Jace knew they were in the right place when his boots hit worn cobblestone instead of grass. He looked up at Alec, who was staring at him with hard eyes. Before Jace could let himself look around, he turned to face the dark haired boy.
"Okay look, I'm sorry you had to be there for that. I want you to know that I wouldn't have done it if there had been any other way. But I'm used to having to do things that I don't want to do-"
"So that makes it okay?" Alec interrupted bluntly. Jace stared back at him, his eyes a light gold.
"No. It doesn't." Alec crossed his arms.
"So why are you apologizing to me? I'm not the one you stabbed."
"Well I can't apologize to him and he wouldn't accept it anyways because it was his idea. You had to be there and see me do it and I'm sorry for that. And…" Jace took a small breath, trying not to feel stupid but failing. "I really hope that this doesn't change our friendship." Alec raised an eyebrow.
"What friendship?" Jace rubbed the back of his neck tiredly.
"Oh come on…" he gestured between the two of them. "This. This is pretty cool and I personally wouldn't want it to end over something like me doing a mercy killing that you didn't agree with…" Jace frowned at how odd that sounded.
"You really think we're friends?" Alec said doubtfully. Jace met his eyes.
"No. I think we're parabatai. And if you try to say we aren't, you're a liar and I just might throw a massive temper tantrum until you admit it." Alec's face cracked into a smile.
"Oh lord no. Anything but that." he said as he rolled his eyes. Jace grinned.
"Trust me; I'm capable of wicked and monumental tantrums." Alec laughed.
"I'm sure you are. So are you gunna look now or do I have to make you?"
Jace's eyes sparkled and Alec once again felt that shiver of something more that he felt towards the blonde Shadowhunter.
Jace turned away from Alec and took his first real look at Alicante.
The witch light streetlamps cast a surreal glow over everything, giving Jace the feeling of being in a dream.
He realized that using just his sight wasn't enough; he wanted to experience this forbidden city with every sense. He inhaled the evening air in and smelled something sugary sweet and saw that there was a bakery down the street that was closing up for the night.
Jace started to walk, trailing the fingertips of his left hand along everything he passed; the rough bricks of buildings, the iron of the street lamps. Alec followed silently behind him, finding happiness in watching him experience the city for the first time.
Jace led them into a large garden that was stuck randomly between two houses.
They were standing next to a fountain that plashed silvery water down from the hands of a beautiful fairy woman, and the sound of it seemed to fill Jace with peace.
Alec felt himself breathing slower as the soothing sound of the melodic water became the only thing that he could hear while the serene look on Jace's face the only thing he could see.
Jace trailed his fingers in the water, a small smile playing across his lips before he turned to a tree that was behind the fountain. He reached up and pulled a pomegranate off the branch closest to him, the curve of his shoulders and back drawing Alec's attention.
Alec watched him, captivated as Jace looked down at the fruit before bringing it up to his mouth. His lips brushed the skin of the pomegranate before they parted and his white teeth sank into the fruit with a soft, wet sound as he took a bite. Alec tried to remember how to breathe as juice ran down Jace's wrist and he licked his lips.
"How's it taste?" Alec asked him, his voice coming out low.
Jace looked up at him, his eyes sort of unfocused, and held out the pomegranate to him.
Alec crossed the grass, never taking his eyes off the bite Jace had made in the fruit he was now offering him.
When he was standing in front of him, Alec took Jace's wrist in his hand before gently pushing him back against the trunk of the tree with his other hand. Before Jace could do anything but look at him with those dazed and innocent golden eyes, Alec slid his hand up to his face and kissed him.
His lips were soft, sweet, and lightly sticky from the pomegranate.
Alec leaned into him, pressing Jace back into the tree even more before he pulled Jace's bottom lip between his and sucked on it gently. Jace gasped lightly against Alec's mouth and the sound of it sent a shiver of heat through Alec.
Jace's hand went slack and the pomegranate thumped to the grass, and all Alec had time to think was that for some reason the noise sounded wrong.
Suddenly, the spell they seemed to be caught in shattered as Jace shoved Alec away from him, the back of his hand pressed against his mouth and his eyes hot with anger.
"What the hell was that?" Jace yelled at him. Alec blinked rapidly and looked around.
"Oh god…Jace I'm sorry I don't know what happened-" he broke off as Jace whipped out his seraph blade and raised the point to Alec's throat, his face furious. "Whoa! You would pull a knife over something like this!"
"You'd better start explaining Lightwood-" Alec made an incredulous noise.
"What's there to explain! I kissed you and you freaked and pulled a weapon on me!"
"I know that! I meant why did you kiss me in the first place!" Alec ran his hand through his hair.
"I don't know…this place got to me and then you and the damn fruit…look it was a mistake and it won't happen again, trust me. I value my life too much to do something this stupid again. Now will you please get that out of my face, it's not comforting to know that it's already killed one person today." Jace lowered the seraph blade.
"I thought you were going to let that go."
"Tell you what: I'll forget about that if you forget about this. Deal?" Jace slipped the blade back into his belt.
"Deal." They shook hands. Alec tried to ignore the fact that Jace's hand was sticky with pomegranate juice.
"Let's get the hell out of here. Something's up with this place." They strode out of the garden and back onto the cobblestone street. As soon as the garden was blocks behind them, Alec let out a sigh. "Well this is turning out to be quite a day of firsts. What have you learned?" Jace laughed once.
"Never offer you food again. You take it as an open invitation for completely unrelated activities." Alec rolled his eyes. Jace smirked. "So where are we going?" Alec pointed up ahead of them.
"That blue house up there is where my family and some friends are staying."
"And the person who can help me with this rune is there?"
"Yeah hopefully."
The boys crossed the street and approached the large blue house to find that there was some one leaning against the door frame. Isabelle's lips pursed as she saw them, but she continued to inspect her nails for chips until they were walking up the steps.
"Alec, what did mom say about bringing home the neighborhood strays?" Alec tsked at her and gave her a reproachful look. Jace narrowed his eyes as he continued up the stairs towards the other Lightwood that didn't seem to like him much…yet. He flashed her a smile before looking her up and down. Isabelle's eyebrows shot up.
"Nice to see you too, Isabelle. Rough night?" Jace asked with a sympathetic tone. Isabelle frowned at him and dropped her hand to her side with attitude.
"No?" Jace's mouth curved with his signature cocky grin.
"Oh sorry. Must just be your face." Jace dropped her a wink before stepping around her towards the door. Alec laughed loudly at the expression on his sister's face before lightly tugging a strand of her black hair.
"Oh come on. That was funny and you know it." he said as he opened the door and they all entered the house. Isabelle grudgingly crossed her arms.
"Don't encourage him Alexander. The world doesn't need a cockier Jace Morgenstern."
