

"Finally!" Max said when they got inside the plane. "What took you so long?"

"You don't want to know," Alec said, glancing behind him with a nervous laugh. "Did you find Will and Jem?"

"Yeah," Max said. "They're talking to Brad and Clary up front. You probably don't want to go over there."

"Why?" Magnus said.

"They're trying to get an 'honest and unbiased' opinion of Alec." Max said, making air quotes with his fingers. "Apparently they can't trust 'someone who's fucking him'. I left when they started talking about who tops."

"Wouldn't they like to know," Magnus said, grinning as Alec visibly reddened.

"I'm going to talk to Jace," Alec muttered, walking toward the back of the plane where Jace was seated, talking quietly into his phone. Magnus couldn't help himself from admiring the view as Alec walked away. He didn't get to see Alec in gym shorts and a t-shirt very often because New York weather didn't really call for it, but seeing it now made him very excited to get to Aruba, where Alec would be dressed similarly every day or perhaps in even less. The thought brought an excited smile to Magnus's face.

"Ew," Max said. "Don't check out my brother in front of me."

Magnus laughed, but wasn't able to respond before the security guard who had led them into the airport stepped out of the cockpit and cleared his throat loudly enough to get everyone's attention.

"For anyone that doesn't already know, my name is Stephen Herondale. I am the Lightwood's family escort and I'll be with you for the entirety of your trip." he said. "Don't worry too much—I'm not going to bother any of your fun, I promise. I'm here for safety—not babysitting."

"Although he is very good at both." Jace said.

Stephen raised his eyebrows but said nothing. "I'll be with the pilot, if anyone needs me."

The moment the door shut, the steady babble of voices picked back up and everyone began finding their seats. Magnus wasn't exactly sure who was sitting where, but considering the seats were two a row, it wasn't hard to guess. Alec fell asleep against Magnus's shoulder after about an hour and it seemed the rest of the group all had similar ideas.

After the plane had been in the air for about two and a half hours, Magnus heard Max, who was apparently sitting in the row ahead of him and Alec.

"I know you do," he said, his voice hushed in response to something Magnus hadn't heard. "But you have to realize that it's never going to happen. Maybe if you'd made a move sooner—"

"But I didn't," a voice said just as quietly. "I blew my chance, I know. But Max… if there's still any possibility—any chance at all that it could work, I have to take it. I have to try."

"If you try anything, Alec will never talk to you again." Max said. "He loves Magnus, Brad. He really does. And he has enough shit to worry about right now without this being added to the list. Don't be an idiot."

"I know." Brad said with a sigh.

Magnus felt his eyes bulge and his jaw drop when he realized what they were talking about. He wasn't sure when Max had gotten so chummy with Brad, but apparently it had happened recently, and their bond was strong enough to be discussing Alec's love life… which was a bit unsettling.

They didn't speak again, which Magnus was grateful for, and Magnus spent the next hour thinking about what they had said. Magnus had known Brad was in love with Alec ever since the scene he had made by the fountain when he had yelled at Camille for playing the video of Alec in front of the entire school, but he hadn't realized Brad's feelings had remained completely intact since that time. It was daunting to have one of Alec's oldest friends as competition. Magnus knew that Brad wasn't really competition, considering Alec loved Magnus and not him, but it still made Magnus feel as though he had something to prove. If Brad didn't think Magnus and Alec were serious about each other now, Magnus would make sure he knew it by the end of the trip. Plus, he really needed to make sure Brad didn't pull another stunt like the one he had pulled last week after coming out to Val and Jon. Magnus didn't specifically enjoy watching his boyfriend being groped by someone other than him and he was determined to make sure it didn't happen again.

Alec woke up a few minutes before the plane landed and Magnus decided right then and there that Alec waking up was quite possibly the cutest thing known to mankind. The way his hair was rumbled from resting his head on Magnus's shoulder made him look younger and the way he smiled at Magnus made Magnus's stomach flutter. God, he loved this boy.

