I have this fic idea for Kit and Ty, but it’s been a while since I’ve read TDA and I don’t think I could do these characters’ personalities justice if I write about them before a re-read. So, if you want to, feel free to write a fic based on this.
Kit and Ty haven’t seen each other since the end of TDA and now it’s 3 years later (both 18) and there’s an emergency either in LA or London - demon invasion (too much like TID, maybe something else demon-related). So Tessa & Jem / Helen & Aline request the help of other Shadowhunters to come fight alongside them. Ty is back from the Scholomance, so he’s in the LA Institute and Kit just finished high school, but he still kept on training as a Shadowhunter. Either Kit or Ty portals together with family to the place where the emergency happens.
At first, Kit and Ty don’t see each other because of the chaos of the battle. However, when Kit kills a demon and rolls around a corner to catch his breath for a second, he notices Ty fighting alone against 4-5 demons (maybe 3-4 is more realistic). Anyway, the number of demons needs to be high enough and the demons have to be dangerous enough so that Ty is basically in mortal danger. Kit has no choice but to go and help Ty get rid of those demons. Kit jumps into battle, and Kit and Ty end up fighting back to back. Ty is so caught up in staying alive that he does not realize at first who came in to offer aid. After they manage to kill the demons, Ty turns around to thank whoever swooped in and freezes when he notices that it’s a grown-up Kit.
From here, free reign, I didn’t think much further than that. When I’ll settle down to write it, I’m pretty sure I’ll come up with a weird, but sweet interaction between these two. But to keep the interaction real, I need, as I initially said, to re-read TDA.
He remembered Orpheus, who made a deal with Hades to get Eurydice back, as long as he doesn’t look back until he is in the mortal world. Orpheus, who grew impatient and turned to look back at Eurydice, sending her back to the Underworld. He never understood the man’s impatience until now.
(A retelling of the story of Andrew Blackthorn and Lady Nerissa in Julian Blackthorn and Emma Carstairs.)
Note: Hi! The comparison between Andrew & Nerissa's love story to Blackstairs has been on my mind for a while now, so I decided to put it into words. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
He met her when he was seventeen. A soldier, born to defend the world from the wrath of demons and other creatures rogue. He, along with his fellow Academy students and a teacher, were tasked to go and retrieve a Nephilim child taken into the lands of the fey.
The Fair Folk were a mysterious race, which was why the Clave despised anything that had to do with them and their place. These creatures are part angel and demon, hence their heavenly looks and mischievous schemes. The lands were rich with mountains, seas, plants and animals —a literal fairytale, if there was one. However, don’t be fooled by their beauty, for according to the Clave, “They will paint a beautiful picture of what awaits you there, but its beauty is false and hollow.” Find yourself drawn, and your demise is guaranteed, though its time is not.
The Courts, Seelie and Unseelie, were places out of time. Upon entering the land of the Fey, a day in would mean thirty days for the real world, or thirty months, or thirty years, or thirty lifetimes. One will never know, until he escapes Faerie, which is impossible, and realizes what he’s lost.
For years, this has been the image of the Fair Folk to those not of its realm. Now, entering the throne room of the Seelie Court, Julian Blackthorn repeated the same beliefs on his head. The path toward the room was covered in resin, preserving numerous flowers and butterflies in its walls. The double doors were a set of intricately woven vines overlapping each other. The Seelie guards threw them open, ushering the Shadowhunters in. Sitting on the throne was the Seelie Queen in all her glory. Julian averted his eyes to the Queen’s right, and his breath was taken away. All thoughts on his mind went blank.
Standing beside the Queen was a Faerie gentry, he knew that much. She stands and exudes power the way a gentry does. Brown eyes met Julian’s blue-green ones. Such beautiful eyes, he thought. The fairy woman was clothed in silver flowers, the petals hugging her figure and trailing from her chest to her hips, flowing from there to a long trail. Such a beautiful dress, he thought. But what got his attention was her hair, a mass of golden locks that ended up to her waist. He itched to touch it. Such beautiful hair, he thought.
He remembered Orpheus, who made a deal with Hades to get Eurydice back, as long as he doesn’t look back until he is in the mortal world. Orpheus, who grew impatient and turned to look back at Eurydice, sending her back to the Underworld. He never understood the man’s impatience until now.
He heard the Queen talking, but it was incoherent in his ears, as he strides towards the same brown eyes that were regarding him with confusion and astonishment.
Julian Blackthorn kneels and bows his head. “I pledge myself to you, oh fair lady.”
He learns her name easily after, when the Fair Folk and his fellow Shadowhunters in the room were in a frenzy. His classmates asked what he was doing. Was he poisoned? Was he tricked? Was he threatened? The Fey warriors rushed to block him from the gentry. The Queen was shouting at him. Is this some kind of trick? What is he trying to do to Lady Delia?
Delia, Julian pronounces, trying the name from his tongue. Lady Delia looks at him for a long moment, before telling the guards to stop. Everyone freezes, even the Queen. The warriors warily moved out of the way as Delia sauntered to him.
He stands up, and sees that he is taller by a few inches, but that doesn’t diminish the thrumming of his heart. He did not know what he was nervous about, of his sudden pledge to the Lady or her possible choice of shunning him. Delia looks at him thoughtfully up and down, before meeting his eyes once again. She seems to be searching for something there, and found it, because what she did next made no sense and made him fall for her more.
She smiled, not the grin Faeries often do that results in trickery, but a genuine one. Julian feels his heart sigh.
She turns to his fellow Shadowhunters, before turning to the Queen and bowing her head politely. “I believe that since he pledged himself to me, I shall pledge myself to him as well.”
One day, the Shadowhunters said. Julian Blackthorn will only remain in the land under the hill for one day. After that, he shall be brought back to the mundane world, and continue his duty as Nephilim. They did not know what they agreed to, for time works different in Faerie.
On his first day, Julian was introduced to Lady Delia. She learns that she’s a daughter of a water nymph, and indeed a princess of the Seelie Court. Delia showed her powers to him using the element of water. He tried to do it himself several times too. It led to them both soaked by the end of the day. The night ended on their first kiss and his first chance to touch her fair hair. You are not hard to like, Julian Blackthorn, she said with a shy smile.
In the first week, Delia taught him the culture of the fey, bringing him in revels and parties. He enjoyed these celebrations, and they danced their hearts out every time. During these times, Julian was not left out by the folk, as he usually felt. It did not matter anyway, for Delia’s company was everything he needed. The week ended with their first night together, her golden hair in tangles. She was at her most beautiful to him that time, so raw and vulnerable. I love you, Delia, I am yours, he whispered in between pants and gasps.
In the first month, the princess brought him to his first Faerie meeting. The Queen, though reluctant with his presence, did not say anything, as well as the other Faeries. He offered solutions and actions, his Shadowhunter skills exuded. This made him some friends but still more enemies. It did not matter, though, for Delia was proud. He has fully earned her trust. The month ended with Delia whispering amongst her moans, her hair like waterfalls gripped by her lover, I love you, Julian Blackthorn, I love you more than starlight.
In the first year, Julian and Delia left the Court for a while and decided to reside in a cottage by the seas. They enjoyed their endless private hours and taught each other a lot. Delia taught him how to swim, what fruits can be eaten, how to catch pixies, and how to read the stars. Julian taught him of the classics and myths, told her stories of his youth, told her of his brothers and sisters, who he dearly missed. It did not matter though, for he was happy with her. After a few months, Delia thought it was time to share something of herself with him. Her real name. Emma, she said, it means universe. Julian tried it off his lips, brushing it against her hair and ears, Emma, he uttered, my universe.
In the second year, they got married. It surprised the whole Court, for marriage was a heavy commitment that many do not wish to even dwell on, even more so with a Shadowhunter. Many have asked the princess if she was certain, and Emma did not think twice before saying that she is countless times. I am not deluded, she says with steel in her expression. Despite the feys’ reluctance, the wedding was held, and a celebration took place all over the Seelie Court. Some congratulated them, while others continued throwing Julian looks of hate, for his Nephilim blood and their jealousy of not getting the princess’ favor. He did not care, for it was the happiest day of his life, and no one can ruin that for him. Julian and Emma never got to finish the party, opting to retreat back to their cottage by the sea. They made love countless times, pronouncing words of adoration and love. Emma Blackthorn, my wife, he says, tucking her golden locks behind her pointed ears.
In the third year, they tried to conceive a child, to no avail. It was hard for Faerie women to reproduce, and to carry a child with Shadowhunter blood was harder. This led to a lot of tears and sadness for Emma, but Julian stood by her. He was fine with having no children, for Emma was enough. But they did not give hope, for having a child would be the manifestation of their love for each other. Julian soothed her with comforting words and visions of the future. One day, we would have little ones with my blue-green eyes and your hair like sunlight, he says.
In the fourth year, Emma bore a child. They received the news with cries of happiness, from Emma most of all. She thought she was barren, but thankfully she was not. The gender they were yet to find out, but Julian was already excited to become a father. He started telling her of what he would teach their son or daughter. I would tell him stories of gods and heroes, and teach him how to hold a crossbow, he told his wife in delight. Emma’s smile faltered a bit.
In the next two months, Julian treated Emma the best way a husband can treat his pregnant wife. Human pregnancy is not far from faerie ones, as it seems. There were times when she cannot stand up herself, so he carries her around the cottage or the Court, wherever they are. There were times when she empties out her stomach, and he is there to rub her back and keep her hair away from her face. There were times when they would wait for the child to kick Emma’s still small stomach, and he would exclaim in delight, uttering promises to the kid and kissing his wife’s belly. Once you’re out there, I’ll teach you a proper kick, so that you’ll be able to fight demons soon, he states. Emma swallows the lump in her throat.
In the third month, Emma watches Julian sleep peacefully beside her. He’s laid on his stomach, exposing his bare back and the countless dark and faded runes that cascade his skin. He is a Shadowhunter. She touches his brown locks, causing him to stir but not waking him. She notices the growing small stubble on his jaw, and remembers the other truth she kept neglecting for so long. He is mortal. She looks at her small bump, and feels tears burning her eyes. One day they would leave me, she thought.
On the same day, she asks him if he ever wants to go back to the mundane world. Julian freezes from his cooking, and turns to look at Emma. She was expressionless, and he knows that whatever his answer would be, she will not judge him. He carefully approaches her and holds her hand. I love the life that I have here, with you. Nothing will ever change that, he says. Emma hugs him and cries, but not out of relief. One day they would have to leave me, she thought.
On the same night, they made love again and again and again until they were both exhausted. Emma kept declaring her love, in word and in deed, surprising Julian, making him both happy and confused at the same time. You don’t need to exhaust yourself, my love. We have the rest of our lives for this, he says. Instead of stopping, Emma continued until dawn. I’m in love with you, Julian Blackthorn, were the words repeated over and over again.
