Alec took his hands hesitantly, but Magnus squeezed them gently to reassure him. They walked towards the door and Magnus opened it with his magic.
When the door opened, Alec's face was hit by a cold breeze, he winced from the change of temperature but got used to it within seconds. That's when he noticed that he was standing on a side porch, which was at a high level from the ground. He looked around and realized that they were in some jungle.
"Earth to Alexander!" Magnus exclaimed while jerking him backward, breaking his chain of thoughts.
Alec was about to say something when he realized they were near the steps of the porch and if Magnus hadn't stopped him he would have fallen off the steps and hurt himself badly. He gulped and looked at Magnus.
"Umm.. Thanks.. I... I was-"
"Whatever you were thinking, there's no need to say it. Come on now."
Alec nodded. They stepped down and started walking when Alec realized they were going near the edge, and it wasn't just a jungle, it was a mountain. He suddenly froze in his place.
"Uh.. Magnus?"
Magnus turned around and looked at him. "What happened?"
"Weren't we supposed to be in that cabin!?" He asked with a frown.
"Alexander, I told you to be at my loft at a fixed time for a reason, right? Now come on." He took Alec's hand and started walking again, until after a few moments, Alec stopped again.
"Magnus, I... the dinner's at that cabin, right? Where are we going!?" He was totally confused. His crappy mood wasn't letting him live in the moment, and he was questioning everything around himself.
Magnus started losing his patience by now. "Alexander, if you keep doing it, I'll portal us back and cancel this date! So please, can we move now." He said, clearly irritated.
Alec noticed the change in his tone and gulped nervously. "Sorry, I just... why are we going towards the edge, and where are we? No one at the institute knows about my whereabouts, they think I'm on patrol, if I don't reach the Institute on time they'll start panicking and if they can't reach out to me, it will create-"
Before he could finish his sentence, a portal opened right in front of him. He looked at Magnus with shock-filled eyes.
"Leave!" Magnus said in a calm voice, yet it had a tone that could scare even a literal demon.
Alec looked at him and noticed that his features were completely different from when they reached here. He gulped hard, knowing he screwed up even before their date began. And now he doesn't know how to fix it. Yet he wanted to fix it, he got a second chance at love, and he didn't want to ruin it with his own stupid mistakes.
"Didn't you hear me?" Magnus said flatly.
Alec looked at him with tears-filled eyes. His whole day had crashed on him at this moment. His mood had been terrible the entire day, he thought his date with Magnus would finally make him happy, and refresh him, but it got ruined even before it began and he was the reason behind it. He felt helpless.
"M.. Magnus, please, I... I'm sorry if I said.. or.. did something." He tried to calm his shaky breath, then spoke again. "I.. I'm not good with dates and relationships, y.. you know about it, I.. just, please, don't end it." He pleaded, not knowing what else to say. A tear escaped from his eyes and fell on his cheeks. He felt really stupid and helpless, not knowing what made Magnus suddenly lose his calm.
Magnus looked at the Shadowhunter and examined him from head to toe. He had lived for centuries and in all these years, everyone who crossed his path knew not to mess with his patience. And he was on the brink of losing his patience entirely. Yet, when he looked at young nephilim, he knew there was something different about him. He looked at him again and this time he saw a reddish gray-colored aura around him which was becoming dull with each passing second. 'Emotional auras' he thought. He knew he could still send him away, but he needed his answers badly. He gulped, then closed the portal and looked at Alec.
Alec's heart was beating really fast with each passing second, if Magnus would end this date, or whatever was between them, he was going to break down like never before. His body trembled with nervousness. But when Magnus closed the portal and looked at him with unreadable expressions, he sighed with relief.
"T.. Thank you."
Magnus held his hands again, but felt that he was trembling. He looked at him while stroking his hands gently with his own.
"Hey, calm down! Just don't stop again suddenly, nor say anything else until we reach the edge. And wipe those tears off, that look doesn't suit you."
Alec smiled and simply nodded, then they started walking again. He definitely was confused, but he didn't dare say anything until they reached wherever they were headed. After a few moments, he heard a loud stream of water. He tried looking for the source but didn't dare to stop again. As they walked, the sound became louder.
