#and someone needs to put jace and clary in their place

[im-out-of-it]

bonus part of season 2, episode 8 ALEC AND HIS HAIR BECAUSE WHAT A SIGHT CONTINUED “love is a devil”

198. you know what is ironic? Magnus has his magic around her for not even a minute and she’s still blabbering about Valentine but in season three, Iris spends probably hours trying to get through Magnus’s memory for madzie and SHE STILL FINDS NOTHING. I said it before and I’ll say it again, Iris should have been more afraid or Magnus than Valentine. Magnus had Iris coming clean with not even a full minute. girl was done lmao

199. this is a man who just watched his soulmate almost take his life so yes, Magnus has every right to feel upset, hurt, and angry

200. this will be with alec forever unfortunately

201. I mean to be fair, clary did make an oath and warlocks take that seriously

202. Jace should never be allowed to make a decision again. honestly it makes me angry how he’s still here after everything that just happened with Alec and is still saying it’s too dangerous. boy shut the fuck up. you can’t even take care of yourself without getting killed. Alec is the reason why you still live so quit keeping secrets to “protect” your so called family. I know a character shouldn’t irritate me this much but jace and clary do. and clary is just as bad because she follows his every word and just accepts what he says

203. ugh and here we go with the jace is a demon but we’ve never seen him in demon form and clary is oh so special format we all hate

204. this is the dumbest line from jace because 1. you’ve never seen yourself in demon form. you are not the demon in the vision. 2. angels don’t just flat out and say hey so you’re the demon who can destroy the soul sword. and 3. making clary have special angel powers was also the dumbest shit CC could do. I mean everything she does is fucking stupid but this definitely tops the cake. because hey let’s give super powers to the two people who are super self conceited and would take advantage of these gifts and would be nothing without the supporting characters. literally clary and jace would be dead without Alec Izzy Magnus Maia Raphael Simon. THEY WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT THEM. I’m happy the angels took her gifts away because she used them to portal her where she wanted to go and all jace does using runes with his eyes and jumping high. I’m so tired of the whole “she’s so bland but let’s give her these gifts and also she’s the most conceited on the show.” I don’t care if CC wanted to have some obsessed completely love because this is not it. it’s fucking not

205. and I don’t understand why this storyline doesn’t bother anyone else unless it does. Alec almost takes his life by Iris and her magic and jace is still like oh well it’s too dangerous. and how are we supposed to believe that he can destroy it? Jocelyn’s vision showed a baby with black eyes who kills flowers which we have never seen jace do. and what makes me the most mad is now they have Magnus believing it and they make him look so fucking stupid it’s unreal

206. Izzy: why did he chose you? girl that’s a good question because it doesn’t make any sense. I would have rather seen a half shadowhunter half demon with extra gifts (kinda like Sebastian but not him) or a shadowhunter with tons of experience who now has a new skill level and has to deal with that. I don’t care if no one else agrees but I’m tired of bland girls who think their life is normal and it’s suddenly not and who fall in love with the toxic boy who doesn’t pay for anything but it’s “cute” because they have an obsessed love that matters more than anything

207. I don’t know if I were Magnus and knew that jace kept this secret that concerns the downworld, I’d be livid

208. aw max’s ceremony is here

209. and that’s why she didn’t like the theme of the party and Alec is so pretty here

doing an extra bonus section for a few Alec gifs

[bookishjules]

any thoughts on how Simon and Isabelle will be around their in laws, I know we got to see a bit of it in the later books but would love to hear your thoughts

anon i will take any chance to talk about rebecca lewis <33 yes, i know there are more inlaws in question, and i will get to them, but i have been dying to talk about becky hehe plus there really is so much more to explore on the lewis side--naturally, since neither elaine nor rebecca have interacted with izzy in canon (insane btw).

sidenote: i kinda love how izzy only ever grew up with brothers, but gained a sister through simon (or two really, since we really must count clary, but you know, we're talking technicalities here), and that for simon, it's the opposite.

anyway, speaking of sisters hehe i genuinely think izzy and rebecca would get along well. i think iz would be a good source of.. fun i guess? for becky. like a good reminder to let loose. and i think becky would be a good resource for izzy, someone with a bit more age and wisdom that she can go to, someone who isn't maryse. and it's not like becky would be the only one offering advice. i think izzy would remind her to put herself first sometimes, to chase what she wants and to be kinda.. undeniable i guess. and i think they would laugh together and i think they would go shopping together, despite their very different fashion senses, and i think becky would maybe make some clothes for izzy and i think they would bond over the matching simon-shaped swell in their hearts.

i think becky is a common presence at the sizzy household. movie nights or game nights, or becky-cooked dinners (she might also try train some better cooking instincts into izzy while she's at it hehe), at least for a while until life things happen etc. i also think, and i know this is thinking a decent way further down the line, but i also think she'll be one of their go-to babysitters, since i don't think she'll get settled with her own family until she's in her 30s, and because i just know she'll want to be part of every second of that.

okay okay i think i need to stop talking about rebecca now or i will end up writing a novel..

i think their relationship with elaine is a lot more.. delicate. they don't see her nearly as often. because they can't be honest about the shadow world, for one, but also because i think she still has a little bit of.. not exactly loose canon, but something akin to that, in her. i think she wishes she got to see her son and daughter in law more, but i think there's this underlying anger for izzy any time they go to elaine's place, because even though it was years ago, izzy's first introduction to her personality was still through the lens of her condemning her son and kicking him out of the house at 16. and i also think izzy's seen how that reaction has affected simon, both in the direct aftermath, and in the years after he got his memories back.

i know levi is dead and wouldn't have any sort of relationship with izzy, but i do think simon would have taken her to levi's grave at some point to introduce them anyway. maybe around their wedding?

i really don't feel like there's much to say about the lightwoods that we haven't already seen, or that can't be easily extrapolated, but in spirit of fairness..

jace and simon are very much jace and simon. it's kinda hard to imagine their relationship changing much more than it already has. the comfortability and familiarity between them, the playful jabs, etc. i do think jace has probably begrudgingly gone to simon for a second (or third after clary, ig) opinion on some plans or strategies etc. he's having to make as an institute head. and i definitely think simon has tried to teach jace dnd, and had him over to play video games more than once.

i think simon and alec's relationship goes through more change than what we've been privy to. i think they have their bonding time doing target practice or over coffee after putting the kids to bed. they talk about politics and work and the sda. they also definitely talk about jace being an idiot lol

when it comes to maryse.. bro maryse is so hard for me. their relationship with her would be much closer than that they have with elaine, of course. and i think in maryse's effort to be more present with her family, she also makes a point to have a personal relationship with simon. they don't really have all that much in common, but simon has always seemed like something of a mom charmer to me. he's funny and smart and knows how to be polite. plus he really really cares about izzy. and i think it means a lot to maryse to see that. call it projection or mother's love or a little of both, but it's nice to have that reassurance that her daughter won't have to go through what she did.

[alexanderlightweight]

A group of downworlders choosing to trust in Alec over Clary, Izzy, and Jace. Alec getting recognition for 'his people' slowly but consistently improving relations, making compromises, and keeping promises vs pretty talk that promises the world but will strike you in the back for speaking against them.

Okay so like this went in such a different direction than I thought it would. I really don’t plan out the fics before I write them. Plots have never worked for me.

I see where the veins of the fic are going and try to flow along with them. So I’m not really sure how this ended up over 4k words of unplanned randomness but i hope you enjoy it

Like half of this fic was a complete accident.

—

Izzy seems shocked, the first time a seelie informant ignores her red lipped and heated smile.

Instead they head to Alec, and then stick by him. Watching the rest of the shadowhunters warily until Alec escorts them out of the institute and thanks them for their information.

“What was that?” She hisses and Alec doesn’t understand what is confusing for her.

“My job?” He asks, flatly but he offers the benefit of the doubt and when she sends him a glare and flounces her hair before stalking off, he squints in her direction. “I thought Izzy was still with Simon, is she looking for something new?”

“No idea, buddy.” Jace says but he also is looking a little putout and so Alec ignores it.

If he paid attention to every alarming thing his siblings and their entanglements did, he wouldn’t have time to breathe.

—

It happens again and again until even Clary is getting upset and Alec doesn’t get it.

“I’m more approachable! I have a better personality!” He hears Jace complaining at one point as Alec escorts a werewolf to Cat’s hospital so he can show her to the magical ward.

Alec once again ignores them as Izzy gestures to herself, “have you seen my outfit today?”

And Alec rolls his eyes because his siblings are ridiculous, thinking that people who are scared or in danger are going to focus on appearances.

And Alec knows he’s the least approachable looking, but that’s never been why he’s becoming the preferrence.

“Tell Magnus thank you.” The werewolf tells him, like it was Magnus who escorted her pregnant body to the hospital rather than Alec.

“I will.” Alec promises, because in all honesty, this has nothing to do with him and everything to do with Magnus.

He’s not being picked because he’s the most approachable or the strongest looking shadowhunter, or because of his personality. And he’s certainly not chosen for his position of authority.

Alec is picked because he’s Magnus’.

And Magnus will never allow what belongs to him to hurt what he protects.

And Alec works hard.

Not to be trustworthy himself, because it’s not his place to be.

He strives to never break the trust Magnus’ people have in Magnus.

The trust that Magnus put on the line when he declared Alexander a safe haven for his people.

And Alec will do whatever he needs to never, ever take this honor for granted, or to hurt Magnus by damaging it.

Because it isn’t that Magnus was declaring that Alec is friendly to downworlder.

He is declaring that he trusted Alec — Magnus’ Alexander — to never purposefully harm anything that was under Magnus' authority.

It’s not about Alec as a person.

It’s about what he means to Magnus.

And Alec is going to protect this, the strongest of Magnus’ declarations of devotion.

And if that means showing up at three in the afternoon to a traffic accident—

— half asleep and with pillow creases on his cheek from how quickly he got there —

— because when he’s being asked for specifically, by a very frantic werewolf who unsuspectingly went into labor in a cab, accidentally causing a crash and risking the exposure of the shadowworld.

Alec goes.

He leaves Magnus sleeping because Magnus has his own job and he trusts Alec to this.

Because a great deal of Magnus’ authority relies on his reputation and Magnus is not someone easily reached.

So Alec goes and he gets her there safely while his team covers up what caused the crash and then he activates his iratze so his fingers can heal as they’re broken and rebroken and he’s honestly relieved.

He’d rather have dozens of his bones broken over and over again than have to catch a baby from a stranger's vagina, but he would do it.

If he had to.

For Magnus.

“Oh thank fuck.” Alec barely manages to get out. He’s kneeling next to the werewolf, holding her hand with his jacket on the floor in case he needs something soft and cleanish.

Apparently they ‘had to wait’ which Alec thinks is hardly fair when her water broke while he was carrying her spasming and forcefully transforming body.

He is burning every article of clothing he’s wearing as soon as he gets home.

Alec gets to his feet and launches across the room, trying not to be too queasy.

“It’s not that bad.” Cat mocks him after the werewolf is magicked calm and wheeled away, and she is smirking at him.

“I wouldn’t touch a woman even if she had a dick.” Alec says dryly, because seelies have no shame and think threesomes should be offered like candy, “but it’s always so much worse when it’s that.” And Alec gestures with a grimace, “magical babies are so much less gross.” He mutters and Cat laughs, smooth and light and comforting after his trauma.

“Babies born from cannibalism, murder and soul destroying power are less gross?” She asks and Alec nods empathically.

“Cat, I have vaginal fluid over most of my body.” And Alec grimaces, “unless Magnus ever got bored of his genitals again, this was never going to be an issue I ever had to deal with. It’s part of our private vows.”

“Oh?” Cat asks like she’s humoring but Alec can tell by the sudden gleam in her tired eyes that she is thriving on his trauma.

“No traumatizing Alec with baby launching parts.” Alec paraphrases and he still feels a little lightheaded. “When Magnus asked me if I was willing to take vows that might set me against the clave, we spent months on it. Going over everything. Every pro and con. And Magnus promised me that while I might have to commit treason, I would never, ever have to deal with stuff like that.” Alec nods decisively, “I’m telling Magnus you kept his promise for him. And that you deserve a day away at the spa. Just the two of you, I’ll watch Madzie if you want.”

And Cat smiles at him, real and warm.

“You know, I didn’t think it would work. Magnus telling people you’d protect them in his stead if they could reach you.” Cat admits and Alec nods, just quietly pleased that she’s recently given permission for him to use her nickname. “But it seems that he’s getting wiser in his old years. Maybe it’s your youth that brings it out in him.”

“I’m going to tell Magnus you implied he is a cradle robber, again.” Alec says, but he’s fighting his own growing smile and Cat is grinning at him.

She reaches out slowly and Alec pretends to duck, butting into her hand like it’s an accident and she gets in a quick ruffle.

“I’d like that.” Cat admits, “if you remind him to bring the good stuff. Even magical spas have weak drinks.” She pauses and looks at him considerably and then adds, “Madzie would love to go to the aquarium again. She threw a fit—“ and when Alec raises a pointed brow Cat laughs and adds, “a very quiet fit, but still a fit. Apparently riding my shoulders isn’t the same as riding yours. She wants you to lift her so she can be up near the sharks and fish.”

And Alec nods, a soft smile on his own face even if his shirt is growing tacky and cold from the… disgusting evidence of new life.

It’s a slow thing, their friendship.

They’re always polite for Magnus’ sake but they both love him too much for it to be enough.

And they all love Madzie and she loves all of them, so they need a genial if not warm relationship.

But Alec is terrible at these things so he gratefully lets Cat lead the path of their friendship and he simply follows.

It’s a big deal for a downworlder. Letting a shadowhunter touch them or touching one. It’s a big deal, Cat letting Alec watch her daughter without Magnus.

Shadowhunters are born to be weapons.

Alec’s body, right down to his bone and blood, is designed and trained and tempered into pure danger.

And the clave doesn’t suffer their warriors to be sympathetic, or empathetic.

Alec’s bare hand is just as dangerous as any blade and unlike shadowhunters, who get to live and die and inflict more pain and trauma in a vicious cycle without consequences.

Warlocks have to live and remember and adapt to never getting justice and always watching the shadows for another glowing blade.

And Alec will never forget the pain in Magnus’ eyes when he explained why some nights, he has to ask Alec to wear a long sleeve turtleneck or a glamour over his runes.

The bad nights, where Magnus is troubled by memories and worried he’ll wake and see runes and think ‘enemy’ instead of ‘mine’.

And Alec stays still and pliable those nights. Covered up with fabric or magic and lets Magnus direct how much they touch and how far they go.

Magnus always marvels at his willingness to adapt to his needs.

