Tessa Gray perched on her library seat, looking out at the courtyard distastefully. It was cloudy again, covering London in a dark blanket. The weather seemed to affect the outside as well as in, down pouring fowl moods to everyone the institute covered.
"What are you looking at?"
The sudden voice made her jump, goose bumps running down her arms. It was Jem, smiling in the frame of the door. She couldn't help but think it made him look small in comparison.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," he rushed, going to her.
Tessa's cheeks flushed. "Oh no, you didn't frighten me at all." She moved her legs off the bench and smoothed down her skirts. "Please, come and join me. It's been a gloomy day."
She was distant today, mind focused somewhere far away. It wasn't like Tessa, she was always the one who seemed to pull everyone else into focus. Jem took the seat next to her, shakily taking her hand in his.
"Is everything alright?"
She looked up at Jem and his brilliantly silver eyes. He was exhausted, mouth drooping; a thoughtless frown.
"I'm fine. How have you been? Not feeling well?"
Jem couldn't help but smile. Tessa had been a quick learner, seeing the signs of his illness almost before he noticed them himself; just like Will.
Jem tensed at the thought of Will. With Tessa at the institute, they couldn't have been farther apart.
"Your making that face again," she announced, squeezing his hand lightly, collecting his attention once more.
He smiled at her, a false emotion which both of them knew better then to talk about. "And what face is that my dear Tessa?"
"The one that you make when you're thinking about something unpleasant."
"I was thinking of Will actually, so I guess you would be right about the amount of unpleasantness."
They both laughed then, chatting away into the afternoon and evening until they heard the floorboard creek, giving away an intruder.
"Who is it?" Tessa called out playfully.
"I-is Jemm in thurrr?"
Will peaked his head into the library. He was clearly drunk. The stench of ale and sweat filling the library.
Jem held on to Tessa, sitting up slightly. "Yes I'm here. What is it you need Will?"
Tessa noticed the amount of harshness in Jem's voice, thinking for no longer than a moment that she could have been the motive behind it.
Will staggered in, his clothes and hair soaked from the downpour outside. He stared at the pair on the library seat, their hands interlocked. Self consciously, Tessa shook herself from Jem.
"Come on Jem, he'll catch a cold if we don't get him in a hot tub."
The two of them struggled with Will between them, slung over their shoulders half stumbling and half dragging him to his room. They dumped him on his bed, and Jem left to start a bath.
Tessa pulled off his boots, then his socks.
"Tesssssssa," Will's voice trailed in a snaky whisper.
She gazed up to him, seeing his outstretched hand, threw his socks on the floor leaning in to see what he wanted. He caught her arm, pulling her down onto him.
"William Herondale!" she yelled as she struggled to get up. The smell of alcohol on his breath made her want to throw up. "Let me go!"
With her arms trapped between them her attempt at getting back on her feet was useless. Will had her face in his strong hand, pulling it toward his.
Trying to shake free, he was giving her more reasons to hate him.
His mouth pressed harshly on hers, as she helplessly worked at pulling away. His kiss wasn't like the first they had shared, the first had been full of lust, this was one was filled with a chilled danger that made Tessa want to cry.
"The baths almost ready!" Jem called from the other room, his footsteps slowly approaching.
Will tossed Tessa off of him, watching as she backed up towards the door terrified. She left in tears, Will stunned out of his drunken state. Did he just do that?
Pulling off the rest of his clothes he grabbed a washing cloth from his dresser, pushing Jem from the washroom, shutting the door behind him, submerging himself with his thoughts into the burning heat of the bath.