#mdsff

Sun dried petals coat the bottom of the music box’s hidden compartment, and old parchement holds onto the last remnants of charcoal, sketches of Maryse, whom Jocelyn can’t forget.

The music box comes to life with a gentle melody, melancholy waltzing off with memories Jocelyn locked away a long time ago, a ring on her hand like manacles snapping shut, tied and bound to a man of power. Valentine gathered clout and followers, until his power consumed him, only leaving ashes in its wake.

(Femslash February prompt: TWI) (Read on AO3)

Isabelle doesn’t realize she’s spending so much time at Clary’s house until the day Clary calls her out on it.

“I know I’m not your only friend, Iz. You don’t have to come over every day, you know,” Clary jokes. She doesn’t mean anything by it, certainly not anything unkind, but Izzy hears the words and immediately panics.

“It’s because…”

Because I can never spend enough time with you, because nothing makes me happier than the sound of your voice, because I love you.

“I have a crush… on your dad.” Izzy says the lie without fully meaning to, but she can’t bring herself to admit the truth. She can’t actually tell Clary how she feels about her, so instead, she comes up with the first thing she thinks of to explain why she’s always hanging around Clary.

“My dad?” Clary repeats, scrunching her nose up in that adorable way she does when she’s overthinking something. Izzy loves that look. Though, to be fair, Izzy loves all of Clary’s looks. “Gross.”

Izzy forces a laugh, hoping the nervousness she feels translates to something a bit more ‘teenage shyness’ than actual anxiety. “It’s just a stupid crush. Anyway, let’s get going on this art project you need help with…”

Izzy hopes that’ll be the end of it. Change the subject and move on for good… except Clary says something to Simon who says something to Jace, and soon it’s a whole group inside joke about how much Izzy’s in love with Mr. Morgenstern. It starts to get increasingly embarrassing, and Clary is obviously uncomfortable with the whole thing.

Isabelle starts going to Clary’s house less and less, which in turn makes her more and more miserable because that means seeing Clary less and less. It’s all ruined, everything good she had going destroyed by one impulsive lie.

It stands to reason that she could fix it with the truth, but that thought terrifies Isabelle. So much so that she remains silent and distant for as long as she possibly can.

In the end, the breaking point isn’t her’s at all, but Clary’s.

“What did I do?” Clary asks one day, approaching Izzy outside Jace’s coffee truck.

“What?” Izzy asks, confused. That much isn’t an act at least - Izzy has no idea where the sudden question comes from.

“You’ve been avoiding me. Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” Clary adds quickly before Izzy can try and deny it.

“I…”

“Just tell me what I did, so I can… fix it, or apologize, or something. I miss you, Iz,” Clary confesses.

“You do?” Izzy asks, knowing she isn’t contributing much to the discussion but unable to form a single coherent thought beyond Clary’s revelation. Clary misses her. Izzy thought for certain that Clary hadn’t even noticed her pulling away, certainly not enough to care.

“Of course I do, Izzy. You’re my best friend. You…” Clary trails off, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter if you won’t even talk to me.”

“I don’t have a crush on your dad,” Izzy blurts out, nervously pushing the bridge of her glasses higher on her nose.

“...okay. So, what? If you aren’t visiting me for my dad you don’t even want to see me anymore? Because-”

“No!” Izzy cuts Clary off. “That isn’t… I’m saying this all wrong.” Isabelle sighs. “I was never visiting to see your dad. I was visiting to see you. I have a crush on you.”

Isabelle waits for Clary to not believe her, or to be angry at her for lying about it, or any number of reactions besides the one Clary has.

Clary laughs. She smiles wide and laughs, relief ringing through the sound. “That makes my crush on you a lot more promising, then.”

Izzy’s heart skips a beat or two at that, but it isn’t long before she’s beaming back at Clary.

“Very promising,” Izzy agrees. “Assuming I didn’t mess things up too badly?”

“You didn’t,” Clary promises. “As long as you promise to come over after school tomorrow for dinner.”

Izzy nods immediately, leaving no time or room for miscommunication this time. She has a second chance and she isn’t going to mess it up.

when all feels lost (just smile)

Pairing: Jocelyn Fairchild/Dorothea "Dot" Rollins Rated: Gen Prompt: Portal/Laughter

“I haven’t seen you smile in weeks,” Dot said, earning a sigh from Jocelyn in return.

“I smile. You’re just being dramatic,” Jocelyn retorted.

“I’m a warlock, we’re allowed to be dramatic,” Dot countered.

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Femslash February Prompt: Strangers ( @shadowhunterbingo fill: Blind Date) (Read on AO3)

This isn’t the first time Lydia’s been in Magnus and Alec’s apartment to discuss official business. It’s less stuffy than having it in one of the offices, and honestly, after a full day of bureaucracy what both of them need is a place to unwind, have a drink, and actually discuss rather than debate whatever topic the two of them need to cover together. It’s a system that’s worked out rather well for the two of them so far.

