#[ oc ] will herondale

[poisxninthewater]

[reality-exodus]

The Last Hours of a Herondale

Ch2 sparkles

Words:2k

Pairing: Matthew Fairchild x Fem!Herondale

I walked out on a fast pace without turning back or waiting for my brother's Parabatai. I was wearing my own coat now as I strolled down the alley to get on the bridge and find my way to the institute.

"He just worries you know" I heard, I could see Matthew walking behind me with the side of my eye, he was still holding his extravagant coat in hand. "And can you please stop rushing on my account I will get my alcohol, therefore I wish this was more scenic" Matthew joked. I admired the way he used his vocabulary always, sobber or not. I listened to his wish, my arms crossed across my torso, I was making this gesture to highlight my fury, although if I am being frank I was shivering to the freezing temperature of London.

"Didn't sincerely seemed like he was concerned about me, more like he did not have the mood to hear our father whine about his daughter to be wandering alone helpless in the streets of this horrific city, As if I am a damsel in distress." I barked, my nerves were still tense, I was too angry to concentrate on anything.

Matthew didn't reply immediately, he touched my shoulders carefully to place his coat on me, he observed my being cold. I tensed and reflexively turned to face him, shocked, not so much because of his gesture but with the fact that I felt as if I would see something. I always looked chill with my charisma therefore I was freaking out most of the time internally. "Do not worry, I know. It is not nice to watch another broken past." He assured me and I exhaled relieved lightly and placed my arms on the sleeves while he tied the belt around my waist gently.

"Its never the past that gets me unnerved. Even though I think I witness the worse of you every time you drink alcohol." I spoke and looked at him. I rarely seen his eyes so upclose. They were green, darker as if the reasons that got him drunk every day and night had shaded his eyes too.

"And what unnerves you?" He asked me. Despite the instability of his voice that seemed so familiar since he was more drunk than sober.

"When I see the future, I have only seen it a few times. Three to be honest." I spoke and looked elsewhere, I was scared to look for his comment or his eye contact, these were things I avoided speaking of, barely mentioned them to my parents. "I will get going it gets colder" I excused myself, expecting him into offering to escort me.

"I was leaving anyway, my beautiful bottle is right down this way." Matthew spoke and walked away from me. I smiled and started walking down the bridge.

The way there was peaceful and calming, I was gazing at the cloudy sky trying to make out at least a small, tiny star but the rain that started a few minutes ago was getting stronger. It felt nice, the droplets on the coat and on my hair made me colder but the feeling was refreshing as the wind blew as well. I placed my hand to the bottom of my chaotic braided bun and set it loose into the two braids and I started loosing them as well.

I was so peaceful and calm. Forgot about my fight with James, the vision of Polly, the demon splatter and the times I saw James disappear and Matthew almost lose his life. I opened the door and walked in unknown of the mess I was in. I hoped I wouldn't meet anyone. I only went inside Lucie's room, I hoped she would be awake. I knocked the door.

"Come in" her sweet voice sounded and poked my head in. "What happened to you? Where is James?" she asked, her voice sketched with concern as well as her expression, she stood up from her desk and approached me. We were the same height even though she was two years younger than me. Her hand got my wrist and pulled me inside her room. "If mama and papa see you, you'll scare them to death." She spoke.

"Nothing happened, we only killed a demon." I replied and threw my boots next to the door and walked to her mirror to witness myself the big deal. I, indeed looked horrible, my light brown hair were wet and filled with mud that made them stick together and my face had dirt as the rain spilled the light make up I wore. "James made it explode." I sighed.

"And why are you wearing Math's clothes?" she asked me. "You are shaking..." she noticed.

I smiled subconsciously as I took off the coat and let it fall on the ground. "He accompanied me up to a point on my way home and I was cold." I explained briefly as I started taking off the heavy and wet equipment. "Could I use your bathroom? I do not feel comfortable being on my own." I added with false hopes that she would not start the curiosity drill of questions.

"Why? What happened?" Lucie asked me as she assisted me, with great care to not trigger any seizure, to take off the rest of the equipment until I was with the underskirt.

"Nothing in particular." I spoke as I took her comb and started untangling the mass in my head trying to remove as much of mud as possible. I felt my sister's gaze upon my back and let out a sigh. She probably was the only person I was unable to keep secrets from. I was a pretty cold person therefore Lucie can read me, even though my pages are always blank. "Alright, I fought with James before I left. I was certainly right with my arguments. Perhaps, I was a bit harsh." I explained.

"Oh do not even worry, he won't remember it in the morning..." Lucie smiled lightly. "This is why you came here. To cover for him, so mom and dad won't know you returned alone?" her smile got bigger. She is such a sweet angel. When me and James fight she is more sad than we are. 'You are twins, you can't talk to each other like that, you are supposed to be two of a whole' she usually quotes and tries to stop our conflict which most of the time plays out into a best sarcastic comeback battle as we actually forgot what we fought about.

"You really think so?" I asked lightly and then walked into her bathroom as I started washing the mud from my face.

"Do you remember what you fought for?" asked Lucie and my smile disappeared lightly. "Well, since it is this serious, tell me about it." She encouraged me and I exhaled unwilling to so.

"Do not tell mama and papa... James started disappearing during the battle... It was a close call for me and Math, and especially for Math... After we killed it, we went at that stupid tavern they hang out... And I had a seizure with flashback. So we were kind of on edge both of us." I unriddle the events of the night as I filled the tub with water.

"I don't think you are worried that you spoke harsh to James. You are simply upset. Come on. Have your shower and I will get you some tea and then I can tell you about my book, so you take your mind off." Lucie giggled and I nodded with soft smile. I winked and nodded before she closed the door of the bathroom.

~

I came out of the tub and saw that my sister brought pajamas and underwear, freshly washed, they smelled vanilla and sandal wood. The clothes were mine. I wore them and walked out to the bed where I saw her laying with a book. "Feeling better?" she asked me and I nodded.

I climbed next to her on the bed and placed the book aside with a smile as she took her brush and removed the towel. Lucie began to brush my hair. I have curly and long hair, longer than hers, with the color of my father's while I had my mom's eyes, deep gray. The brush met a comb and she abruptly untangled it making me jump.

"I am careful, you know that" Lucie reassured me with a sweet smile, she knew I was anxious.

I didn't really felt when I fell asleep, I hugged Lucie's stuffed animal. Tomorrow would be a great day, the Carstairs would arrive. I was happy to see them, to see Daisy and Alastair again. I was probably the only one who found Alastair likeable but this didn't really matter, he didn't seem to care that much to converse with anyone. Us Herondales have a special place for the Carstairs family in our hearts. My father's parabatai was a Carstairs, uncle Jem became a silent brother under awful circumstances while he was on his death bed owing to a demons doings. I cannot imagine how my father was feeling back then, I do not have a parabatai like James has and like Lucie will soon have. I have a close relationship with Barbara and Anna Lightwood but none of them to a point to have such eternal and unbreakable bond.

Uncle Jem must be the only person I can talk to about the visions I see and not feel like a freak. The whole clave looks at me and my brother as if we are some kind of unexpressed danger against the Nephelim race. Even my mother and father are uncomfortable when we speak about it. Perhaps it is in my head. Uncle Jem always knows what to tell me to ease me and not make me feel... different from everyone else. Speaking of whom I had to summon him, I was obliged to report to him every single vision I had as well as the conditions it came under.

"Lina..." I heard in my sleep as I felt a soft shake. I turned around ignoring the voice and this is when the blanket was pulled violently from my figure. "Lina!"

"What!" I exclaimed disturbed and shot up.

"Get dressed we have to get breakfast the Carstairs will be here soon" Lucie spoke as she was literally jumping up and down on her mattress.

"Is James back?" I asked her.

"Yes he is." James replied and I turned my head to see our brother sitting in the arm chair on Lucies room, it was next to the pile of my dirty clothes.

"Oh Good morning" I greeted and sat up and leaned to the bedframe as I stared at him. The gash on his hand was fully healed and he looked well and rested.

"Oh Good morning to you too" He chimed therefore his expression was just like mine dead serious as we only stared at each other. I could sense Lucie darting her gaze between us.

"Now come on you two..." Lucie began when a ghost appeared in the middle of the room.

"Oh look at the two naughty Herondales following their father's footsteps once again. Stubborn as donkeys!" Jessamine floated in the room.

"Ah great, here were the commentary again." I spoke inside my teeth.

"Jealous much Lina? At least the ghost can form more ingenious sentences than you." James smiled at me. The revenge begun.

"At least the ghost has the intelligence to think before they speak nonsense." I smiled back, Lucie was saying we had the same facial features, even our teeth and expressional wrinkles were the same, everything except our eye-color. He had brown eyes, I had gray.

"At least the ghost has manners!" Jessamine whined at us. "Like father, they say..." she sighed and floated to the edge dramatically.

"Does she though?" James asked Jessamine and she turned her attention to him, her expression puzzled.

"You really do just barge in a room, that is really not lady like." I commented with a fake frown, my posture was suddenly fixed as I was remarking the good manners that my father always said were more important than anything else. She was the last Lovelace of her family name and now she was haunting my house.

"Uh Tessie really left your upbringing to Will didn't she?" Jessamine huffed in annoyance when my father opened the room.

"She indeed did, Jess. Aren't they adorably charming?" My father asked as he looked at us his eyes were smiling.

"So adorably charming that they get on my nerves almost as much as you do Herondale." Jessamine spoke up.

"Then I did a wonderful job." He smiled lightly and sat down on the bed next to me. "How did the hunt go? You must have returned late huh?" Will asked us. I could see his gaze searching for injuries or any sign that needed his attendance or an iratze.

"It went well actually. We found a Deumas demon" James spoke and then my father looked at me.

"And? What happened?" Will asked us, I could sense his enthusiasm.

"Well at first I was up the building watching Matthew and James. And they struggled a bit, so I thought I would step in." I smiled proudly and felt James' eyes on me.

"Yes, Lina stepped in and saved Math's ass..." James spoke and our mom stepped in.

"James! Language." She noticed and allowed him to keep going.

"She used the whip and injured it and lured it away from Math but then it cornered her and thankfully Thomas was there and assisted Lina." James continued and smiled at me.

"James recovered from the hit and he tried to kill it at first but then he had a gash on the hand during this attempt so me and Thomas kept it in line when my bright twin came slashed it and filled us with ichor and blood." I finished the story.

"And then we stayed at Devil's Tavern for a drink." James spoke up and looked at me.

"Or eight?" I lied with a giggle.

"Eight? Linette!" My mother exclaimed and made a move to touch my forehead and I pulled myself from the way.

"I am fine mom, I do not have temperature or something. I was only a bit dizzy and Luce offered to brew some lemon balm with anice to sooth my stomach." I exclaimed. They knew I was uncomfortable with physical contact.

"I was with her as well. And so were the boys its really not big deal, or the first time it happens" James tried to cover for me but he earned an almost infuriated gaze from our father.

"Well it isn't that bad..." Lucie intervened.

"Well I was celebrating the demon victory. And then I got entinced by the drunks around me?" I smiled and my father shook his head. "I know I am a girl and I shouldn't- ." I started off and then saw my parents exchange a look.

"Lina... It is not that. Honestly I couldn't care less what each one of those pretentious Clave members has to say about me, my wife, my children or my parabatai. Both me and your mother have been through the gossiping and it doesn't real phase us, it never did. We just want you to be safe." My father spoke and carefully took my hand I exhaled as I realized I was still wearing gloves.

