As summers typically are, this one was another humid scorcher in New York City – the kind where people bust fire hydrants open and dance in fountains. For the Shadowhunters of the New York Institute, it was unwelcome at best. The great stone sanctuary they called home was not known for staying cool and, despite many appeals to Mayrse, no air conditioner was installed. The training room was especially suffocating, partially due to it not having any windows or outlets for a fan to be plugged in. Under the ancient wooden beams, Jace and Alec sat chatting with their hands wrapped around glasses of water, their shirts discarded on the floor beside them.

"Maybe if we ask nicely, Clary could create a cooling rune," Jace quipped, sipping from his glass slowly.

Alec rolled his eyes with a snort. "I don't think it works that way."

"It might."

"Jace, don't you think that is a waste of her abilities anyhow?"

Pausing with a considering look on his face, Jace drums his fingers on the side of the glass he is holding. After a moment, he replied, "Nope. If I had unlimited rune powers, I would most definitely use it for that. Maybe a way to improve Isabelle's cooking too."

Alec looked quietly at Jace as he sipped his water, taking a moment to drink the view in. Shirtless Jace was always a rare spectacle, but a welcome one. His cut abs were obvious even with him sitting up, his chest glistening with sweat, his messy golden hair glowing in the ambient lighting in the room. With his jeans sitting low, the indentations on his hip were obvious, along with the fine trail of light golden hair to the waistband. He looked like an angel glowing with some internal radiance, albeit one with a talent for breaking demons to pieces with his bare hands.

Jace could feel Alec's gaze on him, like the light pressure of an exploratory hand on his skin, but he didn't say anything. If he was being honest, he didn't mind it, and part of him even enjoyed the admiration from Alec. He occasionally noticed Alec's looks too – when you live in the same place, running into someone half-dressed isn't uncommon. His skin was different, paler, and his body was built more like a swimmer than a warrior, but it suited him. Combined with his sapphire-blue eyes and shock of midnight black hair, it made him a study in moonlight and shadows.

The sound of the heavy door opening broke both boys out of their revelries, and they watched Isabelle slink in. As was her style, she was dressed in an emerald tank-top and short – very short – shorts.

"Here you boys are! Mom's been looking all over for your both!" Isabelle pauses for a moment, noticing the heat in the room and the fact they are both shirtless on the floor. "Are you two using this room as a sauna? Because I think training is out of the question in this heat."

Standing up and grudgingly shrugging his shirt back on, Jace shoots her a wry look. "Yes Iz, I'm trying to maintain my girlish figure."

Rising to his feet, Alec puts his shirt on as well, smiling a little at Isabelle. "We were just talking. What's going on?"

Rolling her eyes a little, Isabelle leaned against the wall. "Mom and I have to go take care of something, but there was a call about something. It's most likely nothing, but it seems there has been strange stuff going on at a local abandoned church, and she wants you guys to check it out."

In unison, Jace and Alec groaned. "This better not be like the 'Church of Talto' crap Clary got herself into," Jace said with asperity.

Alec nodded. "Yeah, I'm really not interested in fighting anything today."

Kicking herself off the wall, Isabelle snorted. "That's your job Alec. Deal with it."

Jace bent down and picked up the glasses he and Alec left on the floor, and both he and Alec walked towards the door. "Fine Iz, but if a behemoth demon eats me I will forever haunt you," he said, as he handed her the glasses. Taking the empty glasses, she kicked at his ankle.

"Just go prepared, I'm sure it's no big deal," she sighed as she stalked off to the kitchen.

After changing into gear and grabbing a few seraph blades, Jace and Alec met on the front steps of the Institute. Even in the middle of the afternoon, the heat was intense enough it almost had a weight to it, and they both were sweating as soon as the doors shut behind them.

"By the Angel I hate summer," Jace groaned, sliding his phone out of his pocket. After a moment, he turned to Alec. "Iz texted the address, and it's close enough to walk to."

Alec grimaced. "Lovely day for a walk." He fell in step beside Jace as he began walking, the familiar sounds of the city enveloping them as they passed through the gate to the Institute. "So," Alec began tentatively, "what is going on with you and Clary?" He saw Jace's shoulders tense minutely, but his face betrayed nothing of his emotions.