After a few more minutes, they reached the edge of that place. Alec looked around and realized that there was a huge waterfall nearby on his right side. The water was Mediterranean blue, which was swishing over the rocks and flowing down to the serenity pool beneath it. It was crystal clear, enabling one to see the floras and faunas underneath it. The serenity pool was vanishing into the infinity of waterbeds, and newly bloomed flowers were spreading their scent in the whole environment.
The dusk was setting in slowly, shades of blue were taking over the crisp orange and pinkish sky, icy zephyrs were making their presence known making his skin tingle, and flecks of his hair fell on his forehead. The whole scenario was breathtaking.
Magnus slowly walked towards him and fixed the strands of hair falling on his forehead. Alec was about to say something when Magnus put his finger on his lips and whispered to him.
"Shh! Just close your eyes and listen!"
Alec did what he was told. He closed his eyes and gave himself to the surrounding nature, the stream of water sloshing over rocks and pool beneath; frogs croaking; birds chirping; whispers of the breeze against the leaves of trees; the scent of the newly bloomed flowers filling his lungs. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of nature, making his shoulders relax and calming him completely.
Magnus looked at him with complete awe, his glamour dropped, as the dull reddish-grey aura started turning into amber blue mixed with calming green, indicating that all the stress he held all day was gone. He was looking really beautiful. Realizing that his glamour was gone, he quickly glamoured his eyes again.
"Calming, isn't it?" Magnus said in a soft and low voice.
Alec opened his eyes slowly, realizing that all the stress he had the entire day was completely one and was replaced by peace and calmness. He turned to Magnus and started to say something when Magnus shushed him again.
"Look up."
He did what he was told. When he did, he noticed that the sky had turned midnight blue, all other colors were gone, and sequin silver-colored stars had started to sparkle and shimmer in that infinity like someone had tossed diamond dust into the sky. The night had started falling, it was such a calming and peaceful scenario he always wanted to be in, which he missed in the city lights of New York.
"Wow! This is..." He was completely dumbfounded and mesmerized, he turned to look at Magnus, who was also admiring the vastness of the sky. "Thank you, Magnus." He moved his hands towards Magnus and brushed their fingers gently.
Magnus felt the touch of Alec's fingers around his and intertwined them as gently as he could and looked at the young Nephilim. "You're welcome, but we missed the sunset."
Alec looked at him with guilt creeping inside him. "That's why you were hurrying.. I.. I'm sorry, I panicked. I panic a lot when I'm stressed. I'm really sorry."
"Stop with the apologies, Alexander. It's okay. Besides, I also acted the way I shouldn't have. So we're even now." He gave him a warm smile, which Alec returned. "How are you feeling now?"
Alec looked around again and took a deep breath, taking in the scent of nature. "Much better, thank you. How do you know that I love this? The nature? Though, my family knows that I like calming weather, but no one knows how much I love it!" He looked at the Warlock questioningly but with a calmness visible on his face.
"You love it? I didn't actually, I thought looking over the circumstances when we confessed our feelings, it should be better to take you somewhere peaceful and away from everything. So that we can begin our relationship with freshness, leaving the past behind. I had no idea that even this day will become crappy for you again. I did it to make you feel relaxed, didn't know you'd love it!" He looked at Alec, his eyes shining brightly, contrasting with the surrounding nature.
"I do love it, this and the... dinner at that cabin. But, still, where are we? I don't think there's any mountainside near New York!?"
Magnus thought before answering, debating in his mind whether to tell him the truth or not, something in his mind was telling him to take advantage of this situation, he had the opportunity to get all the answers within seconds, but there was also a part of him who wanted to actually know the young Shadowhunter slowly and steadily, not just the answers he desperately needed. He was silent for some time, then spoke softly in a whisper, turning around to take in nature.
"We're not in New York, we're in the Caribbean and this is my private island. I don't come here often, and no one knows about it; that I own it. You're the first one to know this, and the first person ever I allowed to come here."
He slowly turned to Alec, only to find a look of astonishment on his face. Alec's jaw was dropped on the ground, completely dumbfounded.
