#I am love two (2) consuls

[portlandwithyou]

Fraser/Vecchio- A Personal Reflection

Now I came to Due South on the trail of the killers of my father-- wait, no, that's not quite right. Let me try again. I came to Due South on the trail of this gif set. Eaion sold me the instant I saw it. I knew I had to see these two guys who were stuck in crevasse together.

One slight problem- the gif set is from the very end of the show and I had a daunting sixty-some-odd episodes, and a whole different partner, between me and it. It's fine, I told myself; I'll check out the first guy, see if he's worth it, and if he's not, I'll move on to the main attraction.

So I started at the beginning--and that's where I fell in with the show, the characters, and a brand new ship. These are my thoughts about the Due South pilot, written out while I re-watched the pilot.

I liked Fraser instantly. It's not hard to in those first few minutes; he's a grieving son who is searching for his father. He's sweet, he's polite, he's dedicated to justice-- literally what more could you ask for?

What I didn't expect was to like this first Ray so quickly. When he strode down to Fraser doing statute duty, shirt open, chain visible, loud mouth going, I knew I was in love.

But I hadn't yet spotted the ship on the horizon. I was simply enjoying the burgeoning friendship as we met Diefenbaker and began our investigation.

I started to see the glimmer of something in the scene where Ray find Fraser reading Bob Fraser's journal in the diner. I adore that we see Ray opening up to Fraser about his no-good father, and we get that sharp contrast between the two.

But the ship finally took form during the dinner scene. I am a complete sucker for the way the Vecchios immediately take him in as one of their own. I mean, the way Ma Vecchio says she likes him because he's polite-- does that not read like something you would say if he brought a girlfriend home?? It's so natural for Fraser to be there. It's like he was always a missing piece in Ray's life.

Just, oh gosh, the way Ray so clearly trusts Fraser (he brings him into his home!) and the way they're already falling into place makes me grin like a total fool. That's literally what I'm doing as I write this!

Then, we get to see them track down a lead together. Now, this is an integral moment in a buddy cop dynamic. They have to have some chemistry as they solve cases, and by god, Due South delivers in spades when the time comes. Fraser trying his hand at one of Ray's hunches! They're already rubbing off on each other. And Ray gets a great moment of comedy as he reacts to Fraser's first licking scene.

So here's another thing that kills me-- Ray calls them friends as they walk to the Chinatown apartment! They have an immediate connection! I'm screaming! They are meant to be together!

After they establish that they're friends, we get to see some angst—beautiful, wonderful angst. Everyone is at their lowest, and circumstances are pulling Ray and Fraser apart. Tell me this isn't just the normal 2/3rds point in a romance novel where our couple is pushed apart.

But that makes their reunion so much sweeter. Ray came all the way up to bumfuck nowhere NWT after solving a case he probably wasn't even on anymore! He was that eager to come up there and tell Fraser what he'd discovered.

And then, of course, they look you right in the eye and have Fraser ask, "Can I help you out of that?" I AM SCREAMING! Literally kicking my feet up! They know what they're doing!

Next is the big fight/chase sequence where Fraser gets to drive Ray around on a dog sled which is cute and sweet.

Special mention here of Diefenbaker, as I've mostly been glossing over his cuteness. And he's a poor baby at the end.

Finally, we have the ending. Not Ray riding off into the distance together-- I'm talking about when Fraser is standing guard outside of the consulate again, and Ray is already back prattling at his new best friend. ❤️

[enlitment]

asking you your top-5 anything: ok this might not come in list form, but what 5 things do you like the most about Catullus?

Hi, first of all thanks so much for the interesting ask and so sorry for taking forever to answer it!

(obligatory am not a classicist, just an enthusiast. I also sadly can't really speak Latin, so take anything I say here with a grain of salt)

1. The sheer variety of his poems

Are you looking for a poem describing a fun playful banter between friends? A tender love poem? A poem about stolen napkins? An epic poem inspired by Greek mythology that is so beautiful and haunting that it shakes you to your core?

Or perhaps a poem so obscene that it wasn't allowed to be published in most of the English anthologies until relatively recently?

No matter your taste or mood, Catullus has got you covered!

2. There's a feminine aspect to his poetry

The understanding of gender and sexuality in Ancient Rome is hands down one of my favourite subjects, and Catullus' poems give you a great insight into them if you read between the lines.

You could for instance read C 16 as an inherent testimony to the fragility of Roman masculinity (seeing it as an attempt to re-establish his masculinity after he's been criticised for writing 'unmanly' love poems).

But what I especially appreciate is his ability to take on the female perspective. There's the fact that he was a big fan of Sappho's poetry (as evidenced by him calling his partner 'Lesbia' and by his (beautiful!) reimagination of one of her most famous poems) or the fact that he was able to draw parallels between his and Ariadne's pain stemming from feeling betrayed by a former lover.

(I'm also kind of here for the interpretation of Lesbia's sparrow poem as an example of some kind of Pseudo-Freudian clit-neid...)

3. His brutal honesty/ him just wearing his heart on his sleeve in his writing

It just seems he had no filter whatsoever, so reading his poems is this incredibly raw, often times bizarre experience.

But to me, it demonstrates that even though our society has obviously changed quite a lot over the 2000 years that separate us from him, a lot of things that remained the same - the petty jealousies, ambivalent feelings after a breakup, but also the pure joy one feels after spending time with their friends and loved ones

4. His use of language and imagery

More evidence in my previous post. It just sounds so beautiful at times? Plus it often alludes to Greek/Roman mythology in really interesting ways. I'm sure reading the original would make it sound even better, but I'm personally a sucker for the Czech translation as well.

5. He was ahead of his time! (You could say he was a romantic poet almost 2000 years before it was cool...)

Again, by no means an expert of this, but I think you could definitely say he paved the way for some of the latter great Latin poets, like Ovid,

Some aspects of his poems to Lesbia also remind me of the courtly love poetry from the middle ages: the poet's desperate pining after a lady of a higher class - which Clodia, as a patrician woman married to a consul, undoubtedly was. There's of course the important difference that she has been... previously attained, to speak in the annoyingly gendered language of medieval poetry - but alas, no more Catullus!

But to me, he was most of all a forerunner to the romantic poets like Byron or Shelley! The talent, the scandals, the rejection of societal norms (like the fact that he didn't really seem to be too interested in a career in politics or the military which were essentially the two things a respectable Roman man was supposed to take interest in), as well as the homoeroticism of it all (in his case indisputable, re: his poems to Iuventius)...

Hope that covers it! Thanks again for the ask and giving me a chance to rant!

[blackthornv]

TWP: my arthurian headcanon pt.2

Warnings: 1) YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ARGUE. DRUSILLA BLACKTHORN IS SOVEREIGN. I AM RIGHT AND IF YOU DISAGREE YOU ARE WRONG. 2) Ash Morgenstern will try to kill you if you show any disrespect towards Drusilla Blackthorn.

Drusilla Blackthorn, sixth of the Seven Blackthorn Siblings: she is the Lady of the Lake. There are numerous versions of the Lady of the Lake; she is described as both benevolent and cruel, friendly and hateful, helpful and selfish, but always, always pivotal to the story. When the knights are lost she is the one who guides them to the right path, both directly and indirectly. She is the one who gifts Excalibur to Arthur (you have to know where i'm going with this Arthur thing.) AND the one who emerges from the lake to reclaim Excalibur once the King dies.

*Julian's voice in the back* you are the heart of this family, baby girl.

She is the moment, alright? She was 13 and:

- housed a fugitive (head empty, just crimes);

- held her shit together to show stability to her younger brother while her older siblings where out and about (i know they where occupied with important shit ok? but leaving her with that responsibility was still a bit unfair);

- instigated the idea of performing necromancy in case of losing one of her siblings in LM;

- invaded the Gard alone during a rebellion to save the consul + gather witnesses to the crimes of the cohort (boo! they should have died!);

- fooled a warlock while being bait to (again) gather evidence of crimes;

+ now, at 15/16 is occupied terrorizing the new academy with her two principal strategies: 1) crimes - poisoned the entire academy with love spells - and 2) psychological warfare - frightened her colleagues during halloween by taking them to the middle of the woods and telling horror stories.

Funny bits aside, she has been helping the protagonists consistently since the moment she appeared (her first appearance was in CoHF, this mention will be relevant in my interlude, pay attention). She advised Kieran when he was lost, noticed Ty's turmoil when no one else did, saved Jia and the Rosales brothers, tried to lead Kit in the direction of his true love, lead Emma to Mark when he was still disconnected to the family, helped Cristina and Jaime to reconnect, was the first to try to get Julian and Emma's attention when they succumbed to the curse, when Jaime goes to Faery on a dangerous secret mission she is the one who will try to save him. She is right there, and she matters.

But she's also resentful at how easily her brothers seem to forget about her, the lonely girl fading in the background. Rarely standing on her own, perceived mostly as a faceless Blackthorn orphan, sometimes as a nameless attractive body - just another ornament in the background.

And there she is, through the good and the bad, a beacon of hope and of tragedy. Willing to do good when asked, likely to raise caos when left forgotten. Always vigilant, waiting for a target to finally strike.

What she does not know, could never imagine, is that Ash is also right there, tossed aside and forgotten. Always vigilant, but his dagger already left his hand - and landed on hers.

[khaleesiofalicante]

Okay, Dani, here are some random plot thoughts.

I am looking at this very clinically to spare myself some pain over the latest chapter.

1. Why do the Faeries stand by the PoD?

I did some deep dive into the canon lore I could find. Some theories are that they are fallen angels, cast out of heaven. Like Lucifer was. All of faeri having angelic blood within them. But Lilith and Sammael were also the ones responsible for the creation of warlocks, witches and faeries.

So, the Fair folk stand with the PoD because of heritage.

2. What's up with Lucifer?

Lucifer wants one thing - vengeance on Michael and God for being cast out of heaven. He can't go to heaven, and he doesn't have a physical body. So he has to bring heaven to earth.

Back in the days Michael didn't just defeat Lucifer, he also killed Sammael.

Lucifer wants powerful demonblood to be able to kill Michael.

3. How does Arthur fit into this?

The little first draft of Lucifer/Arthur you revealed got me thinking. What if Arthur and Lance aren't only shadowhunters and demon blooded. What if they somehow are connected to the Fair folk? What if Arthur and Lance are both descendants of Sammael/Lilith AND Lucifer. So, Arthur is just not the trigger of the prophecy but also the blood Lucifer needs for his weapon.

4. Why doesn't Lucifer take part in the destruction of Idris?

Since all Lucifer wants, is heaven, he needs to lure the angels out of hiding in there. What better way to do that than to have the angels little pet project Nephilim destroying themselves?

5. Arthur's visions

Arthur has seen Kincaid put a sword into Lance too many times to count. But Kincaid being a nightstorm, it got me thinking of his middle name Mikkel. Mikkel sounds like Michael. What if OtherMax brought back Michael's blood (which he gathered through the inevitable fight where Lucifer won).

So the reason Kincaid is having blood they can't really analyze is because it's pure angel blood from an archangel - Michael.

This could mean in the end that the vision Arthur's been seeing is Lucifer and Michael, who both have possessed the bodies of Lance and Kincaid?

6. OtherMax and canon events

OtherMax has spoken about them, and I think during this scene

He spoke about the math he did to try change the events of Arthur's death.

Since he can't change that, he made the decision to try and stop whatever he could due to that. Hence, he helped the Knightstorms conceive. There has to be something in their bloodline that's important, since otherwise he wouldn't help these assholes.

I also still kind of wait for OtherMax to keep his words and hunt Kyle down for not loving and treating Kincaid the way he should...

OtherMax didn't know about Arcaid because in his timeline there was no Kincaid and Arthur died.

7. Another way the plot could go

Lance and Kincaid join forces and together they defeat Lucifer. Bring heaven and hell together. Fire and Ice. Through that, the burn their own bodies free of whatever angelic/demonic bond they might have.

8. Completely unanswerable questions.

What if Mikkel, who was a witch hunter, is the one who killed the faeri woman who declared the prophecy?

Lucifer said "I'm not actually here. Just like you're not." Is this some kind of astral projecting going on? Arthur can be simultaneously in two dimensions, and that's why he can't be healed in the wrong one.

Hermes is so adamant about keeping Lance safe (the entrance to Pandemonium closed) because he lives during the time of the Void so he knows and doesn't want that again, does he?

When everything is over, what if the angels are so grateful for restoring the earth free from the opening of Pandemoniun, they bring Arthur back?

------

Rafael, my precious, I think you've lost sight of your goal. You're too concerned about keeping your post as Consul to save it for Cami that you at times make the easy choice of hiding behind politics.

David, my love, this is in no way your fault.

Max, do not do something stupid. You are not responsible. All you've done is try and protect your family.

Lance, don't be like your Dad. Don't punish yourself and, therefore, the ones around you. I'm sure you'll find help in the one you hate the most.

--------

I might get back, but for now, I'm going to go and cry in a corner for the pain EVERY SINGLE ONE of my loves has to go through.

Babygirl, you can get clinical with me anytime 😎

Some comments on some of these (ignore the numbering)

Faeries indeed stand with PoD with heritage. While warlocks hate the nephilim's cruelty, the fey hate their hypocrisy. After all, the fey were created when angels slept with demons. So, the whole 'ew demon blood' approach is just pure arrogance and prejudice. To the fey, Lance is a shaodwhunter with demon blood. So, they seem him as one of them. Most importantly, even though it is not part of the prophecy, as Kieran mentioned before, the girl said who said the prophecy told the fey that Lance will put an end to faerie discrimination by nephilim. So, I think they believe that and took it pretty seriously.

The third point has me shooketh. Oof. Okay.

Lucifer wants Michael specifically, not all the angels. As we've seen, Michael doesn't care about Idris at all (he didn't help when Idris was taken over by Bell or at any point). So, destroying Idris isn't enough (or so Lucifer has learned).

About Other Max and his threat to Kyle. I know a lot of you thought it's because he cared for Kincaid (because of Arcaid) but it had nothing to do him (since Kincaid didn't exist in the Other timeline). It's mostly because Other Max felt guilty for changing a timeline like that and for giving Kyle a son because I think he knew Kyle would end up hurting this kid in some way or the other. BUT YES TO BEATING HIM UP.

I LOVE FIRE AND ICE AH.

I'll explain Arthur's powers later. But it is similar to astral projection. He is not physically in the dream world (other wise people will notice because he'll physically disappear every time he gets a vision)

YOUR GUESS ABOUT HERMES IS SPOT ON. He was indeed alive during the time of the Void (when the entrance was just open) and this is why nephilim were created (to fight demons and close the void). So, Hermes knows it's a clusterfuck if it happens again.

Oh, sweet slower. When have the angels ever been nice to anyone? They're selfish fucks.

Okay I love you very much and you're the best BYE ❤️

[indigostudies]

1 thru 5, 17, and 33 for the asks! ☃️

1: what’s your native language?

i grew up speaking english, putonghua/mandarin chinese, and turkish, though english is what i mainly use in day to day conversations (the pitfalls of having moved to the usa haha).

2: how many languages do you speak?

i can converse in four languages (english, chinese, turkish, and german), and i can get by if absolutely necessary in spanish (i had one mandatory year of it in school after i moved to the usa).

3: what languages are you currently studying?

at the moment i'm focusing on chinese, kazakh, korean, and shanghainese, with kazakh and korean being the ones i'm focusing the most on in independent study currently.

4: how many/which languages would you like to know in the future?

i'd love to gain a proficient level in mongolian, (egyptian or iraqi) arabic, vietnamese, shanghainese, cantonese, thai, korean, kazakh, and kurmanji. i also have vague dreams of learning csl/chinese sign language, but i don't know how much emphasis there is on body language/nonverbal cues, and i am autistic and trying to remember/interpret that has historically been something that's made sign language very challenging for me to learn (i took a year of asl but basically nothing stuck).

5: do your friends speak other languages?

i have friends who speak italian, brazilian protugese, french, fujianhua/fujian dialect, german, russian, and ukranian, off the top of my head.

17: what was/is the first language you want/ed to learn?

german! when i had to choose a language to study in school, my options were french, spanish, and german. at the time, i thought i'd go into finance, and i didn't like how everyone was pressuring me to study spanish, plus i knew i'd never use french for anything but academics if i studied it, so i chose german. my experience was...................less than ideal, since the number of students in each class dwindled rapidly the further on i went, and oversight by instructors was minimal to say the least, with the final half of my studies being essentially self-administered, so it's actually fairly surprising that i can get around using it.

33: do you ever want to have a career in languages?

abssolutely. languages are my biggest passion, and if i could, i'd spend my entire life studying them. i'm also very interested in translation studies, specifically english-chinese/chinese-english, and i'd love to focus on that for a graduate degree. i also plan on getting a master's in kurmanji and a phd in chinese, which means i'll be spending a lot of time with those two languages. out of careers, the ones that interest me most are translation (english/chinese), diplomatic work (in an embassy or consulate in china), and post-secondary instruction (in chinese or kurmanji).

[bonesandthebees]

Hi Bee, it snowed on Sunday and I felt like a little kid again even though the snow only stopped melting once it got dark so there was an actual layer, but I couldn’t go out in it. Anyway, back on my glass bullshit. None of this is coherent, but I have been given a free pass to provide any thoughts and I will abuse the fuck outta that.

I wanna talk about Wilbur and Tomys. I think it’s very interesting how Tomys looks at Phil in awe, but then more curious. I’m looking at Wilbur describing it like the awe disappears. I wonder if he even describes it as awe because that’s what he thinks Tomys would feel. It’s very much a lens through his narration. He sees his father as worthy of that reaction and ‘knows’ that he isn’t. And of course he notices Tomys first looking at the ferronnière. (It’s because he wonders what it is, he later asks about it, but Wilbur doesn’t see it that way). I wonder how much of it Is real and how much of it is in his head.

[In a way, it almost reminded Wilbur of how two animals looked at each other when they were trying to determine if the other one was a threat.] banger description. Tomys is scared and in a new place and Wilbur is overall getting introduced by Sam as the 4th person - right after his other 2 possible heir and his consul, but before the rest of the council - he must be very important. Meanwhile, Wilbur sees Tomys as a potential threat, more to Niki than himself, but still to his position, and does not yet know how dangerous he will turn out to be.

