Hello, once again. I hope you like this chapter. The next one might actually have some plot in it.

When Jace, Clary, Simon and Izzy trudged into Magnus' building laden with bulging Taki's takeout bags, they buzzed repeatedly, but no answer came. Clary slashed a quick rune onto the door, and proclaimed the apartment to be empty, save Chairman Meow. After several minutes of waiting, they grew increasingly bored, nothing to do in the dusty building except become even more so.

Isabelle was impatient, and reminded Simon somewhat of an angry cat, not that he'd admit it. He rather liked having his head attached to his shoulders.

She paced the hallway outside Magnus' door, hair swirling around her in a black tornado as she hissed expletives under her breath, eyes narrowed to wicked slits fringed with thick lashes like the petals of an ebony daisy. Apparently, Izzy didn't like to be kept waiting.

Clary and Jace were crouched like homeless people on the scrubby carpet, talking quietly about some new rune Clary had dreamed up.

"Yes, it will-"

"So it's like the Fearless rune?"

Clary patiently shushed Jace with a squeeze of his hand, showing him a little rune she'd scrawled on a Starbucks receipt.

"A bit, but you could still control, to an extent, what you're saying. I think. There's only one way to know for sure."

"Use Alec as a guinea pig again? It's a shame we can't use the vampire, he's more lab rat material."

"Shut up. Anyway, Alec's not here. We'll have to use you."

"Hell no. Alec will be here- I think…what in the name of the Angel is taking them so damn long? It's one little cab ride! We've been waiting here for years, Raziel only knows where they are."

Simon smirked at the expression, and spontaneously looked to the ceiling, bellowing

"RAZIEL! WHERE ARE ALEC AND MAGNUS?"

Clary dissolved into giggles, and Isabelle stopped pacing to give a brief, astonished laugh. Jace, of course, stayed perfectly still, betraying no emotion.

"Wouldn't it be funny if he answered!" Clary chuckled, throwing her best friend a fond grin. But they were still bored. Simon sank to the carpet, glancing briefly at the walls, a grubby, faded shade of what had probably once been mint green, thin cracks spidering across the dusty surface. He had once asked Magnus why he chose to live in such an old building, and Magnus had replied 'It's so adorably vintage, and no-one will think to look for me here." Considering that the warlock had his address printed on all the flyers for his very frequent parties, Simon didn't believe it had been a completely truthful answer.

"So come on Jace, roll up your sleeve, I wanna try this rune out."

"No way. Alec will be here. Won't you Alec? ALEEEEEEEC!"

Meanwhile…

Magnus tumbled out of the taxi, laughing and wiping his chin with a long middle finger, pausing in his stride only to catch Alec, who had stumbled trying to pull up his jeans.

"Magnus…I cannot believe you talked me into that!"

"Honey, it never takes that much persuasion. And anyway you loved it." Alec just smiled. "Now come on, we've got to walk the rest of the way, considering that incredibly rude cabbie!"

"Oh yeah, he was the rude one. You should lodge a complaint."

Magnus took Alec's warm hand, rough and calloused from years of fighting, and led him down the street. Although the day had been hot, its demise had a biting chill and a fluttery breeze that hinted at coming rain. Magnus loved that sort of electric night climate, but he couldn't enjoy it because of the jeans- he needed to sit down, not trek through Brooklyn in the cold.

"Well," he smiled at Alec, whose cheeks were still flushed a delicate pink despite the chill. "He wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't yelled like that." He squeezed the shadowhunter's fingers, but Alec still looked down at his shoes. Which weren't particularly enthralling.

"I tried to keep quiet, but, you- you did that thing with your-"

"Ah yes." Magnus hummed, at the same time moving his lips, teeth and tongue in an odd way that made him look quite grotesque, mimicking something he'd done during their time in the taxi. "I have an uncanny talent."

"Magnus, you know you're gorgeous, but that's not your best look."

"Ah, laugh now, but when I do that with a mouthful of cock-" Alec shushed him, blushing, as a woman carrying a flowery bag walked past, smirking a little at their conversation.

"So that's how you do that!" Alec's blush intensified until he was the colour of a poppy. "I've been trying to figure it out since we first got together."

"It's a gift. No-one else can do it, see?" He did it again. "In San Francisco, it's known as the 'Magnus Bane Job'. Made me a fortune in the seventies."

Alec spluttered, then his features settled into curiosity. "When were you in San Francisco?" Magnus scowled slightly, realising he'd hinted a little too much at the past. Damn Alec Lightwood.

"You'd love it there. I'll take you some day." Alec didn't relent.

"But you charged people to-"

"I've got nothing to hide. I am who I am." He answered untruthfully, with a diversionary wink. "As the great man says."

