CHAPTER TWELVE
A VERY MUNDANE NIGHT

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

     "To Adrian and Izzy!" Jace declared a few hours later, raising his champagne glass above his head. He was on top of a table in the library, where all of them had congregated the second they got home. Maryse had a bottle of champagne waiting, and the portal was open in the library. It seemed like every few minutes, another person came walking through, either a glass of alcohol in hand, something sweet, a pan of food, or a present. Adrian only recognized a few people, but that didn't matter; it was the occasion that people were celebrating. Parabatais were rare, and the community usually came together to celebrate whenever a ceremony was done. Adrian threw an arm around Isabelle and brought her closer, eyes zeroing in on Jace, who suddenly had the attention of everyone in the library. He barely noticed, eyes glued to Adrian and Isabelle, a grin tugging at his mouth. "If you two work really hard, maybe you'll reach mine and Alec's level someday." Adrian snorted, while Isabelle laughed, loud and bright.

"We could beat you two with our eyes closed," Isabelle declared, and laughter filtered around the room. Jace grinned wide and hopped down from the table, sloshing champagne onto the floor, not that he noticed. Alec mumbled something under his breath, and Adrian turned toward him, his free hand automatically reaching out to grab Alec's t-shirt. With a single tug, Alec was stumbling against Adrian's other side. Alec let out a startled laugh, and then his arm was looping around Adrian's waist. He was pressing a soft kiss against his cheek a second later.

"What do you think?" Adrian asked, a smile tugging at his lips as Alec's arm wrapped around his neck. Adrian could feel eyes on them, either disapproving or not, but he didn't care. No one could ruin that day for him. "Could Izzy and I beat you and Jace with our eyes closed?" Alec laughed and leaned forward to kiss him firmly on the mouth before stepping away.

"We could spar later and find out," Alec suggested. Almost immediately, Isabelle was at her brother's side, two glasses of champagne in her hands. She handed one to Adrian, then grinned and nudged Alec in the side with her elbow. She murmured something to Alec that Adrian couldn't hear, her smile so wide that Adrian knew she wasn't up to anything good, and he wasn't surprised when blood rushed to Alec's face. Adrian opened his mouth to ask Isabelle what he had said to make his boyfriend blush like that, wanting to make him even more flustered, but broke off when Jace suddenly crashed into him. Adrian grunted under his weight, then pretended to grumble like he wasn't enjoying the attention when Jace placed a loud, smacking kiss to his cheek.

"I can't wait to see how differently you two fight now that you're parabatai," Jace sighed, pressing his forehead briefly against Adrian's temple before pulling away. His grin was bright, his golden eyes shining, and Adrian thought this was best mood Jace had been in in a very long time. Adrian didn't know what was wrong with Jace, his apparent problems with Clary aside, but he was happy to see that it was gone. For the time being, at least. Adrian grinned back, returned his affection by squeezing his hand, then cast another look around the room. He caught sight of Robert kneeling down and ruffling Max's hair, who smiled happily before hugging him. Maryse wasn't even close to Robert, on the other side of the room, talking to Jia Penhallow as she held a glass of champagne. As if sensing Adrian's look, Maryse glanced over to look at him, and then she was breaking away from Jia and heading their way.

Maryse pressed a quick kiss to Adrian's hair, murmuring her congratulations as she pressed a small box into his hand, and then she was turning toward her daughter, giving her most of her focus. Isabelle's smile was wide and beaming when Maryse gathered her into a hug, and Adrian felt a small ache in his chest watching them. Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, he quickly pocketed the present to open it later, then noticed Alec was gone. He cast a wild look around, wondering when his boyfriend had slipped away, and saw him by the wall, talking to Robert. Alec's back was to Adrian, so he couldn't see his face, but Robert's expression didn't seem alarming. He looked calm, if mildly uncomfortable. Adrian watched closely, looking for any sign that Alec wanted to get away. Adrian knew things had been tense between Alec and his parents ever since he'd come out, so he held his breath and waited for Robert to say the wrong thing.

But he didn't. In fact, the more Robert and Alec spoke, the more relaxed Alec seemed to get. Toward the end of their conversation, Alec's shoulders seemed to actually deflate in relief, and when Robert reached forward to squeeze Alec's shoulder, he didn't shrug the touch off. Adrian watched Robert give something to Alec, press a kiss to his hair, and then Robert was sweeping down to take Max's hand. It wasn't until then that Adrian realized Max had been tugging on Robert's shirt, asking him silently if he could leave the party. He was probably getting overwhelmed from all the noise. Robert took him away, and that was when Adrian made his way over to Alec. Alec was studying the thing Robert had given him, but when he heard Adrian approaching, he quickly pocketed it and turned to smile at him. His eyes were rimmed red, but he didn't look upset.