Emma did not sleep after that. She couldn’t sleep, and she has no time to do so. With one last kiss to his lips, she entered his mind. She saw the past years on his head, never-ending ending images and memories of her and the life they’ve spent together. Emma couldn’t help but cry. They were all lovely, and she loved him more for what she’s seeing now. And because she loves him so, it explains her next actions. Emma took all of these memories from his mind, and twisted them to false ones. In the new memories she crafted, Julian was held captive by her, and doomed to be hers for eternity against his will. He forgets her real name, forgets that they will have a child, forgets that he loves her. She planted a plan of escape on his mind, which will be successful, because it was orchestrated by her. With the worst of her sobs over and all good memories of her gone, she wakes him.
Those blue-green orbs of his that were filled with love hours before met hers with hate. Emma felt her heart break into a thousand pieces, but she wore the mask that Faeries put on. Julian quickly stands and dresses himself, before finding a dagger on the bedside table. He grabs it and viciously points it to Emma, or Lady Delia, in his memories. He shouts and slashes, asking what she had done to him, and she weakly dodges his attacks, before letting him plant the dagger on her throat. I detest your kind, and most of all you, he declares with scorn and pure hatred, before fleeing Emma’s room, escaping.
Emma feels the weight of the dagger on her throat, but bears it no mind. Her heart was in more pain, and she was crying because of it. She slowly takes the dagger out and shakily heals herself. The dagger was intentional, and she knows that he will hurt her with it. I should have let him kill me, instead of bearing this sadness for the rest of my days, she thought as she lays on the floor and weeps.
The Clave spread the news of Julian Blackthorn’s captivity and escape in Faerie. The story was that he was bargained to stay in exchange of the Nephilim child taken by the Folk. That the Lady Delia, a princess of the Seelie Court, grew interested and took him for herself. She made her drink enchanted potions that made him think he loves her. Some might say that they had an affair, or he was tortured to please her, or he was her plaything, anything but the truth Emma removed from Julian’s mind. Emma heard the news of what her image was to the Shadow World now. It does not matter, she says to herself, putting her hands over her grown belly.
Emma gives birth to their child. It was a girl, with her hair and Julian’s eyes. As she holds the crying baby to her chest, she remembers a sweet and painful memory. One day, we would have little ones with my blue-green eyes and your hair like sunlight. She tears up and kisses her daughter’s forehead. The manifestation of our love, Salacia, she whispers.
Emma gave birth to another child, who she bore just a few months after giving birth to her daughter. This time it was a boy with chocolate hair, and when it opened its eyes, another set of ocean orbs looked back at her. She fell in love once again, the pain still fresh as if it was just yesterday. You’ll be as handsome as your father one day, These, she whispers.
She hears from a source that he is already married, and currently resides in the Los Angeles Institute. She smiles weakly at the thought that he chose a home by the sea. Some memories may be too strong to kill. Despite her better judgement, she decides to see the place herself one day. She hides by the rocks where the waves hit. It was morning, and the Institute was a silent building towering the quiet shore. She hears the front door open and hides herself, her eyes peeking over the rocks. She gasps.
There he was, older and more built, but instead of a rougher exterior, he exudes a softer aura. Emma did not have to think why, because the reason came right out of the door after him. Behind Julian came a woman, a small dark haired one with a kind face. She was holding a baby in her arms.
Emma feels tears falling from her eyes, though unsure if it was of happiness or sadness. The couple walked by the shore and took turns holding the child. Their child. In those moments, Emma saw what he could have been for their children, if only she let him stay. Emma shook her head. No. Making him stay in the land under the hill would be selfish of me, she thought. However, she could not help but think of how unfair she had been to her children for not being with their father. With one last look, she made another heavy choice and left.
Julian heard the bell of the Sanctuary ring. He stops from cooking breakfast and tries to look for his wife, Mia Trueblood, a Shadowhunter born and bred from the Los Angeles Institute. Seeing as she may still be asleep and no one else was around, he turned off the stove and hurried to the Sanctuary.
Walking inside, he saw no one, only a pair of large baskets by the outside doors. He peeked at both and froze. Inside each was a baby, both with pointed ears and the familiar Blackthorn blue eyes. One was a girl with golden-hair and one was a boy with familiar brown hair. There was no message or anything else with them, but Julian already knew what they were doing here.
He dashed to the Sanctuary entrance doors and opened them, seeing a blonde figure hurriedly walking towards the sea. He shouts her name, the one he knows of.
She freezes and turns her head. She swallows her emotions. I love you, she wants to say. Take care of them from now on, she utters instead, before being swallowed by the waves.
Julian stood stunned by the Institute, before going back to the kids. He watches them both for a while, in awe of how they both resemble him and Lady Delia. He felt a surge of love for them both. Despite the hatred on his mind, his heart was telling him to do as she says. Ultimately, Julian takes both children out of the baskets and carries them to his room. Mia was already awake, and was confused by the presence of the babies. My children, he answers. I love you more than starlight, he thought, but the voice in his mind was not his.
This is my first time writing Kierarktina, hope you enjoy it! Missing them more than never. The story is located at the LA Institue.
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Kieran feels like he can finally breath when he sees Cristina and Mark waiting for him in the Sanctuary’s doors. All the stress he had been feeling ever since he left the kingdom goes away when they run to him. They quickly become a mess of hugs and kisses, so many Kieran loses count.
— You’re here. You’re really here. — Mark whispers, his forehead touching Kieran’s.
— Just like I told you. — Kieran answers, Cristina’s hand resting in his heart.
The truth is that nothing would stop him from coming there, even if only for a few stolen hours while Winter took care of everything in the Unseelie Court. Helen and Aline were out for some well-deserved time off, leaving Mark and Cristina responsible for taking care of Dru and Tavvy for the weekend, with Julian, Emma and Ty away. It was a rare opportunity for them to be together without nothing else worrying them, just like in their cottage.
— Come on, let’s get inside, Dru and Tavvy are waiting for you. — Cristina says, offering her hand to guide him inside. He takes it.
They don’t let go of each other while entering the Institute, Cristina gladly leading the way to the kitchen, where she said the kids would be.
— Hey, guess who is finally here! — She announces once they enter the room, Dru and Tavvy sat down at the table, sharing a chocolate bar. Tavvy drops the candy immediately. Kieran laughs when Tavvy runs to entangle himself around his legs.
— Hello, Tavvy. — He kisses his head and the boy laughs, running back to Dru shortly after.
— Kier is back! — Tavvy says. Mark smiles down at his little brother and Cristina buries her face in Kieran’s shoulder, barely handling how much she had missed Kieran and his smile.
— Yeah, he finally is. — Mark adds.
— Hey, Kier. Seems like you have a fan. — Dru jokes. — Nice to see you, those two were going crazy waiting for you. They made us clean everywhere.
— Dru! Don’t be a snitch! — Mark called out, his checks growing red. Cristina barely suppressed a laugh.
— Well, we just wanted to make you feel welcome. — She defended herself.
— I really appreciate that. — Kieran said, his heart content. He had one arm resting against Cristina’s shoulder. He reached out for Mark’s hand and he held on tight.
— Okay, I already got it, we’re being the fourth wheel here! We will go watch some TV, since Julian is not here to regulate it.
— I’m here to do that. — Mark said, trying to be though, but his eyes didn’t leave Kieran’s for one second.
— None of us believes that, Mark. — Dru answered, taking Tavvy by the hand and disappearing through the door.
— Well, she is right about that. — Cristina says, grinning.
— Nobody believes me in here, thank the Angel you’re back to defend my honor, Kier. — He is still smiling, but Kieran just looks at him in confusion.
— What honor? I don’t think you have had that ever since you were sixteen...
Cristina laughs so much she needs to reach for the wall in order not to fall down. Mark just rolls his eyes, which confuses Kieran even further.
— Oh, Kier, I missed you so much. — Cristina finally says and Kieran forgets all about mortal’s strange wording to focus on her.
— I missed you too. I know I can only be here for some hours, but I’m glad I could come.
— Me too. — Mark agrees, his arm circling Kieran’s waist. Cristina recomposes herself at the same time Kieran reaches for her, pulling Cristina to them.
— It is good you’re home. — Cristina says, her voice cracking. Kieran never thought he would actually hear those words coming out of her mouth, but he is not surprised by how genuine they are. He finally is home, the two people he loves the most in the world in his arms, his heart more whole than it has ever been.
Home is the only word that could possibly fit what he is feeling right now.
Kieran bends down and kiss her lips, but the sound of her phone ringing startles them a second after.
— By the angel. — She says over her breath, taking a step back. She looks at the phone and her eyebrows raise. — Oh, it’s my mom. I’ll be just back. — She says, laying a quick kiss in Kieran’s cheek before picking up the call.
— Hola, mamá. Si, todo bien. Yo también te extraño. — Cristina says, walking out to talk with her mom. Mark holds on to Kieran a bit longer and smiles down at him.
— Can’t believe I really have you right here. — Mark whispers. — Life is good.
— It can be. — Kieran answers and Mark kisses him, calmly, like they have all the time in the world.
— Come on, let’s find something to do until she gets back. — Mark offers when they break apart.
Then, Kieran and Mark occupy themselves with setting the table and picking up some ingredients to what they decided would be a chocolate cake. Cristina would probably regret leaving them alone, but it was too late for that now. She comes back after a few minutes, a worried look on her face. Kieran and Mark stare at her in confusion.
— Is everything okay with your mom, Tina? — Mark asks.
— Yes- I mean, I think so. Well, the thing is... She’s coming here. — Cristina finally manages to say. Kieran’s hair changes into a deep red color as soon as the words come out of her mouth.
— Oh. — Mark says.
— Oh. — Kieran repeats, not knowing what else to do. Mark had met Carmen once since they started dating, it was brief, but it was still more experience than Kieran had in that field. If he didn’t know what to do, then Kieran was damned.
— Boys, “oh” is not really helping right now. — Cristina falls down at a chair and puts her head in her hands.
— Sorry, it is just unexpected. — Kieran justifies.
— She said she came to New York to surprise me and Jace told her I was here. So, Magnus offered to make a portal for her and, basically, she is on her way.
— On her way? — Mark stuttered, staring at the kitchen door as if he is expecting Carmen to pop up at any given moment.
— I guess it is a good thing you guys cleaned everything up. — Kieran offers, hoping it helps.
By the sound Cristina makes, it doesn’t.
— Hey, it is going to be okay. — Kieran sits down by her side, trying to calm her down.
— Yes, it is. Look, why don’t we go wait for her outside? To welcome her. — Mark suggests. That makes Cristina looks up.
— I’ll go. You can wait here. It is better this way. — With that, she leaves the kitchen.
Kieran wishes he could say something that would free Mark from his worries, but he doesn’t think he can do it. So, they just wait in silence until Cristina returns to the kitchen, her mom following after her.