They had got to Magnus' building and he opened the age-warped door, letting Alec into the lobby first.

"Dickens said that?"

"No, silly. Adam Lambert!"

The warlock tutted fondly, guiding Alec up the rickety wooden stairs that led to his apartment, the smell of dust and takeout washing over them. He was just too cute! He was about to scoop him up and run the rest of the way, when a yell rang out over the creaking of the steps.

"ALEEEEEEEEEEC!"

Wayland.

Magnus still couldn't believe what he'd asked the magic magic 8 ball.

Alec sped up at his parabatai's call, dragging Magnus into the hallway where the others were gathered on the carpet like a handful of spilled sweets.

"Where in Raziel's name have you been? I was so BORED!" Izzy whined, as Magnus unlocked the door and waved a glittery hand, magically tidying everything inside.

"Terribly sorry," Magnus apologised as they all filtered into the lounge and sprawled out on several moss-green armchairs he had seen on the walk over. "We were rather unceremoniously thrown out of our taxi."

Jace lunged for a bag of sweet potato fries, the smell of which teased Magnus' hungry senses.

"Why?"

Alec shot Magnus a warning look that said quite clearly 'don't even think about it', that he chose to ignore.

"Well, as you know, Alexander has a rather wild side to him and he insisted that I suck hi-"

Alec's face nearly exploded with the blush that dominated it.

"More like Magnus jumped me."

"Alec, you dog!" Jace breathed, internally jealous. Clary would never think of something like that, they hadn't even seen each other naked yet.

Clary cut in before the conversation could become too dirty.

"So guys, I've got a new rune to show you!" They peeked at her with mouths full of food and eyes full of interest. She let herself bask in the attention for a fraction of a second before whipping out a stele from her jeans pocket. It was cool to the touch, smooth and slightly heavy, like the pestle Luke used to crush his wolfsbane. "It's called Honesty."

Izzy's dark eyes widened, thinking of her father. "Does it make people tell the truth even if they don't want to?"

"I think it's like the Fearless rune in that you'll spill more than you usually would, but more manageable. Like you couldn't avoid a direct question, but you won't lose your mind. I'd like to try it on two people, to get a good idea of the effect."

Alec sighed and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a muscular forearm, creamy pale but lightly covered in dark hair, one swirling mark coiling up the inside of his arm like a thick black snake.

After a meaningful glare from his girlfriend, Jace followed suit, trying and failing to not think about back-of-the-wrist hair and how unfair it was that Alec had it and he didn't.

Alec didn't wince at the brief burn of Clary's stele; as it licked across the inside of his wrist a curious sense of peace stole over him. He smiled happily at Jace.

"I was never really in love with you, you know." He told him. Izzy dropped her head into her hands, shaking with silent laughter, tendrils of hair seeping out from between her fingers and trailing down like streams of water. And so it starts.

"I know." Jace replied. "You just needed my help to see it. You're welcome, by the way." Alec giggled, eyes free of his usual stormy-blue web of worry; instead they glittered like the rippling surface of a clear pool.

"It's good you got it right, though, or it would have been so awkward!" He giggled gleefully into his hand, reminiscent of a small child. Jace, to everyone's utter shock, did the same.

"Well Clary, it definitely has an interesting effect. But if I ask them what they're on about, which incidentally I'm rather curious to know, will they tell me the truth?" Magnus asked. Clary pondered for a moment. She really wasn't sure of the runes power yet, but the symbol spoke to her of the truth, whispered in the language of the angels.

"Yes."

"Alec darling, how did Jace make you come to this revelation?"

"Well, we were in Alicante and he was basically being a dick to everyone, so when he started saying he knew how I thought I felt, I assumed he was just trying to hurt me," words gushed from Alec's lips in a cascade of truth; he would have felt extremely uncomfortable without the rune, but now he wondered why. What was the point in keeping secrets? He trusted everyone here, and why should he even care what they thought?

"But then he asked me to kiss him-"

"He did WHAT?" Magnus roared, and the lights of the whole street flickered dangerously. Alec laid a soothing hand on his boyfriend's arm.

"I love it that you're all protective, but calm down, you're going all Gandalf! Anyway, I didn't kiss Jace, because I didn't want to! I realised that. I only want to kiss you." He pecked Magnus on the lips, and the lights returned to normal.

"Wayland, I hope Clary's bisexual," Magnus glared. "Because you are a prick and a twat."

Clary looked down at her dinner, a pleasantly tangy noodle dish that tasted of garlic and ginger, causing her lips to tingle faintly. She'd had the occasional thought about girls, but would never go through with anything.

"I'm not." She mumbled, shovelling in another forkful of noodles.