And it only makes Alec want to do better, to be better and help heal every single hurt that life has carved into Magnus.

But he keeps his hands where Magnus tells him and he kisses as softly and adoringly as he can when he’s kissed and in the mornings, it’s a little better.

Alec stays still if he wakes first, letting Magnus set the pace for their day and canceling plans if needed.

And he waits to see if Magnus will go to the shower first or sit and slowly strip Alec.

They both always know Alec’s awake at that point, but Alec keeps his eyes closed and his breath even.

And Magnus slowly uses his magic or hands or both to bare Alec’s runes.

And Alec aches to hold Magnus, to thank him for loving Alec inspite of how painful it sometimes is, but Magnus doesn’t want to hear that.

It won’t help.

So Alec bites his lip and lets fingers trace over his runes as Magnus makes sure every rune is in its proper place.

Because even though they sometimes bring up old unhealed hurts, Alec knows that Magnus loves every part of him. Has proven it with mouth and words and kisses as he’s decorated and claimed each angelic mark.

So Alec doesn’t press, doesn’t promise.

He just nods, because this is supposed to be something nice, not stressful.

“I have several days where I'm allowed to be disconnected from the Institute.” Alec shrugs as he talks, “even my phone goes off and Magnus typically hits me with a spell that redirects fire messages. It’s rare but we worked out protocols for it after they almost ruined our anniversary. I can use one, for this.”

It’s a promise that Alec will ensure Madzie never has to see or meet or look at any shadowhunter Cat hasn’t personally vetted.

“You’re very accommodating about this.” Cat says instead of answering and Alec sighs and grimaces when he goes to rub his face and remembers what’s tackily drying on his hands.

“Not really. I mean, the institute isn’t what I would consider a vetted and safe place for her yet.” Alec sighs and closes his eyes, ignoring the hiss of magic and giving Cat a grateful smile as he feels the grime disappear.

He doesn’t like asking for favors and it would be awkward to make an official request for something so small to a newly budding friendship but the cleanliness is a relief.

“It could be years before I have enough respect and control and loyalty over every shadowhunter. It might never be completely safe. And I know you got her right after the event, you know what she was like. What she went through. What she was forced to do there. I don’t want her going there ever again unless we know that the worst she’ll get is a papercut because she tried to color my archives.” Because Alec still remembers how desperate Madzie was to save him, even being threatened and blackmailed and all because they’d shared a quiet smile.

“She’s been asking to visit you there.” Cat admits, “her therapist thinks she might need to walk through it. To process and get past that trauma. She’s not ready to talk about Rouse yet.”

And Alec sighs and he pinches his nose and is relieved when the pressure of his head ebbs a little.

“Okay.” He mutters, “okay I can work with this.”

Cat is giving him a weary but amused look, like she’s exhausted by reality but enjoying his attempts at fixing it.

“Okay. I need to have Magnus come check out the core. We never did a followup after the leylines. And it really is volatile, the clave has reports about it dating back months. I can order an official, clave sanctioned lockdown. It means only myself and my personal team are allowed out of our rooms. Everyone else is sealed into their own rooms with location monitors so sabotage can’t happen.”

Alec ignores the incredulous look he’s getting.

“A lot of shit happened because we didn’t have the right protocols and everyone ignored what we did have.” Alec admits roughly, “so I’ve changed a lot of things. The clave is tentatively letting me, since no one wants to outright argue after the last time they tried to sanction me.”

Magnus had been furious at the attempt and was Alec’s self-appointed advocate. Jia and Imogen both still wince when Alec mentions the love of his life.

“So, after your spa day. Because you’re definitely going to need one after whatever happens and she’ll need a good one before. We can do it. Issue a lockdown. Give Madzie enough time to process a walkthrough and then you’ll get her out of there so Magnus and I can actually do what we need.”

“And your team? Are they loyal? Do you trust them with her?”

And Alec looks at Cat and he grins, dark and feral and furious that he has to protect the child he loves from his own people.

“They know that if they so much as allow Madzie to be hurt in their presence, I’ll take the tripled equivalent of it out of their flesh.” And Alec grins even wider, his lips curling around his maw, “Mirai is my second-in-command and would sacrifice every member of our team and herself to preserve my life and authority. And they all know that I would sacrifice all of them for Magnus, for Madzie.” And he looks at Cat, whose loss would crush Magnus, “and for you.

“My team doesn’t love me, they respect me. They honor me. If they die they want it to be for my cause and in my stead. And it’s what I need, because love can be very fickle. You’ve never met any of them—“ because Alec knows that Cat is trying to ask if his siblings and Clary are a part of his personal team.

They are not.

“But they know the very basics of your identity and Madzie’s and why you’re so important to me. I’ll send you their files later. The unredacted ones.”

The ones even the clave doesn’t have.

“I’ll review it. But if I ask for it, will you be able to keep them away without tipping off anyone else?”

Alec nods, “they can stay in our war room if needed. It’s a new addition, Madzie won’t need to see it. Magnus can seal some of my energy to my tablet so you can use it and watch where each shadowhunter is. Will you need to bring her therapist with her? Magnus will have to trip the wards so their presence isn’t detected.”

The only other person who knows who Madzie’s therapist is, is actually Magnus.

Even Cat doesn’t know for sure.

Alec knows she vetted a group of shadowworld trauma specialists and then gave the only copy of the list to Magnus after they sealed a complicated geas that made her forget the contents.

There’s too much a risk of someone wanting the information Madzie has from Rouse and from Valentine.

So they keep it secret.

So that Madzie is safe.

“This is going to be so incredibly illegal.” Cat mutters but she looks relieved and a little less stressed despite how many clave rules they’ll be… bending.

“Even the portals from Idris go offline.” Alec tries to offer reassurance, “the risk of angelic power backlash is too much of a risk. If anyone catches on to your presence, we say we needed a healer on hand and you couldn’t get a babysitter. No one’s going to be stupid enough to press and not a single person is going to assume it’s happening because of Madzie or her therapy.”

And they wouldn’t because Cat had made her opinion clear on the subject of Madzie being any of the claves business.

Mainly that she was not in fact, their business.

And Magnus and Alec had backed her up.

“Okay. Let me talk to Magnus, and I think if we’re doing this, I'm going to change my mind. I don’t want to, but I think I will need to see all of your memories of her before she came to me.”

And Alec has to suck in a deep breath. Because he offered months ago and the option has been in limbo, Cat worried and unsure if it would help or make things worse.

The door to the maternity ward opens and Alec blinks, astonished that the baby is already born to interrupt their discussion.

Mother and child look thankfully clean, but Alec is still understandably wary as they’re wheeled over to him.

“Do you want to hold her?” The woman asks, eyes glowing as she smiles adoringly over her babe, “maybe Magnus Bane’s magic on you will bless her.”

“Is she—“ and Alec grimaces, “safe?”

And the new mother bares her teeth in offended disdain but Cat just snorts, “yes Alec, the baby is clean. You won’t have to touch ah, what was it you called it earlier, oh yes. ‘Baby launcher fluids?’ You won’t have to touch those again anytime soon.”

And Alec flushes because Cat is paraphrasing and then he’s being laughed at by two women and one of them got very intimate with him medically and the other emotionally.

He scoops up the baby, relieved that she’s clean and warm and healthy and he pets the soft downy hair.

“You’re going to grow up to be very strong.” He soothes as he rocks back and forth on his heels, “and maybe you’ll grow up to have a chocolate allergy but that’s okay. Unlike what Magnus insists, chocolate is not the superior flavor. And even if it was, you’re going to be able to taste sunshine on your tongue and see in the dark and—“ he watches the baby yawn and marvels as a little fist sleepily clutches his finger. “And Magnus is going to keep your home safe—“ he finishes, feeling a little lame because his brain is short circuiting at the strength in the little fist.

“Are all babies this strong or is it just werewolf and nephilim ones?” Alec asks before he can think better of it, he doesn’t see the amused looks pointed his way. He tries to wiggle his finger free but the baby’s face bunches up and Alec freezes.

“Cat—“ he whispers, “do magic. Quick. I can’t tell how much strength to use. What if I break her?.”

And Cat stares at him for a solid minute before she turns, leans against the wall and starts cackling.

Alec counts in his head, trying to keep his breathing as even and slow and possible. Babies are sensitive and if werewolf newborns are anything like nephilim ones, then they come with a set of instincts to protect them.

“Please take your baby back so I don’t wake her up or break her.” He whispers desperately and he gets instead a belly deep laugh and he pettily hopes she wakes up her own baby with all her damn howling.

He stands there, still as he can until Cat finally takes pity and rescues him.

However he’s still holding a grudge and he mutters to her, “you better remember to tell Magnus about what to bring yourself. I am going to conveniently forget.”

It doesn’t make him feel any better when Cat insists on opening a portal and then she shoves him through to the loft’s front door.

“Alexander?” Magnus asks sleepily when Alec finally gets into their room and Alec sighs, trudging over for a kiss before he remembers that magic aside, he’s not actually showered.

“I need sterilization.” He says and misses Magnus’ outstretched hand and startled gaze. Alec is too busy complaining to Cat via text that he can’t take a decontamination shower at Magnus’ and now he has to worry about infecting the loft.

She sends back twenty crying laughing emojis and a kissing heart and a middle finger emoji and Alec gives up.

“You're taking Cat out for a spa day.” He yells as he strips his clothes, still grumpy but sincere in his promises. “But if she asks you for the good stuff to drink, make her work for it!” Because Alec is learning to be petty right up there with Magnus, who is the best.

And Alec is a devoted student.

Alec is very content with himself as he uses his stele to draw a rune so his clothes begin to burn.

Magnus is standing in the doorway, staring at Alec in what he thinks might be shock when Alec finishes.

Which is fair.

Alec is still pretty shook himself.

“Clean first.” Alec promises, because in staying away he’s also denying himself kisses but he won’t subject Magnus to being equally infected.

And then Alec shuts the shower, draws a locking rune on the glass door for good measure and turns the water as hot as it can go.

Magnus is saying something muffled and Alec ignores the flare of his skin as it’s beaten by scalding angry water and just starts dumping bottles of soap over himself.

He manages to get what he feels is decently clean, and then Magnus is ignoring the locking rune, vanishing the entire shower door as he gets an arm around Alec’s waist and hauls him out of the lava masquerading as lava.

“What then actual fuck, Alexsnder?” His amazingly wonderful and incredibly magical Magnus is saying.

“Why is Cat sending me so many emojis? And what does she mean when she says you have occupational trauma?”

And Alec groans because he will forever be haunted.

“I love you.” He tells Magnus, “so much. But please, babe. I will literally happily go back to Edom or commit treason for you, but I cannot handle that again.”

Alec is too relieved at being clean to notice all the things he normally picks up.

So he doesn’t stop Magnus’ frantic call to Cat or Magnus’ horrified amusement at whatever she tells him.

“My poor, traumatized darling.” Magnus says and he presses his mouth to Alec’s forward.

Alec can feel his lips wobbling and he graciously ignores that it’s humor and not sympathy.

“I am.” Alec grumbles, tucking himself closer to Magnus, “traumatized. It was traumatic.” Alec lets out a little mournful sigh, “I really liked how much you liked me in those pants.”

“They could have been washed.” Magnus reminds him and Alec scoffs.

“They. Were. Contaminated. If I’d realized she was going to send me here, I would have refused. I wanted to decontaminate before I came home.”

“How about I draw us a bath?” Magnus asks and he kisses Alec’s shoulder. “

Alec nods and then sighs, “Magnus?” He asks and Magnus immediately makes a listening noise as he sets up the tub. “Can I have a full night's sleep before you never let me live this down?”

“I would never torment you with such a horrific experience.” Magnus lies, like the liar he enjoys being.

Alec gives a deep sigh and Magnus chuckles and kisses his forehead. “For your heroic actions in the face of such dangers, I will give you a full forty-eight hours and I won’t share Cat’s delightful puns until then.”

“How luxurious.” Alec mumbles and he’s falling back asleep, against Magnus and in the water.

Safe and clean.

[khaleesiofalicante]

hi! i need to get something off my chest, like in shadowhunter world both tv and books, books is my favourite not because i hate tv characters (bc teh emotional vulnerability was very well done there- i literally it was so hard to wait for my school to get over so i could watch the show) but bc books is the original stuff which i fell in love with for teh first time, also why though all teh series are really good in shadow world but tmi holds a special place in my heart (no matter how imperfect it is in certain places) which i think also translates into my love for book!malec more than show!malec. (the height difference bugs me so much in show bc its not the right one, alec loves being shorter than magnus, but i love matt sorry harry but matt is yeeahhh...) idk why i have never been able to attach myself to show malec fics as much to book!malec fics. I think the only long show!malec fic i read was yours that you made about detective alec and lawyer magnus, but that was bc i love your writing and stories (i love the book!malec and mavid ones more sorry !! but i cant david is an original character but i love him so much, sry got sidetracked) tbh i also felt that the next malec fic would be show malec bc i cant (even tho i have read the lmlt i think it was named.. one of teh first long fics you wrote which had asmodeus and alec relation) imagine book alec having a relationship with asmodeus which is even remotely decent. but show malec have always been more softer and more communicative about their vulnerabilities. (which makes me realize now, i also love the intensity of book!malec more, huh)

Anyways i dont know why i blabbered, but i see so many posts about it but i am sorry show malec but book malec is it for me. or more like every book character esp jace and clary is it for me than show clace too. (i think it was also because of the actors though jace's actor did an amazing job in the later seasons.) But i can't wait for your new malec fic, i am ready to gobble up anything you put out there srsly, like i trust you are gonna make it worth it (like i never thought i would like the rwrb fic so much as i do rn, bc like in my hea di have already read teh book and i know what happens but yeah i should have known!)

Also have you ever thought of making a show and book crossover fic? i think you made one maybe i dont remember but like would you ever consider working in that world again?

No, I think this is fair. You're allowed to have a preference. I like book malec better too - simply because there is more to their characters and I usually prefer book versions anyway.

Regarding the fic, first things first, you can imagine them however you want! I know for a fact not everyone who read TLND imagined Alec as Sebastian Stan (I will stand by this casting!!). But it's how I, as the writer, imagined it. My castings are simply for me - to be very honest. I pick faces and people who help me visualize my characters better. But that does not mean you have to do it too. I'm sure people on ao3 who read my fics but don't follow me tumblr have no idea about any of these castings. So, yeah. You can imagine them however you want.