Carmen was a short woman with black hair and a firm posture that looked so much like Cristina that made Kieran a bit uncomfortable looking at her for too long. She seemed tense and so serious that being a king didn’t do much to dissipate Kieran’s nervousness when Cristina shyly introduced him to her.
— Nice to meet you properly, King Kieran. — She says, her face so neutral Kieran wonders if she is putting an effort into looking calm.
— Just Kieran is fine. It is really nice to meet you too. — He shakes the hand she offers and hopes for the best. Mark is nervously fidgeting beside him and Kieran wishes to reach for his hand to calm him down, but he doesn’t feel really comfortable doing that in front of Cristina’s mom.
— Mark, good to see you too. — The boy nods with a small smile that Kieran knows he is faking. He was about to answer when Tavvy stormed into the kitchen with Dru right behind him.
— Octavian Blackthorn, get your ass back here! It is my turn to watch TV! Give the damn remote back! — She screams after him, furious. Cristina puts a hand on the kitchen counter, a look of distress on her face. Tavvy doesn’t seem to care about Dru’s request and just hides behind Mark, hoping his brother takes his side. Only then, Dru notices Carmen is standing right there and a shade of red covers her cheeks.
— Hello, Mrs. Rosales. Sorry for bursting in. — Dru apologizes, embarassed.
— Hello, Dru. — Carmen says, a small smile on her lips. Kieran assumes that is a good sign.
— I should solve this. Excuse me. — Mark half drags Tavvy away, Dru close behind him. Kieran watches him, envious that his boyfriend got to flee the scene while he stayed behind. Still, it is not like he could leave Cristina alone, it was clear by the panic on her face that she needed him around. He smiles lightly at her and a bit of the color seems to come back to her face.
— Why don’t you sit down, mama? I was going to make some coffe for us, do you want some? — Cristina offered and Kieran never thought he would be so relieved to hear about coffe in all his life as he did when Carmen nodded, accepting her daughter’s offer.
Kieran and Carmen sat down at the Institute’s table, that seemed especially huge today because of the absence of the Blackthorns, the two of them in complete silence. Kieran had once watched a movie with Dru where the father-in-law questioned his daughter’s boyfriend about his intentions. It seemed unlikely that Carmen would do the same, but Kieran was still a bit terrified of her. Turns out being king doesn’t solve the nerve-wracking experience of facing your super awesome girlfriend’s mother when you are totally sure you do not deserve her daughter.
Still, Cristina had chosen him. She loved him just as much as he loved her and they loved Mark. Against all odds, Kieran was happier than he had ever been. Surprising himself, hiding beneath all his fear was his unshakable faith that the three of them belonged together. Not even Carmen Rosales herself could tear that apart, as scary as she could be.
— So... How has the Unseelie Court been treating you? — Carmen asked while Cristina put down the coffe mug in front of her and went to sit by Kieran’s side, the three other mugs barely fitting her hands.
The answer was obvious: once he was the king, he had been treated extraordinarily well. But Cristina had explained to him that sometimes mortal people asked obvious questions just to sparkle conversations. That and the forced smile on Cristina’s face while she stared at him pushed Kieran to answer the question with all the grace he could gather.
— It has been incredibly difficult to be their king, but I believe I’m the leader my people need. I hope I can be half as good to them as they are to me. — Kieran assumed he had done well because Cristina’s smile became more honest and she pressed her hand against his, resting both of them in his tight.
— I’m sure they are in good hands. — It is all she says, but it sounds honest, so Kieran takes it as a win.
— It is what I hope.
— And you, Cristina? Everything okay in New York? — Cristina straightened herself in the chair and went on a tangent about her work, excitedly telling details about the alliance she had been dedicating so much time to. Kieran had heard all about it already, but he found himself paying attention to every word Cristina said, his heart warm by how happy she was while talking about her job. He couldn’t be prouder of her.
Mark makes it back to the kitchen, still looking stressed. He sits down next to Carmen, Kieran supposes because it would be weird to have the three of them facing her as if they were being questioned by Cristina’s mom. He picks up the coffe mug, taking a sip, seeming glad he could focus on something else other than the unexpected family meeting they had being pulled into.
— Mark! I was just telling my mom about New York. — Despite his uneasiness, Mark grins at Cristina, the soft, honest expression that Kieran fell in love with taking over his face.
— Cristina is doing some wonderful work there. Alec himself said he is impressed with her. — Mark says, putting a smile on Carmen’s face.
— I never doubted you would achieve great things, Cristina. Estoy muy orgullosa de ti. — She says the last words looking right at her daughter. Mark's eyes darted to Kieran, the two of them knowing how important that was to Cristina.
Kieran remembered that Cristina would sometimes talk about how her mom had always pushed her to be the best version of herself, which helped building the amazing woman she was, but what also made Cristina constantly terrified of letting her down. Over time, she had learned to balance those feelings, being more dedicated to being who she wanted to be rather than who her mother expected her to be.
What Cristina never said, but Kieran still noticed, was that part of her still cared about making her mom proud. By the look of surprise in Cristina’s face, she had assumed her chances of doing so had ended when she decided to be with Mark and Kieran and moved to New York instead of going back to Mexico.
— Thank you, mom. It really means a lot to me. — Cristina answered, her brightest smile on her lips.
Kieran decided he didn’t care if Carmen Rosales hated him or not, as long as she kept Cristina happy like that, he would endure anything that came his way.
Eventually, they fell into an pleasant conversation, Carmen talking about how things were in Mexico, with Mark and Cristina occasionally mentioning New York and the new Clave. Kieran also talked about the Unseelie court and the challenges he was facing. Carmen was paying a lot of attention, her eyes following the three of them with a softer expression. She seemed more relaxed, her false calm posture long gone. Kieran was starting to think maybe he panicked for no reason at all.
Kieran should have known then that things were too good to be true. Cristina’s phone rang, making all conversation stop.
— I’m so sorry, I really need to take this. It is Lily, there must be some trouble with the Hotel. — She picks up the phone. — Hey, what- Wait, I can’t hear you. Can't you call Clary for that? Okay, fine, I'll go take a look at the Codex and get back to you. — She puts the phone down for a moment and says: — Lily needs my help with something, I’ll be back in a moment.
Her tone is clearly apologetic, but Kieran just nodded, signaling she should go. Mark looks as if he wants to follow after her with an excuse just to get rid of being alone with Carmen, but Kieran is facing him, which does make him sit very still, incapable of leaving him behind. They are doing this together.
They fall into an uncomfortable silence, the only thing keeping Kieran steady is Mark’s eyes on him. His hair stays blue through it all, Mark’s presence grounding him.
— I can tell the two of you are terrified. — Carmen finally says. Kieran doesn’t know what to answer, especially because it’s true.
— I’m not saying this is what I pictured for my daughter. It definitely isn’t. When Cristina first told me, I said all that mattered is that she was happy and I meant it. Still, part of me didn’t think it would last, but, here you are, months after that. As surprised as I am, I need to admit that I was wrong. I guess you are not going anywhere. — She doesn’t say it like that is a terrible thing, so Kieran assumes it is safe to speak.
— We definitely aren’t. I love your daughter and, for some miracle, she loves me back. I will never do anything to ruin that. — Kieran assures Carmen, that nods, not seeming surprised by how serious he sounds.
— I understand why you were confused at first, we’re still figuring everything out ourselves... But, just like Kieran, I love Cristina. I promise you we’ll keep her safe no matter what. — Mark promises.
— My daughter doesn’t really need anybody to keep her safe. — Carmen answers, a playful smile on her lips. She never looked so much like Cristina as now. — But I appreciate the sentiment. It means a lot to me.
— It is only the truth. — Kieran adds, feeling like tons of weight got off his shoulders.
— I hope we can see each other more times, it would be great to get to know the two of you better. — Carmen offers. Kieran and Mark share a look and the answer is clear.
— We would love that. — Mark says at the same time Cristina comes back. She walks towards Kieran, putting a lock of hair behind her ear.
— Did I miss much? — Cristina asks, sitting down, her hand finding the way to Kieran’s arm easily.
— I was just saying we should do this more often. I need to know better who my daughter is going to marry. — Carmen teases. Cristina blushes, her hand tightening around Kieran’s.
— Mamá! — She grunts, embarrassed. — You’re unbelievable! — She is getting even more red, but her mom refrains for saying anything else when Dru and Tavvy come barging in once again.
— We’re hungry! — Tavvy announces, making Carmen laugh.
— Tavvy! We already messed up once, say hi to Cristina’s mom this time first. — Dru tells him, holding him close. — It is really good to see you!
— It is great to see you too, Dru. — Carmen gets up and walks to them. — I love cooking, you know? Come on, I’ll teach you how to make buñuelos. — She leads them to the kitchen cabinet, Tavvy clapping his hands in excitement.
— Mark, Kieran, get ready to eat the best afternoon snack you ever had. — Cristina excitedly tells the boys.
— Can’t wait! — Mark says, getting up. He sits by Cristina’s side, a lot more relaxed than he had been just minutes ago.
— This went so much better than I thought it would go. — Cristina blurts out, shocked.
— It totally did. Your mother is pretty nice. Scary, for sure, but nice. — Kieran ponders, watching as Carmen picks up the ingredients around the kitchen with Dru and Tavvy carefully paying attention.
— And she is not wrong, you know about us... Marrying someday. — Mark whispers. — We’ll make it. I don’t know how or when, but I know we will. — Kieran knows it'll be hard and the idea still sounds insane, but Mark is so sure that he can't help but believe it as well.
— Someday. — Cristina repeats and it sounds like a promise, so Kieran says it too.
— Someday.
Then, Cristina lays her head in his shoulder and pulls Mark’s hand to rest on her lap entangled to Kieran’s. Their warmth grounds Kieran, just like it always does.
so i was supposed to read freud for class this weekend. instead, take almost 10k of blackstairs fluff since i just read the dark artifices series.
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Friendship
Characters: [Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn], Cristina R., Divya J.
Words: 9,663
“Julian didn’t want to know if Emma was or wasn’t his soulmate. He was completely fine with the friendship that they shared, even if it wasn’t as strong at school as it was outside of school. He had never looked at any girl like he looked at Emma and even the idea that she wouldn’t be his soulmate made his insides twist” / blackstairs modern soulmate au
AO3 | FFN
“Hey, Emma, isn’t that Julian Blackthorn staring in this direction?” Divya asked suddenly, glancing over Emma’s shoulder.
Emma paused, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. She placed it back on her tray and gave Divya a disbelieving look. “I highly doubt it,” she said. Divya shrugged and tipped her chin outwards. Emma rolled her eyes and finally turned around.
She almost immediately made eye contact with a boy sitting halfway across the cafeteria. His lips flicked upwards into a tiny smile before he drew his blue-green eyes away and Emma was left staring at him. He looked as he always did with beautiful, sharp features and curly dark brown hair.
She spun quickly back to face Divya and the other girl was smirking. “Told you so,” she bragged.
