It's been a while. I never thought I'd be one of those authors who just disappears then reappears with a new chapter after months. But the last few months have been insane. With my personal life going to hell, my mental health spiraling, and my schedule becoming insane once again, it's been a shit show. But I managed to finish this chapter and I'm taking it as a win.
Trigger Warnings: Unhealthy coping skills (entire chapter), making out, character death, allusions to past abuse and abandonment, discussions of hallucinations, fighting, arguing
As they stepped through the Portal, the Institute loomed over them, dark and intimidating despite the number of its secrets Everest knew. She took a deep breath. The day had been too calm, even with the nightmare and the corpses still following her. There was no way it could last, and even if she ignored her skyrocketing anxiety, she still had a sinking feeling that everything would go to shit as soon as they walked inside.
Magnus squeezed her hand. She looked up at him, heard his silent question.
She nodded. It was a lie.
He smiled. It was worth it.
She could do this; she had to do this. She didn't have a choice. It would be fine. It wouldn't all go to shit as soon as she went inside. It'd be fine.
It had to.
She couldn't handle anything else.
Everest took another deep breath, squeezed Magnus's hand, and on her exhale, they walked inside, hand in hand and Everest lying to herself with every step.
It'd be fine. It'd be fine. It'd be fine.
It wasn't fine.
As soon as they walked in, the Ops Center went dead silent. Everest's already tight grip on Magnus's hand turned viper tight as she took even more deep breaths and tried not to yell. She hated being stared at like a zoo exhibit. It happened far too often in her life. It only got worse once she properly entered the ShadowWorld.
"Hell yeah, Latte Girl!" Noah and Mia screeched without warning, breaking the silence.
There were several chuckles and thumbs up as the Night Shift went back to what they were doing before she and Magnus walked in. It was one of the many things she loved about Night Shift: their ability to just roll with the punches. That, and the fact that none of them judged her caffeine intake, even encouraged it more often than not.
Using every shred of joyfulness she had left, Everest's free hand shot into the air, middle finger up, and tongue out. Noah and Mia cackled at their station, tripping over each other and the corpses they could not see.
"Love you too, Latte Girl," Mia called, words broken up by laughter.
"You're a fucking riot," Noah said, barely saving his coffee from spilling everywhere.
"I know," she said. Magnus's chest shook with laughter where she was leaning against him. "I'm just built different."
As the two stumbled to the ground with the force of their laughter, Everest and Magnus made their escape towards Alec's office. Everest's smile wavered for a moment before she forced it back into place. She couldn't let Magnus or Alec know that she was this broken, not when she told them she was fine. She couldn't let anyone know. She couldn't risk being sidelined when the ShadowWorld was in chaos. If that meant pushing down her breakdown until she was alone, then so be it. It wasn't the first time this happened; she could deal with it.
Alec's office was the only one occupied. He sat at his desk, staring intently at his tablet. A stray lock of hair fell into his eyes and Everest was overcome with the urge to brush it away. She blinked, a cartoon sound effect echoing in her head. That was such a fifteen year old thing for her to think. Why was—oh. Oh. She hadn't taken her meds. Of course her brain was a little funky. That made a lot more sense.
Magnus tapped on the door frame, startling Everest from her thoughts. She followed him into the room, spinning her rings around her fingers. Alec hadn't seen her hair yet. She had no idea how he would react. She didn't know what would happen if it didn't go well. She didn't know if she could continue to even slightly hold it together if it didn't go well.
Her movements became jerkier as the corpses floated into the room, wandering but not settling.
"Lost track of time?" Magnus said, gentle and teasing.
Alec looked up, eyes wide and mouth forming a circle. "I missed dinner, didn't I?"
"Only by a few hours," Magnus said.
Everest's minimal focus was drawn to the drink cart. It was a disaster. She inched over and began to quietly organize it. Was she avoiding seeing Alec's reaction to her hair? Yes. Was she going to continue avoiding it? Yes.
"I'm so sorry, really. It's just...it's been so crazy here..." Alec rambled.
"We understand," Magnus said compassionately.
"I can't believe I forgot."
"It's okay, Alexander. We also forgot about dinner. It was a hectic day. If we can't go to the Cape, I'll bring the Cape to us."
Everest continued to tidy the drink cart, even as the urge to hug Alec did its best to smother her. Slight movement caught her attention and her eyes shifted. She flinched. It was the corpses settling. Lifeless green eyes stared at her from beside the bookshelf. She took a deep breath. She could handle this. She could get through dinner, she could ignore her loved one's bodies staring at her.
