Author's Note: Hello! Thank you for reading! The bad news is, this update is early. The good news is, I haven't ruled out posting another chapter in less than a week. So review, provoke me to update, and, as always, enjoy! Please remember, I own none of these characters!

Chapter 5

That night, Magnus and Woolsey went out to dinner with the poets and artists Woolsey surrounded himself with. When they arrived at the restaurant, most of Woolsey's friends were already there. They had a number of things in common with Woolsey, the most obvious being a love of art and an even greater love for the more pleasurable parts of life.

Woolsey's friends appeared to be a rowdy, fun loving bunch, that was, until Woolsey appeared at the head of the table with Magnus at his side. Then there was silence as the men looked over Magnus, who was wearing the tuxedo Woolsey gave him, along with a green, paisley print silk scarf that had appeared on the nightstand while Magnus was freshening up for the evening. It was a gift from Woolsey, and more over, it was something that might help Magnus to feel more relaxed during his evening spent with Woolsey's friends.

"Gentleman, I wish to introduce you to Magnus Bane, my lover," Woolsey said. He put an arm around Magnus's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek.

Most of the group sat in silence and traded looks and small smiles. They no doubt knew Woolsey's method of operation: he had desires and urges that one man alone couldn't satisfy.

"Good for you," One of the men said. He smiled eagerly and gave Woolsey a nod.

The rest of the group looked Magnus over, each judging him in their own silent way. Magnus doubted that Woolsey ever introduced one of his lovers to them. That was because Woolsey didn't have lovers, he had one night stands that stayed over for a few nights before moving along. Magnus saw it in the tuxedo and the scarf, the "I love you" from out of nowhere, even this, now, with Woolsey sharing his friends with Magnus. Woolsey was marking Magnus as his own, bit by bit, having never said the words "you belong to me, Magnus, and I to you, and no one else can come between us." Had he said anything like that, the tuxedo and the scarf and even this evening wouldn't have been necessary.

"Yes, good for me, indeed," Woolsey said.

After a round of introductions, they sat down to dinner and ordered wine. Woolsey spent dinner having conversation with everyone while Magnus sipped his wine and ate his Cornish hen, always feeling like he was on the outside of the conversation, looking in. Magnus was well versed on art and literature, and had valid opinions on all conversational points, but whenever he voiced his opinion, Woolsey's friends gave him a look that questioned why he was even speaking at all. Then they all began speaking again, taking his thoughts and opinions and twisting them to suit their own conversational needs. It was as if they viewed Magnus's being with Woolsey as temporary, and Magnus had no idea whether or not they were right. It felt the same as it had when Magnus was with Camille, only, Camille was always clinging to him, smothering him with her needs. Woolsey put a hand on Magnus's knee beneath the table and ignored him.

And so the food and drink flowed freely and Magnus topped his glass of wine off numerous times. By the time they were walking out of the restaurant, he was staggering into Woolsey's shoulder, his head spinning.

"Easy," Woolsey mumbled. He put an arm around Magnus's waist and kissed him on the lips. "After the symphony Webster has invited us to his house to smoke and talk. I told him you would be interested."

"I didn't want to be out all night," Magnus remarked. "I don't like smoking. I thought we could just…" He tripped and Woolsey grabbed the lapel of his coat to keep him upright. He couldn't remember that last time he'd been this drunk. Somewhere behind them, one of Woolsey's friends laughed, and there was no doubt in Magnus's mind who they were laughing at. "I want to go home."

"Well, I want to smoke, and if you don't want to, you don't have to," Woolsey said, making it clear what he planned to do. They would be home some time the next morning, after Woolsey shook himself out of his opium haze and climbed out of whatever bed they ended up in. "I promise, we won't be out all night, but please, Magnus, let's just have fun tonight. It's such a nice night. I can almost see the stars, and we're together. Don't you want to be with me?"

Woolsey pulled Magnus against him and kissed his lips hands he ran his callused hands down Magnus's face. Magnus felt his resolve cracking even as his head spun.

"Of course I want to be with you," Magnus said. "I just don't want to be out all night. Of course we can go to… your friend's house." He kissed Woolsey again, feeling Woolsey's fist against his chest, trying keep him from falling down. Woolsey sighed exasperatedly.