I also want to note, since I got another ask about this as well, that the casting I choose doesn't really affect the personality and behavior of the characters. It's the other way around really. Sure in the show Alec doesn't have blue eyes and Magnus is shorter, but those (among a few other differences) are completely irrelevant to this fic. If someone is put off by Magnus being shorter (in my fic, I mean) then that's their problem. It's such a mundane detail (for me) and I'm not going to be mentioning the colour of their eyes and their height every five seconds. This fic is rather different so I doubt it'd be mentioned at all (considering it's alec pov too - if you notice he is the kind of character where i don't write a lot of descriptions for the people he interacts with because Alec doesn't care about that a lot)

But yeah. It really shouldn't matter. At least I hope not <3

[bytheangell]

A Little Observation

(Read on AO3, written for @malecdiscordserver's By The Angel Bingo prompt: Lorenzo POV)

Lorenzo watches the crowd - it's something he always does, making sure he’s constantly aware of his surroundings just in case there's some lingering threat he needs to notice sooner rather than later. He is powerful, after all... and he's also made enemies out of a few people who, as far as he's concerned, deserve it without question. It's through this constant observation that - even with his attention lingering longer than usual on a blonde, curly-haired Shadowhunter - Lorenzo finds his gaze landing just as often on Clary Fray.

It isn't difficult - she stands out in a crowd with that fiery red hair, the gaze of onlookers following her wherever she goes. Some of that may be in part because eyes also seem to follow her boyfriend Jace Herondale around just as often. Perhaps tonight it’s simply because she's such good friends with the happy couple and always seems to be with someone of importance.

Except... it's more than that. The longer Lorenzo watches her, the more he picks up on the way her smiles grow more forced with each interaction she has. Her posture stiffens. She cuts her words short, swallowing hard. Lorenzo knows someone who's saying goodbye when he sees it - he's both done it, as well as been on the receiving end, enough times to know.

He almost doesn't say anything. He almost just allows her to turn and leave without another word, but something in him pushes his feet in her direction, stopping her on the steps outside the Institute before she can vanish into the night.

"Clarissa," Lorenzo says, calling out to get her attention.

Clary slows, but doesn't come to a full stop until he's caught up with her, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. She stops, hesitating before turning around. He was right about the fact that she's upset - the fresh tear tracks that bring mascara trailing down her cheeks are evidence of that.

"Clarissa, what's wrong?" Lorenzo asks. His concern is immediate and genuine, as much a surprise to himself as it is to Clary who looks up at him with wide, untrusting eyes.

"I've seen you all night," Lorenzo goes on. "Something's obviously wrong. Don't tell me no one else noticed."

Clary sniffles and shrugs. "The others are a little preoccupied with, you know, the wedding and all."

Lorenzo frowns. "Well, I'm simply here as a courtesy so you'll find no distraction here. Tell me, Miss Fray. What's so wrong that you're fleeing a wedding nearly in tears?"

"I-" Clary starts, looking around. "Actually, you may be the perfect person to tell." Lorenzo wonders if he's gotten himself into something he doesn't want to be part of. Always a risk when it comes to things involving the Shadowhunters, he finds. Honestly, it's a miracle that Magnus keeps up with it - that he enjoys his time with Alexander enough to justify tying himself to the Shadowhunters for the rest of Alexander's mortal life, at the very least.

"What is it you think I can help with?" Lorenzo asks carefully, making sure not to imply he would or would not actually help, or even that he can.

"I have... I messed up, Lorenzo. I abused my powers and I... the Angels are taking them away," Clary finally says, the words coming out in a rush.

"How so?" Lorenzo questions.

He knows the history behind Clarissa Fray's family lineage, and the particular conditions that brought her into this world from her mother's mundane hiding place. He's aware that the power Clary holds is stronger, different than the other Nephilim. Outside of de-runing, which is an act of man not of angels, Lorenzo has never in all his years heard of the Angels themselves taking a Nephilim's abilities away.

"They're taking it away. Everything. My runes are disappearing. And when they're gone, I don't know what's going to happen to me." Clary's voice waivers, the tears welling up anew in her eyes before she can blink them away. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I don't regret it," she adds quickly. "But... if I give you messages to give to the others, do you think you could pass them along? I wrote something for Jace, but I didn't have time to write letter for them all. I'm not even sure I have enough time to tell you the things I want to..."

There's the briefest pause before Clarissa adds one last, final plea. "Please?"

Lorenzo takes a deep breath then nods. "Tell me what you need to, Miss Fray, and I will do what I can with it."

Clarissa doesn't waste any time. She starts talking immediately, sharing small messages she wants to give to Magnus and Alexander, to her vampire friend Simon, to Isabelle and Maia. Clary is in the middle of speaking about Maia when her words start to slow. She stops speaking, looks confused for a moment, then looks up at Lorenzo with confusion in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... what was I saying? Or better yet, who are you?"

Oh.

Lorenzo thought that, perhaps, Clary was simply giving him these messages because she planned on vanishing into the night, never to return to their world, but as a choice over losing her powers. He didn't consider that she would lose her memories, her knowledge of this world, along with her runes. He knew the Angels could be cruel, but cruel enough to remove it all from the girl who sacrificed everything to save their world?

"A friend," Lorenzo replies carefully, placing a calming, easy smile on his face. "We were just walking home."

"Oh. Yeah, right," Clary agrees. Lorenzo isn't sure if she's just playing along or if she really believes him, old memories being replaced with a new reality.

"We can walk and talk. You were telling me about how you were going back to art school," Lorenzo adds smoothly. He knows he doesn't have to. He could simply turn and go back into the Institute, to the wedding reception and the adorable blonde who awaits him, but it doesn't feel... right. He supposes that Magnus isn't the only person who's been changed by the events of the past few months. For better or worse, Lorenzo can't say quite yet. But he can say that he's a little kinder, a little more intentional, as of late.

He knows that it doesn't benefit him at all to do this, but he knows what Magnus would do in this situation - what Magnus would want Lorenzo to do, considering he's the one here with Clarissa right now. It's Magnus' day, after all. He can consider this a wedding gift.

Lorenzo is going to take Clary to one of his extra apartments, one that no one else knows about. He'll leave her with the key, with wards for her safety, and then he'll go back and tell the others. He isn't about to take care of her, but he can leave her somewhere safe.

Lorenzo knows that he looks down on the Nephilim, but this seems so unbelievably cruel, even for them.

"Let's get you home," Lorenzo repeats.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Is anyone else kind of sad/irked that we've yet to get a truly accurate adaptation for the The Mortal Instruments--I say as someone who liked The City of Bones movie -shot- (despite having some issues with it) and parts of Shadowhunters.

Because, like, two scenes I've always wanted to see brought to life (for instance), is in City of Bones when Clary dreams of herself dancing with Jace in Idris (and though she doesn't know it at the time, this is a somewhat prophetic dream. And she's seeing the real Idris, even though she's never been there before or seen pictures of it or anything like that).

And then in book three (City of Glass)--when Clary decides to portal into Idris, but needs to be able to imagine the place in her head to do so, she uses this dream of Idris to be able to make the portal. Which was a genius move on Clary's part and also just such a good callback/payoff moment.

And Cassandra Clare is honestly such a master plotter/foreshadower--that I was hoping, if nothing else, Shadowhunters would stick to the overall plot of The Mortal Instruments when they adapted it (even if they changed other things), and then show some of this clever foreshadowing that she used in the books (and perhaps even come up with some of their own, since they had the entire finished the The Mortal Instruments at their disposal, that they could have read)... but then they just didn't.

Another example is when Clary sees a rune in City of Bones, when she and Jace are trying to escape the vampires from the hotel, and get on that demon motorcycle together. And we don't even know about Clary's skill with runes or her ability to create runes when this scene happens. And to be honest... most people probably completely forget this moment after it happened (I know I did), because it doesn't come back again until five books later--the final book--when Clary realizes that it's the rune she needs to extract the Heavenly Fire that's been put inside Jace, and to be able to put it into a sword. And that the angel Ithuriel had known that this was going to happen--and she was going to need this--and had sent her a vision of the rune that far in advance. Ahh!

Also, the whole thing with Jocelyn putting the Mortal Cup into a card actually being pretty clever. And I feel like neither the movie nor show that adapted this really captured just how cool Jocelyn was here, or how smart her idea was. And also how that's foreshadowed pretty well in City of Bones too, of course.

[demy85]

Chapter 2 - Let your mind wander

Alec was filled with a deep sense of relief as he finally returned to the familiar ground of campus after the tumultuous and stressful events of the past few weeks. The spring semester had just begun and a wave of anticipation flooded through him as he thought about the life drawing class he would be taking this semester. It had always been Alec's passion to pursue art through drawing so this course was a perfect opportunity to enhance as well as refine his skills.

Besides looking forward to his academic obligations, Alec couldn't wait to see his good friend Clary again. Despite their initial differences and arguments, the lively redhead had managed to carve out a special place in his heart. Their friendship had deepened over time and Alec knew he could rely on Clary when he needed someone to talk to or share his feelings with.

She was one of the few people Alec trusted and opened up to, yet he still kept that one secret. Though he was quite sure that both his beloved twin sister and Clary were already making assumptions about his sexuality. 

Still, Alec had only ever confided in Jem and his open-minded and understanding response had made Alec feel accepted and understood.

But despite Jem's encouragement and support, Alec was not yet ready to take the next big step and tell more people about his sexuality.

𒐣

He had tried so hard over the winter break to forget about Magnus, to not let his thoughts linger on him. But now that he was back on campus and knew that Magnus could run into him at any time, he somehow struggled to keep him out of his mind. He found himself unable to stop imagining Magnus kissing him, holding him, he couldn't seem to stop and if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to.

Deep down, Alec knew that he wanted to be kissing Magnus, that he wanted to cuddle him in an embrace and that he simply wanted to be with him. Ever since he had first laid eyes on him on campus, Magnus had fascinated him in a way he had never known before.

Alec had never experienced anything like this for another person. Although he had harbored some affection for his adopted brother Jace as a teenager, it was nothing compared to what he currently experienced towards Magnus and it frightened him in a way.

It was so much more and went so much deeper than anything he'd ever experienced before, and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hide his feelings if Magnus came face to face with him.

Luckily for him, he knew his sister's curriculum and therefore Magnus’, as they had almost all their classes together, and was as a result able to remain out of his way.

But he still didn't succeed in getting him out of his head.

𒐣

Alec made his way along with Clary to their second lecture of the semester's life drawing class.

In the previous week, Professor Fray, Clary's mother, had shared with them the syllabus and all the materials they would be using for the semester. How they would begin and what they could expect at the end of the semester.

There had been a murmur around the room when Jocelyn had told them that they would also be working with nude models towards the end of the semester, not that Clary didn't already know the syllabus inside out. 

She had then also explained to them about the structure of the individual modules, as the course consisted of two different lessons. In the first lesson of the week they would mainly be drawing, beginning with shapes and different shading and working on people towards the end.

In the second lesson of the week, their professor would start by showing them the different drawing styles with the help of a presentation. She would introduce them to the materials they would be working with this semester. Later, they would also learn about human anatomy and draw bones, muscles and even whole bodies.

They were eagerly awaiting the next lesson. In their first real lesson, they had already started drawing various objects. Jocelyn had put a selection of everyday objects on the desk and told them to just start drawing. She hadn't specified whether to use charcoal or graphite, so Alec had decided to alternate between the different objects to get a feel for the two different materials.

His hands and various other parts of his body ended up black from the charcoal, but he loved it and Clary was clearly very happy too.

They both couldn't wait to see what Jocelyn had prepared for them in the next class.

𒐣

They were sitting in one of the smaller reading rooms which was adjacent to the room where their first lesson had taken place, waiting for the class to start.

At first, Clary had the impression that Alec was so distracted because he was looking forward to the lesson, but even as they were sitting in the room and Jocelyn had already started the presentation, it seemed as if Alec's mind was somewhere else entirely.

It was as if Alec was lost in thought, drawing in his sketchbook instead of keeping up with the lesson.

Clary was having fun tearing off little pieces of her kneaded eraser and throwing them at him.

Then she heard her mother clear her throat and she perked up and sat upright in her chair, facing forward again.

"It's good to see you are following the lessons again, Ms. Fray. Mr. Lightwood, it would be most gratifying if you would turn your attention back to the lessons as well," Jocelyn said with a mischievous smile on her face. She knew only too well how dull these lectures could be for students. But she wouldn't just let her daughter or her friend Alec do as they pleased. Doing so would hardly reflect well on her.

The giggling of his fellow students snapped him out of his daydreaming and as he looked ahead, he realized that his professor had spoken to him. In no time at all, he closed his sketchbook and tried to concentrate on what his professor was trying to explain to them.

𒐣

Clary spotted Alec sitting with a hunched back at one of the tables in the university park.

"Caffeine shot?" she asked as she approached the table.

Alec's head jerked up, startled, as his big hazel eyes looked up at Clary and then the steaming cup in her hand. The tantalizing smell of coffee made him drop the graphite pencil in his hand and he reached for the cup with both hands.

"You're an angel," he gushed in praise of her, wincing as his neck muscles twitched painfully. He had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't even noticed how long he had been sitting there with his head bowed and his shoulders hunched forward like one of the massive gargoyles that adorned the sides of the roof of the art building.

"I'm well aware of that," Clary joked, tossing her red mop of hair behind her with a slight turn of her head.

And then she asked curiously, "You've been sitting here drawing for ages, can I see what you're working on?"

Alec hesitated for a brief moment before handing her the sketchbook. She was the only one he showed his works in progress to, apart from his professors.

"How many more sketches of this guy are there in the book?" she asked, handing him back the sketchbook, half worried that her achingly shy friend was turning into a weird stalker.

"Two or three," he stammered, and when he looked at her, he knew she didn't believe a word he said. "Okay, it's more than that, but less than fifteen," Alec stuttered, his face contorting under Clary's astonished gaze. She snatched the sketchbook back and flipped to older drawings.

And then it dawned on her when she realized that she was looking at Izzy's dance partner, Magnus, and a knowing smile blossomed on her face.

However, she didn't pester Alec with any more questions, she was sure he would tell her why he was drawing Magnus on his own accord once he was ready.

𒐣

Since he was familiar with Izzy's timetable, he knew exactly when and where she had training sessions. And so he found himself standing in front of the door to the respective room.

There were already delicate piano notes to be heard and Alec hoped that everyone was now so absorbed in their performance that no one would notice him sneaking into the room.

Luckily for him, no one noticed him enter and he remained hidden in the shadows, standing next to the door and allowing his gaze to roam towards the stage where Izzy and Magnus had already begun to dance.

Magnus looked breathtaking in his tight-fitting pants and loose-cut shirt as he practically floated across the stage.

