Sun dried petals coat the bottom of the music box’s hidden compartment, and old parchement holds onto the last remnants of charcoal, sketches of Maryse, whom Jocelyn can’t forget.
The music box comes to life with a gentle melody, melancholy waltzing off with memories Jocelyn locked away a long time ago, a ring on her hand like manacles snapping shut, tied and bound to a man of power. Valentine gathered clout and followers, until his power consumed him, only leaving ashes in its wake.
Jocelyn believed him dead, and it pained her, because she couldn’t be certain of his demise.
Isabelle doesn’t realize she’s spending so much time at Clary’s house until the day Clary calls her out on it.
“I know I’m not your only friend, Iz. You don’t have to come over every day, you know,” Clary jokes. She doesn’t mean anything by it, certainly not anything unkind, but Izzy hears the words and immediately panics.
“It’s because…”
Because I can never spend enough time with you, because nothing makes me happier than the sound of your voice, because I love you.
“I have a crush… on your dad.” Izzy says the lie without fully meaning to, but she can’t bring herself to admit the truth. She can’t actually tell Clary how she feels about her, so instead, she comes up with the first thing she thinks of to explain why she’s always hanging around Clary.
“My dad?” Clary repeats, scrunching her nose up in that adorable way she does when she’s overthinking something. Izzy loves that look. Though, to be fair, Izzy loves all of Clary’s looks. “Gross.”
Izzy forces a laugh, hoping the nervousness she feels translates to something a bit more ‘teenage shyness’ than actual anxiety. “It’s just a stupid crush. Anyway, let’s get going on this art project you need help with…”
Izzy hopes that’ll be the end of it. Change the subject and move on for good… except Clary says something to Simon who says something to Jace, and soon it’s a whole group inside joke about how much Izzy’s in love with Mr. Morgenstern. It starts to get increasingly embarrassing, and Clary is obviously uncomfortable with the whole thing.
Isabelle starts going to Clary’s house less and less, which in turn makes her more and more miserable because that means seeing Clary less and less. It’s all ruined, everything good she had going destroyed by one impulsive lie.
It stands to reason that she could fix it with the truth, but that thought terrifies Isabelle. So much so that she remains silent and distant for as long as she possibly can.
In the end, the breaking point isn’t her’s at all, but Clary’s.
“What did I do?” Clary asks one day, approaching Izzy outside Jace’s coffee truck.
“What?” Izzy asks, confused. That much isn’t an act at least - Izzy has no idea where the sudden question comes from.
“You’ve been avoiding me. Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” Clary adds quickly before Izzy can try and deny it.
“I…”
“Just tell me what I did, so I can… fix it, or apologize, or something. I miss you, Iz,” Clary confesses.
“You do?” Izzy asks, knowing she isn’t contributing much to the discussion but unable to form a single coherent thought beyond Clary’s revelation. Clary misses her. Izzy thought for certain that Clary hadn’t even noticed her pulling away, certainly not enough to care.
“Of course I do, Izzy. You’re my best friend. You…” Clary trails off, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter if you won’t even talk to me.”
“I don’t have a crush on your dad,” Izzy blurts out, nervously pushing the bridge of her glasses higher on her nose.
“...okay. So, what? If you aren’t visiting me for my dad you don’t even want to see me anymore? Because-”
“No!” Izzy cuts Clary off. “That isn’t… I’m saying this all wrong.” Isabelle sighs. “I was never visiting to see your dad. I was visiting to see you. I have a crush on you.”
Isabelle waits for Clary to not believe her, or to be angry at her for lying about it, or any number of reactions besides the one Clary has.
Clary laughs. She smiles wide and laughs, relief ringing through the sound. “That makes my crush on you a lot more promising, then.”
Izzy’s heart skips a beat or two at that, but it isn’t long before she’s beaming back at Clary.
“Very promising,” Izzy agrees. “Assuming I didn’t mess things up too badly?”
“You didn’t,” Clary promises. “As long as you promise to come over after school tomorrow for dinner.”
Izzy nods immediately, leaving no time or room for miscommunication this time. She has a second chance and she isn’t going to mess it up.