"I don't see you preaching my twin about these. But anyway, I see your points and your concerns." I spoke and gave him a light smile and removed my hand. If you'll excuse me. I must get prepared for breakfast." I excused myself to go to my room. I didn't know how I felt and suddenly I wasn't in the mood of socializing either. Even if it was with the Carstairs.

[storiesaremylife]

Working on a series of the Lost Time mains as Charlie Bowater's Last Hours portraits. Five more like this to do

[x-ceirios-x]

you made your bed

with jace missing, andy struggles with blaming herself for her brother's disappearance accepting the family she has around her.

cw: light cursing, andy having depressive thoughts, angst w/ a nice resolution

There were too many people on the same floor, Andromeda had decided, so she decided to scout around elsewhere. Normally, she had a great time in a crowd of people, but the only people she knew were worried about making sure Clary, the Lightwoods, Rowan, and Simon were okay. Maryse tended to her children, Aric disappeared, and Luke ran off to look for both of his kids. She quickly noticed someone missing in the sea of familiar faces: Jace.

Silently, she slipped into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. She paid attention to the conversations around her; Jace had stayed upstairs to protect Sebastian’s body. She realized she hadn’t seen him much in the last few days and kicked herself for not reaching out. He wasn’t at the Institute for a while, then not at Ironworks, and she suspected there was a better reason behind it, but that didn’t help the fact that she wasn’t there. What a wonderful sister she was turning out to be. 

What would she say to him when she saw him? What would she do? Hug him; punch him, maybe? Reassure him that he could always call her if he needed backup, just like she’d done for Clary a short while earlier? That had been unintentional, though. She’d tailed her to the Church, killed the Hydra demon when things got too rough for her to handle, and patched her up when they got back. She hadn’t thought to call her—how did she convince these people that she was there to help? Sure, sometimes she was a little arrogant and knew she could tone it down a little, but she’d never been around so many people that were a family like this. Even the little vampire was accepted into their ranks. All her life, she’d only ever had herself to rely on. Even in the few years she had Val, she learned not to trust someone that deeply again, because eventually, they’d leave too, even if it wasn’t willingly. 

She didn't get the opportunity to finish her thoughts, because the elevator made a ding noise and the doors opened, revealing the top floor. It was open, dark, and worst of all: empty. She retrieved her witchlight from her pocket and pulled her seraph blade, holding it in front of her and prepared for anything that might come towards her. She walked soundlessly towards the doors opposite her and into the garden outside. 

The cold air hit her immediately. She blinked, a few reflexive tears welling in her eyes as the wind blew into her. Once her eyes focused, she looked around, and saw the mass amounts of rubble from a clear fight. Her eyes landed on the glass casket several feet ahead of her; she drew in a quick breath and broke into a run, stopping only a few inches in front of it. 

Sebastian Morgenstern’s body was gone, the glass casket broken, and Jace was nowhere to be found. 

She fell to her knees, her mouth falling open, as she felt the broken glass dig into her knees. If it weren’t for the shadowhunter gear she’d been wearing, she would have bled, but she didn’t have half a mind to care. All these things were for naught, as Jace was gone. In the last few weeks, she’d done everything she knew how to help him, to help Clary, to show that she cared, and just when she thought they might have time to talk, she might finally find the words to explain all of her complicated thoughts to him, he was gone. 

Andromeda slammed her seraph blade into the tiled floor, tip-first, shattering it. Its glow dimmed as the pieces scattered and quickly disappeared. Something flashed in the corner of her eye—a shadow of sorts, and she held up the broken blade. She raised her head, pushing her hair out of her face, and was met with the face of her former lover. 

She dropped the blade. “Val,” she said, her voice shaking as she spoke. “How are you—”

“You knew this would happen,” she said, sparing her a bored look, barely glancing up from picking at her nails. “You’re too smart for that. You knew.”

“Knew—knew what?” she stammered. “Val—”

She strode towards her and casually sat on the broken coffin. “Your father left, your mother abandoned you emotionally years ago, I left you—and now your brother. Everyone leaves you, Andromeda, when are you going to see the common thread?”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she sat up on her knees, straightening her back and squaring her shoulders. Val, never in a million years, would have called her Andromeda. That was what her mother called her, and she hated it. “You—Val, what is going on?”

Val picked up the hilt of the seraph blade that she’d discarded in her shock when she saw her for the first time, and pushed the remaining, broken blade into her chin, tilting it upward. “It’s you, Andromeda, and I wonder how long it’s going to take you to realize it.”

Andromeda’s eyes flew open suddenly, and as her mind pulled her back to reality from the cruel dream, she realized how heavily she was breathing. She sat up, bracing herself on her arms as she got herself back under control. 

It had been a dream rooted in reality. She remembered finding the broken casket, breaking her seraph blade in a surprising show of angered strength, and returning back to the floor with the rest of the institute. She must have been pale as a ghost because Isabelle, looking suddenly nervous, pointed her mother to her immediately, and she had to explain to Maryse Lightwood that her son was now missing, as was the body of the man the Clave wanted dead the most. 

She checked her phone for the time and realized it was only midnight—she’d gone to bed early after a long day of staying cooped up in the training room. No one had been using it recently, as the Lightwoods and Ashfairs had all been too sick with worry about one person or another’s disappearance to even try training. She’d spent a bit of time with Alec and Clave meetings, but their friendship was incredibly shallow. Clary wasn’t up for talking, too worried about Jace, and it left Andy alone. Even in her mother’s house, she’d never felt that alone: surrounded by people that were supposed to be her friends, but she wasn’t important enough to be family. 

Silently, she pushed herself out of bed, and pulled on a recently-discarded pair of leggings from the floor, a pair of boots she could easily slide on, and her favorite cardigan—the first thing she’d bought for herself in New York City on her shopping trip with Clary. It seemed so long ago, though it hadn’t even been two months since she’d first arrived there. 

Without an end goal in sight, she grabbed her stele and a knife off her nightstand, as well as a few hair pins, and stuffed both into her bra. She fussed with her hair as she walked down the hall, past all the bedrooms with closed doors, and towards the elevator. She paused, suddenly, feeling something pull her back. Her chest tightened and she backtracked a few feet, into Jace’s bedroom. It had sat empty, unchanged other than the occasional rifling through for objects that might possibly be used to track him. Nothing had worked so far. 

His bed was still neat, save for the small, Clary-sized indent in the blanket. She’d spent some time there recently and must have fallen asleep there for a while. Not that she’d know, because she barely saw anyone out and about in the Institute these days.

She scanned the room for a moment and found herself gravitating towards the wardrobe. She opened the one door and pulled down a jacket—a black leather one that looked relatively new. If anything, she understood that Shadowhunters couldn’t keep clothes for very long. Demon blood destroyed many a pair of her favorite pants.

She slid the jacket on and realized it fit decently well. It was a little big in the shoulders but it would help save her from the cold, much more than her thin cardigan and tanktop would. She turned to leave the room and caught herself in the window—her reflection startled her. In that light, with the zipped jacket and hair pulled back, she looked shockingly like her father—or, at least, the photos she’d seen of him. She shook her head to wipe away the thought and turned on her heel, continuing her walk from the Institute into the city. 

Walking the city late at night was never exactly a good idea, which she understood, but she had a feeling that she would be able to fend off whatever demon or drugged-up perv came after her. Which was worse, she didn’t know. She took a right once she stepped off the steps leading into the church, and set off towards the subway station. As she walked, she carved both a soundless and an invisibility rune into her hip, then dropped her shirt back to where it usually sat. It was cold, too cold for her liking usually, but at least the subway itself had a little heat inside. 

She sat on the train silently for what felt like ages. Unable to stop thinking about what she’d seen, even if it was a dream, she spun her stele around her fingers. She felt like something was weighing on her chest and trying to pull it apart at the same time. She’d felt like this before, but never this intense. Part of her felt like punching the wall next to her, but she didn’t want to risk some mundane finding an indent created by no one. 

The ride wasn’t long, but it certainly cut down on the time it would take to get into Brooklyn. She and Clary had walked this path so many times she was half sure she could do it in her sleep. The sad part was, she’d never been inside. Andy walked the few extra minutes down the rough sidewalks before she found herself at Luke’s house, standing a few feet in front of the stairs that led to the front door. With her hand tightly gripped around her stele, she forced herself forward and knocked. 

She didn’t have to wait long. The door swung open and she could see dim lights behind Jocelyn Fairchild, who stood in the door. “Andromeda,” she said, a hint of surprise in her voice. “Are you alright? Clary is asleep for the night—“

“Actually,” she said, offering her best, parent-charming smile. “Is Lucian—“ she stopped herself, remembering that Lucian Graymark—the former Circle member, Shadowhunter and her mother’s younger brother—and Luke Garroway, New York werewolf pack leader and Jocelyn Fairchild’s fiance, were very different people. If she had a name she wanted to put behind her, she had to respect his, too. “Luke. Is he around?”

She paused for a moment and answered her question by stepping aside. Carefully, she shut the door behind her, standing very close to the outside wall, feeling like she wasn’t exactly invited inside. 

Jocelyn leaned over the couch and muttered something to Luke, who kissed her goodnight and let her head off, down the hall. Something between envy and a sense of longing hit her very suddenly—she wondered what it would have been like to grow up with two parents that so obviously loved each other, so evidently so that you could see it in the way they looked at each other. She remembered being that in love, and something in her heart twisted at the idea of it again. 

“Nice jacket,” he said, shifting to sit facing her. “Is it new?”

She opened her mouth to say something but found herself unable to form them. It wasn’t worth explaining all of it to him, she decided, and simply said, “Something like that.” She’d never felt so awkward before—even when she was a young teenager, her mother always told her she was too clever for her own good. She had a smart mouth, sure, but she could talk her way out of any situation she needed to. This—facing Luke, after being so cold to him—only deepend the guilt that had been pooling in her stomach for the last few days. 

He looked at her curiously, blue eyes only lit by the lamp in the corner and shielded behind his glasses. She knew both her parents had blue eyes, but she inherited the deep, dark blue from her father. Just another thing that reminded her she was the spitting image of him. He looked like he decided on something after a moment, and gestured at the couch next to him. “You look like you need to talk. Come sit.”

Weeks ago, when they met again in Idris, she would have snapped back with something rude and left, but his calming nature convinced her. He was right, she did need to talk to someone—to anyone, really. Even when she was by herself in Idris, she had her lab in the cellar or her bedroom to disappear to. She was still somewhat home. New York didn’t feel like home yet, and she still felt like a guest in her own bedroom. She didn’t know if she’d felt at home anywhere since Val died. 

Carefully, she pushed off her shoes and padded over to the couch. She sat on the opposite end of it, facing him, but her knees pulled up to her chest. Even when it was her idea to be here, she guarded herself. “How’s Clary?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper so she didn’t wake anyone in the house. 

“As well as can be expected. Torn up about Jace disappearing and frustrated with the Clave,” he said. “But you’re not here to ask about her—you wouldn’t have come so late. What’s wrong?”

The way he spoke was so parental but casual, like he didn’t even realize he was doing it. In Idris, it had pissed her off—she’d spent sixteen years without a father and she didn’t need someone showing up and deciding, randomly, that she needed one. Now, it was almost…comforting. Someone cared. Not the professional manner that Maryse and Aric kept with her at all times, or the tired apathy her mother spoke to her with, but someone genuinely asking how she was doing. A wave of emotion took over her and she felt tears well in her eyes; she wasn’t one to cry and she didn’t know why she was suddenly, but she kept her voice as steady as possible. 

“Guilty as charged,” she said and cut herself off with a quick sniffle. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to dispose of them before he noticed. When she looked back at him, his expression had softened. Andy frowned and her voice hardened. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“I’m not looking at you like anything,” he said, putting his hands up in a nonchalant surrender. 

