The Other Wayland

Bonding Over a Take-out

Joe's POV
We were close enough that our breath was mingling together. I looked her in the eye and saw the tears threatening to spill there and moved to close the gap between us and she did the same and finally our lips came together and we were kissing. My arms instantly went around her waist and I pulled her as close as she could get without her falling off the counter. She wrapped her arms around my neck bringing us closer still. I moved to deepen the kiss and she let me, soon her fingers were in my hair and my hands had long since strayed from her waist to rest on the same place under her top. Her skin was warm and smooth under my hands. She wrapped her legs around my waist and slipped off the counter. Pulling away I caught her before she managed to completely fall off and placed her back laughing.
-------
Elizabeth's POV
I lifted my legs so I could wrap them around his waist, I was completely lost in the moment, and accidentally pitched myself off the unit slipping off the smooth marble. He caught me quickly, pulling his hands out from under my shirt and hooking them under my thighs. He placed me back on the unit laughing.
"What are you laughing at huh?" I said giggling.
"Nothing. This is just kinda strange." He grinned a goofy smile at me that my heart flutter.
"Strange?" I questioned my heart leaping into my throat.
"A good strange though. The kind of strange that you crave. Don't worry. I like it." He said leaning in to kiss me again, this time it was short and sweet. After he pulled away, he leant his forehead against mine and we stayed that way for a minute just taking in the reality of what we had done. We had just made a huge step in our relationship and to be honest it was terrifying.
"I love you more than anything." He whispered placing a carefully kiss on my forehead.
"And I love you to the moon and back." I told him closing my eyes relishing in the feeling of being home and being total and undeniably safe.
---------------------------
He watched as his daughter professed her love for that boy who had turned his perfect little girl into something he didn't recognise or like. That boy had to go if he ever hoped of getting his daughter the way he remembered her back and she had to understand what loving does to you. She had clearly forgotten her lesson from that night. She needed another session to properly understand but this time he'd be sure to make sure that the boy wasn't there to mess it up.
------------
Elizabeth's POV
"Beth, we're ordering take-out if you want some!" I heard Jace yell from outside my room. I jumped up from the bed where I was sitting with Joe while we watched some British movie I didn't understand and ran out the room to order food.
"Do you even need to ask?!" I said excitedly, it had been so long since I'd had one, Margaret back at the Edinburgh institute banned them because she thought that having a good old fashioned home cooked meal would help the band of misfits and orphans that called the institute home to bond. It was the biggest load of garbage I'd ever heard in my life.
"Clearly not!" He said grinning. "What do you want?"
"Chicken chow mein and Joe'll have a curry the spicier the better."
"Cool, how's the shoulder?" He asked.
"Better, Joe popped it back in for me. Thanks for earlier." I smiled at him.
"Yeah, it was good, you've got some skills." He shrugged. "You're good, not as good as me obviously but you're still pretty good."
"Oh wow that's such a complement." I said sarcastically and rolling my eyes as hard as I could.
"A couple more years and you'll be rivaling me for the top spot." He said a smile pulling at the corner of his lips
"Now that is a complement."
"Don't let it get to your head. Can't have you getting big headed it would throw you off balance." He said grinning. "We gonna eat in the kitchen if you want to join unless that is you and Joe prefer to eat alone."
"No it would be a pleasure to eat with the rest of you." I smiled. "Alec's your parabatai and I barely know him. Izzy is basically your sister. I feel as if I should make an effort to get to know them."
"Don't worry, they'll love you just as much as I do." He smiled again and walked away. I returned to my room where Joe's eyes were glued to the screen, the movie was about some child wizard who was the chosen one or something. Joe loved it, I on the other hand could not be more confused about the whole thing if I tried.
"I really don't understand why you like this movie so much." I said getting back on the bed and folding my legs up underneath me.
"I can't believe you don't love it!" He replied with mock offense in his voice.
"Joe, I have no idea what's going on. How can I love it?" I asked him.
"Because it's great that's how. I'll explain as we go."
****
About half an hour later Jace returned with the food and I almost leaped from the bed in relief that I wouldn't have to pretend to understand this movie any longer.
"Goodness me I am starving, we should really go get the food while it's still warm." I said as I, as calmly as I could, walked to the door.
"Could you be any more subtle, love?" He asked rolling his eyes.
"You're starting to sound like me. I don't like it." I warned as he rolled off the bed pushing pause on the movie.
"Well, I for one, find your sarcasm quite endearing." He smiled.
"Whatever. I'm hungry." I said going in hunt of my chow mein which I found in the kitchen with the rest of the residents of the institute.
"There you are. I was wondering if you heard me." Jace said handing me the plate of the delightful smelling food.