"Where is the rest of we?"
"She was right here. Now she's...playing with the drink cart."
Gentle laughter echoed through the room and light footsteps approached. A warm hand settled on her back as she meticulously stacked the coasters. She fought back her flinch and instead took a deep breath. She glanced up at Alec, whose hand moved to her hip.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi," he said, barely more than a whisper. "I missed you today."
Trigger warning: Making out
"Yeah?" She shoved her breakdown as far away as possible, letting her love for the men in front of her take the driver's seat. "I missed you too."
Everest turned to wrap her arms around him and his other hand settled on her other hip. She smiled at him, soft and gentle and all of her remaining positive feelings rolled into that one small expression. He smiled back, his face full of wonder and adoration.
"You're pretty amazing, you know," he said, leaning down. "I think you're the only person I know who can pull off any hair color on Earth."
"You like it then?" she asked, somewhat teasing and somewhat anxious.
"I love it," he murmured. "It suits you."
She traced the runes on his neck with one hand, the other resting along his jaw. His breath caught as her fingers dipped below the edge of his shirt to finish tracing a rune. Her smile turned playful as she tilted her head closer to his, but not touching. "I love you," she said, words no more than an exhale. She could feel the shiver that raced through him as her breath ghosted over him. Without much thought to the action, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, watching as his eyes tracked the movement.
"I love you too, Darling," he whispered back, eyes never leaving her mouth even once she released her bottom lip.
She took a deep breath, ignored the way her boyfriends' corpses stared accusingly at her, and pressed her lips to Alec's. The kiss was gentle and rough all at once. Her hands cupped his face, tangling in his hair slightly as she pulled him closer to her, desperate for familiar contact to ignore the corpses. He responded in earnest, not questioning her intensity. He just pulled Everest close to him, hands roaming with just enough pressure to be grounding.
One of her hands trailed along his neck, rings grazing his skin lightly. Alec's breathing sharpened for a moment as her rings passed over the crook of his neck. His head jerked slightly, as if to give her hand more space to roam. Instead, Everest broke their kiss and began pressing kisses to his neck, her teeth grazing the crook of his neck every once in a while.
Alec was breathing heavily by the time he pulled her lips back to his, hands toying with her waistband. It was her turn to inhale sharply when he nipped at her bottom lip. That singular action shifted the moment from teasing to heated.
Trigger warning over
A pointed cough had both of them breaking apart, startled. It was Magnus, lounging on Alec's desk with a smirk and amused, dark gaze.
"As much as I love this," he said, "we're in the Institute and people have a nasty habit of walking in here when we're in the middle of something."
Everest sighed, pouting slightly. "I hate that you're right."
Magnus laughed.
Alec grinned and wrapped an arm around her, gently pulling her towards the circular table covered in food and candlesticks that Magnus had summoned. At one of the seats—the only one that was a stack of pillows that could only be standing because of magic—had three oranges sitting on a plate. She couldn't help but laugh as she perched on the stack of pillows.
"You remembered," she said, a little in awe.
"Of course I did, Cupcake. Why wouldn't I?" Magnus looked genuinely confused; Alec too.
Everest paused, trying to collect her thoughts. She really didn't want to go into her trauma just then. "You know what," she said, "it's not a big deal. Let's not get into a deep trauma conversation. It's not the time."
Alec and Magnus stared at her a moment longer before Alec broke the silence.
"What's with the oranges?"
Magnus laughed, brilliant and bright and almost enough for Everest to ignore the corpses that had readjusted to be within her eyeline once more. "Earlier we were talking about fruits and salads and citrus. Then oranges got brought up. And then our dear, ever chaotic Everest says one of the most true things I've ever heard."
He gestured for her to elaborate and she grinned. "Sometimes oranges are good. Sometimes oranges are hell," she recited.
Alec's jaw dropped for several seconds before he laughed. "You're entirely right."
She grinned, joining her boyfriends in their laughter.
Once their laughter had cleared, Magnus held up his glass of champagne. The other two followed suit.
"Lobster tails and a champagne toast to a successful Downworld meeting," he said as their glasses met.
Everest had forgotten that there had been a Downworld meeting while she was with Gino.
Alec hummed as he took a sip. "It went well?"
"Relatively. But Downworlders barely trust the Clave to begin with, and the Seelie Queen went on and on about the Clave being nothing but a bunch of liars."
