This is something I've been wanting to write about for a while now and I finally mustered up the courage. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer: As many times as I've wished for it, I do not own these characters.

Chapter 1

Alec eyed the shirt that Magnus was holding up for him. It was purple and had a symbol on the front that Alec had never seen before.

"I don't know about that one Magnus," Alec said. The two of them had spent the entire day in the mall shopping. That morning Magnus had claimed to be tired of all the clothes he already had so he dragged Alec out of the house to find something new. The only thing wrong was that everything in the bags they were now carrying was for Alec.

"Why not?" Magnus demanded. "It's perfect for you." Alec watched his boyfriend put one hand on his hip while holding the shirt closer to Alec. "Just take the shirt."

"No, I don't want it," Alec answered.

"There's nothing wrong with it, though," Magnus countered with a slight edge to his voice.

"Magnus, I already said I don't want it," Alec's voice hardened in response to Magnus's.

"Fine," Magnus said. "Let's go." He put the shirt back on the rack, turned, and started walking away without bothering to check if Alec was following.

* ~ *

When they made it back home to the apartment they now shared, Alec was in a pretty good mood. Ever since the war with Valentine, everything had been extremely peaceful. There were hardly any more attacks from demons. Jace and clary had their own apartment a few blocks from the Institute. Isabelle hadn't changed at all but Alec couldn't bear to live there with his parents since he'd told them about Magnus. After getting over the shock of the whole situation, they began to question Alec endlessly about Magnus. Alec decided that things would be easier if he just moved in with Magnus, who had been ecstatic when Alec had asked him about it.

To add to all the good things going on, Magnus hadn't forced him to put on the clothes they'd bought and model them for him like he had last time. Instead he'd sat the bags down in the closet and left the bedroom without a word.

Alec sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Magnus to return but he ended up staying there for over ten minutes before deciding to go get him.

"Magnus," he called. There was no answer.

Alec walked all around the apartment before he saw Magnus stretched on the couch watching reruns of America's Next Top Model.

Alec went to stand in front of the tv. "What are you doing in here?" he asked.

"Watching tv," Magnus answered in a dead voice without looking away from the screen.

Alec was surprised. In the few months that they'd become official, Magnus had never been this cold to Alec.

"Magnus, are you ok?" Alec asked.

"I'm fine," he answered in the same dead voice. "Why do you ask?"

Alec was having trouble forming a complete thought. "Well-" he stared at Magnus open-mouthed. "You seem different."

"Mmmm," was all Magnus said.

Alec stared for a few more moments before returning to the bedroom. He changed out of his t-shirt and jeans and put on a pair of hot pink pajama pants Magnus had bought him and walked back out to the living room. Magnus was still lying on the couch when he walked in.

"I'm going to bed," Alec said.

"All right then," Magnus said.

Alec walked back to the bedroom and assumed Magnus was about to follow him like he usually did. He climbed into bed and waited wondering what was taking Magnus so long. There's obviously something going on, Alec thought. Magnus isn't acting right. Maybe I said something, or did something…

Before he could think of what the problem might be, Alec fell asleep.

* ~ *

The next morning Alec woke up feeling empty. He lay there for a moment trying to pinpoint where the feeling was coming from when he heard soft snoring. Completely forgetting about what he'd just been feeling, he smiled and rolled over to stare at Magnus's sleeping form. Since the first morning waking up there, Alec knew he'd never see anything more beautiful than a sleeping Magnus. His mouth hung open and slack, his ink dark hair, free from all the gel, smoothed across the pillow, and his face without all the glitter and makeup looked so peaceful that it reminded Alec more of an angel than Jace with his golden halo of hair.

As he lay there staring at Magnus, he almost forgot about his behavior from yesterday. Almost.

Maybe he was just upset about something and he hasn't told me about it yet, Alec though hopefully. I bet it has nothing to do with me.

He leaned over to kiss Magnus awake.

"Good morning," he said softly as Magnus's eyes slowly fluttered open.

Magnus just stared at Alec with a completely blank expression before rolling out of bed and walking into the bathroom.

Alec felt his mouth fall open but couldn't get his brain to send the message for it to close. All he could do was stare after Magnus. When he did get his brain started again, he was instantly furious. Magnus had never treated him like this. He threw the covers off himself, jumped out of the bed and practically ran into the bathroom.

"Magnus, what the hell is going on?" he nearly screamed.

Magnus didn't seem to notice the anger. He continued combing through his hair and said in his usual smooth voice, "What do you mean?"

"You know damn well what I mean?" Alec couldn't believe what he was saying. He didn't curse often and here he was…twice in less than a minute. "Ever since we got home yesterday, you've been acting like I wasn't even here?"

Silence…

"Look at me!" I've finally lost my mind, Alec thought to himself. I've been doing so good lately, but this stupid warlock has actually succeeded in driving me crazy. Bringing himself back into reality, Alec took a deep breath to calm himself and said, "Magnus, please. Tell me what the problem is. I can help fix it."

Magnus seemed to take his time thinking about the answer and for a moment Alec was afraid that he was being ignored. When he was about to say something else, Magnus spoke.

"You are."

More silence.

"What?"

"I said you're the problem, Alec." Magnus still wouldn't look at him. He'd turned his back to Alec so they couldn't even see each other in the mirror.

"What do you mean?" It was Alec's turn to ask.

"I think we should-" Magnus stopped. Alec wondered if he was having as hard a time finding words as Alec was. "I think you should go."

Alec lost count on how many times Magnus had made him speechless in the past twenty-four hours.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Alec's voice broke on the last word but he didn't care enough right now to be mad at it.

Magnus slowly turned around to look Alec in the eyes. In that moment, Alec thought he saw something that almost looked like pain in the warlock's eyes but it was gone so fast he guessed it must have been his own imagination. The expression on Magnus's face reminded Alec of the one Magnus used to wear when he and Alec were out in public before everyone knew about their relationship. Formal, impersonal, and closed-off. Alec didn't think he'd ever see that again and seeing it now was more than he could take.

He ran from the bathroom without another word, straight to the bedroom to change clothes. He had to get out of there before the tears started falling.

Less than two minutes later, he was half-running down the street in the direction of the Institute. He didn't think twice about the people staring at him as he passed. He was too busy trying to wrap his head around what Magnus had said…and didn't say. Alec was the problem? How? Since when? Yesterday, they'd been completely happy, right? Obviously not, a voice in Alec's head told him. You had to screw this up too.

Alec felt another sob shake through him as he knocked on the door on the Institue. Normally he would have just walked in but his mind wasn't functioning properly at the moment. The door opened revealing an always-stunning, and shocked Isabelle."By the Angel, Alec, what happened? What's going on?" she asked, voice reaching higher with her anxiety at seeing Alec crying.

Alec stared at his sister through his tears for a moment, trying to think of what to tell her. He didn't even know what had happened himself.

"Magnus," was all he could manage to say before another set of sobs broke through him and he fell into Isabelle's arms.

A/N: So here it is. How was it? Please be honest as always. If there's anything wrong with it, let me know. I'll post the next part when I get enough reviews. J