"Everything okay?" Adrian asked, just in case, and got a small laugh in response.

"Yeah." Alec rubbed at the back of his neck, then cleared his throat. "Dad just surprised me, that's all. He wants to talk to you, too." Adrian raised an eyebrow, feeling a sudden bundle of nerves forming in his stomach. He patted at Maryse's present for him through his pocket, thinking about opening it there just to avoid being alone with Robert, but then he thought better of it. If Robert somehow upset him, then he'd need a present to cheer himself up. He didn't think Robert would upset him, but there was always a possibility. Robert tended to say the wrong things without meaning to. Alec saw his unease and smiled comfortingly, reaching down to squeeze his hand. "It's good, I promise. He just needed to take Max to his room. He got overwhelmed." Adrian nodded, squeezed Alec's hand back, then quickly left the room.

The halls were almost eerily quiet after the noise of the party, and Adrian let himself take a deep breath. His parabatai rune was pulsing like a heartbeat, and dimly, he was aware of Isabelle, her own heartbeat in synch with his own. It was a little overwhelming to think he would feel her wherever she was, would be aware if anything happened to her. It was a scary thought, so Adrian promised then and there that nothing would ever happen to Isabelle Lightwood as long as he was around. He would protect her for the rest of his life; that was his job.

He found Robert leaving Max's room, a pile of dirty dishes in his right hand as he closed the door. Seeing him, Robert tilted his head, indicating for Adrian to follow him down to the kitchen. Adrian did, nervously twisting his Rosewell ring around his finger as he went. He wasn't used to having talks with Robert. The closest he could remember was in Alicante, when Adrian had first asked Robert about his mother. It had been after Malachi had hit him, so Adrian didn't like remembering it. An echo pain flared across his jaw when he did, and he found himself rubbing the spot with a frown as they reached the kitchen. Hopping up onto a stool by the island, he watched as Robert put Max's dirty dishes into the sink.

"What'd you give Alec earlier?" Adrian said just to break the silence, still twisting the Rosewell ring. Robert turned away from the sink, but instead of facing Adrian, he went to the refrigerator and got out a bottle of beer.

"The Lightwood family ring," Robert said after he took a drink. Adrian's eyebrows went up. He wondered why Alec had felt the need to pocket it instead of putting it on his finger, but he didn't have time to ask that question out loud. Robert put his bottle of beer on the island counter, then reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out an envelope. Adrian recognized the Clave seal pressed into the black wax and tilted his head, curious. Robert tapped the edge of the envelope on the counter for a moment as he thought of what to say, and then he sighed. "I'm not...good at this," he said, motioning between himself and Adrian, referencing talking to others about feelings. Adrian bit back an amused smile and nodded. "But I hope my gift to you says everything I can't." With that, he placed the envelope on the counter within Adrian's reach, then squeezed his shoulder as he passed, picking up his abandoned bottle as he went. "Congratulations, Adrian." And then he was gone, and Adrian was staring at the envelope with mixed feelings in his chest.

He hadn't known what he was expecting, but it certainly hadn't been that short in his head. Shaking the thoughts away, he reached for the envelope and carefully broke the seal. Inside was a thin piece of paper. Adrian read it over once, then twice, then three times, his heart beating faster and faster.

     The Clave hereby permits Adrian Michael Rosewell to see and have contact with his mundane family, of which includes exiled former Shadowhunter Alice Linette Rosewell, now known as Rose Alice Montgomery. Adrian Michael Rosewell is not permitted to bring said family into any Shadowhunter or Downworlder spaces, including but not limited to the New York Institute. However, he is permitted to bring friends and his parabatai, Isabelle Sophia Lightwood, with him during his visits to the Montgomerys'. The Clave asks that Adrian Michael Rosewell does not neglect his Shadowhunter duties during, or for, these visits.