Alec winced. "That's harsh."
Everest made a noise of disagreement and pointedly ignored the dead stare of her mother's corpse. "Well..."
Magnus snorted before continuing. "But Luke and I assured them that now that you are Head of the Institute, and implementing a policy of complete transparency, change was on the way."
"That's good," Everest said, finally peeling her oranges.
"It is, isn't it?" Magnus held out a bite of lobster for Alec to take, having already figured that it was a Safe Foods Only night for Everest. Alec took the bite with a small smile. "Oh, drawn butter?"
"Oh, sure."
...
"When Elliot opened his own shop, we lost touch, but when we were little, he was one of our mom's best friends," Clary said, leading the way to Alec's office.
Everest wanted to cry—again. Elliot had been one of her favorite people when she was little. He always had the best stories and incredible hugs. If he was hurt or dead, she didn't know if she would make it out of the situation intact.
Two warm hands settled on her arms. She blinked away tears as she looked up. Jace and Alec were still staring ahead, but they had moved to flank her, to comfort her. She smiled faintly, using the contact to ground herself to reality. There was no guarantee that Elliot was in trouble. He might be fine.
"He introduced me to Jocelyn," Dot added. Everest still had no clue where she had come from. One minute she was off in the wind with no contact, and the next she was in the Institute.
"And now you're concerned he's in trouble?" Alec asked as they entered his office.
"The mark on Dot's arm is part of a protection spell," Clary said.
"It's a sigil," Dot said. "It only transfers to another Warlock if something terrible happens."
Everest took a deep breath, grabbing her upper arms. Of course one of her favorite people, one who she hadn't gotten the chance to talk to for months, was in trouble. Of course something terrible had happened to him. Of course another person she cared for would get hurt. It was her curse, wasn't it? To have the people she loves get hurt or die.
Jace gently coaxed her hands away from her arms, leaving behind a stinging sensation. He handed her a small dagger and immediately she started fiddling with it. When she looked at him, he just winked before turning back to the conversation.
"Whatever he's guarding must be pretty important," Alec mused.
Clary and Dot shared a look that had the other three even tenser than before.
"It's the Mortal Mirror," Clary said.
"The actual fucker shit?" Everest snapped. Maybe it was the shock, maybe it was lingering agitation from her living nightmare, maybe it was fear that the corpses would attempt to suffocate her again. Whatever it was had Everest using all her self control not to scream.
"Jocelyn had it?" Jace demanded, equally shocked.
Alec just groaned exasperatedly, looking like he wanted to cry out of frustration. Everest would join him in a heartbeat.
"I know, it's crazy, the Mirror and the Cup. I guess our mom knew Elliot would do anything to keep it safe. As a Warlock, he could protect it better than anyone, right? So she entrusted him with its location."
"And Elliot entrusted it to me," Dot added.
Alec's eyebrows rose. "So you know the current location of the Mortal Mirror?"
"Sort of." Dot rolled up her sleeve, revealing a mess of lines. "These lines coordinate to specific ley lines in the city. I can figure it out, but it'll take some time."
"We have maps of all the ley lines. We can help you," Alec offered.
"And we can protect you from Jonathan and Valentine. WIth those marks on your wrist, it's only a matter of time before they come after you," Jace said.
"Jace, Ev, and I will go to Elliot's shop, see what happened." She turned, taking Dot's hand. "You'll be safe here."
"Be careful," Dot told Clary, though her eyes were on Everest. "I mean it."
Everest nodded.
...
Trigger warning: character death, allusions to past abuse and abandonment
Everest walked into Orobouros slowly, careful of the shards of glass. She took a deep breath. Destruction had torn through the shop like a flash flood, books and decorations and dishes strewn about everywhere. Glass covered the floor, metal chips scattered throughout.
"Elliot," Clary breathed out.
Everest turned, saw the man lying broken and bloody on the floor, and swallowed a sob. She knelt beside him and closed his eyes before Clary could reach him. She had always been closer to Elliot than her sister; it felt right to be the one to close his eyes in death.
"See these marks? A demon was here," Jace said, more to himself than anything. "He was tortured, but he wasn't murdered. He killed himself."
The dark part of Everest's brain, or maybe one of the corpses, whispered, "He did what you couldn't."
She resisted the urge to snort.
"What do you mean?" Clary asked.
"The blood from his eyes. I've seen it before. It's a Warlock incantation. It's basically their version of a cyanide capsule. I'm sorry."