Btw, I’m actually rereading now, which means I can quote lines [At the same time, his father’s arm came to rest on his elbow, and Wilbur didn’t fight as Phil led him down the steps and towards Tomys.] Phil immediately eliminates the risk of Niki coming over to talk to Wilbur in favour of throwing his son at Tommy. He might not have noticed, but it’s Phil. So I expect him to think ahead and want Wilbur making a good impression on Tomys right away (and yes the way I spell his name will remain inconsistent).

Poor Tomys did not want to socialise, Tobyn really is just there for the emotional support. And Wilbur describing Phil”s voice as [strangely gentle] hurts. It comes across like he rarely hears it, though it could just be because he can tell Phil is forcing the gentleness. The other option is that it is genuine and Wilbur either doesn’t get why, or isn’t used to hearing genuine gentleness from his father. (Watch me overthink every line, I am fully capable of doing it.)

[A painfully obvious lie, but one Wilbur already knew he and his father weren’t going to call out.] ah like father like son, I sense this will become a theme. The combination of Phil and Wilbur being alike and working together vs. All of Phil’s high expectations and badly hidden disappointment is golden.

[Noticing this, Phil sighed and stepped back.] It’s so small, but to Wilbur that’s very clear disappointment. It’s a very clear, I’m messing up. And it’s very clear it’s because Wilbur wasn’t fast or fluent enough to jump on touring Tomys. He needs to adapt faster than he is. Always a step behind where his father wants him to be even if he does have his moments and victories.

(1/?)

-🎄

oh my god I'm so jealous that you guys are getting snow (even if it's not sticking around) because it was literally almost 80 degrees here this last week and I don't understand why it's DECEMBER

anyway. rose time rose time

I love playing around with wilbur's skewed perspective on things. was there really such a difference in the way tommy looked at phil vs him? yes and no. it wasn't exactly a sense of tommy being awed by phil and not by wilbur, in a way he is actually very awed by wilbur as well. but the reaction is different because in actuality, the consil as a figure is almost as revered as the king himself. as has been said before, the consil is the second most powerful person in the kingdom (and in some ways is the most powerful). phil is awe-worthy because of his position, yes. however, information about who phil is as a person is rare and hard to come by, and while other nobles have likely heard mention of the fact that he has a son, the general public knows next to nothing about the consil other than that his name is phil-something. tommy is from a noble family, so he has heard that the consil has a son, but that's it. for tommy to see such a powerful figure and then find out his kid is only a little bit older than tommy himself makes tommy very interested in what wilbur's deal is.

thanks I was proud of the two animals description lol. I think it perfectly describes the situation they're both in and the way wilbur feels about tommy.

oh yeah phil knew wilbur was going to want to go talk to his bestie so he circumvented that before he could even take one step forward

leaving the reasoning for why wilbur described phil's voice as strangely gentle up to interpretation for you guys :)

it's such a small moment of disappointment but it hits wilbur so hard. he's letting his childishness get the better of him even though phil knows he can be better than this. wilbur doesn't yet understand why he needs to play nice with tommy, and while phil knows he's young and he'll learn with time, he still wishes his son would catch up just a bit quicker

[dd20century]

Jeanne Lanvin: Design, Mother Love and the Longest Running Fashion House in the World

“I act on impulse and believe in instinct. My dresses are not premeditated. I am carried away by feeling, and technical knowledge helps me make it a reality.” –Jeanne Lanvin

The House of Lanvin in Paris, France is the oldest continuously running fashion house in the world. Founded in 1889 by designer Jeanne Lanvin, the House of Lanvin was the first to create a line of haute couture children’s clothing, men’s clothing, and a fragrance that could be worn by either women or men. Jeanne Lanvin was a remarkable fashion designer and businesswoman, hard-working, “reserved, and meticulous”(1). She preferred the company of her daughter to those of Parisian elites and rarely attended society events.

Mademoiselle Jeanne Lanvin Begins her Career Fashion designer Jeanne-Marie Lanvin was born in Paris, France on New Year’s Day 1867. (1) She was the oldest of eleven children in a family of modest means. Her father, Bernard-Constant Lanvin, was a “struggling journalist”(2). Like most young girls of her day, she began working at age thirteen to help support the family; her first job was delivering hats “for a milliner on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré”(1). Her creativity and drive got her noticed. A few years later she became an apprentice for The House of Felix. (2) Hats designed by “Mademoiselle Jeanne” became highly sought after.

The House of Lanvin is Established At age twenty-two, with her apprenticeship over, Mademoiselle Jeanne “opened her first hat shop in 1889 on the upper level of a store located at 16 Rue Boissy d’Anglas”(3). The enterprise was so successful that four years later Lanvin established her own fashion house in a building she leased “on the prestigious Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré”(3). Her designs, however, “never be considered cutting edge. She was about clothes that were pretty rather than fashionable, but she was successful because [her clothes] gave women confidence”(4). 

Valentine Gross, Illustration of Rainwear by Jeanne Lavin (1915). Image source.

The Arrival of Baby Marguerite “In 1895, Lanvin married Count Emilio di Pietro, an Italian nobleman. Two years later she gave birth to a daughter, Marguerite (also known as Marie-Blanche)”(5). Baby Marguerite became Lanvin’s whole world. “A tightly-bound relationship formed between Jeanne and her daughter. Marguerite became her muse”(3). Marguerite spent much of her time at her mother’s side in the shop. (1) It was for Marguerite that Jeanne began designing dresses using the most “luxurious fabrics to create the wardrobe of every little girl’s dreams”(3). Little Marguerite’s exquisite clothes got noticed by her friends’ mothers many of whom “became customers of the Lanvin fashion house”(3). In 1908 Lanvin dedicated a whole section of her store to children’s clothing, one of the few designers of her status at the time to design for children. Mothers and daughters came together to the House of Lanvin to buy their outfits. (3)

Pierre Brissaud, Illustration of Jeanne Lanvin Mother and Daughter Dresses, (1922). Image source.

Sadly, Jeanne Lanvin’s relationship with Marguerite’s father was not a happy one. The couple divorced in 1903. In 1907 Lanvin would remarry newspaper journalist and later the French consul Xavier Melet. (5) Jeanne Lavin led a quiet personal life, “refusing to participate in most social events, the designer evolved within restricted and intimate circles of artists, writers, and musicians” (1). When she did go out into society, she was there primarily to observe the current Parisian fashion trends.

Jeanne Lavin Becomes a Force in Parisian Fashion 1909 was a pivotal year for Mademoiselle Lanvin. For the first time orders for clothing outnumbered hat orders. Lanvin joined the Syndicat de la Couture, which marked her formal status as a couturière (5), and she officially changed her business status from milliner to designer (3). Like her contemporary Paul Poiret, Lanvin was not satisfied with being one of Paris’s top designers, she desired international success. In 1915, her fashions were featured at the San Francisco International Exposition, and after the World War the House of Lanvin participated in the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Decorative Arts where the Art Deco style emerged. (3)

While Lavin’s contemporaries like Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel were doing away with overly decorated fashions, Lavin’s designs incorporated “Ribbons, embroideries, pearls, and precious details” (1) along with bold colors. The embellishments, however, were always elegant and never took away from the exquisite structure of her clothes. (1) Her most important contribution to fashion came in the 1920s Robe de Style, “a soft, erotic garment, mainly loose to the body and frequently fringed or incorporating narrow scarves to accentuate femininity” (4). Unlike Coco Chanel’s approach to fashion for the modern woman, Jeanne Lavin’s fashions retained a very romantic feel. In the 1930s her “Robe de Style was gradually superseded by a new style, more formal and statuesque”(4), however, the new style retained the romance of the previous era.

Jeanne Lavin, Robe de Style, (1925). Image source.

The Lanvin Blue Jeanne Lanvin had a passion for color and art. She was an avid art collector, who owned works by “Renoir, Degas, Fantin-Latour, Fragonard, and many others…[and] was highly influenced by the use of light in Impressionist paintings”(1). She was also very interested in ancient Egyptian, Medieval, and Renaissance art. (4). In 1923 Lavin opened “a dye factory in Nanterre” (5) and later “created a soft but vibrant blue, guaranteed to flatter most skin and hair types”(4) inspired from colors she found in the artworks she so admired. The color was originally called Fra Angelico blue and became such a signature color for the House of Lanvin that it is now referred to as Lanvin Blue. (1)

Lavin’s Fragrances So far we’ve discussed Jeanne Lavin’s fashion designs, but what House of Lanvin is best known for are its fragrances. During the 1920s designers “Coco” Chanel and Paul Poiret had success developing and marketing fragrances, so Lanvin “took the plunge into perfume”(2). Working with “the mysterious Russian emigree, Madame Zed” (2) Lavin developed several fragrances, but none were successful, until 1926 when the pair created “My Sin.” (2,4)

Jeanne Lavin established a “laboratory near her workshop in Nanterre”(2), and hired perfumer André Fraysse to run it. “In collaboration with fellow perfumer, Paul Vacher, Fraysse gave Lanvin Arpege,” Lavin’s most successful and well-known fragrance, which is still sold around the world today. (4) Lanvin commissioned architect Armand Albert Rateau to design the black glass bottle for the perfume, and illustrator Paul Iribe designed the Mother and Daughter motif that decorates the bottle. This motif later became the logo for the House of Lanvin. (4)

Armand Albert Rateau, Several Versions of the Lanvin Arpege Perfume Bottle (c. 1927). Image source.

Marketing Additional Lines In addition to fragrances, Lanvin launched lines of interior decor and menswear. In 1920 Lanvin met the designer and architect Armand-Albert Rateau at an event thrown by Paul Poiret. She was so impressed with Rateau that they collaborated “to create a pavilion dedicated to the art of living” (3) in Lavin’s main rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré store (3) which offered “furniture, rugs, curtains, stained glass, wallpaper”(3). Rateau also designed interiors for Lanvin’s apartment. In 1923 the pair decorated The Théâtre Daunou in Paris. (3) “In 1926, Lanvin became the first Parisian designer to launch a made-to-measure clothing line for men….[House of Lanvin] was the only place in Paris that offered both Men’s and Women’s collections”(3).

Jeanne Lanvin’s Legacy In 1926 the French government awarded Jeanne Lanvin with the Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur. During the 1930s, Lanvin was so honored with “an order for party dresses from Queen Elizabeth, for the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret [that she] sent with them a doll dressed identically”(4).

Clémentine-Hélène Dufau, Portrait of Jeanne Lavin, (1925). Image source.

While Jeanne Lanvin’s fashions may not have been as groundbreaking as some of her contemporaries, she excelled as a businesswoman and was one of the pioneers in extending haute couture into new markets, a trend that would continue later into the Twentieth Century with designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Georgio Armani. Many of Lanvin’s fragrances continue to be marketed today; she was very aware that the packaging the fragrance comes in must be as beautiful and unique as the perfume itself.

Jeanne Lanvin died on July 6, 1946, at the age of 79. The fashion house that Lanvin established over a century ago continues to operate today. The daughter who once served as Lanvin’s muse and inspiration, “Marie-Blanche became president of the company and continued to design collections until 1950” (3). Maryll Lanvin, the wife of Jeanne Lanvin’s nephew served as the company’s artistic director during the 1980s. Lanvin’s most recent artistic director Bruno Sialelli served from 2019 until April 2023. (3) Jeanne Lanvin’s “original office is preserved in [the] corporate offices at 16 Rue Boissy d’Anglas in Paris” (5).

Edward Steichen, Jeanne Lavin's Bow-backed Evening Dress, (1927). Image source.

References

Jeanne Lavin SA, (2022). Jeanne Lavin. https://us.lanvin.com/pages/jeanne-lanvin

Goutell, P. (2021). Jeanne Lavin (1867-1946). http://www.perfumeprojects.com/museum/marketers/Lanvin.php

Jeanne Lavin SA, (2022). History of House Lanvin. https://www.lanvin.com/ca/history

McDowell, C., (30 August 2015). Jeanne Lavin (1867-1946). https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/jeanne-lanvin-1867-1946/

Wikipedia, (5 May 2023). Jeanne Lavin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Lanvin

[corruptedforce]

REPOST NOT REBLOG

Name / Alias: Tanya

Are you over 18? Yes / No

Is your muse(s) over 18? Yes / No / Depends on the verse

blog established? I established Anakin on my multi in June 2022, and I think we moved in October of 2022, or so.

– W R I T I N G –

Are you selective about who you write with? No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people) / Private (mutuals only).

I always say, if it's mutuals or not. Sometimes, I'm super busy and can only do mutuals, because of time. Homework consumes most of my time, of late.

Are you selective about who you follow? No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people).

I follow on Anakin for not only Anakin, but my multi @crowsandmurder and my other two sideblogs @aelfred and @louisleroisoleil. I don't really follow personals, but I follow stuff related to any of them, oh and Anthony Rizzo.

If your muse is canon, how much do you adhere to canon? Not at all / A little / Some / Mostly / Strictly / Not Applicable.

Unless it's something specific, I have with someone like a ship, I am VERY canon based. I despise AU's where Anakin doesn't fall, because it was all supposed to happen and taking the tragedy out of it, is a complete disservice. Is it sad? Sure. But, it's even sadder to do a disservice to it. I do have a shirtless Vader verse, so I will do some canon divergence, but I am picky with AU's. There are ways to have other things that happened not happen, and him still fall. When people expect me to adapt to fix-its, it can make me lose motivation for days at a time. Going on 5 days now.

What post lengths do you write? One-Liners / Single-Para / Multi-Para / Novella / All of the aforementioned.

Lengthier on Tumblr. I occasionally do one paragraph, but for the most part, I am shorter on Discord and longer on Tumblr.

Do you use icons and/or GIFS? No / Gifs / Icons / Yes / Sometimes.

I have tons of icons, I don't mind small to medium gifs. I can go iconless.

Do you write on other platforms? No / Yes

Discord, mutuals are welcomed to ask for it <;3

What level of plots do you write? Unplotted / Open-Ended Plots / Semi-Plotted / Fully Plotted Epics / All of the aforementioned

I have a huge preference for plotted stuff. Knowing the course of events and my partner’s muse makes things a lot easier for me, and overall it is a lot more enjoyable to me. I am not a big fan of winging things.

How quickly do you usually respond to threads? Very Slow (more than a month) / Slow (3-4 weeks) / Average (1-2 weeks) / Fast (less than one week) / Very Fast (less than three days)

What types of themes do you like? Adventure / Romance / Fluff / ANGST / Violence / Tragedy / Domestic / Family / All of the aforementioned

I'm fickle about fluff. I don't love it in general, although I have ships on my multi that do have a lot of it. I don't mind it mixed in with an angst thing. But, it's not my favorite.

WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? ( Feel free to add! ) High Fantasy / Supernatural / Science Fiction / Historical / Horror / Comedy / Romantic / Drama / Action / Smut / Adventure / Espionage / All of the aforementioned

Are there any themes you’re uncomfortable writing on your blog? (Not triggers) No / Yes / Sometimes

I will not write Anakin/Obi-Wan as a ship, no matter what. Also, any AU in which, Vader is the consulate and Padme is the Empress, because it doesn't make sense. Vader would be the Emperor. Just, most flat out AU's.

Do you have any triggers? How do you request it tagged?

Do asshole Yankee fans who don't understand when a player has a slump count?

I don't really have any. I believe we create our own safe environment. Some ships are triggering lol. But, I use the resources tumblr gives us.

– S H I P P I N G –

What types of relationships are you open to?

Romantic / Platonic / Familial / All of the aforementioned

Family is a up in the air thing. I only accept Luke and Leia as his children. There is one NPC child that he has with someone, but I'm not open to anyone else, and the father thing doesn't work, nor sibling.

What types of pre-established relationships are you open to? Romantic / Platonic / Familial / All of the aforementioned

See the answer above. So long as we have managed to come up with something that works well for both muses, it’s all good for me.

Do you have OTPs? No / Chemistry Only / Yes

I do, yes! It becomes pretty evident pretty quickly.

Do you have NOTPS? No / Yes

Obikin, Obianidala, anyone who would be abusing Anakin, like Palpatine did.

What is your muse’s sexual orientation? Heterosexual / Heteroflexible / Bisexual / Pansexual / Homoflexible / Homosexual / Demisexual / Sapiosexual / Asexual / Still trying to figure it out / Heterorexual.

What is your muse’s romantic orientation? Heteroromantic / Heteroflexible / Biromantic / Homoflexible / Homoromantic / Panromantic / Demiromantic / Sapioromantic / Aromantic / Still trying to figure it out /

Are you comfortable writing smut? No / Selectively / Yes

How early in a relationship do you ship romantically? Autoship / During plotting / After a couple IC interactions / Several IC interactions / Slow burn / Chemistry dependent / Never

Man it just happens.

Are you open to toxic ships? No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure

Are you open to problematic ships?

No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure

Yes, but what's really problematic, honestly? Is something problematic because X says it is? Decide for yourself. Don't be a sheep.

Are you open to polyshipping? No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure

It's not me that's not open to it. It's him. He could never handle it. People would die.

Are you an exclusive shipper? Never / Sometimes / Yes / I would be open to discuss it

I only have I think one person that I couldn't picture Anakin or more so Vader ever shipping with another version of their character.

Does crack shipping ever happen? Nope / Yes / depends / although they gradually become normal ships

[nellie-elizabeth]

Okay, so, because I've completely lost my mind over Malex over the past couple of months, I started thinking about the "I love you" thing, the fact that in three seasons, despite the fact they've been in love with each other the WHOLE TIME, we never get a direct "I love you" spoken between them. I started to wonder how many times they confirm that love without directly saying it, and... it's a lot!

Just counting the examples where the word "love" is literally used, there are twelve, thirteen if you count one outlier that I'll explain below. Here they are in chronological order. Please do let me know if I missed any. This list does NOT include any of the pretty obvious love confessions that don't actually use the word "love" or "loved".

