Just Bite Me Already

Chapter 1

Alec Lightwood strode through the Institute hallways as quickly as he could, praying to the angel for the strength not to throttle Simon. When he had plucked the fire message from the air in Magnus' apartment and read that his sister was in trouble, he had waited impatiently for Catarina to arrive before she had portalled him to the Institute.

It had taken all of his political training not to burst into a fit of laughter when Catarina had inspected the Lizard and muttered a few words in Latin, only for Lorenzo Rey to burst from the tank in Magnus' living room. It had been the first genuine smile on his face since Magnus had left for Edom. A lizard had seemed apt.

And now that smile was gone because the Vampire was telling him that Izzy had been set on fire. What. The. Fuck? Alec's only thought, even through the cacophony of problems that swirled through his mind, was of getting to her.

"What did you do to her?" Alec asked Simon as he wrenched another door open, on his way to the infirmary.

"I didn't set her on fire... we were just kissing and then..." Simon trailed off when Alec raised a hand to stop him. Shit. He hadn't meant to say that, it had just kind of slipped out. And now he was about to get stabbed by very pointy swords. Or probably staked with one of Alec's badass five tipped arrows.

"You were kissing my sister?" Alec asked, practically shuddering at the thought. Like all of Simon's inane stories, he was positive that he didn't want to hear this one. Then he rolled his eyes. Because of course, he was about to hear it.

"I mean, she was kissing me too and then.." Simon let out a deep sigh of relief when he saw Izzy approaching them. Half glad that she was okay - half glad that she had come to rescue him from her brother. Her big brother. The one with the deadly aim. Who hated him.

"Easy big brother," Izzy sighed, wrapping her arms around Alec when he held his arms out to her.

"Izzy, I was so worried," Alec said. She looked to be in one piece, not even a scratch on her but he still worried. "Is everything alright?" he asked, letting her go.

"Just some temporary side effects... but I'm gonna be fine," Izzy said. Maybe she could put telling them off until later, they were all going through so much, especially Alec. That's what she told herself.

"Thank the angel You're alright," Simon said, moving in for his turn to hug Izzy. Now that they had kissed, he wanted to keep her by his side, still surprised but extremely thankful that it had happened at all.

Ignoring the sinking feeling in her gut, Izzy turned to Simon, ready to pull him in tight, before she remembered that she couldn't so she pulled back from him. Awkward nod it is, she thought.

"What, am I not allowed to say that?" Simon asked when Izzy practically backed away from him. Had he broken one of their Shadowhunter laws or something? Why was Izzy looking at him like that?

"No, ah... uh..." what was she supposed to say to him? Thank the angel that Clary and Jace decided to save her ass from having to explain it all. Overwhelmed would be an understatement for how she was feeling right now.

"Izzy, hey, are you okay?" Jace asked when he reached his siblings. And Simon. Wrapping an arm around his sister, he gave her a tight squeeze- thankful that she was in one piece- before releasing her to Clary.

"We came as soon as we heard," Clary said, holding Izzy for a moment as relief swept through her.

"Great, hugs for everybody else," Simon said, stung that everyone except him had been allowed to hold her.

"Simon... it..." fuck! Why is this so hard? Izzy wondered, feeling awful when she saw the hurt, plain on Simon's face. It was one of the most endearing things about him, that he wore his emotions for others to see. She realized then that it was time to pull her big girl panties on.