Work Text:
Izzy's hours at the police precinct have been ridiculous recently. She's just finished her residency under a Medical Examiner at the 27th precint, and her new job - unsupervised - is her first chance to prove she can do it.
Well, her med school grades went a long way to proving that, actually, but this is her time to shine.
As well as her regular schedule, she's been coming in early in the mornings and staying late into the evening, furiously working overtime to try and impress her new bosses. Clearing their backlog of cases gives her purpose, and it means she gets to do science. Her brothers are always teasing her about being such a nerd, but what do they know? And there's always the fact that overtime has the added bonus of distracting her from her parents' messy divorce.
Izzy's bending over one of the work benches, peering into her microscope, when she hears the door to the lab open. Footsteps come lightly across the floor and then stop, and someone clears their throat.
"Hi," she says, looking up at the interloper. He's tall - she'd say as tall as Alec - with a dark beard and smiling eyes.
"Hi, Isabelle," he says. "I'm Luke Garroway, your Captain."
"Oh, hi," Izzy says again, slipping off her stool and smoothing down her lab coat. She glances down at her chemical-stained gloves, then smiles. "I'd shake your hand, but..."
Luke waves her away. "I just came to see how you were. I haven't had a chance to check in with you yet, but I like to know everyone in my precinct."
Izzy nods. "It's nice to meet you. This is my first ME post, actually, but I'm loving it so far." She can't keep the grin off her face. "Is it really inappropriate to be having the time of my life surrounded by dead bodies?"
It's only after the words have left her mouth that she realises it's maybe a bit weird for her to say them. She's spent too much time around her pathology friends, for whom discussions of organs over take out is entirely normal. Luke, to his credit, doesn't seem grossed out, but then again, he's a cop. He's probably seen worse.
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he says. "Listen, some of the kids from upstairs are going to the bar now for a drink. I know it's short notice, but I wondered if you wanted to come? Might give you a chance to meet some people around the precinct." Luke eyes one of the gurneys. "I don't suppose the people you meet in your line of work do much talking," he adds, eyes sparkling.
Izzy laughs. "No, but sometimes the quiet is nice." She tucks her hair behind her ear. "Thank you for the offer, but I should really get home. I have a dog and I don't like to leave her alone for too long."
Luke's face lights up. "Another dog person!" He pulls out his phone and walks closer to Izzy. "We have a dog too, his name is Lupin. Not very original, I know, but my daughter used to run around calling him 'wolf-puppy', so anything's an upgrade from that, right?"
Izzy peels off her gloves then takes the phone Luke's offering her and scrolls through the photos. "Aww," she coos. "What type of dog is he?"
"Alaskan Malamute," Luke tells her. "What's yours?"
"She's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel," Izzy says, affection coming into her tone. "Her name is Topsie, from 'autopsie'. One of my best friends came up with it and -" she shakes her head, slightly pained "- if you met him you'd understand his affinity for terrible puns for pet names."
Luke laughs at that. "I bet she's a sweetheart," he says, taking back his phone. "Well, the offer's still there if you change your mind, okay?"
He leaves her with a warning of don't work too hard! that she decides to take to heart for once. Izzy starts packing up her stuff for the day, hangs up her lab coat, and then switches out the lights as she leaves.
∞
The apartment's mostly dark when she gets home. The only light comes from her timer-lamp in the corner of the living room, which gives her just enough light to see Topsie come bounding out from her bed and over to Izzy.
"Hey, baby," Izzy coos, dumping her bags and picking Topsie up. "I missed you. I'm sorry I was out all day. Did you have a nice walk?"
Alec always looks at her like she's asked him to do twelve backflips in a row whenever she talks to the dog like that, and she can't help smiling at how he'd react if he was here now. Whatever - he goes gooey around kids, Izzy around dogs. They each have their things.
"What did the nice dog walker leave today?" Izzy asks. She walks over to her coffee table, still cuddling Topsie, and picks up the paper the dog walker has left. The long hours Izzy's been working mean she doesn't have time to walk Topsie, so The Institute's dog walking service has been an absolute life-saver.