Before either of the twins could say anything, the sound of glass crunching underfoot had all three of them whirling around, the twins rising to their feet in one fluid motion.
It was Sebastian.
"Hi," the blonde said, too calm for the situation.
"Hey," Jace said slowly, suspiciously.
"Sebastian? What the hell are you doing here?" Everest asked, bewildered.
"I, uh, saw the alert at the Institute," he said. "Is everything under control?"
Jace and Everest shared a brief look before he spoke. "We're still not a hundred percent sure what happened. There was a demon presence here, but something still doesn't add up."
"Oh my god," Clary muttered, drawing the three's attention. She was staring at a vase of dead flowers like they were the answer to all her problems. "It's Jonathan."
"How do you know?" Jace and Everest demanded at once. If it was Jonathan, then that meant he was probably nearby still. That meant they weren't safe.
"The flowers. Mom showed me a memory from when Jonathan was a baby. He'd done the exact same thing. And the gray demon ichor, that's how Valentine described the aftermath of Jonathan's childhood kills. Jonathan was here."
"No one fucking tells me anything!" Everest snapped under her breath. It really wasn't her day at all.
Jace's arm brushed hers lightly, but it didn't do much in the way of comforting her. Not with the corpses edging closer. She appreciated the sentiment, though.
"Uh, sorry, who's Jonathan?" Sebastian asked, somewhat hesitant.
"Our brother," Everest said, gesturing between herself and Clary.
"He must be after the Mortal Mirror," Jace said. "If he comes after it again, I'll have to deal with him."
"What do you mean?" Clary asked. Everest just watched.
"It means I'm gonna do anything in my power to protect the Mirror."
"You'll kill him?"
"If that's what it takes, yeah."
"We don't even know if Jonathan's doing this on his own. He could be under Valentine's influence," Clary protested.
"Yeah, Clary's got a point," Sebastian butted in. "I mean, what if Valentine's forcing him to do his bidding?"
Jace took a deep breath and it was Everest's turn to brush her arm against his to remind him to stay calm. "Yeah, okay, look. I know exactly what it's like to be manipulated by Valentine, probably better than anyone. Now, Clary, you read those journals. Everest, you should read them once we get back. Jonathan Morganstern is a demon-blooded monster who is responsible for the death of your friend, an innocent Warlock."
Everest's quick brush of Jace's arm turned into her leaning against him ever so slightly. She couldn't handle this much trauma in one day. It wasn't good for her.
"Remember what Valentine made you do?" Clary all but spat.
"I don't have demon blood," Jace snapped.
Everest let out a hissed breath. Clary winced. Jace leaned against her. Sebastian's eyes narrowed at her slightly.
"Just think about it, Jace. Valentine has manipulated all three of us." She gestured between her, Everest, and Jace. "What if Jonathan is just his latest victim? We don't have any facts, and until we do, no one is getting killed."
"Yeah, I suppose the, uh...the priority right now should be finding the mirror," Sebastian said.
Everest said nothing.
Trigger warning: Discussions of hallucinations
She continued to stay silent until halfway through the walk back to the Institute, when Jace pulled her away from the other two.
"What the fuck is going on in your brain?" he asked, gentle despite his words.
She shrugged. How could she explain that she was conflicted on what to do about Jonathan? How could she explain that it wasn't blood that made a person, that it was their upbringing? How could she explain that if he was so sure that Jonathan had to die because of his blood, then she should die too? How did she explain that she didn't know whether or not Johnathan was acting on his or Valentine's orders, but that she wanted a chance to talk to him before they decided his fate? How did she explain what had happened that morning, that the corpses were still haunting her? How could she explain that his dead eyes followed her everywhere she went?
"It's complicated."
"I'll help uncomplicate it."
"It's a long story."
"I've got time."
"Ugh."
Jace snorted. "Go on, Purple, explain."
"My hair isn't purple anymore."
"Nope. No distractions. Explanations only."
She sighed. "Bear with me if it gets a little jumbled."
"Of course. Now please explain."
And explain she did. She explained everything—even her nightmare and her still hallucinating. She hadn't even told her boyfriends that she was still hallucinating. She was too worried that it would be too much for them, that they would decide that they couldn't handle her bullshit anymore and leave her. She'd tell them eventually; she had been working up the courage to tell them about the corpses—which were leering at her where they floated around her and Jace—when their post dinner cuddles had been cut short by Jace and Clary bursting in with Dot in tow. She'd tell them eventually, she just didn't know when she would even have the time to.