“You are!” She realized quickly that she was much louder than she intended. She took a breath and turned back to him. “I don’t like pity.”

He nodded as if everything she said made something click in his mind, like he understood what he was dealing with now; it only infuriated her, but she had to control her temper. “I’m not pitying you, Andromeda.”

“Andy,” she muttered, bitterness seeping into her tone. “Andromeda’s what my mother calls me, especially when she’s mad at me. Andy is fine.”

“Andy, then.” He looked at her expectantly, and she muttered something about how she shouldn’t even be there at the moment. 

She spoke after a moment of debate. She could just leave, actually, but she’d come too far to chicken out now. “I have just felt…so incredibly overwhelmed with everything going on,” she said. She chose her words carefully to not reveal too much, but every bone in her body wanted to break when she glanced at Luke again. There was no clear way to describe this look he had, all the time, but his eyes softened and he looked concerned for her. No one had been concerned for her in a long time. No one worried about the girl who pretended to have all her shit together, not even her own mother. Of course she hadn’t—she’d iced her out years ago. Now, too much time had passed, she felt like if she tried to apologize now, it would just be awkward. She blamed her mother for years, but only after seeing Clary with her mom did she see where they both had gone wrong. 

Her throat tightened as she thought more, thinking of the dream with Val, of her mother, of the stress at the Institute, of Jace—she had a few weeks of getting to know him, and now he was gone. He disappeared and no one knew where he was or even if he was alive. She knew he was an incredible warrior, even better than most around their ages. 

Her voice got smaller as she realized how ridiculous she sounded. “I just can’t talk about it. The last time I did, I got yelled at because I don’t know Jace like everyone else does. It’s just shitty.”

Luke nodded as she spoke. “I can’t tell you I understand your situation, Andy, but I do think it’s not fair to be told you're not allowed to be upset. You and Jace seemed like you were getting closer, no?”

“I was trying to,” she admitted, pouting. She rested her head on her knees, looking over at him. In all honesty, she felt like a child again, getting so upset over nothing. When she was young and some kids were picking on her over nothing, her mom would make her favorite tea and wrap her in a blanket, and tell her stories of faraway lands with knights and dragons and strong princesses who figured their way out of similar situations to whatever she was upset with at the moment. The memories hurt—even if she wanted to, now, her mom would never do something like that. 

“Then it’s perfectly reasonable to be upset about it. He’s still your brother, whether you grew up with him or met him two months ago.” He offered an encouraging smile, though she couldn’t stand looking at him at the moment. Anything might make her snap and send the tears streaming down her face. 

Part of the reason she spent so much time out at night was so she didn’t have to deal with all this—all the thinking. Because once she started, she couldn’t stop. She tinkered late at night when things got to be overwhelming, but there was nowhere in the institute for her to do that. All the weapons in the weapons room were perfectly functional; broken ones were thrown out. She enjoyed fixing broken things—Clary saw it in the teacup while in Idris, but she’d been doing it for years. Now if she could fix herself, it would be a great step in the right direction. 

“How about this,” he said, noticing her hesitancy to believe him. “It’s late—you can crash here tonight, and maybe spending some time with Clary tomorrow will do you both some good. Get you out of your head a little.”

She smirked. “Why do I feel like you're trying to set up a play date?”

“Who says I’m not?” he said and began to stand. “Go wash up,  do whatever you gotta do, and I’ll get the couch set up for you.”

Andy sniffled, though nodded. “Yeah—yeah. Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

She stood and walked back the hall, into the bathroom. Really, she could have fallen asleep on the couch the way it was, but Luke wanted to do something nice for her and she should let him. She sat on the counter for a moment, picking at her nails, when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked disheveled at best—her sweater was falling off her shoulder and her hair was a mess. No wonder Jocelyn looked so concerned for her. The dark circles under her eyes had only gotten worse since the day before when she spent twenty minutes applying makeup to make them disappear, and she could see the remains of mascara she missed in the corners of her eyes. She looked like hell, frankly, and glared in the mirror at herself.

Even if it was a dream, Val was right. So much of this was her own fault. If she had left sooner, gotten to the roof fast enough to see Jace, she could have stopped him. Fought Sebastian. She heard from both Clary and Jace how strong he was, but even if it killed her, it wouldn’t have mattered. Jace would have been safe, and life in New York would have gone back to the way it was two months again. Just the way everyone would have liked it, probably. Shadowhunters die and go missing all the time, right? What was another Herondale with a tragic ending? 

She turned the sink on and splashed her face with cold water, hoping it would wash away the thoughts. It didn't, to her dismay, but it was enough to get her moving again. She dried her hands and face and walked back out to the living room, trying to fix the rat nest she’d pulled her hair into. 

Luke was sitting on the arm of the couch, skimming over some book she didn’t care to know the contents of. The couch had folded out into a bed that didn’t look comfortable in the slightest, but it was a bed, and that was the important part. The throw blanket that had been folded on the back was now laid out for her, and a square pillow was laid on one side. He looked up and smiled warmly; she didn’t have the energy to do so back. He pulled something out from behind him—a mug, she noticed—and handed it to her. 

She took it gratefully, holding it with both hands to warm her cold fingers. She took a sip, then very quickly pulled it away from her mouth. “Lemon mint?” she asked. 

He looked confused for a moment. “Is that not what you like?”

“It is,” she said, setting the mug down on the coffee table next to her. “How’d you know?”

“It was the only tea in the house when we visited, and Amatis thinks tea tastes like hot brown water,” he chuckled. “Stocked up when you and Clary started hanging out more in case you ever wanted some.”

“I—” She stared at him for a long moment, unsure how to react to that. It had been a long time since someone went out of their way to do something so nice for her, just because they could. Even living at home, her mom did what was necessary and not much more; these days, she didn’t blame her. She stammered for a moment, trying to find the words. She finally managed, “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he said and stood. “Sleep well, alright? Kitchen light’s on if you need anything.” 

She nodded. He started down the hall, but before he could get too far, she called out, “Hey, Luke?”

He turned. “What’s up?”

Andy’s eyes turned towards the floor and she held her hands behind her back awkwardly. She didn’t know how to ask, but it was better to just rip the bandage off, right? She rocked back and forth on her heels for a moment, then said, “Can I have a hug?”

She stood there for a moment, staring at the carpet. She didn’t know how he’d react to that and she didn’t want to. But then he was in front of her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and she felt like she could cry. She forced the tears back but her breath was shaky. Luke didn’t say anything, just let her lay her head on his shoulder and breathe for a moment. She thought about how he’d been nothing but nice to her since they met in Idris and how she’d been so cold, just because she didn’t trust him. And she thought about how he was with Clary, so worried about her when they’d showed up at her mother’s house in Alicante out of the blue, and realized the reason she didn’t trust him was because she didn’t want to let anyone that cared about her like that in. She didn’t want the heartbreak of getting attached to someone who was either going to die or leave again. And despite her attitude, he was there if she ever needed something, and even when she didn’t. 

And hesitantly, she hugged him, too. 

[saintgoths]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴜʀ

CHAPTER FOUR - PLIGHT ONE'S TROTH.

WORDS - 4,022.

RATING - 18+. [drinking and masturbation].

SUMMARY - A drunk Serena speaks to Will.

"I'm trying hard, Not to be ashamed, Not to know the name, Of who is waking up beside me, Or the date, the season or the city." My Alcoholic Friends featuring The Dresden Doll.

feedback would be appreciated! and i would like to say, this story is a will romance story, but i just want you to be aware that serena is a man-eater...

i also cross-post this fic on wattpad and ao3.

previous chapter - chapter three.

Serena had hated that she had felt at odds that Will and Tessa were on a mission together, the De Quincey mission, was what Serena had been informed of. She had spent her day with Charlotte, speaking about her family and the structure of the main houses of Venus, the main houses who take part in the Court of Aphrodite.

“All houses are important to the Court, but there’s the main five houses, each house have symbols that relate to Aphrodite, House Venrosa have the rose as our symbol, House Sapphire the mirror, House Laurent the dove, House Salvatore the pomegranate and House Raye has the golden apple,” Serena said.

“And all houses have their own quote, my houses quote being as beautiful as dangerous,” she dryly laughed. “How ironic that quote is since I’m the only one from House Venrosa left.”

Benign, Charlotte had sipped her tea, curious of the system in Venus. “What are the quotes for the other houses?” Charlotte asked and slightly content that she had been able to speak about her connection to Venus, Serena had flatly smiled.

“House Sapphire, as fire we bring ashes, House Laurent, those who have the gold, House Salvatore, decades we came, decades we stay and House Raye, we hunt those who hunt us.”

Impressed, Charlotte raised both of her eyebrows. “A powerful system,” she muttered. “A whole ‘nother verse, that most of the Shadowhunters of the Mortal Realm don’t know about. It’s a peculiar feeling of how other-worldly beings know of our existence, but we barely know of theirs.”

“Other beings,” Serena hummed, “Shadowhunters are in Venus as well, so it should give you a better feeling.” Though, you were sure Charlotte had known that, since her connection with Lady Evaline, Serena had also wondered what Evaline had done for Charlotte, to have the Branwell woman persistent to having her stay.

“Did you find a lead?” Charlotte then asked and while she fiddled with the small arm of the tea cup she had held, Serena looked up at the brown-haired woman.

Serena had then shrugged. “I can only get a lead if I return back to Venus, though Lady Evaline forbids me from going there for the moment, so all I can do is sit and rely what people from the court say,” she expressed, suddenly feeling a motion of wary. “Though I feel like I can barely trust any of them.”

“They’re also in your ear telling you that you cannot trust any of us in this institute,” Charlotte added and apprehensive, Serena played with her fingers. “How do your powers work?” Charlotte curiously asked, helping herself by pulling herself closer to Serena.

“They’re not like Warlock powers, but Venusian magic does rely on chaos gifted by Aphrodite,” Serena said.

“Do you know why Aphrodite gifted specific people Venusian Powers?” Charlotte asked.

As she bounced her shoulders, Serena returned her hands to her lap. “Perhaps it was to show gratefulness to our faith, especially since my family were known to have Venusian Spirits the most in our line, though the first Venusian Spirits belonged to the Raye family, well allegedly. Though, House Raye only had them twice or thrice.”

“We say some spells and Aphrodite grants it to us,” Serena explained, “not all Venusian Spirits are the same though, some are stronger than the other, and some find power within themselves and don’t need Aphrodite to grant them access to it.”

“Do you have power within yourself?” Charlotte asked and unsure, Serena played with her fingers.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “Just like I don’t know if I have my own unique power like every other Venusian Spirit.”

Awkward, Charlotte put her tea-cup down. “This entire circumstance, I’ll have to tell Henry soon,” she confessed and aware of the hesitant look on Serena’s face the brunette woman had sat up. “I am not entirely the leader of the London Institute,” she explained. “I’m a woman, the proper leader is still my husband.”

Sympathetic, Serena gently sighed. “There’ll be a moment where you’ll have to tell the Clave too.”

“The Venusian Spirit have no responsibilities to the Clave,” Charlotte replied. “Venusians themselves. If the Clave find out about you, you can be put in grave danger.”

“Sometimes there’s moments in life where we have to push through moments like this,” Serena responded and before she could communicate more, a loud alarm that had alerted the both of them had Charlotte jump to her feet.

“Apologies,” Charlotte quickly muttered. “I’m needed,” she said and with one more look to Serena, Lady Branwell left the room.