"I'm not sure," Jace replied quietly. He paused for a moment. "Last I knew, she was in France to learn new fighting techniques from the Institute there."

"How did you two leave things?"

"I broke up with her."

Alec was so stunned he stopped walking, and impatient pedestrians flowed around him and Jace as if they were rocks in a stream. "What? I thought things were going well?"

Jace looked at him steadily, his eyes like molten gold in the light of the afternoon. "They were. I thought. But… I don't know. Something was nagging at me, and I need to figure it out."

Alec knew him well enough to not pry, and the lines of strain around Jace's mouth were a clear indication more questions were unwanted. "I see." Resuming their steady walk, his eyes wandered, taking in the vibrance of the streets, the smells of restaurants, the rumbling of the cars passing by. There was a time when he was so desperate to get Jace's attention that he wasn't comfortable in his own skin. Now though, things were companionable and comfortable.

"We're here," Jace said firmly, stopping in front of a heavy wooden door with stained-glass panels. It was a small stone building wedged between a taco joint and a bookstore, out of place amid all the surrounding modernity. Stepping up to it, he tugged on one of the dark steel handles in the shape of a rose stem topped with a budding flower, and with a groan the door opened. "Yeah, that's not concerning at all," he said, voice dripping sarcasm. Pulling out his witchlight, he led the way into the church, Alec just a step behind.

The first thing that struck Alec was the smell of rosemary and candlewax, strong despite the thick cobwebs like curtains in the room. A handful of dark, wooden pews rested on the cool stone floor facing the back of the church, where unlit candles lined the floor in front of a raised platform. Despite the heat outside, the room was comfortably cool – as though the walls and floor radiated cold air. Illumination poured in through a large stained-glass window behind the platform, the inlaid image one of a budding red rose backed by golden rays of light. Slowly Jace pocketed his witchlight, crossing his arms as he examined the room.

Jace's eyes scanned the interior of the church, trying to discern what may be unusual about this church besides the smell. Something caught his eye, and he turned to see a small wooden stand on the platform. As he began nearing it, he noticed the stand was the only thing undamaged on the platform, with the rest of it marred by gashes and cracks. Stepping up onto the platform he noticed a small book was on the stand, about the size of a spiral notebook. Finally, Jace stood in front of the stand, and could see the front of the book was made of leather, the front adorned with a lifelike picture of a rose.

That was when Alec first noticed it. He had walked closer as Jace approached the platform and noticed the cracks and gashes in the floor. Having dated a warlock, he recognized some of the seemingly random cracks were not cracks, but rather runes of some kind. "Jace!" He yelled, hoping to warn him. Jerking in surprise, Jace's hand slipped on the cover of the book and he felt a sharp pain in his thumb. Looking down he saw a thorn on the rose had cut him, and now had just a single drop of blood on the razor tip.

Jace looked at Alec with extreme annoyance. "You made me cut my finger Alec, this had better be really important."

Alec was already hustling towards Jace, attempting to get to the platform as quickly as possible. "Jace, runes," he said lamely, not being able to explain. Jace looked down, and for the first time noticed the patterns to the markings on the floor. Just as he started to react, a strong scent of roses washed over him, and the markings glowed a bright ruby red. The rose on the cover of the book glowed in unison with the runes, and a sound like rustling wind surrounded Jace.

Jace felt unable to move, unable to speak, almost as if a force were holding him in place. Before his eyes he saw crimson rose petals floating on the wind, and his ears were full of the sound of rustling leaves. Suddenly, his body began to tingle all over with pins and needles, every inch of him feeling electrified. The intensity grew and grew, a horrified Alec looking on from outside of the circle of runes, seemingly unable to get inside. Jace felt he must be about to blow apart, then suddenly it all stopped. His eyes cleared, silence returned, and his body felt back to normal. He turned to Alec, beginning to grin, then suddenly the world went dark, and his legs no longer held him up. The last sound he heard was Alec shouting his name.