When the plane finally landed in Aruba it was already dark outside and they were in a cramped van for more than an hour before Stephen finally led them to the resort they would be staying at. The resort was on the eastern side of the island and Stephen said that it was extremely private and protected from any paparazzi that might try to bother them. When they arrived at the resort, Magnus didn't think there was a single person who wasn't surprised at how nice the place was.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Will said, his jaw hanging open as they stepped into the room they were staying in. Magnus couldn't help but agree with him on that front.

The "resort" looked more like a palace, all white with windows and water all around. There was even a little stream of water flowing through the main room, which was shocking.

"We can't possibly be staying here by ourselves," Jem said, looking over at Alec.

"We can and we are," Alec said with a smile, looking around the room with what Magnus could only guess was surprise. Apparently Will and Jem weren't the only ones who were surprised about how nice this place was.

"Don't worry about being careful with anything." Jace chimed in. "This all goes on my Dad's bill, so a few broken vases wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing."

"This is amazing." Tessa said, ignoring Jace and linking an arm through Magnus's while Alec pulled Jace aside to talk to him. Magnus couldn't be sure what it was about, but it seemed mildly serious. Magnus vaguely wondered if it was about the phone call Jace had made on the plane earlier. He had forgotten to ask Alec about it.

"Okay," Isabelle said, loudly enough to get everyone's attention. "There are six rooms, so go knock yourselves out." she paused, glancing down at her phone for a moment. "Wait no, one of them is for Stephen. The rest of us have five rooms. Have at it."

"I'll be staying in the only room on ground level for security reasons." Stephen announced from behind them all. Magnus turned and saw that he was already propping a door open. "Yell if you need me."

The door clicked shut and Magnus suddenly realized that Stephen had really meant it when he had said he didn't want to be the group's babysitter.

It took about an hour for everyone to find rooms and unpack their bags, and Magnus couldn't help but laugh when he heard Alec and Jace arguing with Isabelle in the hallway about how she was "absolutely not" sharing a room with Lewis and they would rather die than be party to something like that. Magnus laughed even harder when the conversation ended with Isabelle slamming the door in Alec and Jace's faces, telling them that if they heard any sex noises they were welcome to join in. Magnus didn't think either Jace or Alec would go near her room for the rest of the week.

The room situations sort of worked themselves out without too much disagreement. Jace was sharing with Clary, Isabelle with Lewis, Max with Brad, Alec with Magnus, and Jem, Tessa, and Will—who had apparently stolen the second bed out of Stephens room and hauled it up the stairs so they could all three fit into one room. Magnus didn't want to imagine the unholy things that were going to go on in that room this week.

"Magnus," Isabelle called from the hallway. Magnus looked up from his suitcase to see Isabelle's head peeking through the crack in the doorway. "Where's Alec?"

"I think he's downstairs with Jace. Last I heard they were trying to find some edible food."

"Perfect. I think we're all going to go night swimming by the rock pools—they aren't too far from here." she said. "Do you want to come?"

"Night swimming?" he said, arching his eyebrow as he stared at her. "Obviously."

"Good." she said with a smile. "I'll go tell the boys."

Magnus quickly changed into his white rainbow-splattered swim trunks and slipped on a purple tank top before heading downstairs to find Alec in the kitchen with Jace trying to stop him from bringing alcohol.

"Jace, somebody's going to drown."

"Nobody's going to drown."

"We're going night swimming. Night swimming. In the night."

"Lovely observation."

"Jace, I'm serious!"

"Don't be such a killjoy, Alec. It's fine."

Alec glanced up and locked eyes with Magnus. "Tell him alcohol is a bad idea."

Magnus pursed his lips, thinking it over. "Well, I don't know if it's the best idea Blondie's ever had, but I think it would be fine as long as the drinking takes place after the swimming."

"Ha!" Jace exclaimed, wrenching the six pack out of Alec's hands and placing it in the cooler.

"Magnus, they're just going to drink anyway." Alec whined. Magnus pressed a kiss to Alec's cheeks and laughed when Alec pushed him away.

"Aw, come on, Alec. Don't be mad." he reasoned. "We can pick a designated lifeguard if it eases your mind."