"T.. this place, it's.. it's yours.. this whole damn Island! I.. by the angel, how rich are you!?"
Magnus couldn't help but burst into laughter at that. His laugh echoed in the surroundings, making Alec blush with embarrassment. Once steadied, he looked at the young nephilim and brushed his fingers gently over his reddening cheeks.
"Oh, Alexander! You're so innocent, completely different from what I've heard about you. Obviously, I'm rich, I'm a High Warlock. Centuries-old, you know." He said with a wink, admiring the soft red blush that spread across the shadowhunter's cheek.
"So are you. I'm sorry, I know shouldn't say this, but, your reputation in the complete shadow world, it's.." he cleared his throat trying to find the right words, but before he could Magnus interrupted him.
"You don't need to say it, I know what you want to say. It's okay, I know my reputation has been a topic to talk about for centuries. And honestly, I don't care what people talk about me. I have very limited people who know the real me, and I tend to keep it that way."
"Then I should be one lucky man to make it to that list."
Magnus looked at him, noticing the brightness filled with hope in those beautiful honey-hazel eyes. 'It's not that easy to know me, you nephilim' he thought.
"I think otherwise, I guess I'm the lucky one who's getting to know the real and innocent side of the strongest and toughest Shadowhunter. Who would have thought Alexander Lightwood could blush like a little girl, though, you look really cute like that!"
The last part was enough for Alec to become speechless, his cheeks becoming crimson in the process. "Don't flirt!" He said in a low voice.
"That's against my nature, darling!" Magnus said with a wide smile on his face.
Alec sighed, though his face was still burning with shyness from the constant flirting of Magnus. He was silent for some time when Magnus decided to break it.
"Still want to go back to your Institute?"
Alec looked at him, then at his surroundings, and remembered the dinner that was waiting for them at the cabin. He inhaled sharply, taking in the scent of that beautiful place, calming his anxious nerves.
"No, in fact, I want to stay here as long as I can, forever if possible!" He sighed heavily, not wanting to think about how miserable his life was back at the institute.
"That's too much to ask, but you do can stay the night, only if you want to."
Alec looked at him, his mind wandering over the thoughts of spending time with his date and everyone else waiting for him at the institute. 'You always think about all of us, take care of us, you're a true leader, and the best brother I could have asked for, but sometimes, you need to think about yourself too, big brother. For once, do something for yourself. Be selfish. It's not difficult to choose something which makes you happy.' Izzy's words echoed in his mind. He sighed, knowing well what he needed to do.
"I'm staying! They all can wait. I'll find some excuse." He said, smiling widely at Magnus.
Magnus's eyes beamed with happiness. He had no idea why he was so happy hearing those words, but he was. Just as he was about to take their conversation further, he noticed Alec's thumb stroking the back of his hand carelessly and mindlessly. It didn't take long for him to realize why he was doing this. He moved a little closer to him, his eyes met the Shadowhunter's then at his lips and he started leaning in.
Alec was struggling, he knew he had kissed him before, already shared their first kiss, but that was in the heat of the movement. He was struggling with his emotions when that happened. But now, it was different. He actually wanted to do it perfectly, but was nervous to make the first move. He didn't know what to do when Magnus moved closer to him, their eyes met, and he started learning in. All the nervousness he had left instantly, and he leaned in too. Slowly and perfectly.
They both tilted their heads towards their right, moving closer and leaning in towards each other, eyes closed. They were only millimeters apart when they paused, opened their eyes, each shining brightly with overwhelming emotions. They could feel each other breaths, and not after long, they closed their eyes again and brushed their lips. The kiss started slow and gentle. Both of them tasting each other's juicy and soft lips.
Alec placed his hands at Magnus' waist while Magnus's hands found Alec's belt loops, he held the loops tightly and pulled him closer by it, deepening the kiss in the process. They broke apart after a good five minutes, each catching their breaths.
"Wow.. that was.. " Alec said while panting.
"Incredible!" Magnus finished for him.
"Especially whatever you did with my belt loops. I liked it!"
Magnus froze listening to that. He didn't realize he did that absentmindedly. 'What is wrong with me? Why are you affecting me like that, nephilim! No! I need the answers! I can't let myself lose control like that again.' he thought as bitterness crawled into his mind.