♡⊹˚₊ ❦ ❀ ₊˚⊹♡

Myrtles and Doves, a Venusian Pub hidden in London, Davidson had told her about after their intimate action they had shared in the temporary Court of Aphrodite, she had wondered how a Venusian Pub could exist in the Mortal Realm but she shrugged it off and considered it might’ve involved the divine and intricate powers of a Venusian Spirit. Serena wasn’t much of a drinker but her father, Pietro loved to.

He loved drinking the Black Russian, it was strong and when Serena first sipped it, she had almost gagged, but the Venrosa girl had attempted to not spill the alcoholic beverage on her gown, the current colour she had worn was light purple, she had people wonder where she had the money to have many dresses in this colour, and others had complimented how her dress exalted and flattered her skin and eyes, differently to women in the Mortal Realm, Serena had worn her curly hair down, women from Venus had passed the era where society was strict about how hair could be worn.

Plus, it wasn’t like people in Myrtles and Doves were going to look down at how she presented herself, since they had come from the Realm of Venus themselves.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” pushing Serena out of her chain of thought, Serena had turned to the owner of the voice, Loras Laurent. His calm figure bringing a smirk to the young girl.

“I just lost my family,” Serena said as a reminder, “so you finding me in a bar drinking myself to a temporary death is a surprise to you?” She asked and with a smile on his face, Loras sat next to the dark-haired girl.

“Go light with it,” he warned and with a swift look towards his direction, Serena placed her drink down.

Herself curious to why Loras had brought himself here. “Why are you in Myrtles and Doves?” She asked, “Shouldn’t you be with the rest of the Shadowhunters, going after De Quincey?”

“Something was telling me to stay back,” he responded and with a humoured eye, Serena continued to drink. “Tab on me,” Loras muttered to the bartender and flattered, the Venrosa woman sat up on her seat.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said.

“I just did,” he countered as he shrugged his shoulders. “The world should be free for you,” and with the roll of her eyes, Serena focused her gaze on the melting ice in her small glass cup while Loras tasked himself to order himself a drink.

“You think I deserve the world?” Serena asked and honest, Loras looked at her.

“I believe you deserve the universe,” he smiled.

Complimented, Serena leaned herself against him, aware that the strength of the drink had kicked in her. As much of a sorrowful emotion the young woman had felt, there was still a depressed smile on her face. “My family deserved more than I ever did,” she said and empathetic, Loras gently stroked her hair, aware that it would be him that’ll have to take her back to the institute.

♡⊹˚₊ ❦ ❀ ₊˚⊹♡

Serena hadn’t been embarrassed how unkept she must’ve looked the minute she stepped out of the carriage, Loras had been behind her, in quick attempt to walk Serena down the little steps but the Venrosa woman had been fast on her feet, her curly hair framing her face and cheeks rosy due to the alcohol intake.

Loras had wanted Serena to hold back with her drinking but the girl had been stubborn, and due to her being a Venusian Spirit, she was stronger than him. On the other hand, it had appeared that there had been a couple of carriages that had entered the Institute Grounds so her presence wasn’t noticed, yet.

“Why is he here?” She heard, and Serena turned around to see Will approaching with Jem beside him, Will’s face curious and crude in response to the Laurent’s man appearance. Though the moment he saw how Loras snaked his arm around Serena’s waist----Serena who had now seemed like her figure had known gravity had almost stumbled.

“Ah,” Jem hummed once he noticed Serena’s circumstance.

“I didn’t even know women can drink as much as this,” Loras said.

“I’m not drunk,” Serena slurred and with a mischievous glint, Will smiled.

As he stood up straight, the Herondale man shoved his hands into his pockets. “Oh really?” He began. “Stand up straight without the help of Loras.”

Accepting the challenge, Serena had attempted to pull away from Loras, who had quickly darted a rude look towards Will who had prepared to laugh. “No matter the situation, you always find a way to be unpleasant,” Loras said.

“I think it’s best she gets inside,” Jem added.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Serena snorted before sending them a weird look. “I can handle myself, because I’m a Ve---”

“Will get her inside!” Loras interjected, thankful that he had been able to interrupt Serena before she exposed her true identity.

With a short glance, Jem and Will looked at each other. “There’s a situation going on inside in the institute,” Jem clarified and with a low click of his tongue, Loras had remembered the situation involving Nathaniel Gray, the brother of Tessa.

“The mission went to plan?” Loras asked.

“Yes,” Jem responded and with a quick look at Serena’s way, Will pulled his hand out of his pockets as he had then taken a step towards her.

“I’ll take her to her room,” he said, aware of the unsure look Loras sent his way. “I’m not as unpleasant you think I am,” Will hummed.

“I know Will would do nothing to her,” Jem frowned and with a hint of relief, Loras had gently passed a tired Serena towards Will, and before Loras had left the compound, he had pulled out a letter for Serena and passed it onto the drowsy woman who had protectively clenched the material.

Even in her condition, she had looked stunning, though with the drunk persona she had currently carried, the three men understood she had not been in the position to hold something like a letter. “I was supposed to give it to her for her to read, but evidently she’s not in the condition to read it now.”

“I’ll remind her to,” Will said before taking her into the institute, passing the Silent Brothers who had tended to Nathaniel Gray, the Silent Brothers who had also then taken notice of the Venusian Girl, her immense power had alerted them of her presence and also making them aware what she was, yet they didn’t comment on it.

As Will had aided Serena into her room, he had taken notice of all her unfinished paintings of her family. “What pretty compositions,” he sarcastically commented before helping Serena sit on her bed.

“You should leave if you’re going to be like this,” Serena said.

“I’ll let you off for the day,” Will replied and as kickback, Serena gently smiled.

As she used her arms to assist herself from sitting up, her long hair had draped over her exposed shoulders, eyes sultry and veiled with effects of ethanol, and so were her cheeks, moreover, Will couldn’t help but consider Serena to look like one of those scorching paintings. “Give me the letter,” Serena said, eyes fixed on the article in his hand.

While he closed the bedroom door behind him, Serena gathered the energy left in her to sit up properly on her cot. “Please give me the letter,” she repeated, a short energy of fear transporting inside of her, fearful that the letter contained what she was. Though, stubborn, Will had opened the letter, curious to see what was inside.

“Dear Serena Venrosa, for years you have understood how I felt about you, and I understand that you might not feel the same way for me, but this is an era, where you’ll need protection and the Shadowhunters you remain with, will not be of help. Especially because they do not know what you are, a fantastic being, vulnerable and too precious to be left alone with them. Serena, if you take the honour to take my last name, you’ll receive the assist, safeguard, the love and jewels you deserve. I’ll wait for you response, patiently, but remember we don’t know how long it’ll be until they attempt their second strike and hunt you again, your sincerely, Loras Laurent.”

Will couldn’t help himself but breathe out in laughter as he then fixed his sight towards Serena who had been a bit embarrassed. Unresponsive to what Will had read out. “The Clave will begin to question Charlotte if she is going to continue bringing Downworlders here.”

“I’m not a Downworlder,” Serena seethed as she snatched the opened letter from him. “It was rude of you to read from something so private.”

“Well, will you?” Will inquired, as he crossed his arms.

“Will what?” She asked.

Crossing her arms as well, the two beings stared at each other, both their eyes carrying an essence of challenge. “If you’re going to accept the marriage proposal,” he responded and briefly, Serena placed the letter against her chest as she had hastily thought about it.

With a shrug, Serena placed the letter on her bed.

“Do you think the London Institute isn’t a safe space for you?” He asked.

“The only unsafe thing about the London Institute is the fact that you’re not walking around with chains,” Serena gritted which had emitted a laugh from Will.

He had leaned against one of her bedroom walls, eyes focused on the paintings that had been scattered in the atmosphere. “What happened?” He asked and with a swift look towards his direction, Serena pressed her lips into a thin line, not wanting the share the disaster of the night.

“I would tell you, but I fear you might make a joke about it,” Serena replied.

As he had changed his position to her bed, Will shared the long-haired girl a calm smile. “I promise I won’t.”

Unmoved, Serena had then moved Loras’ letter to her bedside table. “You’re in a mood for questions today,” the Venrosa woman hummed. “Is this what Tessa has to put up with?”

With a quick snort, Will leaned his back against her bed. “Am I hearing jealousy?”

“I’m more jealous of the time Tessa doesn’t have with you,” Serena answered.

With a twisted face, Will pulled himself to his feet. “Fine,” he huffed. “When you finally decide to tell me the truth,” he stated while making way to her bedroom door. “You know where to find me,” he smiled.

“In the pits of Hell?” Serena asked causing the dark-haired boy to burst into laughter as he exited her room.

♡⊹˚₊ ❦ ❀ ₊˚⊹♡

“Serena!”

“Serena!”

“Serena, help!”

Frustrated, Serena picked up on her feet, as she pushed and barged through people, the young girl had hastily paced towards her home, her once beautiful home now sunk within the flames that had captured her family, stubborn, Serena had raced into her home, feeling the warmth of the flames kissing through her clothes and skin but unburnt, the girl progressed.

“I’m on my way!” Serena cried out, “I’ll get you all out!” She said before spreading both her arms out, her magic channelling in her hands, her paws glowing her purple chaos that had wrapped around her home lifting up the fallen equity and acres while quickly extinguishing the fire.

“Serena!” The voices of her family cried out, what she has done, wasn’t enough, it had begun all over again.

Stressed, Serena placed her hands against her head. Panicked before she returned to do the same thing, to do anything to save her family.

“Serena!” A voice called out and distressed, Serena turned to seek out where the voice had come from, she had noted it sounded nothing like any of her family members, but she recognised it. “Serena!” The voice called out once more.

“Will?” Serena whispered, confused on why he had been here. He shouldn’t be here.

Yet, there was a commodity from Serena that had wanted Will to stay here, by remaining next to her, Serena could feel her anxiety begin to lift. “Everything is okay,” Will tells her but exasperated, Serena looked around.

“No, no it’s not!” She responded, resentful to his oblivious demeanour to the point that she had almost verbally fought him, but the girl had been taken by surprise when she had felt the dark-haired boy bring her into a hug, thus, no matter how irate she had felt, the red feeling had immediately withered when his strong limbs curved around her.

She had felt the intense disturbed commodity in her fly away as she had then been brought into a pool of relief, making her forget what had been around her, making what had been around her disappear into a white abyss, as she had then been taken to a river of pleasure, her lips being meld into his fine and warmth opening, their pleasurable adventure being curved into a rhythm of lethal erotica.

Serena had gasped the moment she had felt his fingers slip between her hearth, his steady and long digits playing with the swollen pearl, the bud slipping between his two fingers and teasingly playing with her button as she had pleasurably cried against his chest. “Will!” She cried out as she desperately clung onto him.

It had just been the two of them together, standing in the light abyss that had influenced and added onto their lake of lust, gently, Will had hushed her, gently stroked his fingers further up her opening, his two digits comfortably sliding inside of her, feathering and kissing the inside of her sex with his texture, “I’m going to make you feel good,” he whispered and diligent to his touch, Serena nodded against his physique, another moan of crave echoing from her mouth when she had felt another caress rub against the soft walls of her cunt.

“Serena!” She heard Will call out and just by the sound of his voice, the dark-haired girl felt herself release around his fingers, the tightness of her area cramped around his digits while her juices caked and mounted around them, “Serena!” The voice called once more, and the tone and sound was different than Will’s, thus alert, Serena had understood the area she had currently been in was different than the white abyss she previously found herself.

She was now in her room, and the voice that had continued to call out her name from behind her door had appeared to belong to Sophie. “Fuck,” Serena lightly cursed as she could feel a stain below her legs, with her hand now away from her vagina, she identified that she must’ve orgasmed due to her erotic dream.

