CHAPTER ONE
LITTLE MUNDIE GIRL
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It was times like these when Adrian remembered why he hated heights.
The side of the Institute was rough against his fingers, the bricks and stones scraping the skin raw. Adrian cursed under his breath as he secured his foot against a windowsill, wondering why he hadn't applied a rune to help him climb three stories to his bedroom window. If he resented the fact that he also hadn't applied a healing rune before he started climbing, he didn't bother thinking longer about it. Each time he thought of a healing rune, he was made acutely aware that his lower back was aching. Gritting his teeth, he saw the windowsill of his bedroom a few feet above his head and decided to go for it, jumping up before he could think about how much of a bad idea jumping for it actually was. Thankfully, he had more than enough upper body strength to pull himself through the window he always kept open.
He went in headfirst, doing a brief clumsy headstand before he toppled on his side, knocking over a lamp nearby. Being a Shadowhunter didn't guarantee grace all the time.
"Right on time." Adrian stared at his ceiling for a few more seconds, contemplating just staying in that position forever, before he grunted and rolled to his feet, running a hand through his already messed up hair. He flashed a bright grin at Alec, who was sitting on his bed while resting back on his hands. He was wearing one of his many baggy sweaters. Adrian could see his collarbone. The second he found his eyes straying toward the patch of skin, he made his eyes go back to Alec's face. His clear blue eyes held nothing but amusement and a little bit of disapproval, but Adrian knew that even if he blatantly stared at Alec like he wanted to devour him, Alec wouldn't even notice.
Alec always had been frustratingly oblivious on how stunningly pretty he actually was.
"Like clockwork," Adrian quipped, going to change out of his gear and into something more comfortable. He wondered if Alec was watching him or if he was just imagining feeling eyes on his bare back, but when he turned around with a t-shirt in hand, Alec was looking out the window. Of course he hadn't been looking.
Adrian wasn't Jace.
"Why is it always three days with you?" Alec wondered out loud as Adrian pulled the shirt over his head. Adrian, never one to be shy, stripped off his pants before he went in search for his favorite jeans. He huffed when he realized they weren't strewn over the chair where he usually threw them.
"Where are my ripped jeans?"
"The ones that cut off your circulation?" Alec asked dryly, eyes flickering briefly from the window to him. Adrian was suddenly very aware of the hickeys along the side of his neck. Alec's eyes flickered over the bruises with an unreadable expression. Adrian didn't know what to think of the lack of emotion, so he chose not to think of it at all. "Check the dresser. Mom was in here yesterday before she, Dad, and Max left for Idris."
"Oh, they're in Idris?" Adrian jerked open one of his dresser drawers. Sure enough, there his favorite pair of jeans were, folded neatly. He scoffed and jerked them out, mildly pissed off that Maryse touched his things. "Thank the lord. That means I don't have to deal with their bitching. 'Oh, where were you, Adrian. We were worried about you, Adrian. You can't keep disappearing for three days, Adrian. Why do you have glitter all over you, Adrian.' God, your parents are annoying." He shoved one leg into his jeans.
"Why is it always three days with you, again?" Alec asked as Adrian hopped toward the edge of his bed and flopped down. He wasn't about to fall on the ground in front of Alec. He and Jace always ganged up on him, and he wasn't in the mood to punch Jace in the mouth and then laugh about it with Jace later. His mind was too cluttered. "Why were you covered in glitter the last time, by the way?" Adrian finally got his jeans on and clasped the button, blowing his bangs out of his face.
"Piss off, that's why," he grumbled, shoving his feet back into his pair of black biker boots, which Maryse had neatly put by the door. He couldn't fathom why she insisted on checking up on him and treating him like a son. He wasn't her son. Besides, she had three other children she could spend her time with, she didn't need him. "After three days, I know Maryse and Robert would have to turn me in as missing, and I don't fancy seeing my father anytime soon. As for the whole glitter debacle, well, what I do in my free time isn't your concern." Alec rolled his eyes.
Adrian knew how Alec felt about Downworlders. It had practically been ingrained into his head by Robert and Maryse, his mother and father's prejudice against anything non-Shadowhunter tainting his view on the world. Adrian wasn't about to tell him he got glitter all over himself because he had been partying with a warlock named Catarina Loss and she had drunkenly thought a bunch of silver glitter would make his dark brown eyes look gorgeous.
"You'll always come back after three days, though, right?" Alec questioned right as Adrian was about to suggest they go see if there was another mission they could go on. Adrian paused, twisting on his heel. This was the first time Alec sounded genuinely concerned since he had arrived.
"Of course." Adrian flashed him another smile, this one softer. "You'd all die without me." Alec scoffed, rolling his eyes again. He tended to do that a lot when Adrian was involved. Adrian suddenly didn't want to go on a mission anymore. He decided to flop back on his bed beside Alec, placing both hands behind his head. The quick motion made him aware of his aching lower back again, so his right hand went out to smack Alec on the arm. "Do you have your stele with you?"
