Distractions - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

When she was little, Everest was incredibly hard to buy gifts for (she still is, but less so than when she was little). One Christmas when she was eight, her mom and Luke couldn't think of anything to get her since her special interest had changed right before the holidays and the Karters couldn't think of anything either. So they bought her a few LEGO sets, not big tubs of Legos, but ones that created set things. One was a castle, one was a spaceship, and the other was a train.
Everest loved them. It took five minutes to convince her to wait to build them so that they could finish opening presents and eat. Once she was allowed to build them, she didn't stop until she was done. Clary made the mistake of interrupting her while she was putting together the train and Everest had lashed out. She had shouted and ran furiously to her mom's room (it was where the girls could go if they wanted alone time since they had shared a room at the time) with the Legos. She had stayed in her mom's room for the rest of the day, not noticing as her mom and Luke checked on her or when dinner was finished. It took Luke setting a hand on her shoulder for her to notice him; it had been six hours.
From that day on, it wasn't uncommon for Everest to get LEGO sets as presents, in fact it was odd for her to not get any. Eventually, once Everest began to make her own money and was able to able buy things on her own, she bought LEGO sets for herself often. Recently, she had gotten herself a late birthday gift (never mind the fact that she hated her birthday and it was months after it, it was just her excuse) of a Hogwarts Castle and grounds LEGO set. It had been delivered to the Karter's house since the Institute wasn't exactly accessible to the mundane delivery truck drivers and Everest had picked it up that morning. Alec was on a mission with Jace and Izzy, Clary was with Simon, and Magnus was spending the day with Caterina, which meant that Everest had the apartment to herself to build her absurdly large LEGO set. She didn't quite know where she was going to put it yet, but she'd figure it out later.
My lover's got humor
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshiped her sooner
If the Heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
"We were born sick", you heard them say it
My church offers no absolutes
She tells me, "Worship in the bedroom"
The only Heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
I was born sick, but I love it
Command me to be well
A-, Amen, Amen, Amen
She sang along quietly as she built the foundation of the castle, not paying much attention to the lyrics she was singing from memory.
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Everest smiled at the familiar song, the one that she and her friends had sung for the talent show in Grade Eight.
She hummed a nameless tune as the apartment went quiet and the music switched to the next song. She smiled happily when one of her favorite songs (that she had somehow only just discovered) began to play.
I was brought up in a line
But I seem to walk in circles
It's getting hard to navigate
When every map was never made for me
And I thought it would feel good
To understand why I was different
But my title just talks over me
I never even asked to be this way
Everest ignored the light ping representing Instagram notifications that interrupted the song. She'd get to them later.
"I'm almost done," she muttered, shocked as she looked at the small number of color and shape coded rows left beside her. "It's only been a few hours too."
Her shocked expression changed to a smile as Centuries by Fall Out Boy started. She liked this song a lot.
Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries
And just one mistake
Is all it will take
We'll go down in history
Remember me for centuries
(Hey yeah, oh hey, hey yeah)
Remember me for centuries
Mummified my teenage dreams
No, it's nothing wrong with me
The kids are all wrong
The stories are off
Heavy metal broke my heart
She jumped what had to have been three feet when a hand settled on her shoulder. She whirled around, careful not to knock her castle, and a faint frown settled on her face.
"You scared me," she said rather petulantly and she was sure she sounded like a child.
"I called your name five times." Alec raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't hear you," Everest defended. "I was making a castle."
"I see that. It's pretty cool."
"Thanks!" Everest smiled at him as he sat on the couch behind her. She leaned her head back and shifted so that she was closer to facing the couch than before. "Can I have a kiss?"
He nodded and leaned forward, giving her a sweet kiss. She smiled a bit brighter than before as she returned to building her castle.
Skillet's Finish Line was playing when Everest finished her castle.
"Ha! I win! I beat the castle! I built it and I didn't have to redo anything!" she cheered. She did a little dance, careful not to knock the castle, still cheering.
There was laughter behind her and she turned, jumping slightly when she saw not only Alec on the couch but Magnus too.
"When'd you get here?" she demanded.
"When you were doing the towers," he said. His gaze was full of adoration and amusement as he watched her dance around, Alec's filled with similar emotions.
She nodded, accepting the answer. "I did it," she said again excitedly. "I finished the castle and didn't have to take anything apart!"
"We saw," Alec told her with a smile. "It looks really good."
She beamed. "Thanks! What time is it?"
"Two in the afternoon."
Everest let out a loud shout. "Ha! I double win!"
"What?"
"I built the castle in four hours!"
Magnus whistled. "Wow, Cupcake, that's impressive."
"Did you eat lunch?" Alec asked, giving her a slightly worried look.
Everest silence was enough of an answer for him. Alec hauled her to her feet, lifting her up and onto his back in a way Everest didn't fully understand and carried her to the kitchen. She stuck her tongue out at Magnus when he had the audacity to start laughing. Alec sat her on the island and began to heat up leftover Indian food from the night before. She snagged a piece of Naan before he could put the plate in the microwave. Even though it was cold, it satisfied Everest's growling stomach for the two minutes it took for her food to be heated.
"You need to keep better track of the time," Alec told her.
"I was building a castle," she said around her bite of butter chicken.
"You should have taken a lunch break."
Everest sighed. She glanced over at Magnus, who had followed his partners to the kitchen, but he raised his eyebrow as if daring her to bring him into it. She huffed, knowing that he would side with Alec if he was brought into it, and nodded slowly.
"Okay. I'll try to remember to take breaks," she said.
"Good."
Everest smiled and held out two forks she had grabbed from the drawer with bites of butter chicken on them. Alec chuckled and grabbed the fork, but Magnus grinned and ate the food as if Everest were feeding it to him like she would feed a toddler. Everest rolled her eyes fondly at him and then laughed when Alec found the really ugly drawings that Everest and Magnus had spontaneously made at three in the morning in an act of boredom and being too hopped up on caffeine and sugar to sleep.
"What—" Alec shook his head. "Do I even want to know?"
The other two grinned and said nothing. Alec rolled his eyes fondly and grabbed a glass.
"Hand me one please," Everest requested. Accepting the glass (which had 'Fuck Canon' printed in bold rainbow colors across it. Simon has gotten it for her and she adored it.) Everest hopped off the island and poured herself a large glass of Bold Ginger Ale.
"Mine," she told Alec firmly.
"I wouldn't dream of taking it," he deadpanned as he poured himself a glass of the strong soda. (Simon has also gotten Alec and Magnus glasses, they adored theirs too. Alec's had 'Fuck Heteronormativity' in rainbow letters and Magnus's had 'Fuck Expectations.' They were glorious.)
Magnus wrinkled his nose at the drink. "I don't know how you two drink that stuff."
"With pride," they said in unison, raising their glasses in the air. They all laughed.