A/N - Been busy with life but I’m back baby :D Hope this is everything you wanted and more <3
T/W - Adult themes, sexual assault
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“Come on Y/N! Keep up!” Your best friend Alec was stood in front of you, sweat glinting off his athletic form, a cheeky smirk on his face. You may have a slight crush on him but you weren’t gonna let him know that.
“I’m comin’, I’m comin’. We can’t all be half-angel fitness buffs.” You knew you looked a mess, sweat on Alec looked hot, sweat on you made you look like a lumpy dumpling. Alec tried unsuccessfully to hide the smile that lit up his face.
The two of you were climbing to your secret treehouse. It was just outside of the city. It wasn’t really a treehouse, just a giant tree with a hole in it. Together, you had decked the hole out with blankets and pillows. Whenever things got too hectic at the Institute the two of you would escape to your hideout.
Everyone had told you how Alec normally never mixed with mundanes but when you’d met him a year ago, after meeting him through Simon, he had been enamoured with your, what he called “sparky-ness”. He found Clary’s attitude grating but on you, he found it adorable.
When you finally reached your little safe space, you stopped to catch your breath before laying out the picnic you’d packed at home. The two of you spent the next few hours just talking and laughing about anything and everything.
The conversation turned to the topic of dating when an attractive runner gave Alec a suggestive up-down look. You joked about Alec ignoring them, suggesting that maybe he knew he didn’t have enough game.
“I have more than enough game Sparky! You’re the one who hasn’t been on a single date since we met!”
You knew that it was true but you weren’t about to tell him that it was because he’d had your heart the moment you laid eyes on him.
“Yeah, well Simon set me up with one of the guys from Magnus’ apartment block, I’m going out with him tonight once we get back!”
You hadn’t meant to tell Alec unless things got serious but at that moment you wanted to make him jealous.
“We better not stick around here then, pack up and I’ll take you back so you can get ready.”
This was not the response you expected. You didn’t know what you expected but it definitely wasn’t acceptance. It almost felt like he was rushing to get you on this date. You watched as he started packing up the blanket and leftovers, your chest felt tight and your stomach dropped.
“Yeah, I guess.” You sighed as you got up and dusted yourself off.
The walk back to the Institute was awkward, you didn’t know what to do, things had never been awkward. Several times you opened your mouth to talk but nothing seemed appropriate. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Alec do the same thing. Clary was waiting outside, a glint in her eye, obviously Simon had told her about your up-coming date.
“A little birdy told me that you’re going out tonight!” She ran up and started dragging you inside. “Alec you can drop that stuff inside, I’m going to go get this goddess all dolled up.”
Alec just grunted in acknowledgement before sulking off to the kitchen. You turned to follow Clary, knowing that if you weren’t careful you’d end up tripping while she pulled you further inside. As you both entered your room, there was Isabelle, make-up brushes at the ready. You had helped both these girls get ready for dates in the past and now they were going to help you.
Despite being with two of your closest friends, you couldn’t muster any excitement as they offered different outfit choices. You saw Isabelle giving you a look, you’d never told her or Clary about your crush but you suspected they already knew.
“Alright, sit on the bed.” You did as you were told. Clary climbed on behind you and started brushing and playing with your hair. “What’s wrong? Only this morning you were grinning away about this date and now it feels like we’re dressing you for your execution.”
Silence seemed like the only option. How could you explain that you were upset over her brother? Upset over a boy who you had no romantic connection with. It sounded stupid, even in your own head. Logic and reasoning was normally your strong suit. The hurt you were feeling was not logical.
“It’s Alec isn’t it?” You couldn’t meet her intense gaze but you nodded none-the-less, there was no point trying to lie to Isabelle. “That idiot! What did he say? If he was mean to you, I swear I will beat him from here to London.”
You started to cry, prompting both girls to wrap their arms around you, both muttering about the unthinkable things they were going to do to Alec.
“No, no. It’s not that.” You managed to splutter out in between sniffs. “If anything, he was nice about it.”
Isabelle and Clary both looked very confused but didn’t say anything. Clary just continued to stroke your hair while Isabelle held your hands. You explained what had happened at the picnic, how you had wanted to make him jealous, how stupid and hurt you felt when he seemed indifferently accepting. As you talked Clary continued braiding your hair and was just tying it up by the time you’d finished rambling. Isabelle just looked thoughtful, nodding every so often to let you know that she was listening. There was a beat of silence while Isabelle decided what to say.
“Alec is my brother, but you are my friend, Y/N. I will not let the fact that he is my brother affect my advice. In all honesty, I always thought there was more than just friendship between you two, I knew you’d both figure it out eventually. Maybe it’s just taking Alec a little longer to figure it out.” There was a look in her eye you couldn’t quite place. “We’ll make him realise what he’s missing out on.”
With a sly little smile, Isabelle got to work.
An hour later and you had been pushed and pulled into a person that you barely recognised. The dress you were wearing was one of your favourites, a white skater dress with cute bell sleeves. Nothing too extreme, the dress gave a gentle angelic vibe that made it seem like you were glowing. The make-up highlighted your eyes, framing them with a thin black line. A soft pink lipstick turned your lips into a perfect little rose. Isabelle and Clary nodded in appreciation, a little self-serving but you couldn’t help but smile at your two best friends.
“If my idiot brother doesn’t take right there on the dining room table, then I will.” Isabelle threw you a cheeky little wink, which made you and Clary giggle.
This was it. You were all dressed up and now you had somewhere to go, and it was terrifying. What if Alec didn’t care? You took a deep breath and steadied yourself before walking out to the main living area.
“Good luck!” A chorus of well-wishes followed you out the door.
