#AND I LOVE THE IDEA OF CLARY DOING EXACTLY THAT

[rottenroyalebooks]

It's a bad idea, right?

Series: The Mortal Instruments

Pairing: Jace Wayland x Fem!Reader

Genre: Angst to Fluff, Friends to Lovers

Warnings: Possibly OOC Jace, slight description of Reader (mainly that Jace is taller than her), use of Y/N. All characters are aged 18+.

Summary:

Y/N has a Warlock ex that seems to have her under his spell, metaphorically speaking, and every time he calls, she answers.

Jace has had enough of watching her go back to him repeatedly. Because they're friends, definitely not because he's in love with her or anything.

A/N: Guys, I have finally caved into my desires and am diving deep into the world of The Mortal Instruments. I watched most of the show a few years ago and saw the movie a few days ago, which led me to buy a box set of the 6 Mortal Instruments books. I am just about halfway through The City of Bones, so I still have a lot of learning to do. Forgive me if I need to correct something.

Also, I love all the show characters, but Movie Jace feels closer to Book Jace than Show Jace, so I am committed to Movie Jace for visual representation and Movie Jace only.

Does that make sense to you? Yes? Cool.

"You were where last night?" Izzy asked her a bit too loudly as she and Y/N walked into the weapons room where Alec and Jace were working on cleaning their weapons used from the previous mission.

Y/N shushed her as the two boys looked over, "Seriously, whatever happened to private girl talk?"

Izzy rolled her eyes, speaking lower than before so the guys wouldn't hear, "What ever happened to cutting him out of your life? Finding a new guy to get in your bed to get over him, that's why we went to Pandemonium last night, remember?"

Y/N huffed in response. Of course, she knew that's why Izzy and Clary dragged her to Pandemonium. It was a plan that she had yet to be very keen on. Izzy had gone to powder her nose, and Clary went to dance when Demetrius Black approached her on the dance floor, convincing her to leave with him.

It never took much convincing. He never went to Pandemonium, so she thought it was safe, but alas, she woke up in his bed again with her favorite tea made just the way she liked it on the nightstand next to her. He was nowhere to be seen.

Izzy rolled her eyes at the lack of response, "I need to put a tracker on you, like an outdoor cat." She turned on her heels and walked away.

Y/N sighed, running a hand through her hair before leaving the weapons room. She needed to punch something, so she soon found her way to the training room, where a punching bag sat calmly in the middle.

Then she beat the shit out of it.

"Stupid Demetrius and his stupidly charming attitude."

One Two.

"Stupid me for falling for it, again."

One Two Three.

"And stupid Mundane girl who couldn't keep her grimy hands to herself!"

With enough force of one last punch, the bag flew backward, hitting the wall as she let out a long groan of anger.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Jace's voice appeared behind her making her jump out of her skin.

"Jesus Christ,"

"Not exactly." He smirked, but she ignored his comment.

"Do you feel the need to scare everyone or just me? Am I that special?" Sarcasm dripped from her lips as she began walking over to the punching bag so she could put it back in its usual location.

"Stop dodging my question. Do you want to talk about why you punched the bag across the room?"

She signed, letting the bag stand back up, "Will you try not to make fun of me for at least ten minutes if I tell you."

He chuckled, leaning against a pillar with his signature smug look, "I'll try my very best."

She couldn't look him in the eye, but she told him everything. From Izzy's plan to it failing when she left her alone for not even five minutes to waking up in her ex's bed again.

His expression was stoic throughout the entire time she was speaking; all of Jace's smugness and ego quickly flushed away as envy flooded his veins.

She didn't notice his change in expression because she refused to look at him.

"I know it's stupid, but it's like he put a spell on me."

"You have a permanent ruin to block any Warlock from using that magic on you."

She groaned, "I meant metaphorically." She plopped down on the bench and ran a hand through her hair.

"Well, I don't even know what you see in the Warlock-"

"Alec is with Mangus, and you never have anything to say about that, but when I date a Downworlder who has helped us just as much as Mangus has, you suddenly have an issue?"

He didn't have a chance to think before he spoke, blurting out, "I can't stand to see you hurting yourself with someone who doesn't deserve you."

Her head snaps to finally make eye contact; she lets her emotions talk without knowing what to think, "You don't get to decide who deserves me, Jace. You're not my father, and you're not my brother. Don't act like it."

He stepped closer to where she was sitting, "He cheated on you. Remember that? You cried to Clary and Izzy for days about it, then you cried yourself to sleep after all that," He saw the shocked look on her face, "We share a wall, remember? The same wall both of our beds are up against. I heard it all and witnessed you tear yourself apart from all the insecurities he gave you. So yes, I may not be in a position to say it, but I can say for certain that he doesn't deserve you."

The tension between the two shadow hunters was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Neither of them said anything else, just stared at each other until she stood up and brushed past him.

"Thanks for the reminder."

Jace only watched as she left the room, wanting to walk after her but feeling paralyzed where he stood. He cursed under his breath and looked down at his feet.

It was his turn to send the punching bag flying across the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, the group went on a mission to track down a Vampire, killing humans left and right. Clary had poked around through the different nests in the city with Alec and Izzy, but none of them seemed to be acquainted with the rouge Vampire.

Jace and Y/N were tasked with searching Pandemonium for the Vampire or any information retaining it.

Things between them were still tense, and the others could see it, but Jace had been the one to wordlessly follow her to Pandemonium. The music was loud and beating through her head, making the memories from the night prior resurface, but she shook it off as she looked around for any suspicious Downworld behavior.

She and Jace had split up in the crowd, which meant she was alone when she felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. She pulled it out seeing a text from Demetrius:

Demetrius: I can tell you're working from how you dress tonight, but meet me at the bar. I might have the information you are searching for. ;)

Tensing up, she looks over at the bar seeing Demetrius leaning against it in all his glory, smirking knowingly at her. She pushed her hurt deep down and walked over to him.

"Well, you look lovely tonight, darling." He said, reaching out to touch her hair when she stopped about two feet away, but she smacked his hand away quickly.

"No time for pleasantries, Demetrius. Do you know anything about a Rouge Vampire, or are you wasting my time?"

"Playing hard to get tonight? Let me buy you a drink." He said as he waved to the bartender to get his attention.

She scoffed, shaking her head, "I knew this was a waste of time--" She stopped speaking when she backed into someone's chest; she didn't even need to look up to know it was Jace. She didn't realize he found them.

Jace didn't move at the contact; he only stared at Demetrius, who noticed he was standing there because she had stopped speaking.

"Oh look," he commented, bored, "It's the guard dog. Don't you have anything better to do than following her around like a lost puppy?"

"We're working, Demetrius." She spoke as Jace opened his mouth, cutting him off before a fight could break out, "Since you don't actually have any information for me, I am going to leave."

She brushed past Jace, leaving the two boys at the bar and disappearing into the crowd.

Jace followed her with his eyes until he knew she was out of earshot. Looking back at Demetrius with a glare that could kill a thousand men, he said, "If you come near her again, I will not hesitate to track you down and kill you myself."

Demetrius smirked, taking a sip from his drink, "And break The Clave's precious rules? From what she told me, you are one of those who respect the Covenant more than anything."

Jace took two steps forward, standing toe to toe with the Warlock, a look of pure hatred in his eyes, "I would break a thousand rules if it made her happy. I would break a thousand rules to make sure she is safe. Don't test me, Warlock."

Demetrius took another sip of his drink, "I always knew, from the moment I had the displeasure of meeting you, that you were in love with her. I watched as you protected her like a lovesick puppy even though she was head over heels in love with me. Now that she is single, why haven't you swept her off her feet to prevent her from falling into my bed?"

He leaned close to his ear, saying just above a whisper, "Maybe it's because you know she will never love you back."

Jace shoved him away, stalking off to get back to work. Only to watch as she left the storage room and in his direction; as she passed him, she said, "Threat has been neutralized, let's get out of here."

She was annoyed. Mostly at herself for thinking he wouldn't come back to her favorite club to antagonize her, but also at the fact that she had to take on a Vampire by herself because Jace decided to have a little chat with her ex.

At the same time, she was proud of herself for finally avoiding Demetrius' charm like the plague. Progress is Progress.

As she exited Pandemonium, she pulled out her phone and started texting Clary to let them know the Vampire was found and taken care of, but Jace pulled her phone out of her hands.

"I'll take that." He said as he went to her contacts lists.

Her jaw dropped, "Jace! Give that back!" She snapped, watching him smirk at her phone as he tapped the screen a few times before giving it back to her.

"First step, blocking your ex's number."

She rolled her eyes and brushed passed him. Raising her hand, a cab drove up to her almost immediately.

"How do you always get cabs so quickly?" He muttered loud enough for her to hear as he stood behind her protectively.

"It's a gift," she said flatly, getting into the cab and scooting over so Jace could get in, even though she wanted him to get his own taxi.

"You cant just avoid me forever." He said into her ear once she got comfortable after telling the driver where to drop them off.

She crossed her arms, staring straight ahead, "Watch me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jace, let you fight the Vampire by yourself?" Izzy asked her in the kitchen of the Institute, snacking on popcorn with Clary on the opposite side of her as the three girls usually did after a hunt.

"He didn't let me; he was at the bar talking with Demetrius. I thought he followed me into the crowd when I left the bar, but he wasn't behind me when I found the Vampire and pointed it out to him." She ran a hand through her hair and looked down, "I didn't want to lose him, so I followed the Vampire into the storage room, scared off the mundane that was with him, and killed the bloodsucker."

Clary laughed, "And you did it by yourself."

Y/N shrugged, "It was easy because he was a new Vampire who didn't have anyone to guide him."

"What did Jace say when you told him you took care of it?" Izzy tossed another piece of Popcorn into Clary's mouth, and she caught it successfully.

"He didn't react, just followed me out and got rid of Demetrius' contact on my phone."

Clary nearly choked on her popcorn before swallowing it, "He did what?"

Sighing, she nodded, "Yeah, talk about quitting cold turkey."

Izzy giggled, elbowing Clary lightly. "Maybe Jace will finally start courting her."

Y/N raised an eyebrow; Jace was into someone? That was new information, "Courting who? We don't come into contact with many shadow hunters unless he has a secret Mundane lover."

Blinking, Izzy looked from Clary to Y/N and back to Clary, "Is she serious?"

"I think she is."

"Okay, what are you two going on about?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest, blinking at the two of them.

"How do we put this nicely-" Clary began speaking, but Izzy cut her off, "Jace has been in love with you since we were thirteen."

Taken aback, all Y/N could do was laugh, "What? No! You guys are crazy. The only person Jace loves is himself." She rolled her eyes, grabbing a few pieces of popcorn.

Clary spoke up, "When I first learned I was a Shadow Hunter and Jace brought me to the institute, I thought he was cute, but then I saw the way he looked at you, and I thought you two were a thing for a whole month until I saw you making out with a mundane near Pandemonium."

"I remember that!" Izzy giggled, turning to Y/N, "Clary freaked out and came running to me saying that you cheated on Jace and that we needed to tell him. It was so funny trying to explain to her that the two of you weren't a thing."

"My point is," Clary interjected, looking at Y/N, "Jace Wayland has been pining over you for so long. He's extra protective of you. When you came home crying a few months ago because the dirtbag cheated on you, Alec had to stop him from hunting him down and killing him without a second thought."

Y/N sank in her chair, blinking, "I had no idea."

"You're just a little oblivious; it's okay," Izzy said, patting her head.

She shook her head, "It's late. I'm going to bed."

She exited the chair and said goodnight to the two girls before leaving the kitchen.

She was going to bed, but then her feet decided to take her to where she knew Jace would be at this time of night.

The garden.

She opened the door quietly, searching for the blond among the flowers and plants, when she spotted him sitting on a bench. He was reading a book that she couldn't read the title of because of how old it was. She walked over to him and placed her hands in her sweater pockets, "You know how to read?"

He looked up at her from his book, "Sneaking up on people is supposed to be my thing."

"You'll have to learn how to share. May I sit?"

He nodded, closing the book with a bookmark between the pages, and moved to one side of the bench to make room for her to sit, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "I will be. Thank you for being there for me back at Pandemonium and in the training room earlier today. I needed to hear the truth. Even though my stance on the fact you need to work on your comforting skills stays intact." She teased him lightly, making him chuckle.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with the Vampire alone while I was defending your honor; it won't ever happen again."

"It better not." She chuckled, leaning back and relaxing on the bench, stifling a yawn, "Because I might just have to kill you myself, then."

"As if you would dare lay a mark on my greatest asset." He gestured to his face making Y/N roll her eyes and slapped his hand away.

"That ego of yours is going to be the death of me one day. Do I have to worry about you falling in love with your own reflection and drowning because of it like Narcissus?"

Letting out a laugh, Jace shook his head, looking up at the time on his watch, the very one she had gotten him for his last birthday, "It's getting late. You need rest."

"So do you," she fired back, standing up and glaring at him, "We need you at the top of your game, come on."

He chuckled, standing up and holding the book against his hip as they left the garden together and walked through the Institute.

"Do you need some tea to help you relax?" She asked, tilting her head up at him.

He smiled down at her, "No, I can manage."

They approached their rooms silently, he walked her to her door, and she nodded, "Goodnight, Jace."

He watched as she disappeared into her room, closing the door behind her, but he didn't move to his room next door, even though he should have.

No, he thought about how he realized Demetrius' words were true. He loved her and didn't know what to do with this information.

He raised his hand to knock on her door again, wanting to get the rejection over with, but just before his fist could make contact with the wood, the door opened, followed by her voice saying, "Jace, wait." before getting cut off by realizing he was standing there still.

The two stood there wordlessly, staring at each other. No one knew who made the first move that night, but soon Y/N felt his hands cupping her face as their lips touched.

It felt right, kissing Jace; he was gentle yet passionate, as if he were making up for the lost time, which he was. As it turned out, so was she.

When they broke apart for air, nothing could stop their mutual smiles from appearing on their faces as Jace rested his forehead on hers.

"Sleep in my room tonight? We can talk about this in the morning."

He nodded, picking her up over his left shoulder, causing a light squeal to leave her lips as he walked into the room, closing the door with his foot.

[peupeugunn]

okay but imagine if shadowhunters had had filler episodes. just them doing dumb nonsense that didn't have any effect on the plot. bonding.

clary learns about the nephilim education system and she doesn't know whether to be horrified or amazed cause on the one hand they're giving knives to four year olds, on the other hand, izzy is a fully certified forensic pathologist at 19.

simon spends an entire episode dragging raphael around new york tryna find him a replacement jacket because even though the kidnapping situation was very fucked up he feels really bad!!! the episode ends with them picking out a really amazing jacket and then raphael having to pay for it because with all the supernatural crap happening, simon honestly forgot that he's a broke college student.

jace and alec episode with them on their day off just chilling (izzy and clary following them because clary Does Not Understand Parabatai and izzy thinks this will help. somehow.) they go to the library and spend some time curled up together reading. they get coffee and go to the park. jace screams at some ducks while alec provides moral support. they go for a movie. they walk around the city holding hands. they go back to the institute to spar a little and then head off to bed. clary through the episode keeps asking "are they dating? are they not? seems like they are?" but izzy keeps denying the dating allegations. clary then finds someone in the institute that can actually explain parabatai with actual words and she barges into izzy's room in the middle of the night screaming "YOU COULD HAVE JUST TOLD ME THEY'RE SOULMATES ISABELLE!"

there's an episode that is literally just. magnus' cats. nothing else. magnus provides narration like this is a nature documentary.

malec's second date, where they just sit on the couch and watch tv and trashtalk the characters. the entire episode is edited to look exactly like a youtuber-reviewing-a-tv-show thing. the first time time an action scene comes up, alec gets so mad at how unrealistic it is and magnus gives him a detailed explanation of how and why movie fighting is so different from real life fighting and why they're choreographed that way. the episode is an hour and a half because magnus and alec keep getting sidetracked and start talking about random stuff. it ends with them falling asleep together on the couch.

a magnus & catarina & ragnor episode with them just hanging out. cat and ragnor keep making fun of magnus for being so in love but he keeps agreeing with them with a lovestruck expression and that takes the fun out of it. the episode is a clipshow style thing except it's not clips of stuff we've already seen, it's their adventures (including, obviously, peru.)

a jimon episode where simon sits jace down and explains in detail the entire plot of star wars. all the star wars. jace asks so many questions and they get so sidetracked at times but simon powers through. at the end, jace reveals that he actually has watched star wars and he knew everything simon was saying but let him go on and on for hours because he wanted to see whether simon would figure it out and also cause jace likes spending time with him.

a clizzy episode where izzy jokingly asks clary to paint her and clary gets so excited!!!! so izzy goes along with it. clary keeps talking like she's doing a tutorial on painting except izzy can't see what she's doing. through the episode, izzy keeps doing more and more ridiculous poses and clary paints and sketches them and somehow they turn out actually good?

i have more ideas but like. idk about you guys but i'd have watched the hell out of this stuff.

[alexanderlightweight]

(I just tried to send a prompt but I don't think it went through so if you just saw this prompt please ignore, sorry 🙏)

This is something that I've been thinking about for a few days so I thought I'd send it in as a prompt.

Izzy was/is interested in magnus and is perhaps angry/bitter/confused on why magnus chose alec (over her, in her opinion)

I think izzy early canon has an almost childlike idea of what relationships are? So I think the fact that she's pretty, likes clubbing, isn't anti-downworld, and is interested in sex (and/or other superficial things) would make her think that she and magnus are romantically compatible

If this isn't your vibe that's no big deal but I thought I'd share in case it sparked an idea

i didn't go the bitter route (nothing wrong with it, it just didn't fit with my thoughts) and i agree with her childlike/naive idea of relationships and using sex for information. so i hope you enjoy this.

-

“And how exactly do you plan on getting Magnus Bane’s attention?” Alec asks, eyebrow raised as he tries to figure out what exactly Izzy thinks she’s doing. “He already declined your meeting and turned down the payment of the necklace for memories. What else do you think will work when that didn’t?”

“Alec, don’t be so dour. No one can resist me, not like this.” Izzy gestures to herself with a smirk, her white leather outfit showing off her muscles and runes and Alec frowns, an unfortunate amount of skin for something that is technically a mission. He really hopes she has enough ointment if they end up encountering ichor.

Izzy winks behind Alec at Jace and Fray and her hand comes up, playing with a very large necklace that Alec only vaguely recognizes. It clicks with a sigh, and he stares at her, before holding his hand out, unimpressed.

“Izzy, he turned it down. It goes back into the vault archives.”

“But it might be used to get a meeting. If I’m the one wearing it.” Izzy laughs and covers the red stone with her hand, “it’ll be fine hermano. Lighten up.”

Alec hears Jace scoff and mutter, “come on Iz. Alec doesn’t lighten up.”

It’s infuriating but Alec just grits his teeth. It’d be one thing to respond, but he doesn’t need to deal with another argument in full view of his shadowhunters. There’s been enough insubordination and Izzy and Jace will only get worse until he figures out how to deal with it.

—

Magnus has his attention on one person and one person only and he knows exactly how to play this.

“And who might such a lovely lady’s companions be?” Magnus asks, acting charmed as he kisses the air above Isabelle’s hand. She blushes, eyes wide and she’s already drunk on the thrill of thinking someone as powerful and aloof as Magnus is under her thrall. It’s a pity she’s so naïve

, but Magnus has heard about her among the downworld. A beautiful, talented lover, a vicious fighter and a naive, attempted informant who could be trusted to share more than was shared. She’s absolutely perfect for what Magnus has decided he wants.

“Clary Fairchild.” Isabelle says with a dramatic flourish, “who is in need of her memories. Our finest shadowhunter,” she winks at the blonde who looks proudly at Clarissa and then Isabelle motions to Magnus’ choice. “And my brother, Alec.”

“Short for Alexander?” Magnus asks, because he can’t help it.

“Yes?” Isabelle asks, puzzled, but she’s distracted when Magnus summons a drink to everyone’s hands with a snap of magic.

