Chapter Text
Alec - 14
Jace - 13
Izzy - 11
The siblings are out in the field for a training exercise when a rogue demon attack proves to be their hardest task yet.
"Do you ever wish you could be like them?" Izzy wondered, nodding to a group of mundane kids running around the park "Just for one day?"
Alec snorted "Yeah, right, because I'd love to run around totally blind to the dangers everywhere around me."
The pair walked over to where Jace was leant against a brick wall, seraph blade twirling between his fingers.
"How long do you think they'll keep us waiting?"
"It's supposed to be a surprise attack" Alec reminded him, casting a glance over his shoulder "Wouldn't be much use in it if they came straight away."
Isabelle chewed at the skin around her fingernails "Are we really meant to fight them off in front of all the mundanes?"
"They won't see us, don't worry" Jace assured her with a lazy smile "They're not exactly the brightest bunch anyway."
Alec's shoulders shuddered in a silent laugh as his usual serious exterior momentarily wavered.
"Well if we're gonna wait out here for hours, I'm getting food" Izzy eyed up the van across the park with a grin "Anyone want anything?"
"Soda"
"Hotdog"
The boys looked at each other and pulled a face which sent Izzy on her way weaving through the mundanes who were oblivious to her presence.
Once she was safely out of earshot Jace nudged Alec "Dude, did you try the breakfast she made this morning? I couldn't even tell what it was!"
"Porridge...I think, then again I was 'full' so I never tried it."
"And that, dear brother, is why we end up wasting all our money on food trucks."
The pair sat blissfully unaware on the wall that edged round the perimeter of the park - comparing blades and bows and runes as they waited for their sister to return.
After several minutes Alec froze, raising a hand to silence Jace, who was mid-sentence.
"Are they here?" the blonde questioned eagerly, sliding to his feet and extracting his seraph blade from his belt.
As he was speaking Alec had turned, narrowing his eyes across the park to where Izzy had de-glamoured to order their food.
"Something's wrong" he murmured "We need to get Izzy and get back to the Institute."
Jace grabbed his brother by the shoulder to spin him round "What is it? Maybe you're just...paranoid?"
The offered explanation sounded weak when matched with the growing concern on Alec's face, so Jace simply nodded and began following him across the park to where Izzy was waiting patiently by the truck.
As they moved there was a flash of black which sent both boys crashing to the floor in a cloud of dust and dirt.
Jace rolled over to avoid being clawed in the face, while Alec kicked himself up to a standing position by throwing his bodyweight forwards. Grabbing his brother by the hand both boys turned away from each other, extending their weapons in defence.
"You see it?"
"No, you?"
"No. Stay tight, it won't have gone far."
Before Alec could barely finish his sentence there was a scream and they whipped round to see Izzy pinned against the side of the truck by her throat, the demon inches from her face. She was kicking out at it, urging her whip to uncurl faster from around her wrist.
"Izzy!" Jace yelled, vaulting the bench in front of him as he sprinted towards her. He could hear Alec close behind, the sound of his bow string in the air as an arrow flew past Jace's head, embedding itself in the demon's lower back.
The creature let out a roar, dropping Isabelle who scrambled back gasping for breath.
Momentarily distracted by his relief Jace found himself thrown to the floor, his face sprayed with the spittle flying from the demon's mouth. The boy winced against the damp, trying to block out the blood thundering in his ears as his hands scrabbled the concrete either side of him to try and locate his weapon.
His fingers closed around a rock just as Alec's boot appeared out of nowhere, sending the demon sideways from the force of a powerful roundhouse kick. Jace had just enough time to accept his brother's hand up before the creature rounded on them again, tentacles writhing from its face.
A crack echoed in the air and a silver flash gripped the demons neck, sending it soaring backwards towards Izzy, who promptly raised her foot and aimed a well-placed kick to its head before it could crash into her.
"I got it" Jace growled, taking his seraph blade from Alec's outstretched hand and plunging it deep into the demons back with a yell.
The creature lurched at the impact, raising an arm to try and knock Jace away, but Alec was quick with his instincts, sending an arrow straight through the demons palm.
With one last jolt, the demon burst into ash which quickly whirled away into the air, leaving three out of breath siblings in its wake.
"Everyone okay?" Alec questioned, taking Jace's hand and pulling him off his knees.
Both turned to Izzy who was pale and shaking, a hand sub-consciously fingering the bruising that was beginning to appear on her neck.
"Hey?" Alec called softly, moving to her side with Jace close behind "It's okay."
He wrapped an arm round his sister, pulling her into him and promptly outstretched the other arm to bring Jace closer too.
"I thought- I thought I was gonna-" Izzy couldn't even finish her sentence and simply bowed her head instead.
"We would never let that happen" Jace told her, reaching across to squeeze her hand.
"Yeah, we're your big brothers" Alec smiled "We'll keep you safe."
Isabelle gave a small laugh despite herself "We did okay right? I mean I know it wasn't the exercise but...we just totally kicked that demons ass!"
Jace snorted "Totally" he agreed, fistbumping Alec.
As the three slowly began to shake off the initial fear of the attack, they turned as the man in the food truck extended two hotdogs and a soda to Izzy, who remembered she had been de-glamoured the entire time.
Biting her lip to keep from laughing at the horror on his face, she watched as he ran a hand through his slightly dishevelled hair and promptly pulled down the window bars, blocking out the siblings.
"He must think I'm crazy" Isabelle muttered, handing Jace his hotdog and Alec his soda "Can't say I blame him."
Her brothers smirked, de-glamouring themselves in unison before tucking into their orders.
"Let's head back to the Institute" Jace said through a mouthful of hotdog "I feel like we've completed our training for at least the next week!"
"What if Hodge turns up with the decoys after we're gone?" Izzy said with a frown.
"Then he can deal with them" the blonde said with a shrug "He owes us one after leaving us to fight off a demon without supervision."
As he spoke he draped a lazy arm round his sisters shoulders, aiming a light punch to Alec's bicep as he did so.
"Jace is right" the boy agreed, crushing his soda can and dropping it in the trash. He took his sister by the hand and gave it a squeeze. "Let's go home."