[ His immediate concern has been addressed, and Izzy is safe. Which just leaves the awkward fact that he'd been essentially flirting with the girl he was raised as the brother of. ]
Well. It seems to be going around. Missed texts, I mean. Just making sure you hadn't got like, drugged or coerced.
Ha. Well. Lucky whoever you meant to send it to? You're a grown woman, Izzy. You never had any trouble getting what you want. Go you.
( it's meant as a joke, but there's some seriousness laced within the response. she wasn't sure if she could call it a full on 'being drugged', but the drinks had certainly been sweet enough to disguise it. there's an admission in her statement, though. there was no influence, no coercion, nothing to blame other than her own pent up want. neither her or jace had ever been shy about their tastes, but they'd never been this blunt about it, either. )
You say that as if you have that trouble yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd managed to meet your quota already. ( now that's more of the typical tease she's used to dishing out; it's hardly an insult. )
I know you do. I'm fine, really. Just kind of restless I guess.
( and it's difficult not to be, given she doesn't have the typical distractions and means of keeping herself busy like she did back at the institute. )
I accept the compliment, but you said it yourself. This place isn't exactly home.
I can't really just call someone over to help out, either. Even if I want to. Everything comes with complications.
( she's obviously not thinking about where he is. obviously. )
[ He was used to filling his days with training, with missions, with all sorts of distractions, to keep himself out of his own head and his own feelings. ]
I mean, technically you can. I saw some woman put out an actual open roll call for volunteers. You'd have more applicants than her in a heartbeat. You're gorgeous Izzy, you know that.
[ Jace stares down at his phone for a long time. In some ways, Izzy is saying things he's been thinking, and keeping to himself for ages. He wonders if... No. That is a stupid lane of thought and he should nix that immediately. ]
Oh Izzy. Trust me when I say I understand that predicament in... many, many ways.
Although I'm sure whoever you originally meant to send that picture to would be jumping to do your bidding immediately upon proper receipt.
( she wants to ask him to explain, but it's not something she should be curious about. they'd always toyed with one another, knew full and well neither were ashamed to talk openly about sex and whatever came with it. but it'd never been anything other than that, surface-level chatter and bantering.
she shouldn't. but it's late and she's not in the mood to stave off whatever this was— )
I mean. Don't get me wrong. I can definitely, uh, appreciate. The uh, aesthetic. But Alec would literally rip my eyes out of my head. And feed them to me. Raw.
( it's a soft denial, but it doesn't come with shame so much as it does an inward look to get her shit together. the topics already been breached, even if it's only slightly—so allow her the curiosity, at least. )
My brother doesn't exactly get a say in that department.
I can make my own decisions. You can too, you know.
[ Jace doesn't know what to do. The idea's never crossed his mind before. He's certainly not adverse to it. Okay, let's be honest, he's very much in favor of the idea. But shit with Alec is complicated at the moment, and he doesn't know that he can keep those kind of secrets from his parabatai. He doesn't want to say no. He just isn't sure he should say yes. ]
No. No, he doesn't, but it doesn't mean we can't discount his reaction entirely, either? Like, I like my eyes in my skull. They're useful there.
I can. I absolutely can. I just...
Angel, Izzy. You're fucking beautiful and the things we could do...
I just don't want either of us to regret it later.
( it's not like she'd been one to think about it, either. maybe it was the city's way of toying with her, throwing her into a situation that would never unfold back home. she can recognize his looks for what they are, she gets the appeal other woman find in him, but what's more is she knows what's beneath that bravado, that arrogance, and he knows what's beneath her own.
the last thing she wants to do is talk about her brother in the current circumstance, but she gets it. )
He wouldn't touch you. Especially if he knew I was the one instigating. If anything, he can be mad at me.
( but she doesn't think it'll go there. if there was anything her and alec gave one another it was understanding; support, even if blindly. )
Why don't you tell me about some of those 'things.'