"Fine." Alec said sullenly. Magnus forced him to uncross his arms and pulled him close until their faces were only inches apart.

"If I remember correctly, you happen to be a very, very fun drunk." Magnus breathed.

Alec made a face. "Ha-ha. 'Fun' is not exactly the word I would use."

"I thought it was fun," Magnus murmured, connecting their lips briefly. "Especially when you threw yourself at me in the bathroom."

"I don't even remember that." Alec said, his face turning a lovely shade of pink. Magnus couldn't resist the temptation to make his face even darker.

"Mmmm. There's something sexy about a man that can't hold his liquor."

"Shut up." Alec said, pushing Magnus's chest lightly.

Magnus pinched his ass before releasing him, earning a yelp. "Go change, sweet cheeks. We don't want to keep the others waiting."

Alec's face was red as a cherry as he scurried up the stairs and Magnus didn't even try to keep the smile off his face as he sat on one of the bar stools and spun himself around.

"You're going to kill that boy." Jem said from the couch. Magnus looked over at him in surprise. He hadn't been aware that there was anyone nearby.

"Only if he doesn't kill me first." Magnus said, closing his eyes and leaning back against the bar.

"If you're about give another speech about Alec's 'hot bod', I'll have to ask you to refrain." Jem said.

"I wasn't," Magnus said. "Although, it's never the wrong time to give appreciation to such a magnificent sight."

Magnus opened his eyes just in time to see Jem smile and shake his head. Before Jem had time to speak, Magnus heard the familiar thud of someone running down the stairs and looked over to see Isabelle grinning at him, clad in a black bikini with a crop top messily tossed over it.

"Let's go!" she said, jogging over toward Magnus and pulling him off of the bar stool.

And they went. Jace decided it would be best if he drove, so Magnus didn't hold out much hope that he would live to see the beach. The van was just as cramped on the way to the water as it was on the way to the resort, leaving all of its occupants squished against each other in a way that Magnus couldn't say was all bad. Magnus was practically sitting on Alec's lap during the entire ride and he couldn't help letting his hands wander a bit on "accident" when they hit a bump—which was often. By the time they arrived, Lewis looked like he was about to be sick. Magnus couldn't blame him really; being stuck in a cramped van that was being driven by Jace wasn't exactly a comfortable thing.

After a long discussion about whether or not they would drink before they swam, Alec reigned victorious and Isabelle led the group down an unlit path until finally they reached their destination. Magnus, along with the rest of the group, was rendered speechless as he stared at the scene before him. Water fell from the top of the higher ground, raining down on the majority of the area and pouring into the pool of smooth water below them. The walls were rock, but covered in different kinds of plants and mosses that made the entire area look almost magical. The area was illuminated by the moon, the light bouncing off the water just enough so that they could see.

"This is beautiful." Tessa said. "How did you know where to find this, Isabelle?"

"I have a map," she said, waving a sheet of paper in front of her face.

"HELL YES," Will shouted, tearing off his shirt and diving into the water. He was soon followed by most of the rest of the group, excluding Alec, Magnus, and Max.

"This reminds me of that place in Italy with the waterfall and the flowers." Max said, glancing over at Alec. "Don't you think?"

"Except Jace isn't drunk yet." Alec said, cracking a smile. Once again, Magnus saw that twinkle in Alec's eyes—that he could damn well get used to—as he tore off his shirt and dove into the water. Magnus stared at the graceful curve of Alec's body as it made smooth contact with the water and had to swallow to prevent himself from drooling.

Magnus dove in—more of a flop, really—and swam toward Alec. The water was warm, which for some reason surprised him. Alec flicked his hair out of his eyes as he saw Magnus approaching and swam toward the waterfall, beckoning for Magnus to follow him with a devious smile. Magnus already liked the direction this swim was taking.

When he reached the waterfall, Alec yanked him through the water until the others were out of sight and pulled him toward the wall where there was a small ledge, just big enough to fit both of their bodies—that is, if they were practically on top of each other. When Alec's arm snaked around Magnus's waist, Magnus realized that that was exactly what he had in mind.