The only problem is when the Lightwood-Bane household gets social calls, which seems to be a frequent occurrence for someone as popular as Magnus Bane. Lydia’s in the middle of making a very solid argument against Alec’s last point of contention when there’s a knock on the door, followed by the door immediately swinging open despite no one getting up to answer it.

The woman who stands on the other side of it is beautiful, Lydia immediately thinks, in one of those classically understated sorts of ways that many might overlook at first glance. Lydia isn’t one of those people, however, and doesn’t even realize she’s staring until the other woman hesitates in the doorway.

“Is it a bad time?” The woman asks, her eyes on Lydia who finally remembers her manners and tears her gaze away to look back to Alec.

“No, no, Magnus will be here any minute, he’s just running late. Come on in, Tessa. This is Lydia Branwell. Lydia, Tessa Gray.”

The name rings a bell, and it takes her a moment to place it as the warlock Alec’s mentioned quite a few times recently who is a friend of Magnus’ and involved in the Spiral Labyrinth.

“Nice to officially meet you,” Lydia says, doing her best not to stare even more as Tessa enters the apartment and closes the door behind her.

“You too. I’ve heard a lot about you, actually,” Tessa says.

“Oh?” Lydia asks, eyebrow raised.

“All good things, I promise,” Tessa says with a light laugh.

“Tessa, why don’t you join us for a drink until Magnus gets here?” Alec suggests, already standing up to offer her a seat.

This surprises Lydia, though she supposes if Tessa is a friend then it isn’t that strange.

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt,” Tessa insists.

“You aren’t!” Lydia promises. “In fact, I’d love your opinion on…”

Magnus, as it turns out, runs very late, but Lydia doesn’t mind. She ends up getting along wonderfully with Tessa and hardly notices when Alec disappears to take a call and doesn’t come back for nearly thirty minutes.

In fact, she’s quite disheartened when Magnus does finally arrive and pull Tessa away… and while she could be imagining it, Lydia thinks she sees the same flash of disappointment in Lydia’s expression as she leaves.

---

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Alec asks Magnus once Tessa and Lydia leave for the night.

“They’re perfect for each other,” Magnus says.

“Lyds is going to hate me setting her up,” Alec points out, and not for the first time.

“You aren’t. We’re just going to cross their paths until they figure it out on their own.”

Alec knows that’s a technicality. He also knows that both of these women are smart enough to catch onto what they’re doing sooner rather than later, and both will likely spurn the idea out of spite once they do.

He supposes he can only hope their interest in one another is piqued before that.

---

It takes Tessa an embarrassingly long time to realize what Magnus and Alexander are doing, mostly because she can’t believe one of her oldest friends would even bother to try and set her up. Magnus knows she has no interest in another relationship, he knows she has not the heart for it, no matter how well she and Lydia seem to get on.

Tessa knows she has to say something now before things go too far, but she doesn’t want to lose Lydia as a friend. At this point the two of them have begun spending time together on their own, meeting over drinks or lunch, sometimes under the guise of discussing policies and laws and reference texts but increasingly often just to enjoy each other’s company. Tessa doesn’t want to lead Lydia on, but she doesn’t want to lose Lydia from her life, either.

“There’s something we need to discuss,” Tessa finally brings herself to say.

“That sounds ominous.” Lydia doesn’t say more than that, waiting to hear what it is that’s on Tessa’s mind.

“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed-”

“Alec and Magnus trying to set us up?” Lydia finishes for her, a small smirk on her face. “They’re not exactly subtle.”

“The thing is,” Tessa continues, forcing the words out before she can lose her nerve. “I’m never going to love again. I’ve had my true loves and I’ve lost them, and I know that I’ll never be able to give my heart to another in the same way again. It wouldn’t be fair to expect you - or anyone else - to love me in a way I cannot return. So if that’s all this is, I will not hold it against you if you’d like to leave.”

Tessa expects any number of reactions - anything from anger to confusion to sadness - but what she does not count on is the smile that begins to form on Lydia’s face at her confession.

“Oh, those clever boys,” Lydia says quietly, more to herself than to Tessa.

“Am I missing something?”

“I lost my own soulmate, John, several years ago,” Lydia supplies. “And feel much the same way about my ability to fall in love again.”

Tessa’s breath catches in her chest as the pieces fall into place. It isn’t that Magnus thinks he can convince her to love again, it’s that he knows Lydia will understand exactly why she can’t… and that might be enough for both of them.

“So where does that leave us?” Tessa finally asks.

“I like where we are,” Lydia admits, “and I’d like to stay and see where we’re going.”

Tessa considers this offer for several long minutes before finally nodding.

“I’d like that, too.”