When Izzy's met them before, the dog walkers have always been friendly and babble on about how cute Topsie is, but this walker takes the biscuit (in a really good way). They leave notes or doodles with silly puns all over Izzy's apartment; they always fill up Topsie's water bowl and leave her leash and toys (some of which the walker has brought for Topsie, which makes Izzy feel warm and fuzzy) neatly packed away. They also have the best handwriting Izzy's ever seen, all looped cursive and smooth ink, and Izzy wonders if it's weird to have a crush on someone because of their penmanship.
Today it's a square of paper propped up on one of Izzy's pathology textbooks, with a line drawing of a dog lying on some graph paper and text that reads 'Hope your lab reports weren't too boring! (ps the dog is a labrador in case that wasn't obvious)'.
Izzy giggles. She swipes the note up and puts it in her bag so she can pin it on her office noticeboard when she goes into work tomorrow, then lets Topsie go.
Once they've eaten dinner, they curl up on the couch together in front of iZombie on Netflix and Izzy points out all the medial inaccuracies.
She gets halfway through before she starts wondering if it might be more validating to discuss the show with a human rather than a dog, even if the dog is very cutely sleeping on Izzy's lap. Maybe she needs to invite her brothers round.
∞
"Hey," Luke says, popping his head round the door to the lab, "you still here?"
Izzy looks up at him, then turns back to her notebook where she's scribbled case notes. "Yeah. I've nearly got this one done, but I know there's something I'm not seeing..." she trails off, nibbling on the end of her pen.
"Isabelle," says Luke, "even with the best will in the world, the backlog stays a backlog." He comes over to her. "You think I didn't want to get our stats the best they've ever been when I made Captain?" Izzy shrugs. "I did, and I still do. I want to protect my city and the people in it. But sometimes the job is just about getting along as best we can. You clear your cases to the best of your ability and then you go home at the end of the day. Some of them fall by the wayside. It's not good enough, but we're only human."
Izzy opens her mouth. "But I want to be here," she says. "I want to be doing something."
"You are," Luke tells her. "You are, by doing your job. But if you keep working as hard as you have been - don't get me wrong, I do appreciate it - you're gonna burn yourself out. And then you won't be able to be here." He arches a brow. "Do you have any idea how annoying the recruitment procedure is for an ME?" he teases.
Izzy gives him a look. "I have at least five friends who have probably thought about plotting my demise to get their hands on my post," she says. "I don't think finding a new ME is gonna be an issue."
Luke rolls his eyes affectionately. "Thank you for recognising my rhetorical question," he says. "Isabelle, get some rest, or go have fun, or just - do something that's not work."
"Work is fun," she protests, and then she catches his expression. "Fine, I'm getting my coat now. You're like a teacher who lets people get away without doing homework, you know."
"And my students love me for it," Luke says, grinning. "My wife and daughter are hosting an art exhibition on Saturday evening. You're very welcome to come."
Izzy considers it for a moment. She doesn't actually have any plans, and it might be nice to get out of her apartment for a while. "You know what? That sounds like fun. Will you let me know the details?" she asks, and Luke smiles.
∞
It's only a short walk from the subway to the art gallery where Luke's family is holding the exhibition. She steps through the door, taking off her coat, and the first thing she notices is -
"Alec?"
Her brother's face lights up and makes a beeline towards her, handing her a glass of champagne.
"I missed you," he says, bending down and pressing a kiss to her temple. Izzy stifles a laugh and eyes the half-empty champagne flute in Alec's hands.
"Someone started early," she comments innocently, and he knocks her with his elbow.
"Be nice," he whines. "I don't know anyone but Magnus knows everyone and they're all friends with him. I want to make a good impression but I'm - I just. I don't want to screw it up. So: alcohol."
Izzy links her arm through his. "Just be yourself, big brother. That's what made Magnus fall in love with you."
"Hm," Alec says, but he doesn't sound convinced. "Jace is here, by the way."
Izzy looks at him. "Really? How come?"
Alec sips his champagne. "Something about his boyfriend knowing the girl who's running the show. He started waxing poetic about Simon's hair at one point so I tuned out."
Izzy snorts. "Sounds like Jace. Wait - if Magnus knows everyone here, does that mean he knows Luke?"