Pairing: Jocelyn Fairchild/Dorothea "Dot" Rollins
Rated: Gen
Prompt: Portal/Laughter
“I haven’t seen you smile in weeks,” Dot said, earning a sigh from Jocelyn in return.
“I smile. You’re just being dramatic,” Jocelyn retorted.
“I’m a warlock, we’re allowed to be dramatic,” Dot countered.
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“You’ve been a mess of anxiety all day, Joc. You deserve a night out,” Dot spoke from the doorway. Jocelyn didn’t hear her enter and glanced up from the book she was pretending to read with a scowl on her face. “I haven’t seen you smile in weeks,” Dot added, earning a sigh from Jocelyn in return.
“I smile. You’re just being dramatic,” Jocelyn retorted.
“I’m a warlock, we’re allowed to be dramatic,” Dot countered. With a swirl of her hand and a dart of blue magic, Dot successfully closed Jocelyn’s book and flung it onto the shelf behind them.
“Hey, I was reading that!” Jocelyn complained, crossing her arms as she sat up on the couch.
“No, you weren’t. I’ve been watching you stare at the same page for ten minutes,” Dot commented. Jocelyn was suddenly a lot more aware of the ache in her back and the stiffness of her legs that shouldn’t have been there. When she glanced at the clock, she realized she had been sitting in the same position for almost an hour.
“That’s a bit creepy, don’t you think, Dorthea?”
“Oh, she brings out the full name!” Dot said with a small laugh. She walked forward and held her hand out, wiggling her fingers as if urging Jocelyn to take it. “Well, Jocelyn, I’m taking you out.” She tugged Jocelyn up to stand with one hand, the other snapping, a harsh sound through the otherwise silent room. All of a sudden, Jocelyn’s tattered tank top and boring sweatpants were replaced with a bright purple dress she knew for a fact wasn’t in her closet while Dot was in a similar black outfit that was entirely too formal for her living room.
“I can’t wear this, Dot, and I can’t go out. I have to be here when Clary gets home for curfew!” Jocelyn argued, already tugging down the hem of her too-short dress.
Dot rolled her eyes as she explained, “Clary’s at Simon’s for the night. Mrs. Lewis was more than happy to take care of her while you take some time to yourself. Even she knew you needed it.” Jocelyn groaned and tilted her head back, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to figure out another way to get out of whatever Dot had planned. “Do you trust me, Joc?” Dot asked, tugging on Jocelyn’s hand so that she would glance into her eyes.
“With my life, you know that,” Jocelyn responded because trust had nothing to do with it.
“Then come with me,” Dot urged, though it sounded more like a demand than anything else.
Jocelyn didn’t have time to say no or come up with another excuse because Dot’s hand was already conjuring a swirling purple portal that matched the hue of Jocelyn’s dress. Dot didn’t force her through and instead, nudged Jocelyn forward, letting her take the first step.
When she couldn’t think of a reason not to walk forward, she took a step inside of the portal and found herself in a… bar?
“Dot, what are we doing here? I don’t even drink,” Jocelyn said, her fingers still laced with Dot’s.
“Look around, Joc. We’re not here to drink,” Dot reasoned.
When Jocelyn did, she noticed immediately what kind of venue they had stumbled into. Sure, it was a bar for all intents and purposes, but the signs covering the doors and windows had her realizing what the night was going to entail.
“You brought me here to… dance?” Jocelyn asked, a mixture of confusion, hesitance, and–if she was honest with herself–a hint of excitement in her tone.
“I brought you here,” Dot began, clearly exasperated with her best friend, “so that you could let loose a little. Let your hair down and enjoy life in a way I haven’t seen you do since Clary was in diapers.”
“I love my life,” Jocelyn argued. Dot raised her eyebrows in doubt before taking Jocelyn’s other hand in her free one.
“You love your life as much as you’re allowed to, but tonight? Tonight you’re not Jocelyn Fairchild; former shadowhunter on the run from her psychotic ex-husband who spends all of her energy keeping life-altering secrets from her almost teenage daughter.” Dot dragged her toward the dance floor, her hands moving to Jocelyn’s hips once they arrived. “Tonight, you’re just Joc; a simple mundane who is free to have whatever life she chooses without consequence. You’re a beautiful woman out with her equally as stunning best friend.”