     Signed,

     Consul Jia Penhallow

     Inquisitor Robert Lightwood

Adrian put the letter on the island counter, put his face into his hands, and cried.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"I want to go visit my family, and I want all of you to come with me," Adrian announced later that night, when the party had long since been over and he and his friends were crammed into booths in Taki's Diner. Clary and Jace, who for once weren't acting weird, pulled themselves away from their staring contest and turned to look at him in shock. Isabelle was digging into banana pancakes, and she looked up with her mouth full, her eyes wide. Simon, his lips clamped around a straw as he sucked up blood from a cup, choked and nearly sprayed everything on the table. Alec, pressed against Adrian's side and nearly crushed again the wall, coughed as he choked on his water.

"Are you sure?" Clary asked, frowning in slight concern.

"I'm sure," Adrian said with a nod. "Robert got me permission from the Clave. He and Jia both signed off on it. I'm allowed to see them, legally, and it made me realize that I really do want to see them. All of them. Especially after what Michael said." He met Isabelle's eyes briefly, then blinked and looked away. "I want to make sure they know that I don't hate them or anything, you know?"

"They know that," Alec murmured to him, reaching beneath the booth to take his hand, linking their fingers together. Adrian turned his head to take him in, then took in a deep breath and smiled. Leaning forward, he kissed Alec on his cheek, lingering there briefly before he turned and shoved at Simon's shoulder. With a loud cry, Simon crashed to the floor, then laid there like he was dead, his arms outstretched as he stared up at the ceiling. Adrian pulled himself from the booth and bent over him, poking the Mark of Cain on his forehead, his hair falling aside to reveal it.

"Are you coming with us?" he asked quietly, grabbing Simon's hand to help him to his feet. He knew Simon was now nervous around humans, and he wasn't sure how his mother would react with a vampire in front of her. But Simon was his friend, and Adrian was going to bring him to meet his family if Simon wanted to come. "You don't have to, but I would like if you did." Simon reached up to adjust his glasses, then remembered he didn't wear them anymore and promptly rubbed the bridge of his nose instead.

"Of course I'll come with you, Dri," Simon muttered, and then he grinned, revealing his fangs. It was so easy to forget Simon was a vampire. Since he could walk in the sun, Adrian often did. "Your mom is going to love me. I'll be her favorite."

"Um, no," Isabelle said as she wriggled out of the booth, skipping forward to link her arm with Simon's. "The favorite spot is going to be mine."

"Mine, actually," Jace put in.

"I've already met her," Clary said, sniffing delicately as she followed Jace out of the booth. Alec was quiet as he joined Adrian at his side. "I have the upper hand."

Alec didn't join in on the argument that followed. He didn't need to. They all knew who the real favorite would be.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

They were on the sidewalk of the neighborhood, a few houses from Adrian's family's house, when Adrian remembered Maryse's gift in his pocket. He reached for it with one hand as he walked, his other hand holding Alec's own. With his thumb, he pried the small box apart, and laughed softly when he saw what was inside. It was a golden pendant, and etched into the metal was a small rose, the symbol of the Rosewell family. Beneath the rose were flames, symbolizing the Lightwood family. Adrian didn't produce tears at the pendant, not like he had with the letter. Instead, he laughed louder, joy coiling in his stomach and chest.

"Tug this out for me, please," Adrian said, unwilling to let go of Alec's hand to do it himself. Alec reached forward and tugged the pendant free from the silk lining of the box. Adrian tilted his head down, and Alec looped the pendant around his neck. It fell down to the center of his chest, and Adrian pocketed the box once again just to reach up and curl his hand around it. His eyes then went to Alec's hands. He wasn't wearing the Lightwood family ring. "Why aren't you wearing the Lightwood ring?" Adrian asked curiously, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn't overhear. "Don't tell me you think you don't deserve to. I'll literally kiss that thought right out of you."

"I don't think that's a very good threat," Alec murmured with a small smile, "considering I really like when you kiss me." Adrian grinned, leaning over as they walked to kiss Alec on the lips. It was short and sweet and it made Alec's smile widen. A moment later, he was shaking his head as if to clear it, and his smile dimmed. "I just never really expected to get the ring after I came out. It's kind of overwhelming right now. But I'll wear it. Eventually." Alec tilted his head then, looking curious. "Will you be okay? During this?" Adrian offered Alec a shrug, and it was the only thing he could manage before his family's house came into view. They were clearly home, as Adrian could see smoke from a grill floating into the air from the backyard. He stopped at the fence, wondering what he should do. They probably wouldn't hear it if he rang the doorbell, but it seemed rude to just walk onto their property and then appear in their backyard.

Jace made the decision for him. Without any hesitation, he hopped the fence and started strolling across the yard, plucking an apple from the apple tree as he did. Adrian's eyes widened, while Alec released a low groan beside him.

