Chapter 10: ...and First Kisses

A/N: Happy New Year's Eve! I'm publishing this early so that everyone who reads it can hopefully enjoy it alongside the New Year's celebrations. Anyway, as always, please remember to review, and -

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-ToAC

2030
As the parents entered, the Seelie court, the teenagers formed a basic lookout/guard formation with each taking a slightly different angle. They remained close to the entrance so they could still have a conversation. Jordan was sat on a slight verge in the cavern whilst the other four sat on the ground.
"So, what do you guys talk about on guard duty?" Ros asked. She had a 'Speak in tongues' rune but had also learned basic English so that the American Shadowhunters didn't need to also rely on the runes.
"Just talk, really;" Charlie answered. "Some of my best conversations with these guys happened on patrols or guard duty."
"Excuse me?!" Cecily remarked in shock. "We have plenty of good conversations when we're not on guard duty."
"Yeah. Give us one example of one of these 'best' conversations." Will instructed his sister. Charlie thought for a moment, then retold a story she seemed to think met Will's conditions from a few years prior.

2028
The two Herondale siblings were walking across the New York skyline. Both of the Lovelace siblings were ill, unfortunately, so couldn't join their parabatai on the patrol. However, it could be argued that the Lovelaces were better off as the weather was freezing cold, and it was pouring down with rain. The 14-year-old and 15-year-old were taking refuge under an awning, alongside multiple mundanes. Of course, none of the mundanes were able to see Charlie and Will. Both siblings were leaning on the shop window, trying to stay out of the mundanes' way, and waiting for the rain to stop.
"So, how are you enjoying having a parabatai?" Charlie asked Will. Jordan and Will had undergone the parabatai ceremony less than a week before, and fate seemed to be working against them ever since. Firstly, Will fell badly ill with the flu a few days after the ceremony. In caring for his new parabatai, Jordan had caught the same illness. It was a similar case for Charlie and Cecily, hence why the Herondales had to do their patrols together instead of with their respective parabatai.
"I haven't had much time to enjoy it, have I?" Will retorted.
"Maybe not the fighting back to back side of being parabatai, but you have had to care for him as he's been sick." Charlie remarked. Will nodded, as if to say 'fair enough'. The two siblings kept looking out onto the rainy city until Charlie broke the silence again.
"So, do you have any plans on telling Charlie how you feel about her?" Charlie asked Will, making her brother look at her in a fluster.
"What do you mean?" Will asked, blushing bright red and looking 100% flustered.
"Come on, Will." Charlie commented. "I'm your sister. You can't hide anything from me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Will bluffed, which made Charlie chuckle at her brother's embarrassment.
"Yeah, you do. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine too." Charlie assured Will.