[ Then again, Alec had his boyfriend and Magnus and who the hell ever else he was hanging around these days. It wasn't as if he needed Jace around too.
Jace was good with women. Well, most women. The women who he slept with, flirted with, his 'book club'. Izzy was different. Izzy mattered, and for one of the first times since he was about fourteen he found himself somewhat tongue-tied in trying to say something smooth. ]
You want words, when you know how terrible I am at those?
When's the last time he stayed mad at either of us for more than a day?
( they were all too important to one another. and as much as her comfort in this place comes from the fact that her brother had come to find her only a few hours after she'd arrived, she knows a risk when she sees one, and no part of her believes this would do anything to fracture that.
she's still in that robe kissing silk against her skin every time she shifts, draft from the brisk city outdoors coming in through the curtains. she can't help but to imagine him seeing her this way, wearing so little, layer slouched over a single bronzed shoulder. and she finds she wants so much more from him than words, but he'd always been able to run his mouth—surely he could handle the task before him now. )
Maybe they'll earn you an invitation to show me instead.
Tell me, one thing. The first thing you think about.
[ Well she had a point, and Alec HAD told him to go and more or less... try people out. So really, he had only himself to blame if Jace did that. ]
Finding out if your skin is as silky as that robe. Running my fingers over it and know you won't give a shit about the sword calluses. Finding out what happens when I play with your hair now that I'm not just trying to tug it and run away.
( she's not that cruel, but maybe she should be. maybe she should turn him away once he gets to that closed bedroom door, shouldn't think about his fingers tangling into her hair, tugging it in a far different manner than a childish tease. but she cant, now, not with skin burning in waiting, not as antsy as she is idling in those sheets.
it's all she can do to slip from the bed, winding that robe a little more securely about her figure with a loose bow, still lazed over a single shoulder. and she makes it to the door as she hears his steps quietly padding down the stairs, courtesy of the rune along her neck. for the most part, swallow wood is quiet, asleep—everyone tucked away to their own rooms, for what she knows, and as she steps outside of her bedroom door, cold marble beneath her feet, she leans against the wall just outside of it instead.
it's risky, waiting there for him like a treat in the dark, but maybe she likes it that way. )
[ It was one of the few nights Jace allowed himself the indulgence of staying at Swallow Wood, instead of sneaking back to the Down to sleep, paranoid about getting Magnus and everyone else in the house in trouble.
Predictably, he hadn't been able to sleep anyways so the text hadn't woken him up, but he had been in bed. When he pads into sight in the hallway, he's in nothing but a set of borrowed sweats from Alec, his usually slicked back hair mussed and half in his face, and that very familiar smile showing up, half crooked on his face.
He's still not entirely sure of his welcome, but she's still wearing that robe, the slope of one shoulder showing, her runes standing out on her skin and it hits him suddenly, like a brick to the face, that Izzy is one stunningly beautiful woman.
He'd known it. Objectively. Like one knew a painting was beautiful. But his brain had never made the connection for him between Izzy being gorgeous and being attractive as hell before. It probably showed on his face too, and in the way his steps slowed for a few seconds, before he hurried to her faster.
When he got close enough, he crowded up into her space, his hands coming to rest almost reverently on her hips. ]
Hey.
It was one word, whispered under his breath, but there was a wealth of heat in it all of the sudden.
( thankfully she'd been given a room closer to the entry, hidden away from the others scattered about the home as fittingly grand as magnus. if anything, it offered them some semblance of privacy, a veil between the others that could easily fracture, what with a shadowhunter and a warlock none too far. it sends a tug of heat beneath her navel, the idea of having to keep themselves quiet enough that they won't be detected—not that the rest of the bunch were entirely innocent, but on the off chance those sounds might be recognized.
when she catches sight of him in the hall, first as a shadow and then characteristically with no more than a pair of sweats, she doesn't hide the way hues wander, how it leaves teeth chewing at the lower pillow of her lip in anticipation. they could both readily be described as bold when it came to this sort of thing, but she can't help but to revel in how different his approach is, now. how many times he's made his way to her before, absent of that hunger.