Emma shrugged. “I’m sure it’s nothing. He was probably looking for his siblings. Jules and I have known each other for a long time. Our parents are friends so we’re family friends.”
Divya shrugged and bit into one of her french fries. “He looks like he’s pining.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Almost the entire school has determined that we’re going to meet our soulmates in high school, and I’ll be the first to admit I don’t share that belief, but maybe Julian does.”
Before Divya could reply, a third girl plunked herself down at the table, next to Emma. She was fuming visibly and Emma quirked an eyebrow at her best friend. Cristina flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder and began winding it up into a bun to tame it. She was muttering in Spanish under her breath and Emma and Divya glanced at each other with matching apprehensive looks.
“Ay, dios mío, I hate her,” Cristina finally grumbled.
Emma turned and looked in the direction that Cristina had come from and instantly knew the source of the girl’s agitation. Zara Dearborn was clinging to the arm of Diego Rosales, smirking wickedly. Zara’s brown hair was pulled into an impossibly tight, smooth ponytail and she had on red lipstick that was far too dramatic for a casual day at school along with enormous silver hoop earrings.
Divya frowned, poking a fry angrily into her ketchup. “Tina, what did the bitch do this time?”
Cristina huffed. “Just look at her clinging to Diego. She turned eighteen two days ago and apparently she’s going to get a tattoo today so she can prove Diego and her are soulmates.”
Emma studied her friend. Cristina looked annoyed, but as pretty as she always did, with a few dark hairs escaping her bun to frame her tanned face like a princess. “I thought you were over Diego. You guys broke up last year,” Emma pointed out.
Divya’s face tightened a little at the mention of Cristina dating Diego, but Cristina just waved off the question. “Come on, Diego and were basically just friends, I just hate the idea that Zara of all people could be his soulmate. Plus, it’s not like I have any reason to still like Diego.” She held up her wrist and Emma’s eyes landed on the rose tattoo that decorated Cristina’s wrist.
Divya’s shoulders relaxed a little and Emma had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. Divya liked Diego, a lot, but couldn’t really do anything about it because he’d started dating Zara almost as soon as Cristina had broken up with him.
“It’s Zara though,” Emma pointed out, “there is no possible way someone as nice as Perfect Diego could be soulmates with someone as vile as Zara.”
Cristina shrugged and leaned across the table to steal one of Divya’s fries. “The bigger the hoops, the bigger the hoe,” she said sarcastically. “We can only hope that he dumps her soon.”
Emma laughed. She returned to eating her lunch as Divya and Cristina made easy conversation overtop of her. When she finished her lunch she fished her phone out of her pocket and opened her Instagram feed. Cristina slid an inch closer and looked over her shoulder at the phone.
The first photo that came up was a picture of a trio of tenth graders. It was a girl tucked in between two boys and the three of them were all grinning widely. The girl and the boy on her left had matching bone structures and similar smiles, marking them easily as siblings. The other boy had wild, curly blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes.
Divya leaned forwards to see what had captured the attention of her friends and she plucked the phone out of Emma’s hand. She studied the photo briefly before glancing over Emma’s shoulder. She shook her head and handed it back to Emma.
“Those Blackthorns and their jawlines, I mean what is it with them?”
Cristina laughed. “Well, most of them anyways. Livvy’s is softer, obviously, but she’s got the cheekbones.”
Emma glanced at the username of the photo: lvvyblckbrn. It clicked in her head. This was Livvy Blackburn, her twin brother Ty Blackburn, and their best friend Kit Herondale. Cristina was right in that Ty shared Julian’s cutting jawline and Livvy had the sharp, elegant cheekbones and blue-green eyes. The three of them were certainly more mature than Emma remembered them as.
She scrolled down her feed, skimming over boring landscape photos and pictures of her classmates. She was still swiping down when Cristina let out a half-screech and snatched the phone. She spun it face Divya and shoved it towards Emma’s face. Emma blinked and refocused on the photo in front of her.
It was a guy probably a year or two older than them, posing on a park bench. He was very pretty, with shockingly blonde hair and blue-green eyes. It wasn’t the attractiveness of the face though, that had caught Cristina’s attention, instead it was the curling rose tattoo that was displayed on his wrist. Emma grinned.
“Tina! That’s your tattoo!” she said excitedly. She grabbed the phone back and studied the caption, “And look at this: “My dearest wild rose, won’t you come out to play”. Wow, that’s romantic.” She took another look at the photo and laughed as she realized she knew who it was. “Also, that’s Mark Blackthorn. He’s the oldest boy and he graduated last year.”
Cristina buried her face in her hands. “Wild rose?” she muttered. “What kind of madness is that?”
Divya rolled her eyes and threw a fry at her. “It’s romantic. He’s obviously looking to meet you, so you should message him.”
Cristina glared at Divya. “No way. I’m not just going to follow him out of nowhere and say, ‘hey dude I got that rose tattoo so you should totally be in love with me’, yeah, no way.”
Divya shrugged. “Then make Emma introduce you to Julian Blackthorn and get Julian to introduce you and Mark.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “I do know Mark, too, I could just directly introduce you to him. Why do you seem so interested in Julian Blackthorn today, Div?”
“I just think he likes you, Em.”
She sighed. “No, he doesn’t, I promise. Jules and I basically grew up together. He’s a romantic anyways so I’m sure he’s waiting to meet his soulmate.”
Cristina nudged her. “Getting off the subject of how pretty all the Blackthorns are, have you given any more thought to what you’re going to get tattooed? And that question is for both of you.”
Divya grinned and pulled out her own phone. She pulled up a photo of a silhouette of a tiger. “This, or something as close to it as possible,” she explained.
Cristina nodded in approval and turned to Emma. Emma slid her phone back into her pocket and shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I have some vague ideas, but no clue how to really pursue anything.”
Divya picked up her now empty tray. “Well, you had better decide soon, because we’re going this weekend.”
Emma tensed. “What?”
“I’ve been eighteen for a week and a half, but you’re not eighteen for another three months, but Cristina and I have graciously found a place that doesn’t care about the age limit. So you and I are going this weekend and Cristina is coming for moral support.” She stepped away from the table with one last smile. “See you later.”
As Divya strode off, Emma whirled on her best friend. “My parents will kill me! I can’t get my tattoo before eighteen.”
Cristina just laughed and laid her head on Emma’s shoulders. “You could put it so many places that your parents would never see, so yes, we are doing this. No more arguing.”
He had just been looking for Ty. Or at least, that’s what he was insisting to himself even as his eyes skimmed for long, vibrant blonde hair that definitely did not belong to his little brother. His eyes rested on the back of Emma Carstairs’s head and he sighed. He never intended to look for her, and yet he always seemed to be able to find her.
A second later, Emma was turning in her seat and looked at him curiously. Julian felt his pulse quicken but he forced himself not to blush and he gave her a small smile as they made eye contact. Emma’s lips curled into a matching smile before Julian forced himself to look away, back down at the sketchbook on the table in front of him.
He picked up his graphite and was about to go back to his drawing, but he was quickly startled into dropping it by two hands that covered his eyes. His heart jumped and he tensed. There was some laughter before the hands drew away and Julian craned his neck around to see his attacker.
His little sister Livvy was standing directly behind him, grinning. Kit and Ty were flanking her, as usual, and Julian rolled his eyes. “What do you need, Liv?”
“A ride home after school?” she said, smiling brightly at him.
Julian sighed. “No can do, I have to finish a project for my portfolio.”
Livvy frowned and folded her arms. She didn’t reply though and Julian let his eyes skim over Ty and Kit. Ty had his headphones on and was studying something on his phone, not really paying attention. Kit, on the other hand, was frowning at the table of boys to Julian’s left, many of whom were looking appreciatively at his little sister. Julian sighed. He knew his sister was pretty and he was eternally grateful for Ty’s protectiveness of his twin and for Kit’s good looks. They chased off most of Livvy’s suitors, even if Kit was clearly interested in the other twin.
Livvy pursed her lips. “Did you at least invite Emma for dinner this weekend? Dad seems to be under the impression she’s coming, even if you haven’t told her yet.”
Julian turned away from his sister. “No, I haven’t talked to Emma yet, and I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Why not?” Kit asked curiously. “I’m going to be there so it’s not like she’s interrupting a family dinner.”
Julian’s shoulders tensed, as they always did when his family grilled him about Emma Carstairs. “I’m just not, okay? So let it go.”
Ty’s gaze lifted and he narrowed his eyes. “If you just get your tattoo, it would answer all of your questions.”
Julian felt his cheeks finally get hot. His brother always seemed to give the bluntest, and possibly the best, advice of any of the Blackthorns, but that didn’t mean Julian was eager to follow it. Ty viewed soulmates as a simple concept: get a tattoo when you turn 18. If your partner gets the same one, then you’re soulmates. If they don’t, you’re not, and you just move on.
Julian didn’t want to know if Emma was or wasn’t his soulmate. He was completely fine with the friendship that they shared, even if it wasn’t as strong at school as it was outside of school. He had never looked at any girl like he looked at Emma and even the idea that she wouldn’t be his soulmate made his insides twist. She was ridiculously pretty with golden blonde hair and warm brown eyes and a smile that made all of Julian’s insides melt and his fingers ache for something to draw with.
Finally, his siblings and their friend seemed to get that he wasn’t interested in talking about Emma and they shuffled away, drawing the prying eyes with them. Julian looked back down at his sketchbook. He was working on a small design: a trio of stars that looked a bit like breaking waves on the ocean if you looked at it the right way. There were a couple other small designs on the page, but the star idea had resonated with him the most.
As much as he didn’t want to get a tattoo, he did like drawing them. He had designed Jamie’s and had offered to do Mark’s and he knew that his two little sisters, Livvy and Drusilla, would both ask for him to do theirs when they were old enough.
He picked up his graphite and went back to work creating appropriate shading around the image and out of his peripheral vision he spotted someone slip into the chair across from him. He glanced up, expecting Jamie or maybe Diego, but instead it was Emma. He blinked at her, startled.
She smiled. “Hey Jules, Div ditched me and Tina had Spanish club so I thought I’d hang with you. I’m not bothering you, am I?”
“No,” Julian replied quickly. Never, his brain added silently.
“Cool,” she said. She leaned her elbows on the table and one of her braids fell over her shoulder as she leaned forward to study his book. With most people, Julian might have slammed it shut on his designs, but he never felt that way about Emma.
Her eyes brightened as she realized what he was working on. “Soulmate tattoos?” she asked eagerly.
“Yeah,” Julian admitted.
Emma flipped her braid back down over her back and held out a hand. “May I?”
He passed her the sketchbook without protesting and watched her face as she studied each design carefully. Her eyebrows creased with concentration as her eyes darted across the page. Her lips formed a tiny ‘o’ as she studied the star design.
“This one is my favourite,” she said, touching it gently, careful not to smudge the graphite.
Julian smiled. “Mine too,” he agreed.
