The Apartment, New York, Saturday

[seveninchmotto]

As far as Isabelle was concerned, this was just another regular day. Because she wasn't aware she was supposed to be about a foot taller, a lot more pale, and also covered in scars and runes.

She was, however, very aware that she couldn't find her laptop. Not anywhere. She was going around the apartment, peeking under the bed and into cupboards like maybe she'd gotten distracted last night after she finished working and stuffed it somewhere unusual? Val had asked her to make a thing and well, she'd been working on it way too late and she had a habit of some absent-mindedness sometimes, and ––

But seriously, where was it? It was as if no one lived here who depended on their laptops to get through the day!

(Take a hint, Izzy.)

[ooc: NFB but open for calls/texts/the boy! Why go AU when you can go for an AU from within an AU? Izzy's now an AU version of the version of her from Shadowhunters.]

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[flickofthewrist]

This weekend, Flick hadn't had to sneak out. He'd finished his studies, done his training and was now heading up to the apartment without any knowledge of what was going on behind closed doors.

He used his key to open the door and called out, "Izzy? Babe, I'm home for a few days. You here?"

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle – who'd on her second rummage through the bedroom in search of the laptop – froze in place. Someone was in the apartment. Someone was in her apartment, and while they were calling her by name, she didn't recognize the voice.

She wasn't sure what to do.

[flickofthewrist]

"Isabelle?" Flick asked, frowning at the silence. "You here or you at the Institute?"

Flick frowned at himself because if he wasn't here, she wouldn't answer him. Flick padded over to the fridge and got himself a water.

"Iz?"

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle was desperately trying to remember what she'd learned in kickboxing class. Just in case. Except she was pretty much blanking on everything. But she knew she needed to confront this situation.

Cut to her rushing into the kitchen, brandishing a heavy candle stick (in the most ineffective way possible) and yelling, "Who are you?"

[flickofthewrist]

"Fuck me!" Flick said, throwing up a hand to block any blow that was about to fall onto him. "Who the hell are you? I live here!"

He stared at the woman in his kitchen angrily. "Put my shit down!"

[seveninchmotto]

"Your shit?" Isabelle sputtered, still holding the candle stick up even if she had zero intention of hitting him, and never had. "I live here! This is my shit!"

[flickofthewrist]

"Who even are you?" Flick asked, staring at her. "Me and my fiancee live here, lady. We've been living here for a few years now. I've got a key, don't I? And identification!"

[seveninchmotto]

"I asked first!" Isabelle exclaimed, using her free hand to push her glasses back up her nose. Behind the lenses, her eyes were huge. "And I live here! You can't just barge into people's homes and say you live there!"

A beat, and then some kind of realization seemed to hit, and she continued all in one rush, "Oh my God are you why I can't find my laptop?"

[flickofthewrist]

"I didn't barge in! I used my key!" Flick exclaimed, holding up said key. "And I didn't steal your damn laptop! Who are you? What is your name? I'll call the cops. Don't think I won't!"

[seveninchmotto]

"Isabelle Lightwood!"

That was helpful, right? She sounded exasperated, though. And waved the candle stick like it was as firm a piece of evidence as a key was.

"Okay? And I live here, and I, I work at The Institute for Valentine Morgenstern and righ now I'm being harassed by a crazy person in my own home, and I also know kickboxing so you better not try anything!"

She talked way too fast. It made her seem nervous - which she was.

[flickofthewrist]

"Isabe -- " Flick cursed under his breath and shook his head. "Goddammit goddammit!"

Now, he knew what the hell was going on.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not crazy and this is my home! Isabelle Lightwood is my fiancee! And I know that's not going to make sense to you but it's the truth."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle frowned at him. Hard. As could probably have been expected, under the circumstances.

"What are you talking about?"

[flickofthewrist]

"Just -- " He sighed and rubbed at his forehead. "It's the island being a fucking pain in the ass. I'm not lying to you. Come on, if you're anything like the Izzy I know, you'll be able to see that."

[seveninchmotto]

"What island?" Isabelle asked. She was lowering the candle stick, though. At least a little. "What are you saying?"

[flickofthewrist]

"Fandom," he said, sighing and rubbing at his forehead. "Look, my name is Flick. Or Jon, if you want. I went to school with Isabelle Lightwood. We're engaged and while you don't look like her, you are her. I get that."

It was just weird. This Isabelle was super super different than the one he was used to.

[seveninchmotto]

Was it the Space Battles shirt? Or the glasses, or the slight hint of an accent, or just the... everything?

Isabelle shool her head. "I don't understand," she said. "You have a fiancée who has my name?"

[flickofthewrist]

"Yes," Flick said patiently. "You're not here and you probably haven't seen me before. Don't know me at all either. No recognition at all?"

[seveninchmotto]

"No."

You know, she just wanted to be very clear on that. He did not even remind her of anyone she knew.

"I've never seen you before in my life."

[flickofthewrist]

"Didn't think so but I had to check," Flick said, sighing. "Do you have a brother, at least? Brothers?"

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle still found it in herself to frown at him, as if there was anything shocking about him being able to guess at that.

"Yeah," she said. "Max and Alec. Max is younger than me and Alec is older."

[flickofthewrist]

Max was still alive. Flick suppressed a wince but didn't say anything else, deciding to just ignore that he'd even reacted at all.

"And you've got friends, right? Jace, Simon? Clary even?"

[seveninchmotto]

"... Yeah."

Well it was kind of creepy to hear him say it like that.

"What are you saying? Like you, you know some weird alternate version of me?"

[flickofthewrist]

"Probably the easiest way to put it, yeah," Flick said, nodding. "Does nothing strange happen where you're from?"

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle shook her head, then ended up fixing her glasses once more. "I mean, sometimes I don't know why my code is doing something it's doing."

[flickofthewrist]

"That's not what -- " Flick trailed off and shook his head, laughing wryly. "Wait, what do you for a living again?"