“I only thought that with such a lovely name is yours, it would be a pity to not have the same consideration.” Magnus flatters and she flutters her lashes before sending a smirk to Alexander. Alexander is barely paying attention, a frustrated look on his face as he studies his drink and takes a hesitant sip. His face twitches in a grimace of distaste and Magnus changes it with a thought, even as he idly pays attention to Isabelle.

“We brought this, to negotiate with you for Clarissa Fairchild’s memories.” Isabelle touches the jewel hanging around her neck with a sharp little smirk.

“It’s unfortunate, but I really don’t have a need for the necklace.” Magnus says, tone dripping with sincerity, “however I wouldn’t mind making another kind of deal. Especially not with someone of your rather predtiegous bloodline.”

Magnus gives her a lingering once over, to make his insinuation clear and Isabelle giggles and curls her hair with her fingers, looking up at him.

“I’m happy to come to an understanding with you.” Isabelle murmurs and she steps closer, “an entanglement for the memories, perhaps?”

Magnus smirks, because this is exactly what he wants.

“The easiest way to get Miss Fairchild’s memories back is in a sex-ritual. It will also be the safest way, as otherwise her memory integration could be painful.” Magnus shrugs, because it doesn’t really matter to him. “I’m sure the clave will give one of their little soldiers a week or two off, for the chance of finding their precious cup.”

“Izzy, are you serious?” Clarissa asks, suddenly looking concerned but Isabelle laughs, in fact she looks delighted by the idea.

“Oh Clary, this is part of the fun. Business and pleasure go hand and hand.” Isabelle tosses her hair with a playful nudge to Clarissa whispers quietly. “This is going perfectly.”

“It is indeed.” Magnus says, letting magic twist his voice into words of an oath matching her own. Louder, without the cover of magic, Magnus asks, “then, do we have an oath of accord? Bound by the blood of your house?”

“We do.” Isabelle says and she cuts her own lip with her teeth and speaks her agreement with blood on her tongue before she swallows it, keeping it safely within her own body. However, it’s not safe enough and Magnus smiles, smug and delighted.

“Then I’ll see you all in a few weeks.” Magnus tells them and he uses the prisms of time to step across the room and he wraps his arm around Alexander’s waist. “It’s a pleasure doing business with the house of Lightwood, Isabelle. I’ll have your house’s heir back when I bring the memories. Perhaps, we can negotiate for further services at that time.”

Magnus portals Alexander and himself away, through the space of time deposits them both in Edom and he keeps his hand on the small of Alexander’s back as he surveys the dark red of Edom. The place Magnus is set to rule while his father battles with Azazel in the hopes to take his power for his own.

Magnus spent the first three weeks redecorating and he lets Alexander sprawl across the umber and black marble and looks down at him with a pleased smile.

“Welcome to my palace, Alexander. You’ll be protected within the walls of my abode, including the gardens and balconies.” Magnus leans down and pets his fingers over Alexander’s mouth. “However, I suggest you not try to leave my wards, sweetheart. They very air in Edom will shred your lungs and the demons will rampage at the scent of your blood. I can only keep you as safe as you let me.”

Alexander stares up at him and Magnus wonders what he tastes like. If he still tastes like the gin drink he so clearly disliked, or if he tried the second one Magnus made for him and he tastes like strawberries now.

[uncannysam]

PARTIES: @2distraught2haunt, @uncannysam TIMING: Mid-June SUMMARY: Sam & Memphis bond over giant cicadas! WARNINGS: None!

The last time Sam had seen the periodical cicadas in Wicked’s Rest was when she was fifteen. She had been warned, by her parents, not to go out at night. And, while Sam was fond of all creatures in their own way, the cicadas had scared her greatly. Their massive size and bearing witness to what would happen when a two foot bug smacked you in the face first hand had left her confined to her house, rarely going out unless Zach could coax her out. But she was an adult now with a dog that had needs, and one of those needs was food, and unfortunately for her she had realized he was out of kibble at the most inopportune time with no chance of an Amazon save.

“Scout, you’re one lucky dog, you know that?” Opting to leave him knowing the last time she had tried to take him on a walk had resulted in him trying to consume one while it was in mid-flight and low to the ground. The rest of the night was spent cleaning the cicada off of him with one good arm, since her cast removal had been delayed thanks to a trip down the stairs. The universe really did have it out for her. So this evening, she would venture out alone, cautiously and to the closest store in town that sold any kind of dog food.

“Yes, I realize I look like an idiot wearing a motorcycle helmet when I’m just walking to the store, but those motherfuckers are huge, and I’m not taking any chances.” The dog looked at her with his head cocked to the side as Sam made her way out of the apartment and cautiously down the steps and out the back door.

The sound of the bugs, though quieter because the sun was already setting, could be heard for miles, as Sam hauled ass down the sidewalk towards the nearest grocery store. There had still been a few people milling about, but for the most part the streets had become empty. However, Sam knew that it was imperative to stay away from street lamps, which didn’t make life in Wicked’s Rest feel any more safe. There had been things in the dark that she had preferred to avoid, but the two foot cicadas seem to be making that impossible. However, before she had to face that worry, the 5’3” woman found herself at her destination, where she slipped inside and made a beeline for the dog food.

—

Apparently, this was an emergency. At least that was what Clary had tried to convince Memphis. Tonight was movie night. Not for him, of course. He wasn’t invited. It was movie night between Clary and her gaming friends. They were definitely watching something that wasn’t Twilight. Memphis had asked, not sure why that was the first and only movie that seemed to come to mind for him. But what was important was that every movie night the group shared the same collection of snacks to simulate them being together in person. Memphis tried to remind her that most of her gaming friends went to her school and they could be in person, but that apparently wasn’t fair to the others. At least she cared about equality. 

Now Memphis was at the grocery store, with a text from Clary with exactly what she needed. Kettle corn, sour patch kids, mountain dew and whoppers. A truly concerning assortment of junk food that should try to put a stop to, if it wouldn’t be completely hypocritical of him to do so. The healthiest he ever ate was when coworkers at the fire station made dinner. It wasn’t that Memphis was bad at cooking, on the contrary he had actually gotten pretty good at it between his years away at medical school and working at the station. He just never had the time. So instead of sending a snarky text back, he chose to just grab the awful assortment of snacks. He roamed around a bit, wanting to make her sweat on the timing. He passed the pet aisle, eyeing the assortment of toys. Clary and him had both had the pet conversation multiple times. Both love the idea in theory more than practice. Even the twelve year old recognized neither of them had the free time to take care of any pet, really. Even a cat was stretching it. Maybe a hamster. He absent mindedly looked through the toys before a person came, donned in a motorcycle helmet. He stared at her curiously, deciding the smartest thing to do would be to not comment on it considering it wasn’t his business. Then again, Memphis never claimed to be exceedingly smart. “I feel like most people choose to leave that with their motorcycles, right? Isn’t vision a little… impaired?”

—

Sam’s cheeks were bright red, but luckily the helmet had hidden her embarrassment. She knew she looked odd walking around with a helmet on, but taking the time to take it off and put it right back on took too much effort, when she was on a hunt to get her stuff and get back home. Cicadas and the people staring at her and talking be damned. She was on a mission. However, her train of thought was cut short when she heard the words, muffled as they were through the helmet, directed at her.

“Huh?” Turning her head, she looked over to see the man standing next to her. Sam had started to answer his question, until she realized the face shield was still down, “Sorry, about that? What did you say?” She let her eyes shift back over to the dog food. Of course they were out of Scout’s kind, and the decision on what he may or may not like was made even harder by the multitude of options, “I swear, you come in for one thing and they’re always out of it, but when you don’t need it, they have tons of it.” She sighed before looking back over to the man next to her.

—

The stranger did not hear Memphis originally, which gave him the opportunity to back out and not ask the question. He didn’t take his chance though, choosing to double down for some reason. “I asked if the helmet impaired your vision?” he pointed to his own head despite being unobscured by anything other than a snapback. He didn’t own a motorcycle, but he was still pretty sure most people didn’t wear the helmets in the store with them. Unless they were planning on robbing the place. If she did, Memphis didn’t want anything to do with that. “Yeah I’ve heard they actually plan it that way. Figures out what the regulars alway come in to buy and then hide it in the back so you’re forced to buy the most expensive stuff.” That was a complete lie that Memphis completely pulled out of nowhere. Though he liked to see it as more of a joke than a lie. Something to keep the conversation going. “Your dog must be super picky about their food I guess?”

—

“Oh! Uh, yeah. I’m pretty sure I knocked over a display rack when I first came in.” Sam had hit something, but her panic of being attacked by cicadas had far outweighed wrecking the store, which she kind of felt bad about, if it had indeed happened. “And I know you’re probably thinking I look ridiculous, because I’m well aware that I do, but look, Man, there are cicadas out there the size of small dogs, and I’ve heard in great numbers they can do bad things. I’m just trying to give myself a fighting chance. And all for what? So my dog eats tonight.” She looked through the bags before settling on Caesar's Filet Mignon, and turning her attention back to the guy next to her, “Steak. It looks like he’s getting steak for dinner. What about you? Are you here for a picky dog or cat?”

—

Memphis couldn’t help but laugh at the image of her running into some display and pretending like it never happened. At least he had that imagery as a memory of his free night wasted grocery shopping for his sister. “I wasn’t going to say that at all” Memphis defended himself before, trying to feign innocence before a smirk escaped onto his face, “I might have thought it, but I’d never actually say it.” The cicadas made him pause. This wasn’t the first time he had heard that. Honestly, he had happily accepted that it was just a bug hater that over exaggerated. Logically, that was still probably the explanation. “You’re not the first person to talk about these giant cicadas? How come I haven’t seen these things?” If she truly was afraid for her life, he was impressed by her dedication to the dog. Not only risking her life, but then choosing steak too? He was eating better than Memphis was tonight for sure. His plan was to bum some of the popcorn from Clary. “Worse, actually. A pre-teen.” Memphis grimaced before showing off the assortment of junk food he had collected. “My sister has demanded snacks. And I’m torturing her by prolonging my team here looking at toys for the pet I don’t have time to take care of. Clearly, very busy.” But he supposed that time had now come and passed. “But I should probably get back to her and you should probably get that steak safely home to your dog.”

—

If Sam saw this guy around town, she knew that tonight had cemented this event into his brain, and that she’d probably never live it down. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and tonight was one of those times, “I think the expression on your face says otherwise.” She couldn’t help but laugh. It was a silly notion to go into a store with a motorcycle helmet, but fate had not been kind to her recently, “That doesn’t surprise me that I’m not the only person. But I can almost guarantee you that when the sun sets completely and all the streetlights come on, you’ll finally get to experience what everyone is talking about.” In fact, as Sam glanced over towards the sliding doors leading into the store, she noticed the sun was almost gone. The massive bugs would be out soon.

But thankfully the conversation had continued, which had led to a well needed distraction, “Oh wow. Yeah, that is worse.” She leaned over and looked into the basket he had, “Looks like pre-teens are pickier than dogs.” Sam glanced back at the toys near them, “I think the toy with the loudest squeaker might be a good choice, you know, so any time she starts to backtalk you, you can just give Mr. Ducky there a good firm squeak to drown out the noise.” Sam had hoped the joke hadn’t offended him. She knew nothing about pre-teens, except her time spent as one. “I think you’re right. Otherwise, you’re going to have a group of angry girls, and I’m gonna have a frustrated dog.” Just before Sam could say something else, a loud buzzing noise caught her attention, and when she realized what it was, she looked over to find several large cicadas clinging to the glass windows at the front of the store, “Well Mr. Never Seen A Wicked’s Rest Cicada…There you go.” Sam’s voice held a slight panic as she looked down at the bag of dog food in her hands and then back up at him, just before she heard the sound of shattering glass.

—

“Well, expressions were never part of the deal.” Memphis shrugged. It was all about loopholes, apparently. He could keep his word with the power of loopholes. “I’d actually be perfectly fine staying in the metaphorical dark, but literal light on this one. I have absolutely no interest in seeing those things for myself.” He still wasn’t convinced those things were even real. It was a lot easier to keep believing that if he never saw one. 

Memphis grabbed the toy off the rack and studied the thing, “Honestly you have me seriously considering it.” If nothing else but the joy of getting to annoy his sister. Unfortunately, he knew that eventually he’d forget about the toy and she wouldn’t. And turnabout was fair play after all, so he’d only live to regret the purchase, “But it’ll have to wait for another time.” with a sigh, he hung the toy back on the rack and went to follow his new friend towards the check out. He almost crashed into her when she stopped, glancing around her to follow her gaze. “What do you me-” he paused when he saw them at the door. Well, fuck. Those were actually large ass cicadas. No hyperbole or seeing the wrong thing. He owed like ten people an apology. “What the actual hell?” Memphis questioned, tilting his head to try to study the creatures at a different angle. As if this new angle would somehow change what he was seeing. He wasn’t really sure how to react? The fear was there, but it was overpowered by the shock. People really saw this shit and then casually went on with their night? How were they even supposed to leave the store?

Luckily, or rather unluckily, the cicadas solved that problem for them. It only took a small group piled up against the glass door to shatter it completely and soon the creatures were spilling into the front entrance of the store. “You have got to be kidding me.” Memphis muttered under his breath, but it was hard to make out the words through his shaking. He didn’t like danger. Helping people who were in it was one thing, but he didn’t like being there himself. “These things are like terrifying, but harmless right?” he quickly asked the girl, praying for an answer he actually liked. “Please lie to me right now.”

—

“Uh yeah. If I hadn’t seen them years ago, I wouldn’t have believed they were real either. But once you see a bug that big, you never forget it.” It was true. Sam had nightmares after she had first experienced the massive bugs. And it took everything within her to leave the house. And, now, here she was faced with the damn things again.

“Really?” Sam laughed. “It’s just the retaliation you have to be careful of.” She liked this guy. He was funny. And watching him contemplate the toy, even if that’s all it had been, had made her like him even more. This was one of those things that Zach would have highly approved of. Annoying someone just because it was fun. But she could understand the hesitation. Retaliation with jokes could be harsh if you weren’t prepared for it. She had learned this first hand, when her best friend had put blue hair dye in her shampoo bottle once. Joke was on him though, because it actually turned out looking great.

But with the pair reaching the front and all chaos breaking out, it was like their past conversation no longer mattered. And as Sam watched the bugs filing in through the now shattered front door, she couldn’t help but pause. The fear was already welling up in her, and though she had wanted her new friend to at least see them, she hadn’t expected this to happen. Immediately, she let the dog food fall to the floor and without hesitating anymore, pulled the face shield back down over her head, before looking over at the guy next to her, “They’re harmless when they’re alone, but this many…I’ve heard stories of them crushing people to death…” She wanted to lie. Wanted to tell them this wasn’t real, but before she could say anything else, Sam noticed one flying immediately past them, up towards the fluorescent light hanging above.

Instinctively Sam screamed and dropped to the floor, even though the bug hadn’t even touched her. Maybe if she army crawled she could make it out, but that plan went out the door as more Cicadas came flying in, “What do we do? I don’t know what to do?!” Her heart pounded swiftly in her chest as she heard more screams around the store erupt and their loud buzzing filling the enclosed space.

—

Memphis was vaguely aware that the stranger had asked him what they should be doing right now. Though her voice felt far off. His focus was entirely on the impossibly large insects ahead of him. Ones that were huddling around the entrance and may spot them soon. Cicadas weren’t violent insects, so logic suggested these weren’t either. Though logic seemed to fly out the window right about now, unlike the cicadas who seemed disinterested in flying away. “Crushing people. Right.” He was pretty sure she had answered that question long ago, but he was still slowly processing everything. “Um. A lot of cicadas are attracted to light and heat. Makes sense why they’d all gather around the door to a store then. So like, really all we should have to do is wait until they’re away from the door and sneak back out.” Sounded simple enough, right?

Their simple and clear plan was immediately disrupted when the group seemed to spot the two and start crawling across the floor down the dog aisle. Either they also really needed some dog food, or their closest source of heat was two humans. “First we run though!” Memphis suggested, patting frantically at the helmet clad woman’s shoulder. He turned in a panic, running towards the end of the aisle and making a sharp right, the exact opposite direction as his partner. “Shit!” Memphis yelled, turning to run back towards her until he realized the cicada would beat him to her. Already split up, like an idiot. He knew he wouldn’t survive a horror movie. He decided to keep going, turning down another aisle and rushing down it, hearing the cicadas scurrying behind. He skidded to a stop when the end of the aisle was blocked by more. This had to be a fucking joke. He glanced behind him, the cicadas still inching closer, now from both directions. He probably wouldn’t die if they got close right? He could probably fight a couple off and run past him? Find the girl and get out? Fear won out though. He didn’t want to touch one of those things at all if he didn’t have to. Last minute, he chose the third exit option, turning towards the shelves of the aisle and grabbing onto them and pulling himself up. “I hate my life. I hate my life.” He climbed as fast as he could, reaching the top and trying to plan his next move when his foot got caught on the shelf and forced him to slip forward. His momentum pushed him over the top of the shelf, flipping his body around as he fell to the ground in the aisle next to him. A sharp pain shot up through his body as his back cracked against the linoleum floors of the store. “Fuck me.”

—

All Sam heard from the man was to run. Nothing else mattered in that moment as she watched the giant bugs start to move towards them and scrambling to her feet, she took his advice. Run! Veering left at the end of the aisle she could’ve sworn he had been behind her, but when she slowed down to look, he wasn’t there, and instead, Sam was met with a giant cicada and it’s huge red eyes crawling towards her, “Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!” Her scream had been drowned out by the massive buzzing of all the bugs that had managed to wreak havoc all over the store now.

Quickly turning back around and continuing in the direction furthest away from her new friend, Sam found herself somehow back in the produce department where it seemed to be cicada central. As she put on the breaks and her shoes squeaked on the shiny floor, Sam froze in fear. All the bugs she had currently been trying to escape had found the fruits and veggies all ripe for the sucking, and that’s just what they were doing…sucking out the sweet juices of oranges, apples, and anything else that seemed like a delicious meal.

Deciding this wasn’t the place to be, Sam slowly started to back up trying not to alert the bugs to her presence, but she hadn’t noticed the cicada that had crawled up behind her and when she almost stepped on it, the creature let out a loud scream, which caused her to quickly turn around. Her warm brown eyes focused on its blood red eyes with tiny black dots in the middle left the two in a brief staring contest, before she screamed bloody murder and it started screaming again in return, until Sam took off running as fast as she could in another direction occasionally looking back, until she turned her head, still limited in view by the helmet and smacked hard into something causing her to fall backwards and hit the ground with a thud and an oof.

—

The pain in Memphis’ back was strong, but not debilitating. He could move, he just decided to risk a few seconds not moving. But for obvious reasons, he couldn’t lay there forever. He started with poking an eye open, then slowly lifting his head to make sure the aisle was clear of creatures. Thankfully, it was. He had somehow found his way back into the dog food aisle. Finally, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the throbbing pain. He tried some stretches to test his mobility. It all felt sore, but he could still move. He didn’t think anything was broken, at least. He swiveled around so that he was on his knees and then used the shelves as leverage to help pull himself back up to his feet. Not that he should ever trust those shelves again. Traitors. 

All Memphis knew was that he needed to get out of here. But before he could make a run for it, he needed to know if the woman had escaped. He began slowly making his way down the aisle partly to minimize the pain, but mostly to try to avoid attracting the bug’s attention. He never really considered whether insects had object permanence, but really hoped in this case that they did. As far as those bugs in the next aisle should know, Memphis was a fleeting memory. But one that was only a few feet away with a thin sheet of metal separating them. For all he knew, they were making their way down the aisle in the same direction and the two would run into each other at the end. Desperately wishing to avoid that, he needed to try to lean the odds in his favor. He tiptoed back to the dog toys, finding a toy that he knew made a lot of noise and plucking it off the shelf carefully. For all he knew, cicadas didn’t care about noise at all and would completely ignore the thing. But right now it was the only idea he had. He winded his arm back, ignoring the pain in his shoulder blades from the impact and chucked the toy down the aisle. The toy met the ground with a loud thudding noise and began rolling, making noises across the floor. Stupid babble ball. Hoping that did the trick, Memphis peaked around the corner and spotted a large group of them currently distracted by the produce section. Perfect. He glanced around until he spotted the other person, currently on her back on the floor. What a coincidence.

