metanoia | alec lightwood

36

"There you are!" Magnus chirps at Alec and Isabelle when he and I walked into the armory, "Good news: the Core is off the ley line grid and free of demonic corruption-"

"Well, we just walked into straight buzzkill-" I noticed the energy immediately when neither of them replied, stopping in my tracks, "We'll take our good vibes somewhere else-"

Alec held his arms out, "Can I have a hug?"

"Yes-" I slowly walked toward him and hugged his middle, looking at Isabelle, "What is it?"

"We just got a fire message from Mom, saying she's dropping by for an impromptu family dinner." Isabelle used her fingers to air quote multiple words in her sentence.

Magnus took a few steps closer to us, "Those are a lot of air quotes."

"Mom doesn't just drop by for anything." Alec held onto me tight, keeping me held close.

"Yeah." Isabelle exhales, "We're thinking it has to do with her and Dad- they're finally making their divorce official."

"Oh-" I blink, "I'm sorry-"

Magnus sighs, "My condolences-"

"It's for the best." Isabelle purses her lips, "Problem is, instead of just being sad like a normal person, she starts trying to fix everyone around her."

"Which usually includes grilling her children on everything she thinks is going wrong in their lives." Alec looked down at me and I immediately knew.

"Hey- it's your own fault for falling in love with a Morgenstern out of all people." I looked up at him, "Although, I'm giving you the chance to tell her I moved to England- fell in love with a kind, british gentlemen and fled the country-"

"After all I did to get you to be my girlfriend?" Alec couldn't help but smile at my words, before lightly tickling my sides, making me squirm instantly, "I'm never letting you escape me-"

I swat his hands away, pursing my lips hard to try and keep back my laughter, "Alec!-"

Magnus asks, "Where are you holding this suspenseful dinner?-"

"Definitely not here." Alec pulled me into him again, this time with my back against his chest, "The Institute tends to bring out her inner Inquisitor."

"How about my place?" Magnus offered, "I insist- you can have the place all to yourselves."

"Besides, I think I should go shopping for you-" Magnus gestured to me, "Your wardrobe lacks color-"

"What?" I blink, "I wear- color-"

"I don't think I've ever seen you wear the color yellow-" Magnus crosses his arms, "Or purple-"

"Yellow-" I grimace, "Purple?"

"Pink!" Magnus snaps his fingers, turning and leaving the room, "I'm going to raid your closet and see what else you need-"

"Pink?" My eyes widen, calling out after him right away, "No pink!-"

"Wait-" Isabelle points at me when Magnus left the room, "You should be there-"

"Are you out of your mind?" I looked at her, blinking a few times, "She hates me- I mean, she hates me-"

"Think about it: if Zee is there being her usual likable self-" Isabelle suggests, "Mom won't have time to interrogate us."

"No-" I slipped away from Alec when he was now convinced, "Absolutely not-"

"Zee-" Alec grabs my hands.