Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 4

Early the next morning, Magnus woke up to find himself sweating profusely. Woolsey was curled against his back, as always burning a few degrees warmer than a normal person. Magnus knew he was comparing Woolsey to Will, who's temperature complimented Magnus's rather than fought it against it the way Woolsey's did.

Last night had gone as the morning had: Woolsey never brought up Will, or what Magnus had done with Will, and Magnus had played stupid, never bringing it up even as the subject remained the purple elephant dancing in the corner of the room. Maybe it was guilt, Magnus was feeling, for having sex with another man while he was living with Woolsey… but Woolsey had practically encouraged it... but was that a test just to see what Magnus would do? Had he failed? Or had he mistaken Woolsey's feelings all along? Did Woolsey want to… settle down? That couldn't be.

"You're awake," A voice mumbled.

"I'm just going to get up to start the tea. I'll make breakfast," Magnus said. He wracked his mind for ideas on what to do today, just to get out of the house and away from Woolsey, who was making Magnus ask questions he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.

"Please don't leave," Woolsey said. He wrapped a hand around Magnus's waist and pulled him closer, so their bodies were pressed together, Woolsey's fire hot body against Magnus's. "You're always leaving. Just stay."

"I suppose a few minutes wouldn't hurt," Magnus said.

"You have nowhere to be," Woolsey said. He kissed Magnus's shoulder blades, and then moved his hand down to his lower back. Woolsey slipped his hand into the elastic at the top of Magnus's shorts, and then pushed them down and off.

"Do you want me?" Magnus asked.

"Of course I want you," Woolsey said. "You're right here for the taking. Is the feeling mutual?"

"Um… yes, of course," Magnus said.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," Woolsey remarked. He sat up in bed, straddled Magnus's waist, and began to knead at the muscles across his upper shoulders. Woolsey was naked already, and slept naked, once telling Magnus that bedclothes were stifling to him. "I'm glad you are here." Woolsey leaned over and kissed Magnus on the back of the neck, brushing some of his hair aside.

Magnus shivered. "And why is that?" He asked.

"It's nice to have someone to wake up with, is all," Woolsey said. "Don't you agree?"

"Of course, it's very nice," Magnus said.

"It was always nice before. Why wouldn't it be just as nice now?" Woolsey asked. He ran his hands down Magnus's sides, and then pressed himself against Magnus's backside, not pushing into him, not yet, anyway. There was no doubt in what Woolsey expected out of his houseguest this morning.

They had woken up together this way for the past four days, ever since Magnus showed up on Woolsey's doorstep. They had made love within five minutes of Magnus walking in the door. It was true: Magnus had ended up dressed in just a shirt, unbuttoned down the front, and nothing else. Woolsey had asked how he was this year as they fucked on the steps leading upstairs. The next morning, they woke up and made love in the bathtub before having breakfast together in bed.

It was easy to fall back into the routine they had executed twice before. Woolsey was like an old coat that was nearly worn through in spots: one knew they should throw the coat away, but it was so comfortable, so warm, so unlike any other coat ever worn before, one couldn't bear to do away with it, and so every year, the coat went on again, even though there were better coats to be had.

Now, Woolsey bit Magnus on the shoulder, and then flipped him onto his back, so that Magnus lay beneath him. He put his hands on Magnus's hips, pulling him against his lower body, the same way Will had, right before he had thrust into Magnus for the first time. Woolsey took Magnus's cock and began to stroke it, attempting to arouse him in a way that should have been easy, given the time of day. Woolsey wanted Magnus, his desire was for him evident, and yet, for as much as Magnus wanted to summon desire of an equal amount, he couldn't bring himself to, not this morning. He yawned and put a hand over his mouth.

"Am I boring you?" Woolsey asked. He put a hand on Magnus's jaw and forced his head to the side so that he could kiss down the side of Magnus's neck. Magnus rested his hands on Woolsey's ribs, wanting to push him away, but not. "Am I?"

"Of course not," Magnus said.

"Okay, well then…" Woolsey mumbled. He pushed Magnus's knees up and apart and fit himself into the space between Magnus's thighs. He was pressing against him, not thrusting, not yet, but soon enough. Woolsey's left arm lay on Magnus's chest, pushing him down into the mattress as his right hand remained on Magnus's jaw. Magnus tried to turn his head, but Woolsey held him tight and kissed his neck, sucking hard enough to bring blood painfully to the surface. Magnus moaned and closed his eyes.