he brushes in close to her, places those hands at her hips and there's nothing stopping the way exhale slips from her lips without her consent, how pulse thunders deafeningly beneath her chest.
she reaches out to ravel him in closer, yet, so their fronts ghost together, that maddening spell between them—how much she had to learn of this side of him—all too gratifying to break just yet. she's every bit intending to draw it out until one of them breaks, to test the waters until she can't. she hums, a velvety sound, eyes ticking down to that notorious smirk of his. nails give a bite after scoring to his lower back, digging in just enough for him to be aware of their presence. )
[ Jace makes a low sound in the back of his throat when he feels her nails in his back and his smile just grows a little more.
He's spent almost half of his life sparring with Isabella Lightwood. This is a dance he knows. He dips his head, lips almost brushing against the shell of her ear, but not quite, his voice a bare whisper of sound, knowing she'd hear him perfectly fine. ]
Hard to sleep when I'm getting sent scandalous pictures by a beautiful woman in the middle of the night.
[ He steps in a little closer, not quite pinning her to the wall, but he could if he shifted just the slightest bit. He makes a low, rumbling sound of pure male appreciation in his throat. ]
( it's no less than infuriating that she's already so taken, dizzied by the idea of having him, touching him, tasting him when he's been so close all along. when she's watched him skirt off on his romps with other women and never batted an eye. he leans in and lashes flutter to a heavy close, the scent of him enveloping her, and when those lips ghost against her ear her chest gives the slightest bow from that wall reactively, causing that silk to slip all the further down her arm.
there's a grin that paints her mouth, sure he doesn't need to see it to hear it laden on her tongue. she could toy on about how the message hadn't been intended for him—but that was neither here nor there. he'd gotten it, and here they were.
he doesn't need words when he sounds like that, when he husks up to her, talks to her with a grumble that's so often reserved for someone else, anyone else. )
Do I? ( it's nothing more than a baiting, using one hand to guide his palm lower, along the curve of her backside just as she hitches her leg up, thigh brushing his. she manages to tip her own crown so she can graze lips at the edge of his jaw, that scruff brushing her cheek, and she whispers: )
Please. You know you do. Confidence has never been a problem for you, Izz.
[ It was one of the things he liked about her. Izzy knew who and what she was, and she (mostly) didn't care what others thought of her. It was a pretty attractive trait, one that they used to share.
The way she guided his hand lower though, it made a surge of heat flush over his skin and her thigh sliding up his made him growl very softly, and his hands moved, shifted, and then he was lifting her, settling her right against his hips and pushing up against the wall to balance both of them, as his hands kept her safe against him, where she could feel exactly what her touch and scent was doing to him. He'd broken first, and he didn't even care, really. ]
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Well. It seems to be going around. Missed texts, I mean. Just making sure you hadn't got like, drugged or coerced.
Ha. Well. Lucky whoever you meant to send it to? You're a grown woman, Izzy. You never had any trouble getting what you want. Go you.
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( it's meant as a joke, but there's some seriousness laced within the response. she wasn't sure if she could call it a full on 'being drugged', but the drinks had certainly been sweet enough to disguise it. there's an admission in her statement, though. there was no influence, no coercion, nothing to blame other than her own pent up want. neither her or jace had ever been shy about their tastes, but they'd never been this blunt about it, either. )
You say that as if you have that trouble yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd managed to meet your quota already. ( now that's more of the typical tease she's used to dishing out; it's hardly an insult. )
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[ About her. About Alec. About himself. About what this place will do to him. Let him be. ]
Honestly? I haven't really tried yet. Its been uh, complicated.
Besides, I'm not the only in this discussion who should have no problem meeting any quotas.
will they or wont they: place your bets
( and it's difficult not to be, given she doesn't have the typical distractions and means of keeping herself busy like she did back at the institute. )
I accept the compliment, but you said it yourself. This place isn't exactly home.