“Can it really be that easy?” Jocelyn asked suspiciously.
Dot nodded sternly as if she was challenging Jocelyn to argue but knowing she couldn’t. Instead, Jocelyn started to slowly let her body move to the beat with a bit of uncertainty that was quelled by Dot’s grip on her waist. Soon, all she could focus on was the music pumping around her, vibrating from her feet and resonating through her head. If she had a worry in her mind, she couldn’t hear it over the beat. She was spun into the arms of strangers only to end up back in Dot’s.
There was something magnetic about it, the way she found her way to Dot no matter where they had wandered in the room. If she didn’t trust Dot so much, she would’ve thought she was spelled. But no, that wasn’t it. Dot was the only person in the world that Jocelyn relied on so fully, trusted with every fiber of her being, cared about almost as much as she cared about her child. Dot was her best friend, had been for several years, but something about finally freeing herself from the darkness of her own mind had her seeing Dot differently.
It was almost overwhelming how Dot’s smile burned into her mind, how her laughter matched Dot’s in brightness, and how the movements of their bodies complemented each other’s like there was no possible person for either of them to dance with. Jocelyn realized that she didn’t want to be in anyone else’s arms, not when Dot was right there, staring at her like she was some enigma, a treasure that she had searched for and finally found.
Jocelyn realized then that she hadn’t stopped smiling. She hadn’t stopped laughing, singing, dancing. She hadn’t stopped being happy, an emotion she had assumed she didn’t have in her anymore. Dot brought that out in her, though. Dot made her feel capable of anything in the world, happiness included.
“You figured it out, huh?” Dot muttered against Jocelyn’s ear. She had pulled Jocelyn in as a slower song mellowed the crowd, her arms sliding around Jocelyn’s back and holding her still like she was afraid Jocelyn might pull away. Jocelyn wouldn’t have dreamed of it.
“That I love you?” Jocelyn said in a fit of courage. Dot’s eyes widened in surprise and she said nothing in return so Jocelyn filled the silence. “Or that you love me?” she added. “Both of those are true, aren’t they?”
“Yeah,” Dot whispered through a breath of relief, “they’re true.”
“Was this… a date?” Jocelyn asked, suddenly nervous and a bit embarrassed that she hadn’t seen it sooner.
Dot shook her head and responded, “At first, it was just a way to make you smile.”
“You’re the only one that seems to be able to do that,” Jocelyn admitted, a slight blush forming on her face. Dot ran a finger over her cheekbone before tucking a strand of her orange hair behind her ear and cupping her jaw with her palm.
“Will you let me do it more often, then?” Dot asked.
Jocelyn nodded but really, she understood she didn’t have a say in it anymore. Dot made her happy and she wasn’t going to hold herself back any longer.
Femslash February Prompt: Strangers
( @shadowhunterbingo fill: Blind Date)
(Read on AO3)
This isn’t the first time Lydia’s been in Magnus and Alec’s apartment to discuss official business. It’s less stuffy than having it in one of the offices, and honestly, after a full day of bureaucracy what both of them need is a place to unwind, have a drink, and actually discuss rather than debate whatever topic the two of them need to cover together. It’s a system that’s worked out rather well for the two of them so far.
The only problem is when the Lightwood-Bane household gets social calls, which seems to be a frequent occurrence for someone as popular as Magnus Bane. Lydia’s in the middle of making a very solid argument against Alec’s last point of contention when there’s a knock on the door, followed by the door immediately swinging open despite no one getting up to answer it.
The woman who stands on the other side of it is beautiful, Lydia immediately thinks, in one of those classically understated sorts of ways that many might overlook at first glance. Lydia isn’t one of those people, however, and doesn’t even realize she’s staring until the other woman hesitates in the doorway.
“Is it a bad time?” The woman asks, her eyes on Lydia who finally remembers her manners and tears her gaze away to look back to Alec.
“No, no, Magnus will be here any minute, he’s just running late. Come on in, Tessa. This is Lydia Branwell. Lydia, Tessa Gray.”