Alec's fantasies were further stimulated when Izzy suddenly took a running start and then jumped off just before Magnus and the two of them executed a lift. 

He could hear enthusiastic clapping and caught sight of the dance teacher joining them on stage, but he was still lost in thought at the sight of Magnus' strong arms and the power he had exuded only a few moments before.

In the middle of the night, Alec woke up with a jolt, his heart pounding like crazy as he slowly came to his senses. He had been dreaming of the scene he had witnessed when he had snuck into Magnus' dance class. But instead of Izzy, he had been Magnus' dance partner.

What he wouldn't give for Magnus to hold him like that. But he would have to come out first and as much as he longed to, he wasn't ready and it wouldn't be fair to Magnus to keep him a secret. So Alec would have to make do with his dreams and fantasies.

𒐣

The first half of the spring semester seemed to fly by without Alec noticing. He was so engrossed in his studies that he didn't even realize just how quickly time was rushing along.

He had been relieved that Izzy hadn't pestered him with questions after the Christmas party. Alec was sure that she had figured him out by now and knew what his preferences were. And that was exactly why he had expected her to tell him that he had nothing to fear, that it would be okay if he finally gave free rein to his feelings. That she would always stand behind him and that it didn't matter what other people thought of him.

But Alec knew that he already managed to be enough of a disappointment to his parents. And that they would not ever be able to forgive him for deciding against studying to be a lawyer. He was not about to further destroy their image of him.

He longed for his parents' approval, that they would be proud of him and approve of what he was doing with his life. However, Alec knew only too well that his parents would never be pleased that their eldest son had decided to become an artist, no matter how good he was in his field.

𒐣

Izzy had just finished her last practice session before Spring Break. She was completely exhausted and was looking forward to the short break that the holidays would surely bring. 

A big grin was plastered on her face as she walked through the door of the apartment she shared with her brother. However, it was immediately apparent to her that Alec was in a bad mood. Having heard him swear, she quickly went and followed his voice.

"Hey, Alec. Are you doing alright?" Izzy asked as she entered the kitchen. Alec made no move to turn around to face her and if she hadn't been staring at him, she would have thought he hadn't heard her, let alone acknowledged her presence. Only the shrug of his shoulders told her that he had heard her.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, she prepared herself to wait while Alec composed himself. She knew only too well that he sometimes needed time to sort out his thoughts before he could share them with her. Before he would be able to talk about the things that were bothering him.

"Not in the least, Izzy. It's terrible, really. Our professor from the Life Drawing class revealed to us today what we'll be working on after Spring Break. And our final project is supposed to build on that and is a big part of our grades. I'm going to fail this one, Izzy. I'm going to blow my whole grade on this one stupid assignment."

Izzy frowned and braced herself on the kitchen table. "Oh, come on, Alec. You're a brilliant artist. There's nothing in the world you can't do. Tell me, what do you have to do?" 

He didn't answer, but instead pushed a piece of paper over to her. A flier that his professor had laid out to find a nude model for the class.

Izzy grinned like a cheshire cat even as she saw the crestfallen look on her brother's face.

"Cheer up Alec. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think. Who knows, maybe it'll be some hot guy posing for you," she said with a wink and made the flier disappear into her backpack.

At this point, she knew exactly who she was going to hand the flier to.

Alec, who didn't dignify the comment about the hot guy with a response, shook his head in disagreement. Izzy didn't understand what was at stake for him, of course how on earth would she. 

"Izzy, it's not just that we're drawing nude models in class. We're also supposed to draw a full body portrait, nude, by the end of the semester. How am I supposed to find someone to model for me?" 

𒐣

Izzy remembered that Magnus was still in his hip hop class. The reason why he was still pursuing hip hop in addition to contemporary ballet was beyond her, but she had learned not to question his choices and as long as he delivered in ballet, she didn't care what he did with the rest of his time.

She was on her way to the art building, looking for Magnus so she could try to persuade him to sign up as a nude model for Alec's life drawing class. Before she had even caught sight of him and his friends, she heard Magnus' joyful laughter.

Magnus was sitting with his closest friends, Catarina and Raphael, under one of the large oak trees on the lawn in front of the art building, when Izzy came running up, beaming with joy, and handed him a piece of paper, saying, "I think you might be interested in this.

'Calling for nude models' was written in bold letters on top of the flier. 

He stared at the flier and then turned his gaze back to Izzy, his mouth practically hanging open, and finally asked in bewilderment, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Izzy, still beaming from ear to ear, said, "It's for my brother's class. Do what you fancy with it."

Then she winked at him and waved goodbye to the trio again.

Magnus held the note in his trembling hand. He couldn't believe what an opportunity he would have if he answered the call and actually volunteered to be a nude model.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the smug looks and broad grins on his friends' faces.

Of course, Izzy had noticed that Magnus had taken a fancy to her brother. It wasn't as if Magnus was keeping it a secret that he found Alec both an attractive and captivating guy, which is why he made up his mind to go and talk to Professor Fray about nude modeling ASAP.

𒐣

Cat and Raphael exchanged an amused look, then they both nodded to each other and jumped up. Raphael caught hold of Magnus tightly while Cat snatched the note from his hand and then read aloud what was written on it.

Raphael widened his eyes, and then he loosened his grip on Magnus while staring at him blank-faced.

Cat looked at the note she was holding and then turned her gaze to Magnus. “What the hell, Magnus?”

He looked at his friends, his siblings, and held his hands in front of him in a kind of peace offering. “Just a moment, before you guys freak out. I can explain.”

So he told them about the force of nature called Alexander Lightwood. From the moment he'd first laid eyes on him through to the party he'd accompanied Izzy to.

It was a mystery to him that they hadn't noticed his crush on Alec up until now. Though that was probably due to the fact that he had started to be more cautious after the disaster with Camille, at least when it came to talking about something like that with his siblings.

“Oh my God, you're head over heels for this guy, aren't you?”

“You're not serious, are you?”

Cat and Raphael exclaimed wildly in unison as Magnus chuckled while shaking his head.

Then he turned his gaze back to the two of them and went on, “Yes, I think Alec and I could be something wonderful. Please, both of you. I actually know what I'm doing and that's precisely the reason why I have to leave you now. I absolutely have to see Professor Fray before she leaves for Spring Break.”

Grinning happily, he jumped up and took off.

[carelessflower]

Another snippet

Jace smiled, as he he grabbed his girlfriend's hand.

"I need to show you something?" Jace whispered, Alec looking at the couple, making face, he picked up Max, and walked towards the kitchen.

Clary followed Jace, upstairs and to their shared bedroom.

"Im not in mood you know?"

"Its not there. Here look." Jace closed the door behind him, and pulled the duffel bag out under the bed, and dumping it on their bed.

Clary looked at Jace, as she unzipped the bag, eyes widening with shock.

"How much?"

"A million dollars."

"Million? Where the fuck did you get this kinda money?" She whispered, as she held a stack of notes in her hand.

"Does it matter. This can help us with your college tution, getting a place for ourselves. Think about it."

"You need to put it back? What if someone comes looking, what then?" Clary said, zipping the bag up.

"It was in an alley, behind some boxes, so finders keepers right? Look, im sharing it with you." Jace smiled, unzipping the bag.

"Look we can take some of it, it will help. Who is going to know."

Clary rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, but he was right? College tution, finding an appartment, living in New York is not a easy lifestyle if you aren't rich.

"Jace, youre rich"

"This is free money Clary. I may be rich but im in debt also. Also, im not that rich. Magnus is loaded, so he wouldn't need a million dollars unlike us."

"No one would know right?"

"No one."

SOMEWHERE IN QUEEN'S NEW YORK

"You can't just have lost a million dollars."

"I know, but I went back and it was gone."

"Then find it."

"Okay sir."

i can hear the siren sound

[books-i-finished-reading]

(26)

City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare

( The mortal instruments - book 5/6 )

29th March 2023

Church was doing what he often did when dropped-lying on his back with all four legs in the air, pretending to be dead in order to induce guilt in his owners.

"He'd burn the whole world down till he could dig you out of the ashes. ..."

... she felt only half-there, most of her numb and the rest of her responding on autopilot.

"Basia coquum," Simon said. "Or whatever their motto is." "It's 'Descensus Averno facilis est.' 'The descent into hell is easy,' " said Alec. "You just said 'Kiss the cook." "Dammit," said Simon. "I knew Jace was screwing with me."

"Perhaps I did," said the Queen, ... "I've noticed the Fair Folk often say 'perhaps' when there is a truth they want to hide," Clary said. "It keeps you from having to give a straight answer." "Perhaps so," said the Queen with an amused smile. " 'Mayhap' is a good word too," Alec suggested. "Also 'perchance,' " Izzy said. "I see nothing wrong with 'maybe,' " said Simon. "A little modern, but the gist of the idea comes across."

Alec bit his lip. "What is this?" "It's a snuffbox," said Magnus, ... "Snuff? As in snuffing people out?" Alec eyed it.

"She wasn't very pleasant the last time I saw her. Of course that could be because I've got an eighteen-year-old boyfriend with a stamina rune and she doesn't." Alec sputtered. "As the person being objectified, I . . . object to that description of me."

Alec woke to Magnus's shaking his shoulder. "Come on, sweet pea," he said. "Time to rise and face the day." ... " 'Sweet pea'?" Alec said. "I was trying it out." Alec shook his head. "No." Magnus shrugged. "I'll keep at it."

" ... sometimes siblings understand more than parents. There's not the same weight of expectations."

Simon rolled his eyes. "It's a good thing we know the person who's dating Magnus," he said. "Otherwise, I get the feeling we'd all just lie around all the time wondering what the hell to do next. Or try to raise the money to hire Magnus by selling lemonade." Alec looked merely irritated by this comment. "The only way you could raise enough money to hire Magnus by selling lemonade is if you put meth in it."

"... I didn't want to be found. But I would have liked the idea that someone was looking for me ..."

"Saint Magnus's Home for Wayward Shadowhunters," he said in a deep voice. "Welcome." He threw an arm wide. "Spare bedrooms are that way. Wipe your boots on the mat."

"... I guess he wants their evil little duo to be an evil little trio." She shrugged. "Maybe he's lonely. Sebastian can't be the greatest company." "We don't know that. He could be absolutely fantastic at Scrabble," said Magnus.

... Magnus began, ... the phone rang. "I'll get that. Who knows who else might be on the run from the Clave and need a place to stay? It's not like there are hotels in this city."

"... So-if you want it in vampire language-it affords me great pleasure, my liege, to say to you now: Hell, no."

"No," he said. "No, it isn't." Clary sat back. "You don't just get to say no." "This plan involves me! I get to say no! No." "Simon-" Simon patted the seat beside him as if someone were sitting there. "Let me introduce you to my good friend No." "Maybe we can compromise," she suggested,... "No." "SIMON." " 'No' is a magical word," he told her. "Here's how it goes. You say, 'Simon, I have an insane, suicidal plan. Would you like to help me carry it out?' And I say, 'Why, no.' "

"... we're all drawn toward what's beautiful and broken; ..."

"I know about parabatai," said Magnus. "I've known parabatai so close they were almost the same person."

"To love as you choose, that takes strength."

"Blood isn't love,"

... as about as sexually threatening as a goldfish.

"Your parents aren't perfect, ... because no one's perfect. They're complicated people."

"... adversity tests one's strength of character. ... in dark times, some people shine."

"Dammit, woman, you read my mind," he said. "Is there no filthy wordplay you can't foresee?" "It's my special magical power. I can read your mind when you're thinking dirty thoughts." "So, ninety-five percent of the time." ... "Ninety-five percent? What's the other five percent?" "Oh, you know, the usual-demons I might kill, runes I need to learn, people who've annoyed me recently, people who've annoyed me not so recently, ducks." "Ducks?" He waved her question away. ... "Ducks?" she said again. ... "I hate ducks. Don't know why. I just always have."

"Well, not just any demon," said Magnus. "Azazel." Jocelyn's eyes blazed. "Azazel?" ... Simon just shrugged. "I don't know who Azazel is," he said. "Isn't he the cat from The Smurfs?" ... Clary? he thought. Her voice came through, tinged with alarm. What is it? What's happened? Did my mom find out I'm gone? Not yet, he thought back. Is Azazel the cat from The Smurfs? There was a long pause. That's Azrael, Simon. And no more using the magic rings for Smurf questions.

Simon glanced up from his hand and saw Magnus looking at him quizzically. "He's not a cat, Sylvester," he said. ...... "I have an idea," Simon said. He was sitting next to Magnus, ... "But you're not going to like it." "I have a feeling you're right, Sherwin." "Simon. My name is Simon." "Whatever." Magnus waved a slender hand. ...... Magnus's eyes went back to Alec. ... "Not my favourite topic, Smedley." "Simon," said Simon. ..... said Magnus ... "All right, everybody. Get over here. Sheldon's had an idea." "Who's Sheldon?" said Isabelle. ......... Magnus closed the book he was holding. "That's not a bad idea, Seamus." ... Magnus said. "I say we leave early afternoon. Sherlock-sorry, Simon-call and see if you can... ........ Magnus nodded... "Ready, Simon?" "Hey," said Simon. "You remembered my name."

... Alec, his eyebrows raised. "You slept in Isabelle's room?" Isabelle waved a hand. "No need to worry, big brother. Nothing happened. Of course," ... "I was totally passed-out drunk, so he could really have done whatever he wanted and I wouldn't have woken up." "Oh, please," said Simon. "All I did was tell you the entire plot of Star Wars." "I don't think I remember that," said Isabelle, ... "Oh, yeah? Who was Luke Skywalker's best childhood friend?" "Biggs Darklighter," Isabelle said immediately,...

"There's something appealing about the idea," ... "Of losing all your control. ..."

"... If I cannot have your loyalty, I will have your fear. ..."

"Special destinies and special torments,"

"I'm not used to you loving me,"

"I'm not trying to make you feel better. I'm trying to tell you the truth."

... opening the refrigerator and staring into it to see if anything worth eating had appeared.

... the music swelled louder. ... And sore by dawn were her dainty feet, But all the boys were gay. Isabelle snorted. "All the boys are gay. In this truck, anyway. Well, not you, Simon. "I think of myself as a freewheeling bisexual," added Magnus.

"It's not like a stab wound you can protect me from. It's a million little paper cuts every day."

Too much of anything could destroy you,... Too much darkness could kill you, but too much light could blind.

"... there's nothing stopping me from calling you up again and again, now that I know you can't kill me. Think of it as me leaning against your Heavenly doorbell . . . forever." Raziel, incredibly, seemed to chuckle at that. You are stubborn, he said.