"Then put your head back together. You're embarrassing me," Woolsey mumbled. He linked his arm with Magnus's and pulled him down the street. Magnus wanted to stop walking and tell Woolsey the reason he was drunk was because his friends were all pompous pricks who wouldn't know good art if it hit them between the eyes, but that might get him thrown out of the house, and he wasn't in the mood to find alternate lodging in the state that he was in, so he let himself be drug down the street.

The symphony hall was just filling up as the friends arrived. Magnus took a seat in an opera box, and as the symphony began, Woolsey put a hand on Magnus's thigh, nearly holding him down in his seat. The drunkenness Magnus was feeling had abated, but was replaced by a sickening feeling in his stomach. He was dizzy and his head began to throb as the music roared into a crescendo and quieted down, a never ending wave of screeching strings. His cheeks felt hot, and no matter how much he loosened his scarf, he still felt bathed in sweat.

"What is your problem?" Woolsey mumbled halfway through the performance. Magnus had taken to shivering occasionally, fidgeting beside Woolsey.

"I think I might be sick," Magnus said. "Something I ate, or…"

"Just go away," Woolsey said, leaning close. "You're like a child, you know that? I can't take you anywhere. You've humiliated me all night." Magnus felt tears gather in his eyes. Was he actually going to cry? That would just top off the night. "I said, go away. I don't want you here."

Magnus climbed to his feet and left the opera box. He turned around once to see Woolsey laugh about something with Webster, and then his vision blurred unexpectedly and he was hurrying down a hallway, one hand over his mouth, trying to hold back sobs. It wasn't enough that he wasn't feeling well and had spent the night on the outside of conversation, barely respected by Woolsey's friends. Now, he was going to have a drunken, messy, emotional breakdown.

Magnus punched open a bathroom door and staggered inside. He went to the sink and splashed cold water on his face until his tears subsided. Once he had collected himself, he walked out of the bathroom, already planning to go home and let Woolsey have his fun, which he clearly wasn't having with Magnus there.

"Magnus," A voice said. Magnus was grabbed by the lapels and shoved into another room. The door slammed shut, and Magnus felt warmth on his face from someone standing close by. He lifted his hands, prepared to defend himself. "Magnus, it's me." Two cold lips pressed against Magnus's mouth. They were familiar, the same lips he had kissed before. Magnus moaned and rubbed his cheek against the boy's face. He put his hands on the boy's waist, feeling only a thin shirt beneath his hands. The boy was freezing cold, damp and shivering.

"Will," Magnus said. He kissed Will again, tasting blood on his lips. "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you," Will said.

"What?" Magnus asked. He stumbled and might have fallen, had Will not pressed him against a wall. Their lips met again. Will's hands moved to Magnus's tuxedo jacket. He unbuttoned each button slowly. Beneath the jacket was a vest, but Will ignored that and instead pulled Magnus's tucked in shirt out. Somewhere close by, the symphony was still playing, although the sound was muted.

"I followed you, from Woolsey's house to the restaurant to here. I waited for you," Will said. He rested his hands on Magnus's jaw, cupping his face so gently, so tenderly, so unlike Woolsey. Magnus parted his lips and kissed Will again, bringing their tongues together gently before pulling apart. "I thought you could help me." Will was stroking Magnus's chest, his body pressing against Magnus's, hot and cold all at once.

"Help?" Magnus asked. Will's lips were against his, licking his lower lip carefully, inviting Magnus to kiss harder, deeper.

"As it turns out, a good way to get the shit kicked out of you is by skipping out on your bar tab," Will said. He lifted a witch light stone between them. Magnus saw Will's face in brief flashes of light. His lower lip was split open and dark with blood. His nostrils were stained red with it, while his cheek was scraped, accenting the bruise that covered half of his face. His right eye was bloody and swollen shut.

"What happened?" Magnus demanded. He took his scarf and dabbed at the blood, trying to make sense of the injuries. He lifted his hand and whispered a spell, which caused the blood and cuts to fade away. Will looked into Magnus's eyes, the witch light the only bit of light they had.

"I followed you," Will said. He pushed the scarf away, then pressed his hips against Magnus's as they resumed kissing. Magnus thought about pushing Will away, only he couldn't, because Will's body was against his and they were kissing hard enough to make Magnus dizzy all over again.

Will tossed Magnus's jacket onto the floor, then followed it with his hastily unbuttoned vest. Magnus reached down and jerked Will's shirt over his head, exposing the pale skin of Will's chest. Will licked his lower lip and deftly unbuttoned Magnus's pants, pushing them down just enough to take Magnus's half hard cock in his hand. He stroked it, smiling wickedly, and then knelt on the floor, looking up at Magnus, his hair in disarray, his face still bruised, his mouth open, his lips soft and moist.