"Where's yours?"
"In my gear currently on the floor."
"That's five feet away from you."
"But I already laid down," Adrian whined, putting a pout on his lips. Alec sighed, sounding defeated, but got up to get his stele for him anyway. Adrian gave him another bright, happy smile when he sat down and placed the stele on his open palm. "God, Alec, I love you." The words just tumbled out. For a moment, time was frozen on Adrian's part. He felt his heart jump into his throat to choke him.
But Alec only scoffed and said, "Yeah, yeah." As if Adrian hadn't just said the five words that have been bouncing around inside his brain and heart ever since they were fifteen and Adrian was old enough to know just what the feeling inside of his chest was. He sucked in a shaky breath, then managed to sit up and start drawing a rune on the inside of his left wrist before he said something stupid. Or did something stupid. Like give in to the urge to kiss Alec all over his face and tell him how oblivious he was all the time.
That urge was starting to get harder and harder to fight off, and that scared Adrian more than any demon could.
"Why do you need a healing rune?" Alec sounded alarmed now, his voice sharp. Adrian was happy his face was turned away from Alec, because he didn't want Alec to see the pleased smile that flashed across his face.
"A rough night of sex," Adrian stated flatly. It was the truth, but he knew Alec would be too embarrassed to actually think it was the truth at all. It was odd, the oldest of all of them being the most innocent. Adrian, Isabelle, and Jace were all far from shy when it came to their sexual activities, but that was probably because they weren't the oldest like Alec. They didn't have the responsibility of looking after a group of younger people. Alec didn't have the luxury of being reckless or wild; he just couldn't risk it.
"I'm changing the subject."
"You probably should."
"Right." Alec got to his feet. "You know that little mundie girl who saw us in Pandemonium?" Adrian nodded. He had ran off right after the mission was completed, the little redheaded girl barely a flicker in his thoughts. He wasn't very concerned with her at the time, though now that he thought back on it, he should have been. It wasn't every day a mundane could see them if they didn't want to be seen. It was interesting, for sure. "Well, she's here." Adrian looked at him sharply.
"In the Institute, here?" he double-checked. Alec nodded.
"She was attacked by a demon. Jace saved her, put a rune on her, and then left her in the infirmary. She's been unconscious for the past few days."
"Wait, back up, Jace put a rune on a mundie and the mundie neither died nor went insane?" Adrian was on his feet in seconds, the healing rune making him feel a bit more energized. "Oh, I have to see this for myself." Alec opened his mouth as if to argue, but Adrian was already on his feet and out the door. The infirmary was on the first floor, the only place in the Institute that didn't have wards to keep out Downworlders. Shadowhunters always liked to hate on warlocks until they needed their magic to heal one of their own, and suddenly warlocks were their best friend.
Until they no longer needed that warlock, of course.
The first thing he saw when he entered the room was Isabelle bent over a cot with a wet rag in her right hand. Adrian approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and planting a loud, smacking kiss on her cheek. She didn't even flinch, so used to his antics that she was now desensitized to them. "Hello, Adrian. Nice to see you again," she said in a mock serious voice, sounding so much like her mother that he snorted out a laugh. He rested his chin on her shoulder and looked at the small girl on the cot. Her bright red hair was strewn in tangles around her. Sure enough, the rune was still on her arm, fading a bit but still present on her milky white skin.
"Hey, Izzy. Looking wonderful, as always. Great outfit."
"You didn't even look at my outfit."
"Didn't have to. You always have great outfits."
"I do, don't I?" Isabelle shot him a small smile before waving the wet rag down at the girl. "Adrian, meet unconscious mundie girl. Unconscious mundie girl, meet Adrian Dieudonne. He's very pretty, but no touching, he's for Alec." Adrian rolled his eyes at her, taking the rag from her and crouching down by the cot, using it to cool down the girl's heated skin. She was so small that it was alarming.
"What's her name?"
"Jace said it was Clary Fray."
"She's tiny."
"She might be tiny, but apparently she killed a damn Ravener demon." Adrian shot her a startled look before returning his now surprised gaze back onto the mundane girl.
"You're kidding me, right?"
"Wish I was." Isabelle flipped one of her two long braids behind her shoulder, planting her hands on her hips. "Where have you been?"
"With Oliver," Adrian mumbled, setting the rag aside. He was oddly concerned for the small little redhead. Or maybe he was so focused on helping the girl because he could feel Isabelle drilling holes into the back of his head with a glare. Wincing, he turned to see that she was indeed glaring at him. He let out a small sigh, licking his lips. "I needed to relieve some tension, okay? Give me a break."
"You said Oliver was developing feelings for you," she said. Adrian shrugged.
"So?"
