Chapter 12: …And Surprise Gifts
A/N: Hello! This chapter basically happens in the same timeframe as the 'present' sections of the last chapter, and extending upon it. You'll understand as you read the chapter. This chapter definitely requires a T rating.
March, 2030
Whilst Cecily and Will were listening to Jem's retelling of Victorian times, and Charlie was lost in her thoughts, Amatis and Charlie snuck away from the assembled family members and friends. They made their way up to Jordan's bedroom and sat on the Lovelace's bed. They smiled at each other.
"It's nice to get away from the noise for a while." Amatis commented. Jordan nodded in response. Jordan and Amatis had talked at length about how Amatis' enhanced senses of hearing and smell meant that gatherings were difficult to deal with. For werewolves, sometimes, solitude was peace. Jordan held his loved one's hands and smiled at her comfortingly.
"Although, my senses do have their benefits." Amatis commented. "For example, I can tell when someone has an elevated heart rate when they're in close quarters."
Amatis gave Jordan a flirtatious smile, whilst her comment made Jordan feel and look rather bashful. Amatis' smile became more comforting. She took Jordan's hand and placed it on her chest. Amatis' heartbeat was racing, much like Jordan's. This made Jordan feel less embarrassed.
"I talked to my parents about it," Amatis explained. "They said that when you love a person, your pulse speeds up unintentionally."
"I've heard that before, but I wasn't sure if it was true." Jordan commented. "I guess this is the proof."
"I guess it is." Amatis responded, smirking slightly. The two lulled into a brief silence, eventually broken by Amatis.
"So, why are we up here?" Amatis asked.
"Uh, well, it was mostly because I noticed you were being overwhelmed by all the noise upstairs." Jordan confessed. "I also wanted to have some time alone with you, and this seemed like the best place to be so that we weren't interrupted."
Amatis smiled, appreciating Jordan's care in the matter. Without letting Jordan say anything more, Amatis kissed him. Unlike the kisses shared between Will and Cecily, one of which Jordan accidentally saw, this was incredibly passionate, as if the pair was going to die before they could finish. Later, Jordan would reason that all the passion that his sister and his parabatai had for each other was able to be satisfied more regularly, so they weren't as… energetic when they showed how they felt for each other. Meanwhile, Jordan and Amatis' passion for each other had to be supressed, mostly due to the fact that both were too awkward for public displays of affection. So, as they kissed now, sure that they wouldn't be seen or disturbed, their mutual passion erupted. Their hands began to roam over each other and clothes were lost, and their passionate actions continued.
About half an hour later, the two were lying on Jordan's bed, holding each other in a warm embrace. Jordan lovingly looked at Amatis, who was lying on top of him, and had fallen asleep. Jordan happened to look over at the clock on his bedside table and noticed the time. His movement to look at the clock caused Amatis to stir.
"How long has it been?" Amatis asked, noticing Jordan looking at the clock.
"It's been about half an hour." Jordan commented, causing Amatis to sit up.
"We should probably get back downstairs." The two teenagers commented simultaneously. They then stood, dressed and hurried downstairs. As soon as they entered the lounge with everyone else, they were confronted by Cecily and Will.
After most of the guests had left, Will told Cecily to meet him in the greenhouse later that evening. Cecily agreed and Will ran up to his room. A few days prior, Will had bought a small gift for Cecily, whilst on patrol with Jordan. Now, as Will retrieved the present from his bedroom and left into the corridor, he was met by both Jordan and Simon, who seemed to be making some small talk. Both saw Will leave his room, gift in hand. Both Lovelaces immediately noticed the gift box in Will's hand and realised what it was, or rather, who it was for.
"So, you're going to ask her then?" Jordan asked his parabatai. Will nodded in response, nerves stopping him from speaking. Despite the fact he had planned and prepared what he was going to do, butterflies still filled his stomach.
"You'll do great." Simon assured his adoptive nephew. This reassured Will, and made him feel a bit braver.
"I'm still bricking it about what she's going to say." Will confessed.