Trigger warnings over
When she was done, and they were outside the Institute, Jace was quiet for a long moment full of anxiety. Then, he hugged her.
For a second, she was frozen. Then the action processed in her mind and she returned the hug just as tight.
"I love you, Purple," Jace whispered. She almost teared up from those words alone. She knew how hard it was for him to say those words. "If you want to try and talk to him, okay. Just make sure I'm there for backup if it goes south, alright?"
"Alright."
"Promise?" he asked, offering his pinky.
"Promise," she said, linking his pinky with her own and chuckling internally at the memory of teaching him about pinky promises.
"Now let's get inside before Clary and Mr. Good Timing do anything irreversible," Jace said, only a little bitterly.
She snorted. "Let's."
...
"So you've narrowed it down to three locations?" Jace asked Dot once she had joined the two of them and Clary in the Ops Center. Sebastian had disappeared once Everest and Jace walked inside.
"Yes. Here, here, and here."
"Wait," Clary and Everest said as one, in sync for the first time in a while. They looked at each other.
"Isn't that the park—"
"—that Mom used to take us to as kids?"
"I would write and you'd draw—"
"—and she'd pack a picnic and watch us for hours."
They grinned at each other, the dopamine rush of being in sync overwhelming both of them.
"Well then," Jace said, "I guess we've got our spot."
...
"Shit isn't right," Everest muttered, grammar going out the window as she texted Alec updates about the mission on their way out the door. Clary was already several steps ahead.
"Tell me about it," Jace grumbled, guiding her around a light post. "This isn't normal, even for us."
"Why is it always us?"
"Because we're the unlucky bastards who got stuck with Valentine as a father.
"I hate that you're right," she said exasperatedly. She snorted as she read Alec's text.
"What?"
She just handed him her phone.
Love:
Of course it's Jonathan.
I swear, it's always the fucked up Morgensterns
Darling:
I'm fucked up too Love
Love:
You're not that fucked up
Darling:
Demon blood and a hefty amount of trauma, remember?
Love:
You know I didn't mean it like that
Darling:
Do I???
Love:
By the Angel...
I love you. Stay safe
Darling:
Love you too
I will
"You're adorable," Jace said, smiling.
"Thanks." She pocketed her phone. "Now we just have to figure the shit out between you, Simon, and Clary."
"It's complicated."
"Oh, I know it's complicated. I'm the one who's listened to all three of you cry about it." At his guilty look, she sighed. "I'm happy to do it, really. It's not a problem to listen to you talk about it. I'm just being dramatic."
"Thanks, Purple," Jace said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Anytime, Dye Blonde," she said, arm around his waist. "Let's catch up before Ritz accidentally breaks the Accords—again."
He groaned but sped up.
...
Trigger warning: Fighting
Everest stepped out of the Portal Dot had opened up—once they had rushed back to get an amused Dot—and she nudged Jace towards Clary. He shot her an exasperated look, but edged closer to the redhead. Everest hurried to catch up with Dot.
"I'm sorry I didn't reach out to you while I was in hiding," Dot said quietly as they walked through the park.
Everest shrugged. "I get it." She did, really. "It just sucked to find out you went to Clary first, you know."
Dot paused, took Everest's hands in hers, and pressed their foreheads together. "I just found her first. It doesn't mean I love you any less than I love her. I love you so much, Everest Dawn, no matter what happens."
Everest smiled, pushed back tears, and hugged Dot tightly. "I love you too, Dot."
A moment later, they parted and continued walking.
"Look, the ley line intersections close here," Dot said.
"Here? Really?" Everest had never seen this structure in her life. The large pagoda was decorated with string lights, lighting up the central statue of stunning people in a brilliant way. It was gorgeous, she had just never seen it before.
"Really."
Everest sighed and turned back to the arguing duo. "Ritz! Dye Blonde! Found the thing!"
She didn't give a shit about her grammar just then. If she had to deal with corpses, the others could deal with less than stellar grammar.
"It's here," Dot said once the other two had rejoined them.
"Do you see something?" Clary asked.
Dot stepped closer to the statue. Everest stepped back when her skin started to prickle. Dot reached out, chanting softly in Latin. Golden tendrils of energy started to form a ball. Several moments later, she reached into the floating ball of energy and pulled out a small, unidentifiable object.