Season 1, Episode 9: “I loved you, and I think you loved me, for a long time.” / “Yeah.”

I am very enamored with the way Michael says "yeah", here. He's so resigned, like, this is the closest Alex has ever come to saying it, and yet it's in the past tense, and Michael is in this place right now where he can't really open himself up to the possibility of trying something with Alex again. It's such an angsty moment!

Season 1, Episode 12: “I don’t love you” / “You’re a miserable liar.”

OUCH the whole Caulfield scene destroys me of course. Michael trying to push Alex away by denying what's between them, and you can see it breaks Alex's heart to hear it, even though he knows it's not the truth.

Season 1, Episode 13: “I love him. Probably always will. But lately that love just hurts."

One of the most direct examples on this list. Not past tense, but present and also future, as Michael says he probably will always love Alex. This is the thing about them that I carry into season two. Even while Michael is dating Maria, there is nothing in the text to suggest that Michael has stopped loving Alex!

Season 2, Episode 6: “I felt… I felt…” / “Loved.” / “Yeah.”

This is one of my absolute favorites, although I know why people don't like it. After the threesome, Alex tries to explain what the night meant to him, and Michael saying "loved" here is SUCH a heavy and beautiful and melancholy touch! Alex felt loved, by Michael, and by Maria. It was, I think, a strange experience for all of them, but also healing in many ways. This is, however, the one and only point in all of season two where it feels like they're pulling away from Malex, this little scene the morning after feels like a goodbye, the closing of a door. Luckily, that doesn't last for long...

Season 2, Episode 9: “I know that you loved me.”

The softness, the adorableness, the fact that Michael called Alex and he came, the way there's no doubt in Alex's voice when he says this, the way Michael quietly accepts it. They way they both seem to know that they love each other still, but it's not quite enough to fix everything... ugh, this scene does stuff to me.

Season 2, Episode 10: “God, I loved you for it.”

Thank you to @itsjustmouse for reminding me that I forgot one, and it's from one of my absolute favorite scenes in the show, too! This scene between them is rife with so much tension and anger, Alex holding onto his fear that Michael will leave, and speaking his own truth about his belief that people can change. Michael is somewhat cruel here, honestly they both are, but the weight of their history is so on display! I love the way Michael says he can't let Alex leave with the consul, but then Alex calls his bluff. Considering Alex gets kidnapped right after this, I wonder if Michael replays this conversation in his head while he's building that bomb, wondering if it will be the last time he ever spoke to the love of his life...

Season 2, Episode 11: “And then I fell in love with your son.”

I MEAN. COME ON. Every time I think about 2x11 I scream. The fact that Michael and Alex are not together at this point, that Michael has a girlfriend and Alex is starting something with Forrest, and then THIS SPEECH?!?! Michael finding a sense of himself because of Alex, connecting with him, how that changed him for life... I die every time.

Season 3, Episode 7: “I know you fell in love with an alien.”

The outsider perspective on this. It kind of makes me laugh because HOW exactly does Eduardo know this? I guess Michael and Alex aren't nearly as subtle as they'd like to think. I also like this moment because it seems to trigger Alex's decision to finally come clean and speak his heart during 3x08. He realizes that his love for Michael is an asset to him in his work with Deep Sky, that if the point is to find a way to communicate with aliens, maybe he should go and... communicate with aliens.

Season 3, Episode 9: “Your father’s hatred is stronger than your capacity to love.”

This is Alex's own brain attacking him, telling him that the fact that he loves Michael isn't going to be enough to combat all the damage Jesse has done to his psyche over the years. And he's wrong, his love is strong enough, but I love that he's having these doubts. The continued star-crossed narrative of Michael and Alex, the way their families have been the opposing forces through the years, it never fails to make me emotional.

Season 3, Episode 12: “So you do love someone as much as you love Nora.”

I love the idea that the whole time Jones has Michael trapped with him, Michael is focusing on keeping Jones away from Alex. Jones already knows about Isobel, Max, Sanders… Alex is the one loved one that Michael has that he might still be able to protect from Jones! And it takes a stab wound for Jones to break through Michael’s defenses! Also, we know how much Michael admires his mother, depends on her to create his sense of self, so for Jones to acknowledge that Michael’s love for Alex is on that same level is huge.

Season 3, Episode 13: “Tough conversations with the people who love us.”

This is such a great Max and Michael scene. I like how Max (and therefore the show itself) acknowledges Alex and Michael as a parallel and equally strong love story as Max and Liz. Both men need to find a way to talk to their partners about their fears, and both do!

Season 3, Episode 13: “I need you to know, if this goes bad tomorrow, I love—” and “...are you gonna love me then?”

As funny as it is that Alex cuts Michael off here, I kind of get it. They both already know they love one another. This is not news, not a revelation. But their relationship is so new, at least this iteration of it. I like the idea that they’ve both sort of held back from saying the actual words, saving it for a special moment. And here, Alex doesn’t want that special moment to be when Michael thinks he might be saying goodbye.

>>> And a bonus, this one is far less clear: Season 2, Episode 5: “And before you ask, yeah, I’m totally in love with Isobel.” <<<