"If I know my sister, and I can assure that that is one subject I do know, mostly," Jordan remarked. "I know that she absolutely adores you and will always do so."
Simon nodded in agreement.
"Look, no matter what happens: it takes guts to do something like this, so well done either way." Simon stated to Will. Will thanked the two Lovelaces, before continuing to walk towards the greenhouse. Will had had the foresight with everything that was happening that day to prepare that morning. With the assistance of Clary, he had packed a small picnic hamper for him and Cecily to share, before or after Will gave Cecily her present. Will didn't have a specific order of what was going to happen tonight. He only knew that he was going to give Cecily the gift at some point, and hope that she likes it. He was able to get to the greenhouse, and set up the picnic blanket before Cecily arrived in the greenhouse. Earlier, Cecily had been wearing more casual clothes which could easily fit underneath gear; she was now wearing the dress that she had worn on her and Will's first date. Will had also changed as he retrieved the gift, now wearing a smart polo and chinos. For warmth, he was also wearing a light jacket, which he had hidden the gift in. When Cecily saw the picnic Will had set out for the couple, she smiled. She walked over and pecked her boyfriend on the lips. Seeing that Cecily liked what she had seen so far of what Will had prepared calmed the Herondale fractionally, though he was still secretly anxious about how the night would finish. Cecily sat on the mat, and Will sat facing her.
"So, what's the occasion?" Cecily asked, intrigued about the reasoning for the evening rendezvous. "Other than your birthday."
"Oh, there's no major occasion," Will remarked, adding 'yet' to the remark in his mind. "I just felt that we needed to have a proper date, even though we see each other every day."
Cecily smirked.
"I agree. Being covered in demon ash isn't exactly conducive to romance." Cecily commented, making the Herondale chuckle. Cecily was referencing when the pair got called off of another dinner date as a demon which had been summoned by Magnus had escaped its binding magic and was rampaging through Brooklyn. As a side effect of the bodged binding, which Magnus put down to worry about his (adoptive) sons, a few other demons had also escaped and also roamed the New York streets. Making a quick stop at the Institute, Will and Cecily helped deal with the problem, though it did end up with them being absolutely covered in demon ash.
"You still look stunning, even if you're covered in demon ash." Will responded nonchalantly to Cecily's comment. Cecily gave a bashful smile as a response to the compliment. The two stayed in silence as they ate a bit of the food, and Will tried to build up some courage. The irony of the situation struck Will at that moment: he had faced down demons, rogue Downworlders, and an utter madman with no fear, but now, when all he had to do was give his girlfriend a gift and ask a question, he was completely frozen with sheer anxiety. He was able to crack through his fear and reached into his jacket pocket, ready to take the gift out of the pocket and offer it to Cecily.
"Cecily," Will started, getting the Lovelace's attention. "We've been dating for a while now and, um, I was wanting to give you something. Well, ask you something. Now, I know you don't want to get married any time soon. Hell, I'm terrified about marriage and all that sort of thing. Well, it's more a fear of the responsibilities required in married life."
Will realised that he was beginning to ramble. He took a breath, so that he could collect himself and not ramble further. Cecily looked at him comfortingly and reassuringly, seeing and sensing how nervous the Herondale was. After he had collected his thoughts, Will picked up from where he had left off.
"So, basically, I know that we're both not quite ready to be married yet." Will continued. "But, at the same time, I want to be with you. I can see a very nice future, where we get married at some point, when we're ready. However, I thought this would be a good compromise. for now at least."
At that moment, he took the gift box from his jacket pocket and held it out to Cecily. She took it, intrigued, and opened it. Inside, there was a simple silver ring, with a few Celtic designs.
"It's called a promise ring. My mum told me about them once. They're something used in the mundane world-" Will attempted to explain, but was cut off by Cecily, who had put down the gift and was kissing him. A moment later, when they separated, Will was the first to speak up.
"I hope that wasn't just to shut me up." Will joked, making Cecily smile at him.