2030
"I wouldn't call that much of a conversation." Will commented after Charlie had finished her story.
"I wasn't lying though, was I?" Charlie retorted. "You did have feelings for Cecily, even back then."
Will smiled bashfully, as did Cecily.
"So, how much longer do you think our parents will be?" Jordan asked.
"No idea." All four other teenagers responded simultaneously. It was a few minutes later that the Arcargent and Lovelace parents emerged from the Seelie Court. The parents and their respective children headed home, with Will and Charlie saying that they'd wait for their mum and dad. The Herondale siblings kept waiting for a while, until their parents emerged from the Seelie Court. Jace was supporting Clary slightly. Charlie and Will sprinted over to check whether their mum was OK. After doing so, the Herondales headed towards the Institute. Later that evening, Ros and Charlie were sitting in the Institute's library when Charlie's stomach growled. It was loud enough for Ros to hear.
"You must be starving!" Ros commented. "We need to get food."
Charlie allowed Ros to take her out of the library by the hand, and the pair walked downstairs. However, before they exited the Institute, Charlie knocked on the lounge door and checked that it was alright with her parent for the pair to go for dinner. Clary assured Charlie that it was alright, however Charlie noticed that her mum looked worried about something. At that point in time, Charlie didn't give it too much thought. Charlie and Ros walked through the New York streets, trying to find a good restaurant. They ended up at the restaurant that had come highly recommended by Will and Cecily after their first date, even if it was cut short. They were able to eat a table as the restaurant was mostly empty and had a lovely meal. Throughout the meal, Charlie and Ros made small talk and laughed. Without really noticing, the pair began to hold hands on the table. When Charlie noticed, she internally blushed. Externally, however, she was able to keep a smile and didn't give away her hidden awkwardness. Ros also noticed. However, her reaction was a bit less hidden. Sher smile brightened and her eyes seemed to show even more joy than they did previously. Whilst Charlie pretended not to notice that they were holding hands, she did notice Ros' reaction.
"What is it?" Charlie asked, though she had a good idea of what had caused the French girl's reaction. Ros gestured towards the pair's intertwined hands. Charlie pretended that she had just noticed that they were actually holding hands, and let her facade drop slightly. She felt her cheeks flush pink, which only made Ros smile more.
"I didn't even realise that happened." Charlie blurted, trying to slide her hand away. "I'm so sorry about that."
Ros shook her head gently, and squeezed Charlie's hand trying to be comforting.
"You have no reason to worry." Ros assured Charlie. "Our actions speak for us when we don't know how to say what we want."
Charlie was left speechless for a few moments. When she finally found her voice, it sounded awkward and confused.
"What do you mean by that?" Charlie queried in a fluster.
"I think you know." Ros stated with a smile. "I'm sure I saw the same, what do you call it, spark in your eye that I felt after our first meeting."
Charlie stayed silent, not sure of what to say. Ros took a deep breath before she continued.
"That is why I asked you to come for dinner. Your hunger just helped. It's also why I didn't ask any of our friends, and family, to accompany us." Ros confessed. "I was hoping to get you alone so that I could tell you my feelings and that you could keep them in strict confidence."
Charlie smiled and nodded.
"Of course. I'll keep your secret, no matter what." Charlie assured Ros. "What did you want to tell me?"

Once again, Ros let actions speak for her. She leaned over the table and pulled Charlie into a warm kiss. Charlie froze at first, shocked by what had just happened, but soon she unfroze and began to kiss Ros back. As she did, both began to giggle with happiness. After they had to break apart to breathe, the two beamed at each other.
"I didn't even realise you were..." Charlie commented, trailing off before she finished her sentence.
"A lesbian?" Ros replied. "I didn't realise I was until recently either."
Charlie put her hand on her chin, listening intently.
"It was you that made me realise that - made me realise who I was." Ros confessed. Charlie grinned with joy and kissed Ros again, this time a lot more confident about the reciprocation. After they separated for breath again, they finished their meal, keeping their hands intertwined for the whole evening. Once they were finished, Charlie paid for the meal then the pair strolled back to the Institute.