... she raised her hand and slapped him across the face ... His eyes were all black, no pupil, like tunnels. "What's wrong, little sis? You look upset." She could barely catch her breath. "Cracked . . . my . . . nail polish slapping your . . . worthless face. See?" She showed him her finger-just one of them.

"... 'If I cannot move Heaven, I will raise Hell.' "

"Speaking of hope, did you see that shot Alec got off with his bow? That's my boyfriend." He beamed and wiggled his fingers; blue sparks shot from them. He shone all over. Only Magnus, Simon thought resignedly, would have access to sequined battle armor.

... love given without free will or truthfulness wasn't love at all.

"I saw you fall," Alec said quietly. ... "I thought you were dead." Magnus smiled crookedly. "What, from that scratch?" He glanced down at the reddening jacket in Alec's hand. "Okay, a deep scratch. Like, from a really, really big cat." "Are you delirious?" Alec said. "No."

... between them they held the light of a star.

"... You go charging into every situation without knowing how the hell it's going to turn out, and then you get through it on sheer guts and craziness."

"How's Jordan?" ... "He and Maia are definitely together now. They're in that ooky stage where I feel like I should be giving them space all the time." ... "When she's not there, he frets about how he feels insecure because she's dated a bunch of dudes and he's spent the past three years doing military-style training for the Praetor and pretending he was asexual." ... "You know men. We have delicate egos." "I wouldn't describe Jace's ego as delicate." "No, Jace's is sort of the antiaircraft artillery tank of male egos," Simon admitted.

Forever does not make loss forgettable, only bearable.

"... We're meant to protect each other, but not from everything. Not from the truth. That's what it means to love someone but let them be themselves."

"I fell in love with you," ... "because you were one of the bravest people I'd ever known. So how could I ask you to stop being brave just because I loved you?"

"... there's always been a piece of my soul missing, and it's inside you, ..."

[askforimagineoroneshot]

An oath to die by (Jace Wayland x Reader)

HI, this is not a request but my work. I wrote a whole story about this in my native language. And I was thinking about doing little something I love for myself to get back to writing. So here we go.

I love books, I have a tattoo with my sister with this theme. I love the movie. I am not a fan of the TV show. SO If you want an imagine then I will you actors from the movie.

Anyway. Here we go. The reader is in a relationship with Jace. Romantic one. And then Clary came in the picture. She gets a little jealous and feels like he cares more for Clary then her. She goes to Magnus for a drink and ends up staying there for the night.

Enjoy. Love you all. Send request! I write for all the characters of these books. 

MASTERLIST

Reader's point of view

Rain starts pouring from the sky. I don't care. I feel numb. That is what happens to you when you care for someone too much and then they hurt you. I know it sounds like a cliche.

So here I am, on my way to Magnus Bane. I am not expected. I don't really care. No party is going on tonight because of the weather. Allday is like this. Rain starts and then after ten minutes it's over.

I don't feel cold. I have my uniform on. It keeps me warm. I have a hood over my head but I feel my dark hair getting wet. I am almost there. Just two more blocks. It won't take long.

I have my weapons on me. I hope that Magnus doesn't care about it. I just want to relax somewhere where Jace won't find me.

When I get there I knock at the door and wait. The huge wooden door opens and a warlock is there with a cup in his hand dressed in his cashmere rope. He looks surprised to see me. Alone.

“I am not in the mood for helping shadowhunters tonight.” He says with a bored look on his face.

“Good, because I am not here for that.” I start honestly. He looks even more surprised but not in a bad way. He is waiting for me to continue. “I am here because I had a rough couple of days. And I hoped that you can help me relax.”

I am honest. I have nothing left to do. Yes, I can and I do trust Izzy and her brother. But I need to be away from it all. At least for a little moment.

“Well, then come in.” he steps aside. “I am up to no good. I hope you know that. “ he joked around. And after a long time, I smiled. I am here for just a moment and I feel better.

I followed Magnus inside. He leads me into his library. There is a couch there so I take a seat. I look where he is going. He puts his cup down.

“I guess that you want a drink.” he looks me in the eye.

I only nod. I took my jacket off and placed it on the floor. It's wet and I don't want to ruin his chair. I have a dark shirt on now.

“There you go.” Magnus passed me a glass. “Now what happened?” he asks the question I imagine he is dying to ask. He takes a seat in a chair next to me.

“Nothing I guess.” I look down into my lap. “It's just, Jace takes care of Clary now. I know why and I care about her. It's just.” I stop for a moment. I don't know how to continue.

“It doesn't feel right to you.” he finished for me.

“I guess. I don't really know so it is hard to talk about it. I just feel alone when I look at them.” I look at him. I am looking for understanding.

“Yeah, love can hurt for no reason sometimes. But I think you just need to relax a little. Step aside and wait just a moment.” he told me.

Maybe it is not a bad idea after all.

Jace's point of view

“Do you know where Y/N is?” I asked Alec. We just got to the institute. I was too busy to look after where she went.

“I don't know. But I think she told Izzy something. Try asking her.” he gave me his answer.

“Okay.” I went off. Clary was somewhere behind me. I didn't really care about it. She is safe. I can take a break from her. I took my phone and I tried to call Y/N. Nothing. Well, that's weird.

“Izzy,” I called after the dark-haired girl in front of me. She stops in her tracks and looks at me. “You know where Y/N went after we got out of that bar?” I asked her.

“Yeah, she is fine and safe. Don't worry about her.” That is the only thing she told me before going somewhere in the halls of the institute. I tried to stop her but knowing her long enough I knew she wouldn't tell me a thing.

So I give up. I am going to my room to take a shower and take a rest. On my way there I tried to call Y/N but nothing happened again. So I wrote her a text. Asking where she is and why. Hoping for an answer I take a shower.

Reader's point of view

It has been a couple of hours.But it didn't feel like it. In my mind it was just a moment of peace. I decided to spend a night at warlock´s coach. He didn't want me to go back to the Institute. Not when I got a little tipsy.

So here I am. Watching the ceiling with my brain running to places I couldn't go before. I am always too busy to think about nothing. It is either Jace or now Clary or the Downworlders. I let go of my instincts and let myself rest.

“Hello there.” I hear a voice next to me. When I open my eyes I see a pair of cat ones. “Good morning.” Magnus says to me.

“Good morning.” I sat up and greeted him. When I get a better look I see a cup he is holding for me. I take it carefully not to spill. “Thank you.”

“Did you sleep well?” he asks. “You looked peaceful when I checked on you.” I didn't feel weird that he came here to watch me sleep. I felt safe here. I am not that type of hunter that doesn't trust any other race.

“For the first time in a while I did.” I took a sip of chamomile tea. “Thank you for letting me stay at your place.”

“You're welcome. You can come to me at any time. Alec is holding you close so will I. You are not that awful.” he smiles at me.

“Thank you.” I laugh. “I need to go. Jace cald me and texted me last night. He must be worried.” I finish my drink.

“It is good to let people that we love and they love us know we are not matter of course. They need to know that they have to appreciate us as well.” he seems really calm.

“Yeah, I guess. I am gonna use your bathroom.” It is not a question. “Sure, go for it.I am sure you will find a way out of here.” I only nod to let him know he doesn´t need to let me out.

Jace's point of view

Now I am really nervous. Y/N was not in the Institute the whole night. So here I am on my way to Izzy´s room. She knows where she is. It's not that I am controlling or need to know about every step of hers but I am worried. Especially in the world we as hunters live in.

“Jace, hi.” I hear a female behind me. I know it is not a Y/N. I could recognize her voice anywhere. This was Clary. “I am on my way to the library.” she told me as if she wanted me to follow her on every step like a lost puppy.

“You will find a way there I believe in you.” I tell her without hesitation or turning to face her. “Take Simon with you.”

As I am about to approach a women's wing of the Institute I meet up with Izzy. “There you are.” I say as I stop in my tracks in front of her blocking her way out.

“Well I am busy now. If you could come around later.” She gives me a sarcastic smile.

“No later, now. I tried to call Y/N and text Y/N all night. With no answer. I need to know where she went yesterday.” I am forward. I am not patient anymore.

“Why do you need to know?” she asks me with the same amount of sarcasm.

“To know if she is safe.” What did she expect me to tell her? That I need to know about her every step of the way? Is she crazy.

“I told you she is safe.” Izzy was about to continue but another voice stopped her.

“It's okay Isabelle.” I turn around and see my little angel. “I am here and safe.”

Before I have a chance to notice Izzy is gone and I am following Y/N like a puppy. “I was just worried about you. You disappeared like a ghost. Not telling me where you went. Spend night somewhere at the mercy of whatever is out there.” I am talking to her back as I tried to keep up with her.

“Come on in.” she smiles when she opens the door to her rooms. “I needed some time and space to think. That's all. I was safe and Izzy knew where in case I was needed.” she tells me calmly.

“Time and space to think about what?” I sit down and watch her take her clothes off with her weapons.

“About myself, Jace.” she turned to face me. “About everything. Even Clary and Simon.” she seemed mad. I understood her. I am just worried about us when she says things like this.

“You don't need to worry about Simon or Clary. I will deal with her and I don't want her to affect us and what we have.” I get up to walk to her. I put my hand in hers and make her come closer to my imbrease.

“Well, that no longer matters. SHe is here and no matter how this situation will end it will affect all of us.” She looks down at our hands. “Nothing will be the same.” she lets out a breath I didn't know she was holding.

“I will not let her get between us. I love you too much for that. You are my world and she may change some things around here but not us.” I put my free hand under her chin to make her look at me.

“Do you promise?” she asks me with her big Y/E/C eyes.

“I swear on Raziel.” I seal that promise with a kiss she leans in. It is not only a promise to her. But to me as well. It is an oath I will live by and die by.

[arosesstorm]

untied spell | Alec Lightwood 

words count: idk sorry

gender neutral reader! x Alec Lightwood

warning: angst, my fav

summary: the nigh of Max's party at Bane's, a truth was revealed, a painful one, yours

English is not my first language loves, trying my best, enjoy :)

"dear, so glad you came" Magnus welcomed you inside the house, his sharp eyes the first thing that reminded you you were in trap.

"how could I not come, after all, it is Max's party" a sigh escaping your lips as Magnus closed the door behind your back.

"here" he handed you a drink, his mouth close to your ear "I know you and Alexander aren't in the best of terms now but I beg of you let's enjoy the evening"

a light of amusement crossed your face "what the high warlock of Brooklyn says.." a gulp as the drink slide into your throat.

as Magnus looked at you make your way into the living room he couldn't help but sigh "this is going to be a disaster".

as soon as your eyes met Izzies a calming wave washed over your body "so glad I found you" you admitted as soon as the dark haired reached for your arm to interlock with hers.

"So glad you found the right member of the Lightwood family you mean"

you couldn't help but glare as she put her hands up in surrender "alright, got it, I'm sorry".

finding out you were not the only Herondale left was one thing, discovering your younger brother was Jace Wayland was a total different matter.

you would have be the happiest to hear the news if not only the closest friend you had didn't hide it from you.

"for your own good" Alec had said, but it just made you want to throw up.

"you don't have a clue on what's good for me" you had replied the night you had found out.

safe to say, you avoided the man since.

you and Izzy went for the bar, ordering the strongest they had with only a thought in mind, the time of your departure.

"why hasn't Max still arrived?"

"Alec was meant to take him but he's running late"

"as usual" you felt the need to add, as you sipped from your second drink, it was strong.

when you turned to the door again you saw him, his place steady, his eyes hard, all that gloomy act and Alec was still Alec, a ferocious dog without teeth.

"let's go great Max" Isabelle dragged you toward the small circle as you looked at everyone but him.

"my little hunter!" exclaimed the girl hugging the boy thigh as you smiled down at him "guess you'll be my next right arm huh?" you joked ruffling his hair.

"you bet since everyone seems to die when they get close to you" your head shot in Alec's direction, your eyes as thin as those of a fox "what did you just say?"

the man shook his head, looking around for support, "what do you mean?" he asked.

you were about to bark back when Magnus stood between you two, his voice louder "ah! it is a great party, let's leave the celebrated to it".

eyes glaring while you sighed hard, "need another drink".

the rest of the evening went down better than expected, Alec seemed to respect your boundaries, in fact, you were able to avoid him for most of the night.

it wasn't until you saw Clary shot for the bar on the left that something just switched.

"i have to go" you told a tipsy Isabelle as you left the couches, your steps taking you to the terrace when you noticed a door slightly open, someone laying on the floor.

your feet stopped as you regained consciousness, what was going on?

only when you made your way inside the room you spotted a terrified Jace on the right.

"Jace! what is going on?" you asked reaching for who you had recognized was Maryse Lightwood laying unconscious on the floor.

"she tried to kill me!" he spoke, his voice harsh yet panicked, "Maryse?" you asked, too unlikely to be true.

"yes!" he half screamed as he approached you, his eyes wet with tears and his jaw hard.

he was in pain and it pained you too.

your brother, was in pain, your brother, was in pain.

you didn't know how you arrived to that conclusion but suddenly, as bright as day, the culprit's name flashed before your eyes.

Alec.

Alec was the reason your brother was in pain, the reason you yourself were.

you marched out of the room, a surprised Isabelle crossing your path as she got in.

"y/n!" she called for you, but it was late now, you were already half way to the terrace when you spot him.

Lost gaze as he was stearing at the night sky, his back facing you.

he felt someone approaching and was quick to turn around: "y/n.." he had the time to say before you pushed him backwords, hands searching for the daggers behind your back.

"y/n!" he screamed now, his eyes blank as he was glaring at you.

"hiding my brother for me is a thing, but hurting him?" you half screamed, daggers now in view.

then, the unexpected happened, his lips lift into a dark smile as he chuckled "what am I? the bane of your existence?" he laughed.

you were taken aback, losing your steadiness as you stumbled back, his body swinging forward as he took the daggers out of your hands, hitting the ground hard.

"what is going on with you?" Alec asked but you couldn't help but hear "Just say it, we both know what your problem is".

your heart roared as you jumped on him, fist swinging, as he tried to block you as best as he could.

"you know nothing about me!" you screamed.

"I do, I always did" he spoke, as you fell on the concrete, his body steadying you as he positioned himself above you.

"you are not mad at me because I've hidden Jace is your brother, you are mad because you are a worthless piece of shit, the weak of the family and the soft hearted", your hands burning as you were trying to get free, "all this time and you were just trying to run away from your feeling, from your feelings for m-"

"no!" you screamed as your feet kicked him on the back, the boy crawling to the floor.

you looked like an animal, a beast as you jumped to Alec's lap, your fist white as you aimed for his face.

"you have to stay away from me!" you screamed, gatting the dagger from the ground as you pressed it to Alec's throat.

your eyes watery as ho looked at you sympathetically.