"Jace!" Adrian whisper-screamed at his back. "What are you—Alec, what the hell?" Alec had hopped the fence as well, and he simply said 'he's my parabatai' over his shoulder before he hurried to catch up with Jace. Adrian threw his hands up into the air, then hopped the fence as well. None of his family members had met Jace or Alec. He had to arrive with him, otherwise his mother might actually throw a knife or something at both of their heads. Isabelle laughed low in her throat and followed suit, while Clary mumbled about the fence having a gate. Simon stayed with her, loyal as ever, so Adrian paid more attention on catching up to his boyfriend and his best friend.

He caught both of them by the back of their shirt collars when he heard his mother say, "Why, hello. Who might the two of you be?" Adrian closed his eyes, pressed his forehead briefly against the back of Alec's neck, cursed Jace under his breath, then released their shirts and peered around Alec sheepishly. Alice was standing at a picnic table, setting out plates, and Adrian could see a grown man—Adam, his father—cooking something at the grill. Farther in the yard, Michael was kicking a soccer ball around with a little girl. Abigail. Neither of his siblings had noticed them yet. Adrian pulled his eyes away before the sight of them playing together started to hurt, and found Alice staring at him with wide eyes. Much to his alarm, they looked watery. He hoped she didn't cry. He had cried enough just at Robert's present. He didn't need to cry more. Alice blinked a few times, then set her stack of plates down and circled the picnic table, coming toward the three boys slowly. It was only then that Adrian realized he was still hiding behind Jace and Alec, and he promptly stepped out from behind them, slightly embarrassed.

"Hi," he said weakly, though he stayed very close to Alec's side. Just because he wanted to see his family, that didn't mean he knew what to say. Alice seemed to understand that, because suddenly her eyes were dry, and a soft smile was on her face. She stayed at a safe distance, didn't try to pull him into a hug, and Adrian was grateful for that.

"Hi," Alice said softly, then her eyes moved over Adrian's shoulder. Isabelle was by his side a moment later, raising her hand to wave at Alice, and then Clary and Simon were there, hanging towards the back of the group. When he glanced behind him, he saw that Clary was slightly in front of Simon, wary of Alice's reaction to a vampire being at her home. Alice didn't have any reaction at all, aside from a curious tilt to her head. She eyed Clary, then eyed everyone else before her gaze landed back onto Adrian. "I recognize Clary, but I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the rest of you." Suddenly, a wary look passed over Alice's face. "Is this about—" She cut herself off, then glanced briefly over to where Abigail was still playing. She still hadn't noticed their large group, but Michael had. He was eyeing them suspiciously.

"No," Adrian said hurriedly. "I haven't heard anything about Abigail's invitation to train, and we weren't sent here because of that. I came here because—well—" Giving up on words, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded-up letter. He handed it to her without a word, and watched her reaction closely as she read it. First came surprise, then came a brief spark of sadness, and then—happiness. It was clear in her smile, in the way she brought a trembling hand up to cover her mouth. She let out a choked laugh, then looked at Adrian warmly as she handed it back to him. He put it back in his pocket, then cleared his throat. "I wasn't ready. Before. I didn't know that I was adopted or that you were alive until a couple of months ago, so I had to take a while to process. But I'm ready to know you now." He paused, then said sheepishly, "If you'll have me."

"Of course we'll have you," Alice said immediately, a bright smile appearing on her face. Her eyes were watery again, but this time, Adrian didn't mind. "Adrian, you will always have a place here. I want you to know that." Something in his chest broke free, and lightness took its place. It was like a huge weight suddenly lifted off his shoulders. He ducked his head to hide his sudden smile, and then he sighed in slight relief when Alice suddenly clapped her hands. "Alright! Enough of tears! Who are your friends?"

"I'm Jace Herondale," Jace said immediately, shooting a charming smile her way as he offered her his hand. Instead of shaking it, when Alice put her hand in his, he brought it up and kissed her knuckles. Alice raised an eyebrow, trying her best not to smile. Adrian resisted the very strong urge to kick him in his stomach.

"You've met me, but I'm Clary Fairchild," Clary said, skipping forward while she dragged Simon with her. "This is Simon Lewis." Simon offered a closed-lipped smile and waved awkwardly. Alice waved back, pulling her hand from Jace's grip.

"Isabelle Lightwood," Isabelle said, giving a casual two-fingered salute from her brow. "I just became parabatai with your son today, so that technically means I'm your daughter now. And that's my brother, Alec. He'll be your son-in-law in a few years—"

"Izzy," Alec hissed, blood rushing to his cheeks.