"Luke Garroway?" Alec asks. Izzy nods. "They're like, best friends. They hold a book club together once a month but I'm pretty sure it's just an excuse to drink good whiskey and talk shit about people, because he's always very evasive whenever I ask which book they're reading this time."
Izzy laughs loudly at that. She doesn't know Luke very well at all, but that sounds just like Magnus, and she can't think of anyone who wouldn't want to be friends with him.
"How do you know Luke?" asks Alec, and then Izzy tells him about the precinct and all the overtime she's been doing recently. Alec makes this frowny face and concerned noises and tells her to make sure she's getting enough sleep and eating properly, but he gets interrupted by his boyfriend before he can get much further.
"Isabelle, you look amazing, as always," Magnus says to Izzy before either of them can greet him. His hand drifts to Alec and rests gently against the material of Alec's shirt.
"So do you," she says, looking Magnus' outfit over, and Alec agrees with her. Magnus smiles at the pair of them.
"Come and meet some of my friends," Magnus says, taking Izzy's hand. His sparkly nail polish flashes in the light. He leads them over to where Luke is standing with a woman with chestnut hair, and makes introductions with a flourish. "Izzy, this is -"
"Babe, they already know each other," Alec tells him, lips twitching.
Magnus pouts rather spectacularly. "This is why we can't have nice things, Alexander," he complains, but Luke and the woman just laugh, and Magnus leans into Alec's side, so Izzy reckons he's not too put out.
"Isabelle, it's great to see you outside of the morgue," Luke says. "This is my wife, Jocelyn. Isabelle's our new ME," he says to Jocelyn.
Izzy shakes her hand. "Please, call me Izzy," she says. "This is your exhibit, right?"
Jocelyn nods. "For me and our daughter," she says, sharing a fond look with Luke. "Actually, where's she got to?"
Magnus points behind Luke, who turns and smiles at someone Izzy can't see.
"Ah, here's trouble." Luke nods at the woman who's just joined them. Her red hair is pulled back from her face by a loose braid, and she's wearing a dark blue lacy dress that compliments her hair colour. She smiles at Izzy, bright and friendly, and Izzy vaguely wonders if she should be worried about the fact that she's practically fallen headfirst in love with a stranger. "This is my daughter, Clary."
"Nice to meet you," Clary says. Her eyes stay on Izzy even as Magnus asks her something, and Izzy licks her lips.
"Biscuit?" Magnus is saying.
"Sure," Clary says. She's still looking at Izzy. "Would you like me to show you around?"
∞
Clary talks excitedly about each of her pieces as they wander the exhibit. She'd taken Izzy's hand at some point, just a casual press of fingertips, but she'd given Izzy a rosy smile when Izzy entwined their fingers properly, too. She describes her muse and motivation for each creation, how some of them thread together on a theme and some are stand-alones; she discusses her influences and the artists she's emulating.
Izzy takes it all in, a little overwhelmed by this new art world she's not really considered before. Looking at them, a dichotomy: art and science, yet Izzy finds herself drawn in.
"Anyway, enough about me," Clary says, with a little shake of her head. "Sorry, I picked up the rambling habit from Simon. What do you do?"
"Simon?" Izzy asks. Alec's comment about Jace's boyfriend earlier slots into place and she slowly realises she's been one person removed from meeting Clary this whole time. "You know my brother's boyfriend?"
"We've been best friends since first grade," Clary tells her, smiling. "He had an allergic reaction to clay and I ran to get the nurse for him. I'm pretty sure my love for Simon and my love for art started then."
"That's cute," Izzy says. "I'm a forensic pathologist - I work for your Dad, kind of."
"Oh!" Clary's eyes go wide and she smiles. "You're the super smart one, right? He's mentioned you a few times, actually. Not like, in a creepy way. Just - you have a dog?"
Izzy laughs. "I do," she confirms. "He always asks after her."
"Yeah, he's like that," Clary says affectionately. "Something he passed onto me, I think."
"Really?" Izzy asks. She watches Clary lick a golden bead of champagne from her lips as she drinks and tries not to be a creep about it.
"I volunteer with this dog walking thing," Clary says.