Crawling towards the stranger, Memphis first did an initial check to make sure she wasn’t bleeding or had any obvious injuries. The helmet made it a bit difficult to determine if the woman was conscious, though clearly she had had the right idea to bring protection. He was not quite as sure about its effectiveness. “Funny, I looked just like this like two minutes ago. Minus the helmet.” For some reason, Memphis was convinced making a joke would help keep him calm. He liked doing it while responding to calls, so why not now? He wasn’t sure it was working; on him or the woman. “We should really get out of here. Maybe we can make our escape while they’re distracted by the food?”

—

Sam hadn’t expected the man to still be in the store, so when he came crawling over to her and said something, she jumped slightly. Turning her head, she looked to him before reluctantly raising the face shield on her helmet again, so they could communicate better, “Apparently, we’re not the only ones.” She motioned down the aisle they were currently at the very end of to one of the store clerks who was huddling near the freezers in the fetal position, before looking back at her new friend. “But I like your idea. I’m all for crawling by the way. Just scurrying out of here and never fucking looking back.”

Sam slowly and cautiously rolled over onto her side, before sitting up, “I’m Sam, by the way. You know, just in case I become cicada food on the way out. Tell my parents and dog I loved them.” She was partly joking, but partly serious. She was sure they would make it out. Not 100% sure, but maybe like 96.2% judging by the way those cicadas were going to town on the fruit and veggie section. “If you want to lead the way, I’ll gladly follow this time, so we don’t get split up again.” The last time had resulted in disaster. This time, she wasn’t taking any chances.

—

If Memphis wasn’t convinced they would be killed by giant bugs, he might actually laugh at the pure comedy that was the woman opening her biker helmet to speak to him. He couldn’t make this shit up. And right now, he was pretty desperate to find the humor in absolutely anything if it meant distracting himself from the unrivaled amount of fear and dread he felt. “Crawling is a great idea. Let’s try that this time.” Memphis nodded, already putting the motion in practice, “Clearly the two of us can’t be trusted to stay upright.” Since somehow both of them had ended up laid out on the floor. 

“Sam. So nice to meet you. Always nice to make friends in such fun and calm environments.” Admittedly, the only ones causing chaos here were Memphis and Sam. The cicadas started the chaos by breaking the glass, but they had mostly been minding their own business since. They were the two idiots running and yelling and falling. “I’m Memphis. I’ll pass the message along, but if I die I think legally you’re now in charge of my little sister. I think that’s how next of kin works.” 

On one hand, Memphis told himself to keep talking. It helped ground him and stop him from completely freaking out. On the other hand, maybe shutting up could be good to not attract insect attention. He wasn’t sure he had the best answer. But he did have an idea at least. “I bet there’s a back entrance to the store. Somewhere to take trash out. Maybe we swing by, grab that poor employee currently freezing to death and crawl into the back. Escape through there?”

—

What had Sam’s life become? One minute you’re minding your own business just trying to shop for dog food, and the next, you’re crawling around on the floor like you’re under attack just trying to survive bugs that were easily big enough to suffocate you, “Thanks, every now and then I have one. But it’s mostly when my life is being threatened by the biggest bugs known to man. Australian spiders ain’t got nothing on these motherfuckers.” She looked around cautiously hoping they didn’t hear her, but noticed the man was already starting to crawl, “Shit. We’re moving. Okay.”

Following along slowly, Sam winced slightly at the hard linoleum that her knees did not like, “Right? It’s nice to meet you too, Memphis. I’m sure the cicadas are glad to make your acquaintance as well.” About that time, she heard a cicada scream somewhere in the distance. “See? And next of kin? I don’t know about that. Maybe I’ll just fight the cicada instead. I’m not equipped to handle teenage girls. I can barely handle myself.” The thought made her shudder.

As she continued to crawl, she let her eyes scan the store. It looked like a zombie apocalypse. Lights were blinking and some dangled from the ceiling. The massive bugs were planted around either sucking on fruit juice or chirping their overly loud mating call hoping to make the night even more special than it already was, and if Sam didn’t put her focus back on Memphis, she was sure she was going to lose her mind, “I think that sounds like the best idea of the night. You keep leading, and I’ll keep following despite how much my knees hate me right now.”

—

Okay, the two had a plan. Whether the plan was actually good or not was irrelevant at this point. Because having a plan at all was better than not having one. That logic made sense to Memphis. He glanced behind him to ensure that Sam was following behind. The sound of them crawling across the floor was completely muffled by the chirping and slurping noises of the bugs. An otherwise terrifying noise that he was actually thankful for at this moment. Unsurprisingly, Sam didn’t love the idea of adopting his little sister. And she hadn’t even met the girl yet. “You’re preaching to the choir here. Is it sad I actually would rather hang out with these dudes sucking fruit then go back home and tell my sister I forgot her sour patch kids? It’s pathetic.” It was a bit of an exaggeration, sure. But there was some truth to it. How the hell was he even supposed to begin explaining that he couldn’t get her snacks because giant bugs tried to kill him?

They scooted their way across the floor and back to the freezers. At the end of the aisle were the coolers holding the milk and creamer. Behind those? A direct path to the stockroom. That’s where they needed to go. He stopped in front of the employee on their way back, asking the man if he was okay. He looked scared shitless, like a deer in headlights, staring ahead and silent. For some reason, he took Memphis’ question as an invitation and began very vocally panicking. Memphis could only hear a split second of loud, incoherent babbling before he lifted his arm and planted his palm over the man’s mouth, making a loud shushing noise. “Yeah dude, same. But maybe let’s not draw any unwelcome attention, okay? Let’s get out of here and then freak out. Like reasonable people. ‘Kay?” He kept the man’s mouth covered until the clerk nodded in agreement. Memphis pulled his hand away in a silent thumbs up and then started crawling again until he got to the back where the door to the milk was. No cicadas in sight at least. Maybe they didn’t like the heat? “Okay let’s pull out this milk and then push the shelves out and we can crawl right back into the stock room.” 

—

Sam continued to crawl like a woman on a mission. She was going to get out of here and away from these damn things no matter what. She had a dog to get back home to, a dog who was getting Wendy’s chicken nuggets for dinner instead of damn expensive kibble tonight. He was probably howling at this point looking for her and his food, and it kind of broke her heart; despite being in the middle of a war with cicadas, “Hey, man, I’ve gotta return to my dog who is probably aiming to eat me alive when I get home. Just do what I’ve got planned…Wendy’s. Scout’s getting a ten piece nugget for dinner. I’m sure those girls love Frostys.” Her mind went back to Lil and the ghost in the Frosty machine. What a day that was.

As they came upon the man huddling up, Sam kept watch while Memphis talked to him. It was the franticness that sent Sam into a frenzy trying, along with Memphis, to shut him up, and when he finally did and they were all in agreement to the plan, Sam gave one last glance towards the cicadas and started moving again, until they reached their destination. It was like a heaviness in the cicada filled air had somewhat lifted, and slowly opening up the door to the cooler, the young woman began quietly, but quickly pulling milk out and setting it next to the other coolers, “We might actually make it out of here alive…” She continued to work, but as she shifted her weight and leaned to put another carton down, she noticed a reflection in the door, “Shit, shit, shit…guys we got company…” Motioning her head towards the group of bugs slowly skittering towards them, red beady eyes trained on the three of them, Sam started clearing out the cooler a little faster.

—

“Wendy’s actually sounds pretty good.” Memphis nodded, ready to accept this alternate plan. Clary couldn’t stay mad at him with a frosty in hand, right? “Group Wendy’s trip?” he raised his eyebrows suggestively despite the fact that neither Sam nor the clerk was facing him to see it. He did glance back at the two, the clerk staying completely silent and staring at the two with wide eyes. “Is that a no?” In his defense, both Memphis and Sam had told him to shut up and not speak half an aisle again. A bit hypocritical considering the two of them couldn’t seem to stop mumbling. “I’ll take that as a no.”

Together, the three reached the milk and waited as Sam quietly pulled it open. They began pulling milk out, gently setting it on the floor before pulling out the next in an assembly line of sorts. “Please don’t jinx us.” Memphis warned, when Sam made a comment about making it out alive. Sure enough, moments later she spoke again in a panic, directing their attention to a group of cicadas that were moving towards them. “You totally jinxed us.” Memphis whined, moving faster as he pulled the milk out. He eventually took a more hostile approach and grabbed the carton with both hands, pulling it back behind his shoulder before chucking it towards the creatures. It didn’t quite make it to the bugs, but the impact caused it to pop open with a loud crack and milk shot out towards the bugs who all hissed and moved away as if the shit were holy water. Either milk was secretly their kryptonite or, more likely, they didn’t like random liquids being thrown at them. 

When a few of the shelves were empty, Memphis repositioned himself so he was on his back and used the leverage to kick out at the shelves, giving three or four solid ones before the bottom shelf finally snapped. He did it again for the second from the bottom, then the third. But they didn’t have time left for more. “Okay, good enough. Limbo and let’s go!” he yelled, motioning to Sam to crawl first.

—

Their mission had taken a turn with the bugs finding them, but Memphis had it all under control. His chucking of the milk to smashing out the bottom shelves with his feet made Sam grateful they had found each other once again. She couldn’t have gotten this far without him (Okay, she probably could, but it would’ve involved her screaming the entire way to the front door hoping and praying the things didn’t surround her and take her down).

Looking at the bugs and then at the other two men, Sam slid head first into the cooler, but when her head got stuck and she couldn’t push herself any further, she realized the helmet was going to have to finally come off. Oh how she shuddered to think she was going to have to go on without the thing that had kept her safe this entire time, but if they wanted to get out, she would have to be brave and make like Elsa and let it go.

As Sam wiggled free with a grunt, she looked to both Memphis and the store clerk and then the bugs again, noticing they had made it past the milk, all except a dinky looking one that was actually slurping up the uddery goodness with its attached straw, “That one must really need his daily calcium…” Sam stared at it for a minuted before realizing the others were getting dangerously close and without any further hesitation, she yanked off the helmet and threw it as hard as she could at the group of bugs inching closer, managing to scatter them and give the three of them little extra time as she shimmied her way into the cooler and out the back, “Memphis…and…guy who’s name I don’t know!!! Come on!!!!”

— 

Memphis actually almost laughed at the calcium content. If he wasn’t busy being terrified a bug would smother him to death he’d definitely let out a solid guffaw. But right now, there were more important things to consider. Like not being a bug mattress. Shockingly, Sam abandoned the helmet and tossed it towards the bug, working as a short distraction. Abandoning her helmet for them? Truly a heroic gesture. “I feel like you just lost a part of you.” Memphis sighed with a quick hand to heart pat. 

Sam had squeezed through and now they needed to pick up the pace. Quickly. “Like she said, time to go dude!” Memphis motioned toward the man who finally decided to speak to add in a “My name’s Mike!” as if answering Sam’s question. As if that was what was important right now.  Memphis quickly scrunched his nose at the man, “Dude, is now the time? Please just go.” Mike finally squeezed through and Memphis followed through last, halfway under the dip before he felt something weighing down his legs. He peeked through the shelves and saw a bug weighing down his leg. Memphis did the most level headed thing he could think of, scream. He started yelling, flailing his arms around until he reached a gallon of milk on one of the higher shelves and found the handle. He grabbed onto it and pulled it forward, smacking into the bug and forcing it off of him so he could finish crawling through, reaching forward past the shelves to pull the door closed. “Gotta go!”

— 

Sam watched frantically as Memphis and…what did he say his name was? Mike? Proceeded to make their way through the cooler. They were almost home free, until she peered through the glass to find that one of the cicadas had landed on Memphis’s leg. Frantic, Sam was trying to figure out how to help knowing how fast these creepy things could multiply and start to invade their safe space. But it seemed Memphis had it under control, and before long he had managed to climb through the rest of the way, shutting the cooler door in the process.

The buzzing sound out in the store was loud, but seemed more muffled and somewhat drowned out in the cooler thanks to the fans blowing down cold air. But Sam would gladly take cold over cicadas any day! Now, all that was left was exiting through the back door, and they’d be free. Cicadas outdoors wouldn’t be anything compared to battling a store full, “We made it!!! We’re safe!!! Mike, where’s the door?” She turned to the man waiting for his answer, a grin spread across her flushed face from the cool air that was coming down from the ceiling.

—

“It’s this way” the man, allegedly Mike, noted dryly as he started to lead the two through the quiet stockroom. Memphis followed closely behind, turning to Sam to add “It’s like he’s not happy to be here with us or something.” In this false safety, some of the color and humor found its way back into Memphis’ voice. Even as he made jokes before, they had been caked in a layer of fear and anxiety. A lot of that was gone now. Or at least hidden just beneath the surface. He was pretty sure if any bug jump scared them now he might actually leap through his skin and turn into a Halloween decoration. 

“I can’t believe those bugs were actually real. How the hell had I never seen one before?” Memphis questioned, though obviously he couldn’t expect an answer from either of them. His best guess? Weaponized ignorance. There were a lot of things about the town Memphis was willing to overlook and ignore if it meant keeping his sanity. Right now, whatever remained of it was being sapped by the ghosts of his dead relatives. It didn’t leave a lot of room for new, unknown horrors. “Outrunning those bugs was exhausting. Do you think Wendy’s does a ninety piece nugget?”

—

Sam’s eyes narrowed when Mike spoke up. Just two seconds ago the man had been acting like the sky was falling. Huddled next to freezers in a fetal position having given up, and now? She shifted her gaze to Memphis and made a face in Mike’s direction, “Uh, weren’t we the ones that just saved him? Seemed to recall Mike being huddled in the fetal position when we found him.” She had raised her voice slightly so the store clerk could hear her as they walked towards the exit.

“I had almost forgotten about them. The last time they were out, I was a teenager. Are you from Wicked’s Rest? If not, then I could see how it’d be a shock to the system.” She continued to follow the two men, until they had reached the back door. Sam knew more of the bugs lay just beyond the protection of the stock room, but she had just wanted to get food and go back to the safety of her own home, “If they do, I’m getting one too. Maybe a ninety piece will last me until the giant ass cicadas die off or go back into the ground.”

As Mike glared at them both, Sam looked over to Memphis, “Wanna join me for a trip to Wendy’s? I hear it’s safer to travel in numbers…”

— 

The back door might as well have been the golden staircase to heaven right now. Memphis stared at the unassuming door with a newfound sense of wonder. If there were any bugs behind that door Memphis was going to give up and whine in a freezer like Mike had until he froze to death. “I wish I could pretend like I wasn’t from here but… born and raised.” Memphis shrugged, raising his hand as if he was volunteering for something.

“Yes! Oh my god absolutely. Group field trip to Wendy’s! You in, Mike?” he asked the mostly nonverbal man, waggling his eyes at the man and hopping back and forth on each leg excitedly. Mike had the nerve to scoff at the two and pushed the back door open. Memphis ignored the tightening of his chest as the door was flung open, afraid of what might be behind it. “Fuck no.” was all he said before he ran off into the night. Memphis simply nodded his head, “Actually that makes a lot of sense. Some people just have no sense of gratitude. Anyways, Wendy’s?”

— 

Sam laughed as Memphis taunted Mike. Some people just dealt with massive bugs in different ways than others, and that was okay, but Mike was going to miss out on the best part of the evening. Actually, second best. To Sam, meeting Memphis had been the best part. This guy was hilarious and had made a really shitty situation so much better.

Watching her new friend haul ass out the backdoor into the unknown gave her the courage to follow suit, of course after his escape was successful. She’d be damned if she was going out into the night if she heard screaming, but all she heard was another insult to Mike and an invitation to Wendy’s, and on that note, Sam followed Memphis out into the night, “Sure. Wendy’s.”

[bookishjules]

wait. jace and izzy tried something romantic at some point?? i do not remember that 😭 i don’t like that

anyway

i completely agree with jace and izzy having those conversations they wouldn’t wanna have with alec! poor alec is very awkward when it comes to talking about romance and feelings. i could def see jace and izzy being like hey…. if you ever need protection…. i have it. (kinda like how izzy was to clary in cofa)

some insight into their relationship is in the end of the bane chronicles with magnus’s voicemail. izzy talks about how some guy left a dear jane letter for her and jace found it and went after the guy (after she already got her revenge of course)

also in tfsa, it suggests that izzy talked to jace about date ideas and the thought of her discussing her issues with simon to jace is absolutely hilarious to me

they did!! i can't remember when it's mentioned exactly, but it's never touched on in detail. i can only assume they were like 12/13 when they tried something because they were like the only boy/girl they could kiss and they both had their hormones going crazy and were feeling like doing some preteen experimenting lol they met when they were ten and like yeah they're like siblings now but they're also not really siblings yk? like its fine. cute even hehe just kids being kids.

i second the points about protection etc. tho. like with how they both pass alec in a few different areas of development, i feel like they'd have a habit of each watching out for the other, whether its in regard to demon battles or sex lives. which i guess is also proven by that bit in tbc hehe i'd totally forgotten about that!! it's been over a decade since i read the majority of tbc.

it is so funny to think about izzy trying to talk with jace about simon in general, but esp asking for advice hehe i love it bc as much as jace acts like he's above simon and teases him jovially, he absolutely cares about him, and because of course he cares about izzy too and he's had a front row seat to the torment that she'd been through during the sizzy dark ages... like of course he's going to be genuine and try to talk through things with her as much as he can (around the joking of course because that's just inevitable). ugh i love them all sm <3

[onetimetwotimesthreetimess]

now magnus make alec believe he cant pursue long term romance alec just gonna turn to short term one night stand

// This is part II. Read part I here.

They decide 8 pm for dinner but it’s 9:30 already and Alec is nowhere to be seen.

Jace smirks knowingly while Izzy hides behind a sympathetic smile.

Magnus tries not to groan internally at how obvious the Lightwood siblings are. It’s not like anyone is actively trying to hide this from Magnus, not that anyone possibly could—considering how public Alec is with his new found obsession.

With one-night stands.

It’s so unlike Alec that the first time Magnus heard of it, he almost believed that Alec is possessed. Magnus even goes so far as to check Alec’s entire body to see if someone has cursed him.

But that’s not the case.

Alec is doing this completely out of his own choice.

And Magnus can’t blame him. It’s his stupid fuxking plan to ruin all of Alec’s date that has led Alec to this.

God, he’s a fucking idiot.

It’s 9:45 when Alec finally arrives at Taki’s for their dinner.

“Hi, sorry I got stuck with something,” he apologises the second he arrives.

Clary and Simon grin like kids because they are.

“Stuck with something or someone?” Jace quips and Alec hides a blush.

Magnus winces at the words and stares at his glass of wine. He orders another bottle—for himself.

“Shut up and eat,” Alec hits Jace on the shoulder, lightly.

It’s not that Alec is hiding this from specifically but it makes sense—it’s weird if Alec is open about this to him.

Nephilim only love once. I’ve had my one Magnus. It doesn’t get better than that.

That was four months ago and Magnus can still feel the soft touch on his cheeks. It’s the last time Alec has been close to him and every part of Magnus aches and wants to rip itself apart.

He loves Alec so much.

And Magnus misses him more than he can ever love him.

It’s just cruel how this is happening to them—not that Magnus thinks there’s a them left.

It’s just Alec and his string of hook-ups and both of their broken hearts.

The dinner continues with laughter and stupid jokes from all of them.

“I could have easily taken that hoard of demons,” Clary states.

“Stop talking like Jace,” Simon reprimands her.

Alec gets lost somewhere in this conversation before Izzy nudges him.

“You okay?” She asks worriedly.

Alec nods.

“When are you going to stop doing this?”