I'm throwing this one in here mostly for fun... it's during the 2x05 flashback moment, when Alex asks Michael if he's in love with Max, and later Michael jokingly says he's in love with Isobel, all while looking at Alex as if he's the whole entire universe. I think it's pretty easy to read this moment as Michael saying "come on, we both know who I'm in love with, and it's certainly not Isobel or Max Evans." I don't think it's necessarily the only way to read this moment, though, you could just say it's a cute little joking moment, mocking Alex for his bad take on Max and Michael's relationship. Still, either way it's ADORABLE.

~~~~~~~~~

So anyway. That's a long list of love, even without a direct "I love you". What drives me crazy about this pairing is that this doesn't even include so many times that they essentially confess their love without using the word itself. Just off the top of my head, you've got:

"I never look away" / "I don't look away, Guerin."

Alex's entire song, but especially "It's you I'm fighting for" and "You were the best of me / you are the best of me."

"We connected like something... cosmic"

"I joined Deep Sky for you, Michael [...] so I have to try. For you. For us."

"You are the one piece I cannot go through life without"

"I got you, I always got you."

Michael's whole speech in 3x10, especially "feels different between us now." / "It's better. But it's still..." / "Cosmic?" / "Yeah." and of course: "Alexander Manes, I'm home."

And I'm sure many others.

Anyway, what was the point of this post? Idk, I'm just over here having feelings. Someone who knows how to make gif sets should gif all the "love" moments!

[gummybearzgocrazyagain]

my hella arbitrary list of fav malec moments ranked, just because i felt so aaaaaaand i have an unhealthy obsession with lists that is definitely diagnoseable but ssshhhhh

37. “you stupid Nephilim“ (c)

36. “I think the autumnal theme would be nice” “ABORT, ABORT, Isabelle, are you insane?” (c)

35. Hall of the Accords kiss in CoG

34. subway mugging attempt from the very first date

33. the way you just know book!magnus enunciates word “Alexander”

32. this absolute gem of an interaction

31. Magnus somehow figuring that enchanting his sister’s whip with magical protections would be the best gift to Alec for his birthday

30. The simple fact of Alexander Gideon Lightwood turning out to be wild AF, and having a certain proclivity to tearing Magnus’ expensive wardrobe pieces right off him, while in throws of passion

29. “Wow, you and Monogamous Bane make me tired. He’s even dumber than you are” (c) Lily

28. When Clary invented a rune to temporary present herself as one’s most beloved, and Alec saw Magnus, even though it happened mere months in their relationship

27. Magnus coming to the Institute to see Alec off to Alicante in CoHF, even though they were broken up

26. “Alec Lightwood loved one man so much...” cause duh 

25. “He is not my warlock” cause DUUUHHHHHH

24. general population of the Downworld sometimes subtly reminding Alec about Magnus being slightly out of his league (e.g. “Punch above your weight a little, huh?” (c), etc.)

23. but at the same time, the journey from “STOP HUGGING SHADOWHUNTERS IN FRONT OF MY PLACE OF BUSINESS” (c) TEC 1 to “Get a room, cute boys!” (c) TEC 2

22. Mere fact that in spite of all the convoluted and complicated history Magnus has had with Nephilim over centuries, he eventually somehow ended up being married to their highest authority figure like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

21. “I do not ever want another love“ how dare you sir

20.  the fact that Alec instantly knew(c) with Max, and Magnus instantly knew(c) with Rafe

19. and that it is physically impossible for them to come by an abandoned child, and stop themselves from adopting on the spot

18. Alec’s behaviour during warlock sickness in TDA

17. 

16. ELYASS

15.

14. “The Voicemail of Magnus Bane” cause legendary

13. 

12. “Catarina gave Magnus a delighted look over Alec’s shoulder. “At last”, she murmured. “A keeper.” (c)

11.

10. unforgettable “Since I am the Consul now, I guess I make the rules.” [...] “Was that flirting?” Magnus said. “Because I have to tell you I’m more in than I thought I would be.” [...] “Yes.” Said Alec. He paused. “No. A little bit.” [...] ‘’I mean I make all the rules. I’m in charge now”. “I told you already I was in“ (c) QoAaD

9. 

8. I wanna say the entirety of tRSoM, which main plot premise was “two poor clueless idiots are just trying to screw each other in peace, but kept getting cockblocked at every turn”, but am gonna say Rome Hotel Scene, for reasons

7. also, the marvellous fact that the cockblocking torch was passed down from demons/cultists/princes of hell to malec’s very own precious infant heir

6. aaaaaaand of course let’s not forget to mention Simon Lewis in that particular regard

5. the general level of thirst throughout the whole saga

4. Yes, this one, this one fits, after all the stumbling around and searching, and here it is. (c) What to buy the Shadowhunter

3. The Land I Lost (”his first kiss and his last”, “but he could imagine, in some faraway future, the face he loved best”, “hey, my baby”, “once he’d said “my betrothed” and felt like a total idiot”, feel free to stop me at any point)

2.

1. [...] I spent days dying in chains, thinking you would never know this, so let me tell you now. I will love you as long as I live. However long or short my life may be, it seems to me that I could never find time enough to love you as you deserve. Loving you made me believe in eternity. Aku cinta kamu. (c)

[ga-yuu]

Sutokuin/Akihito Main Story Chapter 26

Chapter 25 // Premium story

----Part 1-----

The day after Akihito's curse was lifted.....

Tamamo: "You're up early, Sutokuin. I guess I am just in time."

Akihito: ".....Oh, it's you."

Akihito was walking pensively through the gardens of the empty house where he was temporarily staying.

Tamamo casually walks upto him.

Tamamo: "I just thought I would have a long talk with the man who stole my cute Yoshino from me."

Akihito: "I wanted to talk to you too."

Tamamo: "Oh."

Akihito: "Once there was this beautiful woman whom my father, Toba was devoted to. Her name was Tamamo-no-mae."

Tamamo: "...."

Akihito: "My father kept me away from him from the very beginning, saw I never saw her face...."

Akihito: "I was told one day that she disappeared from the palace into thin air."

Tamamo: "The more beautiful they are, the more mysterious they become, right?"

Tamamo nodded his head and blurted out.

Akihito: "That's true. But----"

Akihito: "Many years later, I met Yasuchika....and after some time, I made a deal with Ibuki."

Akihito: "I heard the name Tamamo-no-mae again."

Akihito: "It was the name of a nine-tail fox who disguised himself as a woman, that Yasuchika was ordered to defeat."

Tamamo: "----I see."

Tamamo no longer try to deny the gentle pursuit of Akihito.

Tamamo: "Sutokuin. So you and I came close to meeting twice, but....fate never let us at all."

Akihito: "Unfortunate, isn't it?"

Tamamo: "You were right, I was favored by Toba."

Tamamo: "But bearing the love of someone who is so powerful at that time was so annoying. That's why I left."

Looking at the brenches drenched in morning dew, Akihito askes quietly.

Akihito: "----What kind of person was he?"

Tamamo: "I remember him as an obsessive man."

Akihito: "...Oh."

Tamamo: "Sad that I didn't stay with you father? Sutokuin."

Akihito: "Until yesterday."

Akihito: "I already have something important. Still, my father's presence never left me."

Tamamo: "A curse indeed. Toba continued to haunt your soul even after his death."

Akihito: "......."

A provocative smile then dwelled on Tamamo's lips.

Tamamo: "Can you make Yoshino happy?"

Tamamo: "Do you think blessings come to those who do not know the definition of life's pleasures, Sutokuin?"

Akihito: "I've always felt a bit put down by it too."

Akihito: "I can't give anything back to Yoshino that's worth that she gives so generously."

Tamamo: "You don't feel that way now?"

Akihito is a slow consul.

Akihito: "Something inside me changed when I killed my father, whom my curse took the shape of."

Akihito: "For me, happiness isn't always pretty."

Akihito: "Ugly, awkwardly, bloody, and all of that."

Akihito: "No matter how dirty she gets, Yoshino will always be happy."

Tamamo: "----Is that so?"

Feeling satisfied, Tamamo's eyes softened.

Akihito: "Did that answer satisfy you nine-tail-fox?"

Tamamo: "I'll decide when I look at your future."

Tamamo: "Don't forget that mine and Yoshino's deal haven't broken yet."

Akihito: "Looks like she will have to continue to exterminate demons to break the contract, huh?"

Akihito quickly replies.

Akihito: "After all, Yoritomo is still benefitting from this, even if Yoshino is with me...."

Akihito: "I'm sure the Shogunate would like to keep the nine-tail fox around after it has regained its full strength."

Tamamo: "I like the Shogunate. So I wouldn't mind giving him what he wants....."

Tamamo: "Just because of that, it doesn't means I can't look after Yoshino."

Akihito: "It's nice to see you care about Yoshino that much."

Two graceful shadows walked side by side through the morning mist.

Tamamo: "By the way, you seemed to be thinking about something before I approached you."

Akihito: "So like our Shuten Doji, every demons like to read peoples minds..."

Tamamo: "We fickle creatures are very curious, you know."

As expected, Akihito laughed at Tamamo's affirmation without offence.

Akihito: "Well, I don't mind."

----Part 2----

Akihito: "Well, I don't mind."

Akihito: "I just feel a bit sorry for myself for not knowing how to make up with the people after living all these years."

.............

(It's time. Akihito-sama and Yasuchika-san is going finally settle things between them....)

Yasuchika: "(*^‿^*)"

Akihito: *gulps*

(Yasuchika-san is smiling, but I could feel the heavy pressure)

All four of us sat around a table, and I was feeling nervous.

Ibuki: *Smiling because he's enjoying the show*

When I looked at Ibuki for help, he coolly ignored me.

Akihito: "Are you angry, Yasuchika?"

Yasuchika: "Angry? Who me?(*^‿^*)(*^‿^*) Do I look angry to you?"

Akihito: "No. It's because you haven't spoken to me at all."

Yasuchika: "Oh that! Didn't you say that you want me 'to shut up because my mouth was annoying'?"

(....No way, Akihito-sama actually said that. No wonder Yasuchika-san is angry)

Like me, Akihito-sama was trying to protect Yasuchika-san by pushing him away....

Akihito: "Yasuchika..."

Yasuchika: "Don't worry."

Yasuchika: "I know that Akihito-sama reached out to me on a whim when I was a kid."

Yasuchika: "I was so dumb to think that it was out of love."

Yasuchika: "After all, you have thought of leaving me behind twice already."

Yoshino: "Twice...?"

When I was confused, Ibuki filled me in.

Ibuki: "After making a deal with me, Akihito tried to leave Yasuchika, when he was a kid."

Ibuki: "Yasuchika was being insistent, so we all ended up living together. Those were happy memories...."

(Now I see...)

Yasuchika: "Ibuki. Just shut up."

Yasuchika-san interrupts with a glare.

Akihito: "I didn't want to involve you in my mess again, Yasuchika."

Yasuchika: "Really?"

Akihito: "!!"

(Usually, when a cheerful person gets suddenly angry, the power is amazing....)

Ibuki: "Ahh, forgive me, Yasuchikaa.."

Ibuki: "I'll never torment you again, so please don't freeze me with your icy glare."

(Ibuki is so tough to read that is hard to figure out whether he's being teasing or serious)

Yasuchika: "I don't care about you."

Yasuchika: "I'm always angry with you that I want to kill you right now!"

Ibuki: "Aww?"

After looking at the happy Ibuki from the corner of his eyes, his gaze then turns to Akihito-sama.

Yasuchika: "Akihito-sama, why do you keep leaving me and choosing Ibuki?"

His voice was filled with pain and many other emotions.

Yasuchika: "I....am I not reliable to help you at a crucial time?"

Akihito: "That's not it!"

Akihito: "You were my hope. The bright light I found in the darkness."

Akihito: "That's why I was scared.....that I'm making you unhappy."

Yasuchika: "........"

Yasuchika: "Thank you for that. But I've never asked you to protect me."

Akihito: "......But."

(Akihito-sama, you can do it!)

I secretly cheered for Akihito-sama, who was finding his words."

Unusually, Akihito-sama became silent.

Akihito: "----But it's partly your fault too."

Akihito: "Our relationship is so awkward that you speak informally or get mad at Ibuki without holding back but when it's with me, Yasuchika is so formal...."

Yasuchika: "..... Are you reopening that door?"

Yasuchika-san stood up.

Yoshino: "Yasuchika-san!"

Yasuchika: "I now understand, what Akihito-sama thinks of me. I'm just his toy, that he can do whatever he wants."

Yasuchika: "Nothing changes for him, if I leave, right----?"

Akihito: "That's not true."

Akihito-sama quickly grabbed Yasuchika-san's hand.

Akihito: "You are important to me...I need you to stay with me. I want you to tell me what you really think."

Yasuchika: "!"

Akihito: "I was wrong. I promise I'll never leave you again."

----Part 3-----

Akihito: "I was wrong. I promise I'll never leave you again."

Yasuchika: "It's too late now..."

Akihito: "I'm an imperfect man, I might get something wrong in the future!"

Akihito: "Then I want you to get angry at me and stop me without reservation like you are doing now."

(Akihito-sama...)

Yasuchika-san gripped back his hand tightly.

Yasuchika: "...That's enough."

Yasuchika: "I feel like I've heard everything I've ever wanted to hear in my life."

Yasuchika-san muttered, not knowing what he looked like.

Akihito: "Thank you...Yasuchika.."

(Even though Akihito-sama and Yasuchika-san truly care for each other)

(Both are equally clumsy when expressing it)

(But I'm sure that their relationship will change to something even more solid in the future)

Akihito: "Also, I have one request..."

Yasuchika: "Yes?"

Akihito-sama takes something out of his pocket.

(The bracelet that seals the curse?)

The bracelet is black and faintly broken.

Akihito: "Can you fix this? You don't have to add the spells that seal curses on it anymore."

Yasuchika: "Eh?"

Akihito: "This is going to be my lucky charm."

Akihito: "If I meet a difficult fate on the road ahead, I am sure your bracelet will be there to hold me up."

Akihito: "----Is that okay with you?"

Yasuchika: "No! I'll fix it right away!"

Ibuki: "Are you done having a cold war? Good to see you both grown up."

As usual, Yasuchika-san glared at Ibuki.

(...I am sure that every time I see the bracelet, I will remember this day and be encouraged)

...................

Later, at Ibuki's suggestion, we checked the changes in Akihito-sama's powers....

Ibuki: "I see. You can't use Kotodama of much stronger levels."

Akihito: "Yes. I can use simple ones like 'don't move' but they're less effective."

Yoshino: "It's amazing that you can still you Kotodama despite it being not boosted by your curse."

(Of course he's not going to use it anymore)

Yasuchika: "Akihito-sama has been using Kotodama for so long that it has already ingrained in his body."

Yasuchika-san gives his opinion while taking control.

Ibuki: "Akihito also has no physical strength. With only his lightning abilities, he'll soon run of breath, won't he?"

Yasuchika: "----Then isn't it best for Ibuki to break his deal with Akihito-sama?"

A cold provocation was directed at Ibuki.

Yasuchika: "Akihito-sama no longer has the curse and his life is going to change from here on. So you should have no use of him, right?"

Akihito: "Yasuchika----"

Ibuki: "You have a point."

Akihito: "...!"

(It's true that Ibuki could leave once the deal has broken....)

(But)

If you think about the relationship between these three...

From my point of view, if anyone of them is missing, then it won't be complete.

Ibuki: "I hate boredom and watching the peaceful world makes me yawn."

Yasuchika: "...Great."

Ibuki: "But I'm not going to."

Yasuchika: "Excuse me?"

(Really!?)

Ibuki laughs looking at our surprised face.

Akihito: "Ibuki?"

Ibuki: "Isn't it obvious. Your punishment is to suffer me till the end for chosing such a boring ending."

Akihito: "....."

After a sudden moment of surprise, Akihito-sama giggled.

Akihito: "I see. Looks like I can't help it then."

(...I guess Ibuki likes Akihito-sama and Yasuchika-san in his own way after all)

Akihito: "Yasuchika, Ibuki helped me a lot once again this time."

Akihito: "So..."

Yasuchika: "..."

Yasuchika-san pressed his lips in an uninteresting way and then shrugs.

Yasuchika: "......Well, I guess having different powers can help Akihito-sama to protect himself."

Yasuchika: "Also there will be more traitors who will try to kill Akihito-sama in the future."

Ibuki: "Just say you're always out of tune without me, already."

Yasuchika: "Now I can test many hazardous onmyoji techniques on you. So yeah, you can say I'm happy."

(Maybe it's just my imagination, but I kinda feel a sense of relief in Yasuchika-san's voice)

Akihito-sama and I looked at each other and chuckled.

.................

After that, we were all busy with the post-war duties.

(Kurama said he wanted to fight Tamamo, so they disappeared off to somewhere....)

Yoichi: "Eehh...Already over? That means I came here all the way in a hurry for nothing?"

Morinaga: "Me too. Me too."

Benkei: "You were late. We have already safely checked on all the soldiers, other parts of the country, and whatnot."

Akihito: "But don't worry. There is plenty of post-war duties you can do."

Yoichi and Morinaga: "Haaaa...."

Sueharu: "What's with that perfect synchronized sigh coming out of two people of the enemy teams?"

The reinforcements sent by the Shogunate and the Rebels have arrived.

Along with the post-war clean-up progress was also made on the reconstruction of areas where civil war had occurred.

Morinaga: "Anyway, I'm glad to see Yoshino is safe."

Yoshino: "Thank you! Morinaga-san."

I am happy to see Morinaga-san's warm smile after a long time.

Akihito: "Yoshino, how are the people?"

Yoshino: "Yes. A lot of people have calmed down after a day."

Yoshino: "Most injured people allowed me to treat them when I convinced them myself that I'm a pharmacist."

Of the people who started the civil war, the main players were taken prisoner.

They are now being interrogated in turn by Yasuchika-san and Ibuki.

I asked Akihito-sama to allow me treat the injured among them.

Yoshino: "Of course, they say they started the civil war of their own volition but...."

Yoshino: "They are struggling with the reason why they got so mad."

(These are the people who were initially brainwashed by the curse using their insecurity and hardships in their lives)

(I hope they manage to avoid serious charges)

Akihito: "As for them, we intend to release those who show a willingness to surrender and impose a certain period of labour."

Akihito: "We need manpower for flood control projects to prevent floods from happening again."

Yoshino: "Wow, that's a lovely idea!"

Sueharu: "It's very kind of his Majesty to hire and look after the jobless."

Akihito: "I'm just sick of being cursed and cursing."

Akihito: "And if you don't rule by fear, there's nothing wrong with ingratiating yourself."

Akihito-sama gently strokes my hair.

Akihito: "I'm sure some people have softened their attitudes now that Yoshino has gone to nurse them."

Akihito: "Once again, I'm glad you're here."

(Akihito-sama....)

-----Options-----

I didn't really do much...(+4/+4)

I'm honored.

Really?

-------

Yoshino: "I didn't really do much..."

Akihito: "I'll take the credit for your modesty."

(I will continue to do the best I can)

Akihito: "I also seek to get advice from a connoisseur as well."

Akihito-sama's streaming eyes catch Sueharu-san.

Akihito: "Oh look. He's already here."

Sueharu: "....I'll help you as much as you want if you pay me."

Akihito: "Isn't it good, Sueharu. You and I are going to be friends for a long time."

Yoichi: "Benkei...he's taking our Sueharu away from us."

Benkei: "Yeah man? Why...."

Benkei: ".....Sueharu, will you come back to Hiraizumi for the celebration banquet, right?"

Sueharu: "Yes, yes, I don't want to be kidnapped again."

Morinaga: "Sueharu! Can I also----"

Sueharu: "No! I won't drink with YOU nor I'll play with YOU!"

----Part 4----

Sueharu: "No! I won't drink with YOU nor I'll play with YOU!"

Morinaga: "Awww."

(Sueharu-san doesn't seem to like Morinaga-san for some reason. I wonder how they know each other?)

Morinaga-san soon return to the topic without worrying much.

Morinaga: "Speaking of which the mastermind behind all this, Kujo, was taken into custody by Yoritomo-sama and Kagetoki."

Morinaga: "He also seems to have suddenly become 'hazy' at certain moments, as if 'the possession had fallen off'"

Benkei: "The curse amplified the original person's malice, didn't it? As for Kujo, there's not much room for sympathy."

Akihito: "I see, so----"

Akihito: "Around the time that Kujo was sitting there and inflicting ill-will on me, they were unfazed by it....."

Akihito: "That means Yoritomo didn't have any ill will towards me at all in the current situation."

Morinaga: "In Yoritomo-sama's case, it's unlikely that he would ever engage in politics or warfare based on personal feelings."

Yoichi: "On the contrary."

Yoichi: "Our Yoshitsune-sama is the best."

Akihito: "Of course, I'm grateful to Yoshitsune too."

Akihito-sama looked at everyone's face.

Akihito: "As for the peace between the Shogunate and the Rebels, I would like to proceed as before."

Akihito: "I want both armies to inform Yoritomo and Yoshitsune to that effect."

Sueharu: "Well, when both the Shogunate and the Rebels sent relief in a situation like this...."

Sueharu: "I suppose the answer is kind of obvious."

Everyone agreed with Sueharu, who shrugged his shoulders.

(Akihito-sama is about to start walking again towards the future)

(The Shogunate, the Rebels and the Imperial Court all encouraged it in their own ways)

Above all---I was sincerely happy that Akihito-sama chose the path of light of his own volition.

.................

Soon the sky is coloured in crimson....

Yoshino: "Ah, Sueharu-san!"

Sueharu: "Yoshino, why are you here?"

I saw Sueharu-san in the town and called out to him.

Yoshino: "I was told there was a medical emergency, so I came to town."

Yoshino: "It wasn't a big deal, thank goodness."

Sueharu: "Isn't it dangerous to go out at the wrong time of day, to a place you don't know, in a town where there was a civil war yesterday?"

Sueharu: "His Majesty will be worried. Did you tell him you were going out?"

Yoshino: "No, I didn't. He looked busy, so I left a note for him...."

Sueharu: "Haa...."

Sueharu-san sighs, but then smiles.

Sueharu: "Well, want me to take you home?"

Yoshino: "Yes! Thank you very much."

Yoshino: "I also wanted to thank Sueharu-san again, looks like it's just the right time."

Sueharu: "Thank me?"

Yoshino: ".....I made a weird request."

Sueharu: "..........."

(----At that time, I asked Sueharu-san for something)

-----FLASHBACK-----

Yoshino: "If I turn out to be real evil in the future and take the lives of so many for no reason..."

Yoshino: "....I want you to stop me."

Sueharu: "....!"

Sueharu: "----So you're making the poison for yourself."