Emma passed him the sketchbook back, but a thoughtful expression flitted across her features. “Julian,” she began slowly. “Do you think you could design me one?”
At first, confusion wiped his mind blank and Julian looked between Emma and the sketchbook in confusion. Emma was still seventeen and wouldn’t be eighteen for another three months, so she shouldn’t be getting a tattoo anytime soon.
“A tattoo?” he asked carefully.
Emma flushed a little. “Yeah,” she paused awkwardly. “I’ve just been thinking about it more and more since Cristina got hers and Div’s eighteen now too. There are places that do them before eighteen and I’ve thought about it.”
Julian’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even considered that Emma might be considering getting a mark earlier than eighteen. Probably because he was eighteen and was still in denial about the fact that he could get one if he wanted to.
“Yeah, I can draw you something right now, if you want?” he offered carefully. He was internally terrified about the idea of Emma getting a tattoo and almost hated himself for offering.
Emma smiled. “Thanks, Julian, you are the best. I’d give you some suggestions, but I honestly have no idea what I want.”
Julian studied her face for a second longer before he looked down at his page. He picked up the graphite and began a small sketch. It was almost without thought, but the image came to focus quickly. It was a small drawing of the moon, with a radiant-looking halo behind it, almost like an eclipse. He touched his fingertip to one part and smudged a little and studied it for a second.
Satisfied, he spun the book back to Emma who’s eyes landed on it immediately. She inhaled sharply before looking back at him. “Julian, this is perfect! Thank you!”
She basically jumped from her seat and stepped around the table so that she was at his side. She hugged him tightly and Julian tensed before relaxing just as Emma drew away from him. He pulled the sketchbook back to himself and gently ripped around the design so that it detached cleanly from the page and presented it to her.
She folded it carefully and tucked it into her pocket, smiling at him. She stiffened suddenly and a grin spread across her face that Julian recognized as her mischievous look.
“What?” he prompted.
“I saw Mark’s post on Instagram,” she declared as if it explained everything. Julian just raised an eyebrow and Emma’s expression deadpanned. “But, of course, you haven’t.” She laughed and pulled out her phone. After fiddling for a second, she turned it towards Julian and he studied the photo of his older brother.
“Oh, he’s showing that off publically, is he?” Julian noted as he observed the rose tattoo on Mark’s wrist. His brother had decided not to get his own tattoo, but just recently the rose had etched itself onto his wrist anyways: his soulmate had gotten a tattoo.
“Yes,” Emma agreed. “But, lucky for him, I actually know who has the matching tattoo!”
Surprise rippled through him. “Really?”
“It’s Cristina, funnily enough! She saw the photo on my phone and is mildly freaking out, but I swear I’m going to introduce them if its the last thing I do.”
Something heavy knotted itself in Julian’s stomach. “So, you’re in favour of soulmates now?” The Emma he remembered had declared that soulmates were silly and that you should just love whoever you wanted.
She shrugged. “I want my friends to be happy and I know that Mark and Tina would love each other. For myself, I’m kind of just getting the mark to see what happens.”
Julian felt a small smile tug at his lips. “Big earth-shattering revelations, and the like,” he joked.
Emma grinned. “And this is why you are the absolute dad friend: crazy artistic talent, insane compassion and leadership, and dad jokes.”
“Pretty sure you’re the one with the jokes,” he disagreed. Emma smiled again but didn’t argue.
She sat down beside him and nudged his shoulder playfully. “So, you’ve designed my tattoo, is there anything I can do in return for you?”
Come to dinner with me on Saturday, his mind blurted, but his lips stayed sealed. “Actually,” he said, “is there a chance you could drive Livvy, Ty, and possibly Kit home today? I have a project to do after school.”
Emma touched her lip and furrowed her brow as she thought for a second. “Yeah, actually, I’ll just bum Cristina with Divya and then all is good.”
Julian smiled warmly. “Great, I’ll let her know.” He pulled out his phone and sent Livvy a text. Just as he was putting it down, Emma rose from the table.
“I’ll see you later, Jules,” she said warmly. She gave him a little wave and walked off. Julian watched her go, his insides both twisted and warm.
“Emma, your friends are here!” her mom called up the stairs.
Emma jolted, dropping her phone onto her bed. She glanced at the clock on the wall and bit her lip. It was five minutes before Cristina said she would pick her up, but that wasn’t too big of a surprise. She grabbed her phone from the bed and swung herself up to her feet. She slung her purse over her shoulder on the way out of her room. She got halfway down the stairs before she realized she had forgotten the thing that she needed to bring today.
She ran back upstairs and grabbed the tiny scrap of paper that had been on her desk and shoved it into her pocket. She needed Julian’s sketch–it was by far the best of any ideas that she’d had and she certainly didn’t trust anyone to attempt to replicate his artistry. She pulled her shoes on, and with a brief glance at her mother, pulled her ponytail out so her long hair spilled over her shoulders. It would help to hide the tattoo when she came home.
She smiled one last time at her mom before ducking out the door and jogging down the drive to Cristina’s car. Cristina was driving and Divya was seated shotgun, so Emma climbed in the back, sliding into the middle seat so she was between her friends.
Divya twisted to look at her excitedly as Cristina pulled away from the curb. “So, are you ready?”
Emma shrugged. “I finally decided on a design so that’s good, at least. Not sure what else I should be feeling.”
Cristina laughed but kept her eyes on the road. “Honestly, everything will be fine. They don’t really hurt and they’re easy enough to take care of.”
“I’m getting mine on my arm,” Divya declared. “I’m eighteen so there’s no reason I can’t show it off.” Emma nodded, it made sense to her.
“And you’re going with the tiger silhouette?”
Divya grinned. “Of course. It’s my spirit animal after all.”
“And you don’t think your soulmate will mind?”
Divya shrugged. “They can deal with it. Besides, I’m kind of more in love with the idea of getting a tattoo than I am with finding my soulmate at this point.”
Emma smiled. Something nervous and heavy was twisting mildly in her stomach. She wanted this tattoo, she’d wanted it since she was seven years old and had first learned about soulmates from her mother. She’d wanted to know her soulmate since she was nine years old and she realized that Julian Blackthorn’s graceful shape and protective personality were very pretty.
She touched her pocket where Julian’s drawing was protected. Julian was almost unbearably pretty, but he was also one of her best friends and had been for a long time, even if they didn’t hang out that much at school. Julian’s friendship was too important to risk over anything and Emma knew that he was a romantic who would love his soulmate wholeheartedly. Idly, she wondered if he’d gotten a tattoo yet. He turned eighteen a month ago, but she had never thought to ask, even when she had spied him drawing tattoo designs.
Cristina pulled into a small complex. It had a kid’s toy store, a small grocery market, an optometrist, and a tiny little tattoo parlour. Cristina parked the car and turned to look at both Divya and Emma.
“So, Miranda won’t ask for proof of age, she’ll just do it, and she’ll do a great job. She’s clean and a good artist so she can tackle whatever you throw at her.”
Divya nodded. “I trust you, Tina, now let’s do this!”
Cristina led the way into the parlour which, true to her word, was clean, and presently empty. Cristina rang the little bell on the welcome desk and a woman poked her head out of a back room. She smiled at the sight of her guests and welcomed them in. The woman had a couple tattoos on her arms and one peeking out of her shirt collar, but otherwise, she looked like every normal person Emma had ever met.
“Welcome to Ink Search!” she greeted as she walked up. “Who am I helping today?”
“Myself,” Divya said, “and my friend Emma.”
“Great! Is this the first time?” Miranda asked. Emma nodded and the artist waved to a couple of chairs. “I’m sure you’re here because you’ve heard I don’t care for the age restriction, so whoever wants to go first can come over and the others can take a seat.”
Divya quickly strode over, pulling up a picture of her desired image on her phone.
“Oh, how interesting! A wild heart, you have then,” Miranda said cheerfully.
“Yup!” Divya agreed. She slipped her jean jacket off, leaving her in a simple tank top, and passed the coat to Cristina, who folded it and held it in her lap. “If possible, I want it to go right here.” She outlined a patch of skin on the underside of her bicep.
Miranda nodded. “Great, I’ll get to work then!”
Emma scrolled through her phone and made casual conversation with Cristina as Divya got her tattoo. She cast her friend a couple glances, but Divya was smiling basically the whole time. When the process was nearly finished, Cristina’s phone rang and she excused herself to take the call.
Emma pulled Julian’s sketch out of her pocket and studied it carefully. She was going to be marking this on her body as well as on her potential soulmate’s body for the rest of their lives. She wanted this.
Cristina came back into the shop, looking like she was about to die of laughter. “Well, that was Diego. After two days of Zara insisting the tattoo would show up on him, it hasn’t, but instead, he’s actively having one drawn on while lying on his bed at home! He broke up with Zara and called me because he wants to know if I know anything that’s currently getting a tattoo of a tiger! I had to hang up on him so I could laugh!”
She laughed. “Cool, at least that solves my problem.”
Cristina looked over at Emma. “And you promised to introduce me to Mark Blackthorn, so that will solve my problem as well.”
“And then it’s just little old me,” Emma drawled.
Miranda laughed. “Honey, you could not be a day over nineteen if you tried.” After another couple flourishes, she stepped away from Divya. “Alright, you’re all done! Just a few more last minute instructions and we’ll be good to go!”
Cristina and Emma both rose from their seats to take in Divya’s tattoo. It looked good: clean sharp edges and exactly the pattern that she had wanted. Emma suddenly felt much more reassured about handing over Julian’s sketch.
Once she was done helping Divya, Miranda turned to her and smiled. “So, what are you getting and where would you like it?”
Shyly, Emma handed over the slip of paper with Julian’s drawing on it. Miranda studied it and smiled.
“Your boyfriend is quite the artist. This is gorgeous,” she complimented, lifted it closer to her eyes so she could get a more detailed look.
“Boyfriend?” Emma questioned, suddenly taken aback.
Miranda glanced at her. “Or girlfriend, but this is clearly the work done by someone who cares a lot about you. And considering you’ve come to me, I’m assuming you’re not eighteen yet and you just really want to confirm that this person you’re with is going to be your soulmate.”
Emma felt heat fill her cheeks. “What if I had drawn that?”
Miranda waved a hand. “You don’t look like much of an artist yourself, no offence, and artists would usually bring an entire book and be unable to choose a design right to the last second.”
“Well, yeah okay, but Julian’s my friend, not my boyfriend. He drew that for me as a favour.”
Miranda gave her a knowing smile. “Alright, hon, whatever you say. Now, where am I putting this?”
Emma snapped the hair elastic on her wrist and pulled her hair into a bun at the top of her head. She twisted slightly and tapped just above one of the bumps of her spine. “Right here.”
“Perfect, so let’s get to work!”
Julian woke up on Sunday feeling like someone had pressed pins to the back of his neck when he was sleeping. He rubbed it awkwardly and stretched. He must have just slept on it funny. He rose from his bed and made his way downstairs.