The conversation isn’t meant for anyone but the two siblings but Magnus can’t do anything but eavesdrop.

“Do what?”

“These stupid hook-ups. This isn’t you, Alec.”

Alec lets out a dry laugh. “This is me, now.”

“Alec—“

“Would you rather I be alone for the rest of my life?”

Izzy’s face contorts in pain and she whispers, “Are you telling me that you’re not alone, right now?”

Something flashes in Alec’s eyes and he looks at Magnus.

They look into each other’s eyes for some time and all Magnus wants is to keep on doing that.

Alec looks exactly like he used to and completely different at the same time.

There’s something so unhinged about him—like he’s given up, stopped caring.

Not about other people. But about himself.

It breaks Magnus’s heart in two.

“I tried the dating thing. It did not work out, Iz. What more do you want from me?” Alec pleads.

Izzy turns and glares at him then.

Fuck.

She knows.

She knows that Magnus is behind the failed dates.

“Those guys sucked Alec. You dodged a bullet right there,” she says instead of telling him the truth and it leaves Magnus baffled.

She stops Magnus when they’re all leaving.

“Fix this.”

He takes three seconds to decide if he should pretend he has no idea what she’s talking about but he fails.

“Fix what?”

“Fix my brother’s heart.”

He wants to scoff because Alec’s heart is Magnus’s heart.

They are the same thing to him.

They are both hurting currently.

“I don’t know how-to.”

Izzy glares. “How about you start by telling him that you fucked up the dates and that he’s not unlovable.”

Magnus looks down, ashamed. “Why haven’t you told him, if you know?”

Her face softens at that, “because I know you. I know you got hurt by Alec. But I also know that you’re not doing this to hurt him back.”

He himself doesn’t know why he’s doing this.

“Why do you think I did it then?”

“Because you love him. And you’re an idiot,” Izzy says simply.

He opens his mouth to say something but stops mid-way.

He wants Alec back but for some reason he can’t

They both love each—there’s no doubt about it.

But he doesn’t know if he can trust Alec again. Or even himself.

He’s not sure if he will be able to be more honest and open with Alec this time around—centuries of habit is not easy to break.

And Alec deserves better.

They deserve better.

“I can’t.” He tells Isabelle, and gets so much disappointed in return.

Magnus gets it.

He is disappointed in himself too.

[rumandcigaretes]

Folks here we go!

Second charpter of "Bromance"

I sincerely hope you'll like what I've written, and that you'll let me know what you think <:

I'd also love to hear your ideas for the continuation.

What do you think should happen in Chapter Three?

What course do you think the relationship between Thomas and Alfie will take?

[Reminder: This fanfic is not canonical. In my concept, Thomas decides to forget about Grace and focus on his messed-up life. Of course, it's not that simple, but he decides to immerse himself in work. As a result, he re-establishes a partnership with Alfie Solomons. Both control a network of betting shops and, thanks to their influence, can decide on the winners - thus securing most of the profits. However, Thomas is haunted by demons from his past and falls into alcoholism. Drifting away from the partnership, he completely loses himself in self-destruction. Alfie wants to help him, not so much for his own good but for the sake of the partnership. However, things take a slightly different turn, which you can read about in this fanfic <;]

Okay now letsss go!!!

<Tw: alcoholism, some kind of sh, many swears, brinery> -> I think thats all but if it isn't, let me know!

2

Morning was cold. The bed he lay on felt almost like stone.

It was strange, though; within him arose a feeling of even greater emptiness. Something was missing.

But Shelby couldn't quite believe that the emptiness that had accompanied him for months had suddenly deepened.

He didn't cry for that bitch. He didn't cry for his father. He didn't even cry in and after Belfast.

Yet in that moment, a solitary tear rolled down his cheek.

So pathetic.

He knew what had happened. He remembered every moment, and even if his memory failed him, the muscles of his entire body painfully reminded him of last night's events.

Too much.

A piercing scream escaped his throat, and his hand painfully struck the bed frame.

Pain.

For a moment, the pain drowned out the emptiness.

So pathetic.

He was only pulled out of this horribly embarrassing state by the sound of opening doors. Before him stood the figure of a petite woman, scanning the room in fear.

Enormous anger boiled within him. How dare she enter without knocking?

He fixed his steely gaze on her. The woman immediately panicked, visibly eager to start a litany of apologies for her intrusion, but Thomas had no strength left for that.

"Get the fuck out," he growled, causing the woman to almost stumble over her own feet as she hurried out of the room.

As the door closed behind her, a string of curses poured from his lips.

What was he doing? Control was his strongest trait. And this? What was this?

He looked at his hand, noticing his knuckles were covered in blood. He sighed heavily as he sat up.

He was careful not to stain the sheets any further, well aware that traces of blood and semen would give the maids too much gossip fodder.

Although were the semen stains alone not already enough reason for gossip?

He grimaced, pretending not to care.

The journey to the bathroom was unpleasant. Pain in his lower body was clearly bothering him, but he tried his hardest to maintain shreds of dignity.

However, upon reaching the bathroom and casting a disdainful glance at his reflection in the mirror, even those shreds vanished.

What had he become?

His hips were covered in reddened bruises, which would likely only darken over time. His stomach still bore dried semen.

To make matters worse, a belt mark was especially noticeable around his mouth.

"Damn, did Clary notice?" raced through his mind, bringing a surge of anxiety.

He was pathetic.

With quick steps, he headed towards the shower, not wanting to look at himself any longer.

"I need to somehow massage this away."

They say warm water washes away shame.

Shelby definitely intended to test that.

The shower helped for a moment. The pain and self-disgust retreated a few steps, leaving only emptiness.

It wasn't unfamiliar to him, though, so he knew exactly how to effectively drown it out.

Fiery whiskey instead of breakfast was the best way to start the day.

He sat in the armchair where Alfie had found him yesterday. Essentially, the scene was the same as the day before. Him, whiskey, and empty whiskey bottles. A nice summary of Thomas "Fucking" Shelby.

He lit a cigarette to further poison the emptiness inside. Drag after drag, interrupted occasionally by a sip of alcohol. In fact, he had made some progress since he was using a glass.

He was only wondering what Clary was doing. She usually came around this time to ask what he wanted for breakfast. Although he usually replied that he already had everything he needed, the awareness that she hadn’t come that morning somewhat scared him.

Pathetic, Thomas Shelby afraid of what his housekeeper might think of him.

However, his fears were justified because rumors worked faster than anything else to damage one's reputation.

He got up from his seat and moved towards the bar.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror adorning the bar. He noted with a hint of relief that the mark from the strap had blended into his slightly darkened skin.

In reality, to see it, one had to look really closely, and after all, few people looked him straight in the face.

This calmed him a bit.

He resumed his intention and with a confident move opened the bar door. Behind one of the wine bottles, which he probably would never drink anyway, he found what he needed. Without much thought, he took out 20 shillings from his wallet. The cigarette he held in his mouth almost burned his lips.

He put the wallet back in its previous place, throwing the cigarette filter into a nearby ashtray.

He walked slowly towards the door leading to the corridor, first putting the extracted coins into his pants pocket.

"A bit of a nonchalant bribe, for me," he thought, smiling faintly.

He looked out into the corridor but saw no one. Most likely everyone was downstairs, but he decided not to bother going there.

"Clary, come to me!" he shouted, returning to his room.

How pathetic.

He cursed, falling heavily into the armchair.

After a short while, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he commanded, pouring himself another serving of breakfast.

Clary entered the room. She was visibly stressed.

"Sit down," he pointed to the armchair right next to him. The woman quickly complied.

Shelby looked her over. He saw her fear.

"Who is downstairs?" he asked, lighting another cigarette and reclining in the chair.

After a few drags, however, he put it on the table.

She swallowed hard.

"Martha and Annie," the response was quick.

Shelby nodded.

"Since when have they been here?" he measured her with his gaze again.

Clary probably guessed what her employer might be concerned about.

"They just arrived, Mr. Shelby," her voice seemed calmer.

The man relaxed a bit at this information.

"Why didn't you come to ask what I want for breakfast?" he leaned towards her. He couldn't resist teasing her. It gave him a minimum of control. A minimum of satisfaction from having power over someone, over anything...

The maid lowered her gaze.

"I thought you didn't want to see me," her voice was stressed again.

Well, such a reaction was quite adequate - after all, she was dealing with unstable Thomas "Fucking" Shelby.

He reached towards his pocket, and the woman trembled.

"Listen to me carefully now," he looked her straight in the eyes, "Nothing happened this morning. You saw nothing and heard nothing. You'll also go to my bedroom now and take the sheets for washing. You are not to ask anything and comment on nothing. If I find out that anyone heard from you about this morning," he paused, clenching his lips tightly, "I will kill you."

As he said this, not a single muscle twitched on his face, and his gaze was fixed directly on the woman's irises.

The maid trembled again. She knew he wasn't joking. She couldn't utter a word, only nodded in understanding.

Shelby smiled falsely.

"Excellent. Here's something that might help you keep your mouth shut," he said, pressing the previously prepared 20 shillings into her hand.

He had forgotten about the lit cigarette that was sadly burning out on the table. He cast a longing glance in its direction.

Clary almost fainted. It wasn't good for her nerves. She jumped to her feet but put the entire amount into the pocket of her apron.

"I'll go take care of the sheets," she said, heading towards Shelby's bedroom. He merely nodded in her direction.

It seemed one problem was off his shoulders.

Now, he had to wait for the second, much more important one to resolve itself.

In this case, he wasn't really worried about anything.

Alfie was a reasonable guy and definitely wouldn't do anything stupid, as it would harm both Shelby and himself...

Although there was one thing with him that desperately wanted to be voiced.

That thing was the damn desire to control everything...

But in that matter, it wasn't possible. Shelby couldn't influence the Jew in any way.

After all, he didn’t intend to threaten him after he had dragged him to bed himself.

However, he also didn’t intend to ask him for anything – or rather, in this case, beg.

The boy's face twisted in a grimace of agony.

These thoughts hurt so damn much.

After all...

That evening changed nothing.

It couldn’t change anything...

No.

He just wanted it to be that way.

He was lying to himself.

The truth was that the evening spent in the long-haired man's arms changed something inside him.

It outlined a pattern that Shelby didn’t want to look at, fearing that what he would see would be so terrifying.

That was truly pathetic.

“Thomas fucking Shelby can’t come to terms with the disgusting truth about himself” – he laughed at the thought.

But this laugh was almost like crying.

He was exhausted.

The thoughts whirled so strongly in his head that it seemed to him as if he had been sitting in that armchair for ages. He was only snapped out of it by the silhouette of a woman quickly moving towards the exit of his room.

When she left, he noted with a hint of relief that he had gotten rid of that filthy bedding, which most likely still carried the scent of the bearded Jew.

He definitely didn’t intend to return to the bedroom anytime soon. Too much had happened there.

He grimaced at the memories of the previous night’s events.

His throat was dry, so he quickly reached for the whiskey bottle.

He took a big gulp.

“Fuck those glasses,” he thought, sighing heavily.

It was shaping up to be a horribly tough day.

He didn’t even notice when he drifted off. It was probably the bottle of whiskey, drunk in less than an hour, that had this effect on him.

He slowly rubbed his sleepy eyes.

He cast a bleary glance at the clock. It was nearing noon, so he would probably be able to have a proper drink at some pub.

He slowly got up from his seat, noticing a lot of white spots before his eyes.

“Fuck, I’m seeing white mice from all this,” ran through his mind.

He headed towards the door. After the morning adventure with Clary, he didn't want to see any of the maids.

Even though he had dealt with the matter, something in his head kept screaming that everyone knew what had happened the previous evening.

He tightly shut his eyes to cut off those thoughts.

After all, he was alone in his residence yesterday. He had long given up on 24-hour service. So why was he so worried?

He descended the stairs with a slightly unsteady gait, trying to be as quiet as possible.

It was absurd that Thomas "fucking" Shelby had to sneak around in his own house.

The realization made him smile sadly.

He didn't recognize himself.

…………

He breathed deeply when he managed to leave the apartment. The fresh air seemed almost strange to him.

He hadn’t gone out in a long time.

He shook his head as he walked down the road along the street.

As he walked, he felt somewhat uneasy. Random people greeted him or, conversely, avoided his gaze.

It always looked like this, but at that moment, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it.

“I’ve gone crazy” – This thought occasionally intruded into his mind, causing a grimace.

He had been grimacing a lot lately.

Mom wouldn’t have been pleased.

He felt definite relief at the sight of the dive bar where he liked to hang out when he didn't know what to do with himself.

Indeed, that day was precisely such a day.

With a quick movement, he opened the door, and the familiar smell of cheap cigarettes and stinking beer filled his nostrils.

It was pathetic, but he felt something calm down inside him at that smell.

He took his usual place right behind one of the screens. The bar was almost within reach, so without unnecessary fuss, he simply muttered to the bartender to bring a bottle of the best whiskey.

Of course, he knew that the best whiskey in this case meant some murky swill mixed with spirits, but he didn’t care much. In fact, the awareness that he would once again be able to drown himself in that crude alcohol almost comforted him.

“This will surely help me get through the day,” he thought.

He didn’t hold back. Glass after glass disappeared, and the thoughts seemed to become lighter. All fears vanished, leaving only that familiar emptiness.

Of two evils, this was the lesser one.

This state didn’t last long, as his attention was drawn to a familiar, mustachioed face that appeared at one of the tables.

It was Arthur.

“Fuck, what is he doing here?” he asked himself, feeling a surge of irritation.

He really didn’t want to see anyone he knew, let alone someone from his family.

Not that day.

Not after what had happened.

He swallowed with a sense of internal disgust.

What surprised him, however, was that Arthur completely didn’t notice his presence.

He looked as if he was waiting for someone.

The expression on his face also indicated that he had a specific purpose for being there.

Thomas couldn’t stop himself from glancing occasionally towards his table.

“Who is he waiting for?” – curiosity almost ate him up inside.

At the same time, fear sprouted in him that it might be related to the events of the previous evening.

“Maybe someone overheard him and Solomons and now wants to humiliate him in front of his older brother?

Maybe it’s Clary?”

With a slightly trembling hand, he refilled his glass and then drank its contents in one gulp.

Indeed, that filthy drink effectively dulled his nerves.

But even that swill couldn’t suppress the shock that came over him at the sight of the person heading towards Arthur’s table.

“That’s fucking Alfie” – his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

His hands failed him, causing the contents of the freshly refilled glass to partially land on his pants.

He didn’t care at all.

A string of curses almost escaped his lips, but he quickly regained control of himself.

He had to focus and play this situation well.

Control.

That would save him…

There were many possibilities.

The worst-case scenario assumed that Alfie planned to ruin him in Arthur’s eyes by revealing what happened yesterday.

The best leaned towards the naive vision that the two men had simply met for a drink.

Shelby really wanted to believe that it was the latter that had brought them to this place.

However, he couldn’t do anything concrete to find out.

The most sensible approach was to simply watch the situation from a distance.

His position was ideal because the screen partially hid his figure while still allowing him to observe this unusual meeting.

He even decided not to indulge in any drinks during his observation to slightly improve his chances of reading anything from the behavior of the two men.

Interestingly, it didn’t seem like they were discussing anything particularly intriguing. However, Shelby knew his brother well enough to recognize that this seemingly nonchalant style of conversation was merely a cover. They must have been talking about something important.

Arthur’s face appeared normal, and the corners of his mouth occasionally curved into something resembling a smile.

It was quite obvious because conversations with Alfie were usually spiced with numerous jokes from him.

Shelby felt a very strong surge of panic.

“Fuck, I’m screwed,” he thought internally, but then he chuckled uncontrollably.

This thought led to another, which ironically expressed that yesterday he had someone in his ass.

He couldn’t see Alfie’s face clearly, as he was turned away from him. He could only fix his gaze on his massive shoulders, which by their very existence brought back memories of the previous night.

“Fuck,” he growled to himself in his thoughts.

He was so pathetic.

He lowered his gaze. He didn’t want to recall those memories.

Or maybe he didn’t want to want to recall those memories.

He felt disgusted with himself for almost looking at the bearded man with longing.

What was going on with him?

Could he really not even control himself anymore?

This morning, he couldn’t stand what had happened.

And now, when that man was sitting a few meters in front of him, he almost longed for those events.

For that touch.

For that smell.

“Fuck, enough!” – he scolded himself, turning his gaze back towards that particular table.

It looked like the conversation between the Jew and his brother was coming to an end because Arthur stood up slowly and began putting on the jacket he had previously hung on a nearby hook.

After dealing with the last button, he characteristically extended his hand to the seated man.

After exchanging a few more words with him, he simply headed towards the exit.

“What could they have been talking about?” – the question flashed through Thomas’s mind.

It definitely didn’t look like Alfie had told Arthur anything about their adventure last night, but he subconsciously felt that he had talked to him about something specific.

After all, why else would he meet him?

Was what they discussed important?

Did it concern him in any way?

The flurry of thoughts was interrupted by a movement from the Jew, who clumsily got up from his seat.

Just as he was about to avert his gaze to avoid being noticed, Alfie turned towards him.

He knew perfectly well that Shelby was there, sitting and watching their conversation.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, pretending that the approaching man didn’t cause a surge of panic within him.

Alfie looked calm. Completely as if nothing had happened yesterday. His gaze was warm and his lips set in a straight line.

He was walking towards him.

Shelby didn’t even try to pretend he didn’t see him anymore.

It wouldn’t make sense.

“May I?” Alfie’s voice was friendly.

Shelby nodded in approval.

He didn’t really have a choice.

He decided that if he was really going to talk to this guy again, he definitely needed a drink.

He grabbed the bottle to pour himself the last bit of its contents into his glass, but his hand was stopped by the older man’s hand.

“I think you’ve had enough,” he muttered, sounding somewhat concerned.

Shelby was irritated. What the fuck did he think?

“Fuck off,” he growled, grabbing the bottle firmly and gulping down its contents.

Now they could talk.

“What do you want?” he snapped at the older man with a piercing but slightly glazed look. He tried to show as much as possible that what had happened didn’t affect him at all, that he was still the same.

Alfie looked him straight in the eyes. It was somewhat awkward.

Suddenly, Thomas felt a touch on his calf.

He flinched as if burned, looking down.

It was the older man’s boot. This peculiar move made Shelby feel a wave of breathlessness.

He looked at Alfie distrustfully.

“I want to help you, Tommy,” he whispered, leaning towards the brunette.

His foot began to dangerously slide up the younger man’s leg.

In fact, Alfie himself didn’t know why he made such a move.

Thomas couldn’t stand it. With a sudden gesture, he pushed away the older man’s boot, but he didn’t give up and firmly pressed his foot on his.

“What the hell is he doing?” ran through his mind.

“You’re full of shit, Solomons. At most, you want to help YOURSELF, but at my expense,” he panted, sounding sadder than he intended.

Alfie tilted his head like puppies do when they look at something that interests them.

A mischievous smile crept onto his lips.

“As for the first part, not today,” he winked at the blue-eyed man, which might have embarrassed him if he wasn’t so drunk.

Once again, Alfie was surprised by his own move. Although it was his style – turning everything into a joke because it made things easier. Right?

If looks could kill, Alfie would have dropped dead at that moment.

“Are you out of your mind? What the fuck are you doing?” Now it was Shelby who leaned towards the older man. He was truly angry.

But in that anger, something incredibly inappropriate was sprouting.

Alfie smiled indulgently.

Completely as if he sensed that inappropriateness.

“Let me help you,” he said, reaching under the table to place his hand on the younger man’s knee.

He was testing how far he could go.

But why?

He didn’t know himself.

Thomas felt like his knee was almost burning from that touch.

Yet he didn’t push his hand away.

Something in him couldn’t do it and wanted to savor the contact.

Once again, he didn’t know which time that day, he felt pathetic.

But he could admit that he maintained control because he chose this touch.

That was more important to him.

Alfie, as if sensing the boy’s emotions, gently stroked his knee.

