Alec had been to Central Park many times over the years, but it was usually in pursuit of some rogue Downworlder. He'd never taken the time to appreciate this use of the park. Magnus led him into the dark crevices of a shaded alcove where a bench was obscured from the path by the shadows. If he looked through the trees, he could see faint lights deeper in the foliage; will-o'-the-wisps, probably.
"Are you okay?" Magnus asked as he pulled Alec with him onto the bench.
"Um," Alec said. "I mean, I'm supposed to be patrolling, but-"
The rest of the sentence was lost in a mumble against Magnus's mouth as the warlock pressed his lips to Alec's. Alec let his eyelids flutter shut, let himself melt into the kisses. Magnus's lips left his, trailing along his skin, over his cheek, down his neck, up to his ear. Alec suppressed a nervous giggle as Magnus's tongue ran lightly along his neck.
"What?" Magnus asked, his voice mere breath against his skin - a sensation that made Alec feel a little dizzy.
"Nothing, nothing, sorry," Alec said hastily. "Just, um, just..." It was very distracting talking while Magnus was doing what he was doing to Alec's neck. "I... nothing." It was after this gem of coherence that Alec's phone rang. He was going to ignore it, but Magnus broke away from him, slid his hand into Alec's jeans' pocket, and pulled out the cell.
"What are you-" Alec started, but Magnus had answered the call before he even finished the question.
"Isabelle, dearest, darlingest, Isabelle. Is this important?"
"Magnus," Alec hissed, knowing he was blushing and glad of the darkness. What Isabelle was going to say to him after Magnus answered Alec's phone at this hour...
"I see," Magnus said into the phone. "Mmm. Yes, quite. Well, that is unfortunate. No, no, that he's back, you see."
"Jace is back?" Alec asked, sitting up and reaching for the phone, but Magnus dodged his hand, grinning at him as he listened to Isabelle say something on the other end.
"Yes. I'll tell him. Lovely. Goodbye, Isabelle." He hung up and handed the phone back to Alec, who glared at him.
"What did she say?"
"Nothing interesting. Just that your adoptive brother has strayed back home, and she wanted to know when you'd turn up."
Alec felt his face grow even hotter. He knew that Magnus knew. Of course Magnus knew. Alec's relief that Jace was safe was marred by the guilt at how relieved he felt. He shouldn't care this much, and he felt so terribly guilty that Magnus understand the real longing beneath those feelings.
He stood up hastily. "I should go."
Magnus stayed sitting, his eyes illuminated somehow in the darkness, a faint glow of green and yellow. He looked at Alec for a long time without speaking, something stretching between them in the silence.
Alec wished he would ask him to stay. Wished he would tell him there was a way out of these guilty, confused feelings.
"Call me tomorrow," Magnus said. He smiled, but Alec could barely see it in the darkness. "If you find the time."
Alec nodded, his heart hammering. He wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted to tell Magnus that he meant something to him, that he made him feel things Alec had thought were impossible.
He turned and walked away instead. It wasn't until he was away from the bench, out of sight from Magnus, that he let his hand stray up to the spot on his neck where Magnus had marked him - a different kind of mark than his Shadowhunter runes, but one that he knew was going to leave scarring all the same.
He smiled as he started jogging towards the Institute. He had risked his life before, many a time, but he had never dared to risk his heart.