With her sheets above her chest, Serena looked at her door. “Come in!” She squeaked and after that, Sophie had entered the room, with a tray of sandwiches and tea. “Oh Sophie, hey,” Serena kindly greeted. “Thank you for the food.”

“I was told it was Will who had led you back to your room, heard you was drunk,” Sophie said as she put down the tray and made way to the curtains.

“Well, that happened,” Serena nodded, hastily aware of the look Sophie had sent her way. “We didn’t do anything,” Serena cleared and reassured, Sophie turned her sight back to the curtains.

“I was surprised he was able to help you to your room, especially in his state. He drank some of De Quincey’s blood,” Sophie hummed and as Serena sat up, she had grabbed some of the food Sophie had brought her.

“Poor him,” Serena dryly muttered.

Adamant, Sophie turned to look at Serena once more. “Will isn’t someone you should care for,” she reminded and with a silent look, Serena levelled the fare to her lips, Serena was sure that she hadn’t shown a hint of care in her voice, but perhaps Sophie knew something. Serena wondered if Sophie had heard her moan for Will’s name while she had dreamt.

“I don’t,” Serena breathed out.

“Good,” Sophie replied and relieved, Sophie had nodded her head towards Serena before she left.

♡⊹˚₊ ❦ ❀ ₊˚⊹♡

Ever since Serena had gotten ready for today, she had noticed she hadn’t seen anything of Will the second she stepped out of her room. Currently, she had been in the drawing room where Jessamine showed her appearance, stepping into the area with a judgemental look on her face, but with one look of Serena’s dress, she placed her hands on her hips. “Nice dress,” she said and with a short response, Serena thanked her.

Though, it had appeared Jessamine seemed to care not much about Serena’s dress as much as she had thought, as she turned her sight towards Sophie which held a light sneer. “Everyone is being mean to him,” Jessamine snapped and confused, Serena furrowed both of her eyebrows, confused on who she had meant. “Tessa’s brother,” she drawled. “No one is communicating to him, but, me.”

“Isn’t he unconscious?” Serena asked which had the blonde girl send her a nasty look. “Do you want me to give him company?” She sighed and with a thoughtful look, Jessamine pressed her lips into a thin line, as if she was almost against the idea.

“I’d rather you not,” Jessamine answered. “Is Tessa in her room?” Jessamine asked.

“Yes,” Serena replied and within a second, Jessamine had lifted her feet out of the Drawing Room, leaving Serena to continue her embroidery, which had been a skill and hobby her mother loved to do.

Her mother Selene used to love fashion and embroidery, and every time Serena had dug the needle into the fabric, she had wished she had worn one of her mother’s pieces one last time. Her mother always had plans to open a boutique in Venus, but alas, it had been too late.

Too infatuated with what she had been doing, Serena had not noticed that Sophie had left the room, thus her return had briskly alarmed her. Though, as she returned to her fine figure, she had noticed that Sophie had a box in her hand. With an inquiring look on her face, Sophie walked towards Serena, “Something came in for you,” Sophie had said and intrigued, Serena had put down her embroidery tools and had taken the model from Sophie’s hand.

“Thank you,” Serena curiously muttered, as she had safely unboxed and unwrapped the commodities that had been stuffed in the small area, Serena had slowly pulled out the item that had been properly wrapped and kept in the box and once the object had been revealed, Sophie let out a soft gasp at the beautiful item Serena dangled in her hand.

It had been a necklace, and softly, Serena placed it in her other palm. “It’s beautiful,” Sophie said while the unsure look on Serena’s face had been unnoticed, Serena had hesitantly smiled at the maid.

“It is, isn’t it?” Serena hummed.

“It didn’t say where it came from, it just said it was for you,” Sophie shared. “At first, I wasn’t sure to bring it in because of the lack of details, though, my intuition said otherwise,” and after she had spoken, Sophie had flatly stood on her feet ere she patted the dust off her knees, and with a light breathe in, Serena forced another smile before she placed the necklace back in.

masterlist

song referenced

[ginevrastilinski-ocs]

Costumes 2023 • Crossover Edition

Romy Thornhill, Thalia Lovelace and Jack Herondale as Lock, Shock and Barrel - We were just trying to make you feel at home

Romy belongs to @cecexwrites and Thalia belongs to @randomestfandoms-ocs

Taglist : @randomestfandoms-ocs @eddysocs @that-demigirl @impales @ocfairygodmother If you want to be added send me an ask! 💚

[rp-partnerfinder]

Looking for someone who wants to RP against my Jace Herondale/ Will Herondale. Open to Jace/Clary, Jace/Alec, or Jace/OC as well as Will/Tess, Will/Jem, Will/Gabriel or Will/OC. Either on Tumblr or discord. Will contact, however, likes the post. No one under 21! Thanks so much.

.

[tleeaves]

If you thought things couldn't possibly get worse: here's the chapter where it gets even worse. Amid some gay vibes (some Heavily Gay vibes, actually), James Herondale might be dying. Feel free to bring your popcorn.

Summary: Lila tries to keep James alive when they arrive back in 1903 and employs the help of poor Gus Huntley who was just going for a walk nearby. Cordelia finally acts on her growing conflicted feelings. Lucie and Alastair are doing their best.

[beclynn-herondale]

*Jace running into the daycare frantically*

Jace: Oh, no, Selena and Lexi haven't signed out.

Jace, looks to little girl sitting at table: Um, excuse me. Um, have you seen Selena and Lexi? Both have red hair, smiles that would shake the earth, and both hate peas.

Little girl: A white man broke in today.

Jace: A... a white man?! No!!

Jace: Well, what did security do about it?!

Little girl: Nothing.

Jace: Typical!!

@khaleesiofalicante this one's for you.

[theultimatefandomnerd]

The search , Supernatural, Saltburn, ACOTAR, Shadowhunters, Fast & Furious, Sherlock and More

Heyo! 25 year old female writer here. I’m eighteen plus so please please please ensure you are before writing to me! Now about me, I do work, quick fire would be nice but I can’t always be here. So you may see me post more depending on what ideas I’ve got and what cravings I have. But with my time off you can guarantee I’ll be posting more! Just a heads up I’m looking for clean roleplays! I do prefer discord to conduct roleplays purely for the purpose of being able to keep things more organised! My discord is eleanorewinchester please do feel free to contact me over there or on here.

So I’m looking for those of you who can use third person, past tense and lots of detail. I say this not to be mean but because I do consider myself to be advanced literate, I expect potential partners to be the same! I’m looking for oc (me) x male canon characters from the above movies but I will enclose further fandoms and movies with in the post! I use third and past tense and would be grateful if you do too! Please note I do have dyslexia. I’d love to get some aus going as well as some love triangles. Doubles are welcome! But please note ALL my roleplays are doubles. I will be prioritising those of you who don’t want to double and are happy to play canons. I’m just getting to a point where doubles feel transactional, I’d like to do something for myself where I can :).

I’m also craving; Fast & Furious, Saltburn and Supernatural, (please?! I would kill for a good detailed roleplay), Sherlock (please?!), Shadowhunters (please I beg?!), A Court of Thorns and roses, Supernatural, The Musketeers (bbc show), My Life With the Walters, Hunger Games (originals and prequel), GG at the moment as well! I’d honestly kill for someone to play; Felix Catton, Brian O’conner, Dean Winchester or Jace Wayland, Jules or Mark.

I’d love our roleplay to be something of comfort to us both. Something to cheer us up and keep us engaged in the story! If you’ve got any wild ideas you’ve been dying to do for the below fandoms send them my way if it’s doubles I’ll do my best to accommodate them! If there’s a character in brackets that’s who I’m looking to ship with, I need you to play them! Any fandoms with hearts are ones I’m desperate for!

Fandoms I seek include:

Fast and furious (Brian) ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Shadowhunters (Book/Show verse) (Jace, Julian, Mark)

Sherlock (Sherlock,John)

Superstore (Jonah)

Supernatural (Dean) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

ACOTAR (Cassian,Lucien, Rhys) ❤️

Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte

The Musketeers (bbc show Aramis)

Merlin (show)

Downton Abbey

Saltburn (Felix) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Kissing Booth (Noah)

Pitch Perfect (Jesse)

Ginny and Georgia (Marcus)

Game of thrones (tv verse)

House of the Dragon (Daemon)

Death in paradise

Riverdale

MCU (Thor, Steve, Loki)

Wuthering Heights

Teen Wolf (Stiles)

TVDU (Klaus, Elijah)

Pirates of The Caribbean (Jack)

Narnia (Caspian, Peter)

Buffy (Spike)

Hunger Games (Finnick)

Ballard of SongBirds and Snakes (Coriolanus, Sejanus)

Divergent 😍 (Four)

The Outsiders (Dallas, SodaPop)

[that-demigirl]

Adrestria Bane and Jace Herondale

Quotes Aesthetic

Taglist: @arrthurpendragon @eddysocs

[ginger-grimm]

HAPPINESS EXCHANGE

Elys Herondale for @ginevrastilinski-ocs

COLORING

I hope you like it!

[reality-exodus]

FANCAST: The Last Hours Fic

Last Hours of a Herondale

[storiesaremylife]

Doing a series that's my fic characters as Charlie Bowater's official art for the series.

[x-ceirios-x]

warlocks

magnus arrives home from the fight on valentine's ship to unexpected guests.

cw: alcohol consumption

Magnus sighed as he unlocked the door to his apartment, thinking he needed a very strong drink and a several-day-long nap. The shadow world was safe, for now, after Clary’s new-found rune powers destroyed Valentine’s ship. However, his magic was severely depleted after spending so much time holding back the demonic wards. It was all he could do to stay awake in Luke’s truck and keep that above water. Until Alec came, he wasn’t sure how much longer he would last. He borrowed his strength when he offered, though, and it helped him get back to shore safely. Both of them. 

When he walked into the living room, he was both shocked and confused to see the lights on. He could have sworn he turned everything off before he left—no, he knew that was true. As he walked through the living room, he noticed the smooth jazz coming from seemingly nowhere and quiet chatter from the kitchen. He armed himself with a small ball of magic, though he knew he wasn’t up for a fight right now. Slowly and silently, he stalked into the kitchen–he turned the corner quickly, arm raised and prepared to attack whoever it was. 

He didn’t know what he expected to see when he walked into his kitchen, but it certainly wasn’t two warlocks, one sitting on the stools to his island counter and the other sitting on the counter itself, swinging her feet. He lowered his arm and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Eleanor,” he said with a sigh. 

“Magnus!” The girl slid off of the counter and ran to him, embracing him quickly and tightly. Shock wearing off, he relaxed into her arms, happy to see an old friend even if it was in strange circumstances like this. He leaned his head against hers for a moment, enjoying the familiarity after the day he’d had. 

She pulled away just as abruptly as she’d embraced him. “Oh, where have you been?” she asked, hands running over his face quickly, inspecting him for injuries. He assumed he didn’t look as extravagant as he did usually when he had company. “You’re not hurt, are you? You look pale, would you like some tea?”

“Eleanor.” The other warlock spoke this time—Eleanor’s twin brother, Desmin. He placed his glass on the counter next to him and shot her a half-hearted glare. “You're smothering him.”

She perked up, processing his words for a moment, then pulled her hands away from him. “Sorry, dear,” she said with a cheery smile, spinning on her heel. She reached under the island, where he kept his alcohol, and pulled out two glasses filled with a shimmery, pink liquid. He liked her drinks when she made them by hand, not by magic, but he wasn’t one to complain. She was one hell of a bartender. “Cosmo?”