Shelby shamefully admitted that his touch was warmly soothing.

What the fuck had happened to him?

He hung his head sadly.

He had lost.

At that moment, he didn’t even care about that fucking control anymore.

He wanted to wake up….

He hoped it was just a dream…

But when that didn’t work, he simply decided to ask the question that had been hanging in the air.

“What were you talking to Arthur about?” he asked without even looking in his direction. He really didn’t care anymore.

Solomons looked around, making sure there was no one nearby who could notice them. When he noted they were indeed almost alone and the bartender was busy cleaning tables, he reached with his remaining hand towards Thomas's chin. He lifted it gently, forcing him to look at him.

The boy shivered. It was too much.

"Don't touch me," he growled, pulling away from him. Yet immediately, he felt a familiar emptiness. Damn, did that touch really help him that much? He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to ignore the increasingly inappropriate feeling.

"I can't handle this," he muttered to himself, knowing why. It was like an impulse. He just couldn't keep it in any longer.

Alfie nodded. "I know, that's why I talked to Arthur," he replied, straightening in his chair.

Thomas was stunned. What's happening? The image seemed to blur before him.

"What?" he asked, completely thrown off. Control... He needed control...

Solomons shrugged. "Should I be honest or nice?" he asked, taking out a familiar cigarette case from his vest pocket. Thomas licked his lips at the sight. Warmth spread in his stomach and his muscles tensed.

The older man didn't miss this. "Want a smoke?" he asked, perfectly aware of what he was doing. He was maliciously testing the younger man's boundaries. A wicked smile crept onto his pale-red lips framed by stubble.

He was acting like he'd gone mad. Mad for the younger one...

"Fuck, this is absurd," he cursed himself inwardly, but didn't let it show at all.

He really didn't understand himself anymore.

Shelby, however, didn't let himself be fooled. "Talk about what you discussed with Arthur," he said dryly. He had to push away memories stirred by the sight of that familiar cigarette case, containing indeed delicious cigarettes.

Something flashed in the older man's eye at his reaction. He lit his cigarette.

"So, should I be honest," he took a deep drag, "You're a wreck, Tommy. Impossible to work with. For a while now, you've done nothing but get drunk and cause trouble when you do. You know it, I know it. Arthur and I have been in touch about this for a while. We gave you time. We hoped you'd get it together. But clearly, you didn't. So today, I made the final decision. I wanted to tell Arthur myself. I figured this would be the most convenient place. And something told me I'd find you here today," he delivered the whole monologue, simultaneously enjoying his cigarette and never breaking eye contact with the shocked and enraged boy in front of him.

"He knew that Shelby wouldn't like this turn of events, but he knew it was best for the company and its interests. They had already lost too much due to the recklessness of the younger one.

Indeed, Shelby seemed to deflate. "Are you fucking kidding me?! US!" he shouted, lunging towards his partner.

They were lucky the dive bar they were in wasn't the quietest place, so that one shout didn't change anything.

Alfie remained unfazed. He simply continued smoking his cigarette. "Calm down," he said after a moment. "This is for your own good," he had to be firm. He knew this was the only way to make a difference.

Shelby couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was he some fucking child that decisions had to be made for him about what was good or not? He was supposed to be the master of his own fate. By what right did this bastard interfere in his life? Who did he think he was?

It wasn't even anger. It was pure fucking rage. What's worse, it was fueled by quite a bit of alcohol.

"I'll kill you," he growled, nearly spitting on the older man. But then a chill ran down his spine as he realized he had just had the opportunity to threaten someone like that today.

"If I keep killing them all like this, I'll run out of hands," a sarcastic comment floated through his mind stream. Shelby let it pass.

Alfie just laughed at his partner's reaction. "Try it," he said again, taking another drag from his cigarette. "You wouldn't be able to do it, Tommy," he paused, blowing the smoke straight into the younger man's face. Almost like yesterday. "You'd miss me too much."

He was certain this would break his resistance. A slight smile crept onto his lips. It was gentler but warm.

Thomas looked at him, and despite his lingering anger, he seemed to feel a sense of contentment. He liked that smile, and he saw it so rarely... He stared a moment too long because Alfie shook his head with pity.

"I knew it," he muttered, sending the younger man a piercing glance. "Tell me, how long have we known each other?" The question was completely unexpected, but it flowed smoothly from the Jew's lips. Perhaps he wanted to change the subject to calm Shelby down a bit. Of course, Shelby immediately saw through this intention, but he didn't resist. Lately, he had been torn between extremes-either

incredibly irritated and stimulated or tired

and submissive to the point of pain.

Literally.”

Perhaps at that moment, fatigue took over the helm.

With a somber look, he regarded his partner's face.

Cold Bastard Shelby again.

Classic move.

"It's been about 2 years, mate," he replied. Although he casually continued the conversation, something inside him, despite the fatigue and indifference he exuded, wanted this conversation to continue. Deep down, he almost begged for it.

"Pathetic asshole," he thought.

Even the desire for control seemed to fade away. At that moment, he was even inclined to let Solomon lead the entire conversation just to keep it going.

The Jew nodded. The cigarette in his mouth was almost burnt out, so he reached for the ashtray to extinguish it.

Shelby stopped him with his hand.

"I'd gladly finish it," he took the cigarette from his hand, savoring the moment their fingers touched.

It was almost exhilarating.

His move was an abstraction, yet it's worth noting that lately, most of his actions were like that.

More impulsiveness.

Less control.

He grimaced slightly at this realization but masked it with the cigarette, which he brought lovingly close to his lips.

Alfie observed him with considerable surprise. Honestly, something in the brunette's demeanor instilled fear in him. Shelby acted as if he had lost his mind.

He was drinking more than usual, avoiding contact with clients. He even stopped controlling the operations.

It was so unlike him.

What happened to the guy who shook his hand so firmly two years ago that he almost left bruises on it?

With shame, he admitted he missed that Thomas.

And now all he had left was Tommy.

Lost, messed up, drowned in drink, and confused Tommy whom he would have to save, willing or not.

Although did he really have to?

Or maybe the events of last night affected him so much.

Did by taking Shelby under his wing, he sign a pact with the devil?

Or perhaps he felt obligated to save him?

Or worse, did he feel such a need?

After all, why would he be talking to him now if not of his own volition, wanting to pull him out of the shitstorm he was in?

Why did he plan it all, starting much earlier than when they went to bed together?

But will saving this asshole from the quagmire require too much?

And yet he did it, just by talking to Arthur enough. He lightened Thomas' load enough for him to pull himself together...

Why did he talk to him?

Why did he touch him?

He grimaced. He didn't like those thoughts at all.

The younger man raised his eyebrows in surprise. The cigarette he had taken had long been extinguished in the nearby ashtray, and his gaze had been fixed on the contemplative Jew for a while now. He wanted to know what the other man was thinking so intensely.

"What's wrong?" he blurted out, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.

Excitement was getting the better of him again.

"What the fuck is happening to me," he growled in his head.

Alfie shook his head in a dismissive gesture.

"It doesn't matter," he rubbed his face with his hand.

It was probably time to leave this place.

"I'll go now," he wanted to get up, but Shelby's foot came down firmly on his shoe.

"What is he doing?" he asked himself inwardly, while at the same time staring in surprise at the blue-eyed man.

He looked into his eyes, but after a moment he regretted it.

Shelby was scared.

He saw it in his eyes.

He was definitely scared.

He saw it for a brief moment, but he was sure he saw fear in his eyes.

But why?

Thoughts swirled in his mind.

After all, he wasn't his nanny.

After all, he was

Nobody

Until yesterday...

The whole situation seemed to overwhelm him.

It was probably too much responsibility.

Comforting this jerk for a moment was even pleasant, but babysitting him full-time?

Definitely not a vision Alfie would allow himself to be swept into.

But could he realistically decide about it?

After all, everything around him was happening as it pleased, and he just tried to grab onto anything.

Just to survive.

The younger man didn't know what he was doing. He was weak.

He felt it deep inside. Something in him broke.

Was it the alcohol?

Something was messing with his senses so much that all he could read was fear.

Fear of being left alone with himself.

He didn't want to be alone.

Not after he felt he didn't have to be alone.

It was pathetic, but stopping Alfie, he wanted to convey that to him.

He wished the other man was sharp enough to read it from him.

Anything to avoid having to say it out loud.

But nothing happened. The bearded man just looked at him in surprise, while fear gripped his body more and more.

"Fuck," he muttered aloud. His tone was almost desperate. Something bad was happening to him.

She was even more frightened at the thought that at that moment she would even ask the older person to stay with him.

He really was pathetic.

Thomas' condition made the Jew fight his thoughts. After all, he couldn't leave this jerk in such a state.

"I'll take you home, Tommy," he squeezed out after a while.

Of all the options, this seemed the most sensible to him.

The least binding.

However, the younger man shook his head.

"No. It's better if you don't show up there," he lowered his head so the other couldn't look into his eyes.

A wave of shame mixed with fear, creating an almost deadly mix.

He felt the urge to drink again. Out of the corner of his eye, he sadly glanced at the empty bottle.

Alfie sighed heavily. He was tired of all this mess. But in the end, he wanted to play the hero himself.

He sat down next to him and offered help himself.

He planned it himself.

Maybe it couldn't be taken back.

This jerk wouldn't admit it himself, but the Jew knew that Shelby involuntarily trusted him a little more than he wanted.

"Alright," he muttered resignedly. "Get yourself together. I'll host you at my place."

Well, it was already too late to back out.

Hopefully, all this mess was worth it.

.......

The road to the older man's apartment passed fairly quickly. Shelby walked a few steps behind Alfie, so it didn't look suspicious.

All the way, he tried to ignore strange thoughts about being observed.

After all, they were just thoughts, right?

The older man didn't turn towards him, just walked confidently towards a place known only to him.

It was strange; they had been working together for a few years now, yet Shelby had never been to his place.

He smiled gently.

"There always has to be a first time," a silly thought popped into his head.

They passed a few turns to find themselves on a small promenade where cafes and something like a wine bar were located.

Thomas frowned. He didn't expect his partner to live in such an area.

He didn't dwell on it for too long because Alfie's figure disappeared into one of the entrances leading to the upper parts of the promenade.

He didn't hurry too much, not wanting to be taken for suspicious. Only after a short while of staring at one of the bushes adorning the entrance to the cafe, he glanced at his watch with a nonchalant gesture.

Classic move.

After this measured gesture, he walked briskly towards the entrance behind which the older man had disappeared a few moments ago.

Immediately after crossing the threshold, he saw a row of stairs that clearly led to the residential floors.

He followed them upstairs, assuming he would find the Jew there.

He wasn't wrong. Alfie was waiting for him right by one of the entrances, most likely leading to his apartment.

He shook his head at the sight of the younger man.

"You really don't have to try that hard," he chuckled. "These people don't give a damn where you're going or why. They have enough of their own problems."

As he said this, he aimed the key at the lock hole and turned it smoothly twice.

He opened the door, hiding the key in the pocket of his coat.

Shelby observed him closely.

The older man's words seemed to make him feel foolish.

With all his might, however, he tried to push away these strange emotions.

After all, it didn't matter anyway.

He entered the apartment behind Alfie, waiting meekly for him to close the door behind them.

He didn't feel confident enough to peek inside the room himself, but the hallway where they stood convinced him that his partner indeed had good taste.

The neighborhood might not have been very interesting, but the decor made up for this shortcoming.

In fact, it even added color to the whole place.

These thoughts relaxed the younger man a bit. He turned his gaze towards Alfie, who was kissing his hand and then placed it on a small case hanging next to the right door frame.

It surprised him a bit, but he didn't say anything. The older man, after making that gesture, looked at him expectantly.

Thomas didn't know what was going on. He raised an eyebrow in a questioning gesture, to which Alfie encouragingly waved his hand towards him.

"Come here," he instructed, and Shelby immediately responded.

"Give me your right hand," another command to which Thomas responded without blinking.

After all, no one could see them there.

The Jew gently took his partner's hand, bringing it to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on his fingers, then guided his hand towards the case.

Again, Thomas didn't know what guided him.

The younger man didn't resist. He tried to ignore the fact that his fingers burned as if touched by live fire.

Was it because of those lips or maybe the unfortunate case?

"Is this some kind of tradition?" he muttered, not wanting to appear uncultured.

Alfie smiled warmly.

"It's a Mezuzah, Tommy," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Seeing that his companion didn't seem to understand much, he added:

"Jews who adhere to tradition place a fragment of the Torah in the Mezuzah. When entering or leaving the house, they send a kiss towards it as a sign of greeting or farewell to God. In your case, this gesture signifies the acceptance of hospitality in my home," he said, then gently touched the boy's shoulder.

Somehow, he couldn't resist touching him on every occasion.

"Make yourself at home.”

Shelby shivered. Every touch from that man sent sparks through him like embers flying from a firepit. What was worse, he didn't know if it truly bothered him. Perhaps Alfie was his firepit? He grimaced at the thought.

A moment passed before the older man released his shoulder, hung up his coat and hat on the rack to their right. Right after that, he walked past him towards the kitchen. He decided to simply ignore that small grimace.

Shelby followed him, also hanging up his jacket and cap. Upon reaching the kitchen, he settled into one of the dining chairs. He had already had a few drinks that day, but he hoped for a taste of Solomon's famous rum. Subconsciously, though, he knew such an offer wouldn't come. Alf was the last person who would offer him alcohol at that moment.

Maybe he was losing his mind, but something in his head interpreted Alfie's reluctance to let him drink as a sign of concern.

An abstract thought. Someone cared about Thomas, fucking Shelby.

A crooked smile twisted his lips at that thought. It didn't escape the bearded man's notice, who had been observing him attentively for a while.

"What's amusing you?" he asked, expecting an interesting answer.

Shelby shook his head.

"Nothing," he grinned broadly at his partner. Somehow, he was feeling happier.

Alfie looked at him indulgently before turning towards the fridge.

"Have you eaten anything today?" he asked over his shoulder, pulling out a large ovenproof dish.

Shelby became slightly embarrassed. What the fuck did this guy care if he had eaten? It wasn't his concern.

Despite his subconscious aversion to such questioning, something inside him again attributed this to a form of care from the Jew.

At that moment, however, he didn't smile at the thought; rather, he grimaced in disgust.

"I ate," he lied effortlessly, watching his partner closely.

Alfie smirked mischievously.

"Too bad. I already set some aside for you," he nodded towards the plate with a large piece of what resembled cake.

Shelby grimaced. He didn't care for sweets.

"No need. You know I prefer rum in my tiramisu," he allowed himself a small smile, hoping the other would let it go.

But that didn't happen because after a moment, the long-haired man sat at the table, serving Thomas a plate and a dish with sauce.

Shelby examined the dish. He was surprised it wasn't the cake he had expected. The whole thing looked like cheesy mashed potatoes. The younger man grimaced almost like a child who didn't want to eat something green.

Alfie laughed. This brat could touch him in this bizarre way with his amazement.

However, the awareness of this fact wasn't as funny to the Jew. He gritted his teeth harder, trying to ignore the growing anxiety within him.

He didn't want to get attached. To anything. To anyone.

That wasn't his story.

He rolled his eyes.

"It's kugel, not some cake. Stop pouting and eat, or I'll be offended," he grumbled, pushing the plate almost against the boy's chest.

It seemed he had no choice. After all, his grimaces couldn't overshadow his impeccable manners.

The first bite was strange. He probably had never eaten anything like it before. However, that didn't mean he didn't like it. On the contrary, with each forkful, he realized how hungry he was and how much he liked this peculiar delicacy.

"A liquid diet definitely doesn't suit me in the long run," he thought.

Alfie smiled to himself, absorbing the magical sight of this usually cold bastard who was currently devouring the food like a small, innocent child.

With a swift motion, the older man reached for the sauce pitcher.

"This will make it even better," he declared, pouring a generous portion of sauce over the remaining kugel.

It was so strange. These two had never felt this comfortable in each other's company before.

That evening seemed to have sealed a strange pact between them.

A pact that unconsciously obligated Solomon to almost paternal care over the younger man.

That perfectly explained his behavior.

But what about Shelby?

Did it obligate him to be submissive to the bearded Jew?

It was ridiculous.

Shelby always managed on his own. He had mechanisms in place that didn't include supervision.

So why did it seem to him that deepening this fucking void inside him had something to do with being deprived of the whip that belonged to Alfie?

He grimaced.

Here's the translation:

The older man tilted his head, almost offended. "Don't you like it?" he asked gloomily.

Shelby turned towards him. Something in the older man's expression amused him greatly.

But he wanted to hide it because he knew that laughter could offend him even more.

Although... Did it really matter to him that much?

He couldn't resist, and a quiet snort escaped his lips, resulting in an even more disgusted look from the Jew.

"Don't eat if you don't want to," he reached out to take the plate from him.

To his surprise, he felt resistance.

"No. It's quite good, thank you," he said, pulling the plate closer to himself to resume eating.

Indeed, the sauce made the whole thing taste more substantial.

Alfie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're acting insane," he remarked.

Shelby smiled to himself. "Maybe I am?" he replied, more to himself than to him, but that didn't change the fact that the older man shook his head in dismay.

"Don't talk like that, Tommy," this time, the endearment from him didn't seem derogatory but rather comforting.

Strange. It was so damn strange for both of them.

Shelby adjusted himself in the chair, finishing the remainder of his meal and setting down his fork.

He fixed his slightly blurry eyes on the older man.

"What's going on?" he asked as if absent-mindedly. He didn't even know if he asked the question deliberately.

Alfie furrowed his brows. "Right now, we're sitting in my apartment," he said, slightly surprised but with a hint of irony. The state of the boy in front of him started to give him chills again, so sarcasm seemed like a good solution.

Shelby licked his lips.

"But what's happening between us?" This time, he asked the question completely consciously, and the gaze he stubbornly fixed on the man in front of him only reinforced the idea that it was up to him to answer that question.

The devil was in the fact that he himself didn't know what was happening between them.

He sighed heavily, holding back from swearing.

"I don't know, Thomas," he replied, breaking the growing silence.

He hoped Shelby might respond with something concrete. But it didn't happen.

The brunette lowered his head in resignation.

No one said anything for a long time.

Then suddenly, Shelby's voice pierced the apartment.

"I can't get rid of you," his voice was hollow.

Alfie furrowed his brows. He didn't say anything, feeling that what the younger man had to say wasn't over yet.

He was right, as a muffled voice once again filled the space.

"Not even now," he said, raising his head to look directly into the older man's eyes.

The Jew was confused.

"What the hell does he mean?" he thought, but images from the previous evening flashed through his mind in an instant.

But it couldn't be about that, could it?

"I got what I wanted, and yet I'm still," he interrupted himself, regaining some awareness. He didn't want to finish that sentence.

Unfortunately for him, Solomon wasn't going to let him off so easily. He looked at him meaningfully, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

Shelby forced a half-smile on himself.

" Still hungry," he smoothly threw out. Almost as if he had wanted to say that from the beginning.

Suddenly, he felt an unexpected touch on his hand, which he had just laid on the table.

It was the long-haired man and his strong hand that caused this sensation.

Alfie was stirred by the blond's words. Some unimaginable fever that no compress could cure or even ease.

Something wanted him to immediately throw himself at this blue-eyed boy and shower him with kisses, yet another part whispered to him to hit him with all his might in that rather handsome face.

He felt like a toy.

And the worst part was that he seemed to enjoy this role.

After all, from the beginning, he was just a pawn in Shelby's game.

A pawn or a toy... It was all the same.

He squeezed the boy's hand tighter as he continued to stare at the source of the warm touch.

"Maybe I can feed you," Alfie whispered unexpectedly, cutting through the air and causing almost overwhelming waves of heat in Thomas.

"What the fuck is he talking about?" the younger man's brain couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Alfie had really lost himself in the fever caused by this brat.

He was scared by this fact, but he himself was beginning to feel hungry.

"Will you allow me to do that, Tommy?" he asked, wanting to get an answer as quickly as possible.

