Asteriel | Alec Lightwood

Chapter 18

"Promise?" His eyes lits up, the moonlight which is penetrating through the glass ceiling of the greenhouse contouring his face, making his blue eyes brighter than ever. I quickly raise my little finger for him.

"It's a pinky promise." I gaze at him, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he immediately locks his little finger with mine.

"I'm going to have to start counting the amount of promises we make, so I don't get lost in track." He remarks playfully, after we unclasped our fingers.

"You better." I chuckle, and add "Break time?" I ask, raising from my seat. He follows me, agreeing.

I left a sheet spread out on the floor earlier, because sometimes I like to stargaze here, so I go and sit on it. Alec joins, taking his place on the sheet.

"When did you start learning piano?" He asks me, staring at the sky. I hug my legs to my chest, pensive.

"I don't remember the exact age, only that I was really young. Like 5 or something." I tell him.

"Do you remember why did you start to play?"

"My mom always loved it, she used to play Chopin for me to sleep better, cause it was one of the only things it would calm me down. Also since she always watched orchestras on the TV, I started to imitate the pianists I saw on the screen with my little hands, and when she realized how much I liked it, she started to teach me. I'm so grateful for that." I explain to him, looking up to the stars, feeling nostalgic.

"Well, I'm grateful too, cause now I can listen you playing." He tells me, softly, and I chuckle, cheeks burning due his words, not being able to meet his gaze.

"What about you? When you decided you wanted to be Head of the Institute?" I ask him, slightly shoving him with my shoulders, he chuckles but quickly his expression turns more serious, contemplating my question. Maybe this is a sensitive subject.

"I think I was around 8 years old. I remember I used to sit at my father's desk and write memos in crayon, pretending to be the head of the Institute." He titters, and continues, "Shadowhunters starts training from a young age, and I'm a Lightwood. You met my parents, my mom..." He trails off, before continuing, "Always placed a lot of expectations on me, especially since I'm the eldest. I think because of that, I have this desire to prove myself worthy, to make my parents proud and bring honor to my family." Alec finishes, his expression closed up, and he turned quiet, thoughtful.

"You're worthy to me, Alec." I murmur, sincerely, his eyes darted to mine, and he looks taken aback, like he never expected to hear that from me, or maybe... anyone. After a moment of studying my face, silently, he plastered a soft smile on his face, glancing at the floor.

»»————-————-««

We've been talking for a while, and since we were starting to get tired, we lay side by side on the sheet, still watching the stars, not wanting the conversation to end.

I have never felt so relaxed these days as I do now with him here. My eyelids started to feel heavy, and hearing Alec's calm breathing and voice next to me, made me fall asleep. I don't even have time to worry about my nightmares.

»»————-　Alec's POV ————-««

Sunlight hits my face, causing me to stir a little on my sleep, but when I do, I feel a weight on my right arm and legs, immediately I remember about last night with As, and snap my eyes open. I slightly groan due the clarity penetrating the greenhouse dome and take me some time to adjust to the brightness.

When I do, I turn my head to look at As, who is using my arm as a pillow and her legs are wrapped around mine, she looks peaceful in her sleep, and I never thought I'd find someone so attractive while snoring softly. But here I am, not wanting to wake her up, not only so that I can admire her face longer but to let her rest as much as possible, I know that it is rare for her to sleep without disturbance. Besides, even though I'm on the floor, I'm way too comfortable.