It wasn't always like this. It didn't always hurt this bad. It was just how Woolsey made love. He didn't know the meaning of the word "gently." It was hard, or not at all, and even without saying it, it was always a battle for Woolsey that he was determined to win. It wasn't just that Magnus was beneath him, Woolsey wanted Magnus to submit to him, to open himself up and let Woolsey take everything. It had never been like that with Will. For as much as Will forced himself onto Magnus, Magnus met him half way, wanting him just as bad, holding onto him just as tightly.

"You're thinking about him," Woolsey said.

"Who?" Magnus asked, thinking a second to late how stupid he was to ask a question like that.

Woolsey cursed and climbed out of bed. He stomped out the door, and Magnus heard him a moment later slam the bathroom door shut. He took that second to climb out of bed, find his shorts, pull them on, and then follow with a pair of pajama bottoms. He found a shirt, one of Woolsey's, and pulled it over his head. The bathroom door reopened and Woolsey walked back down to the room, walking in just as Magnus snapped his fingers and watched as the bed made itself. Woolsey grabbed Magnus by the shoulders and dug his fingers in, causing Magnus to flinch.

"What are you doing?" Woolsey asked.

"I made the bed. I thought we could go out for breakfast. It's a nice day," Magnus said.

"I wanted you," Woolsey said. "Then, now, I wanted you. I want you. Why did you make the bed?" Magnus shrugged.

"I can unmake it," Magnus said. He smiled, uneasily, and pressed his middle thumb together, pointing at the bed. "I just thought… I mean, you got out of bed…"

"So you just figured I didn't want you anymore?" Woolsey asked. "Just like you figured I wouldn't care if you fucked another guy beneath my roof? You just figured you would cheat and I wouldn't care?"

"I didn't cheat!" Magnus exclaimed. "God, Woolsey! Cheating on you means that things between you and I would be defined, that you would be someone who would be hurt by my cheating, and you would never define things between us. You never have, and you never will, because it violates the whole "pleasure for the sake of pleasure" bullshit you're always spewing."

"Oh, Magnus, you are one to talk," Woolsey said. "Whenever I was with you, sure, it was pleasure for the sake of pleasure, but it was only with you. I never strayed."

"You never strayed?" Magnus asked. "You never strayed? Where you in a blackout the entire time we were in Paris? There was a different boy in our bed every night."

"Yes, because you were in our bed as well," Woolsey said.

"Because I allowed it, to keep you happy. I never complained," Magnus said. "I let you have your fun, knowing that was just the person you were, and still are. Do you honestly expect me to believe you were meeting with your pack all night?"

"Do you expect me to believe that you and the Shadowhunter was a onetime thing? That you won't do it again?" Woolsey asked. There it was, what Woolsey didn't want to admit: there was a danger with Will, that Magnus would gave to his demands again.

"Do you not want it to happen again? Do you want me to promise I'll be your one and only? Will you promise to be faithful to me?" Magnus asked. Woolsey clenched his jaw and looked away, rubbing his forehead. "If you want more for us, you have to tell me that you want more. Otherwise, what the hell are we doing back together?" Woolsey shrugged. "Do you want me to stay? Or should I leave?" Woolsey covered his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't know what I want," he said.

When Tessa walked into the Infirmary holding a book to her chest, Will was just wiping the last bit of dried blood off of Jem's lips with a moist cloth. The bleeding had stopped yesterday after Will had applied his rune to Jem, and now Jem was sleeping. He had opened his eyes a few times and made feeble sounding moans, if only to tell Will he was still there, still alive. Will knew there were times when Jem was so weak, he had to sleep, and so he was sleeping, even after the faintest bit of color returned to his cheeks. It took time for him to recover.

Tessa walked around to the other side of Jem's bed. They had spent the night together in the Infirmary, the three of them. Will wouldn't leave Jem's side, and even when he did sleep, he was always an arm length away from Jem. Tessa was there as well, although she slept the entire night. She would have woken up to keep vigil if Will asked her to, which was exactly why Will hadn't woke her up. It was petty, he knew it, but he couldn't help but want to measure his love for Jem by the hours of sleep he lost at his bedside.