[myulalie]

Author interview

@aceon-ice tagged me and I’m really looking forward to this, thank you ♥

1. How many works do you have on ao3:

165 and I am extremely upset because Alex Rider got more than Teen Wolf and I can’t seem to catch up D:

2. What's my total ao3 wc:

1 047 026. wow. apparently I wrote 400k in 2020 and I’ve been putting out between 100 and 200k every year since, just wow.

3. What are my top 5 fics by kudos:

Mixing business with pleasure (Explicit, Malec, Shadowhunters)

Alec has to go to the Seelie Queen herself and strike a deal, release Jace from the curse in exchange of… what, exactly? He has nothing to offer. Magnus Bane is the warlock who grants wishes. His father is a Prince of Hell after all, the demon of lust… maybe Alec has something to offer then.

Yeah this fic took off alright, I really liked the concept ♥

Eyes on Fire (Teen, Sterek, Teen Wolf)

When a rival pack goes after Scott and his friends, Stiles finds himself caught in the crossfire. With his subsequent turning to haunt him among other nightmares, Stiles has to learn how to control his new abilities and make something of a situation he never wanted for himself, much less with the tensions that linger in Beacon Hills since the awakening of the Nemeton. As he eventually figures out how to be a werewolf, he finally finds common ground with one Derek Hale, catching feelings as he goes. The unexpected alliance might be just what Beacon Hills needs to bring the established werewolf packs together once and for all.

This was my first reverse bang and I finally tried my hand at werewolf!Stiles, I had a lot of fun coming up with the fic to match the art.

Deepest Desires (give in) (General, Malec, Shadowhunters)

Were-cats are good luck by shadowhunters' standards, so when a black, jewelry covered cat appears at the Institute, Alec pays him his respects. He needs it, considering the messes Clary and Jace keep dragging him in. Alec certainly doesn't expect the were-cat to take a liking to him, and even less to start flirting with him...

Now I want to read it again haha

A piece of night sky (Teen, Malec, Shadowhunters)

Alec is doing his best to keep the city safe. With no support from the Clave, the New York Institute is desperately understaffed. He begins patrolling with help from the Downworld factions - which proves to be tricky at best, and becomes almost impossible when the werewolves start hunting Alec.  His siblings have no idea of what he’s up to at night and to keep them all safe Alec needs to keep it that way. Then, he meets the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Suddenly, patrolling also includes pop songs and bird puns in between watching someone's back when fighting demons. But, what’s one more secret to keep?

This was my first collab with a beta and an artist for a bang, I’m exceptionally proud of this one!

(Vir)Gin and Tonic (Mature, Malec, Shadowhunters)

Alec and Magnus have barely met when the High Warlock asks for virgin shadowhunter energy in exchange for Clary’s memories. Naturally, Jace offers Alec’s virginity. It doesn’t go according to plan.

The first fic in this list is actually a remix of this one with a slightly different take on virginity x)

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes, always! I just love interacting with other fans, it’s nice to know someone actually read your fic and noticed details or reacted to some choices you made in the narrative. Also it can be a great way to find new ideas and motivation, I wish I could be more invested in writing communities to keep those creative juices flowing.

5. What fic has the angstiest ending?

I’d say Dangerous Tastes (Explicit, Yalex, Alex Rider), it’s a bit of a star-crossed lovers romance and the ending is particularly bittersweet, albeit hopeful.

After a failed assassination attempt during his horse ride around the property, Alex gets a bodyguard against his will. He keeps flirting with danger from then on, even at the risk of getting his heart broken.

6. What fic has the happiest ending?

Oh, definitely 17 Suits (Explicit, Malec, Shadowhunters)! Alec and Magnus find common ground over the one thing that pushed them apart all throughout the story.

Magnus Bane, a sworn bachelor, receives his fair share of wedding invitations on a regular basis and makes sure his friends get through their weddings unscathed. One dark, wounded and mysterious Alec Lightwood is not going to rain on Magnus’ parade as he celebrates the best day of his loved ones’ lives.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Not really, I don’t read them either. I do write fusion fics though, specifically Pokémon like I did with Idris Tour Sweethearts (General, Malec, Shadowhunters) for instance.

Alec is fascinated by dragon types and has learned everything about them in books. He’s always dreamed of finding them in the wild and see them for himself, but he never went on his journey with a Pokémon and now, it’s too late to travel the world. Except, is it? Alec’s siblings are all grown up, and he doesn’t have a job — or friends — to keep him in his hometown. He could leave and attempt to complete the Pokédex, hopefully meeting some dragons along the way. Maybe he’ll even find love, like so many Idris Tour sweethearts before him… But the winner of Pokémon beauty Contests, Top Coordinator Magnus Bane, couldn’t possibly want more than one night in Alec’s arms. Right?

8. Have you received hate on ao3?

No? but then I usually assume good faith so unless you’re insulting me or my mom I’ll either think the comment is clumsy but the person meant well, or just move on. 

9. Do you write smut?

Yeah, surprisingly. I was never really interested in smut, would even skip smut scenes for the longest time but eventually I found it useful in some stories and then I made a point of doing kinktober (Malec, Shadowhunters / Sterek, Teen Wolf) and smutember (Yalex, Alex Rider) just to figure out how to fit the prompts into some ideas and it’s been a lot of fun!

10. Have you had a fic get stolen?

I don’t think so or at least I’m not aware if there has been one. I did occasionally share ideas that got passed around and written by somebody else which is always uncomfortable but that’s on me for both sharing and not mentioning it wasn’t up for grabs lmao

11. Have you had a fic get translated?

Nope! I thought of translating a couple myself though, I’m just too lazy x)

12. Have you co-written a fic?

Several! Even though @spark-draws will deny it I do consider them a co-writer because they came up with a good chunk of the outline and I implemented major edits due to their feedback on The Mortal Instruments: Skyrim (Mature, Malec, Shadowhunters). 

Magnus and Alec are now enemies who have been saddled up with a mysterious quest to save Skyrim. Will rivalry, distrust and fierce and dangerous dragons get the better of them? Or will they find some much needed guidance on the slopes of the Throat of the World, where a mysterious brotherhood holds some of the answers they so desperately need?

I also recently worked on Vastly Different Things (Teen, Yalex, Alex Rider) with @polarnachtsblog as a thank you fic for our pinch-hitter in the Yalex Secret Santa. We literally wrote parts of the fic on our own then merged it all together with minor edits and transitions, it was a lot of fun!

Alex almost gets tossed from a helicopter into a river in Chile, and spends some quality time with a certain assassin.

13. What's your fav ship?

Right now I’m on a roll for Sam Carter x Ba’al (Stargate SG-1) but my one true pairing is definitely Helen Blackthorn x Aline Penhallow (Shadowhunters). I love them. so much.

14. What's a WIP you want to finish but never will?

I don’t know, I’ve completed WIPs several years after I started them so I tend to not consider a fic discontinued until I’ve deleted the fic from the platform, and considering most of my WIPs have not been posted anywhere… ;)

15. What are my writing strengths?

I’m really good at “getting it done” I think because productivity breeds productivity. If you get started and power through long enough, it becomes easier and you can keep going and enjoy yourself while you’re at it!

Same with edits, I’m not afraid to change things (although I can be lazy). It also applies to plotting/outlining, I’m an excellent planner, sometimes too much of a planner though.

Style wise I’ve been told I’m good at writing fight scenes and setting, I do enjoy my descriptions!

16. What are my writing weaknesses?

I’ve always thought I’m terrible at dialogue!

I can get stuck in a writing slump from too much planning.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages on ao3?

I used to really like it, especially since I’m bilingual myself. I wanted to use some fancy script to have the translation appear when you hover or link it to the notes and then back to the exact line in the story but I couldn’t figure it out xD

Nowadays I like the much simpler “POV character doesn’t speak the language” or “blah blah blah, they said in French”. You get it or you don’t x) 

18. What's the first fandom you wrote for?

Either Naruto or Harry Potter, let’s say Harry Potter because there is a completed fic I can actually remember lmao.

19. What fandom/ship have you not written but want to?

Definitely Stargate SG-1 these days because I’m on a Sam/Ba’al binge!

20. What's your fav fic you've written?

Right about now it’s Blue for Brooklyn (Teen, Malec, Shadowhunters) but it may change depending on my mood!

Asmodeus is a legend among Shadowhunters and Magnus has a duty to the Downworld. When a renegade warlock unleashes a powerful demon in the streets, he has no choice but to get involved.

Tagging: @polarnachtsblog @geekmom13 @brightasstars @sterekxhale @countessrivers @1lostone @strangesoulmates @kelkblr @lastlymatt @ravenjames @junemermaid @freesirius4life @turtlesnails

[dustandshadows-if]

Out of all the characters from The Shadowhunter Chronicle, who would the Ros get along with the most?

youve got no idea how exicted i was to get this ask...i think abt this way too much. anyways!

i think farrah would get along most with jem. i thought about him a lot while creating their character, saur yes, there are some pretty heavy jem influences in farrah as a person and their romance route🤭 but also just as a person i think Farrah would like him the most. they'd also like to be friends with jace, but they'd be too intimidated and resign themselves to watching from the distance lmao

Quinn, i think, would get along best with clary or simon. Simons knowledge of everything mundane would really draw them in, and they'd absolutely love to talk about Dnd with him for hours. I think the biggest thing about clary that they'd like is how far she is willing to go to protect the people she cares about. For example, if they heard about what she did when simon got turned into a rat, they'd immediately make it their mission to become bestfriends with her they could also talk about art together teehee

Juliette would get along best with either izzy or emma carstairs. i think she'd really admire their strength, and despite how strong they are, they're able to realize when they might need someones help without feeling like that help makes them look weak. Also, she thinks they're hot

Nira would get along best with Tessa, i think. i can't really pinpoint exactly what they like about her, but something in my soul tells me they'd be bestfriends. Theres also the fact that Tessa got to have a family with the loves of her life that Nira really wishes she could experience themselves and that might be part of what draws them in but not in a jealous way more of like "im happy you got to have what i couldn't" type of way. idk if im making sense, but tessaianira bestfriendism for LIFE🤞🤞💯💯

Pepper (yes, i know you guys, no nothing about them yet. YOU WILL SO I PROMISE) would get along best with Will. they both have very similar approaches to life and i think they'd find a lot of comfort in knowing that despite everything that happened to him he still got to life a fluffing life and give them hope they theyll be able to do the same

[amchara]

i love the specific situation when i see you reblogging things and i immediately think it's tsc without looking at the context and then immediately spiral into a tornado of confusion and/or horror before the moment of clarity washes over me and i realize it's fate the winx saga

you have no idea how many times i've seen fairy-esque discussions on your blog or drama-adjacent things and I'm like "WHAT HAPPENED TO MARK AND KIERAN WHAT DID I MISS oh wait-"

Hahaha, I do feel a slight pang of guilt sometimes for TSC fans who followed and are still here. I mean- I am still into Shadowhunters! But I mix it up a lot more these days.

But more importantly- you made me spiral with your question of WHAT HAPPENED TO MARK AND KIERAN... that I had to think, what does happen to Mark, Kieran and the Blackthorns and Emma in a Fate universe context?

SO- buckle up, we're going fusion with Fate and The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

I'm going to stick mainly with The Dark Artifices characters for this but I do have to do a shout out to the fact that we do have some direct parallels but mainly TMI related.

Sky = Herondale with Jace's weaponry skill and daddy issues, James' gentlemanly behavior hiding a dark side, and Kit's jacket + sarcasm. That boy suffers beautifully, as all Herondales must.

And Bloom = Clary Fairchild, independent red-head discovers hidden world of magic and finds a close knit group of friends who help her save the world. Though the narrative punishes Bloom a lot more than Cassie ever did to Clary.

Therefore Bloom/Sky roughly equals Clary/Jace

Fate: The Winx Saga actually fits the mold of original flavour TSC quite well even if the other character archetypes don't exactly align with the Fate characters.

But... if we get to The Dark Artifices and the more morally grey Blackthorns and add in the Unseelie Court, this is where I had to stretch the imagination. Not because it can't be done but I had to shift a couple things to fit into the Fate context.

So, first of all- Emma is clearly a Specialist in this 'verse. Trains all day, weapons fan and a drive for revenge? Absolutely she'd be an awesome Specialist. Her background in Fate is that her parents were killed by Burned Ones - and they were also part of Rosalind's elite squad and so as a consequence she's brought up at Alfea by Silva, alongside Sky. She's Julian's Specialist partner.

Julian is a Mind Fairy. I considered all the other elements and nope, we've got to acknowledge he'd be a fucking powerful mind fairy, and he'd be a protege of Headmistress Farah Dowling. When Rosalind inevitably returns... she'd sense his power and there would definitely be attempst to push him to give in to the more manipulative side of his powers.

The Blackthorn's 'dark secret' in this 'verse is that Mark and Helen's mother was a Blood Witch, in a time when there wasn't as much division between fairies and Blood Witch.

We keep Julian's dark past in that he had to kill his own father when he was younger, who was possessed by a Blood Witch trying to get revenge for the Aster Dell massacre. In this battle, Julian protects his younger siblings but Mark is taken by some of his mother's relatives and goes off to live with the Blood Witches. Helen is a Specialist and has been banished by Queen Luna to the wilds of Eraklyon to check the Barrier (and her fairy partner Aline goes with her).

Anyway, when our story starts, Mark's just been returned to Solaria, through some backroom negotiations by General Bavani, and he's causing a stir at Alfea, as most people don't trust him due to his background. Oh, and he's an Air Fairy nominally but learnt it through Blood Witch practice, which makes his magic super erratic. He and Julian are trying to get back to their old bond but it's hard and there's the whole point of Julian trying not to admit he's in love with Emma because... okay, there's no parabatai issue but let's go with the idea that Mind Fairies can't be in relationships with their Specialist partners because if they get hurt/their partner gets hurt, it makes the magic go Kaboom or something, so it's Highly Frowned upon). But obviously Mark has no issues with this so we can keep the Emma-Mark-Julian triangle from the first book.

Kieran, as some kind of son of an important Blood Witch clan- maybe even still a Prince, shows up undercover (ala Beatrix's background), but in this 'verse, clearly Mark knows. So he's trying to out why Kieran is there without getting Kieran in trouble. So he and this other Specialist he's been getting close to- Cristina Rosales - are investigating and trying to figure out Kieran's ulterior motives. And of course, the OT3 still develops. 😌

Whew... going to stop here before I write a full-blown AU but thank you for spurring on this ridiculous fusion post. Hope you enjoyed and once you've watched the pilot, maybe even know some of the names I've been throwing around. 😀

[foundationbuilt]

⭐

send ⭐ for muses I'd like to explore <3

placed under a read more because there's quite a few dynamics sjsjsjs.

regulus & draco. so i have an undying need for regulus black lives and tries to stop draco from following down his path, like it's essential. but i know that your draco follows the werewolf theory which would also be very interesting. like regulus knows exactly how their family would react to that, and the other people around draco, and the regulus i write has grown up A LOT since he was a teenager. it would be an interesting dynamic, i think.

regulus & scorpius, depending on how you write scorpius, i can also see a potential here for complicated family dynamics.

percy & jason, of course, these two boys with their own camps and their own responsibilities and becoming two entirely different people because of this. it's very interesting and i love exploring it. i hate the "oh, i need to prove i'm better than him" kind of thing percy and jason were forced into in canon because i really don't see that as ... part of their personalities ?? so it'd be nice to explore otherwise.

percy & luke. potential, potential, so much potential !!!! like i'm all for the canon route of enemies these two went down, but i've also down for canon divergences where sally actually died and percy went full rebellion against the gods, on luke's side. kind of like the idea of sally dying earlier and percy ending up on the streets with luke, annabeth and thalia somehow. so much potential here.

sally & percy, role reversal i'd love to write my sally with your percy. because that relationship is just ... *chefs kiss*. i adore it. let me have it all.

poseidon & percy, same as the above, give me all the father-son dynamics. give me the angst, the rage, the bitterness, what it's like to have a child that heralds your doom, what it's like to have a father that doomed you to such a difficult life, and what it's like to find a way to love them anyway. poseidon desperately not wanting to lose his son and trying to find ways to get percy to accept godhood ... *side eyes*.

percy & ashton, when i read ashton's bio i kind of thought of percy and ashton being on a quest and ashton needing to use his charmspeak to manipulate their captors or whatever, and percy being like, yeah, thanks, bro, can you also charmspeak the dogs to stop barking and alerting everyone to where we are? unfortunately, i can only speak to horses. like i don't know why, but i really just get a chill vibe from these two together.

jace & alec, parabatai all the way i will die on this hill. i love these two. give me all the dynamics from the little boys who first met to the men they grow into, all the angst, the hurt they've inadvertently given one another, the devotion and even how that devotion can be their downfall !!!

clary & george, these two of simon's best friends meeting and being like, hmmmm ... like i can see a little bit of resentment in clary that someone could ever come into simon's life and replace her. but then she's so happy he had someone at the academy, and it's like "okay, truce, let's agree to share him."

clary & theo, i like the idea of clary being interested in this werewolf-nephilim hybrid, especially in a verse where jocelyn and luke have had a kid. like she would be trying to figure out what to expect for the future for her half-sibling, but even without that, i think she'd have a soft spot for him. defending him against the clave, etc.

scott & christopher argent jr. i like the idea of exploring a dynamic with allison's brother. that's something that scott never had to do in canon, and with a brother that's even more involved in the family business, even if he isn't after him like his father ( initially ), mother, grandfather and aunt were.

scott & liam, i love this dynamic !! scott's first beta, which he has so much guilt about and it's his responsibility and he messes up but he loves that kid and he wants to protect him ugh, give me scott and liam all the time, every day.

hayley & donovan, there's the past with tyler that i think would be really interesting for hayley to interact with his kid. especially when he's attending the same school as her kid.

hayley & klaus, my otp, i honestly don't care if it's romantic, sexual, platonic, familial, these two and their dynamics have a grip on my heart. i will always, always want to write everything about them. canon, divergence, au's - give me it all.

klaus & rebekah, sibling bond at it's toxic finest !! honestly, need i say any more.

hayley & rebekah, also sisterhood, because they both deserve it sm and they're both exactly what the other would need as a sister i think.

wednesday & enid, that's her best friend. she's never had a best friend before that isn't a disembowled hand but enid snuck under that skin and into her black heart and she's staying there. it was not wednesday's choice but it's happening. i love the dynamic.

katniss & finnick, like these two lost their minds together in thirteen and i will never be over their friendship. it is the LAST person katniss ever thought she'd be friends with but he ended up one of her best friends and i will forever sob about them. i love them, all dynamics, including an au where the rebellion never happened and katniss ended up a capitol puppet just like him. *side eyes*.

sam&dean & lennox, give me winchester sibling things. a littlest sibling for dean to be responsible for, a little sister for sam to also be responsible for. like there's so much potential here. sam not being the "baby" is ... interesting, because john and dean trying to "shelter" him is a major part of who he is.

[diana-bookfairchild]

Something I see in The Shadowhunter Chronicles fandom - particularly the Mortal instruments - is that people keep screaming about family resemblance and DNA tests.

Like, someone posted about how James and Jace both have golden eyes and therefore should've been clocked as related instantly. This. . . Really doesn't work. Alec looks exactly like Will Herondale. Magnus, Jem and Tessa all comment on this. So does this mean Alec is a secret Herondale too??

Shadowhunters are ultimately a small pool of people, with probably more interracial marriages and relationships (not to say there isn't racism, but all Shadowhunters primarily consider Idris their home before where they live so it seems to have less of an impact), and therefore everyone is related to everyone, as little grammatical sense as that makes.

Even if Magnus did remember that 'oh! this guy I knew had golden eyes and YOU have golden eyes and therefore you are related'. . . So? Where do we have proof that the Waylands and Herondales didn't once intersect? They can have common ancestors and Jace could've inherited the eyes from there.