Children chase each other, bursts of magic flickering after them like fireworks in the making. The oldest, with wolfish features and pointy teeth, sends a tiger of sparkles hounding down the narrow alley and the children scatter with gleeful cries.

Aline lets them run past her and watches Helen lingering in the dark alley of the Shadow Market. The blonde looks like she doesn’t want to move away, but eventually she does, stepping inside Aline’s favorite teashop. Aline rolls her eyes at her date. For all her bravado, Helen is out of her depth here.

Femslash February Prompt: Seraph Blade  (Read on AO3)

Cecily didn’t know what to expect when she joined her brother Will among the ranks of the Nephilim.

She certainly didn’t expect Sophie.

Sophie Collins catches Cecily entirely by surprise… probably because they have so much in common. Sophie has the Sight, but she wasn’t born and raised a Shadowhunter like the others in the Institute. She knows more than Cecily, but as far as the Nephilim are concerned the two of them are almost entirely equal. In fact, Cecily has more of a claim to becoming a shadowhunter than Sophie simply because of her Herondale bloodline.

It’s absurd because Sophie is everything Cecily aspires to be in her personal life and her shadowhunter training. Sophie is everything Cecily admires in a person: she’s helpful no matter the inconvenience to herself, and most of all, she’s kind. Sophie is a good person through and through and Cecily feels herself becoming a better person the longer she spends around the other girl. When it comes to their training and studies Sophie doesn’t give up, not when it’s something she wants and not when it’s something she believes in - and what Sophie believes in is keeping her friends and loved ones safe.

Cecily doesn’t know what she did to earn a spot as one of those coveted loved ones, but she’s thankful for it.

“They’re never going to let us go out on our own are they?” Cecily complains, walking side-by-side with Sophie down a dark London alleyway. She can hear Gideon and Gabriel behind them, probably no more than two yards back judging by the sound of their close footsteps.

“Of course they are. They have to,” Sophie reassures her. “We just have to show them we’re ready.”

“You two have the lead tonight,” Gideon reminds her, clearly listening in to their hushed conversation. Yeah, definitely too close, Cecily thinks to herself.

“Just like we had the lead last patrol?” Cecily snaps back.

“I was instructed to let you take point, not to stand back and watch you die,” Gabriel says. “I may dislike your brother, but I’m not about to let you get hurt and suffer that wrath for the rest of my life.”

Cecily can feel her frustration rising, and Sophie must sense it as well because a moment later a gentle touch on the top of her hand is calming her down, a second hand on the small of her back grounding Cecily enough to silence the angry words on her lips.

“We’ll show them,” Sophie repeats, soft and steady.

The chance to do just that comes almost immediately, in the form of a shax demon skittering across their path. The demon lunges toward them and before either Gideon or Gabriel can react Cecily has her seraph blade out and meets the demon halfway. She gives no warning before she moves, a potentially reckless decision without knowing if any of the others even saw what she did.

Cecily goes high and a bit to the right while Sophie, in a move they practiced a number of times in their countless hours of training, goes low and to the left, ensuring they cover any direction the demon might go to escape. It works, with Cecily being the one to get the first hit, catching the demon with her blade just as the demon gets in a lucky swipe with its pincer. Sophie isn’t far behind, swinging back around to slice the creature down its back.

Together they make short work of the demon, and the second the danger is over Sophie is by Cecily’s side, placing an iratze over the cut on her arm.

“I didn’t even hear it,” Gabriel mumbles, clearly displeased.

“Good thing we had it covered, right Soph?” Cecily says, laughing despite the sting of pain her healing wound shoots through her arm. She turns back to face Sophie, placing a hand on Sophie’s cheek and pulling her in so that their foreheads touch. “Thanks for having my back.”

“We’re in this together, Cecy,” Sophie smiles. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

They lean in ever so slightly, sneaking in a quick kiss, barely more than a gentle brush of lips, while the boys are distracted by examining the demon’s remains.

your magic is contagious

Pairing: Isabelle Lightwood/Catarina Loss Rated: Gen Prompt: Magic/Flirting

Izzy wasn't sure what Alec had against the warlock, Catarina Loss, but if it meant being able to flirt with a beautiful woman and annoy her brother at the same, she just couldn't resist.

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a sunrise like you

Pairing: Helen Blackthorn/Aline Penhallow Rated: Gen Prompt: Lake Lynn & Sunrise

“This is perfect, isn’t it?” Helen asked as she sat on the grass with her back against one of the tree limbs. She stroked her fingers over the wood gently before letting her hands graze over the moss and other greenery that seemed to grow just by her mere presence.

“I can think of one thing in the world that’s perfect,” Aline whispered before pressing a gentle kiss to Helen’s temple. “I– Well, speaking of perfection, there’s– uh, there’s something I wanted to talk with you about, actually."

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