They ended up together on the floor, Will straddling Magnus as they faced each other. The room was pitch black, the witch light tossed somewhere, unneeded. Will's breath was hot against Magnus's lips and his fingers were tight in his hair. They were kissing hard, but not hard in the way that Magnus and Woolsey kissed. Magnus could lose himself in a kiss by closing his eyes and just trying to keep up with Woolsey. Will was the exact opposite. Magnus could feel Will in every kiss, and knew that he was there, giving everything he could. His fingers dug into Magnus's shoulders, gasping for breath. Will moved hard against Magnus, groaning in pain and pleasure all wrapped together. Will's nails sunk into Magnus's back, and the music roared to a crescendo once more as Will came with a cry. Magnus pushed Will down onto him, forcing another cry from the boy before he finished.

It was Will who pulled away first, not Magnus, who had someone sitting in an opera box waiting for him to return. Will climbed to his feet, found his clothes, and tossed Magnus his. They dressed in the light of Will's stone, not talking. There was nothing left to say.

"Would you like to spend the night together? We could get a room at an inn," Magnus said. Will looked up from tying his boots.

"I need to get back to the Institute. Maybe another night. You know where I live." Will smiled. "I'm always up for a good fuck in a coat closet."

"It could be more than just a fuck," Magnus said.

"I'll let you know," Will said with a shrug. He pulled on his coat, then walked over and kissed Magnus on the cheek. "I'll see you…"

"Wait," Magnus said, seizing Will by the arm. "Why did you follow me? Why did you do what… we did?"

"Sometimes I need someone that belongs exclusively to me, who would never reject me," Will said. He traced one knuckle down the side of Magnus's face and kissed him lightly on the lips. "That is you, Magnus. You would never reject me." Then, he was gone.

Magnus finished putting his appearance to rights and walked out of the closet just as Woolsey walked down the hallway, his hands clenched, his head turning side to side as he scanned doorways and rooms. He looked up when he was ten feet from Magnus and stopped in his tracks. He looked at Magnus for a second, his breath catching. He appeared distraught, and more than that, heartbroken.

"I am so sorry," Woolsey said. "I should have been better to you. I should have made my friends respect you." He walked closer, stopping an arm's length away. "Where is your scarf?" Magnus lifted his hand to his throat to find the scarf gone. "You had it before… he was here, wasn't he? The Shadowhunter?"

"He was hurt and needed help," Magnus said. "He got in a fight, and…" Woolsey took a breath and ran his hands through his hair.

"You do realize he's using you, right? He's showing up, making you think he needs you…that there is a chance, for you and…how can you be so stupid?" Woolsey asked.

"I'm not…" There was a part of Magnus that was hurt by being called stupid. "There's no chance…" Woolsey stepped closer and inhaled. His eyes seemed to go dark, become less human and more part of a creature that was to be feared.

"I can smell him all over you!" Woolsey exclaimed. He grabbed Magnus by the wrist with one hand, twisting his wrist so hard, fresh tears sprang into Magnus's eyes. Woolsey lifted his other hand and slapped Magnus hard across the face. Magnus gasped and tried to get away, but Woolsey pinned him against a wall and made a fist.

"Strike me again and it will be the last thing you do!" Magnus cried. "I'll end you, Woolsey, and you know that." Woolsey released Magnus, shoving him away. Magnus brought a hand to his stinging cheek and felt a sob rip through his chest. He turned to find Woolsey standing in the middle of the hallway. His eyes, now back to normal, stared at his hands with a horrified expression on his face.

"Magnus, I'm so sorry," Woolsey said. "I'm supposed to be better than this…"

"Go out and do whatever you want. Smoke your opium. Fuck your boys," Magnus said. "I'll be home. Or maybe I won't be. I don't know where I'll be, but I sure as hell won't be with you."

"I'm sorry," Woolsey said. Magnus shook his head, turned his back on Woolsey, and walked away.

Author's Note: Review? Please? Thank you for reading! Please sign up for a story alert, as I am pretty sure this rating will go up to M for the next chapter. Here is a teaser to Chapter 6:

Then there was a noise beside the bed and Will pulled away to find Tessa clutching at her nightgown, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry," Will said.