The name rings a bell, and it takes her a moment to place it as the warlock Alec’s mentioned quite a few times recently who is a friend of Magnus’ and involved in the Spiral Labyrinth.
“Nice to officially meet you,” Lydia says, doing her best not to stare even more as Tessa enters the apartment and closes the door behind her.
“You too. I’ve heard a lot about you, actually,” Tessa says.
“Oh?” Lydia asks, eyebrow raised.
“All good things, I promise,” Tessa says with a light laugh.
“Tessa, why don’t you join us for a drink until Magnus gets here?” Alec suggests, already standing up to offer her a seat.
This surprises Lydia, though she supposes if Tessa is a friend then it isn’t that strange.
“I wouldn’t want to interrupt,” Tessa insists.
“You aren’t!” Lydia promises. “In fact, I’d love your opinion on…”
Magnus, as it turns out, runs very late, but Lydia doesn’t mind. She ends up getting along wonderfully with Tessa and hardly notices when Alec disappears to take a call and doesn’t come back for nearly thirty minutes.
In fact, she’s quite disheartened when Magnus does finally arrive and pull Tessa away… and while she could be imagining it, Lydia thinks she sees the same flash of disappointment in Lydia’s expression as she leaves.
---
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Alec asks Magnus once Tessa and Lydia leave for the night.
“They’re perfect for each other,” Magnus says.
“Lyds is going to hate me setting her up,” Alec points out, and not for the first time.
“You aren’t. We’re just going to cross their paths until they figure it out on their own.”
Alec knows that’s a technicality. He also knows that both of these women are smart enough to catch onto what they’re doing sooner rather than later, and both will likely spurn the idea out of spite once they do.
He supposes he can only hope their interest in one another is piqued before that.
---
It takes Tessa an embarrassingly long time to realize what Magnus and Alexander are doing, mostly because she can’t believe one of her oldest friends would even bother to try and set her up. Magnus knows she has no interest in another relationship, he knows she has not the heart for it, no matter how well she and Lydia seem to get on.
Tessa knows she has to say something now before things go too far, but she doesn’t want to lose Lydia as a friend. At this point the two of them have begun spending time together on their own, meeting over drinks or lunch, sometimes under the guise of discussing policies and laws and reference texts but increasingly often just to enjoy each other’s company. Tessa doesn’t want to lead Lydia on, but she doesn’t want to lose Lydia from her life, either.
“There’s something we need to discuss,” Tessa finally brings herself to say.
“That sounds ominous.” Lydia doesn’t say more than that, waiting to hear what it is that’s on Tessa’s mind.
“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed-”
“Alec and Magnus trying to set us up?” Lydia finishes for her, a small smirk on her face. “They’re not exactly subtle.”
“The thing is,” Tessa continues, forcing the words out before she can lose her nerve. “I’m never going to love again. I’ve had my true loves and I’ve lost them, and I know that I’ll never be able to give my heart to another in the same way again. It wouldn’t be fair to expect you - or anyone else - to love me in a way I cannot return. So if that’s all this is, I will not hold it against you if you’d like to leave.”
Tessa expects any number of reactions - anything from anger to confusion to sadness - but what she does not count on is the smile that begins to form on Lydia’s face at her confession.
“Oh, those clever boys,” Lydia says quietly, more to herself than to Tessa.
“Am I missing something?”
“I lost my own soulmate, John, several years ago,” Lydia supplies. “And feel much the same way about my ability to fall in love again.”
Tessa’s breath catches in her chest as the pieces fall into place. It isn’t that Magnus thinks he can convince her to love again, it’s that he knows Lydia will understand exactly why she can’t… and that might be enough for both of them.
“So where does that leave us?” Tessa finally asks.
“I like where we are,” Lydia admits, “and I’d like to stay and see where we’re going.”
Tessa considers this offer for several long minutes before finally nodding.
“I’d like that, too.”
It’s scary, terrifying even, to allow herself even a fraction of the emotion she’s blocked out for so long. It may not be love, but it’s something special, something unique that she hasn’t felt for anyone else, and she’s curious enough to want to see where it leads as well.