Yoshino: "Yes. But if I change and I couldn't control myself."

Sueharu: "Why me? You could have asked someone else?"

Yoshino: "....Yasuchika-san loves Akihito-sama. He would hesitate to kill me because Akihito-sama loves me."

Yoshino: "Tamamo and everyone else in the Shogunate will feel burdened by such a request because of their connection with me."

Sueharu: "So you think I'm the only one who doesn't care about you?"

Yoshino: "Sueharu-san has the highest chance to kill me in the future for the Rebels. So I thought..."

Yoshino: "Sorry for making such a request."

Sueharu: "...You."

Sueharu: "So you've really made up your mind?"

----FLASHBACK ENDS----

Yoshino: "I was supported by the fact that Sueharu-san accepted my request."

Yoshino: "I'm glad I didn't get Sueharu-san's hands dirty in the end....but I really appreciate it.

Sueharu: "----I see."

Sueharu-san looks at me straight in the eye.

The sun setting behind him, made his image shine brightly and lit up Sueharu-san's one eye.

Sueharu: "But next time, if you want someone to kill you, don't ask me."

----Part 5----

Sueharu: "But next time, if you want someone to kill you, don't ask me."

(Eh?)

Yoshino: ".....Sorry. I know I was a burden to you."

Sueharu: "I mean it dammit.....Even then, I could never kill you."

Sueharu: "Your wish was impossible from the start."

Yoshino: "What...?"

Sueharu: "Yes. From the moment you told me you wanted me to kill you, the intensity of that desire took me unintentionally by surprise."

Sueharu-san gently touched my cheek.

Sueharu: "In return...I'll do any favor for you to stay alive."

(I thought Sueharu-san was a ruthless merchant and a calculated thinker....)

Yoshino: "....Thank you."

Yoshino: "I hope if there is any way I could help you in the future, Sueharu-san. Please let me know."

Sueharu: "Really? But...."

Yoshino: "Hm?"

A masculine sensuality ebbs from his smile.

Sueharu: "Sometimes when you want something so badly you never get it."

(What do you mean.....?)

Sueharu: "Anyways, let me take you home."

I hurriedly followed Sueharu-san who started to walk slower than usual.

......................

A few days later.....

Yoshino: "The post-war work is finally over."

Akihito: "Yeah. We can finally go back home."

Akihito-sama and I had a brief encounter after finishing our respective jobs.

(It's been a while since we relaxed like this)

I spilled a smile under the sunlight.

Then----

???: "Chichichi."

(Hm? Wait...)

When I looked up two small blue birds were flying happily.

Ruri: "Chichi!"

Yoshino: "Ruri!?"

Akihito: "Ah....."

Akihito-sama's eyes widened in surprise.

Akihito-sama did tell me that he set Ruri free out of force...

Yoshino: "But there are two...."

Akihito: "Partner? Or a friend...?"

When Ruri sits on Akihito-sama's shoulder.

She tweeted happily as if introducing the other little bird flying above our heads.

Akihito: "----Oh. I'm glad that you're not alone anymore, Ruri."

Akihito: "Sorry for what I did that day."

Ruri bites Akihito-sama's finger gently, which is held out to her, out of love.

She then flew and landed on my shoulder.

Yoshino: "....I'm happy for you, Ruri."

Yoshino: "Are you going away with the other bird?"

Ruri: "Pii."

Ruri rubs her head against my cheek, looking somewhat forlorn.

Then she flew high up to the other bird.

Yoshino: "---Bye, Ruri. I hope you live happily."

The two little blue birds swirl in the sky to say goodbye....

Eventually they flapped away with the wind.

Akihito: "I guess the little bird that plays in my palm is gone now."

Yoshino: "Are you sad?"

Akihito: "Yeah. But it doesn't feel-----unpleasant or lonely."

Akihito: "Even though we're apart, I know she can take care of herself."

Akihito: "...I'm glad that her last memory of me wasn't of me getting rid off her."

Yoshino: "I see...."

Yoshino: "I know that Ruri is important to you and I bet she feels the same way. I'm glad we were able to send her off happily."

(Ah.......)

Akihito-sama suddenly hugs me.

His soft lips touches mine and I sighed sweetly.

Yoshino: ".....Mm..."

My body heats up as he pecked my lips repeatedly and playfully.

Akihito-sama then whispered to my ear, when I lost all my strength.

Akihito: "From the moment we met, I thought your overly honest reactions were adorable."

Akihito: "---Once I tried to love you like you're a little bird with unusually beautiful wings."

Akihito: "I was hoping that by using the Kotodama game, you wouldn't be able to able to stay away from me."

Yoshino: "Is it different now?"

After thinking for a moment, Akihito-sama replies.

Akihito: "Now..."

Romantic End // Dramatic End

[oddpriest]

Swedish Lessons (Five Hargreeves)

A/N: Based off of this prompt. I’m sorry if the Swedish is broken and/or incorrect, I don’t actually speak Swedish and had to translate the best I could :-( Please, if you speak Swedish, feel free to correct me!! Also sorry for the back to back dialogue in places. Translations are numbered at the bottom! Enjoy

Genre: Fluff 

Warnings: S2 content

W.C: 1,478

Summary: You accompany Five, Diego, and Lila at the Mexican Consulate. While Diego and Lila search for the Majestic Twelve, Five decides it’s the perfect time to review a little Swedish. 

An anthem of trumpets filled your ears as you entered the room, causing you to subconsciously sway with the melody as you followed close behind Five. The room was slightly crowded with elegant figures, poise and polite, incredibly well dressed. You told Five a silent ‘thank you’ for helping you with your look tonight, otherwise you might have felt out of place.

“I don’t see Dad anywhere.”, Diego announced. 

“Just be on the lookout for the Majestic Twelve. You two can take upstairs, [Y/n] and I will keep an eye out down here.”, Five instructed, “Oh, and Diego, try not to do anything too stupid.”

Five matched his words with a sarcastic smile, making Lila to chuckle as they took off. This left just you and Five, alone together at one of the fanciest gatherings you’ve ever attended. The glistening chandelier hanging from the ceiling caught your eye, and you began to get lost in thought. So lost in thought, you hadn’t even noticed Five tugging on your hand.

He gestured toward the open floor, “Come dance with me.”

Only half paying attention, you blindly followed him with your hands still enclosed. Your face began to flush a bit as you both came to a standstill. Briefly, you examined your surroundings and your current position; you finally realized, Five had invited you to dance. At this point, your nerves had completely taken over, making your face redder by the minute as you started to shake. He seemed to notice your change in behavior because his resting deadpan face was replaced with one that was rarely seen. His gaze had softened, and the slight smile on his face was genuine. 

“Follow my lead.”

His hand took to your waist, protectively gripping the small of your back. Your back straightened instinctively, your free hand moving to his shoulder. The other was preoccupied, tightly holding onto his hand. The dance began as simple swaying, taking small footsteps as you looked into each other’s eyes. A small, surprised squeak escaped you as you were twirled, and you hoped the quick hand over your mouth was enough to hide it. 

“You know since we’re going against the Swedes now, I think it’d be best if you learned some Swedish.”, he broke the silence as he dipped you, “No better time than now for a quick lesson.”

“But, I have learned Swedish already.”, you said, confused.

He stopped, the deadpan expression returning, “Okej älskling. Säg mig då, vad säger jag till dig just nu?”1

You hesitated, “Okay… what did I just-”

He interrupted, “Exactly.” 

Five turned you rather swiftly, your back suddenly pressed up against his chest. Your fingers were still intertwined, and his hand never left your waist. The dance was a little clumsy, feet stepping over and bumping into each other from time to time. However, you both kept a steady pace as you swayed back and forth. 

“Now, repeat after me.”, he murmured into your ear, “Mitt namn ar [Y/n].”

You rolled your eyes, “Mitt namn ar [Y/n].”

He tsked, spinning you back around so you were facing him, “Repeat in English, please.”

“What?”, you questioned, “You didn’t say that. Why should I?”

“Because, how else am I supposed to know that you actually know what you’re saying?”, Five replied, his classic sarcastic smile returning.

“Fine.”, you huffed, “My name is [Y/n].” 

He nodded, “Jag är den bäst utseende här, även om jag inte vet det.” 

“I am the best looking here, even though I don’t know it.”

“Jag kanske inte heller vet detta, men jag gör Five också väldigt glada.”

That familiar heat returned to your face and ears as you replied, “I may not know this either, but I also make Five very happy.” 

“Kanske den lyckligaste han har varit på länge.”, he smiled. 

Your bodies were practically glued together, your heart beating against his chest. He tilted his head with a slightly confused expression, obviously waiting for you to continue. 

“Perhaps the happiest he has been in a long time.”, your response was meek. The nervousness had returned to your voice and your head was dizzy, but you still managed to comprehend the unfamiliar sentence. 

“Han älskar varje sekund han tillbringar med mig.”, he continued. 

“He loves every.. second he spends with me?”, you were unsure of your answer. 

“See? You got it.”, he said with a nod of his head, “Han vet inte vad han skulle göra om något hände med mig.”

You became more confused, yet still replied. “He does.. not know what he would do… if something happened to me.”

“Ja, [Y/n], det är rätt. Du gör ett bra jobb.”, his calm voice spoke unfamiliar words, “ Allt du just sa var förresten sant.” 2

“What?”, you asked, “Sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying.” 

The boy twirled you, yet again, pulling you back into his warm embrace. You felt his breath against your neck, your bodies still moving in unison. The other couples surrounding you swiftly avoided you as they danced past, but that was the least of your concerns. The music had become significantly smoother, the band’s melody resembling the sweet motion of honey dripping off a honey wand. His eyes were deep, gentle. You almost forgot what you were doing before his words yet again interrupted your running mind. 

“That’s fine, I got a tad carried away.”, he acknowledged, “Just keep repeating what I say. Jag vet inte hur jag annars säger det här.”

“I do not know how else to say this.”, you repeated confidentently. 

“Och så mycket som jag inte vill säga det, jag kan inte vänta längre.”, the words rolled off his tongue. 

He pulled you in closer, lifting you off the ground ever so slightly. One of your legs was closer to the ground than the other, your foot pointed as it drug across the floor. Though he was spinning both of you, your eyes were locked with his. Despite your voice wavering, you tried to remain confident with your demeanor. You were struggling to.

“And as much as I don’t want to say it, I can’t wait any longer.”, you were genuinely confused. 

“Jag kan ärligt talat inte dölja det längre”, he continued to speak, ignoring the confusion in your voice. 

“Wait, what?”

“Keep repeating.” 

The mix of the sentimental music and his delicate tone clashed in your brain, and the fuzzy feeling returned. You hesitated, “I honestly can’t hide it anymore.” 

“Jag är ledsen om du inte känner på samma sätt.”

Your pace increased in harmony with the song’s tempo, furthering the haze. 

“I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same way.” 

The song came to a close as he dipped you a final time, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear with the hand that wasn’t holding you. Your heartbeat was loud in your ears, which were burning at this point. 

“Men jag älskar dig, [Y/n].” 

Clapping sounds filled the room as other partygoers showed their appreciation for the mariachi band. Five had gently positioned you upright, his hands still in their protective position. Your face kept its shocked expression as you continued to process his words. The situation would just become more awkward and a little embarrassing if you mistranslated this sentence, so you made sure to repeat it in your head as much as possible. Doubt continued to swell in your heart, but you could tell Five was becoming increasingly uncomfortable waiting for an answer. You two were still standing in the middle of the ballroom floor, pressed against each other, and others gave quick glances as they passed. Not wanting to keep him waiting any longer, you finally replied. 

“But I love you, [Y/n].”, you choked out. He let out a weak chuckle at your response, and he began to let you go. You quickly pulled him back with a smile, “I love you too. I really didn’t know how to say it either.”

He smirked, “Well, I’m glad you finally understood. It took you long enough. For the record, this is the corniest thing I’ve ever done and I don’t think I could’ve kept it up much longer.” 

You laughed, walking close beside him with your arms linked, “I sincerely doubt that’s the corniest thing you’ve done.”

“Yes, you’re right.”, he said, “In fact, I’ve wooed a woman in every language I know.” 

You lightly elbowed him, continuing to giggle, “It must be nice to know more than one language.”

“Hey!”, Diego interrupted, “Are you two lovebirds gonna come help us, or what? We got a lead on where Dad might be.” He ushered for you both to join him before being drug away by Lila. 

Five kissed your forehead before gripping your hand and guiding you in Diego’s direction, “And I can tell you I love you in all of them.”

1. “Okay, love. Tell me then, what am I saying to you right now?”

2. “Yes, [Y/n], that’s right. You’re doing a good job. By the way, everything you just said was true.”

[khaleesiofalicante]

I would like my energy for full fanfiction analysis to come back, but like I at least need to say that I really loved the last few chapters of both stories.

LBAF is a masterpiece as always. Lexi and Ben is the brotp I didn’t know I needed. also David is the true king, two versions of the love of his life! Please, nobody can do it quite like him. also the wedding, despite everything they managed to have such a beautiful moment and I am so proud of my consul and inquisitor. They deserve all the fucking happiness in the world. I am excited to see how this epilogue goes. I need all the pieces at some point slot into place.

And speaking of all the pieces sliding into place… Just WTF is IALS right now because like I feel like I have pieces of the puzzle, and yet it’s like a puzzle that only came partially assembled and some of the pieces got lost in transit and it is so amazing and so frustrating at the exact same time. But the characterization here is fucking gold, and the way that you make it so visual, like if while reading it you’re watching a movie play out is just the most beautiful thing. Like the last few chapters have a literally had me in tears, thankfully since I’m back home, I can be in tears in my room and not in the middle of bus stops or school hallways. . And don’t get me started on the fucking proposal, that is literally the worst proposal in proposal history. And I have seen some pretty shitty proposals circulating the Internet. Also I love lance, nothing else needed.

But yes, amazing writing, amazing characters, and you have me emotional at least four times a week, sometimes all seven because I can’t stop thinking about it all.

This had me so emo. Thank you so much. And I can't believe we're (almost) done with lbaf part 4 and ials part 2. it's been a crazy couple of months, kids. love yall!

[alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer]

all gone, all gone, all gone

part 5: i gotta get away from myself, i gotta get help

this is the last part before the epilogue! I hope you enjoyed it! i borrowed a few lines from leigh bardugo, i hope she doesn't mind :)

this is mostly resolution, but there is obviously still discussion of a suicide attempt! i would also say there's a bit of implied ableism that's not supported by the story

happy early birthday to @littlx-songbxrd!!!! the thomastair part is for you

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Masterlist | AO3

Cordelia took a deep breath and opened the door.

Will, Sophie, the Consul, and the Inquisitor appeared to be in the middle of their discussion. Solemn expressions rested on their faces, with the exception of Maurice Bridgestock, who appeared utterly disinterested.

The Inquisitor glared when she entered. “You cannot be in here, young lady.”

“You can’t send him away. You can’t send him to the Basilias.”

“That decision is not yours to make, Ms. Herondale,” Maurice said.

“I’m not naive. I know that he needs help. I understand that. But he won’t find it in the Basilias; you know that as well as I. He needs to be here. He needs to be with his family. Barely two days after our father died, Belial went to Alastair and threatened his life. He altered his mind and ordered him to do terrible things. That is fact. What he was doing when Belial sought him out is irrelevant. Acquit him and allow us to handle the rest as a personal matter.”

“When it leads to consorting with a Prince of Hell to carry out acts of evil, it can no longer be considered a personal matter. Your brother is a risk to himself and everyone around him.”

She wanted to scream. Why weren’t the rest of them saying anything? Why would they not defend him? “Please. If it were Matthew, what would you do?”

“Ms. Herondale! That is uncalled for,” Bridgestock scolded. “And you are intruding on a private matter of the Nephilim Council.”

Cordelia continued. “You cannot truly tell me that it is unreasonable to imagine Matthew in a similar situation, if he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. You see Alastair as a risk because you do not wish to be responsible for him. It is easier for you to send him away, but it will not be easier for him, nor for our family. If you truly care for my family as you claim to-”

“That is enough,” Inquisitor Bridgestock interrupted.

Cordelia wasn’t finished. There was so much more she wished to say. She wanted to ask Will why he and Tessa were so blind to what was truly happening within her family. Why they never asked questions. Why, even after her father’s arrest, they still refused to see it. Why the most there was to offer was Will’s comment about his own father. She wanted to ask him what she should think now, now that her own father was dead, now that the evidence of his harm was laid out before them. Was he merely human? Was that supposed to make any of the irreparable harm he caused not only Alastair, but her, too, any better? Was it supposed to be placating? She even wanted to ask the Consul how she could raise such a callous son, a son who began a relationship with someone who was a child while he was an adult. A son who made her brother feel undeserving of anything good. As she attempted to collect her thoughts, it no longer became necessary.

“She’s right,” Sophie said. “Alastair made a mistake, but it was made under horrible, bizarre circumstances. Irreplicable circumstances, most likely. Anything he did that is punishable by Nephilim law was done under magical control by Belial. The best place for him to recover is with his family.”

“I find it very irresponsible-” Bridgestock continued, but Sophie interrupted.

“He will be taken off of active duties until he is deemed both physically and mentally ready to return to them. I could meet with him each week, assess how he is doing and how much of a risk he is, as Inquisitor Bridgestock put it. Consider it a recompense for my indiscretion.”

Will was oddly silent, something Cordelia hadn’t known he could be before. Finally, the Consul spoke. “I find those terms to be reasonable. Thank you, Sophie. If he agrees to them, I don’t see any reason to send him anywhere but back home.”

The Inquisitor seemed like he was about to object, but Will spoke up, “I agree.”

Cordelia sighed in relief as the Inquisitor backed down. Perhaps, somehow, this story could have a happy ending after all.

* * *

Alastair looked away the moment Thomas entered the infirmary. His memories of the past two weeks were strange, as if someone else had been controlling his body while he merely watched on, while at the same time not. Regardless, he could remember every moment of it. There was no way he could ever look him in the eyes again after all that he’d revealed back in that warehouse, not after looking into his beautiful hazel eyes with the sole intention of crushing him, not after making him weep. Perhaps he’d not been able to raise his blade against Thomas, but he hurt him all the same, and he could never forgive himself for that.

“You look like you’re doing better,” Thomas offered.

“Thank you,” he replied. “I feel very well-rested after my coma.”

Thomas hesitated, then added, “Well, if that’s all it took, why didn’t you try that ages ago?”

Alastair exhaled, glad that he understood his humor, however bleak. “Are you saying I usually look tired?” He bit the inside of his cheek. This was far too close to flirting for comfort.

“No more than the rest of us. Perhaps I should try it next.”

"I have a feeling your mother wouldn't appreciate that." He thought of the terms he agreed to earlier. “Didn’t you hear? She’s meant to counsel me. I’d prefer her in good spirits.”

“True enough.” Thomas hesitated for a moment. “Why won’t you look at me?”

Alastair allowed himself to look up for one brief moment before looking back down. Thomas’ eyes were worried. “I think you know the answer to that.”

“No one blames you for what happened. I certainly don’t.”

He exhaled. “I don’t need your pity, Thomas. I don’t want it. Yours or anyone else’s. You hated me before this whole ordeal and you should still. I’ve done many terrible things, not just those under Belial’s influence. I deserve your disdain. The only reason you look at me differently now, the only reason any of you have given me a second glance is because you can finally see me for what I am: broken. So don’t come here offering me your pity and your kindness and your support when all you truly see me as is something to fix. I apologize for everything I’ve done, for all the ways I’ve hurt you, directly or not. Let us leave it at that. I know what I said in the warehouse, but-”

“You don’t need saving. You never did,” Thomas finished for him. “I know you feel vulnerable and exposed right now. You clung to this visage of cruelty and unfeeling as protection. Words were your armor, but it's fragile stuff, all show. It’s not what you’re made of. What’s underneath it, that’s adamas. Tougher than diamond, rare and beautiful, brave and resilient, utterly unbreakable. And it doesn’t need fixing.

“I know we’ve both made mistakes. I know you need time to heal. But I… I care for you, Alastair. I have for a long time, even when I was trying so hard to deny it. I don’t know which parts of the things you said were truthful and which were lies and I don’t need to. All I need to know is whether or not you’ll take me as your friend. Perhaps, one day, if we both so desire it, something more, but for now, I can think of nothing I want more than to be your friend.”

