#izzymaia

The first rays of sunlight flicker through the window, the half-closed blinds doing a poor job at keeping the orange and yellow glow from slowly stretching over the floor, spilling over scattered clothes until they reach the bed. Sounds of the city, already awake and greeting a new day, grow louder with every passing moment but there’s nothing but peaceful silence in the bedroom, only interrupted by soft breaths. Arms and legs entangled upon the small bed with covers up to their shoulders, skin warm from sleep and pressed together and Isabelle’s face buried in her girlfriend’s dark curls. It’s those minutes in the morning, slowly dripping by that you wish you could hold onto because everything is warm and hazy and there is nothing but peacefulness in your bones, muscles relaxed and mind floating in and out of dreams.

A buzzing sound cuts through the silence, once, twice and blue and white light illuminates the ceiling, far brighter than the soft glow of the morning sun.  It takes Izzy a few moments to recognize the sound, to slowly blink her eyes open and squeeze them shut right after, wishing she hadn’t heard. She considers it for a moment, simply turning around and pressing closer to Maia, ignoring the phone on the nightstand and making up some excuse. My phone was dead and I didn’t have a charger. I left my phone at the Institute. I was asleep. Another buzz, longer this time, demanding her attention. It’s not the first time a part of her wishes she wasn’t a demon hunting soldier but a mundane college student, allowed to curl up to her girlfriend on a free Sunday and let the hours drift by. With a sigh, she pushes up onto her elbows, carefully detangling herself from legs and arms and a gentle smile curls around her lips as Maia huffs, turning away from the bright light. The screen shows a simple rune, blinking white and red to catch her attention, the familiar call to waste no time and get to the Institute as soon as possible.

She tries to get dressed quietly, tiptoeing around the room to find the clothes thrown off hastily last night when they had stumbled inside with laughter upon their lips. When Maia had pressed her against the door and kissed down her neck, over the Deflect rune and making her way towards the dark mark between her breasts and all Izzy could think was how fucking lucky she was. Pulling her shirt over her head, the memory of Maia’s fingers curling around the hem and helping her take it off leaves a smirk upon her lips, gently moving towards the bed once more to hover above her girlfriend. Maia’s face is still buried in the pillow, eyes closed but a soft hum sounds through the silence when Izzy reaches out to gently run a hand through dark curls. “I’ll see you tonight”, whispered before she presses a kiss to the other’s forehead, chuckling when Maia manages a slow, sleepy nod.

She’s half-way out the door, ready to take her jacket from the coatrack like every morning only to find it’s not there. She glances quickly around the room, hoping to spot it lying on the floor but the dim light is not helping in figuring out where the black leather had ended up last night when she had impatiently tugged it off her shoulders. The phone in her hand buzzes once more, an insistent vibration shooting up her arm and a clear message. It’s urgent. So, Izzy doesn’t really think much about it. Instead of searching the half-lit room and waking up her girlfriend for good, she takes one of Maia’s own, sliding her arms into the sleeves as she closes the door behind her. There’s a chilling breeze blowing through the streets, crisp late winter air biting at her cheeks and turning breaths into white smoke but it does nothing to take away from the warm, familiar scent that surrounds Isabelle as she pulls the jacket tighter around her; dark leather and a soft note of the shampoo always on hand in Maia’s shower and well, this might make this Sunday morning a little sweeter.

Night has already fallen outside, painting the sky a deep blue but the glow from the city lights chase away any darkness. It’s been a long day, the hours rushing by with one task after another; demon attacks and patrol hours and then a few blood samples she had to look at. Her neck hurts, pain pulling all the way down her shoulders whenever Izzy tries to roll them back, the downside of being crouched over a microscope for one and a half hours trying to decode demon ichor. As she makes her way through the Institute, turning corners with jacket tugged over her arm and ready to leave, her eyes scan Maia’s text from this afternoon once more. It’s simple, really, telling her when her shift ends and asking if they want to grab dinner together and while that alone is reason enough to bring a smile to Izzy’s lips, it’s the small purple heart emoji at the end of the message that makes her own skip a beat or two.

When she pokes her head through the door to Alec’s office her brother is sitting behind the desk, head resting upon one of his hands and the other typing away upon a tablet. Blue light cuts over his face when he looks up at her. “You heading out?” She nods, stepping inside the room as she slides her arms into the sleeves of Maia’s jacket. (She had contemplated changing into one of her own when she had gotten to the Institute and after taking a quick shower. But it looked good paired with the black skinny jeans and the red sweater and she was late already.) “Yeah, I’m picking up Maia from the Hunter’s Moon.” Isabelle Lightwood doesn’t do blushing, especially not when she has been dating the girl in question for months and especially not in front of her brother who she usually teases about how whipped he is for a certain warlock. But the grin upon her lips, the spark lighting inside of her dark eyes is enough to tell how much she just wants to get out of these walls, to leave work and problems and demons behind and find comfort in someone else’s smiles and touches.