As for people wanting characters to perform a DNA test - why on earth would they? People keep saying Valentine is a liar. Uh, no, he isn't. He was just charismatic and misdirecting and manipulative enough that no one ever thought bad of him, and later called him a liar when he showed his true colours. His values and goals are horrible, but to the Clave, why on earth would he be lying about someone being his biological son? Literally, what is the point of that, to them?

We as the readers know Valentine did this to emotionally isolate Jace further than he already was by making him believe he was demonic and wrong for having feelings of lust and romantic love towards his sister - the reason I find the incest subplot of TMI more desperately sad than gross or cringey - and make him more dependent on Valentine himself - classic emotional abuse - but the Clave has zero idea. They don't know or care Jace and Clary are in love. To them, there is not a single reason Valentine would lie about having a child and who that child is.

Even Imogen Herondale, who - rightfully or not - blames Valentine for her son's death thinks well enough of him to believe he would trade the Mortal Instruments for Jace's life. We know Valentine would sacrifice his children's lives for his goal, but the Clave doesn't despite everything he's done. So even if they DID believe he might have a reason to lie, they wouldn't believe that someone would lie about their blood, something so sacred to them.

Maryse and Robert know Jonathan Morgenstern had black eyes. They either didn't remember that - plausible, considering they only saw him a few times more than a decade and a half ago - or they were just hurt and betrayed and also saw no reason why Valentine would lie about this. No one except the readers - and Jace and Clary with the benefit of hindsight - would. Not to mention that Jonathan was an infant and eye colours occasionally change at that time.

"So the first time I ever told Maryse that my middle name was Christopher, she told herself that she’d just remembered wrong, and Christopher had been Michael’s son’s middle name. It had been ten years, after all. But that was when she started calling me Jace: It was like she wanted to give me a new name, something that belonged to her, to my life in New York."

So. The Clave and the adults had no reason to order or want a DNA test. Now for TMI gang.

Besides the fact that they had no reason to disbelieve Valentine, Clary and Jace were hurt and desparing and disbelieving over the fact that they were supposedly siblings. To do a DNA test would mean to show hope that they WEREN'T siblings, which they couldn't afford to do. They keep having to remind themselves of their blood relation anyway, why on earth would they have enough doubt in it to do a DNA test? Thinking 'But what if he/she is not my brother/sister' would be way too painful.

Alec, Isabelle and Simon actually had the most probability of doing this. These three, I can see suggesting a DNA test. Especially Simon. But he has his own feelings to think about - he finally got the girl, why would he jeopardize that? I'm not saying he purposefully thought about getting a DNA test and thought 'no, if it comes negative she'll go to Jace' but in combination with the facts that he knew Valentine had raised Jace and had no reason NOT to believe that Clary and Jace weren't siblings, and that he wouldn't want to dredge all this up for Clary and hurt her, it is perfectly understandable that he didn't think of confirming their blood relation.

Alec and Isabelle, I think, don't understand how this is a bigger deal than Jace being Valentine's son. We see this in the Seelie Court - Isabelle compares the prospect of a Clace kiss to one between her and Alec and looks astonished when she sees how desperate and passionate it was. Also, even if Isabelle rebels by dating Downworlders, she, Alec and Jace up till the beginning of TMI were perfectly law-abiding and genuinely saw the Clave as a good force and adults and authority as people to be obeyed. If the adults believed Valentine's words, who are they to question it? They are more worried about how Jace is dealing with the revelation rather than how true the revelation is. In City of Glass Isabelle tells Clary she wants to never see her again because of how much her mere presence hurts her brother.

But what if they're not siblings? is not a thought that crossed anyone's mind, because no one except Jocelyn had the information to make that a possibility, and no one thought Valentine had any reason to lie about that.

[alexanderlightweight]

Pretty open ended but I'd love to see more manipulative Magnus. Like this dude has been alive hundreds of years, he's got to know how to twist things for his own benefit. Particularly against young naive shadow hunters.

okay yeah i saw this and went mwahahahaha. like, who would magnus be able to manipulate exactly what he wants from? and anon i hope you enjoy this because i grinned evilly while writing it

-

Magnus stares at the group of shadowhunters in front of him, all of them young and naive, even their leader who swaggers over with pure confidence that oozes into arrogance.

“We’re here for her memories, Bane.” The blonde says with a grating smirk that Magnus wants to sear off. “You stole them, so you’re going to give them back.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” And Magnus lets himself look troubled, worried even. “You see, I made a contract with her mother while she was a minor. I’d need to create a contract that would override that.”

“Then we’ll do that!” Little Clarissa Fray says, like she has any idea what she’s offering, what Magnus is asking for.

“I’d lose the payment procured and given in the original deal, are you sure you can afford my prices?”

“Greedy bastard.” Magnus hears muttered but he’s heard far worse and he’s willing to listen to it if it lets him teach these unrepentant brats a lesson. Even the little Fray is acting like her hidden blood, all self-righteous indignation and assuming she’s in the right.

“I do require a blood oath, mutual of course.” Magnus promises, because there is little risk to him with an oath such as this. The blonde looks murderous and then contemplative, and Magnus lets himself pale and sway back, as if intimidated and then he smirks.

“If it’s mutual, it’ll be fine.” He says, like he’s trying to assure himself more than Clarissa who looks about ready to grab his sword and stab herself with in her eagerness to see the contract fulfilled.

So, Magnus summons a scroll, writes a few sentences and lets her read it over before they both nick their fingers and stamp their blood on the page.

No sooner has the oath been sealed than an exhausted, furious and cold voice interrupts them.

“Just what, do you three think you’re doing?”

Magnus looks up expecting to find yet another tiresome hunter and oh, he thinks pleasantly surprised, he knows exactly what he wants out of this.

“Virgin shadowhunters energy.” Magnus says with a smirk, interrupting any response the group might have made and when the blonde looks like he wants to skewer him through, Magnus sends him a withering look. “Don’t worry blondie, you three lack what I require.”

Which clearly takes the wind out of his sails as he looks at Clary lost, like somehow, she’s hurt him with Magnus’ admittance which is just absurd. “But you,” Magnus hums and lets his gaze linger over the tall, new shadowhunter. “You’ll do just fine.”

He heres a gasped, low, “Alec’s a virgin? Wow, no wonder he’s so uptight.” And he valiantly resists the urge to throw her throw her through a wall. The comments are neither helpful, nor appreciated and being a virgin is hardly something to blame commonsense on. It’s not Magnus’ fault that the other three clearly had intelligence fucked out of them, because that’s his only explanation for the situation he’s gleefully taking advantage of.

“Excuse me?” His prey asks, incredulous but not at Magnus, “what the hell is going on?”

“A blood oath, to get my memories back.” Clarissa helpfully pipes up, smug. “You refused to help us, so we figured it out ourselves.”

“A blood oath?” His shadowhunter deadpans, his features twisting into a disbelieving scowl. “Jace, are you serious right now, you just stood by and let her do a blood oath?”

“Encouraged it even,” Magnus says as he stands up, circling his hunter for a better look, because he’s always willing to pour gasoline on a blaze. “He’s quite eager to get Ms. Fray’s memories back,

“What’s the price?” He’s asked tiredly, because apparently out of all of them, Magnus is the least problematic of the four in the room and Magnus is delighted.

“You.” Magnus says with a smirk, “and your energy.”

“Wha-?”

His shadowhunter gets interrupted by blondie who gives an obnoxious snort and a glare, still sore apparently about Clarissa’s missing virginity. Magnus idly wonders if after he leaves, blondie will go put up signs to see if he can find who took it.

“It’ll be fine Alec, just, I don’t know.  We’ll get the memories back and you’ll do an energy transfer or something.” Blondie is defensive now and the brunette who seemed the most unsure seems bolstered and laughs.

“Oh no,” Magnus says with a laugh, “I’ll be using the energy to retrieve the memories. You don’t think I just store peoples memories on my bookcase do you? I’ll need to summon them from where they’re safe, in the belly of a memory demon. Which, as you might understand, requires energy.”

“I—” and his shadowhunter doesn’t get a chance to protest, with three terrors talking over him, pressuring him and finally he sighs, shoulders slumping and with an anger that isn’t directed at Magnus as he bites out. “Fine, I’ll pay the price.”

Magic snaps in the air, a binding contract and his boy shivers and his eyes go wide as he turns to look at Magnus and then go even wider, as if he hasn’t actually managed to look at Magnus before now.

“Come along then, darling—” Magnus purrs and opens a portal, his hand out, “business it is.”

His boy hesitates before taking his hand and Magnus leads him through it and then smirks, his glamour dropping once Alexander is in his lair. He turns, all the worry he wore like a veil fading and it seems that blondie knows his warlock marks, because he goes pale, a hand to his hilt, “a pleasure doing business with you, Jonathon.”

It’s a name that was never given, but blood allows for many things and Magnus knows their identities now. A way to make sure the contract is kept. “I’ll take good care of Alexander, don’t you worry.”

“Wait, aren’t we coming too?” Clarissa asks, not noticing how pale her little guards have gone and stepping forward and lip caught between her teeth. “For my memories?”

“Oh, are you planning to just stand there and watch as I harvest his virginity?” Because now that his boy is out of earshot and the contract set, Magnus has no qualms letting them know just what they signed away. “I doubt he’d like that, all of you watching as I enjoy him. A bit crass, don’t you think. After all, he’s already doing you such a big favor and you didn’t even give him a choice.”

Magnus ignores the exclamations and questions of surprise and concern and simply leaves, the portal dissolving as he steps through to his bedroom, where Alexander Lightwood is standing and looking around with confusion.

“Alexander,” Magnus croons and steps close, hand going to Alexander’s back to tug him forward, so that Alexander is chest to chest with him. “Aren’t you a delight.”

Alexander shudders but doesn’t protest and Magnus knows he was right, about that spark of desire that Alexander hid away. Magnus doesn’t mind drawing it out, piece by piece until Alexander is begging for him, begging to be kept by him.

Magnus is going to ruin this boy with pleasure and he’s going to make it so that Alexander never wants to leave Magnus’ arms.

“Shall we start?”

[regulusrules]

Chain of Thorns Review ✯✯

Beware, you are going to be staying here for a long while because I wasted my entire night writing this out of spite.

I'm going to start by accentuating how much of a CC lover I am. TID was exceptional. TDA had characters that snuffed my soul. Even TMI had its good moments with me, no matter how much I hate Clary. But nothing compared to TLH. It was a series I thought of recurringly. The fact that it was a continuation to TID made me go absolutely bonkers when I first read CHOG. It was perfect. Perfect in its characterization. Perfect in representation. Perfect in every single aspect I could think of.

Until this book.

If I've learned anything, it's that you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. And this is exactly what happened with CC here. She ruined everything by writing this book the way she did. Utter waste of paper. Utter waste of time. I wish she had just left us at her cliffhanger to Paris in CHOI rather than shitting her way out in this one. Truly, it would have been more dignified than what she did here.

But where do I start? Lord, I literally wrote a checklist of all the things that went wrong in the book so that I wouldn't forget mentioning them. It's a list I never thought would be warranted for a CC book, let alone the culminating book of my favourite characters. The book just went on and on, repetitive and insanely ruinous to all what you hoped for. You wanted her to do justice by Matthew with him realising that he's not actually in love with Cordelia but with the idea of her? No, let's make it a fucking love triangle instead. You wanted Cordelia to exude the glorious power and grace that she had? No, let's reduce her to a stereotypical girl torn between two boys. You wanted James to be the ever-giving, everloving continuation of Will Herondale? No, let's shun him in speculative introspections instead and just give him a badass move in the chapter before the epilogue so that by the last page he's a semblance of the MC we fell in love with.

I haven't started yet.

Listen; I don't mind long books. Rather, I really enjoy them. I don't like rushed narratives or quick endings. I like seeing things given the depth they deserve. But that's not what happened with Cassandra and this 800 pages book. It was nothing but a waste of ink. She went on and on for CHAPTERS on things no one gave a shit about, but when it came to the actual scenes that were the core of the book.. she pretended she did not see.

𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃!

For example, the most important character arc of Matthew confessing his biggest secret to James was rushed in two pages. I kid you the fuck not, two pages. She might as well have not wrote it, just like she didn't write Matthew's conversation with his parents over this, rather skimmed it in a paragraph in the ending. Just like she did not write James's important scenes as well! You want him to have a proper conversation with Will about how he was cursed in the EXACT SAME WAY Will had thought he had been cursed when he was young? Joke's on you. You want to see Matthew's proper reaction to this? Um no. You want him to be truthful to Cordelia and tell her? Ah no my love, let's let the miscommunication theme work its way instead, prolonging this with him not wanting to be "pitied". For a very proud person myself, I did not see what Cassandra was doing by justifying their actions with pride. Pride is not about shunning pity. It's about not accepting it. So to ruin their character's arc by relying on this pedestal.. yeah, that didn't work.

What else? Ah, number one thing that created the checklist and made me leave the book for days: James and Jem's conversation. You know what the problem of it was? It was everything that Jem wasn't. I literally raged reading this scene, because as audience who are very familiar with Jem's characterization, you KNOW that his response to James's curse wouldn't be this plaintive indifference. There was NOTHING of who Jem was to James in this conversation. It was the first time someone from the elder generation talks to James about the curse, and it was very apparent how in despair James was from it, only for the conversation to not even exude one ounce of sympathy. I fucking didn't believe her. She tried to fix this by making James always able to calm down through Jem's instructions in the back of his mind, but what's the use of that when the main conversation we were looking forward to set an undertone of how much of a disappointment the rest of the book will be?

Next in the neverending list: Paris. Dear fuck, how it aggravated me. The utter ooc-ness of Matthew LYING????? Like fine, I get it. He didn't want to burden Cordelia with seeing him in shambles. How very honourable. So let's ruin this by being lying, conniving sons of bitches instead of being truthful and shutting her out while we heal for all we care. I mean, the whole ship is problematic for me, really, how Cordelia only clung at Matthew as her form of escapism and how he, supposedly, loved her despite it? I won't go on lengths on how I think the headcanon of how he was projecting his love on her instead of believing his real love for his parabatai should have WON, but the least CC could've done was to not make it too destructive for his character so that we basically have to go through a typical love triangle just because there's nothing better to write. She literally just reduced Matthew with all his charisma and superb characterization to a mess who doesn't want to heal. Even when he stops drinking, CC still enforced the narrative of how he was doing it for others' sake, not for his own. Only in the end, with the solo trip thing, do we get a sense of his adventurous spirit that might be on his way to healing. The rest was useless. The rest she just wanted to show the effects of withdrawal without showing HIS own thoughts about it. Nearly always it's people's thoughts about Matthew, about him going through this, about him always susceptible to the bottle, never HIM! Not one scene do we see his perspective, and God if this wasn't the most reducing thing she could have done to his character.

Should I start with Cordelia now, or leave it to the very fine end? Might as well do both, since it's basically a long list with everything that went wrong with her. My favourite female, also reduced to a shallow shell of all she could have been. It was like CC was taking notes from her shitty characterization of Clary and applying them to the one character that should have surpassed all standards. I'm not even talking about her reaction to the love triangle thing. I'm mainly talking about her fixation on it. How all of a sudden, the victimized mode was on, lamenting all what has been happening in her life. And sure, characters are allowed this— they're allowed to rage for all we care— but Cordelia became a hollow figment of the character she was with CC's insistence on this framework. She didn't even do anything about the matters that aggravated her, just took them all in with passivity that I was dying from. And the first time she did take matters in hand, her conversation with Matthew, she just slaps him in the face (metaphorically) with everything you don't say to a person who supposedly loves you. The real first act of agency I found in Cordelia was her reaction to Grace when she told her of the bracelet. How she took it in stride, and how it truly spoke of the fire and grace she was made of. Other than that, no amount of Edom or killing Tatiana or disentangling from Lilith could truly speak of her actions that were out of her own accord. And that's when you lose me: when characters lose their agency.

I'll be back to Cordelia later, but there is someone who I also wish to talk about regarding disregarding their agency: Anna. Just the most influential of characters being nothing but a puppeteer for Ari. And listen, not that I have anything against Ari, who was also one of my favourite characters, but no matter how much this ship is loved, it shouldn't have been the only sense of her character. We don't see Anna in her own eyes. We don't see her grief, her pain over losing her brother. We just see her characterization wasted on romance, and that was not all of who she was. When she discovered the abandoned entrance of the Silent City, that was the first time I felt like I was reading Anna Lightwood again. When in the epilogue she said, "I regret nothing", THAT was Anna Lightwood. All the rest was a bare reflection of the all-encompassing person she was. I mourned her more than I mourned Christopher.

Which takes us to darling Kit, who was done so dirty in the way his death meant nothing. I take it how characters thrust in war shouldn't always have honourable sublime deaths, but the least CC could've given us was their genuine pain over losing him. The intermission, the subtle references of their destruction over his death, were not enough. Not for a book that is 800 pages anyway. We don't even see Thomas, his parabatai, grieving. (Just like we didn't see him grieving his sister. It's so typical at this point to shrug Thomas's pain off.) She can justify it on Tumblr all she wants, but we don't put a lid on grief just because it's war and there's no place for mourning there. She didn't even write Cecily and Gabriel's reactions over the death of their SON! We just see them coming to the picnic in the epilogue, carrying their other kid. What a nice ending, CC :)))))

Truly, I wouldn't have found Kit honoured at all if it wasn't for that note: 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥. No matter how insignificant it must be for everyone, but this was the legacy I was waiting for Christopher. Waiting to see him honoured and revered in the eyes of his beloveds. This was the only thing, if you hear me.

Speaking of beloveds, from all the characters, the only one she did justice to was Grace for how she held on her care for Christopher and honoured him while doing so without being romantically entangled. One of the two stars is basically for CC not sailing that ship, and rather making them equals and companions. I absolutely loved this. And I love how when Kit spoke on her behalf, he was not speaking from being enamoured by her, but rather his own beliefs of what true mercy and justice meant. In the epilogue, when all of them hold on his words, that was what made me give a sigh of relief. But when James buried his gun saying Kit would "understand", that fucking made me explode. Because bitch yes he would understand, that's the problem. But you don't honour the dead by burying their greatest creations unless they specifically asked for it. He could've buried anything else to leave Belial behind; the book of Demons, Demons and Demons for all we care, but not this. It was the first time I was actually in pain from Kit's death.

Back to Grace though; CC still did her dirty. You know in what? That reunion scene of her and Jesse. Because fuck, I cannot even express how much I was longing for this scene. It was the one that would either carry the whole book in its shoulders, or speak for how shitty it was. And indeed it spoke, in the worst kind of way. I truly didn't expect CC to ruin this scene with how indifferent it was. Does everyone understand what it means to have your dead brother come back from the dead and call for you? It shouldn't have been as insignificant as she portrayed it. It would have been the most powerful scene of the entire book, if only she wrote it well. Instead what does she do? She leaves bars between them, figurative and literal, and distances them in a way that fucking ruins everything. I'm not saying she should've went on full emotional, but at least, Jesse's reaction shouldn't have been this painful. It wasn't even the time for the revelation. We could've gotten it later, but when closure was first met. For years, Grace held onto Jesse as her only anchor, and what does CC do? Throw the anchor in the sea. Fucking miser. This was my biggest indication of how CC will no longer know how to write emotional scenes.

And this was obvious in all of the other emotional scenes too, you know. When instead of cutting dialogue, she prolonged them, which made it horrible to read. Long dialogues are worthless without sincerity; I'm sure that's 101 writing for us. And no matter how hard she tried to issue sincerity, I personally could not feel it. I didn't feel it in their grief over Kit, nor in Matthew's reaction over the bracelet. I didn't feel it in Edom, nor felt it in Cordelia's pain when she saw James stabbing his own heart. They were all scenes that should have served, but all they served was half-baked imagery.