"—but I just want to make it clear that I was your favorite first," Isabelle finished. There was a beat of silence, and then Alice was laughing, looking delighted.

"I think there's room enough for all of you," Alice decided, and then she was waving them forward, toward the picnic table. "Come, have dinner with us. We've got peach cobbler inside for later, and Simon, I'm sure we can find something for you." Adam had already pulled extra chairs from inside the house out to the picnic table, but he kept his distance, glancing over at Adrian every few minutes but never approaching him. It wasn't until Alice disappeared inside and Michael started walking over that Adrian started to wonder why. He felt his stomach start to sink.

"Did you tell them?" he asked immediately once Michael was in earshot, keeping his voice low so Adam wouldn't hear. Michael froze, blinking a few times, and then he shook his head.

"No, I swear," he said quickly. He didn't look suspicious anymore, or confrontational like he had the last time Adrian had seen him. He just looked nervous and apologetic. "Dad just doesn't wanna crowd you, I think." Michael eyed Adrian's friends curiously, then cleared his throat and stepped to the side, revealing Abigail, who had been hiding behind him. Her eyes were wide as she took them all in, and then she squinted up at Adrian. There was dirt smudged across her cheek, and her hair was a tangled mess. "This is Abigail. She wanted to meet you before Mom came back and smothers you." Michael smiled a little. "Be warned. She does that."

"Do you really hunt demons?" Abigail said as a greeting, and Adrian immediately grinned.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Can I see?"

"Well, there aren't any demons here, I'm afraid. But I can show you my seraph blade—if that's okay," Adrian said quickly, shooting a look over at Adam, who was watching them with a surprisingly soft look on his face. At Adrian's look, Adam set his grill tongs down and wandered over. Adrian braced himself without even realizing it, almost expecting for Adam to be nasty. But instead, Adam ruffled Abigail's hair—that appeared to be how her hair got so tangled—and then he looked at Adrian with a warm smile.

"Seraph blades can't hurt humans, right?" he asked, like he was double-checking. Alice must've told him a lot about being a Shadowhunter before they ran away together and got married. Surprised, Adrian nodded, and Adam relaxed. "That's fine, then." Adam frowned down at Abigail sternly then. "You listen to him, alright? No running off with his weapons." Abigail pouted, like that was the worst rule on the planet, and Adrian huffed out a laugh. Without another word, Adrian stood from the picnic table. Isabelle stood as well, already fiddling with the whip around her wrist. She was definitely going to show that to Abigail next. Off to the side, Jace was now talking to Michael, something about weights. Clary, Simon, and Alec were pulled into a conversation by Adam.

Pulling the seraph blade from his belt, he knelt by Abigail, who was short for her age, and let her study the handle. She seemed disappointed. She even waved her hand in front of the handle, like she thought the blade was invisible. A frown pulled at her lips. "That's not a blade," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's just a handle."

"Seraph blades aren't regular blades," Adrian explained gently. He tapped the hilt and handle. "This is made of adamas, a heavenly metal that can be used to slay demonic creatures. You have to give it an angel's name to activate it." Abigail's eyes widened in fascination, and immediately, she made a grab for the handle. Adrian made sure it wasn't pointed toward her. She clutched the hilt between both of her hands, her brow furrowing in concentration. She pointed it toward the darkest part of the backyard and mumbled something under her breath. Adrian grinned and said, "Louder."

She cleared her throat and said loudly, "Gabriel." The seraph blade shot forward so strongly that it sent Abigail sprawling backwards onto the grass. Adrian had forgotten to position her properly, to tell her to brace herself, and it resulted in him bending over at the waist, laughter tumbling out of his throat. Isabelle was laughing too as she bent to help Abigail to her feet. Grumpily, Abigail gave Adrian back his seraph blade, which immediately shrank back into itself once Abigail was no longer touching it.

"Hey," Isabelle said, raising her eyebrows as she made a show of uncurling the whip from her wrist. "Wanna see my whip?" Abigail's eyes widened again.

"Yes," Abigail gasped.

"C'mon," Isabelle said, laughing as she took Abigail further out into the lawn. Adrian watched them for a moment, then turned back toward the picnic table to see that the food was being set out. Simon had a cup of blood in front of him, hidden inside of a black mug, and the rest had burgers. Alec was making Adrian's as well as his own, and Adrian sat back down beside him just as Adam, Alice, and Michael sat down to eat as well.