Alastair only nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Thomas reached then, slowly, to cup his cheeks in his hands, giving him the opportunity to pull away if he wanted to. He did not. For a moment, he thought Thomas was going to lean in to kiss him, despite his insistence a few moments earlier that for the time being they would only be friends. Instead, he gently pulled Alastair’s head towards his chest, wrapping his arms firmly around him, strong and steady. In that moment, Alastair knew only one thing with complete certainty: he never wanted Thomas to let go.

* * *

Alastair didn’t know how long Thomas stayed, but at some point he fell asleep, and when he woke, Thomas was gone. He felt a pang in his chest at the realization. He selfishly, dangerously wanted him back beside him. He noticed a book beside his bed that he was certain was not there before. He opened it and found a short note inside. He recognized the handwriting before reading the signature: it was from Thomas. Alastair despised the warmth in his chest when he realized this, but mainly because he feared it.

I don’t know if you like poetry, but I enjoyed these. They comforted me when I felt alone, and I thought perhaps they could keep you company while you’re in the infirmary. -Tom

Flipping through it, he could see that it was a collection of poems, most in Farsi but a few in Arabic as well. He was certain he’d mocked Cordelia for reading the same poems at some point, back when he believed love to be cold and pointless. Perhaps what he believed was love was never truly love at all. Perhaps now he could attempt to find out.

He shut the book as he heard the door to the infirmary open. Sophie Lightwood appeared.

“Hello, Alastair. I hope I’m not disturbing you.” He shook his head. “Good. I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. That was entirely inappropriate of me.”

“It’s alright. You needed to know. You needed to be sure. I would have done the same thing.”

“I- That doesn’t make it right, but thank you for understanding.” She paused. “I thought it would be helpful to discuss our arrangement, as well as what you plan to tell your mother about what’s happened.”

Alastair had expected the first part, but his mother? “What?”

“I suspect you’ve not told her the truth, have you? Do you plan to?”

“I-” he swallowed anxiously. “Cordelia told her I got sent out of town.”

“Alastair, you’re not in any trouble. What you choose to tell her and not tell her is not mine to judge. I simply believe it would be helpful to be prepared.”

“We’re- we’re not supposed to cause her any extra stress because of the baby.”

“Do you wish to tell her the truth?”

He thought for a moment. “I don’t want any more secrets.” He had enough of them to contend with.

“I think that’s wise. Your mother is strong, and so is the baby. If telling her the truth will help you, it will help her. I believe that more than anything, she wishes to know that you’re okay. There is just as much stress in secrecy as there is in truth.”

He thought for a moment. “How am I meant to explain this to her?” His voice broke as he spoke.

She considered it, sat down, and considered it some more. “I don’t know.”

“Why are you helping me? And don’t tell me it’s because you asked a single question during my interrogation.”

There was silence for a moment. “Alastair, Shadowhunters are people of scars. Many of them are sustained in battle, but not all of them are. Perhaps not even most. The way I see it, there are three types of people. There are those who see battle scars as the only true sign of wound, such as the Inquisitor. All else is merely a weakness in constitution. It is that belief that is built into Nephilim society, and it is the view that most hold.

“There are also those who understand that other types of scars exist, ones that are sustained at home, but they do not know that hurt personally, and they do not truly understand it. I see people like Will falling into this category.

“Finally, there are those of us who are not haunted by demons because we know that there is so much more to fear. We know that scars sustained outside of battle, both physical and not, often run much deeper than that of a demon’s claw. Those wounds cannot be healed by runes or magic. You cannot do it alone. I don’t know how much you know about my past, but when Charlotte found me, I was broken and alone. The Silent Brothers healed me physically, but the rest took time and support. It took many people who refused to turn their back on me, and I will not turn my back on you.”

“I… I don’t deserve it,” was all he could think to respond.

“Perhaps it is not something deserved, then, but simply something given.”

“In school, I spread terrible rumors about you, your husband, the Consul… I said-”

“I don’t care. Whatever you said, it doesn’t matter. I am an adult, Alastair. Whatever lies you repeated as a child don’t bother me. Your past doesn’t define you. It merely gives you a chance to be better, to learn.”

Alastair didn’t respond. He’d never thought of it from that perspective.

“I should go. You need time to rest. But consider what I’ve said, alright? I’ll be in touch again and we can arrange times to meet, perhaps over tea.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” He hadn’t meant to say it, he wasn’t even entirely certain what he was grateful for, but he knew the words were true.

She gave him a small smile. “Take care, Alastair.”

thanks so much for reading! taglist: @jem-nasium @littlx-songbxrd @fortheloveofthecarstairs @cant-think-of-anything @shadowrunner2000 @writeforjordelia @jurdan-my-beloved

[evarcana]

Courtiers + Christmas

Sorry, dear anon, it took me ages 😓 well at least I did it before xmas, right?

To avoid the whole discourse about why the bunch of demons and one morally corrupted human are celebrating Christmas, I should say that this is based on the MC inviting the courtiers to celebrate together.

Valdemar🎄😈

Not like they usually pay attention to silly human holidays. But if it is you inviting... “how delightful” - of course Valdemar is coming. The problem is that in their millennia of existence being busy with their research they sort of missed out on what Christmas was about. “MC, don’t give me that look, this is all fairly new”, you don’t even want to what is old for them. But it’s Valdemar so they lock themselves in dungeons and put all their inhuman determination into researching Christmas.

Valdemar’s research is ...advanced. After they excitingly start telling you whether you knew that red in decorations symbolises blood, you decide it’s time to intervene, hand Valdemar list of gifts to buy and encourage them to return to their usual work (who would believe you would ever say it).

They turn to the party/dinner dressed as Santa (or whatever equivalent). Are you shocked? Erm yes... But why are other guests loving it ?! Well they did become sort of xmas expert in less than a week so you guess it’s okay. Expects lots of stories on how Christmas celebrations developed over the last centuries.

Charms your grandma or elderly auntie by being the only person capable of listening about their chronical conditions and actually engaging on the topic. Your little niece/neighbour’s kid loves them too - they expertly removed all those bits of turkey leg they don’t like to eat in less than 5 seconds. Everybody loves them. But Valdemar still spends most of the time telling what a fascinating specimen you are.

When it comes to gift exchange part, you are glad that they only added a few medical books, plague masks and antiseptics to the list, could be worse.., but where is yours present? “You, my little silly duckling, are on the naughty list this year” with this Valdemar gently throws you in their sack grabs you and excuses you both from the party. You try to protest but they only say that they played along for long enough and now it’s their turn to play little game with you. Oh well you can leave early one year, it promises to be worth it.

Valerius 🎁🍷

Every year Valerius receives plenty of invitations to winter holidays parties arranged by the nobles but this is the first time he got invitation to something that personal. Tells you that he needs to check his diary and finally reluctantly agrees only because “there was a rather unfortunate cancellation”. But really in his head he is like “Omg does it mean that I am part of the family now? Cancel all plans NOW.”

Then he learns that you plan to have Christmas dinner/party at your place. The consul of Vesuvia to go to that ...shack?? That’s unthinkable: The party will be in his estate, yes he knows that it’s incredibly generous of him to offer and no you cannot refuse.

And this is when things are getting extra. You know that crazy neighbours competitions whose Christmas lights are brighter and decorations are better? That’s Valerius, although he has nobody to compete with really. The massive xmas tree got delivered from who-knows-where and who-knows-how in 2 days, and there is no red, golden or green decoration item left in stock in entire Vesuvia, oh and some the palace’s best cooks suddenly took a sick leave for a week (no it was Valerius promising them triple wages).

You ask Valerius not to get any expensive presents, otherwise you will feel bad, he did indeed agree that it was reasonable suugestion. Everybody gets presents more expensive than life. The guests surpringly find Valerius a very good host, this might have something to do with those gifts which were definitely extra or with the fact that everybody got merry in like 20 min thanks to all the fancy wine. Valerius is gossip central, argues about politics with your annoying uncle and plays board games with children.

Insists that it would be better if you stay overnight and not travel home late. Falls asleep in chair with drink in hand like an old man. Later that chair somehow migrates to the hallway by the guest bedroom, under the strategically placed mistletoe. Wait, where did red silky robes come from? All planned. Let’s hope that the unfortunate relative of yours is not staying in the same guestwing.

Vlastomil 🎅🏻 🪱

It’s lovely of you to invite him but he is a busy worm man and cannot really leave his children alone. Maybe he can just stop by? “No, MC! Don’t get offended!!”

Then he learns that Christmas is usually about family, does it mean that his children can come as well?? Ugh while you are mumbling something about that worms may not be very comfortable at your place, Vlastomil decides that the Christmas party will be held in his garden so the worms everybody can enjoy it.

Prepare to have a ...thematic Christmas. There is white xmas tree decorated with the shimmery worms and candy canes which have worms wrapped around them. Okay, even you are not the biggest fan of worms you have to admit that the ice sculptures of worms are quite impressive. He even has little nativity scene but with the worms.

Everybody receives crystal tree decoration baubles with live worms inside. Everybody is shocked. Vlastomil explains that it’s only stocking fillers and there are more gifts. (Also crystal baublesare only for transportation, the worms need to be free range, how dare you). The actual gifts are... amazing. Somebody got a scarf that they liked but didn’t have enough money to buy on that day, another person got a album of pin up pictures of snake women even if it was supposed to be a secret interest of theirs and you got that sparkly princess teara you cried for your parents to buy at age 5 but they never did (cmon, x years later, you still like it).

Some little child says that Vlastomil is like Santa with how you he magically read people’s wishes (there there, little one, it’s just the power of gossip), but Vlastomil is vibing: wiggler gets elf outfit from somewhere and you get lots of invitations to “come to sit on Santa’s lap”. Yes you can stay there after all the guests leave (and yes you can keep your sparkly teara on).

Volta 🍪🥛

Was secretly dreaming to be invited since at least October. But is still genuinely surprised when you ask her to come. She asks tonnes of questions: who else is coming, are you sure they would like Volta, what are you going to do, will there be food?

Volta wants to help you with all the preparations. Not like she is super useful but she did dig out from the piles of stuff in her estate and bring you lots of old tree decorations and some nice tableware. She basically spends all your time with you in the build up to Christmas: you decorate the house together, make gingerbread houses (well more like you made one house from the 1000s attempt, they all got eaten before they were actually completed) and pack gifts for everybody.

You warned all the guests that there going to be lots of food this year, and no you finally don’t need to worry about what to do with the leftovers and crying “end me, I am sick of having xmas food for 10 days in a row” because they are not going to be any leftovers. But you didn’t expect Volta to turn up with even more food. “Volta does not want anybody to starve on Christmas!”. She surely eats lots but she is also looking after other people lots, passing them plates with food (just imagine her holding it with both of her tiny hands) and topping up their drinks, she wants everybody to enjoy the dinner.

Everybody at the table is talking of how adorable Volta is, and nobody can even hide tears when Volta presents little hand made gifts that she prepared herself. But Volta humming Christmas carols? How does she even know Christmas carols? This is illegal level of cuteness.

Volta wants to stay to help you to clean up when the dinner is over. It’s quite and it’s only two of you. Oh you might still have some sweet things in the cupboard.

Vulgora🔥🌟

At first super excited to be invited but the next second they ask what is Christmas about and what does it involve. You decorate, eat, chat to people and exchange gifts? That sounds awfully boring to Vulgora. Can they at least smash the tree in the end? What do you mean - NO?!?!

Eager to help too. They need to use their energy somewhere. You are not sure whether it’s the type of help you wanted. You asked them to carry the xmas tree from the market? There are 5 trees in front of the house, one of which is like is almost 10’ tall. You asked them to chop some wood for the fire? Well, there is enough to have a bonfire in the towncentre. But on the positive side, your house is lavishly decorated this year, Vulgora likes the red and golden theme.

Lots of battle stories at the dinner, some of which ...lack xmas spirit a bit. All the gifts are...war themed. Then Vulgora gets bored and wants to fight for the right to cut the turkey/ vegan nut roast, whatever you are having. Oh no. But they can smash nuts with their gauntlets - the guests are impressed and suddenly want more battle stories. On the positive side, it’s definitely not boring this year, Vulgora is load and energetic.

But then suddenly Vulgora suggests you all go outside, when you question them, they say it’s a surprise. It’s hard to believe what you see: they prepared fireworks and sparkle fountains !!! You cannot help but smile watching vulgora excitingly running around setting them all off (but hopefully not setting your house on fire).

You watch firework lighting up the sky with Vulgora hugging you from behind and then..they rugby tackle you to the ground?! Well whether there is snow or not, they want to have a fight. Luckily the fireworks are over and the guests can just...leave you two to it.

[dontmindmyshadowhunting]

Do I see you? (Fan Fiction on Kit & Ty’s reunion)

All Chapters of my Fan Fiction on Kit and Ty’s reunion below.

You can scroll down or read it here (I have added a bonus chapter 10 on AO3 - link below): 

AO3 Link - Do I see you?

By kibi_writes

Kit Herondale, descendant of the First Heir and as such, legitimate heir to the throne of both Seelie and Unseelie Courts, is hunted down by both the Cohort and Faeries. He has now taken refuge at the New York Institute, close to the Consul and to the only other Herondale he knows. The Scholomance has answered the Clave’s call and decided to assign three of their First Company Centurions to Kit’s security. One of them is Tiberius Blackthorn, whom Kit hasn’t been in contact with since he last saw him, three years ago.

The events take place three years after the Dark Artifices. Characters based on Cassandra Clare’s, save for those I have created for the plot.

Chapter 1 - An unexpected guest

The New York Institute’s dining room was crowded with strangers. Well, mostly strangers.

Alexander Lightwood-Bane, Consul, was at the head of the table and Jace was behind him, leaning against the wall, playing with a knife clutched in his left hand, the only sign of stress betraying his casual stance.

There were other familiar faces: Clary Fairchild, co-head of the NY Institute, Mark Blackthorn and Cristina Rosales, as representatives of the Downworlder-Shadowhunter Alliance, Jem and Tessa who had brought Kit here. Max and Rafael were playing with little Mina in another room.

Kit looked at the grim faces around the table. It was like being at a Shadowhunter funeral. There was even a Silent Brother present. The image of a dark-haired boy dressed in white flashed in his mind then, and Kit immediately shoved it away and directed his focus on the ongoing conversation.

“…So, we all agree,” said a tall pinch-faced man with a faint accent. It seemed to be French. “Now that both the Cohort and Faeries know of his existence, and where he has been hiding the past few years, the First Heir’s descendant is in danger. Until we find out how to deal with these threats, his security is the matter of the Clave.”

Kit loved it when people were talking about him in the third person as if he weren’t there.

As explained earlier, we can keep him in the Silent City, but only temporarily, said the Silent Brother in the attendees’ minds.

Kit made a silent prayer. No, please no. Anywhere but the Silent City.

“The Scholomance will answer the Clave’s call,” said the French man. Probably the new person in charge of the Scholomance, Kit guessed. He had heard he was French. He seemed young though - in his late twenties or early thirties - for such a responsibility. “We will assign three of our First Company’s Centurions to Christopher Herondale’s security”.

“Thank you, Maximilien. We are most grateful-” started Alec.

“We will need to perform background checks first,” Jace interrupted. “I hope you understand.”

Maximilien Verlac’s eyes – Kit had just remembered his last name – showed a flash of anger, quickly smoothed over. “Certainly, although I am pretty sure you can be spared a background check on at least one of them.” He looked directly at Mark then. “You see, I was planning on assigning your brother to the task.”

Kit froze.

“Tiberius Blackthorn?” it was Jem who spoke. He glanced at Kit then, so quickly most people must not have seen it. “We are quite close to the Blackthorns. Would it not be preferable to entrust only people who are… unknown to us, with such mission?” Kit knew what Jem was trying to do. Protect his feelings. He felt both ashamed and grateful.

“I thought you would want our A-Team to be assigned to your boy’s security,” said Maximilien Verlac, raising one of his thick eyebrows. “Tiberius Blackthorn is one of our best Centurions, and it would be a shame to be deprived of his razor-sharp mind. I am afraid without him, we cannot assure you that you have the very best the Scholomance has to offer.”

The rest of the conversation melted into a blur. Voices raised, people stood, fingers pointed. But Kit wasn’t hearing any of it. The only sound in his ear was that of his heart, beating hard in his chest.

Kit only realized the meeting was over when people started exiting the room. He was vaguely aware of Jem telling him with a strained voice that the three Centurions assigned to his security would arrive at the NY Institute that very evening. One of them was Tiberius Blackthorn. Kit stormed out of the room without a word, ran to the bedroom that had been assigned to him, and locked himself in. As if a lock could protect him from the ache that had started growing in his chest.

*****

The three Centurions came in through a Portal a little before twilight. They were led to the training room where Jace, co-head of the New York Institute, had been spending his afternoon.

Jace gracefully jumped from one of the rafters as soon as the door opened to reveal the newcomers. They seemed to be moving in a V formation, Tiberius Blackthorn standing in front, flanked by the two other Centurions.

Jace strode across the training room to meet them, his hand outstretched.

He had come across Tiberius Blackthorn several times in the past few years, not frequently, but enough to see him grow from a lean boy into a man. However, now that he was seeing him up close, Jace could not help but feel a jolt of surprise as he took in his delicate features, silver gray eyes under impossibly long eyelashes, cupid’s bow lips so red the shade could have been used for expensive make-up, his pale white skin a sharp contrast with his frame of black hair. Jace was not into boys, but he had to admit that Tiberius Blackthorn was strikingly handsome. In fact, one could say his beauty was… otherworldly.

He must have his pick of girls, Jace thought.

As he was shaking hands with Tiberius and glancing at the two other Centurions watching him expectantly, he said “Welcome to the New York Institute, Centurions. Kit is training right now, maybe we could make the introductions later; not that you, Ty, need to be introduced. I can show you to your rooms, so you can start unpacking-”

Jace started to move forward, only to realize that Tiberius had not been listening to him at all. He stood motionless, staring at something across the room, his gray eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. His face, which had been pale white a minute ago, had turned a deep shade of crimson.

Jace followed his stare to a corner of the training room where Kit was doing crunches, his abdominal muscles showing where his shirt lifted. Admittedly, Kit had changed a lot since the first time Jace had met him. To say he had grown into his looks was an understatement.

Kit’s body was tanned, all broad shoulders, narrow hips, and sharply defined muscles. His blond hair and white shirt were drenched in sweat. Kit seemed to be absorbed in his own world, eyes closed, headphones on, loud music blasting in his ears.

Jace revisited his earlier statement. Boys, then. Tiberius Blackthorn must have his pick of boys.

“Tiberius?” Jace insisted. When he failed to receive an answer, he tried in a more commanding voice, “Centurion?”

Tiberius snapped out of his daze, then, and straightened his back, as if in a military drill. He turned and led the way out of the training room, his two guard dogs following in his footsteps.

Jace sighed. He had the feeling the situation was about to get even more complicated.

 Chapter 2 - A sense of déjà-vu

Kit had disappeared into his bedroom after training, to shower and dress for dinner. He tried five different shirts, before settling for the first one. He kept pacing, cursing, until he gathered up the courage to walk out of his hiding place.

When he finally came in the Institute’s dining room, Kit realized that he had no reason to be nervous after all. Ty was nowhere to be seen. There were two Centurions though, sitting at the table, with their backs very straight, as if a cord were pulling them upward. Was that part of the training at the Scholomance? Kit wondered.