Magnus felt like swooning when Alec pulled him onto the rocks and ran his thumb over the side of Magnus's face, staring into his eyes with an intense desire that would have brought Magnus to his knees, had he not been sitting on Alec's lap already. The water, despite their position on the rocks, was up to their shoulders and it splashed against Magnus's neck when Alec finally leaned toward him. Their lips met softly and Magnus felt every cell in his body jolt awake from the contact. He couldn't breathe, but he wasn't sure he wanted to. Alec ignited a fire deep within Magnus that never seemed to go out completely. Even when he went a day or two without seeing him, he could still feel it burning away at his insides. Magnus couldn't make himself believe that this was how everyone felt when they were in love—it couldn't be. The world would be a much happier place if more people felt the way that Magnus did.

Magnus pulled back to find some air and leaned his forehead against Alec's, allowing their breath to mingle for a few quiet moments. Alec's fingers danced up Magnus's arm, brushing the skin so lightly under the water that Magnus barely noticed he was doing it. Magnus smiled and leaned forward and pressed their lips together again, reveling in the feeling of Alec's hands on his arm and back, pulling him as close as they could get to each other—

"Quit making out and come play with us!" Isabelle shouted. It wasn't hard to guess who she was talking to. Magnus grinned at Alec and tugged at his arm until they were both back out in the open, where Isabelle was trying to organize some kind of diving competition. In the end, Alec ended up winning—big surprise there—and before long, they were all crowding around a campfire that Brad and Alec had made together. Magnus couldn't say he loved the thought of Brad and Alec doing things together, but he didn't want to be that guy that gets jealous over seemingly nothing, so he said nothing when Alec and Brad scurried off into the dark to collect branches to burn. Max was staring at him intently and it made Magnus think of the conversation he had overheard on the plane. He tried to force the thoughts from his mind and focused on the drinking games Jace and Will had started. It didn't take long for Alec and Brad to return and join in on the drinking game and soon almost all the alcohol was gone.

Jace raised a toast to Aruba and the entire group, grabbing Clary's hand and pressing a kiss there, leading the rest of the group to follow suit, raising their glass high. The moon was shining down on them the brightest it had the entire night, and as he stared into the fire with his hand clasped firmly around Alec's, Magnus couldn't have been more excited to see the incredible things this trip would bring.

The next day was spent hiking across the island with Mr. Muscles (aka Stephen Herondale) as their tour guide, which was quite the adventure, in Magnus's opinion. Between the bugs and the heat, he couldn't say he had the greatest of times, but he did enjoy himself. He especially enjoyed himself when the group took a water break, which somehow turned into a water fight that ended with everyone soaking wet. And a dripping wet Alec with his shirt clinging to him in all the right ways was something that Magnus decided he would like to see a lot more often. But he had to admit, the best part of the day was seeing the shock on Brad's face when Magnus yanked Alec into his lap and kissed him silly, in front of the whole group. Magnus felt a little bit bad about that, knowing that he did it out of spite, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Alec had blushed his cute little head off, but he hadn't complained. Besides—Brad had been watching the two of them like a hawk during the entire hike, and Magnus had no intention of being spied on, so he only sort of felt bad about it.

The next day started rather late, seeing as everyone was already exhausted, and most of the day was spent lounging around the living room with half of the group while the other half swam in the pool outside or watched movies. As much as Magnus enjoyed doing crazy adventurous things, he enjoyed days like this almost more. Curling up on the couch watching movies with Alec while Jem and Will cuddled on the couch next to them was just so relaxing. He always remembered moments like this, when he got to hold Alec and just be with him. The way Alec let his head fall onto Magnus' shoulder as their arms and legs tangled together, the way he blushed when Magnus's hand brushed his thigh or stomach; it was perfect—he was perfect.