He nodded, eyes a little wide at the offer. “Please,” he said, taking a seat next to Desmin. He raised the glass in a small thank-you, then downed half of it. She chuckled and he saw a hint of a smile from Desmin as well, sipping his own drink. He hoped it wasn’t his good whiskey but knew better—both had expensive tastes. 

She took a sip of her drink, then broke the silence. “We brought takeout, I hope you still like shrimp lo mein.”

He nodded and she slid a takeout box across the counter at him—after the night he had, the takeout sounded amazing. He wouldn’t have cooked if it would have saved his life, he was too tired. Despite not being up for company, he thought the twins being there was some strange kind of miracle. With them, came a little chaos, some alcohol, but a warm, familial feeling he could never pass up. 

“We showed up around nine,” she explained as he ate. “I convinced Desmin to go out clubbing because I heard there was a neat little place called Pandemonium around here. Then you weren’t here, so we just decided to hang out until you got home. I got worried after you didn’t answer your phone.”

Magnus swallowed the bite of food he had in his mouth and gestured to Desmin with his chopsticks. “I think the strangest part of that is the fact you convinced Desmin to go clubbing.”

“I go clubbing,” he said. “I stand in the corner with my one drink of the night and watch people make fools of themselves. Very entertaining.”

She rolled her eyes. “God, Magnus, you should have seen him a few weeks ago. We took a trip to Prague and he met this fae—“

Desmin’s eyes flew wide open and his cheeks reddened. “You promised not to talk about Prague!”

“It’s Magnus!”

“I need to hear about this,” he said, moderately impressed that there was some story he was so embarrassed about he forbade Eleanor from talking about it.  

She smirked. “I have never seen so many hickeys on this guy in my life—“

“Eleanor!”

They both broke out into laughter at his embarrassment. It was all out of love, of course, but he heard a few colorful, choice words under his breath. “I need another drink to deal with you two,” he said sarcastically, gesturing for Eleanor to hand him something. She pulled the bottle from under the counter and slid it to him, where he proceeded to pour several shots worth of his good whiskey. He must have noticed his shock and he shrugged. “We’ll pay you back for it. Always do.”

His eyes narrowed, though he couldn’t stop the smile on his face. “You’d better.”

Eleanor sat on his other side, picking a piece of shrimp from his dish and popping it into her mouth. He elbowed her arm for it. “My dinner!” he argued.

“I paid, let me have a little shrimp,” she said, settling next to him. “Where have you been all evening, though?”

He sighed. “It’s a very long, long story. I’d rather talk about that later.” She nodded in agreement, though he could tell she was still worried about him. He gave her an encouraging smile, slowly feeling the energy come back to him as he had something to eat. “Where have you two been? It’s been…what, thirty years?”

She shrugged, glancing past him to Desmin, then back. He noticed the little shimmers of purple in her eyes as she looked around—he always thought it was pretty. He’d never seen either of the twin’s warlock marks, but he assumed that was part of it. “A little bit everywhere. Rome for half the nineties, but we got bored of things there so we tried Barcelona for a little while, that was fun. Back to London in ‘89–“

“Back to London?” he asked. “I thought you said you’d never go back there after the whole…incident.”

Desmin scoffed. “That’s what I said. But no, she insisted on getting on West End.”

Magnus gasped. “That was you? I thought those pictures looked familiar!” he grinned at her. “You put on a hell of a glamor, dear. Who knew the great Allison Everett of West End was going to end up sitting in my living room.”

She gave a small, yet dramatic, bow from her seat and chuckled at his comment. “Let me say, those years of ballet training paid off. I played some good things, though. Maureen, in Rent, for one.”

He nodded. “I remember hearing about that. It sounds amazing.”

“I think if I had to hear her practice La Vie Bohème one more time, my ears would bleed,” Desmin muttered, receiving a slap on the shoulder for it. 

“We were up in Flushing until a couple weeks ago. Heard through the grapevine that my favorite little warlock was the High Warlock of Brooklyn,” she said teasingly, pinching at his cheek and shoulder. 

He laughed and swatted her hand away, rolling his eyes at her antics. “Alright mom,” he said sarcastically, though he noticed the way her smile softened. In short, Eleanor and Desmin were the closest thing he had to parents, though they were very good friends. 

“She wanted to see you more so we decided to move a little closer. Got a nice place a few blocks away,” Desmin said. “When we’re done unpacking, you should come check the place out. Upper west side is pretty nice.”

“Look at you two being all fancy. Living the high life?” 

Eleanor chuckled. “Exploiting a couple mundanes here and there, sure. Summoning demons, enchanting things, spells, whatever. And I got very good with investments in the past few years. I do all the money management so Desmin can work on his novel.”

“Still working on the same one?”

“Oh, no.” He shook his head, finding the question almost amusing. That one got published ages ago. I’ve got a pretty good running series. I just don’t do public appearances and no one seems to mind.”

Magnus nodded. That was very like Desmin—public wasn’t his thing anywhere. He preferred to keep to himself and hated speaking in front of large groups of people. It was something that couldn’t have made him and Eleanor more different; she loved to entertain and be the one in the spotlight, sometimes literally. 

There were many things like that about them both; Desmin was cold, unmoved, a steady force that never wavered in his actions or motivations. Eleanor wore her heart on her sleeve and cared very deeply for the people she surrounded herself with. Neither were superficial by any means. He believed they were honest. However, he also had a suspicion they were much more complex under it all than they liked to let on. Eleanor always told him not to worry—they had each other, and that’s all that mattered. He wished they were a little more open with him, sometimes, but he understood. He didn’t have an exact age, but he knew they were old, much older than himself; when you spend so much time with one person, they become the only person you trust. He wished he had that level of companionship with someone. 

He finished his dinner and pushed the plate away, turning towards Eleanor. “I hate to do this to you since you quite literally moved closer to see me, but I’m incredibly exhausted and in need of sleep.”

She shook her head with a smile. “I will take care of everything, don’t worry your head about it,” she said, taking his hand with both of hers and squeezing gently. “If you’re alright with it, we can crash here and I’ll make you breakfast in the morning. Someone—“ she glanced at Desmin— “is pretending to be much less inebriated than he is. That’s why he’s so quiet.”

“Quit revealing my secrets,” Desmin grumbled, though he didn’t deny it. 

“Of course. I told you before, you’re always welcome here.” Magnus stood and gave Desmin a polite nod, then Eleanor another quick hug. She kissed his cheek as he leaned in, squeezing him tight. When he pulled away, she huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face. “You know, I’ll never forgive you for getting taller than me.”

He laughed. “You’ve been on about that for three hundred years.”

“And I will continue to be on about it!”

Magnus rolled his eyes and returned to his room, changing into his pajamas. He looked at himself in the mirror, inspecting his face as he cleared away his makeup with magic. He looked a little better than he assumed he did when he got home—less sickly, at least. The color returned to his cheeks but his tiredness was catching up to him. He got comfortable in bed, about to turn off the lamp next to him when there was a knock at the door. 

“Come in,” he said, sitting up. 

Eleanor walked in, holding a mug in her hands. She handed it to him and sat on the edge of the bed, closing the door behind her with the wave of her hand. “I put a little spell on it to help you sleep,” she said with a gentle smile. “It’ll help protect you from bad dreams, too.” She was incredibly excited earlier—happy to see him, no doubt—but her expression changed. This was softer, more muted but vulnerable. He rarely saw her like this, but he certainly wouldn’t complain. 

“What would I do without you?” he asked, mostly teasing. They both knew he’d made a good life for himself, but he owed a lot of it to the two of them. He struggled as a child and they helped him more than he could ever repay them for. Since then, they randomly appeared, never staying long—he’d noticed they never stayed long anywhere. It was one of the many mysteries of the Rige siblings he never cracked, and there were many. However, while they were here, he always felt more loved than he did at any other time in his life. 

He drank a bit of the tea and laid down again, comfortable in quiet between them. She reached out and brushed her fingers through his hair, fingers scratching over his head. This was what she used to do when he was a young child, when they first found him—play with his hair soothingly, sitting with him until he fell asleep. Sometimes she’d sing or tell him a story, but she usually left the stories for Desmin. 

“I’ve heard things around—gossip, mostly,” she said softly, fingers raking through his hair. His eyelids felt heavy, but he fought to keep them open as she spoke. “But things are changing. I know they are. I…most of the reason we came was to make sure you were okay,” she said, a combination of fear and happiness on her face. “I don’t know what happened tonight. But if you ever need anything, Magnus, Desmin and I are here.”

He nodded. “I know,” he said, voice half in a whisper as sleep slowly dragged him away. He fell asleep with a faint smile on his face, the last hung he remembered being her leaning in to place a small kiss on his forehead, then the sound of his bedroom door clicking closed. 

There were many things about the twins he still didn’t understand, and he wasn’t sure if he ever would. However, he knew that at any time in his life, whenever he needed something, they miraculously appeared and managed to fix it all. He only hoped that would be the case this time, though he had his suspicions things would be much more complicated in the coming weeks. 

[saintgoths]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

CHAPTER THREE - LADY OF THE COURT.

WORDS - 5,077.

RATING - 18+. [sex, risky sex, Serena and Will annoying each other].

SUMMARY - Serena meets Gabriel Lightwood for the first time and Will hates it.

"I just want to see you shine, 'cause I know you are a star, girl." - Star Girl by The Weeknd featuring Lana Del Rey.

feedback would be appreciated! and i would like to say, this story is a will romance story, but i just want you to be aware that serena is a man-eater...

i also cross-post this fic on wattpad and ao3.

previous chapter - chapter two.

The moment Serena had woken from her nap, Sophie had aided the Venrosa woman for her court meeting that would involve the rest of the Venusians in London, Charlotte had been in the room with two of the girls, apprehensive for Serena’s safety, and Serena who had been appreciative had told the brown-haired woman that she didn’t need any help to handle the day.

“I don’t need anyone to guard me, no one in court would dare to harm me, I’m too much of a prize,” Serena smiled and gently relieved, Charlotte clasped her hands together---though the alleviation was quickly dismissed as another idea had struck her mind.

“What if a Rosehunter was a part of the court?” Charlotte inquired and both frozen, Sophie and Serena glanced at Charlotte, mayhap it was an idea they had all thought of but didn’t want to believe in, Sophie who Serena had gladly trusted was informed of the circumstance Serena had currently lived through, and truthfully, Sophie had liked Serena, aside from Jem and Tessa, Serena was amongst one of the teenagers who was actually kind and not irritating, so she had promised Serena that she would not tell another soul of the position.

Her hazel eyes now directed to her feet; Serena had pushed her bottom lip behind her teeth in ponder. “People in the court know how important Venusian Spirits are, it is against the rules to kill one.”

“The things people would do---” Charlotte then cut off by her sentence by the arrival of Tessa had slipped past the walls, in a couple of minutes she’d be trained by Will and Jem to learn how to behave similar to Lady Belcourt.

“You look stunning,” Tessa said, “where are you off to?”

“Thank you,” Serena smiled and faintly, she gripped the material off her dress, even though it hadn’t bothered her, Serena had been aware that Sophie had tightened her dress. It made her breasts appear vast, even though they already were, the outfit Serena had worn highlighted the area. “I’m off to see one of my friends,” Serena smiled, and briefly, Charlotte and Sophie exchanged looks, aware of how Serena’s excuse was almost a half-truth.

Almost.

“The carriage must be ready,” Sophie mumbled and briskly, the women had stepped out of Serena’s room, but the second all of their feet had been out of the area, they had immediately been interfered by Will and Jessamine who had currently squabbled over a circumstance petty.