"Thank you for letting us join you," Clary said politely, smiling as she dumped potato chips onto her plate. This was probably her first normal family outing in a long time, and Adrian smiled at her.

"As I said, you're all always welcome here," Alice said warmly, and then she was smiling over at where Isabelle and Abigail were playing with Isabelle's whip. She laughed softly, then looked at Adrian. "I never had a parabatai, but I'm glad you found yours. How did you meet the Lightwoods? Last I heard, they were all exiled to New York. I can't imagine you ran into them much in Alicante." Adrian went still, then he tried to cover it up by reaching for the bag of potato chips.

"I, um," Adrian stuttered, pouring the chips before passing the bag to Alec. He reached for his glass next, taking a nervous sip of his iced water. He ultimately decided on the truth. "I live in New York, actually. In the Institute. Jace and I are both wards of the Lightwoods, technically, and we have been since we were young. I actually got my first rune here." He tapped the eye on the back of his right hand for emphasis, but he didn't miss Alice's confusion. He didn't want to be the one to tell her that her former best friend had practically abandoned her child, the child she had entrusted him to keep safe. And he especially didn't want to reveal that Malachi used to hit him sometimes. He just wanted to enjoy his burger.

"You've been living in New York since you were...?" Alice prompted.

"Around ten," he said with a shrug. Hesitantly, he added, "Malachi Dieudonne is dead." He hoped that was enough. He hoped Alice would assume he died when he was around ten, and that he'd been sent to the Lightwoods as an orphan with nowhere else to go. Thankfully, she seemed to, and he breathed a small sigh of relief. "Like I said, I didn't know I was adopted until recently, and Mary couldn't get custody because of...well." He didn't bring up Alice having her Marks stripped. He didn't have to. She nodded in understanding, and Adrian finished his small explanation with a shrug.

"The Lightwoods took care of you, then? They're kind to you?" Alice asked hopefully. Adrian nodded, his face softening, and Alice closed her eyes in relief. "Thank the Angel." She looked at Alec then, and a bright smile appeared on her face, nothing but warmth there. Alec smiled back. "How long have you two been together? If you don't mind me asking."

"Only for a few months," Alec responded, and Adrian had to pause in his surprise, because surely they had been together longer than that. It felt like they had. What Alec said next made Adrian's thoughts make a little bit more sense. "But we had feelings for each other way before that." Adrian smiled, squeezing Alec's fingers beneath the table again.

"How sweet," Alice said, eyes glittering as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. Adrian could see himself in her then, the excitement at seeing a loved one happy, and his chest ached. It was a nice ache, almost sweet, and it made him smile again. "Oh, I have so many questions for you, Adrian. I hope you don't mind. I want to know everything—"

"Honey," Adam cut in gently, pressing his hand to Alice's back, "let him breathe a little. This must be overwhelming for him." Adam glanced over at Adrian then, looking worried, and Adrian was startled to realize he was touched. He offered his father a small, grateful smile, and Adam returned it before looking back at his wife. "Just let the kids eat for now. You can interview him next time."

"I'm not interviewing him," Alice argued with a small scowl. Her cheeks were turning pink. Beside him, Alec huffed out a small laugh. She looked at the teenagers spread out in front of her. The only one still missing was Isabelle, who seemed to have taken Abigail under her wing. Adrian glanced over and saw Isabelle was teaching his baby sister how to punch properly. "Am I interviewing him?"

"Well..." Alec said politely.

"You didn't really start yet," Clary said kindly.

"What?" Simon asked, looking up from his blood, looking dazed.

"Yes," Jace said bluntly.

"Clary was the most helpful here, I think," Adrian cut in. Clary shot him a grin, then turned back to her food, scarfing her burger down like she hadn't just came from Taki's Diner. He glanced over at his mother, who looked dismayed. He smiled at her. "But it's okay. I have a lot of questions, too. Right now, though, I'd like to just...be here." Alice nodded, shared a short glance with Adam, and then leaned forward to yell at Abigail to come eat before her food got cold. Abigail ran over talking a mile a minute, rambling about how cool Isabelle and Adrian both were, how she couldn't wait to punch her teacher, and then she was told that she couldn't punch her teacher just because he told her to do math.

What followed was, perhaps, the most mundane night Adrian had ever had, and he was completely and utterly fine with that.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I bet everyone thought I abandoned this story lmao not on my life!

Vote and comment!