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Isabelle and Jace sat parallel in the booth. They were in a small Cuban restaurant Simon had recommended, it was for lack of better words, desolate, and Izzy prayed to the angels it was just due to the time of night.
The two were visibly exhausted, the day prior had revealed to them the capture of an angel, the state of it she did not know, but judging from Jace’s distant gaze, it was not an easy discovery.
Jace got up, grabbing his almost empty cup of soda, he reached his other hand out towards Izzy, motioning for her to hand him her own empty cup of lemonade. She handed it to him, pulling out her phone again to text Alec. He was finishing up a meeting with the clave following up on Jace and Clary’s findings and was running late but that was almost an hour ago.
Before she could text him again, a new full cup of lemonade was in front of her.
“Thanks” she murmured, taking a sip. Jace made a noise of acknowledgement.
“Any updates?” He inquired.
“None… You don’t think they are going hard on him do you?” With the rise in incidents surrounding Valentine and the mortal instruments, tensions were high, and with all new reports coming solely out of the New York institute, Alec was taking most of the heat regardless if what was getting sent in was good or bad news.
“Other than their usual repetition of honor, duty and loyalty? Nah” Jace responded nonchalantly. Izzy noticed one of his hands sat in his lap, leisurely tapping at their parabatai rune.
So it really must not be too bad if Jace didn’t feel any usual tang of anxiety.
She thought for a moment, wondering if she should bring it up or not, but figured it wouldn’t hurt if she just-
“Even with him not being on duty when you and Clary found it?”
Jace stared at her, she equaled his gaze. Were they going to bring it up or not?
“He didn’t go back to the Institute last night did he?” Jace inquired, eyes lighting with amusement.
Izzy’s own smile grew.
“Nope.”
Jace shook his head.
“I saw his jacket in the living room when I got to the loft, I’ll admit I was sorta surprised since it was almost 5 in the morning, but I didn’t hear or see them anywhere so I just went to bed”
Izzy scoffed, picking up her lemonade. “I’ll admit I'm surprised you didn’t hear anything,” she joked, taking a sip.
Jace sat up a little leaning in, eyes widening.
“Wait you don’t think-”
“Oh c'mon Jace…”
“Well I don’t know, what if they were just hanging out and it got late-”
“Too late for Magnus to open a portal for Alec?” Izzy pointed with amusement.
Jace started at her, mouth agape but twitching to smile before it let out a mixture between a scoff and a laugh.
“Well, shit…. Wait, how do you know?” He questioned.
Izzy shrugged which did nothing but earn her a slight kick to the shin.
“Ow Jace!”
“Spill.”
Izzy appreciated this, that despite the stressfulness of their lives and the high stakes surrounding them, that they could still have moments like this, where they could still be young and stupid and siblings rather than coworkers.
“Ok he might have asked for my advice-”
“You? What!” He asked incredulously.
Izzy was worried for a moment that he was genuinely upset Alec had gone to her before Jace for this. Her worries were dismissed quickly as Jace shook his head, murmuring a low bastard under his breath.
The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment.
“Well shit” Jace laughed.
“I don’t know though!” She interjected, “They could have very well just had an innocent sleepover!”
Jace raised his brow, “I know you did not just use the words innocent and sleepover to describe Magnus Bane.” he snickered.
Izzy sighed, looking up towards the ceiling. “I know that he’s a gentleman enough to not force Alec into anything.” She said pointedly.
Jace sat up slightly at the change of tone. “No, yeah, I just-”
His thoughts went unfinished as the front door of the restaurant opened with a small chime of a bell and in walked Alec.
His shoulders slumped forward, his typical stance for when he tried to keep attention off of himself, which was more so a move of thought than accomplishment.
Alec slid in the booth quickly next to Jace, the three sharing quick greetings.
“Sorry I'm late.” He apologized.
Jace clapped a hand on his shoulder, a simple jester to anyone looking, but to those who knew them would know it was Jace’s subtle way of seeing just how strained and tense his brother was. Once Alec looked at him, exchanging a nod, Jace let go. Guess the meeting really wasn’t that bad, Izzy thought.
“Right, I’m fucking starving” Jace stated, grabbing a menu from behind the napkin holder.
---
Plates covered the table, chicken, rice, and beans for both Jace and Izzy, a Cuban sandwich for Alec, on any other day she’d make a comment about not being enough food for a first meal of the day but tonight she let it go. It had been a long time since the three of them got to have this, and while Clary and Simon were becoming nice additions to their small family, there were times like this that she appreciated their ability to have this as just siblings, she only wished Max could be there with them-
“So…” Started Jace, pulling both their attention to him.
