A/N: I know you probably want this chapter to be some Malec fluff at the cafe, but I feel as though we know far too much about what Alec is thinking, and not nearly enough about Magnus' side of things. I want this fic to be about getting into both of their heads- so it's time for some quality Magnus time.

Magnus had not been feeling like himself the past 24 hours or so. As he got himself situated in a quiet corner of Jesse's Cafe, he reminded himself why he was still so tired: Alexander Lightwood.

After abruptly forcing Alec out of his apartment he had spent the rest of the last few hours of darkness lying wide awake in his bed, stretching his long limbs out across the comforter and starring blankly at his ceiling. He'd tried to fall asleep; Hades knows he'd had a hectic evening and was physically exhausted. But his little verbal sparring match with Alec had apparently given him a second wind. He felt newly invigorated. And slightly anxious. He was too agitated to get even a wink of sleep until noon, when the fatigue finally got the better of him. Even then, he kept imagining the boy's piercing eyes go flat as he stared at the image of his own personal superhero soaring through the sky, Clary playing the part of the Damsel in Distress, a role that Alec had obviously long been vying for.

It had frightened Magnus to see Alec's eyes like that. It was, after all, the shadowhunters eyes that had originally caught his interest. For such a seemingly stoic and stuffy Nephilim, his eyes showed powerful emotions—Magnus was sure the boy would be duly mortified to find out just how much his eyes gave away.

Honestly, he'd barely noticed Alec as anything more than another meddlesome member of the group of teenagers who'd marched into his party, sniffing for clues like they'd just stepped out of the Mystery Machine. He knew they were trouble the second he saw the Fray child and he was determined not to like them once Goldilocks opened his loud snarky mouth (which he hadn't really closed for the rest of the night).

But Magnus was a stickler for details, his version of barely noticing someone was much like most people's version of unwavering attention. He immediately noted that Alec had a lean, tall frame, like most young male shadowhunters, a vile sense of style (or lack thereof) and unkempt hair that he was constantly raking his fingers through, attempting to shove his bangs out of his eyes. He needed a haircut. He could do with a proper fitted t-shirt too. And maybe some Chinos. Not a look Magnus would ever rock himself, but it would work on him.

After making equally in-depth observations of each of the rest of the crew (he definitely liked that Isabelle girl, she radiated strength and panache) he found that the boy hadn't actually looked directly at Magnus for most of the night. Which was... Not. Right.

Magnus was accustomed to receiving the full attention of everyone within a ½ mile radius and he was not pleased at being so easily ignored. But as if that wasn't bad enough, the real discomfort hit Magnus when the boy finally did look at him.

At first, Alec seemed to have only 3 places where his eyes tended to rest. He either starred at the floor, seemingly trying to blend into the background, brazenly glared at Clary like she was Satan incarnate, or gazed at his token pretty boy like he was worshipping a god at an altar. It was disturbing. And though Magnus couldn't quite see the boy's eyes under that curtain of hair, he could practically feel the tension he was exuding. But all of this was none of his business. The boy wasn't his type anyway- too dour and straight-laced. Even when he made a joke or laughed at one of Magnus', it seemed slightly off-kilter. Like joking and laughter weren't his forte. For a while there, Magnus had forgotten that Alec was there at all.

But when Magnus tried to explain Jocelyn's good intentions to Clary, he had found himself getting caught up in his own life story. He momentarily lost himself in the past and familiar pangs of muted pain shot through his chest as he spoke. He'd forgotten that they were all sitting there, watching him, suddenly silent and uncomfortable as the weight of his words settled over the room.

Then, the stoic boy's voice cut into the quiet, "It wasn't your fault." The same words Magnus chanted to himself on the rare occasions he was jolted awake by blood stained memories, his body drenched in cold sweat and his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault. Noneofitwasyourfault.