I can't really just call someone over to help out, either. Even if I want to. Everything comes with complications.
( she's obviously not thinking about where he is. obviously. )
Re: will they or wont they: place your bets
[ He was used to filling his days with training, with missions, with all sorts of distractions, to keep himself out of his own head and his own feelings. ]
I mean, technically you can. I saw some woman put out an actual open roll call for volunteers. You'd have more applicants than her in a heartbeat. You're gorgeous Izzy, you know that.
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( there's no judgment there, but she likes to at least try and let things unfold naturally. )
It's not all looks. Knowing someone goes a long way when it comes to pleasure, even if I've been pleasantly surprised.
Besides, maybe there's things I want that I don't know how to ask for. Or at least, don't want to broadcast across an entire network.
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Oh Izzy. Trust me when I say I understand that predicament in... many, many ways.
Although I'm sure whoever you originally meant to send that picture to would be jumping to do your bidding immediately upon proper receipt.
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she shouldn't. but it's late and she's not in the mood to stave off whatever this was— )
And if I said I haven't sent it to them?
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Izzy, since when are you hesitant to go after what you want?
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I can't just send it to someone else! You'll just have to appreciate it for what it is for them.
( because that's appropriate. )
Maybe I'm not sure what I want.
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I mean. Don't get me wrong. I can definitely, uh, appreciate. The uh, aesthetic. But Alec would literally rip my eyes out of my head. And feed them to me. Raw.
This place can make things very confusing.
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My brother doesn't exactly get a say in that department.
I can make my own decisions. You can too, you know.
(
it's not like he has to know.)no subject
No. No, he doesn't, but it doesn't mean we can't discount his reaction entirely, either? Like, I like my eyes in my skull. They're useful there.
I can. I absolutely can. I just...
Angel, Izzy. You're fucking beautiful and the things we could do...
I just don't want either of us to regret it later.
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the last thing she wants to do is talk about her brother in the current circumstance, but she gets it. )
He wouldn't touch you. Especially if he knew I was the one instigating. If anything, he can be mad at me.
( but she doesn't think it'll go there. if there was anything her and alec gave one another it was understanding; support, even if blindly. )
Why don't you tell me about some of those 'things.'
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[ Then again, Alec had his boyfriend and Magnus and who the hell ever else he was hanging around these days. It wasn't as if he needed Jace around too.
Jace was good with women. Well, most women. The women who he slept with, flirted with, his 'book club'. Izzy was different. Izzy mattered, and for one of the first times since he was about fourteen he found himself somewhat tongue-tied in trying to say something smooth. ]
You want words, when you know how terrible I am at those?
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( they were all too important to one another. and as much as her comfort in this place comes from the fact that her brother had come to find her only a few hours after she'd arrived, she knows a risk when she sees one, and no part of her believes this would do anything to fracture that.
she's still in that robe kissing silk against her skin every time she shifts, draft from the brisk city outdoors coming in through the curtains. she can't help but to imagine him seeing her this way, wearing so little, layer slouched over a single bronzed shoulder. and she finds she wants so much more from him than words, but he'd always been able to run his mouth—surely he could handle the task before him now. )
Maybe they'll earn you an invitation to show me instead.
Tell me, one thing. The first thing you think about.
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Finding out if your skin is as silky as that robe. Running my fingers over it and know you won't give a shit about the sword calluses. Finding out what happens when I play with your hair now that I'm not just trying to tug it and run away.
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Why don't you come see what happens?
( it's as much an invitation as any, and what's better, he doesn't have very far to go. )
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On my way.