Children chase each other, bursts of magic flickering after them like fireworks in the making. The oldest, with wolfish features and pointy teeth, sends a tiger of sparkles hounding down the narrow alley and the children scatter with gleeful cries.
Aline lets them run past her and watches Helen lingering in the dark alley of the Shadow Market. The blonde looks like she doesn’t want to move away, but eventually she does, stepping inside Aline’s favorite teashop. Aline rolls her eyes at her date. For all her bravado, Helen is out of her depth here.
Femslash February Prompt: Seraph Blade
(Read on AO3)
Cecily didn’t know what to expect when she joined her brother Will among the ranks of the Nephilim.
She certainly didn’t expect Sophie.
Sophie Collins catches Cecily entirely by surprise… probably because they have so much in common. Sophie has the Sight, but she wasn’t born and raised a Shadowhunter like the others in the Institute. She knows more than Cecily, but as far as the Nephilim are concerned the two of them are almost entirely equal. In fact, Cecily has more of a claim to becoming a shadowhunter than Sophie simply because of her Herondale bloodline.
It’s absurd because Sophie is everything Cecily aspires to be in her personal life and her shadowhunter training. Sophie is everything Cecily admires in a person: she’s helpful no matter the inconvenience to herself, and most of all, she’s kind. Sophie is a good person through and through and Cecily feels herself becoming a better person the longer she spends around the other girl. When it comes to their training and studies Sophie doesn’t give up, not when it’s something she wants and not when it’s something she believes in - and what Sophie believes in is keeping her friends and loved ones safe.
Cecily doesn’t know what she did to earn a spot as one of those coveted loved ones, but she’s thankful for it.
“They’re never going to let us go out on our own are they?” Cecily complains, walking side-by-side with Sophie down a dark London alleyway. She can hear Gideon and Gabriel behind them, probably no more than two yards back judging by the sound of their close footsteps.
“Of course they are. They have to,” Sophie reassures her. “We just have to show them we’re ready.”
“You two have the lead tonight,” Gideon reminds her, clearly listening in to their hushed conversation. Yeah, definitely too close, Cecily thinks to herself.
“Just like we had the lead last patrol?” Cecily snaps back.
“I was instructed to let you take point, not to stand back and watch you die,” Gabriel says. “I may dislike your brother, but I’m not about to let you get hurt and suffer that wrath for the rest of my life.”
Cecily can feel her frustration rising, and Sophie must sense it as well because a moment later a gentle touch on the top of her hand is calming her down, a second hand on the small of her back grounding Cecily enough to silence the angry words on her lips.
“We’ll show them,” Sophie repeats, soft and steady.
The chance to do just that comes almost immediately, in the form of a shax demon skittering across their path. The demon lunges toward them and before either Gideon or Gabriel can react Cecily has her seraph blade out and meets the demon halfway. She gives no warning before she moves, a potentially reckless decision without knowing if any of the others even saw what she did.
Cecily goes high and a bit to the right while Sophie, in a move they practiced a number of times in their countless hours of training, goes low and to the left, ensuring they cover any direction the demon might go to escape. It works, with Cecily being the one to get the first hit, catching the demon with her blade just as the demon gets in a lucky swipe with its pincer. Sophie isn’t far behind, swinging back around to slice the creature down its back.
Together they make short work of the demon, and the second the danger is over Sophie is by Cecily’s side, placing an iratze over the cut on her arm.
“I didn’t even hear it,” Gabriel mumbles, clearly displeased.
“Good thing we had it covered, right Soph?” Cecily says, laughing despite the sting of pain her healing wound shoots through her arm. She turns back to face Sophie, placing a hand on Sophie’s cheek and pulling her in so that their foreheads touch. “Thanks for having my back.”
“We’re in this together, Cecy,” Sophie smiles. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”
They lean in ever so slightly, sneaking in a quick kiss, barely more than a gentle brush of lips, while the boys are distracted by examining the demon’s remains.
“As long as you’re by my side,” Cecily smiles back. “I’ll be just fine.”