You knew Alec would most likely be sat with the boys so you lifted your head a little, stuck out your chest and swayed from side to side. As you entered the room, you heard the appreciative murmurs from Simon and Jace, you smiled slightly and flicked your hair, enjoying the attention.
“Whatever.” You looked over to see Alec intently staring at the TV. Simon had obviously tried to get his attention, but he wasn’t interested. Like that, your chest deflated and your face dropped. How could he not care?
“I guess I’ll see you guys later, I guess.” You gave a small wave and turned quickly to make sure they didn’t see the tears in your eyes.
It was only going for a few drinks, you didn’t have to stay for long so you tried to muster a little enthusiasm for the guy standing in front of you. He was relatively attractive, you had to admit he was exactly your type and Simon had made a good choice, but he wasn’t Alec.
A few drinks in and you felt your face flush, the guy had put his hand on your leg, he had told you his name but you hadn’t cared enough to listen. He took the lack of protest as a sign of encouragement, inching his hand higher to under your skirt. You swayed on your seat and leant towards him, hoping leaning against him would stop the spinning. It didn’t feel like you’d had too many drinks but the room was blurry and you struggled to keep yourself upright. His breath felt too warm and too close for comfort, his hand on your thigh got tighter and suddenly you didn’t feel very safe.
“I wanna go home.” It took a lot of effort but you managed to get out those few words. “Take me home please.”
You hated how quiet and weak you sounded. He stood, putting his arm around your waist to keep you steady. While you appreciated the support, it made you feel uneasy. The walk back to the institute was slow and filled with not so subtle “accidental” grabs.
The big doors soon came into focus and they’d never looked so good. The walk home had helped to clear your head slightly, your mouth still felt very dry, but that was probably just the nerves.
“This is me. Thank you for walking me home.” You stopped and turned to face your date. He took a step closer. You stepped back and were horrified to feel the iron of the door handle press into your back.
“Aren’t you going to let me inside?” His hands migrated south from your waist. You gasped when he grasped your backside.
“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.” You heard the stutter is your voice, you didn’t sound very convincing.
“You didn’t say no when I felt you up earlier. Your such a little tease.” One hand uncupped one of your cheeks and moved up to brush your hair from your face. He slowly pushed down one of your sleeves, exposing your bare shoulder.
“Please don’t.” Fear filled your voice. Your legs shook, fear mixed with alcohol was making standing a difficult task.
“I’m not asking.” His leg pushed between yours. Suddenly, the dress that made you feel so confident earlier made you feel open and exposed. One hand pushed your body into his while the other pulled your mouth forward.
You couldn’t let this happen, your first time wouldn’t be with some creep! Adrenaline filled your body. You turned your head just as his lips connected with yours, smudging your lipstick but you didn’t care. Using all the strength you had left you pushed him away, turned, opened the door and snuck inside before he could realise what had happened.
You leant against the door, your head was still spinning but the cool wood helped. You kept your eyes closed while you caught your breath. You were glad it was late and everyone was in bed, this was humiliating.
“He was that good was he?” You spun round to see Simon with a smug grin on his face.
Alec was stood behind him, a face like thunder. That face was enough to sober you up entirely. You thought about how this probably looked, face flushed, heavy breathing, clothes coming off and lipstick smudged. The thought of what you just escaped hit you and before you could stop it, tears filled your eyes and you collapsed to the floor.
Two strong arms engulfed you. You knew it was only Alec but you couldn’t help but flinch and push them away. Alec looked hurt and confused as you shuffled further away.
“What happened Y/N?” Simon was stood watching you. Alec tried to reach out to you again. You flinched when his hand touched your arm but you didn’t move it away.
You hiccuped and sobbed your way through the story. Alec’s rough yet gentle thumb gentle brushed your arm. Even though you were horrified he saw you like this, he was still your best friend and his touch made you feel better. He didn’t say anything while you talked but you could tell he wasn’t happy. The thought that your best friend was angry at you caused the waterworks to double.
“I’m so sorry Alec. I was so stupid. I wanted to make you jealous and I lead that guy on and I’m so sorry. Please don’t be angry at me!” You threw yourself into his chest, not really realising what you just said.
You turned your head to see Simon slowly edging out of the room.
“I’ll give you guys some space.”
It took a second for Simon’s words to make sense. You paled when you realised what you just said, you turned your head and buried it further into Alec’s chest, hoping that his silence meant he hadn’t heard.
“You wanted to make me jealous?” You felt the chuckle in his voice rumble through his chest.
“Don’t laugh!” His laughter hurt and made you angry. You pushed yourself away and turned your back on him.
“I’m such an idiot” He chuckled slightly.
“Hey! I am not!... Wait, what did you just say? Why are you an idiot?” You spun to confront Alec before you fully registered what he said.
“I’m an idiot because I was trying to make you jealous by being distant. I didn’t even think that it might have the opposite effect.” You stared at Alec, waiting for him to tell you he was just messing with you. Expecting him to make a horrible joke about how silly you were for liking him. But it didn’t happen.
You both stared, measuring the reactions of the other. Neither one of you wanted to be the first to break the silence. After what felt an hour you decided to take the plunge.
“So what? Does that mean you like me, like, like like me?” You felt like a child again.
Alec chuckled softly, brushing your cheek gently.
Alec pulled you towards him, encasing you with his arms and placing his chin on your head.
“Well, I’m going to put you to bed because you need it. Then tomorrow, how about we go get pancakes for breakfast.” That sounded perfect, you nodded against his chest. “This doesn’t have to be a sudden change, we can go on dates, take it nice and slow. We’re best friends and that doesn’t need to change.”
You felt so safe in his arms, you let your eyes close, enjoying the silence. Before you fully fell asleep, you heard Alec softly humming to himself while he rubbed your back.