Izzy tears her eyes away from Clary's lips. "Which one?"
"The Institute?" Clary tells her. Izzy's brain starts whirring. Clary's not -? Is she? "There's this one dog I walk who is the absolute cutest thing, she's a little golden ball of fluff and she loves playing with the leaves in the park."
Izzy's heart flips. She pulls out her phone and shows Clary her lockscreen. "This one?" she asks, weirdly excited, watching as Clary takes in the picture of Topsie snoozing in sunlight.
"What?" Clary says over Izzy's laughter. "Oh my God!" She looks completely stunned, but in a good way. "Topsie's your dog?"
"Yeah," Izzy says. "I got her a couple of years ago. I just finished grad school for my Pathology MSci and I'd always wanted a pet. Only my brothers are traitorous cat people. But I live on my own, so. I saw her and fell in love with those big brown eyes and here we are." Izzy's face softens. "She reminds me that I did it, you know? I got there. I'm good. I'm enough." She glances away, cheeks warming under Clary's gaze.
"That's - that's really special," Clary says, smiling softly. "Don't tell anyone, but she's definitely my favourite."
Izzy smiles. "Well, I might let her know," she teases. Clary smiles back and then suddenly her expression drops.
"Wait. Shit. Do you think I'm a massive weirdo?"
"What for?" Izzy asks, frowning, confused at the sudden change in conversational direction.
Clary nibbles her lip. "The, uh. Little note things. I - you found them, right?"
Izzy's bemusement lifts and she shakes her head. "They make my day," she says honestly. "I love them. It feels like someone cares, you know? Enough to brighten up my day, just 'cause they can."
Clary smiles too, a careful hint of pearly teeth. "Okay, good," she says, exhaling a happy sigh. "I'm gonna be smooth now, are you ready?"
"I'm ready," Izzy says, laughing a little bit.
"Instead of a note, could I give you my number?" she asks, and Izzy's heart bursts with happiness.
∞
They take Topsie and Lupin to the park for their first date. The sun shines through the tree leaves, leaving speckled shadows on their bodies as they lay on the grass, the dogs wandering around beside them. Lupin is getting older now and after a while he comes and curls up next to Izzy, leaving Topsie to discover her new tree by herself.
Clary curls their fingers together.
"This is nice," she says, words dancing. Izzy wordlessly agrees, brushing back a stray wisp of Clary's hair with a smile.
"I think I'm beginning to see what Luke means about work-life balance," Izzy admits. Clary hums.
"He's right about most things," she says. "I don't know if he mentioned it to you yet, but he said something to me about having dinner, next week? With the others?"
Izzy nods. "Magnus said Luke had said," she tells Clary. "I've booked the time off work. Well, I've told them I'm not going in for overtime, anyway."
"Good," Clary says. "I mean - I'm just glad that you're taking time for yourself. You deserve it."
Izzy's eyes shine as she looks at Clary. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dinner together?" she asks.
Clary smiles and lifts an eyebrow. "Like a second date?"
"Hm," Izzy agrees loftily, "or a third. I'm sure we can fit another one in somewhere."
Clary laughs and leans over Izzy, fingers tickling her hips. "I could take you to a movie," Clary says. "I'll buy you popcorn and everything."
"So romantic," Izzy grins. "We can make out in the back row."
Clary's cheeks dust with pink and her gaze flits to Izzy's lips.
"Okay," she agrees, and then she's leaning in closer and Izzy closes her eyes and lets Clary kiss her. It's gentle at first, and then Clary rests her weight on her elbows and settles over Izzy's body so they're flush against each other. Izzy's hand tangles in Clary's hair and Clary moans softly. She licks over Izzy's bottom lip and Izzy's distantly aware of fireworks going off inside her brain.
Maybe that's not scientifically accurate, but kissing Clary feels so good Izzy doesn't care.
Eventually they part and Clary blinks down at her, eyelids heavy and a lazy smile on her face. Her lips are a gorgeous pink and Izzy pushes herself up so she can kiss Clary again, unable to keep away. The two of them lose track of time, touching and tasting each other in the summer air, and Izzy knows it's the start of something good.