Though, the moment they smelt the sweet perfume that had belonged to the Venrosa woman, both their heads had hastily turned, their eyes swayed with the moment in front of them. “You look pretty,” Jessamine complimented. “Are you going to another ball?”

“No,” Serena replied, “if I am invited to another ball, I’d invite you to come with me,” she smiled.

“I don’t need to go to any ball that involves Shadowhunters,” Jessamine snarled and immediately, Serena’s gleam had dropped.

Humoured, she had shared a look with Charlotte who had exchanged the same expression as her. You could never share a good moment with Jessamine for long. “I’ll be going to a meeting,” Serena said, “I’ll be seeing you guys later.”

“With no man to accompany you?” Will asked and as a result, Serena wrinkled her eyebrows. She had forgotten how historic the customs in the Mortal Realm were, she had hated them.

With another glance towards Charlotte, who had then answered for the Venrosa. “Serena will be fine on her own, it’s not like she would be walking there, Cyril will be the one to drive her to the meeting.”

“Not even Jem can accompany her?” He asked and annoyed, Serena gently licked the bottom of her lips.

“I do not need men with me,” she answered before she hastily walked past them. “Charlotte, Sophie…Tessa, I’ll be seeing you,” Serena said before she quickly made it out of the building.

♡⊹˚₊ ❦ ❀ ₊˚⊹♡

The confidence she had built during her trip to the temporary court had slightly drained out of her the second she stepped into the area, it was quite loud but not noisy, there had been people chatting amongst themselves, and others who had greeted her verbally, or by a bow or even by a soft kiss on the cheek.

Cersei, who had flounced towards Serena had immediately brought her best friend into a bear hug the second she was in arm’s length. Cersei, who had sat on one of the Sapphire seats wasn’t usually someone who accompanied her parents to court, but now that her closest friend had sat on the main seat, she had been enthusiastic to tag along.

“There’s some exciting news I have to tell you,” Cersei smiled. “I had intended to tell you before, but due to what you had just been through, I could not bring myself to do it.”

“Exciting news can be told later,” Lady Sapphire said as she interrupted the chat, “It’s time to sit down.”

Huffed, Cersei crossed her arms ere she followed her mother to the area that held the House of Sapphire’s seats, though before she had sat down, she turned to look at her best friend and sent her an encouraging smile. Now sat at the head table, Serena bit her lips, as she had waited for the rest of Court Aphrodite to sit down on their seats.

The Sapphire family had sat on the far left of the long table, but on the closest left had sat the Laurent Family, and on her right was the Salvatore, Davidson, the Raye family, the family Lady Evaline had belonged to had their seats empty, as Evaline had been the only alive member of the clan and she had been engaged with business in Venus.

There had been other members from respected families from the court, but there had not been as vital as the prior families listed. In front of everyone had been a large pearl with a detailed shell that had protectively held the object, both commodities to symbolise Aphrodite, if one lifted the pearl off the shell, it had meant they were permitted to speak after the head of the court allowed them.

Serena had a pearl in front of her, but due to her power and authority, she had no use for it.

Sir Sapphire, Cersei’s father, who had been known as Lyonel had picked up his pearl, he had sat up and glanced at Serena for approval before he began to speak. His face finely aged but there had been an essence of arrogance to it. “We’re all here for Lady Venrosa, who had lost a great amount of deal,” he spoke and silent, Serena had stared at the man, respected by his kindness. “Now that her father, Pietro Venrosa is gone, and the rest of her elders are dead, it is now Serena who sits on the main chair.”

Reticent, Serena had glanced at the unoccupied seats, the chairs her family would’ve sat on if they were alive. The seats of Pietro, Selene, Vincent and Anya, all of them gone and thankfully, Serena had silently thanked everyone for not being self-righteous enough to sit on their places.

“We’re also all here because of the incident,” Lyonel said. “The Rosehunters have returned to terrorise Venusian Spirits,” the man shared an as response, exchanged whispers had occurred in the court.

“I believe the Rosehunters that attacked my family originate from Venus,” Serena said, her voice immediately silencing the noisy crowd. “Barely anyone in the Mortal Realm knows what a Venusian Spirit is, I don’t think it is any of them.”

With a soft cough, Lady Sapphire picked up her pearl which had caused Serena to look her way, with a quick nod, the Venrosa girl allowed the woman to speak. “What if this time, the Venusian Spirits are people we know?” Her question had caused the people to speak again, brief comments thrown on how it could be Shadowhunters from the Mortal Realm and thus, Serena thought about Charlotte and the London Institute.

Davidson Salvatore, the oldest of the Salvatore family, and the only Shadowhunter in his family had taken himself to his feet, met with a brief look by Cersei. He had held his pearl and had spoken after Serena had approved him. “Currently, I live in another Institute in another country, but I plan on moving to the London Institute,” he explained, his eyes quickly meeting with Serena’s.

“If it is Shadowhunters in the Mortal Realm, then Serena---Lady Serena,” he corrects, “Needs all the protection she needs…and deserves.”

Content, Cersei had briefly smiled while Serena could feel her heart skip a beat. “I see myself fit enough to protect her,” Loras spoke, speaking without consent of Lady of the Court, and quickly ashamed he ducked his head downwards before he quickly muttered an apology while more people commenced to consider themselves for the Venrosa girl.

Overwhelmed, Serena leaned back, her hand against her chest. “I’ll choose who I would want to protect me,” she said, though, it wasn’t like Serena needed protection, she was an excellent fighter thanks to her late brother and older sister. Reserved, the court had humbled themselves in respect for the teen leader and thus the court meeting had continued.

♡⊹˚₊ ❦ ❀ ₊˚⊹♡

The second Serena had relief that the meeting had been finished, she had ushered herself to the closest toilet, annoyed how historic the toilets in the Mortal Realm had been, Serena had been content that Venusians were able to bring satisfying commodities in the building.

When she had finished and removed herself from the toilet she had been met with Davidson, bumping into him and briefly apologising for not looking where she was going. “I’ve missed you,” Davidson shared, he had cupped her face, bringing his face closer to hers, “I’ve missed you so much.”

Silent, Serena had gently played with the fabric of her clothes. “Not even hello Serena? My condolences?” She dryly joked and humoured, Davidson smiled at her.

“You know my heart aches for you, I loved your family,” he said as he let go of her, a haste sadness flashed by his face. “I’m really sorry for what had happened to them. How are you dealing with it?”

Profound, Serena shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she truthfully replied. “I don’t know how I am dealing with it I don’t know how to deal with it,” she shared. “Aside from painting, I’ve been locking myself inside the room the London Institute had given me.”

“My mind isn’t processing it, in my head, my family are waiting for me in Venus, to continue baking for them.”

“I wish things were like that too,” Davidson whispered and smoothly, Serena rolled her eyes towards him, her eyes gently dark.

“So do I,” she said. “I wish for all the pain to go away.”

With a gentle touch, Davidson’s fingers stroked her knuckles. “You’re a strong girl, you haven’t broken down.”

“I’m not a strong girl,” she answered and quickly, she pulled Davidson closer to her. “Fuck me,” she commanded.

Jaw clenched; Davidson looked down at her, his feelings just as sensual and twisted like hers. “Are you sure, Serena? Right here where anyone can just catch us?”

“You would take all my pain away if you just…touched me, love and care for me the way we used to in secret,” she replied and weak against her amour, Davidson allowed himself to engulf in her passionate embrace.

His lips locked with hers as he pressed her against the walls, his hands rushed to unbuckle his belt while her fingers dragged down her undergarments, already damp at the thought of his cock inside of her, Serena hovered her sex against the top of his shaft, the ambience of her hearth stirring Davidson into a lustful mania.

Quickly, Davidson petted his lips against her neck, he had licked every spot he had kissed while he moaned at the wetness of her cunt resting against his tip, his pre-cum had seeped out of the head of his shaft which had mixed with her nectar, and when he took in her warmth, he had groaned as he pushed further himself inside of her, the both of them struggling a moan as both of their lips had found each other once more.

“Right there,” she whispered, her eyebrows furrowed while the heavy head of Davidson’s length continued to mercilessly lick the soft area of her sex, his hold around her tight and possessive while he continued to hungrily buck his hips forward, and in sync, they had moaned against each other’s lips, wet build up had increased around Serena’s eyes as she had chased for her high.

“Such a crude woman,” Davidson sighed, as he returned his lips against the soft and sweetness of her neck. “Having me lay with you in the corridor where we can be seen,” he whined as he pulled himself back from climaxing inside of her, Davidson continued to stroke and plunge inside her cunt, her dampness had closed around him, hugged him tight with crass.

With a pinched moan, Serena laid her face between the croak of his neck, both their bodies in sync, as her wet juices slid down her thighs. “That’s the fun of it,” Serena gritted, “No one can do or say anything because of my power and authority.”

Rough, Davidson pushed Serena against the walls, his eyes cloddish with lust. “I love a woman with power,” he smirked and once again, he had pushed himself to kiss her lips, both their moans fervor and greedy, Serena’s legs trembled as she had felt her upcoming orgasm and in response, her moans twsited into pleasured whines.

“Oh David,” Serena whimpered as she had felt herself climax around his length, her orgasm ringing around the base of his shaft; content, Davidson’s orgasm followed after, exhaustingly slipping out of her area, he had pulled his cock back into his pants, relieved of the itching pleasure he had for her.

“You still haven’t told me who took your virginity,” Davidson said and surprised, Serena turned her head towards the Salvatore man, her annoyed look enough to silence him. Both Davidson and Cersei were the only people who knew that Serena had lost her virginity at a young age, but Davidson had said the man had “been lucky” to take it, as he had been unknown to the both of them.

Hence them being Venusians, indulging in pleasure was not looked down upon, but Serena and Davidson had kept it a secret that they had been sleeping with each other. Although, during the time Serena and Davidson had shared their intimate moment, whenever Serena had been kissed by him, the image of Will Herondale had appeared in her head, like a virus.

Though, maybe it wasn’t an ailment, perchance it was her subconscious telling her about the attraction she had for him, but no, they cannot be, Will was such a prude, an ill-man, a--- “Is Loras still pinning after you?” Davidson asked and flustered; Serena jolted.

Confused, Davidson brought himself closer to the dark-haired girl. “Is everything okay?” Davidson inquired and lightly stunned; Serena pressed her lips into a thin line.

“Yeah, everything is okay,” Serena answered and after she had fixed her outfit, she had left the Salvatore alone in the corridor.

♡⊹˚₊ ❦ ❀ ₊˚⊹♡

Greeted. By Jem and Will, the second she stepped out of the carriage, Serena had wondered if she had appeared kept or it had been clear she had made love with someone the second she had felt Will’s eyes land on her, Cyril who had been kind enough to open the carriage door had received a kind smile from the Venrosa woman ere she walked down the steps of the vehicle.

“So, Cyril can know what you’re up to but we cannot?” Will asked and unbothered, Cyril had glanced towards the dark-haired boy.

“I barely know what goes on,” Cyril answered and approached by Charlotte, Cyril had returned to the horse and hopped onto its back, leaving the rest to themselves. Charlotte, who had kept an eye on Serena had briskly investigated Serena’s appearance, aware that the woman had indulged in risqué behaviour, but the leader had quickly hidden the shortly amused look on her face and had commenced to think about the court session.

 She had not necessarily liked the fact that she had to hide vital information from the rest of them, but currently it was for the best. “I suppose the meeting went well,” Charlotte said.

“It had,” Serena answered as she ignored the looks from both Jem and Will---she had kept a pleasant look on her face. “I want to discuss it with you,” Serena shared as she joined Charlotte’s walk back to the Institute.