"y/n!" you heard a voice as you suddenly snapped out of it.

your hands trembling as you throw the dagger away, looking at Alec on the ground, his eyes soft, in pain.

"I'm sorry" you mumbled, quickly getting on your feet again.

Magnus rushed forward as he touched your shoulder softly, "I'm sorry he was-", "he was saying things I-", "I'm sorry".

you felt like throwing up.

"Alec!" Maryse rushed forward, kneeling on the ground, "what happened?"

"I'm fine" he breathed, his eyes glued to his opponent's face.

"y/n" the boy spoke, getting on his feet "are you alright?".

"have you all lost your minds?" Maryse barked, shooting for Jace who was now standing behind you and Magnus.

"you almost killed me!"

"do you all hear what she is saying to me?"

"Jace" Clary touched the man's shoulder as Simon entered the room.

"what is wrong?" he asked, "Maia is by the bar if you are wondering" Clary blunted stern.

"something's wrong" you heard Magnus whisper as he left your side, making his way inside the apartment.

"don't you ever spoke to me again" you stated with gritted teeth, eyes wet with tears as Alec looked at you with that same very eyes.

"don't be ridiculous" he answered.

you turned your back as you left the crowd, your brother trying to reach you but failing.

you had just touched the door's knob as Alec held your arm forcing you to turn around.

"reason with me" he pleaded "let's be logical".

"I can't!" you answered with a ferocity that broke the man's heart.

"you know why" a string seemed to unlace inside your head and your vision cleared again, but it didn't change the fact that it was obvious now, at least to you.

"y/n" he breathed.

"we know why" and you left the room praying for the night to end painlessly.

part 2?

masterlist

mia

© 2023 of Mia (arosesstorm). All Rights Reserved.

[im-out-of-it]

I know what I said but bonus part season 2, episode 6 continued RELATIONSHIPS TAKE EFFORT continued “iron sisters” continued (it’s continued obviously)

140. and yes, they have issues to get through but this was the cutest form of hey I really admire you and your past freaks me the fuck out but I want to stay and work through this and I don’t know shit about dating but I hear relationships take effort so let’s do this thing. so I’m just going to add all the ones I probably already did and forgot about (but wouldn’t you rather see more than less?)

141. READ THE FUCKING ROOM (THE WAY MAGS WAS HOLDING ONTO ALEC)

143. Magnus: BITCH LEAVE

144. the kiss but in black and white because you bet this date will come up in the next season

145. AND I LOVE HOW MAGNUS HAS HIS FINGER ON HIS LIPS AFTER KISSING ALEC

146. Alec: bro this is my boyfriends house. you can’t just invite yourself in

147. it makes me mad how jace walks in like he owns the place and is like got a spare room? Magnus is too nice to say no but Magnus didn’t have to do that. if I were Magnus and I saw how you had been treating my boyfriend, I’d put your worthless ass on the street

148. jace has a home but he has too much of a big ass ego to tolerate a demotion. Jace always has to be in the spotlight because how dare he pay for any of his actions

149. if someone just barged in with a bag, I’d say no like 1. you came unannounced and 2. I don’t like you

150. Maia and Simon have such a good friendship

151. Izzy is like I almost died and aldertree acting like he didn’t know yin fein has vampire properties lmao and even when clary still doesn’t share anything, Izzy still has her back IZZY IS TOO GOOD FOR CLARY

152. shit it beats me because I would’ve been like she did this and said that so just ship her ass to idris ITS WAY PASSED TIME lmao I don’t care if it’s petty. Izzy and Alec do everything for clary and jace and they both act like it’s never good enough. and they also treat everyone else as if they are superior because they have PuRe AnGeL bLoOd 🙄 and then they continue to lie and hide things from Alec and Izzy. and who is constantly solving your problems because it certainly isn’t themselves smh

wow so 152 was the number and yes I went overboard and no I don’t care just kidding I do care. so much Malec content in this episode!!!!!!! thank your for joining we love seeing show Malec enjoy each other as they date and holy fuck 17,000 is a fucking lot but so is 0 and ugh can clary just shut the fuck up now please discussion post

I seriously can’t wait until Izzy is like no I don’t want to be near you. yeah she’s reacting from the yin fein soon but Izzy has been way too fucking kind to clary. Jace and clary needed so many wake up calls and to be put in their place

also how dare jace take advantage of kind wonderful beloved Magnus. Alec should have properly went off. it’s even worse what he does when 1. Magnus plans a party for Alec and his family and 2. Jace is trying to compare him and clary to Malec. BRO IF YOU DONT FUCKING STOP

but I may try to start the next episode today maybe probably maybe not who knows but thank you anyone who has been reading and paying attention to me

[bookishjules]

wait i just realized that izzy won’t be anyone’s suggenes :(((( jace needs to do some charity work and pick her to be his

izzy is close to everyone in the gang (except maybe magnus) but everyone has someone they’re closer to :( she’s the heart of the group fr

gosh.. i mean it's one thing to not be any of her best friends'/siblings' suggenes, but the implication of that?? ouch :( like obviously simon is exempt from the "everyone has someone they're closer to" because she and clary are on pretty equal footing in that regard, but he's literally the one she'll be marrying. like.. gosh i wish i could reference my own fics without feeling conceited.. but basically there's this thought i've explored before about izzy comparing her marriage to what it must feel like to have a parabatai. just bc she's never had someone THAT close.

i think that's something (among many) that the show really didn't understand. having clary ask izzy to be her parabatai is kinda counterintuitive to izzy's whole role in the story. a character who acts as glue the way izzy's does isn't usually meant to be anyone's best friend. and it's important that the character whose needs she's sometimes the only one to put first is the one most commonly and repeatedly viewed as an outcast.

she really is placed so much at the center of their little gang. it's amazing how much her role in the narrative is defined by her heart. everyone else has demons and enemies and expectations, but izzy is positioned at the heart, battling it out with the things that make them human more than anything (in the shape of the narrative i mean). grief and forgiveness and anxiety and love. not that everyone else isn't dealing with these things, but they play out prominently for her, tying all the rest of the gang together with that heart ..i don't think i'm saying this right. but i really think i could write a whole essay on this topic and i don't want it to get to long-winded

(also as an aside, i do think izzy is close with magnus. i think there's an ease about the way they interact and talk about and to one another that implies that. they have some things in common that go beyond their mutual love for alec, and add that to mutual respect.. i mean she's definitely not at the top of the list for him, but there is something to be said about that bil/sil relationship imo)

[di-daynamic]

But the Symbolism. . . (II)

This isn't exactly a continuation, more just me ranting about how amazing and perceptive Jace is.

Firstly, to add onto the previous post, another significant thing Jace gave someone was the toy soldier he gave Max. I'm fairly certain it was a relic from his own abusive childhood with Valentine, and he gave it to Max, his younger brother who - while his family certainly had its own troubles - had a happy and fairly idyllic childhood.

And Max died holding it. That's how much it meant to him.

Pretty sure I don't need to elaborate on that.

In City of Heavenly Fire, in Edom, when Simon feels the burst of pain in his chest from when Raphael was killed, Jace knew what it was instantly.

“Raphael,” Jace said finally, in a flat voice. “He’s your sire, the one whose blood made you a vampire.”

But he didn't tell. He kept it all to himself, instantly changing the subject and pretending the cause for Simon's discomfort was something else.

He knew that at this stage, Alec and Clary would absolutely fall to pieces if they thought Magnus and/or Luke and Jocelyn were dead.

And Jace cared for Magnus, if not for his own sake (though they were absolutely friends at this point) then for Alec's. We know he sought comfort from and confided in Luke in the past.

He kept this knowledge to himself. How much agony do you think this must have caused him? Keeping such a vital thing to himself - that the people they sought to rescue could already be dead. He mustn't even have known they were alive until he got there and Sebastian mentioned they would pay for that.

And sure, maybe it was a tad unfair to the others, but I'm not focusing on that right now. Jace's need to protect the people he loves, even at the cost of their own independence, is so obvious in every action he takes, in the tiniest details spread across the books. I love this.

“Clary,” Jace said, a warning in his voice.

Jace wants to stop Clary from giving too much information about his family to Mark, in the tunnels below Faerie to Edom. Why?

Because:

"—My family? Do they know—” “What’s happened to you? A little. And no, they’re not all right.” His eyes closed.

Jace knows the pain of knowing the people you care about, the people you love, are hurt because of you, and yet even knowing that you can't do anything about it.

Jace empathizes with Mark. Clary even thinks it:

Jace didn’t answer her; he looked stunned. She wondered if Mark, brittle and orphaned and alone, reminded him somehow of himself.

Jace was brusque at the beginning, demanding to know about Mark's time with the Fair Folk, but as soon as he realizes the torture and imprisonment and hopelessness of his family being somewhere he could no longer go Mark'd gone through he became sympathetic. He gave him a witchlight, one he'd always had, the symbolism which I talked about in Part I.

It was Mark's 'I'd rather die' that spurred him on. I think that also reminded him of himself, his impassioned speech to Clary as he went back under Sebastian's control.

“They took you because you have faerie blood, but also because you have Shadowhunter blood. They want to punish the Nephilim,” Jace said, his gaze intent. “Show them what a Shadowhunter is made of; show them you aren’t afraid. You can live through this.”

Mark wanted to feel and be useful. Jace gave him a purpose, something to do. Mark saved Idris and all the Shadowhunters there. A lot more would've died if the precautions against Faeries hadn't been put in place.

Jace was a war tactician and a friend at the same time: he gave Mark hope, was kind to him, and even then ruthlessly used his sense of being lost and the same kindness to make him do something for the war effort.

I can't stress how much I love this dichotomy, and how much it reminds me of Julian (also reading City of Lost Souls Julian - the troublemaking wax melting kid, knowing how much he goes through and how much pain is waiting for him, is just awful).

I could wax poetic about how awesome Jace was in the Blackthorns' interrogation. He wasn't as outwardly biased towards them as Magnus and Clary, but he was unequivocally on their side. His arguments were the ones that convinced Robert.

He agreed with Robert at first (and God, I love Julian's thought process about him):

“He has a point.” Jace smiled at Julian and Emma, and the smile was like gold melted over steel. You could see how the softness was a disguise, and how what lay under it had won Jace the title of best Shadowhunter of his generation.

But then, immediately next switched it around. You can see the way it changes Robert. For Jace, it became personal, and if it was personal for him - he would have done the same - it would be so for Robert, his adoptive father. He goes from stern to exasperated, more willing to be pliant.

He's the one who finally convinces Robert to let Julian speak. The final masterstroke. Robert complies immediately, despite reluctance. I doubt Jace planned how the entire thing went down, but this was a clear show of his loyalty and his brilliance. We see how Jace's strategizing mind works. He remains unreadable throughout, even to Julian - master liar and manipulator.

And when he spoke to Mark later on. He tries to put Mark at ease - doesn't succeed fully, of course, but it does sort of work. He reminds him of the witchlight. And of course, he's understood that Julian is the one running the Institute. I'm guessing it's half the official correspondence he gets from running the New York Institute, and half listening to Julian spinning his tale and helping him out there, but still. He guessed something which not even Emma, the love of Julian's life knew about him. It's kind of ridiculously OP, but also really amazing.

In Lord of Shadows, when he first met Kit, Jace knew exactly what to say. We, as readers, know that Jace would love meeting his blood family and as Alec put it, wanted Kit to like him, but to KIt, he seemed simultaneously someone impressive, and someone he wanted to be far away from.

And this:

-- "You’re fifteen years old. You might think you want to die, but trust me—you don’t.”

Am I the only one whose heart is breaking from the PARALLELS? And the certainty with which Jace says it? Jace-Death-Wish-The-SIze-of-Brooklyn-Lightwood-Herondale? This is as cathartic as seeing Jace finally calling Valentine abusive in The Lost Book of the White.

The 'Herondales Can't Resist a Challenge' thing is definitely part of the reason Kit decides to stay at the Institute. There's also, of course, Ty and Livvy and revenge.

Kit felt a sudden tightness through his body. Talking to Jace earlier had eased some of the anxiety he’d felt ever since his father had died. Jace had made everything seem like maybe it would be easy. That they were still in a world where you could give things chances and see how they worked out.

(The 'I didn't hear anything' at the kids' spying antics?? Jace totally did stuff like that with Alec and Izzy when he was younger).

(Also, like he's not the one who convinced Robert to listen to Julian and then present the testimony without involving the kids. This is canon to me.)

Clary leaves Jace alone in the room with Mark, when they're asking him for advice on Faerie. Playing on his prior connection to the Blackthorn. And Jace gets Mark to cooperate within a minute, revealing some information, but not all of it.

Also, the thing with the Herondale ring. Jace got it from Clary, who got it from Tessa, right when he was beginning to accept that he was a Herondale and took the name. To me, his giving it to Kit - and through Clary no less - was an expression of hope that Kit would be able to find the home and family and love and identity he had. And maybe a subconscious subtle manipulation on the fact that Kit never knew his mother and would therefore be vulnerable to Clary, whom everyone - from Emma to Julian - seems to regard as maternal.

And the way he intimidates Kit into not selling it just cracks me up.

(I love him making sure Emma and Julian have Magnus and Alec's numbers in case they run into trouble. He absolutely recognizes the 'chaos follows me around' tendency he has in them. And that he and Clary asked Magnus to help them. I could talk about that for days.)

Just - the way Jace's sarcasm, his charm, his ability to get people to talk and manipulate them, sweet-talking, humour, superhuman fighting abilities, kindness, emotional sensitivity and perception all meld together is genuinely breathtaking. I get why some people don't like his character - but I love him.

[plus-size-reader]

Leverage

Magnus Bane x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2107 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Magnus taking a special interest in you, Clary's human best friend who resembles a lover Magnus had centuries ago

Just a concept I was tossing around. Let me know what you think and If I should work on a mini-series based on this

—————————————————————————————————

“Just stay close and don’t say anything” Jace reminded, leading you and the rest of your party into Hardtail, his eyes focused on the surrounding crowd, constantly scanning for danger.

This whole thing should be easy.

All they had to do was find Magnus and get him to give Clary her memories back. All things considered, it should have been an in and out mission, something they had done a million times before.

...but they could never be too careful.

Especially considering that they had been forced to bring along some dead weight, in the form of you, as extra insurance.

Just in case the Warlock in question tried anything.

“This is a terrible idea” Alec grumbled, the words falling on mostly deaf ears, though by this point, even Clary was wondering if bringing you along had been the right call.

You were insistent, as soon as you found out that you could be of help but you weren’t blind. You knew that you were in over your head, heading into a downworlder bar with a couple of shadowhunters without any real idea what you were doing there.

