Hey, all! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I wasn't sure if I was going to continue this story, but it's doing well on AO3 so I'll continue to post chapters here as well. I hope you enjoy it!

My body was on the threshold between sleep and wakefulness. I could not drag myself out of my slumber, but I was aware that I was laying in bed, too tired to open my eyes. With a groan I rolled over onto my stomach. My arm slipped over the edge of the bed and my fingertips brushed against the shock of the cold floor. I tucked my arm against my chest and nestled into the pillow...

The edge of the bed?

Slowly, I peeled my eyes open and blinked away the haze. The bedroom was completely dark except for the slit of light filtering in from under the door. I sat up and switched on the bedside lamp. The harsh brightness was an assault on my eyes, but it was not as intense as the fear and confusion in my heart when I realized Magnus was gone. Even his clothes had vanished.

Throwing off the covers, I yanked on an over-sized t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants before trudging down the hallway. My pace was slow and measured, unlike my heartbeat. Part of me was afraid Magnus had snuck out in the middle of the night, and with every step I was drawing nearer to the answer. When I peered around the corner, I froze. Whether it was shock or relief that rendered me immobile, I did not know.

He was there, sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table. He was hunched over a large book, the eraser end of a pencil pinioned between his teeth. Too immersed in the book's contents to notice me, Magnus did not look up as I slowly approached. As I inched closer I noticed a piece of paper with scribbles waiting, at the ready, beside the book. I also noticed my unzipped backpack propped up against the couch, not at all in the same position I'd left it.

"Is that," I said quietly, "my textbook?"

Alarmed, Magnus jumped and yanked the pencil from his mouth. His hand darted to slam the textbook shut, but when he noticed my amused smile he let out a soft laugh and opted for grabbing the piece of paper, folding it, and placing it in his lap.

"Sorry," he said, rather shyly. "I was just reading."

I leaned forward and peered down at the textbook. "About chemistry?"

Magnus tapped the pages with the pencil. "Are you really studying this?"

"Yeah."

His yellow-green eyes looked up into mine. "You amaze me. This is really challenging stuff."

Slowly, as if moving too fast would spook him, I lowered myself to the floor and sat cross-legged at Magnus's side. I watched the side of his face as his eyes searched the text in fascination. "Yeah, it is challenging."

The corner of Magnus's mouth twitched. He propped his elbow up on the table and turned to face me, his cheek cupped in his palm. "I'll bet it's easy for you."

My gaze dropped to my lap. I knew Magnus wouldn't believe me if I tried to deny it. Heat flared in my cheeks as I felt his eyes on my face. With a one-shouldered shrug, I said modestly, "I do all right. I mean, I don't struggle with chemistry."

"Why do you do that?"

I peeked at him. "Do what?"

"Hide your assets," he clarified. "Your intelligence, your face. Why do you try to slip into the background?"

"Because," I began, struggling to find my voice, "I don't...belong...in the foreground. What's this?"

Magnus's train of thought was derailed when I snatched the folded piece of paper sitting in his lap. He reached for it to try and grab it back, but I evaded his reach and unfolded it. I stared, uncomprehending, at Magnus's writing. There was a long moment of silence as I deciphered the scrawled letters, numbers, and symbols.

I peered at him over the top edge of the paper. "You did this?"

Magnus scratched his head uncomfortably. "I was just...experimenting. Seeing what I could do."

I glanced at the equations again. "Magnus, these are all correct."

"Really?" He looked genuinely surprised. "I guess I'm not as rusty as I thought."

"Did you take university classes?"

"Me? God, no. I haven't been in school for a very long time."

I frowned. "How long has it been?"

Magnus's face was hard, like he was trying to force away the shame. "I dropped out when I was fifteen. I had to choose between being in a gang and being in school. You can guess which one won."

"Have you ever thought about going back?"

"I'd like to get my GED." Magnus smiled sadly. "I used to dream about going to university."

"So do it. Get your GED and go." I held up the paper pointedly. "You're obviously smart enough."

"My brain is hardwired for chemistry. That doesn't mean I'm an all-around genius." He sighed. "Besides, I don't have time for education when I'm busy watching out for my guys."

I was quiet for a moment and avoided his gaze while I summoned up the courage to say my next words: "Have you ever considered...leaving?"

Magnus seemed unbothered by my question, as if he'd already asked himself the same thing a million times. "I've considered that option too many times to count."

"So what's holding you back?"

He shot me an almost offended look and answered defensively, "The guys that follow me are my family, Alexander. I don't want to abandon them."

There was something in his tone that hinted his reason was not the sole cause for remaining in his position as leader. My voice was soft, treading lightly, "They'll find someone else."

Magnus stared at me before laughing hollowly. He turned away to close the textbook. "I knew a guy who tried to get out of his life as a gang leader. He'd finally come to his senses and realized he had other dreams. So he quit. He left the dangers associated with his family behind, but by doing so he also left behind the protection that his family could offer. He started a new life, started a new family... But not all aspects of your old life disappear when you walk away. He was dead within two months. His kids grew up without a father."

The silence that hovered between us was gloomy but not uncomfortable. I knew exactly what I wanted to say to Magnus, but my unfamiliarity with him twisted my words into a risk. That risk harbored the threat of Magnus walking away and never looking back.

A risk only becomes a failure when you fall instead of soar.

There I was again, perched on the edge of the proverbial cliff. And though I was hesitant, I wanted nothing more than to jump.

"We could leave, you know." I could feel his eyes on me, but my gaze was downturned so I could manage to continue speaking. "I could transfer to another school, find another place. You could live with me until you get settled, and I'll help you get your GED."