Pairing: Isabelle Lightwood/Catarina Loss
Rated: Gen
Prompt: Magic/Flirting
Izzy wasn't sure what Alec had against the warlock, Catarina Loss, but if it meant being able to flirt with a beautiful woman and annoy her brother at the same, she just couldn't resist.
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Izzy had heard of Catarina Loss; she was a powerful warlock by day, a badass nurse by night, and had a multitude of talents that Izzy could only wish to possess. One of those, she quickly realized, was having just as much sass and quicker wit than Izzy could dream. Of course, that was possibly the bane of both her brother and his boyfriend’s existence. (Pardon the pun, Izzy couldn’t help herself.)
“And here I thought that Magnus had found the most beautiful Lightwood in Alexander. I didn’t realize he had a sister,” Cat began, turning toward Magnus with a hand on her hip. “Magnus, why didn’t you tell me that Alexander had a sister?”
“I’m sure I mentioned it,” Magnus said with a wave of his hand, “but that doesn’t matter right now, darling. We need your expertise to–”
“Isabelle Lightwood, Alec’s sister,” she introduced herself, holding out a hand to Cat.
“ Younger sister,” Alex grumbled. Izzy ignored him in favor of squeezing Cat’s fingers lightly in her own.
“Age is just a number, big brother. Isn’t that what you’ve always said,” Izzy said. “It’s so great to finally meet you, Ms. Loss.”
“Oh, please. Call me Cat.”
“Catarina, I really don’t think now is the time to…” Magnus tried to interrupt but Cat waved him off, her focus solely on Izzy.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Isabelle?” Cat asked instead, a bright grin on her face.
“Izzy,” she corrected, “though, I’d let you call me anything you want.”
“Iz, by the angel ,” Alec groaned, throwing up his hands as he walked toward Magnus’ desk. “We’re here to figure out why your hospital has been targeted–”
“Ah, yes, my hospital. I don’t see why I’m here instead of protecting my place of work,” Cat shot back, narrowing her eyes at Alec.
“Cat, my dear, he’s trying to help.”
“We all are,” Izzy chimed in, taking a step closer, “but I think she has a point, guys. You two know enough to figure it out here, don’t you? That way, I can accompany Cat to the hospital, make sure she’s protected, and gain any intel there that might help us out.”
“You just want an excuse to flirt with her,” Alec retorted, raising his eyebrows in an unenthused look that Izzy recognized fondly.
“And who are you to stop her, Alexander?” Cat argued. For a moment, Alec and Cat glared at each other like a challenge, neither blinking nor making any move to look away. Even when Magnus clapped his hands, they continued to stare each other down. Izzy couldn’t help but laugh as Magnus started to speak.
“Well, as fun as this has been,” Magnus began, shooting an unimpressed glance at Alec before turning to smile at Cat, “I can just feel the magical energy stirring in a not-so-productive way. Isabelle, my darling shadowhunter, while it was lovely to see you, I think it’s best if you escort Catarina back to her luxurious career at the ICU. What do you think, sweetheart?”
Alec didn’t agree, that much was clear with every turned-down feature of his face, but instead of arguing, he said, “Of course, Magnus. Ms. Loss, always a delight.” Cat shot him a smile as equally sarcastic as Alec’s words.
“Mr. Lightwood, the pleasure is all yours.”
Isabelle waved goodbye to her brother and made her way out of the front door with Catarina leading the way. Once they reached the hallway, Cat conjured a portal but before she could step through it, Isabelle grabbed her hand.
“Were you flirting with me to annoy my brother or because I piqued your interest?” Izzy asked. Cat smirked at her and raised an eyebrow in response.
Pairing: Helen Blackthorn/Aline Penhallow
Rated: Gen
Prompt: Lake Lynn & Sunrise
“This is perfect, isn’t it?” Helen asked as she sat on the grass with her back against one of the tree limbs. She stroked her fingers over the wood gently before letting her hands graze over the moss and other greenery that seemed to grow just by her mere presence.
“I can think of one thing in the world that’s perfect,” Aline whispered before pressing a gentle kiss to Helen’s temple. “I– Well, speaking of perfection, there’s– uh, there’s something I wanted to talk with you about, actually."