Eventually it got dark outside and Magnus heard the telltale sounds of two people making out and he couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself. Of course, Jem and Will would wait until it was dark in the room to make out. Jem was more like Alec in the public affection aspect, so he didn't usually do much kissing in front of anyone. Magnus briefly wondered where Tessa was, but he let the thought slip to the back of his mind when he felt Alec tugging at his shirt, urging him to come closer. Magnus complied and he felt his heart stutter in his chest when Alec nuzzled his face against his neck, snuggling into him and closing his eyes like he could never be more content.

Thoughts were racing through Magnus's mind, thoughts that he didn't want to be having, but he couldn't stop them. He wondered how the conversation with Robert had gone, and how angry he had been when Jace had told him that they wouldn't be coming home this week. He wondered why Alec had never mentioned anything about it to him. He wondered why Brad had agreed to come on this trip, when he so clearly had his own group of friends that he could have been spending time with and this trip would most likely result in Brad feeling even worse about his feelings for Alec. He wondered why Brad thought there was any chance in hell that he would ever have an opportunity to be more than friends with Alec, and what had spurred his conversation with Max on the plane in the first place. He wondered why Max was putting up with him at all. From what Magnus had gathered, he had honestly thought Max liked him, so it was odd to have Max talking to Brad about how he "should have made a move sooner" and then he might have had a chance. Maybe Magnus was thinking about it too hard, but also… maybe he wasn't. Brad had admitted to Camille—though he hadn't known Magnus had been within earshot—that he was in love with Alec—in love. The big L. Maybe it was just Magnus over-thinking things, but he really considered that a big deal, and, as much as it irritated him, he felt for Brad. Magnus couldn't even imagine what it must be like to be in love with Alec and know that you had blown your chance when you very possibly could have had him. Max hadn't been lying when he had said that Brad probably could have had him. Alec had never even kissed anyone before Magnus and he was sure that any male attention would have caught Alec by surprise, maybe enough to have gone with it.

Magnus frowned at the thought. He didn't like thinking about Alec with anyone else—it made him feel sick to his stomach.

Alec sighed quietly when Magnus began running his fingers through his hair. He was almost positive Alec had fallen asleep. Magnus shifted his body so that his feet were on the floor and Alec's head was in his lap as the movie continued to play. Will and Jem were no longer on the couch and Magnus couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. Those two were hornier than anyone Magnus had ever met—and that was quite the accomplishment.

Magnus let himself drift off like that, holding Alec's head in his lap. At some point, Magnus thought he heard Isabelle trying to talk to him, but he chalked it up to a part of his wonderful dream and ignored her. Eventually Isabelle prodded at him enough that he and Alec got up and stumbled drearily up the stairs and into their beds. The last thing Magnus remembered was Alec pulling him close until their faces were only inches apart and smiling softly at him through the darkness. Magnus didn't know if Alec had been awake or asleep, but he did know one thing; he would never forget that smile.

Day three in Aruba began rather abruptly when Isabelle came charging into Magnus and Alec's room at what had to be the crack of dawn.

"The girls are going to town to go shopping." she said, flicking the light on and shaking his arm until he sat up. "Jem is coming too. Do you want to come along?"

"Do any Lightwoods know how to knock?" he said weakly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "We could have been naked."

An arm loomed out of the darkness and smacked Magnus's chest. Magnus grinned. Alec must be awake.

"I've seen my brother naked before," Isabelle said. "Although, it might be scaring for him if I were to see you naked."

"You have not seen me naked!" Alec protested, sitting up.

"Do you not remember that night in Italy?" Isabelle said, her voice taking on a devious tone. "When you and Jace went down to that one place and—"

"Okay," he squeaked. "I remember—no need to rehash it."

"Is this the same night in Italy I heard Max talking about when we were swimming?" Magnus said. "Because if so, I think I'd like to hear about this night."

"You really wouldn't." Alec said, his eyes wide.

"Alec hasn't told you about our trip to Italy?" Isabelle practically shrieked. "Oh my god."

"Izzy, don't say another word or so help me—"

"You're so funny when you try to be threatening." Isabelle said, patting her brother's leg.

"Izzy!"

"I take it you've heard that my lovely brother is an even lovelier drunk?" Isabelle said to Magnus, ignoring Alec's protests. "Well, it gets even worse when drunk-Jace is involved."

