The next morning, when I woke up, Isabelle was trying to wake me up.
"Come on, Alec, wake up, Magnus is here for Jace's dad!" she yelled.
On the word Magnus, I got up and managed to get my clothes and hair into some sort of order.
"You said Magnus was here?" I asked. "Why? What's he doing?"
"His werewolf thing is acting up," Isabelle explained. "So Celine called Magnus. Maybe you could see him so stuff can happen."
"Isabelle, don't force me on him," I said, walking out of the room. "See ya. I'm going to see Magnus-who might be my boyfriend. I dunno. We'll work it out."
Jace and Layla were standing outside the door when I got there. Light was flashing from under it, showing that Magnus was doing warlock magic inside there.
"Are we allowed to go in there, or what?" I asked.
"Only if Magnus lets you," Jace explained. "Messing with something like this . . . it is to mess with the primal forces of the universe. So that's why we have to wait out here. He'll only let people over eighteen in there."
"I'm over eighteen!" I yelled. "Um, so does that mean I get to go in?"
"No," Layla pointed out. "He only lets people in if he wants to. Or when he's done. Which is now." The light went out from under the door. Jace and Layla walked in the room, but I stayed outside. They ran to their father, who hugged them in a big Herondale family pile. Even Celine joined in on the action.
Magnus staggered out of the room, until he could hold onto the wall next to me. He was wearing gold everything, including gold flats and shiny gold eyeshadow. He looked tired, his eyeliner only making the bags under his eyes more obvious.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
Magnus slid down the wall until he was sitting down. "Not really," he whispered, breathing heavily. "That took a lot out of me. Do you think you could . . . share your strength with me? I know, I know, I shouldn't be asking you this-"
"What do you need me to do?" I asked, kneeling down next to Magnus.
"Take my hand," Magnus replied, holding his hand out. I took it, gripping his fingers in mine. "You know, you don't have to do this."
"But I want to." I stood up, pulling Magnus with me. "But I don't want anyone to see us."
"I know. The Shadowhunters don't like Downworlders being with their kind." Magnus put his other hand to his head, and I knew I need to help him. He looked like he was about to pass out.
I pulled Magnus with me to a nearby broom closest, still holding his hand. Magnus breathing his thanks, leaned against the wall, and took a deep breath.
Magic surrounded our clasped hands, blue, like he was wearing yesterday.
"Your eyes," Magnus said.
"Your magic," I said at the same time. Magnus stared deep into my eyes.
"It's like we were meant for each other," Magnus whispered. The magic around our hands was fading, and I felt a little drained, but Magnus looked better. We moved closer, and I looped my arm around Magnus's waist.
"I want to kiss you," I said into the little bit of air in between us. "Can I kiss you?"
"Anytime, Alexander," Magnus said back, his lips barely moving at all.
I leaned forward cautiously, pressing my lips to Magnus's. Magnus smilied into the kiss, wrapping an arm around my body, tracing my spine. His lips were soft, and I honestly liked them a lot better without anything on them.
Magnus parted his lips just a little, moving my lips with his. My heart skipped a beat. I murmured Magnus's name against his lips, and he parted both our lips wider, slowly slipping his tongue into my mouth. My heart skipped another beat, and I let Magnus explore my mouth with his tongue. I pulled him even closer to me, if that was possible.
I didn't want to breathe. Magnus was my oxygen, the thing that was keeping me alive. Every touch, every movement from his body in this cramped space was better than breathing. I wanted more, sure but, for right now, I'd be happy, with our lips moving together so gently, yet so passionately.
I could Magnus's heart beating through his shirt. It was beating just as fast as mine. It was strange; I didn't think he would be that nervous. Magnus seemed super-experienced when it came to relationships. It didn't seem like Magnus, who was effortlessly beautiful, would be attracted to someone like me.
Magnus slowly pulled away from me, as if he was trying to extend the kiss for as long as he possibly could. His cat eyes were open wide, daring me to ask him a question.
Well, if this was the time to ask him out on a date, better now than never.
"Do you want to go out somewhere, sometime?" I asked.
"I'd like that," Magnus replied. "Do you have a phone number so I can text you? I don't know when I'm free, so planning might need to wait. But I'll say yes to that."
I gave Magnus my phone number, and he told me his. I was never going to forget those numbers, even if got amnesia. It was that memorable.
"Well, bye, then," I said. "Do you think anyone missed us?"
"Not really," Magnus whispered, running a hand through his hair. "Bye. See you . . . well, whenever I see you. We'll work that out later."
He kissed me one more time, and then walked out. I followed him, and thankfully, no one had no clue we'd been making out in a broom closest. They were all going nuts over Stephen. What had seemed to last hours for me had only been a few minutes for them. What been a defining event of my life was just a normal day for them.
Max was staring at me, arms crossed, when I arrived at my room.
"What were you doing with Magnus?" he asked. "Your hair's all messed up."
Oh no. I didn't know if I wanted to come out to my little brother right now, especially not because of Magnus. I loved the kid, but he had make some homophobic remarks without realizing it. And I didn't want him to turn away from me when our family needed to stay together.
But Max was curious. And if I didn't tell him something, he'd figure it out himself. There's a reason why I put a complicated password on my laptop.
I took a deep breath. And I said it.
"Max, I'm gay."
I'm going to have thank my friend TenaciousHub for helping me catch my plot bunnies in the chapter. (Do NOT question the idiom I just used. It's something that I came up with when I was too damn tired to care how weird it sounded.)
As always, please review, and if you have any questions about this story, PM me or ask them in the review. I will try to get back to you in twenty-four hours, fourty-eight if I'm busy. If I don't get back to you within that time, you can safely assume I died or have no access to electronics.