Meanwhile, in the Institute, Cecily and Will were sitting with each other in the greenhouse. The former had become the unofficial gardener for the Institute, with the latter frequently helping out when they could. Thankfully, Cecily had turned out to be quite the green-fingered individual unlike her parents and other family members. At the moment, they were taking a break after watering every plant in the entire greenhouse. They were sitting on the staircase, with Will looking up at his girlfriend. The Herondale, despite his numerous years of training about how to hide his emotions, was unintentionally smiling and looking at the Lovelace with eyes full of love. Cecily was looking back at Will, with similar emotions clear on her face.
"What's on your mind, Will?" Cecily asked her boyfriend.
"You are." Will confessed, making Cecily smile and flush slightly in joy. She took the Herondale's hand and leaned in. However, before they could kiss, Jordan walked into the greenhouse.
"Hey." Jordan greeted Cecily and Will. Will and Cecily shifted slightly apart, the romance replaced with awkwardness.
"Hi." Cecily and Will greeted their respective brother and parabatai. Jordan noticed the slight awkwardness between the two other teenagers.
"Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?" Jordan sounded embarrassed about his now apparent intrusion.
"No." Cecily assured her brother. "It's fine."
After a stern look from Cecily, Will nodded in agreement. Jordan walked over to the couple and sat at a lower point on the stairs.
"So, what's up, Jordan?" Cecily asked her brother.
"I actually wanted to ask both of you something. It's about being in relationships." Jordan confessed. Will and Cecily nodded in interest.
"I think I might like someone, and I'm not sure what I should do about it." Jordan continued his confession.
"It's Amatis, isn't it?" Cecily and Will queried simultaneously. Jordan's face went bright red.
"What? How did you know?" Jordan asked. His sister and parabatai both smiled.
"I'm your sister, and he's your parabatai, Jordan." Cecily stated. "We know you better than most people."
Jordan's blush faded slightly and he began to smile.
"So, what do I do?" Jordan asked.
"Tell her!" Cecily and Will ordered Jordan simultaneously.
"I'm sure it will go well." Cecily assured her little brother. Jordan smiled.
"Thank you so much for that, you two." Jordan thanked her parabatai and sister. He then stood and exited the greenhouse.
"It's good to know that our assumptions were correct." Cecily commented. Will nodded, smiling. Cecily then shifted closer to Will again and placed her hands on his shoulders. Will put his hands over Cecily's, holding them comfortingly.
"So, where were we?" Will asked, making Cecily smirk.
"Well, we weren't doing much. What we were going to do, though…" Cecily trailed off as she closed the gap between her and Will. The kiss was only a moment long, but for the pair, time slowed and the outside world seemed to fade away, if only for a few moments. When the two had finished kissing, they leant back and smiled at each other.
"I love you." Will and Cecily remarked unintentionally and simultaneously. Both blushed slightly, but were grinning as wide as they could. The pair held each other closely.
"I love you." Will repeated. Cecily tightened her grip on Will.
"I love you too." Cecily assured Will.

Meanwhile, Jordan had grabbed his coat and ran out of the Institute, heading towards the Garroway house. As he did, the heavens seemed to open and it began to drizzle onto Jordan. He was able to quickly reach the house, and knocked on the door. Luke answered the door and immediately told Jordan to come in out of the rain. As Jordan stood in the hallway, Amatis entered. Amatis and Jordan stared at each other, and Luke noticed an unspoken conversation between the two.
"I'll leave you two alone." Luke remarked, before leaving the hallway, trying to find Jocelyn wherever she was. Meanwhile, Amatis walked over to Jordan.
"What are you here for, Jordan?" Amatis asked, sounding concerned for the Lovelace.
"I just needed to talk to you." Jordan began his confession. "With everything going on, with Ros and Charlie, as well as my sister and Will, I've realised a few things about what – who I like."
Amatis gestured at Jordan to continue, trying to seem appreciative and comforting. Jordan took a deep breath before continuing.
"Amatis, we've known each other most of our lives. In fact, I've known you since before I can remember." Jordan continued. Amatis smiled at the sentiment. "I've had these feelings for you for the longest of times, and it was only recently that I realised what these emotions were. Amatis, I love you. It took me so long to realise that I love you, with all my heart."
Amatis smiled brightly at Jordan, though there was shock and tears in Amatis' eyes. There was a moment of tense silence and still then Amatis quickly pulled Jordan into a tight hug. Jordan heard the werewolf sobbing into his shoulder.
"What's wrong, Amatis?" Jordan asked; worried for the girl that was hugging him.
"Nothing's wrong." Amatis responded, stepping back so she could see Jordan and wiping her eyes. "It's just a bit overwhelming. I've wanted to tell you how I feel for you for a while, but I've never got up the courage. I love you too, Jordan Lovelace."
The two stood, hugging until someone cleared their throat. Amatis and Jordan turned to see Luke and Jocelyn. Both teenagers blushed and split apart.
"I'll see you later, Amatis." Jordan remarked, shifting awkwardly. He then said goodbye to Jocelyn and Luke and left the house hurriedly. When he arrived back at the Institute, Izzy was just finishing a phone call.
"Hi, mum." Jordan greeted, trying to seem nonchalant and unworried.
"How were Amatis and the rest of the Garroways?" Izzy asked. This made Jordan blush and splutter.
"It's alright that you went to see her." Izzy assured her son. Jordan nodded before hurrying deeper into the Institute.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. I'll see you in the next chapter, and in 2017! And, as always

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-ToAC