"What do you mean, so? You know damn well you can't reciprocate those feelings." There was a moment of tense silence. "I thought you, of all people, would know how painful it is to love someone who doesn't love you back." Adrian was on his feet so fast that he was a bit dizzy, but that didn't stop him from moving past her, pushing the wet rag into her hands as he passed. He never saw the look of regret wash over Isabelle's features as he proceeded to run from her words.
"I'm going to find Jace. Come find me when she wakes up."
"Adrian, I didn't mean—"
Adrian was already out the door.
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He found Jace at the grand piano, playing random tunes and seemingly stuck inside his own head. Adrian didn't hesitate to drape himself across the piano, leaning across until his face was right in front of Jace's. Jace didn't look up from the keys, but Adrian could see the smile stretching across his face.
"Jace, would you be mad at me if I kissed you right now?" He tried to keep his voice steady and serious when he spoke, but his amusement slipped through. Jace finally glanced up. He always seemed to be amused when Adrian was around, and Adrian took pride in the fact that he could make Jace happy, even if that happiness was always temporary. They were the orphans in that Institute, so they had bonded all those years ago just because of the experience. Adrian's dad wasn't dead, of course, but he might as well have been with how much he was actually part of Adrian's life.
"I thought you were done kissing me?" Jace drawled, voice obviously teasing. "You know, when you used me to figure out your sexuality all those years ago." It had only been two years, when they were both fifteen, but Jace never ceased talking about it like it was some monumental, historical moment. Adrian had confessed to him that he might like boys. Jace offered up his lips to help him make sure. Long story short, Jace was the reason why Adrian had no doubt in his mind that he did, indeed, find boys very attractive.
"If I remember correctly, you not only offered, but you kissed me back. Are you hiding your inner self, Jace?"
"My inner self is me, and I'm too otherworldly to apply labels to myself." Adrian burst into laughter at that, sliding back and resting his cheek against the top of the piano. Sprawled out across it like that with Jace's gentle music floating through the air, he was tempted to take a nap. His eyelids already felt heavy.
"You'd kiss a demon if they were attractive enough," he murmured, burying his face into his arms. He felt Jace flick the top of his head.
"I'm not moving your ass to your bed if you fall asleep," was all he said before he went back to playing. Adrian knew his threat was an empty one. Adrian tended to fall asleep wherever he could, and he always woke up in his bed. Maybe Jace wasn't the one helping him, but he knew he would end up in his bed regardless.
Adrian drifted, feeling pleasantly light even while lying on such a hard surface. He liked listening to Jace play. Jace always told him that his music didn't mean anything, that it was just a bunch of different notes strung together to sound pretty, but Adrian knew better. Jace Wayland thought he had everyone fooled, but everyone who bothered to give him a chance could read him like an open book.
Adrian was ashamed to say that he jumped when Jace suddenly spoke.
"Alec?" he called out. Adrian's head shot up at the name. "Is that you?" A small body stepped further into the room. The bright red hair gave it away as to who it was. Adrian pushed himself up and slid to the edge of the piano, letting his legs dangle over for a moment before he slid off.
"It's not Alec. It's me. Clary." Jace got to his feet. Adrian watched their conversation with raised eyebrows.
"Our own Sleeping Beauty. Who kissed you awake?" Clary's small face scrunched up like she tasted something sour. Adrian smirked. If that was how she reacted to all of Jace's lines, he had a feeling they would get along just fine.
"Nobody, I woke up on my own." Jace asked if there was anyone with her, and Adrian was relieved to hear that Isabelle hadn't left her alone. He should have stayed to make sure. He couldn't imagine how freaked out the little mundane was feeling, and he didn't doubt that waking up alone in a strange place like the Institute would have just made matters worse.
"I should have warned her about your habit of never doing what you're told," Jace was saying, eyeing her with a judgmental look on his face. "Are those Isabelle's clothes? They look ridiculous on you."
"Jace," Adrian drawled, wrapping an arm around the other boy's shoulders, "she's our guest. Be nice." He nudged Jace toward her, inclining his head in greeting at the same time. "I'm Adrian Dieudonne. We met while you were unconscious, but since I have a feeling you don't remember that, I'm the nice Shadowhunter of the bunch and if you ever need someone to beat up Jace, I'll be here waiting for the opportunity."
"A few minutes ago you wanted to kiss me," Jace complained, crossing his arms over his chest. Adrian had a feeling he would regret that little joke all day, but he wasn't about to let Jace have the advantage of getting to him.
"Love and hate has a fine line, Jace Wayland, and you manage to cross it daily." Jace only snorted, turning to lead Clary out of the room.
"Come on, I'll take you to Hodge," he heard Jace mutter to her. Clary twisted as she was being herded out to call back to him.
"It was nice to meet you! Can you beat him up now?" she called.
"Maybe later, Little Red!" was all he said back.
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edited: 7.28.18