Livvy was already mixing a big bowl of pancake mix and she grinned when he reached the kitchen. Ty was setting the table and Drusilla and Tavvy were seated in their seats, having a conversation about some book that Tavvy was holding tightly. Mark was nowhere to be seen and Julian almost expected Helen too, except for the fact that Helen had moved out to be with her wife and soulmate, Aline.
“Ready to make some pancakes, big brother?” Livvy asked brightly.
Julian smiled and took the bowl from her. “I guess if I have to. Where’s Dad?”
“Out with John, it’s Sunday,” Ty answered from across the room. Julian nodded. John Carstairs was Emma’s dad and one of his dad’s best friends. They always went for breakfast on Sunday mornings, Julian had just momentarily forgotten.
“You are Dad today,” Drusilla said cheerfully from the table.
Julian shrugged and pulled out a frying pan, turning on the stove heat to medium. He had his back to the rest of his family and didn’t think anything of it until Drusilla jumped up from the table and ran over. He glanced at her, but she waved him off so he turned back to the stove. She giggled loudly and he turned around, but she scampered back to her seat at the table without a word. Livvy looked as if she was trying and failing to smother a smile, while Ty and Tavvy were both blissfully unaware of whatever the two sisters were teasing Julian about. Julian sighed but turned back to his pancakes. It couldn’t be that important.
They got halfway through breakfast before the doorbell rang. Julian rose from the table and walked to the front door. He opened it and was surprised to see Emma standing there, smiling. She was wearing a yellow shirt with absolutely no sleeves or straps and white shorts. Her blond hair fell loosely around her shoulders and she looked so beautiful Julian nearly forgot how to breathe. He immediately felt self-conscious at his plain shorts and paint-spattered t-shirt.
His alarm faded a little when he saw that Emma wasn’t alone. Cristina Rosales was accompanying Emma, with her dark hair pulled back into to braids. Cristina was wearing a simple white dress and she looked considerably more nervous than Emma. For a moment Julian was confused; then he remembered that Emma had said that Cristina was definitely Mark’s soulmate.
“Is Mark home? I figured Sunday breakfast was as good as time as ever to catch all the Blackthorns together.”
Julian glanced over his shoulder, about to say that he hadn’t seen Mark all morning when his brother appeared at the top of the staircase, shirtless and sleep dishevelled. He turned back to Emma and Cristina with a wry smile. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” He stepped into the house, inviting both of the girls in, and stepped towards the stairs. “Mark, put a shirt on, we have guests.”
Cristina flushed at his words and Emma laughed. “He would,” she teased. Julian shrugged and invited the girls into the kitchen. Livvy and Dru were both ecstatic to see Emma and Ty smiled at her over his neatly cut pancakes. A couple of minutes later Mark joined them in the kitchen, still looking slightly rumpled and tired. He brightened a little when he saw Emma and gave Cristina an appreciative look.
“Mark,” Emma greeted, “this is my friend Cristina Rosales. I think you two should talk.” She grabbed them both by their right wrists and dragged them towards the backyard.
Livvy raised an eyebrow at Julian as the three disappeared. “What’s that about?”
Emma popped back into the kitchen and leaned on Julian with her arm like he was a wall. “They’re soulmates. Cristina got the rose tattoo, that’s how we know.”
Julian was surprised to see Emma acting so free and casual around him. Things hadn’t been this easy between them for a couple of years, but it made something in his chest swell and warm at the familiarity between them.
Livvy and Dru exchanged a secretive look that had Julian narrowing his eyes, but the girls just turned back to Emma easily and asked her some inconsequential question. With Emma sufficiently distracted, Julian studied her carefully. His fingers itched in a familiar way, but he wasn’t sure whether the desire to draw her or to touch her was stronger.
Emma had gotten used to wearing her hair down a lot more often now. Around her parents she couldn’t wear it up otherwise she would be baring her tattoo for them to see clear as day. She’d seen photos of it and its reflection in the mirror and she really liked how it had turned out. It was small and simple, but perfect for what she wanted.
She parted her hair with her brush neatly and pulled back the twin braids at the front of her hair into a braided crown. It looked nice, she thought, with a smile. She adjusted her shirt, made sure it wasn’t falling down as off the shoulder tops could. It was a shimmering metallic silver and she’d paired it with a white denim skirt and black boots. She turned to study her reflection in the mirror one last time and adjusted her hair so that her tattoo was fully covered.
She picked up her phone, forgoing her purse for the evening, and headed downstairs. Her father looked up from the couch as she came down the stairs. He smiled at her.
“Very pretty dear. Be safe tonight and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, will do, Dad. Love you!” Emma blew him a kiss and slipped out the front door. The red car of the Blackthorns was idling at the bottom of the driveway. It wasn’t exactly what she had been expecting when Cristina said she had their ride to the party organized. As she got closer Emma realized Divya was in the backseat and Cristina was riding shotgun.
She opened the door and saw that Mark was in the driver’s seat, his blonde hair appropriately mussed and Cristina was holding his hand. The two had started dating almost immediately after meeting since they were indeed soulmates and had hit it off so well. Divya grinned at Emma’s appearance.
“Looking sharp, babe,” she teased.
Emma winked. “Right back at you.”
Divya offered her a bottle of vodka and Emma pursed her lips before accepting it and taking three hearty sips. Cristina giggled.
“Always the party girl, aren’t you, Em?”
Emma blew her a kiss as the alcohol burned on the way down, warming her stomach. “You know it. And I’m assuming Tina talked you into driving, so thank you, Mark.”
Mark smiled at her in the rearview mirror. “My pleasure, now where are we going?”
“Cameron Ashdown’s,” Divya supplied. Mark nodded and pulled out onto the road.
“Are you staying to join us, Mark?” Emma asked after a moment. Divya passed her the bottle again and Emma took another few swigs before handing it up to Cristina.
He shook his head. “Nah, I promised Ty and Dru I’d watch something with them tonight.”
The alcohol was already buzzing in Emma’s system by the time they got to the party. Divya pulled Emma out of the car quickly and Cristina lagged behind briefly to kiss Mark goodbye, but joined them shortly. As soon as they were in the front door, the music hit them as did the low lights with the bright flashes of colour for effect. Divya disappeared quickly, off to find Diego, and Emma was left with Cristina.
“Let’s go find something to drink,” Cristina suggested, dragging Emma towards where they knew Cameron’s kitchen to be. Cristina grabbed two clean shot glasses and poured them each a shot of tequila, grinning.
Emma clinked their glasses together and took the shot. She shivered after as the alcohol burned going down, but Cristina was already pouring herself a second one. Emma placed her glass off to the side and picked up a cider from an open cooler instead. Cristina handled her tequila much better than Emma did and Emma didn’t even like hard liquor which was a bit unfortunate with her friends since Tina loved tequila and Divya liked vodka.
Emma was about to say something to Cristina before she felt a warm hand on her elbow. She turned and saw Cameron staring down at her, smiling. He took in her outfit appreciatively.
“Hey Emma,” he greeted. She smiled at him politely. Cameron was attractive by stereotypical standards with short red hair and a nice body and a pretty smile. “Do you want to dance?”
She nodded. She had no reason to say no and she and Cam had had a thing in the past and he wasn’t a bad guy by a long shot. Cristina downed her second shot and winked before wandering off, probably to bother Diego or Jamie Rosales. Emma took Cam’s hand and escorted him into the living room where most of the dancing was taking place.
The alcohol was already hitting her as she and Cam danced. The rest of the party was mostly a blur, with sharper memories around a couple drinking games that she handily destroyed the competition in. She and Jamie partnered up for beer pong against Diego and Divya and had beaten them so badly that Diego had escorted his girlfriend away quickly with a wink to heal her wounded pride.
Several hours later, Emma found herself dancing with Cameron again. His hands were on her hips and her arms were twisting in the air as she moved to the beat. She shut her eyes and her fogged mind briefly transported her to a different place where she was being held by a different pair of hands with long, elegant painter’s fingers. Her eyes snapped open and Cam gave her a quizzical look.
She ignored the feeling and kept dancing, but she couldn’t deny that Cam kept trying to kiss her. After one more attempt, Emma stepped way too close into his personal space and stepped up on her tiptoes to see the back of Cameron’s neck. The nape of his neck was bare and that was the last straw. Emma stepped out of Cam’s reach and wobbled. She was drunker than she thought.
Cam reached out and steadied her elbow. “I need to go home now,” she told him. Her tone was strong, but she could hear the slur behind her words. She was definitely drunker than she had intended to be.
She spun away from Cam without another word and headed for the front door. She ran smack into Jamie Rosales who let out a string of curses in Spanish as he stumbled into the wall. He raised an eyebrow at her as she was clearly on her way to the front door.
“Ay, chica, where are you going?”
Emma stumbled on a fold in the carpet and Jamie laughed, steadying her. “Home,” she answered.
Jamie looked pensive for a moment. “Weren’t you supposed to stay at Tina’s?”
Emma frowned. “Yeah, I think so. I’m not supposed to go home anyway.”
Jamie grimaced. “Yikes, well Tina left already. Mark apparently walked here and they walked back to her place already. And Divya and Diego left and I’m walking, but I’m sure you don’t want to stay at our place or here, so what are you going to do?”
Emma pulled out her phone. “Jules will pick me up. Julian is the best. He always looks after me and takes care of me. He’s going to be such a good boyfriend when he finally meets his soulmate. She’ll be so lucky,” Emma said. The words spilled out of her without thought and her cheeks flushed. She stepped past Jamie and tried to dial Julian’s number. Unfortunately, she also stepped directly onto someone’s discarded shoe and nearly tumbled straight to the ground.
Julian’s phone woke him up rudely. He groaned and rolled over, blindly reaching for it. Jamie’s picture lit up the screen in the darkness and Julian frowned. He swiped to answer the call and lifted it to his ear.
“Jamie? It’s like two thirty in the morning, what do you want?”
“Hey! Julian! Your girlfriend is drunk out of her mind and wants you to pick her up because all her friends ditched her. Come relieve me of this, my man!” Jamie’s voice filtered through the speaker. He was yelling over loud background music and Julian flinched away reflexively.
It took him a second to process all of what Jamie had said. “My girlfriend?”
“Yeah, Emma Carstairs? Hot blonde? You’ve been in love with her for forever?” Jamie prompted. Julian flushed and hoped that either Emma hadn’t been listening or she was too drunk to remember.
“Okay, okay!” he urged quickly. “I’m coming, I’ll be there in like 10 minutes. It’s at Cam Ashdown’s right?”
“Yeah, so hurry up dude otherwise I think Emma is going to take me apart!”
Julian shook his head and hung up the call. He grabbed the first shirt out of his drawer which turned out to be just a plain grey v-neck and he pulled on a pair of dark sweatpants. He quietly left his room and went downstairs. Mark had left him the keys to the car when he had walked over to pick up Cristina earlier and Julian grabbed them now, shoving a pair of sneakers onto his feet before he ducked out the door.