"Magnus!?"
Magnus pulled himself out of his thoughts. "Glad you did!" He smiled at him despite himself.
Alec slowly wrapped his arms around Magnus and hugged him, breathing in the scent of the cologne he was wearing. "Thank you for this! It's the best thing ever someone had done for me!"
Magnus' bitterness melted within seconds, listening to those words. He slowly broke their hug.
"Ready for dinner or want to stay here more?" Magnus asked softly in a low voice.
The stream of water had now a little greater flow, making it stand out from other whispering sounds, creating a melodious tune. The water had a bluish glow to it.
"Dinner.. I.. I'm starving.. but.. can we come here after dinner? Please?"
"Sure.. I'm glad you're loving it here."
They both shared a warm smile and walked back towards the cabin, this time with slow steps, embracing each other and the surrounding nature. Their walk was mostly silent, but they talked about their basic details in between.
When they reached the Cabin, the first thing Alec noticed was that it was completely dark and not like before, when they reached here. He looked at Magnus with confused eyes.
Magnus saw that look on his face, but he kept smiling at him. He gently tapped on the back of his hand, which were intertwined, indicating him to look at him silently. He raised his free hand forward, a mix of red and blue waves of energy started forming on his hand, and he transferred that energy to the top floor of the cabin, lighting it all again. Leaving the rest in the dark.
Alec looked as it slowly lighted up again, but it wasn't the same as before, there were changes made. From the windows, he could see that the inside interior was the same, but the side porch and stairs were lighted up with miniature lanterns floating in mid-air. From the railings of the porch hung several designed wind chimes, each making a melodious tune when hit by the gentle cold breeze. But what caught his attention was the outside wall facing towards them. There were vines almost all over it, emerging and disappearing from literally nowhere, making it obvious that they were magically there, tiny flowers were growing from it, but what was actually mesmerizing was that there were fireflies all around it, probably sucking the nectar of the flowers.
"Wow.." Alec was completely awestruck by it. Never in his life, he had seen something breathtaking like this from this close.
Magnus looked at him with awe and squeezed their intertwined hand gently.
"Ready for dinner?" He asked teasingly.
"Huh.. Ah.. yeah.. Yes." Alec answered stuttering, and mentally facepalming himself for stuttering in front of him for the millionth time.
"Come on!"
As they started climbing the stairs, he noticed that the miniature lanterns were disappearing as they took each step forward, leaving a trail of darkness behind him.
When they entered the room he noticed that it was warm as compared to the outside weather, but really comfortable, neither too warm nor too cold.
Magnus pulled the chair for him and magicked the dinner to make it warm again. Then he sat opposite to him and poured each of them some red wine.
If Alec wasn't that hungry before, he was now. There was roasted chicken breast with mashed potatoes, potato and bacon salad, mint flavoured rice, Lemon Asparagus chicken pasta, creamy spinach, and strawberry cheesecake for dessert. He looked at Magnus, who was smiling at him and waiting for him to start.
Alec was completely in control of the man in front of him. Falling in love at first sight was something, but he was now sure that his feelings were much stronger than he thought and were definitely growing stronger. No one had ever done this much for him. And this was just the first date. Excitement was building inside him as to what could happen next.
They started eating their dinner in complete silence, taking sips of the wine in between. There was silence, but it was comfortable. But something was bothering Magnus, so he decided to break the silence.
"Alexander, if you won't mind, can I ask you something?" He said carefully.
"Yeah?"
"Back at the loft, you told me that something else happened apart from your morning argument. Didn't mean to ruin the moment, but it's bothering me. If you don't want to say it, it's okay, I won't force."
Alec sighed. "It's.. I had an argument with her again, more heated the other time and she said that she'll fix the marriage between me and that niece of Lawrence Augustine, even if I'll like her or not. They are coming tomorrow evening." He sighed heavily again and drank the remaining wine in one gulp.
Magnus looked at him wide-eyed. "Woah! Hey! Calm down!" He reached for his hands and stroked it gently with his fingers, trying to calm his nerves.
"Sorry! Just.. I don't want it, and I'm not ready to come out yet, I don't know what to do!"
