Chapter Text
“Alec!” Isabelle growls, face scrunched in spite and arms crossed over her chest.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Alec mumbles back sarcastically, “Am I blocking the view of your boyfriend? What’s his name? Magnus Bane?”
Isabelle lunges from the couch, only for a hand to come between them, and a wild Jace appears, looking more than annoyed.
“Can you cool it for three seconds about Michael Bublé?” The blonde snarks back, shoving izzy back to sit on the couch and Alec to be shielded behind him, “He’s literally a star, neither of you are going to end up with him.”
“I don’t want to be with him,” Alec blurts, frazzled, at the same time Isabelle yells, rather offendedly, “Yes! I am!”
Alec rolls his eyes, shaking his head.
“Kids! Car! Immediately!” Maryse calls up the stairs, and Alec obliges, slipping his New York mets hoodie over his shirt, Yankee’s ball cap before heading down the stairs.
He loads the luggage, while his youngest brother slurps obnoxiously on a grape popsicle, “Max, dude, stop.”
“What?” Max whines, voice defensive, “It the best kind! Besides, you don’t have to be a dick just because you don’t want mom and Luke to find out you....”
The young boy pauses, glancing over Alec’s outfit before he smirks, taking his popsicle in both hands before muttering, “Swing the other way.”
He moves the popsicle stick across his body and Alec, thinks about knocking it out of his his hands for a brief moment, veins boiling. And then the popsicle drops, and Alec grumbles, “Don’t curse. You’re not old enough.”
“I’m nine,” Max defends.
“I’m seventeen, and how do I say.... I don’t care? Get in your car seat little boy,” Alec sasses, clambering into the back and closing his eyes.
This is genuinely going to be the worst trip he’s ever taken.
Alec wakes to gentle shaking and a whispered, “Hermano.”
He allows his head to lull towards the source of the voice, not quite ready to be woken up, “Mm?”
There’s a gentle laugh besides him, and his eyes flutter open, immediately checking for any signs of being pranked on his body before he meets his baby sister’s chestnut eyes.
“What did you do?” He rasps, realising how uncharacteristic it is for him to fall asleep in the car— or really during the day at all, “You’re laughing, you did something.”
“I’m laughing because I forgot how you talked in your sleep,” She states, only warmth in her eyes and for a brief moment Alec only can think about how odd their dynamics are; one moment they’re at each other throats and the next they’re back to preteen aged Alec and Isabelle.
“Oh,” Alec hums around a yawn. “Okay. Are we at Abuela’s?”
“She’s inside, and she has some new man candy—“ Isabelle starts, only to be cut off by Alec.
“Please never, and I mean ever, talk about our possible future grandfather as man candy,” He grunts out, slipping out of the car. A thought hits him suddenly and he turns to face his sister, “Wait— did you guys just leave me sleeping in a car in the California heat?”
“Relax. We cracked the windows, it’s fine. I mean, you’re alive right? Besides, you probably would’ve woken up if you were really overheated anyways.” She grins, biting back a smile and Alec narrows his eyes.
“I hate you,” Alec grumbles, picking up his backpack and suitcase from the boot of the car.
To which, Isabelle pouts her lips sarcastically, “Oh, big brother, you could never.”
Alec flips her the bird, tugging his bag inside the house with him. He smells his grandmothers cookies and marzipan a moment before he sees her.
“Oh, look at you! Mi tesoro,” She breathes, and Alec drops his bags, hunching down to wrap around his grandmother.
“Baba,” He sussurates, “I missed you.”
She squeezes him tightly, her muscles wavering slightly from the strain but they remain strong and firm.
“Oh, you’re practically a... Oh, what is it? The tall buildings.... rascacielos?”
“A skyscraper?” Alec chuckles, taking in his grandmother.
She nods softly, ”I’m not an idiot, just...”
Alec laughs, joining in as she murmurs, “Bilingual.”
They lapse into silence before she murmurs, “Maryse tells me you’re going to Harvard. Swimming?”
Alec nods, cheeks flushing at the mention of his accomplishments, “Yeah— I’m going for law and English and History.”
“Mi tesoro is going to change the world,” She whispers, pinching his cheek, which only serves to make him more red.
“Can I help you with anything, Baba?” He inquires, picking up his bags heading in the direction of the room he shares with Jace when they stay here.
“No, darling,” She states softly, “I have everything I need. Isabelle told me you had fallen asleep, go get some rest.”
Alec nods, pressing a kiss to his Abuela’s forehead before walking off towards the room.
Taking a deep breath, he clambers onto the bottom bunk of the bed, staring at the mattress above before closing his eyes, and letting out a sigh. As he nods off, his last thought is of how happy he is to be at his second home with the people he loves, no matter how annoying they can be about their favourite celebrities.