la collection 2

2. No Backing Down

No Backing Down

Fandom: Shadowhunters

Word count: 1687

Characters: Raphael x reader, Jace

Warnings: mentions of violence, slight injury to reader, love/hate relationship, implied smut

Summary: The reader has to keep watch over Raphael at the Dumort.

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You hated not being able to sleep.

Whatever position you shifted to, it seemed impossible to get comfy tonight. The foot you'd hurt hunting demons a few days ago kept shooting little bolts of pain right up your ankle. What hurt the most, though, was your dignity. You'd tripped over on the hunt, damaging your foot in the process.

Of course, the Lightwoods and Jace thought it was hilarious. It wasn't like you had a reputation for being clumsy, but they'd taken every opportunity to mock you for being taken out by a pavement rather than something that was actually dangerous. The jokes were actually kind of funny. Or they would have been, if you'd got more than six hours' sleep in the past three days. You'd been resorting to using a focus rune to keep your attention from wandering.

By the time light had begun to creep around your curtains, you had finally given up on getting any sleep. At least if you got up and went to breakfast, there'd be coffee.

You grimaced as soon as your foott touched the floor. You were damned if you were going to limp, though. That would only give Jace another excuse to mock you and accuse you of putting it on. Bastard.

It was hard work to dress and then get from your room to breakfast, so by the time you finally sat down at the breakfast table, you were already grumpy as hell. Jace caught your eye and smirked. You struggled not to growl at him. The only reason you managed to stop yourself was because you knew that that would encourage him even more.

"Sleep well, Y/N?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at you.

"I guess," you shrugged, making yourself sound nonchalant. You reached for the coffee pot in the middle of the table and poured yourself a mug, holding Jace's gaze the whole time. If he dared comment, then he'd find your angel blade somewhere he wasn't expecting. Somewhere painful.

"How's your foot?"

"Fine," you replied firmly.

"Good, because I've got some brilliant news for you. Raphael's here, talking to Robert."

Oh, for the Angel's sake. Having that goddamn vampire bastard skulking around the Institute was all that you needed today, especially because he was bound to know about your foot. And how you'd injured it. You could hear his smooth, mocking insults now.

But Jace was watching you closely, definitely trying to catch any reaction he could. You were not going to give him one. So you gave him a perky smile.

"That's cool. Don't you still have to work on the report Maryse asked you for, Jace? You did remember that she wanted it today?"

For a second, it was clear he had no idea what you were talking about, then he turned and bolted from the room. You sniggered triumphantly, and turned back to your food. Alec and Izzy clearly weren't awake yet. You would get to enjoy your breakfast in peace for once.

You were just lifting a slice of generously buttered toast and jam to your mouth- it was actually less than a centimetre from your lips- when someone spoke behind you.

"Surely you haven't irritated them all so much they left you to eat by yourself, Y/N?"

Smooth, controlled, with that ridiculous accent. So Jace had been right.