Last thing I'll say because I'm really going to post this review and leave Cassandra's entire world behind: the problem with her is that she has nothing new to offer anymore. Cassandra Clare is one of the best authors of nowadays, and rightfully so. She created a fully-fledged universe that is so well thought of and well-structured. But in doing so, she burned out by prolonging her stories. Chain of Thorns could've been culminated in a four hundred and a few pages, but instead she went on and on with ideas she had already done in previous books. Fuck, she even drew inspiration from the TMI show with the whole Alexander being kidnapped thing and going into a demonic realm. I legitimately didn't know whether to laugh or cry from how horrible that was; drawing inspiration from the show that fucked up your series. But really, this all speaks for how burned out she is. She is reusing the same ideas over and over for lack of new things to say. It's better not to at all rather than to go on in a "full cycle" of ideas. No matter how impressive she thinks it was, repeating 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘯 for 8 times (yes, I counted) in this book was truly NOT impressive. An idea hits for how fitting it is to the context, not for its sole sake. I haven't been this disappointed in TMI no matter how much I hated it just as I've been disappointed here for how she ruined the characters we grew to love. I hope she takes a break before writing anything new, because I truly believe she'll need it. And I hope, for her sake before the sake of this fandom, that she realises that there is no shame in taking your time in writing. It's so obvious she was rushed into writing this book, and that just speaks for how terrible the influence of media is nowadays. We love her despite her characters and despite her writing. Once she realises this, I'm sure her whole perspective might change as well.

And with this, LJ runs away from the Shadowhunters world.

[faithfromanewperspective]

"I do like the idea of him living abroad for some time" YES! A part of me hopes that his partner is from another country or something (I personally think it'd be cool if they came from somewhere in Asia or Africa or South America, but knowing TSC she'd at most be from the US and that's what would take Clary's ancestors to America.) And that he moves there with them for a few years, has new experiences, and meets more people. The world is much bigger than what I'm sure he'd call "stuffy old London," and he should experience it to the fullest! Some space would be good, I think, and eventually he'd come back with many'a grand tale.

EXACTLY! like i love tsc but I do wish that the stories would stop being consistently set in famous Western cities. Shadowhunters are global and yes we have great POC representation--but I want to see Tehran. I want to see a group of Shadowhunters from where Magnus is from in Indonesia. Ari's birth community. Sona's family and Alastair and Cordelia's cousins! Heck, even more of Madrid and what made father and son both go there for their travel year. Absolutely loved getting to know the gang in Shanghai. And I think Matthew would be curious to learn about other cultures, those especially that are clearly marginalised in the Clave (which imo Charlotte would be aware of and yet despite her position, be able to do little about, and Matthew would be super weird and uncomfortable about it for a while but figure it out in the end, and James would be fascinated, relate to it from the perspective of his demon blood, and try to do better by his in-laws). (I'd love to see James and Cordelia living in Tehran and raising their kids there, heck, even bringing Lucie and Jesse along knowing them.)

Also, who says Matthew has to come back and settle? He's the son of the guy who invented Portals! He could jolly well come and go as he pleases, and be involved in communities in a few of his favourite places. to me that would be really honouring of Henry as well as a great expression of living out a lot of the things he admires about Magnus. And his kids would get the good part of Cordelia's childhood without the bad you know?

[earthtolottie]

Title: Jinx Fandom: Shadowhunters Pairing: Malec (Alec Lightwood & Magnus Bane) Summary: Song - Jinx by DNCE. Alec Lightwood has always been told that he can't have want he truly wants most in the world. He was told countless times that he has a set path to follow and he is determined to follow it... for the most part... at least until he is introduced to Magnus Bane and everything he has ever believed to be true is soon forgotten as he gets closer to the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Word Count: 3,888

Prompt: "Go and get your man."

"Yeah, I want, I want to tell everyone, That you are, you are my only one, screaming at the top of my lungs, But I'm whispering, I'm whispering, I'm whispering 'Cause I don't wanna Jinx it..."

Alec lets out a yawn as he steps into the Institute, his head bowed down low as he tries to tame his unruly hair.

He hadn't planned on staying the night at Magnus's apartment, he had only gone there because Magnus told Jace that he needed Alec's strength in order to finish healing Luke after he was attacked by an Alpha. Alec wasn't sure why Magnus needed him specifically but he wasn't going to question the Warlock's methods; he had managed to stabilise Luke and that was all that mattered. After Magnus had moved Luke into the spare bedroom, Alec had seen about starting to clean the blood Luke had left off the couch. He was going to leave after he was done but Magnus had convinced him to stay for a drink. Needless to say, one drink quickly turned into two and then another couple after that. By the time he looked at the clock, he found himself not wanting to leave. Whether it was because he just wanted to make sure that Luke was okay, or it was the undeniable attraction he had towards Magnus, Alec wasn't entirely sure. What he did know was if it was the latter, then his parents would definitely not approve.

It's not our business to get involved with inter-Downworlder affairs, his Mother would scowl, her voice ringing in his ears.

He doesn't agree with that but he wasn't going to waste his energy arguing with her about it.

When he was growing up, Alec had always been taught that Shadowhunters were Protectors and that it was their job to defend and help those that were in need, regardless of their background. Over the past few years, it seemed as though Shadowhunter's all around the world were losing sight of their purpose. The majority of those he's come across expressing their own disgust at the idea of being in the same room as a Downworlder made his stomach twist. Alec didn't see what the issue was, they were all on the same team, fighting the same fight as the Nephilim. If it wasn't for his colleagues and families closed-mindedness about Downworlders, he would have probably told them about his relationship with Magnus by now, though what he would have told them is a different story.

Alec couldn't help but think, what was there to tell them anyway?

Aside from the frequent glances when the other wasn't looking, and the stuttered sentences that Alec had managed to fumble out whenever he was around Magnus, there wasn't much that he could say that would signify his relationship or explain his feelings. And, to tell the truth, he couldn't exactly tell them about the amazing first date they had gone on because they haven't actually had the chance to go on one yet. Anytime they try, something always pops up, whether it be an issue at the Institute or it was another Clary-specific issue that Jace was dragging him headfirst into.

Alec knew that there was something between him and Magnus, he felt it from the very first moment they met but he could never bring himself to actually admit out loud what that could mean, especially with his parents prejudice remarks running through his head. Alec didn't want to disappoint them and if that meant hiding who he was and sacrificing his own happiness then he was prepared to do that in order to get their validation. It's not something he's proud of doing, he would love nothing more than to just turn around and say enough is enough, he's over trying to impress them but as much as he wants to admit how he feels about the Warlock, he didn't want to jinx what they had just in case it was all in his head. He didn't even know if Magnus feels the same way he does because... why would he?

Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn who has lived a long life, who has met and no doubt been in love with a lot of people, human or otherwise and has gained far more experience in dating and relationships than Alec could possibly even dream of. Compared to Magnus, Alec's history was laughable. It wasn't as if he didn't want to be in a relationship, it was just that he had always been expected to be a leader and as his parents used to tell him over and over again, emotions cloud judgment - which for the role he wanted, he needed to follow.

He couldn't afford to be blinded by emotions.

He couldn't afford to be blinded by attractive High Warlocks.

For a long time, Alec had thought that he could follow their advice, he thought that he was happier being on his own, focused on his foal of running the New York Institute, content with keeping his emotions under lock and key but then he met Magnus and everything changed. Instead of shying away, Alec took a cautious step forward. He ignored his mind when it replayed his parents words, emotions cloud judgment. Instead of following the orders he was given, Alec decided to follow his gut.

And that was all because of Magnus.

Alec still has his doubts, of course, Magnus is immortal and Alec is a Nephilim with an average lifespan and the ability to grow old. He knows that if things play out the way he would like them too, then he would one day be seen by Downworlders and Shadowhunters alike as an old man dating a man who still looks as though he's in his thirties. It made Alec sad just thinking about it but he couldn't dwell on the thought for long as he spots Isabelle sitting at one of the computer banks, her eyes widening as she watches him approach and jumps out of her seat to greet him.

"I bet I could take a wild guess as to whose making you smile," Isabelle sings as she sidles up beside Alec as he passes.

Alec doesn't say anything in response, he just shakes his head and carries on going, desperately needing to show and to get some sleep.

"Did you stay at Magnus's last night?" Isabelle presses, eyeing him up and down, a smirk on her lips as she notices her brother's dishevelled hair.

"I was helping him take care of Luke's injuries," Alec answers, not looking at her as he tugs at his leather jacket.

"Sure, you were..." Isabelle grins, following him as he heads back towards the bedroom quarters.

"Izzy, don't start." Alec mutters, his good mood already fading.

"I'm just saying, Luke must have really taken a turn for the worse if you were there all night."

Alec grit his teeth as he continued walking, he was so not ready to have this conversation and with his sister of all people.

"Okay, fine, you don't want to talk about it, that's fair enough." Isabelle sighs, taking hold of his arm and forcing him to stop and look at her as she continues. "Trust me when I say I get what's going through your head right now and believe me, you're doing nothing wrong. What Mom and Dad taught us..."

"Izzy, just stop, okay? Whatever you think is happening between me and Magnus... don't." Alec says, his tone sharp as he pulls his arm free.

"Alec..."

Isabelle makes a move to grab hold of his arm again but he steps away, shaking his head.

"No. I'm not talking about this because there's nothing going on."

Isabelle doesn't say anything back, she just looks at him until he lets out a sigh and continues walking, his hearing focused and waiting for the sound of her heels following him but they never came. She wasn't following him anymore. When he looked over his shoulder at her, he could see the dejected look in her eyes but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. It wasn't any of her business and she needed to learn that. Still, the feeling of guilt remains in the back of his mind.

His sister had been the one person that he could talk to about anything, when they were growing up and before Jace had walked into their lives, Alec and Isabelle were practically inseparable. They were together for the majority of the day, only really breaking away long enough to get some sleep. She was his best friend and he wanted so badly to talk to her about his feelings in regards to Magnus but he couldn't. Alec was still coming to understand them himself and if he decided to take the leap and talk with Isabelle and share his relationship concerns then... well, he's not exactly sure what would happen but it probably wouldn't do him any good.

In all fairness, Alec knew that he needed to speak with Magnus first before he spoke to his sister. He needed to know if Magnus was in the same boat as him, whether or not he truly felt the same way Alec was because if he wasn't then Alec didn't see the point in chasing a relationship that wasn't meant to happen. He didn't need to waste a second worrying about what his parents would think if this was all going to be for nothing.

He needed to see Magnus but first, he needed a shower.

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

"Yeah, I want, I want to tell everyone, That you are, you are my only one, screaming at the top of my lungs, But I'm whispering, I'm whispering, I'm whispering 'Cause I don't wanna Jinx it..."

Magnus closed the door after Alec and leant back against it, his head hitting the wood as he let out a sigh; he felt like he was floating on air.

In all his life, Magnus doesn't recall ever feeling like this after a night that didn't involve someone sleeping with him, after a night of just talking to someone, getting to know them and having a few drinks and sharing a few laughs. Despite the strange newness of this feeling, he couldn't deny that he didn't like it. In fact, he was surprised that it was Alec who he was spending the night with, as Magnus never thought that it would have been possible for him to ever convince the serious, handsome Alec Lightwood to stay the night in his apartment so soon after meeting him.

Magnus was going to take that as a good sign.

There was no point in dwelling on negative thoughts.

It was still early days but Magnus had a really good feeling about Alec, a feeling that he had not been able to feel or to allow himself to feel in almost a Century. If Magnus was being bold, then he would say that the feeling was telling him that Alec might just be The One. He wanted to tell everyone he knew that he's finally found his one and only love. He wants to scream it from the top of his lungs out on the balcony that he loves Alec Lightwood but there was a part of him that was scared to say the words out loud. He was scared that if he put too much stock into them, then it would somehow break down. It was going to be hard enough for Alec to open up to him about his feelings without having the whole world know that Magnus found him attractive.

A small smile graces Magnus's lips as he thinks of the brooding Shadowhunter.

Magnus had hoped Alec would have at least stayed for breakfast, but he understood that Alec had to get back to the Institute - a Shadowhunter's job is never over and when you're as important as Alec, it's best not to disappear for too long. Magnus understood that more than anyone as it's the same for him. Being the High Warlock of Brooklyn came with an abundance of responsibilities which included reaching out to the Downworlder's in town, making sure that they're all safe, helping them whenever they needed anything and of course, brewing up a couple of potions for his vast list of clients.

A Warlock's work was never done and at times, it was positively exhausting.

Last night, for example, was proof of that.

Magnus did not expect to have his evening interrupted by Clary and her Shadowhunter friends carrying a severely bleeding Werewolf between them but it happened anyway. He was a little annoyed at the intrusion at first but given that Luke was a Downworlder, it was his duty to make sure that he was taken care of. The only way Magnus knew how to save him was by using his magic. If he was being honest with himself, it had been such a long time since he was able to throw that much magic around. At first it felt good to finally be challenged, to finally be given the chance to test his magic's limits but Magnus quickly realised that maybe he had overestimated his own abilities. If Alec hadn't shown up when he did, Magnus would hate to think about what could have happened to both himself and Luke.

If it hadn't been for Alexander catching me, Luke would have died and I would have passed out, Magnus thinks as he pushes himself away from the door.

He followed the corridor down to the spare bedroom where Luke was currently resting and opened the door in order to check how he was doing. It was strange having a Werewolf in his apartment and it felt like he was setting someone - most likely Simon - up to make a bad joke.

As he looked into the dimly lit room, he was surprised to see that Luke was already awake and alert.

"I take it that your date went well last night?" Luke asked from the middle of the Queen-sized bed Magnus had insisted he take.

"It wasn't a date," Magnus replied, sweeping into the room and over to the bed where he starts to fluff up the pillows.

"Really? Because from what I heard last night, that sounded like a first date."

"Didn't your Mother ever tell you that it's rude to eavesdrop?" Magnus retorts, ignoring Luke's first comment.

Luke shrugs and scoffs at Magnus's question, hissing in discomfort a second later at the movement in his shoulder.

"Take it easy, you're going to have limited movement for the next few days," Magnus explains, putting his hands on Luke's shoulders and easing him gently back against the pillows. "But in response to your statement, as much as I would love to go on a proper date with Alexander, I don't think that's on the cards anytime soon."

"Have you spoken to him about going on a date? Have you even told him how you feel?" Luke asks, his eyes closing as he rests his head back against the headrest.

"Are my feelings for him that obvious?" Magnus replied, a small smile playing on his lips.

"It doesn't take a genius but if you're looking for advice, just go for it."

"Maybe..." Magnus murmurs, trailing off.

He knew that Luke was right, he just didn't want to admit it out loud to the Downworlder.

If Magnus was to win the heart of Alec and live out the rest of his eternal, immortal life with him, then he needed to be his usual bold self and ask Alec out on a date. If, by some unfortunate circumstance, Alec rejects the idea of a date then he will simply brush himself off and try again. Persistency was one of his strong suits and he knows in his gut that Alec feels the same way, even if the young Shadowhunter prefers to suppress his feelings, he knows that the spark is there between them.

Magnus is toying with the idea of what he would say to Alec when Luke nudges him with his good elbow.

"Go and get your man," he says, his voice drowsy as he starts to slip back into unconsciousness.

Magnus lets out a small sigh and nods, walking out of the bedroom and back into the lounge where he takes his cell phone out of his pocket and opens up his contacts. His thumb hovers over Alec's name for a few seconds and after taking in a deep breath and telling himself to just be bold, he clicks call and waits.

Well, here goes nothing.

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

"Yeah, I want, I want to tell everyone, That you are, you are my only one, screaming at the top of my lungs, But I'm whispering, I'm whispering, I'm whispering 'Cause I don't wanna Jinx it..."

"Alexander, come now, be honest... you couldn't keep away, could you?" Magnus winks as he motions for Alec to step inside.

"You called me, remember?" Alec states, stepping past him. "What seems to be the emergency? Is Luke okay?"

"Yes, yes, he's recovering well and should be back to work in a couple of days," Magnus responds, closing the door and following Alec into the living room where he proceeds to head over to his drinks cabinet; for some reason he's suddenly nervous and in need of a little pick-me-up.

"That's good to hear, so... why did you call?" Alec asks again, turning around to face Magnus, arms behind his back.

Magnus pauses for a moment as he think of the best way to start the conversation.

For the first time in his life, Magnus is actually speechless. Usually conversations like this would flow as easily out of him as if he was calling his magic to make an appearance but standing in front of Alec, with his presence looming over him, he was having trouble getting the words out. He felt like a teenager again, which is strange to think considering how he hasn't been a teenager for almost four Centuries, give or take a few months.

Perhaps he could count this as something else that he's discovered whilst being around Alec.

One thing's for sure, his best friend, Ragnor Fell, would get a kick out of this if he could see Magnus right now.

"Magnus?" Alec calls out softly, stepping closer to him.

Shaking his head, Magnus finishes pouring the drinks and turns to face Alec with a smile on his face.

It's now or never.

"Actually, I wanted to speak to you about last night," Magnus answers honestly.

He notices Alec grimace at the choice of subject and he takes in a breath, waiting for him to leave.

"I just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page," Magnus adds as he hands a glass out for Alec.

"Okay... what page are you on exactly?" Alec stammers, his breath catching as he takes the offered glass with a slight nod.

Magnus could spell it out to Alec word-by-word but he has often been told that actions speak louder than words so he takes the opportunity of Alec standing close in order to lean forward, his head tilted up as he finds Alec's lips and starts to kiss him with everything he has, just to make sure that Alec really understands what he's trying to get at. Honestly, Magnus is surprised that he hasn't kissed him sooner.

When he pulls away, Alec is stammering like a child, blush on his cheeks.

"O-Oh... I see. Magnus, I just..." Alec starts, the words spinning round his head but not making their way down to his mouth in an order that makes sense to him. He has so many thoughts but the one that is bothering him at the moment is the one that comes out. "What are we doing here?"

Magnus takes a sip of his drink before he lowers his glass, eyebrows raised as he tilts his head to the side.

"I do believe that we were just making out but I guess that's not what you mean."

"No... I mean, yes that is what I mean but what I'm actually trying to ask is... where do you actually see this relationship going?" Alec asks, taking a sip of his own drink before setting it down on the coffee table in front of them; he didn't trust his hands to remain steady enough to continue holding it.

Ah, there it is, beaten to the punchline... of course, Magnus thinks as he fiddles with the stem of his own glass.

"Well, Alexander, I see our relationship going forward. I see myself falling more and more in love with you as each day passes and I hope that you could see yourself doing the same with me. I can see us getting married and living the rest of our lives together as one." Magnus replies, his voice soft as he moves closer to Alec, putting his glass down on the table beside Alec's before focusing back on the young Shadowhunter. "Isn't that something you would like?"

"I would like that, of course I would but... I'm just afraid that we're going to end up jinxing ourselves... that this is all too good to be true."

"It's normal to feel this way, Alec. Relationships aren't meant to start off easy. I know it may seem like everyone is in a Honeymoon phase when they first get together but we don't have to rush into anything if you're not ready. I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want to do. If you would like to wait until you know what you want to do then I will gladly wait for you to make a decision. There's really no pressure."

"You don't need to wait. I already know that I love you, Magnus." Alec whispers, his voice softer than ever.

Alec couldn't look at Magnus when he said those words, in his heart he knew that they were the right words to say but all the doubts and anxiety that he had earlier after speaking with Isabelle, were all rushing back to him and he was getting confused about what he really wanted. When he closed his eyes, he could picture the looks on his parents faces as he steps off the path they wanted him to follow, he could picture Isabelle nodding enthusiastically at him with a wide grin on her face as she pushes him to go for it and he could also picture Jace too, his Parabatai, nodding in approval beside her.

For once in his life, as he stands in front of Magnus, he's taking control of his life, he's choosing the path that he wants to walk, he's choosing a partner that he could see himself loving for the rest of his life and as Magnus's lips touch Alec's once again, all of his confusion and doubts start to wash away.

He was absolutely certain that he knew what he wanted.

He wanted Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

Most of all, he wanted to scream out at the top of his lungs so that everyone would know.

"Yeah, I want, I want to tell everyone, That you are, you are my only one..."

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