He drove to Cameron’s house in complete silence, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He pulled up outside the house and parked the car. He got out and immediately saw Emma and Jamie on the porch. Emma was leaning against the railing, giving a drunk lecture to a significantly less drunk Jamie who looked thoroughly amused.
Jamie spotted Julian and waved him over. “Hey, Emma, there’s Prince Charming!”
Emma turned and nearly fell down the steps of the porch as she tried to walk towards him. Julian surged forwards and caught her, his arms wrapping around her tightly.
“Jules! I knew you’d come! You always come and you’re the best!” Emma was a bubbly, happy drunk. Julian smiled softly.
“Come on, Em, let’s get you home.”
“No, not home! I’m supposed to be at Tina’s! But, she brought Mark home so I can’t go there.”
“Then we’ll go to my place,” Julian said as he helped Emma back to her feet. He glanced at Jamie who was just grinning at him slyly. Julian rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the call, Jamie.”
Julian managed to get Emma into the car without too much trouble and she didn’t say anything on the drive back to his house, just stared at him with wide brown eyes. She was clearly intoxicated, but she was Emma and still beautiful. Julian knew it wouldn’t be too weird for her to sleep over because they’d done it a lot as kids and it was certainly a lot better than leaving her at Cameron Ashdown’s house because Cameron definitely still had a thing for her, despite how he denied it.
He parked the car in the driveway and got out and walked around it to the passenger side. He opened Emma’s door and she scowled at him. Julian blinked at her.
“Emma, come on, just get out of the car.”
“Nope!” she said brightly. “You’ll have to drag me out!”
Julian sighed before he leaned in and undid her seatbelt. Then he scooped her up, one arm under her knees and the other along her back. She squealed and threw her arms around his neck to support herself and he lifted her out of the car.
“Jules, what are you doing?” she demanded.
He laughed and nudged the car door shut. “Dragging you, apparently,” he supplied.
Emma complained until they got to the house, but as soon as they went inside she fell silent as if she could tell how important it was for her not to wake up Julian’s siblings. Julian carried her up the stairs and brought her into his room. He deposited her on the floor. Emma stumbled a little but looked around his room with soft eyes.
“It’s just like it used to be,” she commented softly. “So Julian.”
He smiled a little. Now that she was standing, drunk, in his room, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do. Emma, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what to do. She removed her shoes and stripped off her shirt, depositing it on the floor and her skirt followed it quickly. Julian immediately flushed. Emma was now just standing in his room in a bra and underwear.
She turned towards him and frowned. “I don’t have anything to sleep in.”
Julian mentally stumbled for a second before his brain restarted. She was drunk so this obviously meant nothing to her. “One second,” he said. He went to his dresser and pulled out an old, faded art camp shirt and passed it to her.
He watched as she gathered her hair and threaded it through the hole in the shirt as she pulled it on. It fell to her upper thigh and something in Julian’s stomach clenched. Somehow, seeing her in his shirt was almost worse than seeing her in basically nothing.
Instead, he steeled his nerves and stepped towards her. He turned her towards his half-made bed and pushed her toward it. Emma glanced back at him.
“Where are you going to sleep?” she asked quietly.
“Couch, downstairs, or here on the floor,” he answered quickly. They had used to share beds as kids, but that was much before Julian realized how pretty Emma was and how much he really liked her.
Emma frowned at him again and fell down towards his bed. She landed on it and in the process, grabbed Julian by the arm and yanked him down with her. He fell, unprepared and landed on top of her, barely catching himself by the arms as he hovered above her. They were so close and in the darkness of his room he could just barely make out the freckles on her cheeks and the wispy eyelashes that fluttered against her cheeks.
“Stay here,” she ordered.
“Em,” Julian breathed, not trusting himself to move.
Her brow creased. “Everyone thinks you like me, but now that I’m here and I’m literally telling you I want to sleep with you, you’re not kissing me,” she complained.
Julian’s arms went rigid as he processed her words. “Em,” he whispered, “what are you saying?”
Instead of an answer, she put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him down to her lips. Julian’s brain was frying and he knew it. Emma was kissing him and she was wearing nothing but his shirt and they were lying in his bed. His body responded to her touch eagerly as he kissed her back. Her lips were warm and smooth against his and her hands quickly reached for the hem of his shirt, pushing it up so that she could appreciatively run her hands along his chest and stomach.
She tugged the shirt up again and made a whining sound that twisted Julian’s brain horribly. He pulled back from her lips and let her pull his shirt up and over his head before she flung it away. In that instant, his racing mind caught up with his body and he remembered the alcohol on Emma’s breath and the fog in her eyes. She tried to pull him back down and he resisted, rolling off of her and standing next to the bed, breathing heavily.
Emma sat up after him, looking disappointed. “Julian?” her voice was quiet and tentative. “Do you not want to?”
He exhaled slowly and turned back towards her. “More than anything,” he answered honestly. “I just,” he paused. “You’re drunk, Ems. I don’t want you to regret anything.”
“I won’t!” she argued, the familiar stubborn edge glinting in her eyes.
Julian leaned forward and cupped her face. “You might, and I’m not taking that chance. Now, you should sleep.”
Emma sighed. “Fine, but we’re sharing the bed. That’s not a big deal at all.”
Julian really didn’t see a way to argue with that statement, so as Emma slid over, he scanned for the shirt she had basically ripped off of him. It was on the other side of the bed, partway across the room, but before he could move towards it, Emma had grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t need it,” she murmured sleepily. “Come on, Jules.”
Sighing deeply, Julian lowered himself to the bed beside her. As soon as he was settled, Emma rolled towards him, tucking an arm across his chest. Her eyes slid shut and her lips curled up just the tiniest bit. Her blonde hair was strewn across her back, but Julian caught a peek of something beneath the curtain of hair.
He gently brushed away a few strands and saw his drawing inked into her skin. The moon with its radiant halo was in a small circle at the nape of her neck. He was surprised. Emma had mentioned considering a tattoo, but he didn’t think she would have actually done it before she was eighteen. He looked from it to her peaceful face as she was now fully asleep. It suited her.
Julian let his arms curl around her protectively and he shut his eyes, letting sleep take him.
Emma woke up warm, comfortable, and securely tucked against something even warmer than she was. She curled more tightly against it, letting out a contented sigh. A warm hand on her hip brushed against her gently through the shirt she was wearing.
Emma’s eyes shot open. Her head was aching, but to her surprise, she remembered everything that had transpired including trying to call Julian only for her phone to die and getting Jamie to call for her. Then Julian had picked her up and brought her home. As she recalled Drunk Emma’s activities, she flushed violently.
She had stripped in front of Julian and he’d given her an old shirt. Then he had tried to put her to bed and she’d pulled him down and kissed him. She wasn’t stupid, she remembered the warm and electric feeling she’d felt when she kissed Julian. It wasn’t like anything she’d felt before. But, he’d stopped her because she’d been drunk and he was perfect and wouldn’t take advantage of her, no matter if she’d wanted it or not.
Now, she blinked again and realized she was lying half on top of Julian and his arms were around her waist as he turned towards her. Their legs were a little intertwined, but her awakening did not seem to have woken Julian. His eyes were still shut and Emma took a moment to admire his peaceful sleeping face. He was beautiful and she was so stupid to think that she’d felt anything but love for him before. She’d crushed on other guys, but she’d never felt for them like she felt for Julian.
She looked down at her hands which were pressed against his warm, bare chest. Emma remembered pulling it up and feeling the firm lines of his stomach, but as she studied him in the dim morning light, she was able to appreciate him even more. She didn’t remember when Julian had gotten so fit, but he was painstakingly attractive and Emma praised her drunk self briefly for forcing Julian to sleep without his shirt.
She looked back up at his face and the curly dark hair that fell across his forehead. She reached up to brush it aside and some of her own hair brushed against Julian’s chest as it spilled over her shoulder. A cold realization gripped her suddenly and she slid her fingers carefully towards his neck. She just wanted to see if he had a mark because she wanted so desperately for him to have one.
As she reached for the side of his neck, Julian stirred and his blue-green eyes flickered open. He looked drowsy and temporarily content, but at seeing Emma awake and so close to him, he tensed under her touch. She carefully drew her hand back to the neutral area of his chest and smiled tentatively.
“Good morning,” she offered awkwardly.
“How’s your head?” he asked immediately.
Emma blinked. She had a headache, but it was low on her list of priorities. She hadn’t really acknowledged much past the half-naked, attractive boy she was lying with. “Hurts a bit,” she admitted.
Julian carefully drew away from her, letting her lying alone, as he moved to stand. “I’ll go get you some ibuprofen and water.”
As he turned his back to her to try and stand off the edge of the bed, something small and dark caught her eye at the base of his neck and her heart skipped.
“Julian, you have a tattoo,” she breathed.
He froze. “What?” he exclaimed, twisting to face her, clearly surprised.
Emma smiled brightly and sat up, crawling across the bed towards him. She reached up and pressed against it. It was small and circular, but it was undoubtedly a perfect match to the one that sat at the base of her neck. “Right here,” she said softly.
Julian reached and touched over her fingers, his brow knit in confusion. “I never got my tattoo,” he breathed.
Emma withdrew her hand and touched his cheek. “But I did.” She turned, drawing her hair over one shoulder to expose the matching mark on her neck.
“I saw that last night,” Julian admitted quietly. He stood up from the bed and Emma followed him with her eyes. “So what does this mean?” he asked.
“We’re soulmates. We share tattoos, that’s what it means,” Emma said.
Julian exhaled shakily and looked at her. His eyes were dark with emotion. “All this time I was so sure you felt nothing towards me. You dated Cameron, and you had a crush on Mark, and I thought you’d never fall for me.”
Emma’s stomach twisted unpleasantly. “Julian, no, I think I have always felt this way about you, I just didn’t figure it out until recently.” She stood from the bed and moved towards him. She raised a hand to touch his cheek.
He turned out of her touch and picked up a sketchbook from his desk. He turned back and curled her hands around it. “Look at it,” he urged.
She blinked, but opened it. The first was a charcoal sketch of her, smiling at what was probably a camera. She flipped through and saw more sketches of her face, her hair, her whole self and there were even a few watercolours or oil paintings tucked in between the pages but the book was undeniably her. She felt tears prick at her eyes. It was the most precious and wonderful thing she’d ever seen and Julian had spilled his heart into these pieces and they were all of her.
“This is my heart,” Julian said firmly. “Everything I feel for you is there and I am an artist. My feelings bleed onto paper and I could never show you before because I was so afraid you didn’t feel the same way about me.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. His eyes shut. “You brought colour into my world and let me paint out my heart on canvas.”
“Julian, I love you,” she breathed.
“And I love you more than I know how to express,” he replied softly.