"Alexander..." His voice was a mixture of incredulousness, happiness, and disapproval.

"We could just be roommates," I assured him. "And I don't mind transferring. I don't have any friends to leave behind. Plus my parents will buy me any place I want so long as I'm making them proud."

When I finally dragged my eyes back to him, he was watching me with his head cocked to the side.

"You'd really do that for me?" He searched my face. "What about Jace?"

I paused. "Jace will be okay. He doesn't exactly have time for me anyway."

"He's your brother."

"My adopted brother." I slammed my mouth shut too late.

Magnus only smiled. "That explains why you two look nothing alike."

I fidgeted with my fingers. "Even if we did, he'd still be the better-looking one."

Magnus's eyes narrowed. I wondered if he was upset with me, if he was going to start yelling. My body reacted on its own, automatically hunching my back and shifting to pull my knees against my chest. I was now smaller, but I did not feel any safer under Magnus's scrutiny.

"Why haven't you told him?"

"That's he's better-looking?" My ducked head made my voice slightly muffled against my knees.

"Stop it." Magnus's voice was stern, serious. "Why haven't you told him that you're not interested in women?"

"I dunno'."

"Bullshit. Tell me."

I sighed. "Please don't think of me as some competitive, self-righteous ass, but next to Jace I don't have a lot going for me. He did well in school, he was very athletic, he's beyond handsome, and charming as fuck. All I have are my smarts. Now, I don't like my parents very much, but I do want them to be proud of me. I'm scared of disappointing all of them. I can't lose my family because then I'll be alone."

"Look at me."

I lifted my face to rest my chin on my knees. Magnus angled his body toward mine and lowered his face until he was eye-level.

"You don't ever have to be alone," he whispered.

My heart leapt into my throat and then ceased to beat as Magnus leaned forward and kissed me. I closed my eyes against the flutter in my stomach. When he started to pull away, I felt myself lean forward to keep our lips from parting. There was a tingling vibration as he chuckled against my mouth.

"You like that, do you?"

I wondered if my eyes reflected the glow I felt in my body when I opened them. "Hell yes."

With a mischievous grin, Magnus placed his hands on my knees and pushed them apart. He crawled forward and pushed on my chest until I was laying on my back. I swallowed hard, every nerve alive and tingling with anticipation. He leaned down and kissed me again. As he pushed his tongue into my mouth, he clasped the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it up. We broke apart to slide it over my head, but Magnus kept the material twisted around my wrists. His eyes sparkled with desire as he stared down at me. He held my wrists above my head against the floor, his expression a silent demand to keep them there. I obliged as he pulled his hand away.

His fingers, warm and gentle, curled around my waist. He kissed me again and lifted my hips slightly from the floor, pressing me up against him. I groaned when I felt his hardness through the barrier of our clothes.

Magnus slid down my body, only stopping to dip his tongue into my navel. I gasped and bucked my hips. My fingers curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. It was all I could do to keep my wrists against the floor and hold myself back from touching Magnus.

Slowly, he grabbed my sweatpants by the waistband and began dragging them downward. He pulled them to my thighs, freeing my erection.

I let my head fall back and closed my eyes, overwhelmed by both need and embarrassment. Magnus's hand tightened on my hip as I began to squirm. Suddenly something warm and moist travelled up my length from the base to the tip. I let out a sharp breath and lifted my head. Magnus's eyes held mine as he drew his tongue over me again.

I could not deny the overpowering sense of pleasure that Magnus was giving me, but there was a feeling of humiliation that threatened to erase my desire. I'd already taken a big step with Magnus, and this was out of my comfort zone.

"Magnus, I can't," I panted, my voice laced with shame. "Not like this. Not yet."

Magnus immediately pulled his mouth away and repositioned himself so he was staring down into my eyes. He trailed his fingers from my temple to my jaw bone. "It's okay," he breathed.

I craned my neck and pushed my lips against his. He twisted one hand into my hair while the other inched downward and wrapped around me. I moaned, pulled away, and pressed my cheek against his. My breath rushed past his ear, and I turned my nose to his skin to inhale his scent.

"Magnus," I whispered.

His fingers slid from my hair to cup my cheek. He turned my face so he could kiss me again. "You. Are. So. Unbelievably. Hot," he said between kisses.

My lips were preoccupied, but my heart was smiling. It thumped in my chest, somehow both steady and fast at the same time. Against Magnus's unspoken order, my wrists lifted from the floor and I snaked my fingers into his dark, silky hair. The t-shirt, still used as my bonds, sat at the nape of his neck.

My breath hitched in my throat and began to rush out in shallow bursts. Magnus accelerated the rhythm of his hand. As he kissed me again, he tugged on my bottom lip with his teeth. I let out a groan as my body tightened and then released. My limbs quaked with my orgasm, and I clutched onto Magnus tighter. My forehead rested against his as I breathed hard, coming down from the waves of pleasure. Magnus kissed each of my closed eyelids and stroked his thumb across my cheekbone.

"Alex, bonds look very good on you," he said huskily.

I knew he was talking about the t-shirt, but the opportunity was too irresistible to pass up. "Oh, Magnus, talk chemistry to me."

He laughed and bent down to nip at my ear. "You're such a brat."

"Bromine astatine?"

Magnus grinned. "You want me to teach you a lesson?"

With surprising ease, Magnus scooped me up from the floor and carried me down the hall to the bedroom. I laughed and squirmed and struggled in his grip, but in truth, I never wanted him to let me go. I belonged in his arms, and in his arms was my favorite place to be.