"If you don't mind, what's her name?"
"Something.. Rosemary Augustine.. I guess. Why?" He looked at him suspiciously.
"Rosemary Augustine, daughter of Marcel and Rachel Augustine. Interesting! Don't worry about them, I'll take care of it." He gave him a reassuring smile, hiding an evil smirk beneath it.
"Magnus! You aren't going to-"
"Don't worry, Alexander, it's nothing like you're thinking. You'll see for yourself tomorrow. Now relax and eat your dinner."
They resumed their dinner, talking about each other's likes, dislikes, and basic details in between. When they were done, Magnus magicked the dishes away.
"Did you like the dinner?"
"Liked it? It was amazing! Thank you."
Magnus gave him a warm smile. "Ready to go back to the cliff?"
Alec's face lighted up. "Yeah!"
They walked back towards the edge. It was much calmer and silent than before. But a perfect and comfortable silence, which Alec loved. After some time they reached their destination.
When they reached there, what Alec saw made him completely spellbound. Everything was similar like before, but the flow of the stream had increased; the water was glowing in shades of amber blue and the night sky was shimmering with stars like someone had scattered silver glitter in a completely dark room.
As he looked up, he noticed that stars were forming several constellations, making him more mesmerized as he got lost in them.
Magnus gave him a confused look. "Alexander, darling, if you keep looking like that, your neck will start aching."
But there was no response from his side. "Alexander!" He said in a high-pitched voice enough to be heard by Alec and not to scare away the poor creatures of the night.
"Huh! Um.. yeah? Said something?" He looked at him apologetically.
Magnus shook his head at him, a light smile forming on his lips. "Really! What made you lost so deep in your thoughts that you completely zoned out?"
"Oh! I was looking at the constellations. It's so beautiful, I always wanted to be at someplace like this. To get lost in the night sky completely. Thank you for making it possible."
"Didn't know you were interested in constellations, how many did you spot?"
"Oh, a few, the hunter, the bull, and the twins till now, they are also known as Orion, Taurus, and Gemini. They can be easily spotted, I'm trying to find the difficult ones.." He said excitedly.
Alec started rambling about it and Magnus got lost in that sweet voice filled with excitement.
"Did you find any?" He asked Magnus when he was done rambling.
"Hmm.. yeah, let me show you!" He moved his hands forward, a blue wave of energy dancing on his fingertips. He traced the pattern of the constellation, making a replica of it above their heads.
"Know this one?" He asked with curiosity.
"You're kidding! How did you... It's a water snake, also known as Hydra, it's the largest constellation. How.. you cheated! You used your powers.. did your thing..." Alec pouted.
Magnus gave a light-hearted laugh at this. "Darling, it's called experience and practice, not cheating."
He gently wrapped his arms around the Shadowhunter's waist, and Alec rested his head on his shoulders.
"Magnus?" He asked softly.
"Yes."
"Can we sleep here and not at the cabin, please?"
"As you wish, Alexander." He snapped his fingers and summoned a huge blanket with two mini comforters, and changed their clothing to night suits so they could be comfortable.
"Need anything else?"
"No."
They settled themselves in that blanket, lying down and admiring the vast sky above their heads.
"Magnus..." Alec whispered, eyes fixed on the infinity above him.
"Hmm.." Magnus tilted his head to look at him, but his eyes never left the shimmering bundle of stars.
"Thank you for this date, it's the best thing I could have ever asked for. I loved every second of it. Thank you so much!"
Magnus didn't say anything, instead, he placed his fingers below his chin and tilted his head towards himself, giving him a sweet and gentle kiss.
Alec closed his eyes and curled himself like a ball, as he listened to the song played by nature, providing him peace and making his eyes heavy.
Magnus watched him as he dozed off to sleep, with a smile on that face. His aura glowed more brightly than before, the gold making its presence known better. He pulled Alec's comforter and wrapped it around him completely.
"Good night, Alexander." He whispered, giving him one last look before sleep overtook him.
A/N
This is longest chapter I've written so far, and also the one I've enjoyed writing the most. I hope you guys will love it. Please vote and comment.
Thank you ❤️❤️