"You should get something to eat," Tessa said. "Bridget made banana pancakes. There's a plate for you in the kitchen."

"I'll eat later," Will said.

"You being at his side isn't helping him," Tessa said. "You look exhausted."

"And why do you care?" Will asked, his voice cracking. He gripped the bloodstained cloth tightly in his hand. "Why do you care about me at all? It was better before, when you made it clear that you didn't care. Now that you know the truth… but it doesn't matter, because you have him now. My feelings no longer matter to you, so why should you care about them?"

"I care, Will," Tessa said. "I'll always care. Always." Will nodded. Tessa reached over and touched his hand.

"Don't," Will said, jerking away. "Please don't." Tessa's mouth fell open at his rejection of such a simple gesture, but Will couldn't handle the idea of her touching him, not after the way they touched before, on the balcony. To give any more of himself, more than he had already given, might kill him.

"Will," Tessa said. "Will, I still…"

"You shouldn't touch his blood. It could be toxic to you," Will said quickly. He turned and hurried over to trash can, where he threw away the cloth. He washed his hands in the sink, scrubbing hard, just trying to delay the moments until he would have to walk back over to the bed and see the man he loved lying half dead, with the girl he loved watching over him. When Will turned around, drying him hands on a towel, Tessa was there.

"I never wanted it this way," Tessa said, her voice just above a whisper. "I wanted to love you, Will, but I can't."

"I wouldn't want you to," Will said. He glanced at Jem's bed, at the broken boy lying there, then back at Tessa. He stepped forward, touched Tessa's cheek, and kissed her hard on the lips. Tessa's hand came up and rested on his chest. She kissed him back, and then pushed him away.

"William," Tessa said, her voice quiet and angry. "You must never…"

"I want love you," Will said, his voice painful even to his own ears. "And I want to love Jem, but all I feel is blinding hatred. And that's the worst part of this, Tessa. I can't decide which of you to hate more." Tessa gasped and her eyes filled with tears. Will pulled away from her, heading for the doors, wanting to get away.

"Will!" Tessa cried.

"Tell me when he's awake," Will said.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Tessa said. Will turned around, his hand on the door.

"Can't you see, Tess? It can't be any other way. One of us has to lose, and I already have," Will said. He shoved open the Infirmary door and walked out.

Magnus spent the afternoon and early evening redecorating Woolsey's sitting room. Woolsey said he wanted it done, and since it was far easier for Magnus to do it then Woolsey, Magnus locked himself in and got to work. He changed the walls from an egg shell color to lavender, and then changed the furniture to something light colored. He arranged the furniture, then rearranged it, then decided the room needed a bigger window. When he was finished, he sat down on the couch and stared at the wall, searching for a calm place in his mind.

The door creaked open and Woolsey looked in. He let out a low whistle of appreciation.

"I like it," Woolsey said.

"The purple doesn't have to stay. I was in a purple mood," Magnus said.

"As opposed to blue?" Woolsey asked. He walked into the room and tossed a black suit over the back of the couch, then sat down beside Magnus. He rested a hand on Magnus's thigh.

"What's that?" Magnus asked.

"A tuxedo. I was going to dinner and the symphony tonight, remember? You were going to accompany me?" Woolsey asked. Magnus remembered. The evening wasn't something Woolsey planed for the two of them; there was going to be plenty of Woolsey's friends there. Magnus was surprised Woolsey would want to have him come along. They ran in different packs, so to speak.

"You want me there?" Magnus asked.

"Of course I do. I never didn't want you there," Woolsey said. This was a truce, Magnus knew it. If he never thought of Will Herondale again, Woolsey would never bring up his transgressions, and their relationship could continue as it always did, like the same old comfortable coat pulled on once again. "I love you to."

"It's too early for that," Magnus said. Woolsey pecked him on the cheek and jumped up. "I'll be ready in an hour."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Review as you wish! if you enjoy this story, please sign up for a story alert. I am kicking around the idea of raising the rating to M, not because I want to, but because if this gets to smutty, I will have to. I don't want to run the risk getting in trouble or offending anyone, so I have to err on the side of caution. I would love your feedback on this matter, so please feel free to give it! I would love to hear from everyone reading, so, please? Review?