One of them introduced himself as Anush Joshi. He was tall and dark haired, and had a friendly face, Kit thought.

The other was a girl, with white-blond hair. Kerstin Lindquist. She had apparently grown up at the Stockholm Institute. She was very pretty and looked more like a Barbie doll than a Shadowhunter. But Kit had learnt that, where Shadowhunters were concerned, looks could be deceiving. Deadly so.

They were both wearing casual clothes, rather than their Centurions’ uniforms, and that helped Kit warm up to them. So far, his encounters with Centurions had not been the friendliest. That was an understatement. He could only count one of them he actually liked. Well, “liked” was a big word. Diego Rosales, who was now the Inquisitor.

They made polite conversation with Simon and Isabelle, who had joined them. Clary and Jace were apparently caught up in Institute business.

“So, any juicy news from the Scholomance?” asked Isabelle, as they were having dessert.

Kit saw Anush and Kerstin exchange an uneasy glance.

“Not much fun, actually,” said Anush, closing the subject.

“Is Tiberius getting along well with everyone? I know Maximilien Verlac holds him in high esteem.”

“He is the best of us,” Anush said simply. “He actually makes us all look like sword-wielding idiots.” Kit could not help but notice the fondness in Anush’s tone as he was speaking of Ty.

“Yes, but what about friends?” enquired Simon.

“He has friends. We are his friends,” said Kerstin defensively. “But he does keep to himself most of the time. Himself and Irene of course.”

Irene? Kit felt his heart squeezing into his chest. Blood pounded in his ears, a mixture of dread and rage.

“Oh, I heard about Irene,” said Isabelle, her eyes glittering. “She’s a Carpathian Lynx right? Catarina Loss told me all about her. Where is she now?”

Kit felt relief wash over him. He hoped no one had noticed his emotional rollercoaster. Wait- Tiberius had a Lynx?

“Yes, well, Catarina Loss is the one taking care of her, while Tiberius is away,” said Anush.

“So, I guess he doesn’t have a girlfriend” Isabelle pursued. Kit murmured a silent thanks to Isabelle and tried very much to look uninterested.

“Well, he is definitely popular with the female crowd,” said Kerstin. “Although he is gentle and kind, he is as difficult to approach as a wild animal. And girls do love a challenge. Better yet, a mystery. Of course, being drop-dead gorgeous is certainly a bonus. But he is not interested.”

“What do you mean, he is not interested?”

“Girls – even boys – gathered the courage to ask him out, but he never said yes to any of them. Well, from what I’ve heard. Tiberius is a gentleman and doesn’t talk about those things. Anyway, it seems that after a while, people stopped trying. Some even started calling him “the marble statue”. Beautiful as a Greek god, but cold, emotionless” Kerstin sounded angry. “Rejection and jealousy make people spiteful”. Kit decided he was growing to like that Kerstin girl.

“Of course, people who actually know him, know that this could not be farther from the truth” said Anush. Kerstin nodded vigorously. Kit felt a twinge. How well did they know Ty? Well enough, it seemed. Was any of them secretly dating him? Was that the reason they were uneasy earlier?

“Talking about Ty, will he not be joining us?” asked Simon.

“Sometimes he gets engrossed in work. Skips dinner. I will bring him food later”. It was Anush who had spoken.

“I’ll do it” said Kit, speaking for the first time in a while, before he could stop himself.

Everyone at the table turned to look at him. So much for being inconspicuous.

They all started heading to their rooms a few minutes later and Kit exchanged briefly with Simon to know which bedroom had been assigned to Ty.

 *****

Kit tried to ignore his growing excitement and the hard beating in his chest as he hurried down the scarcely lit corridors of the Institute. He was just turning around a corner when he collided with a tall figure. They both stumbled on the floor, Kit landing on top of the stranger. Kit lifted himself on his elbows to look at his victim. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized who it was, even in the darkness. Not a stranger at all.

“Kit,” said the not-stranger.

“Ty.”

Kit moved then but did not stand. Instead, he kneeled so that he was sitting directly on Ty’s chest.

“Does this feel like déjà-vu to you?” Kit was relieved and surprised he had managed to sound calm and casual. That’s it. Get it together. Stay cool. He flashed his best smile. “Although, it seems, the tables have turned.”

Despite the dimness, Kit could not miss the two perfect V shaped eyebrows raising as Ty answered. “If so, I make a poor criminal. I didn’t even have time to fill a backpack with stolen goods before I got caught.”

Kit’s smile grew even wider. When had Ty learnt to respond to jokes? To make jokes?

“Didn’t you? Is that a stolen knife you are carrying or are you just really happy to see me?”

A look of confusion crossed Ty’s face. Well, maybe not all jokes.

Kit stood up, lending a hand to Ty, who gratefully accepted it. As their hands touched, Kit felt a little fire igniting in his body. Well not that little. And it was spreading. Stop. Stop it now. Stay calm. Stay cool. You’ve got this.

“So, I was actually looking for you. As you did not join us for dinner, I wanted to bring dinner to you. Your friend Anush told me sometimes you skipped meals. But not on my watch. The Angel forbid my bodyguards pass out on me, when I am in such grave danger” said Kit, in what he hoped was a conversational tone.

They were both standing now, facing each other. Although Kit had grown several inches in the past years, Ty was still taller than him. Kit cursed silently. Would he ever stop growing? If Julian was any indicator though, Ty’s height was not a surprise. He was leaner than Julian, though not as lean as he used to be, his muscles had developed, and his shoulders were broader and… Kit was grateful for the cover of darkness while he was making this assessment.

Speaking of which, Ty’s gaze seemed to be moving over Kit, mainly focusing on his hands, searching for something? That’s when it struck Kit. Food. He had just announced to Ty that he had brought him dinner. Kit wanted to smack himself. What kind of idiot finds a lame excuse to go see the guy he has a crush on and actually shows up without the excuse.

“You can see I have no food on me,” said Kit before he could take it back. Kit wanted to smack himself. Again.

Ty just smiled. “I can see that you brought the dinner I was going to eat before you came to see me.”

“Says the criminal without the booty”.

“Order out?”

“I have a better idea,” said Kit. No need to tell Ty he already had dinner. He could eat twice. He needed the fuel. Right?

Chapter 3 - Herondales love but once

They settled for an Italian restaurant, a short ten minutes’ walk from the Institute, since Ty didn’t want to wander too far in case something happened. However, he seemed to think they were safe going out that evening, as if he knew something Kit didn’t. Kit decided not to investigate the matter. He trusted Ty knew what he was doing.

Kit mostly talked about his time in Devon, with Jem, Tessa and little Mina.

Ty told Kit about the Scholomance, his experiments with Livvy and Irene’s funny habits. He also gave Kit news on the Blackthorns.

“So… As I was told, you are considered quite the catch at the Scholomance,” said Kit eventually, when he could no longer hide his curiosity. “So much so that you keep turning girls... and boys, down.”

Ty stiffened.

“Apparently,” Kit carried on, “you are a mystery that begs to be solved.”

“I am not a mystery,” Ty shrugged. “I am just different. Nothing mysterious about that.”

“Does this mean you are not interested in having… relationships?” Kit tried very hard to sound casual.

“Christopher Herondale,” said Ty, with a small smile. “Are you asking me if I am interested in sex?”

Kit chocked on his drink. Ty waited until he had finished coughing.

“I am different,” he said. Then, turning his face away, “But not in that way.” Wait- was Ty blushing?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I was just wondering why you rejected all the offers you received. You know, when you could…”

“Satisfy my appetites?” Ty offered, raising one of his perfect eyebrows. “Is that what you are doing?”

“What do you mean?” Kit started.

“I have heard of your reputation, Kit Herondale, the heartbreaker. Collecting flirts, never looking for a serious relationship.”

“That’s not entirely true. Well, that last part is true, but I am not a heartbreaker. I never lead anyone on, never offer something I cannot give.”

“I am sure you don’t,” said Ty. And Kit knew he believed him.

“I simply cannot have a serious relationship,” explained Kit. “For two reasons. The first is that being who I am, it’s dangerous to be associated with me. If any of my enemies sensed that I was seriously involved with someone, they would use that person to get to me. And I can’t allow that.”

“So, you are sacrificing love for the safety of others?”

“Well… That leads us to the second reason. You know what they say about Herondales?”

“A lot is said about Herondales. What are you referring to?”

“Herondales love but once.”

“So, you are having fun, until you find the one,” said Ty. It sounded like a statement, not a question. His expression was unreadable.

I already have, thought Kit. Instead, he said “Let’s go, we don’t want the Clave to discover we are out here having a conversation about relationships, when I am being hunted down by half the Shadowhunters and Downworlders in New York”.

Ty could not argue with that. So, they paid and left. Outside, the sky was darkening with clouds.

Chapter 4 - The First Kiss

As Kit looked up at the sky, rain started pouring down his face. “I should have anticipated this. The sky was full of clouds”.

“Cloud,” said Ty. “One of the words you like.”

Kit turned to look at Ty, who was staring at his right shoulder. “You remember them?”

“Whisper, cloud, secret, highway, hurricane, mirror, castle, thorns”. Ty spoke them so fast Kit barely had time to register them.

In answer, he smiled and whispered, more slowly, “Glass, twin, apple, whisper, stars, crystal, shadow, lilt”.

Ty’s eyes lit up and crinkled at the corners the way they did when he was very surprised.

“I have new words I like, you know,” said Ty, after a moment.

“You do?” Kit was staring at Ty’s eyelashes. Drops of rain were captured there, like diamonds glittering on a dark curtain. His wet hair was plastered to his head, dark wet curls partly obscuring his forehead and cheeks. He was so beautiful it hurt.

“Love, two, kiss, kite, lips,” whispered Ty.

Kit’s eyes widened and immediately searched Ty’s, and that is when he realized that Ty's gaze was no longer directed at his shoulder, but at his lips…

*****

Kit made a move toward Ty, but Ty had already raised his hand, as if to stop him. In the same movement, Ty gently pressed his long, calloused fingers on Kit’s lips, tracing their shape, uncovering their smoothness. He was whispering softly, so low that Kit could not make out the words.

Ty’s other hand came up as well and he was staring at Kit in wonder as his fingers moved slowly across Kit’s face, caressing the line of his jaw, stroking his cheeks, smoothing his eyebrows, leaving a trail of heat everywhere their skin touched. Kit closed his eyes, as if it could slow the fire burning through his body.

Ty exhaled, as if relieved by Kit’s reaction to his touch. He brought both his hands on either side of Kit’s face then, gently cupping as he pressed his mouth to Kit’s jaw, not exactly kissing, but rather enjoying the experience of his lips against Kit’s skin.

“Ty,” murmured Kit, in a daze. He felt his knees buckling under him and gripped Ty’s shoulders to steady himself. Ty gasped in surprise and stepped back. Kit moved forward to tighten his grip and ended up pushing Ty against the wall.

They both froze, staring at each other.

Ty swallowed and whispered, “Did I- did I do something wrong?”

Kit laughed at that, shaking his head. “Ty- you know, you are the cleverest person I know, but sometimes I swear...”

He crossed the very small space left between them. Ty’s lips were still parted in surprise as Kit crushed his own lips against them, using the opening to taste Ty’s mouth with his tongue. Another gasp from Ty.  Kit barely had the time to silently curse himself for being so forward – this was their first kiss, he ought to do things more slowly – long, urgent fingers were already moving up his back, his shoulders, and down again, resting for a few seconds against his hips before going up again. It was as if Ty was drawing a pattern, butterfly’s wings, on Kit’s back.  Gentle at first, his strokes became more and more demanding, until Ty’s hands slipped under Kit’s shirt and nails were digging into flesh. Ty seemed to be lost in the need to touch Kit, every part of Kit, as if his life depended on it. Well, if Ty was not being careful, why should he restrain himself?

Kit met Ty’s eagerness with his own, and it quickly became a chaos of tongues, bites, desperate touches. Kit could taste rain, metal, and musk, as his mouth continued to explore Ty’s – or devour would be more accurate. It was as if they were naked, skin against skin, through their water-soaked clothes. In that moment, Kit’s experience and Ty’s lack thereof did not matter. Neither of them could identify who was doing what, as they entangled their limbs and melted their bodies under the pouring rain.

Chapter 5 - When all hell breaks loose

Kit and Ty hurried back to the Institute, soaked to the bone. They slipped into Kit’s bedroom, as it was the closest to the entrance.

Kit kicked his shoes off and started to undress, lifting his shirt, then paused, looking over at Ty as he realized he was not alone in his room.

Ty caught Kit’s gaze then and locked it. Slowly, deliberately, he started to undress, taking his time with each piece of wet clothing, until he was standing naked in front of Kit, save from his boxer shorts. Two chains were tied around his neck. One with Livvy’s locket and the other one with a silver, heron-shaped pendant. A gift from Kit.

Kit felt his whole body catch fire as his gaze roamed over Ty’s body. He literally took his breath away.

Marble statue, you say? In that moment, Ty looked anything but. He was disheveled, his cheeks flushed, his eyes wide and questioning and his breath quickening.

But he was standing still, making no move toward Kit, leaving Kit to decide what happened next.

Kit swallowed hard. He removed his shirt then and threw it on the floor. Once he had decided on his course of action, he could not get fast enough to Ty. They collided, stumbled, and fell on the bed, Kit landing on top of Ty.

Kit cursed as he tried to undo the zipper on his jeans. “It’s stuck”, he said.

“Wait let me help- Oosh” Ty was cut short as Kit, still struggling with his zipper, inadvertently elbowed him.

“By the Angel, Kit, no need to knock me out. I am willing!”

“Didn’t you know? it’s payback time.”

They burst out laughing then, but it was not long before the sound of Ty’s laughter did things to Kit’s insides, that made him instantly turn serious.

As Kit started kissing his way down Ty’s body, all his senses attuned to him and only him. The scent of Ty, the sound of Ty’s raspy moans, the feel of Ty’s soft skin over taut muscles as he traced circles with his tongue around Ty’s navel.

Kit felt exhilarated. He could not believe this was happening, that he was finally touching Ty the way he had always wanted to and that Ty was not only fine with it, he was begging for it.

As Kit started stroking Ty’s hardness through the material of his shorts, Ty started shaking, his breath coming in short gasps.

“Kit” he chocked. “By the Angel, Kit- What are you doing to me?”

His voice was rich and deep, with a rasp that reminded Kit of the first time he had heard Ty’s voice. It fueled Kit’s own arousal.

“Beautiful” said Kit, as he remembered, the sound muffled as his lips moved against Ty’s skin. I love you Ty, I love you so much.

Kit froze. He had not said it out loud. But it was as if he had been brought back to Lake Lyn, to that moment when his heart had been ripped apart. The evening spent with Ty had brought pieces of Kit’s heart back together, each of Ty’s smiles acting like so many stitches.

But if his heart were healed, if it became whole again, did that not mean it could break again? And if It broke again, could Kit survive it?

Kit scrambled out of the bed and nearly tripped on his own feet. Such a graceful escape for a Shadowhunter, he thought.

He looked at Ty then, who was sitting up, clearly confused, his hair tangled, and his cheeks flushed. The white blanket was barely covering his body. Kit blushed as he looked away and swallowed hard. “I think we should stop here. For now.”

Ty got out of bed. His hands were shaking as he gathered his wet clothes, which were scattered over the floor. His head was bent, so Kit could not see the expression on his face. “I am sorry. I must have misunderstood.”

“No, you have not!” Kit almost yelled.  “I wanted this. I wanted you. I want you.” I want you more than I have ever wanted anything in my whole life, was what Kit thought but did not say.

“So, help me understand.” Ty had already put his wet jeans on. Kit exhaled, his sigh a mix of relief and regret. “You say you want me, but I was lying naked in your bed and you were touching me, making me feel things that I never…” Ty swallowed. “And then you stopped. You just stopped and jumped off the bed as if you couldn’t get away from me fast enough. Is this- is this a game to you?”

“No, of course not!” Kit took a deep breath. “I want to press pause for a moment. And rewind. I want us to spend time together, to go on dates, to get to know each other, before- “

“Get to know each other? As if we are strangers? Is that what you think?” Ty’s eyes were huge. Shock. Disappointment. Well, Kit couldn’t help but be disappointed as well. Ty was fully dressed now.

“I think – it’s been three years since we’ve last seen each other, and we may have changed, I know I have changed, and it would be best if we got to-“

“I. Know. You.” Ty enunciated each word. “I know you, Kit. And I thought you knew me too”, he whispered. His voice sounded tired. Defeated. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Kit almost wanted to give him something to grab hold of.

“I do know you…” Kit pleaded, realizing with horror how wrong his explanation had come out. How it might have been construed. As if what they had had three years ago could be wiped away, could be forgotten. It could not. Kit had tried to forget and then stopped trying as he had realized how precious it was. Sacred. Neither time, nor distance, nor life, nor death could touch it. What they had shared, what they used to have, was perfect. Up until Kit ruined everything by confessing his feelings.

Of course, he knew Ty. He knew all of him and loved all of him. He just wanted Ty to know him. The new him. Maybe if Ty took the time to learn to know the new Kit, he could fall in love with him. As Kit was in love with Ty.

“I just want you to know me, too. The new me.” He tried to explain but felt like he was failing.

“You were right” said Ty, after a moment. His hands had stopped moving and were clutched into fists. “You don’t know me. You don’t know me if you thought I was about to give myself to someone I considered a stranger.”

He went to the door and paused. “You are doing it again, you know? You can’t just make your way into my life, become part of who I am, and just leave without a look back. Without a single word. Leaving a mess that I am expected to figure out on my own.”

And with that, Ty stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kit crumpled to the floor. For hours, he sat there, his bare back against the wall, wondering how the best day of his life and the worst turned out to be the exact same day.

Chapter 6 - Thank God for Livvy Blackthorn

Kit didn’t remember how, but he had somehow managed to crawl into his bed, sometime during the night, and had fallen asleep tossing restlessly.

When he woke up, the sun was high up in the sky, and its light shone on a familiar figure sitting on his bed, legs crossed. Kit blinked.

“Livvy.”

She wore the same white dress she had at her funeral and her Blackthorn blue-green eyes were staring at him with a pained expression. She looked exactly the same as she had the last time he had seen her.

“So. How bad did you screw things up this time?” she said.

“I didn’t just screw things up,” said Kit, sitting up. “I obliterated them. I am a wrecking ball.”

Livvy rolled her eyes. “So dramatic. You know, I never cared for soap opera when I was alive, and this has not changed with my untimely death. Thank the Angel.”

“So what should I do?” asked Kit.

“Listen to me, Kit. And I am telling you this as a fifteen-year-old ghost to an eighteen-year-old man. GROW. A. PAIR. Tell him about your feelings.”

“I already did!” Kit yelled desperately. “And… and he didn’t care. He didn’t care.”

“That doesn’t sound like Ty-Ty,” said Livvy dubiously. “When was that?”

“Three years ago. Near Lake Lyn. When we were… when we were raising you as a ghost.”

Livvy snorted. “So, my brother asked you to assist him in a resurrection ritual and you took that as a romantic date? Beats flowers and a fancy restaurant. Oh wait – where Dru is concerned – it probably does,” she added as an afterthought.

“It wasn’t like that!” cried Kit. “I knew what we were doing was wrong, and I tried to stop him and it just… came out.”

“Well, you certainly did” said Livvy.

“What?”

“Never mind. I have other things to do so please, Kit, can you do something for me and spare me hours of explaining how your confession of love – as grand and romantic as it must have been – probably sailed right over Ty’s head as he was, you know, BUSY RAISING HIS TWIN SISTER FROM THE DEAD.”

“Fine! I’ll figure this out on my own. Since you are so busy with… ghost stuff.”

“Don’t be rude. I have things to do. Ty and I are leaving in a short hour. A mission for the Scholomance.”

“WHAT? But I thought-“

“As important as you are, Kit, Centurions cannot simply abandon all their missions to play bodyguards for you. This is why three Centurions were assigned to your protection. Two of them will remain at the Institute, so you’ll be fine.”

Kit already felt Ty’s absence as a hole in his chest.

“How long?” he asked.

“Two or three days. Don’t worry, we’ll do as fast as we can. In the meantime, work this out. And Kit?”

“Yeah?”

“This was me being nice. Since it’s clear that you are not doing it on purpose. I know how much you love Ty.”

Kit flinched.

“But Kit- Don’t. You. Dare. Hurt. My Brother. Again.”

She looked like an avenging angel then, and her blue-green fiery gaze was the last thing Kit saw before she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Chapter 7 - Let’s kick some Cohort ass

The two following days passed in a blur. Kit was returning to his bedroom after training one evening when he saw a package left on his bed. He opened it and emptied the content on his desk. There was a folded note and a necklace. Kit felt a jolt of uneasiness as he recognized instantly the whitish-green pendant with the Chinese characters carved into it. Even though he had only learnt a few Chinese words from Jem, and didn’t know how to read them, he knew exactly what the characters meant. When two people are at one in their inmost hearts, they shatter even the strength of iron or bronze.