“So?” Alec added.
“How’s Magnus?”
Jace yelped as Izzy kicked his shin under the table, harder than he had to her, definitely harder and much deserved.
The two threatened each other silently with their eyes, looks that read “Don’t do it” and “I’m not going to”.
“He’s…fine?” Alec finally answered, dubiously.
“Great! That’s great to hear big brother” Izzy exclaimed almost too enthusiastically as she caught Jace to the punch.
“Yeah.” Alec looked back and forth at his parabatai and sister, it was not lost on him that there was something definitely going on, but it was late and he was calculating whether or not it was worth it to hear.
“Did you tell him?” Alec asked, looking at Izzy directly. Fuck worth.
“I- Wha- I don’t-” she stuttered, attempting to feign innocence.
“I saw you stayed at the loft the other night” Jace interjected, poking at his chicken before taking a bite.
“I did,” Alec responded cautiously.
“So…”
“Jace”
“Was it good?”
Jace was practically bouncing in his seat at this point, Alec looked like he’d had rather spent another hour with clave officials.
“Oh by the angel- who says we even had sex?”
“Well did you?” Izzy mocked.
Alec stared daggers into his sister which only made her happier. Now she had joined Jace in bouncing in delight.
“Oh angels you guys did! How was it?”
Alec put his hands up in defense, his cheeks lighting up with a slight blush of embarrassment.
“Ok no, I am not going to sit here while you both pry into my sex life”
“We tell you ours all the time,” Jace shrugged.
“Unwillingly…”
“Fine fine we won’t pry, just… as long as you guys used protection,” Jace asked cooly, grabbing a fry from the basket in the center of the three of them
“Jesus Jace” Alec shook his head grimacing, which was sort of endearing in a way considering they were discussing his sex life. He picked up his water drinking from it slowly.
Jace and Izzy looked at him, then at each other, then back at him.
“Alec…” Jace warned.
“You two did use a condom right?” Izzy pushed, eyes widening at her brother’s silence.
Alec shrugged, murmuring, “Warlocks don’t carry disease.”
“Alec!” “I’m going to kill him, '' Jace and Izzy exclaimed in unison.
“What?! And no the fuck you are not Jace, sit down!”
Alec looked around to make sure his siblings' outbursts didn’t somehow disturb the other nonexistent restaurantgoers.
“Hermano, I don’t care who you decide to sleep with, you always use protection.”
Izzy was leaning forward on the table staring at Alec with concern, Alec put his head in his hands letting out a deep sigh.
“If it makes a difference, he offered, he didn’t like- have any on hand but he offered to conjure some if I really wanted it”
“Yes Alec and that’s when you say yes and please.” Jace responded pointedly, still looking at his brother incredulously.
“Well it’s not like we even…” Alec trailed off with heat in his cheeks, he definitely did not want to get into specifics. Instead, he settled for eyeing his abandoned sandwich, ripping at the paper sheet underneath it. He felt a hand come down on his arm, looking up he saw Izzy staring back at him with calm eyes.
“Listen regardless of what you two did or did not do, you need to be careful big brother, and part of that means using protection.”
“I don’t see the point, if he can’t give or get diseases and it’s not like I would have had anything-” Alec protested.
“I don’t care Alec, like Izzy said, you have to be careful, we all do.” Jace looked at his brother, sharing the same calm look that Izzy had. Alec kept his eyes locked on his for a few moments before lowering his head again with a sigh.
“Duly noted” He lifts his head again, giving the two a tight smile.
The two siblings smiled back, though all eased slightly now that the impromptu lecture was completed an awkward silence fell over the three of them, unsure of what to do or say next.
Jace broke first.
“So what is the great and all-powerful Magnus Bane like in bed? He live up to the hype?”
Alec slapped Jace in the shoulder which earned him nothing but laughter.
“You are learning absolutely nothing about my sex life, especially while you are living with my boyfriend”
“Oh cmon you can’t give a guy a warning?”
“Oh like you did for me with Kaelie?”
“Kaelie? You’re still seeing that seelie girl?” Izzy jumped into the conversation.
The three fell back into their light conversation and food, all tension lost and replaced with laughter and smiles, the Lightwood siblings took advantage of their one night of peace to simply be before the new day approached, flinging them back into their duties.