"I know what a promise ring is, Will." Cecily remarked. "My dad lived as a mundane too, remember? Plus, you always smile after we kiss, which is nice."
Cecily took the ring from the box.
"It's incredibly thoughtful of you, and very considered." Cecily commented about the ring. "And to be honest, I see that future as well. But, with everything else at the moment, with Mortmain and all the higher than normal risk of death, trying to organise a wedding would be a bit... uncalled for. But, I'm happy with this as a compromise."
After she had concluded her piece, Cecily slipped the ring onto her finger then put her hand in Will's.
"So, what do we tell everyone else?" Cecily queried. Will blushed slightly.
"Well, um, your mum and dad already know. So does Jordan..." Will confessed before explaining that Jordan was with him when Will bought the ring, and Will also felt the need to ask for Simon's and Isabelle's blessing. Cecily understood this.
"If my dad knows, then he's probably told your mum and dad, too." Cecily deduced.
"So, the only person who wouldn't know would be my sister." Will concluded.
"Charlie won't be happy about that." Cecily commented. Will nodded in agreement.
"Speaking of Charlie, did she seem a bit distracted to you today?" Cecily queried.
"Yeah. She seemed very attentive to the necklace she got in France." Will remarked as an observation. "My mum asked where she got it, and Charlie said it was a gift."
Cecily nodded.
"We're going to have to pester her about that." Cecily stated. Will fervently agreed.
The Herondale in discussion was currently in her bedroom with the door closed, on a video call with Ros. The two were discussing the few wedding options they could, without it sounding conspicuous.
"So, we're going to have to hold it in Idris." Charlie observed. "Not only would it mean that families feel more welcome, but that does counteract the age problem."
One of the main issues with Charlie and Ros getting married was that if they wanted to get married in any less than two years' time, they would be too young in both France and America. However, unlike other European countries, Idris allowed Shadowhunters to get married at 16, regardless of the laws of the country they came from. This was a rule put in place when Shadowhunters started to spread across the world, and it was noted that there were too many differences in the age of majority. Regardless, Idris was the best option for a Shadowhunter wedding. Alongside the fact it would probably be the only country that would allow the marriage, due to international barriers, et cetera, it was idyllic. The couple continued to discuss what they could about the wedding, as well as mentioning the impending visit by the Arcargents to the New York Institute. Both Cecily and Ros were simultaneously looking forward to and anxious about the visit, as they planned to tell both of their families about the engagement. The couple continued to talk on late into the night, until Charlie could no longer keep her eyes open.
The following morning, after Charlie had gotten up and dressed, she headed down to the kitchen to get some breakfast. In the kitchen, she found Will making breakfast for himself and humming. He didn't seem to notice his sister behind him, and walked out of the kitchen to eat his breakfast.
He seems happier than usual today Charlie thought. After she had finished her breakfast, she headed up to the training room. As usual, she found Cecily already there, warming up for the pair's imminent sparring session. Having seen the elder Lovelace nearly every day of her life, Charlie immediately noticed the new ring on her finger.
"Nice jewellery, where'd you get it?" Charlie asked. Cecily flushed red.
"Will gave it to me. It's a promise ring." Cecily confessed. Charlie was dumbstruck for a moment. She knew that Will loved Cecily, but had never thought that her brother would have the courage to do what Cecily was saying he did.
"So, you two, you're getting…" Charlie trailed off, though Cecily caught her drift.
"Yeah. Not any time soon, but at some point in the future, I'll be your sister-in-law, if the fates allow." Cecily commented.
"That's a weird thought." Charlie replied. Cecily agreed then the two continued with their original plan of a sparring session.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that! Now, this may be the last chapter for a while. Two reasons for that: 1) I have exams for a few weeks, so I'm busy with those, and 2) the next two chapters are going to be the climax of the story, but not the end... So, if there isn't a chapter next week, don't kill me! Anyway, I hope that this chapter was substantial and enjoyable. Please remember to review. And, as always,
Keep on Reading
-ToAC