It was the pendant Jem had offered Tessa over a hundred years ago, when he had proposed.

With a growing sense of dread, Kit opened the folded note and read. We hold someone you love. If you want to see her again, meet us at the following address. Alone. If you warn the Clave or anyone at the Institute, we will know. And what you’ll find there will be her dead body. The address printed at the bottom of the note seemed to be in a residential area, a 30 minutes’ walk from the Institute.

A flash of memories went through Kit’s head. Tessa smiling indulgently at him as he made yet another one of his bad jokes. Their banter about books and movies. Tessa carrying a giggling Mina and staring at Jem adoringly, as he was making faces to make them laugh. Tessa singing to Mina - loud enough for Kit to hear – the song his mother used to sing to him. Well, the mother who had given birth to him. Tessa was also his mother now.

When he snapped out of his daze, he was fully dressed in Shadowhunter gear. Thankfully, he always kept weapons in his room and was now heavily armed. He didn’t pause to think as he walked to the window and started escalading straight up to the Institute’s roof. He would not go through the corridors and risk being followed by someone at the Institute. He had noticed the way the Centurions sometimes seemed to suddenly appear out of thin air when he thought he was alone.

Perched on the Institute’s roof, he felt grateful for all the training Jace had put him through. He now knew that, as much as Jace could jump from unexpected, impossible heights, so could he. He had even trained to jump out of a Malachi configuration. Theoretically. Jace had smiled conspiratorially at the time, telling him it was a talent that could always prove useful.

He drew two runes, Heightened Speed and Surefooted, sparing a glance, as he always did, at the Voyance rune at the back of his right hand. He only paused to take one deep breath before jumping from the roof and landing gracefully on the ground. He murmured a silent thanks to Jace and almost wished his mentor were there for a high five.

He made it to the location in short time, although it seemed like hours to him.

He tried to circle around the meeting point, but it appeared empty. Just when he thought about doing another round, he heard laughter coming from an alley surrounded by two brick buildings. He peered his head. No one. He started as he heard a creaking noise behind him. Spinning toward the sound with his sword raised, he saw a familiar figure standing a few feet away.

It was one of the Centurions who had been assigned to his security. The Swedish blond girl, Kiersten Lindquist. She held a finger to her lips, hushing him, and slid silently next to him.

“It’s a trap,” she said low in his ear. “I have sent Anush back to the Institute for reinforcements. I’ll distract them and you run. Don’t – and I repeat – whatever you do, don’t let yourself get caught. It’s you they want. They will not hurt me if they are still looking for you. They would want to use me as bait.”

“But– Tessa…”

“She’s fine,” snapped Kiersten. Then, more gently, “please don’t mess up our plan.”

Wait– Kit thought, there was a plan?

Before he could ask, a dozen Shadowhunters – and it was plain they belonged to the Cohort - were circling them. They were calling themselves the Imperishable Order, now. Same shit, different name, thought Kit.

“Hey Barbie girl,” drawled one of the Cohort members. He looked very familiar. “We have no quarrel with you. We just want the Herondale Faerie-slut. Leave us be and we will not harm you.”

“Manuel. I see you haven’t changed,” said Kiersten calmly. “You’re still a disgrace to the Scholomance.” She drew her longsword and shouted, “NOW”.

Kit sprinted, knocking down two Cohort members on his way, disappeared around the corner of the nearest building and scrambled up its wall with a dexterity that would make both Jace and Jem proud. Up on the roof, he could see six Centurions had been dispatched to look for him. He glanced at the battle taking place beneath him and heard shouts as a newcomer joined the melee and incapacitated a Cohort member in a record time, before turning to fight two others. Kiersten was fighting two on her own.

Kit decided to check on the hunt party. Only two of them had decided to climb the stairs up to the top of the building, while the others were searching the area. Suddenly, he heard in a loud, clear voice, “STOP. STOP now, put your weapons down or I SWEAR TO GOD I will cut Barbie’s throat.”

He hurried back to stand at the edge of the roof, to assess the situation below.

Kit watched as the newcomer – a tall figure wearing a Centurion uniform – took a step forward and kneeled, laying his two blades on the floor. He raised both his hands as he stood. The moon lit his face. Kit gasped. Ty. No, no, no, Ty. I am so sorry.

Manuel strode to stand behind Ty, encircling him with his arms and lifting a knife to his throat. He was almost standing on tiptoe as Ty was taller than him, and it would have been comical if not for the dreadfulness of the whole situation.

A few feet away, facing them, another Cohort member had Kiersten in a headlock.

Kit had to force himself still. His hands were clutched into fists, his entire body trembling with the urge to fight. He kept repeating Kiersten’s words in his head. They will not hurt me if they are still looking for you. They would want to use me as bait.

“Well, well, look who we have here” said a woman’s voice and Kit recognized it at once. Zara Dearborn.

“Is this… Julian Blackthorn’s younger brother? The weird one? Well, whatever they say, he is hot as hell.”

Manuel laughed. “I figured you would say this, Zara. We all know you have wet dreams about Julian Blackthorn. No shame in that. You know what they say, keep your enemies closer and all that.”

Zara spluttered. “Seriously? You really want to talk about this? How about your crush on Emma Carstairs?” And in a mimicking voice, “Oooh Emma, you have such pretty blond hair and you’re such a badass, and you have this long, beautiful sword making up for my tiny, little…”

“Let’s make a truce,” said Manuel. “When we get back to Alicante, the Blackthorn Ken here will be all yours.”

“That’s actually a great idea. The look on Emma’s face when she finds out that her little brother-in-law and I…“

“I’m sorry, Zara, but this is not happening” said Ty, in a loud, clear voice, that didn’t betray a flicker of fear although he had a knife pointed at his throat. Kit felt a surge of pride. “No offense, but psycho bitches are not my type.”

Kit could see in the distance silhouettes running in their direction. He sighed in relief. Reinforcement was coming. He jumped from the roof and landed directly behind Zara, pointing his sword in her back in almost the same motion.

Several gasps of surprise.

“You think that jump was high? I can do it in my sleep,” said Kit, showing off.

He winked at Ty then, who was glancing his way, pride glittering in his eyes.

Kit knew he needed to stall until reinforcement arrived. Admittedly, the Cohort members were already doing most of the job.

“So… Manuel, I have to admit I am a bit jealous. You see, I have been fantasizing about holding Tiberius in the exact same position for years now.”

Ty, who had not betrayed a flicker of emotion until then, flushed a deep shade of red.

Manual smiled viciously. “Oh, I see. I guess all Faeries are queers.” And then, he spoke in Ty’s ear but loudly, so everyone could hear, “So, who’s the bitch?”

Ty didn’t answer but looked pointedly at Zara.

“Let me translate for you, freak. Do you hump him? Or does he hump you?”

“Come now, Manuel. This is the 21st Century. Keep up” said Kit, flashing his best smile. “We believe in equal opportunities.”

“OK guys, did I miss something? did we really run into Cohort members or some hormone-crazed teenagers posing as such?” it was Barbie – sorry, Kiersten – who had just spoken.  

No one answered as this was the moment when Jace appeared out of nowhere and knocked down the person who had her in a headlock with the flat of his sword.

Kit pushed Zara away, with such force that she ended up sprawling on the floor.

He instantly turned to where Ty was standing… looking down, his foot resting on top of Manuel’s body, which was writhing on the ground. Manuel was staring at his hands, his forearms, which were covered with red rashes and blisters, his face a mask of shock. A powder substance was eating away his knife, which had somehow landed a few feet away. 

Kit saw Ty put away a small vial filled with red-purple powder, with a satisfied look on his face.

All hell broke loose.

A fleeing Cohort member was swept off his feet as a whip circled around his foot and Isabelle, looking like a warrior goddess, pulled vigorously.

An arrow lodged itself in Zara’s thigh as she tried to stand up. Alec, standing a few feet away, had already pulled a new arrow. He looked… bored.

Kit knocked down another Cohort member using only his right hook. Because, well, he could.

In a few minutes, they had rounded up the wounded and tied their hands behind their backs.

The party that had been sent to search for Kit came back to an incongruous sight.

Zara, Manuel and the other Cohort members who had remained with the Centurions were now huddled together in the middle of a circle made by Anush, Kiersten, Ty and Isabelle, who was slashing at the air with her whip as to make a point to whoever thought they could chance an escape. Kit thought she looked like a hot school teacher scolding her very, very naughty pupils.

The search party turned around, making a run for it… only to be met by Jace. He was leaning casually against the side of the wall, his arms crossed.

“Hey, guys” he drawled. “Looking for something? Your dignity, maybe?”

One of the fleers launched himself at him, weapon raised, and Jace simply ducked out of the way as he drew his own sword.

Kit sensed a movement behind him, just as he was facing another one. Glancing backward, he saw that Ty had joined him to cover his back. He felt heat – the heat of the battle, the heat of Ty's body so close to his – as they fought back-to-back, four opponents at the same time.

Alec and Jace eventually joined them, and it was almost over before it had started.

The remaining Cohort members joined their friends in the circle where Kiersten, Anush and Isabelle had remained. Isabelle had put away her whip and was staring at her nails.

Clary finally swept in, gracefully, not a single hair out of place, and started drawing a portal.

“Sorry we are late” she said, standing next to Simon who was carrying large paper bags. “We had to stop to buy us dinner.”

Chapter 8 - What’s the point?

With the Cohort threat being mostly quashed, the following weeks passed uneventfully.

The Centurions remained at the New York Institute, as there were still other Cohort members and Faeries looking for Kit.

Kit and Ty never mentioned the fight they had had on the first day Ty had arrived at the Institute. Their friendship resumed; major events left unspoken.

It was as it had been before they had performed necromancy spells together. As if they had not raised Livvy’s ghost (except for the fact that they were seeing her every day). As if they had not lost all contact for three years. As if they had not kissed under the rain.

Kit still remembered though. How Ty’s lips had felt against his, the taste of his mouth. Rain, metal and musk. Kit could not forget the feel of Ty’s skin under his fingers, under his lips, the scent of him, the noises Ty made when he was aroused. He blushed, sometimes, thinking back to those intimate moments he had shared with Ty. And of course, there were the glances they cast at each other, the shiver of excitement when their hands accidently brushed, when they walked side by side and their shoulders touched.

Kit had started helping Ty with his missions for the Scholomance, and it was as if Sherlock had found Watson again.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself? I am not your Watson,” had said Kit one evening, when they were doing research on demons’ poisons in the Institute’s library.

Ty had smiled one of his rare smiles. “Well, Kit, that’s exactly what my Watson would say.” And Kit had blushed at the way Ty had naturally said “my Watson”.

Days went by, and everyone at the Institute carried on with their own routines.

This is probably why no one expected the events that occurred that evening.

Kit was returning to his bedroom after a late-night training session. He heard noise coming from the library. He stopped to peer inside, his brows furrowed, only to see Jace standing with his back to him. He thought he saw a flash of red hair.

“Jace?” called Kit.

Jace froze. When he slowly turned, Kit could see that he was carrying Clary in his arms. She looked fast asleep.

Kit felt an increasing uneasiness. Something was wrong. But this was Jace right? If there was anyone Jace would never, ever hurt, it was Clary.

“Jace? Rough night? I know Clary is probably light as feather but do you… need a hand?” asked Kit, unsure how to act.

As Jace said nothing, he took a step toward him.

Jace took a step back. Something was very wrong indeed.

“Stop! It’s not Jace!” yelled a voice that Kit instantly recognized.

Kit turned to where Ty stood, in the doorway, holding two daggers. His face was covered in scratches, his lips bruised, a deep red cut on his upper lip. He clearly had been into a fight.

“Not Jace from this world,” Ty continued. “It’s probably Jace from another world. That’s one of the few possible explanations at least.”

“How do you know?” asked Kit.

“Details” was all Ty said. And Kit believed him. If anyone – save for Clary, where Jace was concerned – could notice small inconsistencies, like in a game of Spot the Difference, it was Ty. Ty could see objectively, without the blurring curtain of expectations or preconceptions.

Jace – well, his evil doppelganger – stiffened. “Will you make me regret I didn’t kill you?”

“You didn’t give my friends that chance. They trusted you and you took them by surprise. Why spare me?” said Ty.

“I didn’t fool you” said the fake Jace. “I figured you probably knew Jace, the one from this world, very well. And I saw the heron-shaped pendant you carry around your neck. I thought this meant you had earnt the love – or at least the trust – of a Herondale. Sentimental me.”

“Leave Clary. And we will not hurt you,” said Kit, although he carried no weapon.

Jace laughed. He had moved to stand close to an open window and seemed ready to pounce. He would not try to jump with Clary in his arms, would he?

“You will not hurt me? The Jace from this world must be too soft, if you think you can bargain with me.”

In a swift movement, he had shifted Clary’s body in one of his arms and drawn out a sword.

It all happened in a blur. The sword flew. Ty launched himself in front of Kit and the blow hit him with such force that he was thrown back against Kit, who caught him in his arms. Kit crumpled to the floor, holding Ty.

Kit was filled with a dreadful sense of déjà-vu, as he looked at the knife protruding from Ty’s chest. He had not been there at the time, but he imagined that was what Livvy must have looked like in the Council Hall. He had imagined it, although he had tried not too, often enough. And he was probably in the exact same position Julian had been at the time.

Kit was barely aware of the sound of footsteps and shouts. People around him assessing the situation. It seemed the “other Jace” had somehow escaped. Without his prey. Clary was safe.

“No, Ty. No. Please don’t leave me.”

Kit was kneeling on the floor, carrying Ty’s limp body in his arms. He started rocking.

“What’s the point, Ty? What’s the point of Watson’s whole existence if there is no Sherlock? What’s the point of me if there is no you?” Tears were rolling down his cheeks. But he could not feel them. He could not feel anything.

Kit did not even bother to grab for his stele, he knew it was too late for that. Through his numbness, Kit gently lay Ty’s body on the floor and ripped his shirt. With desperate hope, he placed both his hands on Ty’s chest and willed him to heal. He remembered the time he had made the horses of the Riders of Mannan disappear. He thought about drawing that strength, all his strength, all his will, into healing Ty. He heard voices softly murmuring to let go of Ty, that it was over – but he did not listen to any of them. He shoved away anyone’s attempt to grab him.

He did not know how much time had passed but eventually, he felt a flicker of movement. It was barely there but Kit knew he had sensed something.

Ty gasped and his silver-gray eyes flew open. They widened in amazement. “Kit…“ he said. “I knew you would find them.”

What? What did I find? Kit wanted to ask. But he could not find his voice. Relief had washed over him, and although he was drained, he felt giddy with it.  

He did not hear anything further, as Ty slipped into unconsciousness a second later. It was not long before Kit himself collapsed on top of Ty’s body.

*****

Jace, carrying Clary in his arms, Isabelle, Simon, Alec and Magnus stood in a circle in the Institute’s library. In the middle of the circle, two bodies were lying on the ground, one resting partly on top of the other, as if in a lovers’ embrace.

Their skin appeared to glow from within and one of the boys’ exposed chest seemed to be pierced through with bronze-colored light.

*****

It was late in the night when the dean of the Scholomance, Maximilien Verlac, slipped through the door of the Institute’s infirmary. The room was mostly dark save for the moonlight filtering through the windows. He did not notice Kit, sitting on the floor, next to Ty’s bed.

He was entirely focused on Ty, his expression one of deep sorrow and… something else. Kit recognized that look. It was the look he probably had himself when he was glancing at Ty and thought no one was seeing him.

Kit knew then, that Maximilien did not only admire Ty as one of his best Centurions. He loved him.

Suddenly, Maximilien fell on his knees. “Oh, Tiberius. What did I do? I am sorry. I am so sorry,” he whispered.

Kit shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine.”

Maximilien snapped out of his daze and stood. Even in the darkness, Kit could see his cheeks were flushed. “Christopher Herondale.”

“Kit, please” answered Kit.

“Kit?” Maximilien’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, I see…”

Kit didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt uneasy.

“What is it? What is it that you see?”

Maximilien hesitated. He looked at Kit for a moment, considering.

Then, he explained, in a resigned voice. “One day, Tiberius returned from a mission to the Scholomance with very deep wounds that couldn’t heal. The demon poison had spread. We had to keep him in the infirmary for three days. He was delirious. He kept calling a name. Your name. Asking why you had left him. Why you never said goodbye. He also talked about the characters of the book he holds so dearly…saying that Sherlock was not Sherlock without Watson. It seemed like nonsense to me.”

Maximilien exhaled deeply. “I thought Kit was a girl’s name. Short for Katherine, in French Catherine. It could also be short for Quitterie, another French girl name. When Tiberius woke up, and I asked him about it, he simply shrugged and did not explain. We never talked about it again.”

Kit didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. He just nodded, closed his eyes, and waited for Maximilien to leave.

Once he was alone with Ty, Kit lay down on the bed next to him, not quite touching, but close enough to feel the heat of his body. Ty’s face was turned to his. Kit fell asleep to Ty’s soft breathing, each exhalation caressing his skin like feather across his cheek.

Chapter 9 - Do I see you?

Kit and Ty were sitting at the edge of the New York Institute’s roof. They were staring in silence at the lights of the city under the twilight sky.

Ty had fully recovered, but Kit knew a scar could still be seen across his chest, a reminder of his sacrifice for Kit’s life. The scratches on his face, the cut in his lips were still there, but fading. Despite them, and maybe also because of them, all Kit could see was the most beautiful face he had ever set his eyes upon. Ty was wearing a hoodie and it made him look younger, more vulnerable.

“Why did you do it?” said Kit suddenly, breaking the stillness. “Is it because you are a Centurion and have sworn to protect me? Or…” He took a deep shuddering breath. “Or is there another reason?”

At first, Ty said nothing.

After a few minutes, he finally spoke. His voice seemed softer, younger somehow, as if Kit was not sitting next to the Centurion, but next to the boy who had held a knife at his throat, a few years before. “I don’t know. Why do you think I did?”

“Do you… love me?” Kit’s voice was shaking. He was staring straight ahead, not wanting to meet Ty’s eyes.

“You know, Julian once told me that to love someone was to see them. I didn’t understand at the time but…”

“But what?” said Kit, and he forced himself to turn, slowly, to meet Ty’s gaze. 

Kit did not think he had ever seen Ty look at him, at anyone, this way. His silver-gray eyes were piercing, as if he could see through Kit’s. Ty always had an intense gaze, but this was different somehow. His eyes seemed to glow with a secret, like he knew something about Kit that Kit did not.

“When you enter a room, without even having to look at you, my entire body seems to sense you and to relax, as if I had been waiting for you all along.

But when I do look… I see that your eyes are different shades of blue, the way the sky changes colors, all through day and night. I can see the way, sometimes when you are sad, you smile to hide it, but your smile does not quite reach your eyes. I can see the way, when you are truly happy, you do not smile but your whole face seems to light in a fiery glow. I can see that you think sometimes you are a coward when in fact you are the bravest person I know. I can see in the way you hold yourself, in the way you hesitate, that you think you are unworthy. That you don’t deserve anything, any protection or any attention, and when you are shown any affection, you cringe, as if to shield yourself from it, but cannot help the flicker of hope in your eyes. And it makes me want to give you everything I own. So… what do you think? Do I see you?”

Kit had never heard Ty speak so many words in a row before. He didn’t think anyone ever had. He knew, somehow, that this was not a rehearsed speech, that Ty had simply compiled a list of things he noticed about Kit, and kept them in his brilliant mind, the way he would remember the number of windows on a building, the various benefits of bees or the different stages of most animals’ migration cycles.

Kit smiled at Ty then, and it touched his eyes. Tears were rolling down his burning cheeks, alight with a fiery glow, as he answered. “You see me”.

He put his arms around Ty, then, and held him tightly. More tightly than he’d ever held anyone, except for that one time on the London Institute’s roof.