[ If Izzy's bluffing, he's going to call it. If she's not. Well. At least one Lightwood hasn't replaced him in their life. ]
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it's all she can do to slip from the bed, winding that robe a little more securely about her figure with a loose bow, still lazed over a single shoulder. and she makes it to the door as she hears his steps quietly padding down the stairs, courtesy of the rune along her neck. for the most part, swallow wood is quiet, asleep—everyone tucked away to their own rooms, for what she knows, and as she steps outside of her bedroom door, cold marble beneath her feet, she leans against the wall just outside of it instead.
it's risky, waiting there for him like a treat in the dark, but maybe she likes it that way. )
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Predictably, he hadn't been able to sleep anyways so the text hadn't woken him up, but he had been in bed. When he pads into sight in the hallway, he's in nothing but a set of borrowed sweats from Alec, his usually slicked back hair mussed and half in his face, and that very familiar smile showing up, half crooked on his face.
He's still not entirely sure of his welcome, but she's still wearing that robe, the slope of one shoulder showing, her runes standing out on her skin and it hits him suddenly, like a brick to the face, that Izzy is one stunningly beautiful woman.
He'd known it. Objectively. Like one knew a painting was beautiful. But his brain had never made the connection for him between Izzy being gorgeous and being attractive as hell before. It probably showed on his face too, and in the way his steps slowed for a few seconds, before he hurried to her faster.
When he got close enough, he crowded up into her space, his hands coming to rest almost reverently on her hips. ]
Hey.
It was one word, whispered under his breath, but there was a wealth of heat in it all of the sudden.
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when she catches sight of him in the hall, first as a shadow and then characteristically with no more than a pair of sweats, she doesn't hide the way hues wander, how it leaves teeth chewing at the lower pillow of her lip in anticipation. they could both readily be described as bold when it came to this sort of thing, but she can't help but to revel in how different his approach is, now. how many times he's made his way to her before, absent of that hunger.
he brushes in close to her, places those hands at her hips and there's nothing stopping the way exhale slips from her lips without her consent, how pulse thunders deafeningly beneath her chest.
she reaches out to ravel him in closer, yet, so their fronts ghost together, that maddening spell between them—how much she had to learn of this side of him—all too gratifying to break just yet. she's every bit intending to draw it out until one of them breaks, to test the waters until she can't. she hums, a velvety sound, eyes ticking down to that notorious smirk of his. nails give a bite after scoring to his lower back, digging in just enough for him to be aware of their presence. )
Can't sleep?
( it's a tut, taunting. )
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He's spent almost half of his life sparring with Isabella Lightwood. This is a dance he knows. He dips his head, lips almost brushing against the shell of her ear, but not quite, his voice a bare whisper of sound, knowing she'd hear him perfectly fine. ]
Hard to sleep when I'm getting sent scandalous pictures by a beautiful woman in the middle of the night.
[ He steps in a little closer, not quite pinning her to the wall, but he could if he shifted just the slightest bit. He makes a low, rumbling sound of pure male appreciation in his throat. ]
You look good, Izzy.
i'm damning myself with this tbh
there's a grin that paints her mouth, sure he doesn't need to see it to hear it laden on her tongue. she could toy on about how the message hadn't been intended for him—but that was neither here nor there. he'd gotten it, and here they were.
he doesn't need words when he sounds like that, when he husks up to her, talks to her with a grumble that's so often reserved for someone else, anyone else. )
Do I? ( it's nothing more than a baiting, using one hand to guide his palm lower, along the curve of her backside just as she hitches her leg up, thigh brushing his. she manages to tip her own crown so she can graze lips at the edge of his jaw, that scruff brushing her cheek, and she whispers: )
Imagine how I feel.
at least we're damned together? XD
[ It was one of the things he liked about her. Izzy knew who and what she was, and she (mostly) didn't care what others thought of her. It was a pretty attractive trait, one that they used to share.
The way she guided his hand lower though, it made a surge of heat flush over his skin and her thigh sliding up his made him growl very softly, and his hands moved, shifted, and then he was lifting her, settling her right against his hips and pushing up against the wall to balance both of them, as his hands kept her safe against him, where she could feel exactly what her touch and scent was doing to him. He'd broken first, and he didn't even care, really. ]
Izzy.
[ Her name was a guttural sound in his throat. ]
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