"That would be hot." Jace stated simply, leaning back in his chair, unfazed by the insult.

Simon wondered what he could ask either Alec or Jace in order to embarrass them later…

"So, Jace. What did you ask the magic magic 8 ball?" he asked casually.

Magnus choked on a mouthful of spinach.

"It said I could have three questions, but, it only answered one of them. It was very rude to me. How do you put up with it, Magnus?"

"Oh, it'll tell me anything. It's had a thing for me since the eighties."

"Oh, okay. First I asked it if Valentine ever loved me. And it said yes. Then after a few minutes of procrastinating I got bored and asked it how big Magnus' dick was." Izzy's expression turned from sympathy to amusement. She'd asked Alec the same, and he hadn't answered either. "It made some highly insensitive comments about both my sexuality and my relationship with family members, or assumed family members." Clary and Alec blushed. Magnus snorted, then cut in quickly.

"Don't tell them the last one, Jace. Poor Clary doesn't need the embarrassment. I was embarrassed for you both when it told me. Jesus, you twisted child." Jace shrugged, leaving Clary both worried and intrigued. Simon meanwhile, had been thinking of another question.

"Alec, who really started whatever happened to get you kicked out of the taxi?"

"Magnus, obviously. He's a total exhibitionist. I would never have agreed, but he started speaking French, and when he does that my self-control just dissolves. It reminds me of our night in Paris." Magnus grinned, his tongue lazily licking his quirked-up bottom lip.

"That was fun. Although why you wouldn't let the hotel boy join in, I have no idea. He was very polite when he asked, and I know you thought he was hot."

"He was hot, that's why I said no. You would've gotten jealous if I paid him more attention than you and turned him into a throw pillow or something." Magnus smirked. Alec wasn't even blushing. Not even a little.

"I probably would have, but you wouldn't seriously have done that. You didn't find him hotter than me, that would be ridiculous!"

"No, you're the sexiest man I've ever seen!" God, Magnus thought, this honesty rune was brilliant! He wanted to pull the adorable shadowhunter onto his lap, but the jeans were having none of it. He made the mistake of standing up, and immediately regretted it.

"Fuck. Stupid-damn-jeans…" Izzy got up, having finished her food, and steadied him.

"Okay, darling?" she asked.

"No…damn, it's lucky I'm infertile- they probably just stopped all my sperm production for today-"

"TAKE THEM OFF!" Alec yelled, leaping out of his seat and yanking down Magnus' zipper. "Everybody get out!"

Clary bustled to her feet, hurrying along Simon and Jace. Alec didn't seem to be kidding.

"Alexander, what are you doing?"

"Taking off these idiotic jeans, so they stop annoying you and you can fuck me until I can't see straight." Magnus was flushed, looking both shocked and delighted. He turned to the others.

"You'd better go, I think he means it. Sorry to throw you out so unexpectedly."

"Get out or watch!" Alec yelled. They hastily obliged. Izzy was the last out of the door, and the only one to catch Alec's parting shot. "Tell Mum I won't be home tonight!"

Magnus purred. Three times in one day? He hoped no-one would be seriously injured, which was likely if this kept up.

Outside, the others closed the door.

"Clary, are you okay to get a cab with Simon?" Jace asked. "I always worry about you when you're not with me. You could get cold, or mugged, or a demon might-"

"Don't worry, Jace." She reassured him. His eyes were a strange shade in the dark, like a blob of honey on black paper. She liked honesty-rune-Jace, even if honesty-rune-Alec was a bit tricky. "I'll be fine. Simon and I are perfectly capable of dealing with demons, or muggers, and I can deal with being cold. Promise."

They hailed a cab, and as they pulled away, Jace's gaze didn't leave hers through the dust-streaked window, a small, sweet smile lingering on his face.

Izzy and Jace took a step forward, meaning to head for the subway, when suddenly they were plunged into blackness. The whole street's power had cut- streetlights included.

"There's no storm coming," Izzy giggled "That must've been Magnus."

As if to illustrate her point, several windows of Magnus' building shattered, glass shards littering the floor, and out of one, flew a shoe. The pink-and-black vintage brogue hit the pavement with a dull thud, landing inches away from Jace's left foot.

"I think we'd better leave." He suggested, and they strode into the night. No-one would challenge them; they looked impossibly dangerous with their swirling marks, barely concealed weapons, and eyes that gleamed fiercely in the headlamps of passing cars. And if any unfortunate mugger tried it, the consequences were their own problem.

Magnus doesn't seem like the type to care if he's causing power cuts, does he ;)

I hope you liked it, please review, because I love you lots and lots like jelly tots. Although jelly tots are actually sort of boring, so much more than that. Even if what you have to say is 'Go home you annoying midget'.

Love, China.