"Joe was trying to explain this movie to me." I sat down in one of the chairs and started to eat the food.
"Needless to say she didn't understand it at all." Joe said coming to sit in the chair next to me.
"Hey! It has a very complex plot. It's not my fault." I said in my own defence. Everyone was watching us with these stupid grins on their faces. "So.... Anything exciting happen recently?"
"You and Clary coming had been the most exciting thing that has happened in months so no." Izzy said harshly.
"So Elizabeth tell us about yourself." Clary said smiling friendly.
"There's not much to tell. Ummm. I'm fifteen. Jace is my half brother, we have different moms, mine ran off after I was born so it was just me, Dad and Jace growing up. When Dad died he sent me to the Clave who paired me with Joe who I have pretty much spent every day with since. That's about it." I shrugged.
"What do you like to do, beside all this?" She asked and I knew she was trying to break the ice.
"I don't know. I play the violin. Joe and I are of kinda of mundane movie nerds" I realised that I had left my violin in Edinburgh.
"Oh what sort of music do you play?" Clary asked surprise.
"Classical stuff normally. I've branched off into more modern stuff recently." I shrugged.
"Cool. Simon, my best friend, is in a band." She said smiling.
"Nice. Dad used to make Jace and I play duets for him. That's about all the performing experience I've got." I smiled.
"That's not true." Joe cut in. "You played for the rest of us at the institute a lot." He reminded me. "She's really good." He said to the group and I rolled my eyes.
"You'll have to play for us some time." Alec proposed.
"I left my violin in Edinburgh." I said sadly.
"We can get it back to you." He nodded. "So, what was Jace like as a kid?"
"Just as cocky as now just smaller." I grinned. "He was a bit of a Hell raiser for our Dad. I was the good child."
"That's not true. You could be a right little diva when you wanted to be." Jace argued.
"Ohh was I?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, yes you were!" He started laughing.
The rest of dinner was the same, we laughed and giggled and got to know each other better. Clary was a sweet girl who was actually quite interesting to speak to. Izzy was sassy and strong who I related to a lot having grown up pretty much only with males. Alec was... serious. He was pretty much the complete opposite to Jace, maybe that was why they got along so well. He was kind though, once he warmed to you. He would be a great person to have in your life. Jace was pretty much the same but I saw different parts of his character coming through when he was here with his friends. I finally felt like I fit here, but the more I felt like they were accepting me, the more bitter it was to know that Joe wouldn't be part of this for much longer and that after what we had done earlier how much more painful it was going to be to say goodbye.
"Beth? Earth to Beth!" Jace cut through my thoughts.
"Huh?" I said shaking my head and focusing on the conversation again.
"Alec asked whether Magnus was any help." He said to me.
"Oh no, there's nothing he can do for me. Only the warlock who has allowed this person into my brain can stop or prevent it." I grimaced.
"Oh that's too bad." He said sympathetically.
"I thought your nickname was Liz?" Izzy asked me confused.
"Jace decided I needed a new one." I rolled my eyes. "But you can decide on one for me yourself if you want everyone calls me something else anyway."
"Like what?"
"Well as you probably heard Joe calls me Liza, Magnus calls me Eliza, Dad used to call me Ellie and Margaret called me Elsie." I listed them and felt stupid for having so many names
"I like Beth, it's cute." She decided.
"Alright well Beth it is." I smiled at her, I felt like we could become close.
"So how did you meet Magnus Bane, other than Vienna?" Alec asked suddenly. I shot a look at Joe who gave a comforting smile and squeezed my knee.
"I took it pretty hard when my Dad died. I wouldn't eat or sleep or talk to anybody so the Clave fearing that I wasn't in my right mind asked Magnus to speak to me. He's kept an eye on me ever since, dropping by for visits every now and then, sending me birthday cards that sort of thing. I hadn't seen him in over a year when he showed up in Vienna to save my life. He's kinda been my second Dad for most of my life." I looked down at my food and swirled my fork in my noodles not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.
"I didn't know." Jace said in a strangled voice.
"You didn't know what?" I asked him looking up at him.
"That you struggled so much. I used to ask after you all the time. Nobody would tell me anything."
"It's okay Jace. They wouldn't tell me about you either." I smiled reassuringly at him.
"I should have tried harder." He pushed.
"You were ten!" I pointed out. He nodded but still looked sorry for me. That conversation killed the mood and we finished eating our food in silence then we all separated off to do our own thing for the rest of the evening and I went to bed, with Joe of course, him not wanting to leave my side in case there was a repeat of last night feeling happy and content. I felt like I finally fit somewhere and it was incredible.