there’s nothing left then. he has gone too far to turn back and she can’t…won’t..follow him into the dark. but in his touch all she can think about is the man that lies beside her at night; the man that holds her when she remembers the losses she has suffered. and how tonight, he won’t be there when the nightmares come. that he might be one of them. a shaking hand skims his cheek before she tilts her head upward, lips brushing against his. he tastes like the salt from her tears, like the falling leaves around them, like heartache. a thumb grazes his jaw before her hand settles at the base of his neck, the other pressed against his chest. she can’t say that she misses him. she can’t say how much this hurts. she can’t say goodbye. so she kisses him with everything she has; knowing that when they part, they will be strangers.
the moment he felt her lips brush over his own, he trembled. leonard wallace, the man who stood against the clave and rest of the shadow world without blinking, felt his whole body shudder at the touch. she had always had that on him, that was one thing, but now everything felt more intense and that was a lot to take for someone like him, who lived at the deep ends or highest peaks. after the initial shock, the shadowhunter was quick to kiss her back, at first slowly, letting their lips move in their usual harmony and sync as always. but then the need grew. one last time. this was the last time he could get to be with her, the last chance to feel her warmth, how she felt against his body. one last time. a growl emitting from his throat as they kissed, leo wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her impossibly close as he pulled her back with him. his eyes shone golden before the closed lids, a portal opening behind them. no, it didn’t open to the institute. when he picked her up and backed away into it, where they end up would be the place where they first became one. for one last time.