Under any other circumstances, you would have turned tail and ran in the other direction, but this was for Clary.

If this ‘High Warlock of Brooklyn’ could give Clary her memories back, and help her figure out what their next step was, you were going to do anything you could to make that happen.

“We don’t even know if this will work-” he continued, earning an elbow to the side from Izzy, who knew exactly where he was going with that.

She knew what they should have already figured out, that once you found out why you were here, you were going to freak out for sure. After all, it wasn’t everyday that you found out that you bore a striking resemblance to someone else, long dead.

It wasn’t something you would be prepared to hear, so it would just be better if you could all get through this without you figuring out what you were actually doing here.

You took notice of the strange exchange between the Lightwoods but decided to ignore it.

The two of them were known to bicker, even to someone who had known them for a few short weeks, and you had more important matters at hand.

Like making sure you didn’t accidentally bump into a vampire or something as you made your way into the club.

“Keep your head down, and don’t go too far” Clary whispered, webbing her fingers with your own as you passed through the crowd, your grib unintentionally tightening as the reality of the situation set in.

Clary was built for this, it was in her blood, but you weren’t.

It wasn’t until you showed up to things like this that you realized just how far out of your depth that you were.

“I’m not going anywhere, trust me” you whispered back, focusing more on putting one foot in front of the other more than anything. Before now, you were sure that the correct answer to the question Jace asked you was yes.

Now that you were here though, you weren't so convinced.

You understood that getting Magnus to meet with you was a long shot in the first place, and you couldn't afford to mess it up, but you just weren’t sure why they needed you. Out of everyone here, you were the most out of place.

Anyone looking in on the scene in front of them would have seen just how much you didn’t belong. Not that anyone around you was all that concerned with you so far, all too focused on the music and lights.

As long as you did as you were told and kept your head down, everything would be fine.

All things considered, your job was easy.

You just had to stay out of the way, and hope that Jace and Alec didn’t need you for whatever it was they thought you could be useful for. Which could have been anything and you wouldn’t have known any better.

The Shadowhunters were so secretive, only telling you what they thought you needed to know, and even then, they always tended to leave out the important stuff.

It made working with them very difficult.

Still, you did what you were told and kept your head down, doing your best to blend in until something changed, which didn’t look like it was going to happen at first.

All in all, it looked to be a pretty standard conversation, though you couldn’t hear any of what they were saying from the distance you were at.

Of course, It wasn't until someone shot an arrow into some guy in the background that you realized just how wrong you were. Evidently, there had been an assassin in the crowd the entire time and no one noticed until Alec put him down.

Which, in turn, spooked the reclusive Warlock into nearly diving back into his wormhole.

He got his jewel, but from the looks on Jace and Clary’s faces, they didn’t get nearly as much as they were hoping for. The only thing that kept Magnus in place was the redhead’s grasp on his wrist, which likely wouldn’t be enough to hold him.

Clearly, they needed something else, which was exactly why they brought you.

You had inadvertently become the most important part of this mission just now, and that meant it was your time to shine, even if you didn’t exactly know what your part to play was.

Without missing a beat, Izzy shot over to whisper something in your ear, something that really didn’t seem like it would work. Though, by this point, you weren’t sure that you had any right to question any of the shadowhunters.

After all, you didn’t even know they existed until a couple weeks ago.

You shot Izzy one more questioning glance, just to make sure she was serious about this before she nodded, telling you to continue with the plan. If anything was going to get Magnus to stick around, it was this.

“Magnus, wait!” you called, doing your best to cut through all the noise that Alec’s arrow and subsequent murder had brought on, which worked surprisingly well.

As it would turn out, just because the Shadowhunters had neglected to tell you that you looked like the long lost love of his life didn’t mean that Magnus was going to. Even the sound of your voice was enough to ring alarms in his head.

He hadn’t heard that sound in so long.

Almost immediately, the Warlock spun around on his heels, his attention finding you immediately. It didn’t make sense, and there was no way that he could have explained it but there was no denying the truth.

Not when it was staring him right in the face.

It was you, and it didn’t matter how it had happened, not now. All he cared about in this moment was that you had come back to him, after all these years. . It was incredible, but even with as thrilled as Magnus was, staying here wasn’t safe. If Valentine managed to find him here, that meant that he likely already knew where the others were.

Every second he spent away was another second evil had to prevail.

Not to mention the fact that he couldn’t exactly trust the shadowhunters to tell him the truth. For all he knew, Magnus could have been looking at some glamour of sorts, and they were tricking him.

He was just having a hard time believing what he was looking at. After all this time, it didn't seem right to see you again.

“You always did like places like this” he hummed, that same far away look clouding his vision as had been this entire time.

No one had ever looked at you like that.

He was looking at you like the whole building could come crumbling down around you and it wouldn’t have mattered one bit. Like you had physically put the sun in the sky, and you barely knew who he was.

“I’ll be in touch”

...and with that, he was gone.

Though, the thought of walking away from you a second time was nearly enough to break his heart, he didn’t have a choice.

There would be no opportunity to talk to you if he was dead, besides, if they wanted to get Clary’s memories back, they were going to need his help.

~

“Who was he talking about? Who does Magnus Bane think I am?” you started, already asking all the questions that they should have seen coming but no one bothered to answer them.

They weren’t even sure they were going to need you when they asked you to tag along, and just because you had helped them out a little back there didn’t mean the Shadowhunters owed you anything.

You were still just some mundane.

The only reason you were still here was because of Clary, that and they needed you once Alec realized that they were going to have to meet up with Magnus in the first place.

Someone had to get him to agree to help.

“Don’t worry about it. All that matters is that he agreed to help us” Jace shrugged, ignoring you, which by this point was par for the course.

You were so tired of everyone acting like you weren’t here. .

“Come on. I did you a favor back there, can’t you at least tell me what I did?” you sighed, turning your attention to Izzy and Clary instead, because you already knew the males in your party couldn’t care less about what you’d done.

To them, you might as well not be here and you had come to terms with that. You just wanted to know who he thought you were, that was it.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t even that big of a deal.

“The last partner Magnus had, she looked a lot like you” she allowed, recalling the photograph she’d seen, which might as well have been you a couple hundred years earlier.

You couldn’t believe it.

All this time, you were masquerading as someone else, someone that you didn’t even know existed, and everyone else knew all along.

It was ridiculous.

Though, before you could inform the surrounding Shadowhunters of just how ridiculous, Jace chimed in just enough to let you know that, even still, it wasn’t really your place to ask questions or have opinions.

“We were hoping to catch him off guard, we needed the upperhand” Jace shrugged, truly not seeing how wrong this whole thing was. Not only did they use you without bothering to tell you what was going on, but they exploited him too.

It wasn’t right.

“You should have told me!” you scoffed, thinking that at the very least someone would have had the decency to fill you in on the plan but it would appear that no one thought about that before now.

Jace didn’t even look all that interested in having this conversation at all.

“I would have helped even if you told me beforehand, you know? It would have just been nice to know what I was walking into” you continued, well aware that you were basically talking to yourself but not caring enough to stop.

You couldn’t be both the mundane they didn’t even care enough to address by name and a member of the team that they used when they needed help.

You could be one or the other, but not both, and certainly not at once.

“Well, now you know. Congratulations! Can we get going now?” Alec called, several paces ahead of all of you by now, and not stopping even still. He didn’t care at all about whatever little moral dilemma you were having.

He was much more interested in getting back to the institute before another assassin got the better of one of you.

“Thanks Alec, I appreciate that” you countered, not bothering to cover up the sarcasm flowing from your lips. If he could talk to you like that, there was no reason you couldn’t give it right back.

The truth was that it didn’t matter what they said or how much they pretended this wasn’t a big deal. What had happened back there with Magnus was a big deal, at least, it was a big deal for you.

After all, you just found out that you looked like some dead chick that was hooking up with one of the most powerful warlock’s of all time.

How was that not supposed to be a big deal?

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

Unnecessary ~ A.L.

A/n: This felt... kind of ooc? Idk. Let me know what y’all think lol. Another request done!!

Request: “...Alec lightwood x male reader where the reader is mundane so they are hunting some monster and the reader offers to be bait but Alec being Alec tells him no but the reader does it anyways and Alec saves him. If you also could put in the phrase “why do you care about me so much” “because I love you idiot” I would love you even more because that shit makes me weak.”

Word Count: 4500+

MASTERLIST

Meeting Clary Fray had brought nothing but issues into Alex's life.

He had been perfect before she showed up. Pining over his parabatai, but that wasn't a problem. Jace was oblivious and it was never going to happen. Even if Jace felt the same - which he never would - it wasn't allowed. Alec knew that was a lost cause. He was prepared to handle that.

He was not prepared to handle Clary's friends.

Simon was just annoying and had the worst luck when it came to trouble. Usually it would have made Alec go insane, but compared to Y/n it was nothing.

Nothing could compare to Y/n actually.

That was the problem! This life wasn't made for mundane, and Simon was the biggest and best example of that fact. Granted, Y/n was a lot smarter than Simon was. Simon ended up being turned into a vampire, and Y/n was still stubbornly human. He was self aware enough to stay at the institute when everyone else went on missions. Eventually he started to work with Magnus Bane as a sort of secretary, which put him in more danger - but he was still careful and made sure to protect himself. He stayed uninvolved as much as possible and instead offered comfort to his friends. If they needed a break from Shadowhunter life, they'd go out and drink or stay in and watch movies or something. Y/n was a great listener, and had been found several times being ranted to, only to walk the person who needed advice through a few possibilities before they found something that worked.

Alec should maybe have been a little relieved that Y/n was so good at being support. That he was content to stand on the outside and help with things only a human could, instead of inserting himself in places that he'd only have been a burden. Alec should have maybe even appreciated the effort Y/n put in to helping his friends. His family. Sometimes Y/n even helped Alec directly. Jace finally had a friend who could help him navigate through his trauma and emotions - a feat that had previously been impossible. Izzy had a cooking buddy, and was actually able to make food people wanted to eat when the two were both in the kitchen. She never really learned to cook, but still. Clary still had a person to go to when she needed to be tethered to reality and missed her old life and needed a break from her new one. Simon had a friend to do all of the things he used to do, and help him hold onto the person he used to be as he became someone new. Magnus had a new friend now too, one who couldn't do magic but had taken to learning where everything was and how everything worked. Now Magnus had another set of hands and didn't find himself so alone.

And Alec...

Well Alec still found himself on the verge of wanting to choke the life out of Y/n.

Even when he finally got over the jealousy Clary made him feel about Jace. Even when Simon learned how to use his powers and became an important part of the team. Even when everyone else came to appreciate and even adore Y/n, and had nothing to say but good things about him, Alec and Y/n still seemed to have a thick wall of chill between them.

Y/n tried to ease back and give Alec his space, but that would only worsen Alec's mood in general. If they did spend more time together, Alec's mood in general improved but his cutting comments and dark glares and constant eye rolls became more frequent.

Izzy was the first one to pin point what was going on. After all, she had seen the exact same thing happen for years with Jace.

It was perhaps why she got so excited when Y/n didn't hesitate to show his interest in Alec. He wasn't as obvious and pushy as Magnus (who had flirted with Alec in the beginning, but then had stepped back when he recognized that there was something between Alec and Y/n) but he also wasn't vague or subtle. He was less suggestive and more appreciative. His compliments were sincere and the way he cared and worried was almost... tender. He didn't hesitate to show weakness and vulnerability, which lost often came out when he was worried about Alec. It was very clear that he cared about the Lightwood boy very, very much.

Which is why it was so frustrating to see Alec be so brash to Y/n.

There was an obvious attraction for both of them, and fighting it would only make both of them miserable. Izzy knew why he did - she knew better than anyone what their parents could be like - but that didn't stop her from desperately wanting her brother to be happy.

That's why she was the one who was least supportive when Y/n finally decided to be a little reckless.

They'd ended up at Magnus' place once again, talking about some demon who was targeting men. Magnus had recognized it as a succubus, a demon who fed bu first having sex with their prey and then feeding on the soul right after an orgasm.

Clary blushed. "Stuff like that is real?"

Y/n nodded with Magnus and the other shadowhunters. "They're very rare," Y/n pointed out. "But they love the hormones in the blood right after an orgasm. Your body is full of hormones that make you sleepy and even happy. They only need the blood and flesh like a normal demon but they get addicted to the stuff in the blood after sex, and become a succubus." His face Because a little amused. "Or an incubus, if he's male. There's also talk about classifying non gender specific terms for the species, but that's not the point." He shook his head. "The real point is that demons lien this only feed after sex, and are very VERY good as disguising themselves until the sex has actually started. One they do start, they have huge influence over their prey. They cast spells on themselves - sometimes on their lips so it activates with a kiss, or on their hands so it activated with a touch. Whatever it is, or whether it's inherently developed as they feed more and more on the serotonin from their prey, is actually highly debated. But whatever it is - contact with a succubus basically drugs their prey. Wraps them in happiness and euphoria even before the sec has started. Because of this state of mind the demon can always get away with showing their true self - prey never fight back at this point."

Simon raises an eyebrow. "How do you know all of this?"

Y/n grinned. "I've been reading up on demons recently. I already knew a lot about the stuff we run into all the time - werewolves, vampires, and other downworlders were what I looked into before. But after the whole fairy queen thing I began looking into Fae creatures, which directly lead me to demons. From there I looked into the most interesting categories and..." he laughed, but stopped abruptly at the look Alec shot at him. Y/n cleared his throat. "Sorry. The point is, you guys aren't going to be able to spot this thing until it picks a target."

Magnus cuts in there. "I could create a perfume that will draw in this kind of demon. They work off of smell and try to find people that are already high in serotonin to begin with. So smelling like it will draw them in, almost completely making sure that once you draw someone in, they'll be hooked. What Y/n didn't mention is that these demons have a very important weakness - their tails. They manifest only during sex, and sometimes only for the climax itself. They attach to the prey and suck up all the blood after the deed is done. Which means not only will you not be able to identify the succubus until she's picked a target - you also won't be able to hurt the thing until she shows her tails."

"She has more than one?" Clary asks.

"She can," Jace answered.

Y/n sighed. "The problem is she'll never get that far with a Shadowhunter - your tattoos will give you away. And she'd never engage with a Downworlder either. It would start a huge issue if they started feeding on each other."

Izzy pursed her lips. "So we need bait."

Y/n hesitated a moment. "Well, if the person sees us or we lose then it'll be over. Someone will be dead. It would be much smarter to work with someone who knows we're there. Someone we work with on the regular."