"Isabelle, get out!" Alec shouted.

Isabelle rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "Fine. But if either of you want to come to town, we'll be leaving in twenty minutes."

Magnus couldn't help grinning when Alec flopped back onto the bed and Isabelle mouthed I'll tell you later as she left the room with a wink.

Magnus decided to stay home, with a little bit of persuasion from Alec, and as soon as they were finished taking showers, they went downstairs for breakfast and realized that the boys were the only people home.

Jace, Brad, and Will were in the kitchen discussing something they wanted to do later, while Simon and Max were comparing bruises from the day before on the couch in the living room.

"We're going hiking." Jace boomed as soon as he saw Alec and Magnus enter the kitchen.

"Again?" Magnus whined.

Jace frowned. "It's fun."

"For some people," Magnus muttered as Alec pulled a carton of eggs out of the fridge and began frying them up.

Magnus sat on the bar stool and let his head rest on his arms while Jace continued to inform him that hiking was the second best thing to cliff diving, which the entire group was apparently doing tomorrow.

"How is trekking through the trees, the heat and the bugs a 'fun' thing to do?" Magnus said.

"It's exploring nature," Jace reasoned. "It's fun."

"Like getting stabbed." Magnus mumbled into his arm.

"We don't have to go, Magnus." Alec said, bringing a rather large pan of eggs over to the counter. "I don't really feel like going anyway."

"I don't want to ruin the day." Magnus said. "What else would we do?"

"We could play soccer again." Alec said. "I brought my ball."

"Simon and I are out," Max called from the living room. "We're going to meet up with the girls."

"And Jem," Will said with a smile. "Jem went too."

"Okay," Jace cut in. "So we're all going then?"

"Nah," Alec said. "Magnus and I are staying home."

"You don't have to do that for me," Magnus said. "I can go. I was just whining."

"I was serious when I said I didn't really feel like it. We can just play for a while."

"Ew, Alec." Jace said. "Are you trying to make me vomit?"
"I meant play soccer, Jace." Alec said, his face and ears turning red. "Jesus."

Magnus glanced over at Brad, who looked like he wanted to say that he would stay as well. When Magnus locked eyes with him, he seemed to second guess himself and remained quiet.

"You really aren't coming, then?" Jace asked.

"Not today," Alec said.

"Fine." Jace pouted, grabbing a few water bottles from the fridge and shoving them into the backpack that he had sitting on the counter. Jace and the rest of the boys collected what they needed to go on the godforsaken 'hike', and before long, Magnus and Alec were left alone in the kitchen.

"So," Alec said, his eyes lighting up as they met Magnus's.

"So, indeed." Magnus said. The look in Alec's eyes was so hopeful, so full of happiness that it made Magnus's knees feel weak as he stood. He didn't know what it was about this trip that was making Alec so happy, putting that beautiful glow in his eyes, but he never wanted it to stop. He never wanted to see that brilliant smile dim ever again.

It didn't take long for Alec to convince Magnus that playing soccer would be so much fun, and when Alec began rehashing the end of their last match, making sure to include the part where they had gotten hot and heavy on the grass, Magnus was outside before he could even finish his sentence. Magnus had almost forgotten that soccer seemed to be some kind of a turn on for Alec, and if this match ended anything like their last match, Magnus would have Alec writhing beneath him in no time.

Alec came out of the house quickly, carrying the ball and tossing it to Magnus as he put together a makeshift goal post on both sides of the yard. Once he finally finished, Magnus picked up the ball and spun it in his fingers, taking a few steps toward Alec and planting a chaste kiss on his lips before dropping the ball between them. He couldn't help but smile at cloudy look in Alec's eyes.

"Let's play."

Ooooooo Magnus and Alec alone in the house? What on EARTH could happen? *wink* *wink* *hint* *hint*

ANYWAY, review and let me know what you think!

P.S.

I LOVE when you guys leave long reviews. They literally make my day. I love you all A LOT. *GIANT HEART*

-Hannah xx