Alec continued, "You can't help how you're born." Magnus was ready with a curt reply and he looked up at the boy as he stifled his emotions, "I'm over it…" – And there they were: dark deep blue eyes burrowing their way into Magnus, unflinching and disconcerting in the sincerity they conveyed. It was bizarre, up until now he had become use to the way his feline eyes unfailing left shadowhunters and mundanes alike in a state of discomfiture, those who dared look too long only did so to try and prove that they weren't afraid of the warlock. But this was different. Alec was different.

And Magnus was a sucker for different.

That moment is what drove him to want to spend more time with the boy, learn what other secrets he had restrained behind those cobalt eyes. He obviously wasn't the tall, dark, and silent type Magnus had pegged him as. So Magnus asked him to call him, mostly on a whim.

But he hadn't expected Alec to be back in his apartment so soon. And while he found a flustered Alec terribly adorable, he definitely did not like that Boy Wonder was the cause of his agitation. So, Magnus did what he did best, he turned a negative into all kinds of positive. He used Alec's fear for his parabatai as leverage to crack the boy's shell and get a glimpse of what was lurking inside. And even the taste of the depth that he had discovered in Alec that night had left Magnus dizzy with vertigo. How had he missed that when they had first met?

Unfortunately, the way the boy began railing at him when he realized that Magnus had been keeping his parabatai's whereabouts a secret had Magnus feeling more than slightly irritated. Yes, he'd done it in large part to keep Alec from following Blondie into a suicide mission. But he'd also done it because he was feeling irrationally possessive of the boy and wanted to extend their little tête-à-tête for as long as possible. He'd succeed in both. Alec was safe and Magnus had secured himself a second meeting.

But now, Magnus, still sitting in the cafe, was feeling hesitant. He had always been the touch-and-go type, forming and breaking relationships without much thought. But it dawned on him that he had spent so much time going over last nights events to try and glean some information that would help him figure Alec out, that he hadn't ever really asked himself what exactly it was he wanted from the boy. Clearly, he was attracted to him. During their second meeting he realized that his eyes weren't his only asset. Alec had a certain untrained elegance about him, an underlying passion that Magnus couldn't help being drawn to.

Yet, Magnus had to be honest with himself. While Alec seemed, at the least, aware of his sexual preference (as evidenced by his obvious longing for Boy Wonder), it was clear that he wasn't exactly loud-and-proud about it. Which Magnus thought was a pity, because it was clear that the boy's lack of confidence was holding him back. So, if Alec wasn't out... wasn't Magnus wasting his time?

There was no avoiding the facts, Alexander Lightwood was a closeted, finicky, demonslayer—the polar opposite of Magnus in every way. Alec didn't look like the type to be up for a clandestine fling either- which was fine, because, while Magnus enjoyed fooling around, he was no fan of sneaking around- it was never worth the effort. So what was he doing here?

Magnus momentarily pulled himself out of his reveries to glance at the clock. 12:30. Alexander was late. Tardiness definitely didn't seem to fit the boy, which could only mean one thing- he wasn't coming. Despite being disappointed at the realization, Magnus wasn't quite ready to leave. He was determined to get some answers tonight- with or without Alec. Answers to questions like: why the hell he was so damned interested in finding out more about the boy? Why has his mind been full of Alec's hurt and angry stares from the evening before? And, why in the hell was he, Magnus-the-friggin-Magnificent, sitting here waiting to get some face time with some teenaged shadowhunter?

This was getting out of hand. If the boy showed up, Magnus had a feeling he would find that he enjoyed his company even more, which would only make things worse. Maybe he should just leave now and save himself the trouble of getting in too deep with a Nephilim. Alexander Lightwood couldn't possibly be worth all of this inner turmoil could he?

A/N: I really like the nickname Boy Wonder for Jace. I love the kid in the COB/A/G but I get the feeling that if I ever met him in real life, he would be just the kind of cocky prick I would hate. Just sayin'.

Also, I enjoy writing Magnus. But he's a difficult one. So much going on there. Let me know if you think he's OOC.

As you may have guessed, I have no beta. So, please forgive my grammar errors. Fragments are my downfall and deciding on punctuation placement is like going to war for me. But, on the upside, being beta-less means my chapters are up faster.