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Aline was nervous. It was a feeling she wasn’t quite used to, always confident in her shadowhunter abilities, her impressive work under her mother, the Consul, and even the day-to-day conviction that had her walking around with her head held high. Right then, she wanted to collapse in on herself and pretend that the picnic basket she held in her grasp didn’t contain the most important question she would ever ask.
“I like this spot!” Helen said, pointing her witchlight to a small grouping of fallen tree limbs that would act as a perfect setting for them to watch the sunrise over Lake Lynn in just a few minutes. “C’mon, Aline, we have to hurry or we’re going to miss it!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Aline laughed, hearing the worry in her tone so clearly. She just hoped that Helen was too happy spending time in nature to notice.
“This is perfect, isn’t it?” Helen asked as she sat on the grass with her back against one of the tree limbs. She stroked her fingers over the wood gently before letting her hands graze over the moss and other greenery that seemed to grow just by her mere presence.
“I can think of one thing in the world that’s perfect,” Aline whispered before pressing a gentle kiss to Helen’s temple. “I– Well, speaking of perfection, there’s– uh, there’s something I wanted to talk with you about, actually.”
“Is everything okay?” Helen asked. One of the flowers blooming at Helen’s side started to droop just enough for Aline to notice so she smiled softly as she took a seat on the patch of grass across from her girlfriend.
“There’s a reason I wanted to bring you here this morning–more than just letting you bask in the sunrise that you love so much.”
“There is?” Helen asked and suddenly, Aline wasn’t the only one visibly anxious. Weirdly enough, it calmed her to know that she wasn’t alone.
The sun had just begun to peek out from the horizon and Aline knew that if she was going to ask Helen her particularly important question, she’d have to act fast before either of them were distracted by the beauty of it.
“Helen, I– I must have rehearsed this a million times. I think Izzy and Magnus were thoroughly unimpressed by the thousandth time but they knew how important this was to me, how important you are to me.” Helen’s hands were trembling and Aline took them into hers in hopes of calming both of them down. “You speak of the perfection of nature like you aren’t part of it, you know? You sprouted from the earth just as much as these flowers have and somehow you are even more beautiful. You live life with all of the responsibility that shadowhunters have but never forget to worship the land that makes you that much more special than the rest of us.
“I watch you–which isn’t as creepy as it sounds,” Aline noted with a small chuckle which Helen returned easily. “I see the way that you care so fully about everyone and everything around you. I see the joy and happiness that you bring to others and that you let them bring to you. You allow yourself to bask in all of the things that I take for granted. Have I ever told you when I fell in love with you?”
Helen shook her head and whispered a barely audible, “No.”
“It was the day after Jonathan attacked Alicante. Everyone was devastated by loss whether it was the people they loved or their homes or even the safety net they thought was wrapped around this sacred realm. They were ready to give up in the dark of the night and each person you spoke to was told the same thing: ‘wait until the sun rises and you’ll see everything that truly matters.’ Do you remember?”
“I do,” Helen said, glancing over to where the sun was rising over the beautiful lake, just breaking through the trees surrounding them before gazing back into Aline’s eyes again.
“I’ve waited for so many sunrises and each one has told me the same thing; you are what truly matters to me. Your happiness, your love, your–everything is what makes each sunrise special. I want to wake up to each one making sure you know how important you are to me and how much I’m in love with you, Helen.”
Aline opened the picnic basket with trembling fingers, rummaging through the contents before they landed on the small box she had in her possession for the last six months–six months of sunrises and spending time with the person she was sure she wanted to wake up to every day. It was now time for that moment and when she glanced back over to Helen, all of the anxiety leading up to the day flowed off of her like water.
“I don’t need another sunrise to know that what truly matters to me, more than anything in this world, is you. Helen,” she began, taking a deep preparatory breath, “will you marry me?”
Aline barely heard the shouted ‘yes’ before Helen was launching at her, both of them falling backward onto the cushion of green grass and moss behind them. Flowers sprouted up from the dirt, an array of colors that were illuminated by the sun joining the open sky above them. As they kissed through their laughter and tears, Aline thanked the sun for being the second brightest star to shine in her life, knowing without a doubt that the first was Helen.