Emma pulled away from him just enough to put the sketchbook back on the desk. There was a momentary flash of disappointment in his eyes before she threw her arms around his neck and raised her lips to his. She kissed him fiercely and without restraint and he responded to her touch immediately.
The lips moulded together like a perfect fit as Julian kissed the air from her lungs. It was as if a fire had been lit in her stomach and a hot coil was roasting her insides to mush. She pressed herself closer to him, drawing him in and Julian’s hands anchored on her waist and her back, hot through the material of the shirt he’d lent her.
Finally, Emma ran out of air and she broke away, gasping, but Julian’s arms kept her flush against him, with just a breath’s width between their lips. She slid her arms down from his neck down across his chest and his stomach. Julian shivered under her touch.
“I think Drunk Emma should have thrown away all of your shirts, not just the one,” she breathed slyly.
Julian’s laugh was breathy and his eyes were dark with wanting. “Don’t steal all my fun,” he replied.
Before Emma could process exactly what he meant he was kissing her hotly again. After a brief second his hands slid down, finding the hem of the shirt she was wearing and guiding it upwards. She gasped as he tugged it over her head and threw it away. The meaning of his sentence was made suddenly clear and Emma was about to seal their lips back together when Julian nudged her back towards the bed.
He dipped his head lower, pressing hot kisses to her jawline and down her throat and she made a squeaking noise she didn’t even know she could make as the backs of her knees bumped against the edge of the bed.
“Julian,” she gasped out. “Your siblings,” she reminded desperately.
He pulled away from her briefly, locking their eyes. “Everyone sleeps in on Saturday,” he replied.
Emma was the one who smirked this time as she wrapped her arms around his neck and fell back against the bed, her fingers just grazing the edge of the moon tattoo that bound them together as she pulled him down.
So after I read LoS I immediately attempted writing my own QoAaD fic. After four separate attempts with different beginnings, I gave up. But I want to share a few scenes I wrote with y'all anyway…
(I think that Dru is going to be near inseparable to Tavvy in QoAaD so here’s a scene I wrote that takes place after Livia’s funeral.)
NOTE: All my scenes are set in the Blackthorn Manor in Idris.
“Tavvy, do you want to play trains?” Dru asked her brother from where he lay on his bed.
“No.”
“Do you… want to throw knives?”
“No.”
Dru sighed. Octavian had been like this since the second day after Livvy’s death, when he realized his sister wasn’t coming back.
“I know, Tavs. How about I leave you alone and while you take a nap, I go to the kitchens and eat chocolate cake?”
Tavvy turned towards her and raised his eyebrows. “Chocolate cake?” He tried to school his face into a neutral expression, but Dru knew him too well. She saw his reluctant excitement.
She nodded. “Diana and Cristina picked it up the other day when they were on their way here from a Council meeting.” Because I asked them too, she didn’t add. She knew how chocolate cake could change Tavvy’s moods.
He rolled out of bed and stood. “But… Alicante chocolate cake is the best!” He cried indignantly.
She bit her lip to hide her smile. “I know! Let’s go get some!”
“Okay.” Tavvy smiled, but it quickly vanished. “I can’t. I want you to go away now.” He crawled back into his bed.
Dru’s brow furrowed in confusion. She sat next to where he lay. “Hey, what happened? I thought we were going to eat chocolate cake together! You know you’re my food buddy; without you, I’d never eat anything!” It was an embellishment of the truth. She had often shared her meals with Tavvy when they were younger, and when she was forced to babysit him when they first arrived at the London Institute, they would go into the kitchens together for food. Evelyn and Bridget would make snide comments when it was only Dru going into the kitchens, but when Tavvy was with her they only sniffed and shot her a look.
Her exaggeration didn’t phase Octavian.“I don’t think I can be your food buddy anymore,” he sniffed into his pillow. Dru saw his little shoulders shake, and she instantly knew what was wrong.
“Oh Tavvy, Livia would want you to eat your cake. I remember the first time you ate chocolate cake, you know. Julian had baked it, and we gave you the first slice. Julian, Emma, Livia, and I watched you get it all - over - your - face!” She emphasized her last words with tickles into Octavian’s sides. “We all laughed so hard, but Livvy laughed the hardest. She loved how messy you get when you eat cake.” Dru rubbed her brother’s back.
His shoulders stopped trembling. “I do not get messy when I eat cake!” His muffled voice exclaimed angrily.
“Oh, really? Maybe you should show me, because I’m not so sure.”
“Fine!” He got out of bed again. “What are you smiling at, Dru?”
“Nothing. Shall we?” She held her hand out. He took it and led her to the kitchens.
On their way out of Tavvy’s room, they bumped into Cristina.
“Hi, Cristina. I have to prove to Drusilla that I can eat chocolate cake without getting messy, so excuse us,” Tavvy said to Cristina.
She stepped to the side and he marched along, pulling Dru behind him.
“You can come with, if you want!” Dru called to Cristina. Tavvy could move fast when he wanted to, and he had left Cristina in their dust.
Not sure if Cristina was following or not, Dru focused on making sure Tavvy wouldn’t run her into a wall.
***
“All right, little one.” Cristina slid a plate of Alicante chocolate cake to Octavian. His small face was set in determination.
Drusilla sat to his left with her face resting on her hand to cover her smile. She was so happy Tavvy was out of bed!
After his first bite, Tavvy exclaimed, “see! I told you! No mess!”
Cristina and Dru laughed.
“You still have many bites to go, Octavian,” Cristina told him once they sobered.
He frowned on his third bite. “You can call me Tavvy, you know. Octavian is a lot to say,” he said through a mouthful of cake.
Cristina beamed at him.
Once Tavvy finished his piece, he insisted Dru and Cristina have some, too. Whenever Dru would put a piece to her mouth, he would say, “oh, oh, oh! Don’t get messy!” and they would all lapse into giggles again.
Hello guys! It's my first time writing for TSC universe, and I made this to cope with finishing TDA since I still can't get over it and want to explore it more. Most of the plot was still applied, but some are removed for the story. Anyways, I hope you all like it! Any suggestion is a great help! :)
Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24269344
If Emma was asked that question five years ago, she would have easily said numerous reasons.
"I want to be with Julian. I want to officially be his. I want to spend my travel year with him. I want to answer his calls. I want to reply to his messages. I want to say I’m sorry. I want to take care of the kids with him. I want us to damn our lives as long as we got to live it."
But this was a different time now. She may still want the same things, but the person she wants to be with might not want it anymore.
Prologue
2012
Emma was walking in the desert beside the Institute under the blaze of the sun. She sees herself in a white flowy dress, as it brushes her legs in each step. She also realized that she was walking barefoot. What am I doing here? She thought. Where is everyone? Julian?
Suddenly, a small light much brighter than the sun appeared, and began getting larger. Emma found herself squinting and raising her hands above her eyes. Just as the light covered the sun, it disappeared.
“Emma Carstairs.” A voice said, sending a shiver up her spine. It sounded terrifying and melodic at the same time. She slowly removed her hands from her face and opened her eyes, which widened upon realizing who, or what, bestowed upon her.
As a Shadowhunter, she has already seen numerous depictions of such creatures. After all, one of them created her race. They were found in every part of the Institute, the Silent City, and even in Idris, their country. However, there has been no reporting of appearances from them for a long time, except from Clary and Simon.
“Angel Raziel?” She asked in astonishment. The angel fit Clary’s description. The angel took the form of a man, but it bears beautiful wings and radiates the bright light that shone earlier. The angel looks like a statue made of gold. It looks beautiful, but his presence made Emma’s heart pound.
The angel shook his head. “I am Gabriel. The angel who explained to Daniel his visions.”
“The messenger.” Emma replied, remembering her studies. Gabriel did not respond, however, which made Emma uncertain if she was heard.
“I have a message from my brother, Raziel. Julian Blackthorn and yourself have survived the curse of the parabatai. You have also won the battle against your fellow Nephilim. You have been given a second chance at life. But make no mistake, for the next time you and your parabatai do this, it will lead to your death, or both of yours.”
Emma gasped.
“One cannot cheat death, but you did, among others. The angel bears no ill will for the two of you. However, what is set in stone cannot be changed. May you make the right decisions.”
“But how do we-” But the angel already left, leaving Emma alone in the desert. She feels a sudden burn on her left arm. She flips her arm over and sees her parabatai rune burning, and fade from existence.
“Emma? Emma, wake up.”
She opens her eyes, and slowly bring herself to focus. She realizes she’s at the Basilias in Idris, inside a room with a single bed. Sitting on the chair next to her bed is Jem Carstairs, her only relative left.
Jem has a relieved smile on his face. He puts a hand gently on Emma’s hair, soothing the girl. “Thank the angel you’re awake.”
Upon hearing the word, she remembers her dream and feels herself about to cry. She looks at Jem and asks, “Julian?”
“He’s in the room next to yours, and has been awake for a day now. You, on the other hand, has been asleep for three days now. He’s been waiting for you to wake up. I shall go to him now.” Jem was about to stand, but Emma grabs his arm. “Don’t.”
Jem, though puzzled, sits down. “Do you now want to see him?”
I do, God I do, she thought. However, the dream was crushing her more.
“Can you please get Cristina for me? And don’t tell anyone else that I am awake.” She replies instead. Jem still looks confused, but stands and leaves the room, closing the door gently behind him.
Emma lifts her arm up to see their shared rune, and like in the dream, her arm is bare. She gasped. The rune is gone. For so long, we’ve been waiting for this.
Emma wills herself not to cry. She thinks of everyone she loves. She thinks of Tavvy, who gave her the name “Memma” when he can’t speak her name yet. She thinks of Dru, who will soon need someone to talk to about teenage girl problems and help when she goes on dates. She thinks of Ty, who just recently lost his twin, and needs someone to understand. She thinks of Mark, who is still trying to gain himself everything he had lost. She thinks of Helen and Aline, Clary and Jace, Magnus and Alec, Isabelle and Simon. She even thinks of Kit.
She thinks of Julian, his room just beside hers. She imagines herself calling out to him, and he comes, both of them relieved that the curse is gone. They can finally be with each other truthfully. She had died, but she is now alive, and she can finally live.
Then the angel’s words come rushing back into her mind. But make no mistake, for the next time you and your parabatai do this, it will lead to your death, or both of yours.
She remembers Clary, both of them at the roof of the Los Angeles Institute, telling her of Jace’s proposal. Of how she refused, because of her constant dream of dying. Clary did want to marry Jace, but imagining herself suddenly dying was unfair to him. Fortunately, her vision was not about her, but another Clary of another dimension. Emma feels tears running down her cheeks. If only she and Julian were as blessed as Clary and Jace. For so long, we’ve been waiting for this. And it still isn’t given to us.
She hears the door creak, and Cristina walks in. Her lips were about to form a smile, but stopped short when she realized that Emma was crying. She quickly scrambles to her friend and wipes her tears. “La hermana! Why are you crying of sadness?!”
