"So this is the main hallway, this where people at the top tend to stay as most of the paperwork offices and emergency rooms are right down this hallway to your left." Eliza said reaching around Alec , who in all his excitement to see his old friend had forgotten a little thing one calls "Personal Space". It wasn't his fault, and despite the oddly simultaneous look of scandal and approval coming from his mother, he really didn't mean anything by it. Sure he liked Elizabeth, after all that confidence of hers had him adoring her for the first two weeks they'd known each other, but she and him just didn't feel that way about each other.
Plus he wasn't her type anyway. Alec was too 'much' for her, that was what she had said. A bit ironic really, considering he'd always considered himself not enough for people. "I don't know how to explain it man," she had said. "I need somebody who completes me, not competes with somebody. I need somebody to cool me down, and as my best friend, you get me all ramped up."
Best friend. Two words Alec had never heard in utterance to himself before, considering he and Jace were only just getting to know each other. At the time, Alec hadn't really wanted to get to know Jace , he already had a brother and a best friend, so he didn't really need another one of each. However as her brother's condition worsened by the time they both hit puberty (and the fact that puberty just had a natural tendency to drift boy-girl friendships apart, especially cross-country boy-girl friendships with dating, Shadowhunter training, etc.), they weren't as close.
It was almost like Jace had been waiting for him with open arms, and Alec and Jace became well, Alec and Jace. Just like that. Eliza and Alec still talked, sometimes over phone calls and definitely at Idris councils and stuff, but they were never as close as they were. The sound of his little brother's voice brought him out of his memories and back to the tour, which he really didn't need considering he could probably tell Eliza where all the bathrooms are.
"What does it mean to be at the top?" Max asked, Maryse's eyes flashed disappointment for babrely a nanosecond before Eliza hopped on to his answer.
"Well it means these living quarters belong to the most important people in the whole Institute." She says, leaning down to run a hand through his hair. "So it only makes sense you and your mom will be staying in this hall."
"And the rest of us?" Clary asked, finally bothering to speak.
"Oh my fellow ginger, we shall be staying in my home inside my home on the other side of the building, known as Family Disappointment Hall. I mean it's such a honor to have a hall dedicated to me, and I'm enthralled to have you bunking it up alongside me." Eliza said with an over dramatic, clearly sarcastic smile and tone. Either way, Alec tried to his smile at her amusement.
Her sister coughed. "When you're done praising your own insubordination, maybe you get the Lightwoods and company to their rooms so they can get settled down before our meeting."
"Of course, m'lady." Eliza said with a bob of her head and a bow of her legs that was no long insubordinate, but just plain insolent. "This way."
"When do we get to stop being referred to as 'and company'?" Simon asked as Eliza led them out of the hall, and to a long stretched hallway where the brick was a lighter shade of red than in the rest of the Institute. There was also a lot blue complimenting the brick around (whether it be the shutters or the warm blue of the ceiling above them) it just brought Alec a feeling of calm. The stark white and blacks and greys of other institutes used to unease Alec as a child, they always seemed so, mean. Sharp. Like the walls would cut him.
"So my bedroom is at the end of the hall, there's bathrooms in each of your rooms, and there's a lounge with a fridge and a mini kitchen inside the first door to your right. The other two on the right and all three doors on your left are bedrooms for you guys. I figured I'd let you guys arrange yourselves, because 1. I'm lazy and 2. Well I procrastinated on coming up with a second reason so, see you in an hour I guess." Eliza turned to return to her room but Alec grabbed at her arm.
"Alec!" She said, retracting her arm and staring at him like he should have known not to do that.
"Sorry." He said, but then smiled. "See you in an hour."
And he did. He and Isabelle both chose the rooms on either side of Eliza's room, and Clary chose the one next to Isabelle's with Jace next to Alec's, leaving Simon in the third one on the left. Alec really didn't do much unpacking, he started pacing back and forth thinking about the mission and how they might try and find the Mortal Cup. By the time the hour was up, no time had passed for Alec himself, and the only thing that brought him out of his thoughts was the knock at his door.
"Alec, it's Clary. They're ready to start." She says, he can hear how nervous she is in her voice. He can see it in the way she hangs her head a little when he opens the door, normally the fiery red head walked proud and didn't blink twice to see if she'd knocked anyone down in her it were Izzy, or Eliza, or even his mom, Alec would have set a comforting hand on her shoulder but with Clary it didn't feel right.
So instead he walked past her, made sure to move a little bit faster than normal so that he had time to stop at the end of the hallway with her nearly left at the other end. Then he turned around, mustered his best confused look mixed with playful annoyance and said "You good, Fray?"
She smiled. Something familiar. Alec being annoyed with her, or maybe Alec calling her Fray. Either way the sense of something comfortable (despite how new it still was), put a small smile to her face. And whether he liked it or not, Alec felt more comfortable when Clary had a smile on her face, plus Jace would thank him for it later.