"That's it isn't it? The Mortal Mirror." Clary stepped closer to Dot, but Everest took another step back. This couldn't be right. There was no way it was that easy. Only one person died, no one was hurt, and no one had randomly shown up yet. It was never this easy.
"Okay. Let's go," Jace said hurriedly. He clearly understood what Everest was feeling.
"Oh hell no!" Everest snapped when a burnt, tattered figure tossed Jace aside. The blonde hit the ground unconscious.
Dot thrust the Mortal Mirror at Clary and shot a ball of energy at the figure. Nothing happened. Instead she just pissed the figure off and got thrown to the ground.
"Girls run!" Jace shouted, apparently awake.
Faster than Everest could blink, the figure was standing over Jace, sword at his throat.
"No!" Clary shouted.
"Don't you dare!" Everest snapped.
The figure jerked slightly, as if it wanted to listen but couldn't.
"You're Jonathan, aren't you? You're my brother. You don't wanna hurt me. If you hurt Jace, that's exactly what you'll be doing." She held up the Mirror. Everest stood frozen. This was Jonathan? "This is what you came for, isn't it? You can take this and go. Or... you can come with us. We can help you. Whatever Valentine's told you, it's lies. Whatever happened in the past, whatever you've done, it doesn't matter. You're my family."
Jace shot Everest a look, practically begging her to do something. What could she do? What should she do? She had no idea.
Without warning, Dot was up and shooting golden orbs at Jonathan, distracting him. "Take the Mirror and go, girls!"
"Not without you!"
"It's the only way to protect the Mirror! Now go!"
Still, Clary didn't move. Then Jace was there, hauling her towards the Portal Dot opened just as he reached the redhead.
"Let's go, Everest!"
Everest jerked into motion, sprinting towards the Portal. The last thing she saw was Dot fending off the being that might have once, in another world, been her big brother.
Trigger warning over
...
Trigger warning: Argument
Everest didn't pay any mind to the bickering as she left towards Alec's office. She needed comfort, she needed a hug.
She wasn't going to get her hug.
"What's wrong?" she asked upon seeing Alec sitting hunched over, hands covering his face.
"I fucked up."
She didn't like this.
"How?" She knelt beside him, hand resting on his knee.
"I didn't tell Magnus that the Soul Sword is missing and now he's furious with me."
Every inch of her froze, including her light circles on his knee. The Soul Sword was missing? Since when? Why did nobody tell her? Nobody told her anything.
"It's what?" she asked, as calm as she could.
"Oh no," Alec said on an exhale. "Did you not know either?"
Everest took a deep breath. The corpses solidified a little bit more. "No. No, Alec, I didn't know that one of the most important items in our history is missing. Why would anyone tell me something like that?"
"Shit."
"Shit is right," Everest said, trying her hardest not to snap at him. She stood up in a jerky motion. "I can't do this right now. I need a break from bad situations today. I can't do this, not with the fucking hallucinations still here. I just can't. I'll let you know when I can talk about this."
Everest turned on her heel, ignoring Alec's calls and pleas. It wasn't until she was halfway to her room before she realized what she said.
"Fuck, fucking, fuckity shit fuck," she groaned, leaning against a wall. Tears built up in her eyes against her will. "Fuck this shit."
She pulled out her phone and texted a single word to the one person she knew wouldn't judge her or try to give her advice just then.
Trigger warning over
...
Soft padded footsteps echoed on the roof as the young woman approached her brother. She gently lowered herself to lie beside the blonde whose left arm covered his face, right arm behind his head. She mirrored his position, right arm on her face and left behind her head.
"Wanna talk about it?" she whispered. "About Simon and Clary? Or Sebastian and Clary?"
"Not really," her brother whispered. "Wanna talk about you, Alec, and Magnus?"
"Not really," she echoed.
"Guess we'll just sit here then," he said.
She laughed and made grabbing motions. "Come here, Dye Blonde."
He smiled and pulled her close, left arm draped over her.
"Don't put your armpit in my face," she said playfully, readjusting herself to be smaller.
"You're just too small. You're like a partial person."
"You're just freakishly tall," she protested.
"Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
She just smiled and rolled her eyes, burrowing further into his chest. He didn't say anything more, just wrapped his other arm around her.
That's where they stayed, asleep on the roof, well into the morning when Izzy found them. She just smiled, took several pictures, and covered them with a blanket before leaving them be. She was caught up on what they were handling and she knew how much a good cuddle from either of them was when overwhelmed.