Isabelle Lightwood was a terribly bored 13-year-old. Being the mature and responsible young woman she was, obviously her parents chose her to be in charge for weekend. Hodge didn't really count in her opinion. He just stayed cooped up in his study at the opposite end of the institute all the time anyway. Isabelle was determined to have fun this weekend. She could hear Jace and Alec arguing in the living room just up the hall. She crept along the corridor to try and eavesdrop on what they were saying. Isabelle peered her head around the corner, her inky hair providing a good camouflage in the shadows.
"Put it away Jace!" Alec hissed.
Jace laughed. "I haven't got it out. But wow Alec, if that's what you really want…"
"Shut up. You know what I mean. Put that bottle away." Alec blushed the darkest shade of red. Isabelle knew something was up with Alec and Jace. She was yet to put her finger on it though. She would get the answer out of Alec eventually; she's had him wrapped around her little finger since she was four years old.
"Why don't you want to have any fun? I know you're allergic to the plants in the greenhouse but I didn't know you were allergic to fun, too!" Jace pouted.
"I'm not allergic to fun!"
"Well it seems like it. You're just scared then!"
"I'm not!"
"Prove it." Jace said with a smirk, thrusting a bottle into Alec's hands.
Alec looked at Jace, his mouth a firm straight line and unscrewed the cap of the bottle in his hands. With an audible crack, the lid uncapped and he tossed the cap over his shoulder. Alec lifted the bottle to his mouth and took three long gulps. He pushed the bottle back into a shocked Jace's hands.
"Point proven."
"I would hope so." Alec smiled satisfyingly.
Jace began to take a swig out of the bottle when Isabelle stormed out of her corner.
"What do you think you're doing?" Isabelle shot.
"Jace found it. But don't-. Tell. Hodge. It's a secret" Alec tripped over his feet and fell to the ground.
Jace appeared unmoved by her appearance. "Want some?"
Isabelle knew she wanted some entertainment this weekend. She was growing up, and wasn't it part of being a teenager to experiment? She had never been drunk, never even had a sip of anything. And young, responsible Isabelle Lightwood, who had never done anything remotely rebellious in her life, snatched the vodka out of Jace's hand and downed the rest of the bottle. She placed it on the floor when she was done and kicked it away with her foot. The boys were staring open mouthed at her.
"What?" She asked.
Jace said nothing and simply stepped over Alec, who was pointing at the ceiling, to pull out another flask from behind the couch.
The following hour was passed in games of truth or dare, and finishing off the other bottle. Finally, Alec put his arms up.
"I can't. Enough." He said.
"Mhmm." Isabelle agreed.
"Well that was fun." Jace stated, before collapsing into laughter, which the other two joined in.
When the laughter died down, Alec staggered over to Jace, before dropping down next to him. He gave Jace one intense look before lying down and placing his head in Jace's lap. Jace looked mildly surprised, but placed a hand on Alec's head easily.
Isabelle's mind was working overtime. Trying to piece together the scene in front of her while intoxicated was like swimming through mud. Alec reached up and ran the back of his hand over Jace's cheek.
Finally, it was like somebody has flicked a switch inside her head and the answer had been obvious all along.
"Alexander, let me speak to you for a moment. In private." Isabelle staggered over to Alec and dragged him into the kitchen.
"I know." Isabelle said simply.
"Know what? If you will excuse me, I was quite content before-"
"I know how you feel about Jace." Isabelle caught a hold of Alec's hand.
"Shut up, just shut up! You're talking too loud!" Alec clamped a hand over his sister's mouth.
Isabelle swiped away Alec's hand easily.
"Alec! Tell me the truth! I'm your sister!"
"Fine. Fine! So now you know." Alec slumped glumly to the ground and begun beating his head against a kitchen cabinet.
"Stop that. How exactly do you feel about him? Do you… like him?" Isabelle flopped down next to her brother.
"Shh! Stop saying that stuff out loud!" Alec pulled his knees up to his chin and hid his face.
"Why?"
Alec looked up at her with an expression of tortured misery. "Because then it still might not be true."
Isabelle didn't understand what Alec was going through, but did know that he was upset. She wrapped an arm around him.
"It will be okay." Isabelle said softly, smoothing her brother's hair. She was lying through her teeth. If the Clave found out he were gay, he would be thought of as a freak. Even worse, the object of his affections was his adopted brother, soon to be parabatai. But the most painful part of all was the slimness of the chance that Jace could like him back.
"Do you think I have a chance?" Alec asked hopefully.
Isabelle paused. Jace was the straightest guy she could imagine. Just 14 years old and already using girls like Kleenex's. The chances of him giving that up were pretty much zero.
"Sure." Isabelle tried to look optimistic. "He never really seems to like the girls he gets with anyway."
"I thought that too."
"So are you going to tell Mom and Dad? About you being-" Isabelle started.
"Don't say it out loud!"
"Are you not or not?" Isabelle insisted.
"Probably not. Maybe when I'm 18." Alec sighed.
"What's this cosy gathering I'm not invited to?" Jace stumbled in the kitchen archway, hands flailing along the wall for support.
Alec snapped his mouth shut. He looked at Isabelle frantically.
"Alec's feeling sick after that stuff you practically forced down his throat. That's all." She said, rolling her eyes at Jace.
"I did not force him!" Jace protested.
"Alec you are allergic to fun and you are a big, scared baby!" Isabelle mimicked.
"That's because he is a big scared baby." Jace smirked.
"Proved you all wrong on that one didn't I?" said Alec.
"Well come on! Come back into the lounge room! Bring a bucket if you feel that sick!" Jace demanded.
Back in the lounge room, Alec had positioned himself next to Jace again and was obviously trying very hard to not look at him.
"Where have you gone, baby Alec?" Jace said dramatically, pulling Alec by the arm on to his lap, wrapping his arms around him and rocking him from side to side.
"Hush little baby don't you cry, Jacey's gonna sing you a lullaby…" Jace crooned.
"Jace, what are you doing?" Isabelle sighed.
"Sending baby Alec off to sleep. He is a little baby and requires constant care." Jace explained.
"I am not a baby." Yawned Alec half-heartedly. He didn't want to make too much of an objection to the arrangement.
"Baby is yawning! Baby is tired."
"Yes, Jace, I'm tired." Alec yawned again.
"I'll tuck you into bed! Wait here Izzy, I have to put the baby to sleep." Jace stood up, scooped Alec into his arms and begun lurching down the hallway towards Alec's room, bumping Alec's head on every available piece of wall on the way.
When Jace finally reached the bed he rolled Alec on to it before throwing himself on the mattress beside Alec and rolling to face him. Alec kept quiet. He didn't want to say anything that would make Jace go away.
"Baby already asleep?" Jace asked.
"No. Baby's awake." Alec said groggily, eyes adjusting to the dark, and also adjusting to the fact that the boy he was in love with was on his bed.
"I don't want to play babies anymore. I want to play Jace and Alec." Jace said.
"Let's play Jace and Alec then."
And with that, Jace pushed himself forward and kissed Alec. Stunned, Alec kept as still as a statue. When Jace pulled away Alec had to try several times before he could speak.
"How did you know…?" Alec started.
"I might be drunk, but I'm not deaf. I heard you and Izzy talking in the kitchen."
Alec groaned and pressed his hands to his face. Jace chuckled and pulled Alec's hands away.
"Alec! I'm glad I heard. Because now we can do more of this." Jace smiled and kissed him again.
Alec liked getting drunk. Alec really liked playing babies. But his favourite thing to do was play Jace and Alec.
