By The Way, He's Safe With Me [Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments]

chapter one

Central Park was always bustling at rush hour. Whether it was people getting off of the subway just to go to work, like Alec Lightwood, or those who just need to clear their heads and get away from it all, like Magnus Bane.

Either way, hundreds of people can be in the park at peak times of the day. It can be quite overwhelming too.

This morning, it wasn't as busy as usual (which most of the park-goers appreciated) and Magnus was sat on his usual bench, his head held between his hands, being forced to relive the horrifying memories of what happened a month ago. It had left him terrified of ever being close to someone again and he could still feel hands on his body, no matter how many showers he took or how many times he scrubbed his body.

One specific face was burned into his memory and he didn't know if he would ever be okay after everything that he had been through recently. It had made just thinking about being in a relationship with someone absolutely terrifying and he didn't think he could ever trust someone with his heart ever again.

He hadn't even realised that he was crying again until he tasted the familiar salt of tears on his lips and the sting in his eyes as he tried his best to swallow back the lump in his throat, to no avail. It was a useless attempt at stopping the inevitable. He needed to let it all out as he had been strong for so long, even managing to get rid of the asshole who left him in this condition.

"Hey." A voice said gently behind him, as though the person didn't want to frighten him.

Magnus turned and saw a man wearing an expensive-looking business suit with a bag over his shoulder. He had a coffee in one hand and water in the other. He was tall, probably over six feet, and well-built but he looked kind and approachable. His eyes showed sincerity and compassion, Magnus felt safer around him than he did alone. When he was alone, he had to listen to his thoughts, but with another person keeping him company, he could ignore them better.

Magnus hadn't even told his friends or family what had happened. It had been nearly a full month since the incident. His closest friends; Catarina Loss and Raphael Santiago, were completely in the dark about the horrifying thing that had happened to him - and he was way too scared to tell them because he didn't know how they would react. They thought everything was going fine for him. His mom and his step-dad weren't aware either, they would just freak out about what happened, they would get overprotective and Magnus needed space right now.

"You, uh, you looked like you were having a bad day, I thought you might want some water. Can I sit?" He asked softly, trying not to spook Magnus with any abrupt movements.

After Magnus nodded as a response to his question, the man smiled warmly, sat down carefully and handed Magnus the bottled water. Magnus opened the cap and took a sip of the water, feeling better for it because his throat was already dry from crying. It was soothing and the coolness allowed him to begin to catch his breath and calm himself down.

"I don't expect you to tell me anything, we don't even know eachother. I just thought you might like some company." He said kindly, his soulful hazel eyes showing a lot of compassion as well as an abundance of empathy.

After that, it became quite silent. It wasn't uncomfortable, just peaceful, as Magnus wiped the tears from his face and his heart rate started to return to normal. The man keeping him company just sipped his coffee every so often and watched the ducks on the lake. And he might not know it, but this man had saved him from a full-blown panic attack in the middle of Central Park.

"Well, I have to get to work, I have a meeting in forty minutes. Do you think you'll be okay now?" He asked softly, sitting up from the bench and looking in his direction.

"Yes, thank you for... sitting with me." Magnus said, speaking for the first time that morning. To a complete stranger no less. His voice was a little scratchy but it was to be expected as he had been crying, and the man opposite him said nothing about it, to Magnus' relief and surprise.

"It's not a problem. I'm Alexander by the way but, most people just call me Alex or Alec." He introduced himself, smiling kindly at Magnus, who still hadn't told Alec his name.

"I'm Magnus." He responded, trying to be polite to Alec, now fully calmed down from his near panic attack.

"It's been very nice to meet you, Magnus, but I wish that the circumstances were better than they actually are. I can tell something bad happened and I want you to know that you deserve better. Hey, by the way, if you ever want to talk, even if it's just to sit on a phone call not saying anything, you can call me." Alec explained kindly, handing Magnus a piece of paper with something written messily across it.

Magnus thanked him politely before he took the last sip of coffee and disappeared into the crowds of New Yorkers wandering through the park. The paper in his hands read: 'Alexander <3' along with ten digits underneath it. Magnus realised what it was pretty quickly. It was Alec's phone number.

Did Alec want a relationship with him? Is that what his true intentions were? Did he just see some weak and helpless man and decide to take advantage of his weakness?

Magnus could not let that happen because last time he was in a relationship, it hadn't ended well and it was all his fault.

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[1000 Words]