“Alright. Tell her I said ‘hi’.” Alec does his best not to tease her, obvious in the way his lips press together to hide his smirk and the knowing raise of his eyebrows before he turns towards reports and messages once more.

“I will. Good night, big brother.”

The bar is bustling with activity; voices, shouts and laughter echoing through the space and a relaxed night time energy enveloping anyone as soon as they enter. The warm light spills over booths occupied by vampires, the pool table in the back where three werewolves are arguing but with grins upon their faces. It doesn’t take Izzy long to spot Maia behind the bar, whirling around to place drinks in front of a Seelie girl, accepting several bills and grinning at something a warlock to her left had said to no one in particular. She’s good at this, Izzy knows, joking and talking and getting people to talk, making them feel welcome and safe in times when so much is uncertain. It’s how she ends up with a lot more tips at the end of the night than some of the other bartenders. Slowly, Izzy pushes through the crowd until she reaches the far end of the bar counter, leaning against the exit of it and waiting for Maia to spot her. The blues and reds from the ‘Cold Beer’ sign dance upon her skin and it makes Izzy think of the time they walked along the East River, fingers intertwined and just talking. Maia had told her silly stories about her pack members, embarrassing times of turning or hilarious dinners together, laughing fondly with eyes crinkled at the corners and her head thrown back and Izzy couldn’t help but lean in to taste the smile on her lips. It had been a little messy because Maia was still laughing and had made a surprised sound in the back of her throat and Izzy had been far too eager, hands cupping the other’s jaw but like any other kiss it made her heart flutter, a slow warmth spreading and a feeling of knowing; knowing how right and good and special this is.

When Maia’s eyes find her now, Isabelle expects a smile and a wave of her hand as she finishes the drink she’s mixing at the moment. Instead her eyes widen, the initial smile giving way to her mouth parting and her gaze ghosting over Izzy with a familiar intensity, one that makes her own skin tingle and her tongue dart out to glide over her lower lip. It’s the kind of look when she has her legs wrapped around Maia’s waist and kisses her jaw; when she straddles her lap and her fingertips ghost over exposed skin. It’s the kind of look she couldn’t tear her eyes away from even if she wanted to (and she really, really doesn’t want to).

A shout breaks them out of their staring, Maia’s eyes flickering down and a curse slipping past her lips. Izzy can’t hear it above the noise but she sees the way her lips form the word fuck and heat flashes down her spine, mouth going a little dry. Her own eyes follow Maia’s and she can’t help but chuckle softly at the mess: the drink all over the counter now instead of the glass she had been preparing.

It takes Maia a few more minutes to clean everything up and serve a new drink to the knowingly grinning warlock but her eyes flicker over to Isabelle every so often, shaking her head with a fond smile. When she finally makes her way towards the end of the bar Izzy barely has the time to mutter a hello before hands curl around her jacket and pull her in close for a short but determined kiss; one that tastes of hey and I missed you and definitely a hint of I want to be closer to you. It ends too soon, much too soon for her liking but she blinks her eyes open and realizes they are still in the middle of the bar with people watching and Maia’s shift doesn’t end for another twenty minutes. “Hi”, she whispers, a little out of breath and smirks light up both their features.

“Hi yourself.” Maia’s gaze drifts over her once more, ghosting over the whole length of her body and something inside Izzy’s chest shifts, that slow familiar heat but pride too because that look inside her girlfriend’s eyes, the way they linger on the holster strapped tightly to her thigh? That’s her doing and oh, she’s feeling more than just a little smug that this caused Maia’s brain to short-circuit.

“You’re wearing my jacket.” And before she can say something teasing or shrug the jacket off her shoulders (she really, really doesn’t want to) Maia leans in for another kiss, only a short brushing of lips, the hint of a promise enough to have Isabelle leaning in for more, chasing the other’s mouth as she steps back. “Leave it on”, Maia says with a wink as she keeps walking backwards, holding her gaze confidently – because as much as Izzy clad in that dark leather jacket and a thigh holster strapped to her leg, leaning against the bar had left her breathless, she could so quickly do the same with that smug smile and that spark inside her eyes.