“Do tell what happened!” Will chimed in and with a brief look of disapproval, Serena turned away from the dark-haired boy. “Charlotte, is there reason why you’re protecting a girl you’ve barely known for a week?” Will inquired and even though his question had been valid, Charlotte had bit the inside of her cheek reluctant to discuss the matter.

With another shared look with Serena, Charlotte pulled herself close to the girl. “I can see a mark on your neck,” she said and at that moment, Serena had quickly but carefully covered the area Charlotte had verbally pointed out ere she tagged along with the brown-haired woman to the drawing room.

Once the two had entered the space, Charlotte had released a long sigh before she plopped herself against one of the seats while Serena had used a short time to magically create a sound barrier. “We’ll have to be quick about it,” Charlotte shared, “I’ll be having visitors from the Clave soon.”

“Oh, the Mortal Clave,” Serena said, that was what Venusians had referred members of the Clave who lived in the Mortal Realm as, those who belonged to the Clave in Venus were known to be the Venusian Clave. The Clave, a political body made of all active people of the Nephilim, Serena had wondered if there would be a moment when those from the Venusian Clave would ever address their Mortal Realm peers.

“The meeting went exactly how I thought it would go,” Serena began, “We spoke about the Rosehunters, and people in the council do believe that the Rosehunters might belong to the Mortal Realm,” she continued, appropriately unsure of their decision, Serena sat on an opposing seat than Charlotte who had awkwardly sat down on her chair. “And some of them do believe that one of them could be a part of the England Institutes.”

With both of her eyebrows raised Charlotte had wanted to speak but it had appeared that Serena had more to say. “They want a Shadowhunter from Venus to accompany me, to protect me---I don’t want that to happen,” Serena said as she lowly raised her hand. “I can protect myself.”

“Are there any contestants?” Charlotte asked.

“Many, the main ones being Davidson and Loras,” Serena answered and as kickback Charlotte pressed her lips into a thin line, offended of the Court’s decision.

“If Evaline didn’t trust me, she wouldn’t have brought you here,” Charlotte said and in agreement, Serena nodded her head.

“You don’t need to take care of me the way you’re doing now,” Serena spoke and against it, Charlotte moved herself closer to the dark-haired girl.

“It’s the least I can do, especially for what Lady Evaline had done for me,” Charlotte smiled.

Comforted, Serena had moved closer to the Branwell woman, happy that she had such a dear soul. “You lost your entire family, even though I, or the rest of the Institute cannot replace your loved ones, I want to be here for you.”

Grateful, Serena had emotionally brought the blond-haired woman into a hug, emotive and fervent, Serena had held back her tears before she emotively trembled her thanks. “Thank you.”

♡⊹˚₊ ❦ ❀ ₊˚⊹♡

Serena had wondered how Jem has never lost it and attacked Will, if she was in Jem’s shoes, she would’ve stabbed him by now, presently, the four of them had been in the library, assessing Tessa---well, only Jem and Will did; on how to walk and behave like Lady Belcourt, who had visited a day before, and if the Venrosa woman had been honest, it was kind of terrible to watch.

Thus, she had moved her attention on the book of Apollo she had found in the library and once again, for her tastes, they were not accurate. “Camile walks delicately. Like a faun in the woods. Not like a duck.”

“I do not walk like a duck,” Tessa argued.

“I like ducks,” Jem said. “Especially the ones in Hyde Park, remember when you tried to convince me to feed a poultry pie to the mallards in the park to see if you could breed a race of cannibal ducks?” Jem reminded Will.

“They ate it too,” Will replied. “Bloodthirsty little beats. Never trust a duck.”

“Do you mind?” Tessa demanded. “If you’re not going to help me, you might as well both leave. I did not let you stay here so that I could listen to you nattering on about ducks.”

“You’re impatient, is most unladylike,” Will spat before taking a brief look at Serena. “I’m sure Serena can do better than you and she hasn’t even met Camille,” he said and as a response, Serena barely looked his way.

Intrigued but humoured by the book she was reading and as if a candle had appeared above his head, Will turned to look at Serena once more, who had again, not looked up but spoke. “I will not be walking for you,” she said and with an annoyed click of a tongue, Will crossed his arms.

“You’re a bore,” he replied.

“You’re a cunt,” she snapped, her crude words had then caused Jem to laugh at her.

“Well, you’re un-lady like,” Will responded.

With her face twisted, Serena eventually looked up. “And you’re not much of a man,” Serena answered and taken by surprise Tessa shakingly laughed, dimming on Will’s light, the dark-haired boys lip tightened as he had thought of what to say but taken over by Jem who had informed Will to resume on teaching Tessa, Serena had once more looked down at the pages, consumed of what she had read.

Eyebrows furrowed as if she had read a text of blaspheme. Jem now taking interest of what Serena had read, had smoothly moved towards her. “What’s wrong?” The white-haired boy asked while he had taken a brief look of the text.

“It says in this book that Apollo took advantage of Persephone, but that never happened,” Serena shared as she dimply swept through the pages, gaining more disappointment the more she had read.

“Hm,” Jem thought. “Were you there?” He joked and annoyed, Serena narrowed her eyes at him before she turned the book around to read the blurb. “I was joking.”

Unmoved, Serena shrugged her shoulders. “It wasn’t funny.”

“Sorry,” he quickly apologised which received no response. “What actually happened?”

“Apollo never raped Persephone, the one who actually did it was Zeus,” Serene explained and with a short hum, Jem tapped his finger against his chin. “I know you’re not interested in it, and you’re just being kind.”

“No,” he kindly replied. “I am actually intrigued in what you believe is the right text,” he answered but before he could continue what he had wanted to say, the door to the library had opened and Charlotte had entered the room.

Followed by a dozen men and a couple of women, people Serena had never seen before. “The Enclave,” Will whispered before he gestured Jem and Tessa to duck behind one of the ten-foot bookcases. One woman had been very tall, almost six feet, hair white as powder and designed as a crown at the back of her head, she was older but the other woman beside her appeared younger, dark hair, cat-like eyes and held a mysterious essence.

“Gabriel Lightwood,” Jem breathed out, his eyes trained on a male member who seemed like the youngest of the group, he seemed around their age and Serena thought of him to be handsome, sharp features, tousled brown hair and had watchful eyes. “What is he doing here? I thought he was in school in Idris.”

“Just don’t get into a fight with him,” Jem continued and humoured, Will rolled his eyes.

“Rather a lot to ask, don’t you think?” Will asked and focused, Serena had watched how Charlotte had ushered everyone to the table at the front of the room, and had allowed everyone to settle themselves into seats around it.

“Frederick Ashdown and George Penhallow, here if you please,” Charlotte said. “Lilian Highsmith, if you’d sit over there by the map—”

“And where is Henry?” Frederick asked. “Your husband? As one of the heads of the Institute, he really ought to be here.”

In response, Serena reticently scoffed, she knew Frederick had asked that because he didn’t think of Charlotte to be the true leader because she was a woman. “He better be here,” Gabriel muttered. “An Enclave meeting without the head of the Institute present---more irregular,” Gabriel turned then, and though Will had been quick to duck back behind the tall bookcase, it was too late. “And who’s back there, then? Come out and show yourself!”

Thus, while Tessa, Will and Jem hushedly argued about if they should stay behind or not, Serena had delicately poked her head out, eyes innocent and gently embarrassed about how she’s been caught, though the pretty but ingenue look Serena had on her face had blocked any mean comments Gabriel had wanted to throw. “Oh?” Gabriel muttered, eyes shocked by the dupe and attractive figure who had revealed itself, though the pleasant moment ruined by the recognisable Herondale who had followed after.

“Will,” Charlotte sighed on seeing him then shook her head at Tess and Jem. “I told you the Enclave would be meeting here at four o’clock.”

“Did you?” Will said. “I must have forgotten that. Dreadful.” His eyes slid sideways, and he grinned. “Lo there, Gabriel.”

The brown-haired boy returned Will’s look with a furious glare. He had very bright green eyes and his mouth, as he stared at Will, was hard with disgust. “William,” he said finally before moving his eyes towards Serena. “Who are you?”

“None of your business,” Will replied gaining another look from Gabriel.

“Is that her, Lottie?” The white-haired woman asked. “The Warlock girl you were telling us about? She doesn’t look like much.”

“Neither did Magnus Bane the first time I saw him,” said Gabriel, bending a curious eye on Tessa. “Let’s have it then. Show us what you can do.”

“I’m not a Warlock,” Tessa smacked.

“Well, you’re certainly something, my girl,” the older woman continued before moving her eyes on Serena.

Serena who had then wished she was a fly on a wall, but due to her Venusian appearance that would never happen. “And you? Shadowhunter or Warlock?” She asked.

“She has the sight but serves no Shadowhunter,” Charlotte quickly answered. “She was brought by Lady Evaline.”

Surprised, the white-haired woman raised both of her eyebrows. “Aren’t you away too far from home?” She asked and awkwardly, Serena quickly looked down at her feet. Though before anything about Serena’s origin could be spoken about, Gabriel returned his sight towards Will, face resumed to be still and mean.

“Mrs. Branwell,” he said furiously. “Is William, or is he not, too young to be participating in an Enclave meeting?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes, he is. Will, Jem, if you’ll please wait outside in the corridor with Tessa and Serena,” Charlotte said.

“I will show you out,” Gabriel smiled once he saw Will’s expression tighten, and with arrogant happiness, he escorted the four out of the library. Once the five of them had entirely made it out of the library, Gabriel had swung towards Will, “You disgrace the name of Shadowhunters everywhere.” He seethed unintentionally pushing a breathy laugh from Serena who quickly covered her mouth.

Her brief amuse bringing ill to Will’s ego, though as he pushed his struck annoyance behind, he leaned against the wall, regarded Gabriel with his cool blue eyes. “I didn’t realise there was much of a name left to disgrace, after your father---”

Angry, Gabriel pointed his finger towards Will. “I will thank you not to speak of my family,” he snarled and intrigued, Serena had stood up, noted to herself that she would ask either Will or Jem what had been the intel about Gabriel’s father, and as the argument between Gabriel and Will resumed, Jem had struck himself between the dispute, once more behaving like a mediator.

“Stay out of this, Carstairs. This doesn’t concern you,” Gabriel said and as kickback, Jem had moved closer to Gabriel.

“If it concerns, Will, it concerns me,” Jem replied.

“You are a decent Shadowhunter, James,” he said, “and a gentleman. You have your---disability, but no one blames you for this. But this,” he curled his lips, jabbing a finger in Will’s direction. “This filth will only drag you down. Find someone else to be your parabatai, no one expects Will Herondale to live past nineteen, and no one will be sorry to see him, go either---”

“What a thing to say!” Tessa gasped while Serena giggled in the corner.

“Pardon me?” Gabriel asked.

“You heard me. Telling someone you wouldn’t be sorry if they died! It’s inexcusable!” Tessa said before taking Jem and Will’s hand, “Serena,” she called aware of the humoured look on the Venrosa’s woman’s face. “Come on, let’s go and stop laughing,” Tessa said and with a comedic timing, Serena pressed her index finger against her lips.

“With the way Will speaks to you I thought you wouldn’t have minded,” Serena shrugged as she trailed after Tessa, which had put the dark-haired girl into thought, she had been aware of the way Will speaks to people in general, specifically towards Tessa.

Though, Serena had still acknowledged the longing looks Tessa would send Will when he wasn’t looking her way, with her eyebrows furrowed, a case of possessiveness trickled up her throat as the thought of Tessa liking Will had imprinted in her brain.

masterlist

song referenced