"It's not like we know many humans," Alec cut in.

"In fact," Y/n agreed. "You only know one human." He gave Alec a meaningful look.

Everyone seemed to be upset by that, but Izzy got something out first. "You can't put yourself on the line like that Y/n. You can't defend yourself. If we slipped up and lose you, or come in too late... I mean you'll be right in the middle of the fighting. If we don't kill her first time she could still really hurt you. WE could still hurt you."

Y/n nodded. "But that's how it's going to be with anyone in that room. Putting some random innocent in there who had no idea what they're signing up for is the shittiest thing we can do here. I won't be able to move - I'll be under her spell. I won't be able to dodge attacks or move out of the way or even give advice or anything. If you need me out of the way you'll have to move me yourself. I might even fight you." He shook his head. "I'd rather someone who will be able to wrap their mind around that afterward be in the middle of it. Imagine if some poor mundane who had no idea what this world of ours is, being in the middle of a Shadowhunter and demon fight?" He looked at everyone around the circle, so stubborn and set on his ideas that he wouldn't budge. One at a time, everyone stepped down and accepted that no only was his mind already made up, he was right. Putting some random mundane through that would be terrible.

Everyone agreed...

Except Alec.

"No."

Y/n rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to argue with you when you're being stupid," he snapped. Everyone's eyes went wide. "I'm not putting myself in this situation for any other reason than it's the only option. I won't let you put a random mundane on the chopping block just because you want to protect your friends from being upset, or because you underestimate my abilities. I'm not an idiot and I'm not useless and I won't be pushed around and treated like garbage just because you have a superiority complex against mundanes."

Alec's face went red as his eyes widened. "That's not why I'm against this."

"Then why?" Y/n demanded. In both of their heatedness, they had grown closer until they were almost chest to chest, nose to nose. Alec was much taller than Y/n but Y/n refused to back down and squared up to him without hesitation. It was actually Alec who finally stepped back, returning to where he’d been before. His hands landed on the table, gripping the edge so hard his skin went pale. His teeth ground together, jaw locked and eyes boring into the wood in front of him.

Y/n ignored him. “Okay then.” He turned to the others. “Let’s get going.”

-

It didn’t take long for the succubus to find him. It was obvious who she was. The potion that Magnus had made into a perfume didn’t only attract succubus specifically - it worked as a repellent to mundanes as well. Y/n sat, drink in front of him. His mind raced as he tried not to think too much about Alec.

This was his second glass.

He had failed.

Mercifully a women leaned against the counter. Y/n looked over at her. With his vision cleared of the thing that usually kept mundanes from seeing the underworlders, he could tell immediately that she wasn’t a normal underworlder. There would have been some sort of tell. From what he could see she wasn’t a Warlock either. She looked one hundred percent human, which was a tell enough. The fact that she was immediately pressed against him, eyes scanning his body with hungry lust, was a tell all on its own.

He smiled at her. “Why hello.”

She light up at his interest in her. “I saw you from across the bar. You seem upset. Anything I can do to help?”

Y/n’s head tilted. “How kind of you. I’m really more of a I help you actually.” She grinned at his words. “Mind giving me an order or two?”

Her hand stretched out to him and he took it. He stood, moving her hand to his upper arm so that he was escorting her out of the bar instead of holding her hand like a school boy. She seemed to like his decision and lead him outside to her car.

It was a very short drive. All of her victims were from the bar they’d just been to, and Y/n could see why now. Her little apartment was extremely close to it.

He slipped out of the car, coming around to open her door. She watched him, curious, until she realized what he was doing. “What a gentleman,” she purred, taking his hand and letting him help her out.

“I try my best.” This time as they walked he kept her hand up, as if still guiding her. She giggled, obviously having fun with his goofiness. Once inside the apartment complex he let her hand drop and she leaned into his side. They walked in step, his arm around her shoulders. They only had to go up one flight of stairs to get to her apartment.

From there things progressed pretty quickly.

Her lips were on his and he felt his mind go foggy. His hand rested against her cheek and under his palm, her face... changed.

There stood Alec. He smiled at Y/n, leaning down and brushing their noses once before going in for the kiss. Y/n gasped, melting into it immediately. He couldn’t help himself. Not against Alec.

Alec’s fingers moved against the buttons on Y/n’s shirt, pulling them off quickly. There was an eagerness about the movements and Y/n laughed. “Excited, are we?”

“Always,” Alec responded. “I’ve been wanting this so long. Been wanting you so long.”

It sounded wrong. Slightly off. The thought that Alec wouldn’t talk like this passed so quickly through Y/n’s head before it was forcefully shoved away. Everything was okay. This made sense.

Alec loved Y/n.

They kissed again and Y/n felt his back press against the wall. He sighed, his hands going into Alec’s hair. When Alec’s lips moved from Y/n’s, to his neck instead, it was bliss. Y/n’s head fell back on the wall and he hummed, smiling. His eyes were almost blurry, seeing colors of pink and purple and red swirling in his vision. Yellow and orange swirled and there was... something. Something thin that swished back and forth, with a sharp point at the end that opened like a blooming flower. He tried o focus on it but then Alec whispered Y/n’s name and immediately it was impossible to notice anything else.

As Alec fumbled with Y/n’s belt, the door busted open. Alec’s head snapped around to see who it was but Y/n only stood there, propped up against the wall at this point.

There was a hiss, so inhuman that it sounded weird coming from Alec’s mouth. But that’s where it had come from. Y/n’s head tilted, his eyes narrowing as his head swam. “Sweetheart,” Alec whispered. Y/n shivered at the pet name. “Protect me.”

Y/n’s head moved so that his gaze could find out who Alec meant. He took in four... things. Twisted and disgusting. Y/n had only heard of these things before but he knew a demon when he saw one.

Alec pulled Y/n off of the wall, shoving him forward. But Y/n was so disoriented, so twisted around, that he simply turned back to Alec, his eyebrows pushed together. “I... don’t understand.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Why are they always so useless?”

No that... that was wrong...

Y/n watched as Alec pushed past him, toward the demons. He turned to watch as they all clashed in battle. It was blurry and didn’t make sense. Alec’s limbs kept getting too long, his face a little off, his teeth too sharp and his eyes too bright. The demons didn’t fought with knives and a bow and arrow and a whip. Or... were their limbs just sharper? Longer? Y/n couldn’t be sure.

He stumbled back, shirt half undone and face twisted with confusion. A torn, unbalanced way about him. A hesitation and lack of surity.

All of that shattered and turned to nothin when Alec began to lose. In all the chaos of his mind, Y/n knew one thing. He could never stand by and watch Alec Lightwood die.

He flung himself forward as Alec lay on the ground, about to be stabbed by one of the demons. Y/n rolled on top, arms landing on either side of Alec. He screamed, “NO!” His body was shaking and he shook his head, blinking wildly. He could t see it think or-

Something sharp sunk into his gut. At first he thought the demon had stabbed him, but it hadn’t come from his back. It had come from his front.

Alec had stabbed him.

Y/n groaned. “Why?” He whispered.

In bullet time, Alec grinned and suddenly the world melted around the both of them. The face that had been Alec’s wasn’t anymore. It was the glowing eyes and sharp teeth and dusty skin of a demon, caked in blood and enjoying Y/n’s pain. He buckled. He gave up. He fell to his side, his ears ringing and his brain fuzzy and his head aching. And god the pain. White hit and raging. He was mumbling, but he couldn’t hear what he was saying.

Someone scooped him up. He fought weakly but the pain was too much and he stopped. He looked up and saw Alec. His eh vetoes came together. “Please,” Y/n begged. “Don’t show me him again. Anyone else, but not him.” He pulled away from Alec, closing his eyes. And someone else pulled him a different direction. This time it was Jace. Y/n relaxed. “Thank you.” Jace was saying something but Y/n couldn’t hear. He could barely see.

In fact, after a second, the world was swallowed in black and he couldn’t see at all.

-

When Y/n woke up, it was in the Institute. He sat up, expecting a headache but not getting one. The world wasn’t fuzzy or spinning, but trying to remember back was impossible. He could remember what he said and felt and some of what he saw. He knew the succubus had appeared to him as Alec. That all made sense. The spell they put on their prey - it must have been illusion magic. Pulling on your deepest love and strongest loyalties.

Y/n was in love with Alec.

He could feel what it had been like to kiss him. To run fingers through his hair. To see his smile, and hear his praises. Y/n wondered if it would really feel like that, or if the illusion didn’t go that far.

The door opened. “You’re awake.”

Y/n looked up and saw Clary. “Yeah.” She seemed relieved. When she smiled, he returned it. “Just you visiting?”

She nodded. “But only because they noticed your vitals go up. Izzy’s been tracking you personally. She asked me to come and get you. Alec wants to speak with you.”

Y/n sighed. “Yeah fair enough.” He slid out of bed carefully, surprised nothing ached. There was a little soreness but a lot less than he had expected. “How long have I been out?” He asked as he walked up to Clary. They began to walk to Alec’s office together.

“A week.”

Y/n went silent. They’d really been out that long? Holy shit.

They came to Alec’s office in silence. Clary only squeezed Y/n’s hand before leaving, and Y/n’s hunch was proven when he walked inside and saw no one else was there except Alec, who sat in his chair. He was leaning over something, his fingers pressed against the side of his forehead and an especially nasty glare on his face. It seemed he was trying to read something but was failing miserably.

When the door opened Alec looked up. His glare deepened. “You’re awake.”

Y/n just nodded. “You needed to talk to me?”

Alec stood. “I’m banning you from the Institute.”

At that Y/n started. “What?”

“Be grateful I’m not hunting down a memory potion,” Alec snapped.

Y/n’s eyes narrowed and he took several steps forward. “You can’t just rip me away because I got a little hurt. We knew what would happen, I knew the risks!”

Alec’s eyes narrowed. His voice didn’t rise, it just stayed that soft, gravely tone, making Y/n feel sinking dread that he may have already solidified his stance. “A little hurt? You were out for a week Y/n.”

“But I’m okay-“ Y/n began.

“You almost weren’t!” Finally Alec shouted, his hands curling into fists.

“But I am! And I’m so grateful it was me and not some other random mundane! I know how to handle what I went through and-“

“No,” Alec cut off.

“You’re not my dad you can’t just push me around!” Y/n seethed.

Alec fumed, stepping around his desk. “I am the head of this institute - one that was made of mundane’s. You don’t belong here, you never should have been here.”

Y/n’s eyes waters. “Are you sure?” His hands curled into fists. “Or do you just not want me here?”

Alec was quiet for a very long time. “Why did you insist on going?”

That turn took Y/n by surprise. “Because no On else should have-“

“No.” Alec looked at Y/n in the eyes. “They said... you said my name. What did you see in there?”

It was Y/n’s turn to be on guard. “It doesn’t matter. I volunteered because I care about the people that thing was hurting and I cared about making sure you guys stopped it. You wouldn’t have been able to-“

“Who did you feel so protective over that you jumped in the way?” Alec interrupted. “Clary could have killed you. Almost did.” His voice was weirdly gentle, but probing.

Y/n shrugged, giving up. “Why does it matter?”

Alec was quiet again for a moment. “It wasn’t Clary or Simon, you’ve made fun of both of them for risking themselves for each other in the past. And it wasn’t Izzy, the succubus was too tall when it shifted.” At the moon of panic in Y/n’s eyes, Alec explained, “No distinct shape to it. No face or skill color. Shadowhunters have never really seen succubus mid trance like that, so all we can do is theorize. We think it changed physical shape to then layer an illusion on top. More real that way. If we’re right, it couldn’t have been Magnus either. And you’re not really close to any of the other shadowhunters or downworlders.” His jaw worked.

Y/n looked away, slipping his hands into his pocket. “It was you, Alec.”

Silence again, but this time very brief. “Why would you do that for me?”

Y/n looked at him in surprise. A succubus had appeared to him as his deepest desire, as Alec, and it wasn’t obvious why? How she could seduce him and lull him so completely? “Because I...” he saw panic flash in Alec’s eyes. “Care about you,” he finished.

That only seemed to agitate Alec more. “Why?” He stepped close, invading Y/n’s space completely. It was hard to think with Alec this close, but Y/n couldn’t muster the strength to move away. “Is that why you keep trying to help us? Why you’re always around? Why you stayed even though Simon became a vampire? Why you talk to Izzy and Jace so much even though you owe them nothing? Why you help everyone around here so much?”

“Not completely,” Y/n whispered, his voice hoarse.

“Not completely?” Alec pushed.

“Not completely,” Y/n insisted. He could feel stress rising in his chest, constricting his lungs.

“Why?” Alec demanded.

Y/n snapped. “Why WHAT?”

“Why do you care about me so much?” His question was demanding, almost hysterical. They locked eyes and it was clear that Alec was feeling that same pressure and anxiety.

“Because I love you.” Y/n stood there, shoulders dropped and hands open weakly at his side. He looked at Alec with so much fear and vulnerability and honesty that Alec didn’t even consider not believing him.

He kissed Y/n instead.

The kiss took Y/n by surprise. Not only did Y/n not expect it, the actual kiss was so similar to how kissing Alec-succubus had been. It was almost identical. Y/n already knew how to mold against him, how to kiss him back. Where to put his hands and how to pull him closer. Y/n’s hands wound in Alec’s hair and it felt exactly the same. Y/n was astonished.

Alec leaned away, and once again it was quiet. The silence was broken with heavy breathing and thick tension. “Don’t leave the institute,” Alec begged quietly.

Y/n sighed. “You’re so confusing, Lightwood.”

Alec actually laughed. “I... I’m sorry.” He winced and seemed tl back peddle a little, getting closed off again. “I- I don’t-“ he swallowed, looking at Y/n. “I got advice recently from a good friend of both of us. He told me to go for what I wan for once. To live for myself. And I didn’t... I wouldn’t have. But seeing you in danger? Seeing you throw yourself over that stupid demon and almost die because of Clary, and then actually almost die because of the stupid succubus...” he glowered, but this time his attention turned to where Y/n had been stabbed. Alec pulled Y/n’s shirt up, the back of his hand tracing what was now a scar. “I’ve been so worried... we all have been.” He swallowed, looking back at Y/n’s eyes.

Y/n smiled, relaxing into the wall. “I’m okay. But you have to be okay with my intervening when I’m needed.”

Alec sighed. “Fine.”

Y/n chuckled softly. “Fine.”

There was still so much they had to work through, but whatever came they would finally face it together. With Alec at his side, anything seemed possible. They’d be just fine, there was no doubt. They’d already faced months of pining and a hypnotizing demon, what else could top that?

...Alec’s parents might, honestly.

But they could face that too. Eventually.