Hey everyone! The first day of holidays and I'm spending it writing and uploading a new fic. Such is the life of a dedicated fan.
I'm trying something new with this All Human thing. I'm really excited to see where it goes. If you guys have any tips for writing AH, let me know- I'm always happy to hear from you.
Hope you all enjoy the story. Let me know what you're thinking!
The first time Jace Herondale's world turned upside down started completely ordinarily.
He threw his alarm clock against the wall. The bloody thing went off at five a.m. every morning and nothing he had done could change it. It had gone on for so long that he was an early riser now, occasionally waking a few minutes before it started the torturous chorus.
Alec cursed both him and the alarm clock.
Jace, after a few minutes, heaved himself up, switched it off and flopped back into bed, only to find that sleep was long gone.
Groaning, he pulled on shirt and wandered out to the kitchen, where he put on a pot of coffee. Roused by the smell of caffeine, Alec usually joined him, the shared apartment coming alive as both its inhabitants started their daily grind.
But today, the norm was to be shattered. The little world Jace had built for himself was about to become unstuck, and all with a few words.
Clary burst in, hair a flaming path trailing behind her. Jace grinned, almost successfully ignoring the ping that went through his chest every time he saw her. Over the years, he'd practiced and practiced until he was convinced that one day, seeing Clary would inspire the same feelings that Irma, the lunch lady, did.
"Jace," She called. "Guess who's getting married?"
His heart dropped. His grin froze, and he reached for the unfailing sarcastic humor that had seen him out of the few bad situations in his life. "How did you know that Alec had finally caved and asked me?" Alec shot him a look but didn't press the issue. He could see the pity in his brother's blue eyes and he hated it more than that asshole Sebastian Verlac.
Her laughter was infectious- it always had been- but Jace couldn't feel the slightest tickle in his stomach. She gave him a grin. "Congratulations. I wish you a long and happy life together."
Jace walked around the counter, unable to bear standing so close to her. "Thanks. I hope you'll be able to make the wedding; we're thinking winter. A winter wonderland. Aren't we, dear?" He looked at Alec.
The familiar eyes lifted heavenward. "Yes, darling, whatever you say."
Another spurt of laughter came from Clary's direction, and Jace couldn't stop himself from drinking in her happiness. After forcing himself to turn away, he grabbed some mugs from the cupboard in the counter. The green one the shade of her eyes stayed on the counter in front of him.
"Always so possessive of that cup." She said, rounding the corner to pick up the coffee pot. "Anyway," she said, the hissing hot liquid splashing haphazardly into the three mugs. "I was wondering if you would be best man."
Jace's eyes jerked up to hers. "What does he think of this?" The slightest drop of venom snuck into his voice.
Clary shook her head resolutely. "Just say yes or no."
"Anything for you." His tone softened, almost imperceptibly and Alec shot him another look, but Jace only moved his shoulders in a slight shrug. That was a fairly normal thing for a best friend to say, wasn't it?
"Of course, that wasn't yes or no." Clary broke the tension in a singsong. "Leave it to you to do exactly the opposite of what I asked."
"That's me." Jace sighed and took a gulp of his burning coffee.
Alec raised his eyebrows and made a face. "I hate to be killjoy here, but isn't twenty-two a little young to be getting married?"
She made the same face back at him. "Like you and Magnus aren't as good as married already."
He coughed, pale cheeks flushing. After spluttering for a few seconds, he said, "That's beside the point."
Her triumphant expression made Jace snort. "Okay, you've got no ammunition against me. Isn't twenty-two a little young to be getting married?" He asked casually, as if the question wasn't dominating his thoughts.
"You're right, I don't have anything against you." She grumbled. "I knew we'd get all sorts of opposition but if you had something you knew was right, something special that you might never see again, would you wait?"
Jace felt her words like a punch to the stomach. Sincerity emanated from her and he knew that he'd lost his chance. If he'd just admitted, somewhere along the way, that he was in love with her, maybe this wouldn't be happening right now. There was really no one else to blame but his cowardly self.
His father's mantra echoed in his head. To love is to destroy, and to be loved is to be the one destroyed. But the saying had dulled with time and distance, the man gone long enough that the thought of him only brought a mellow longing for his dad. The Lightwoods had provided a place to live at first, but quickly weaseled their way in until he was sure life without them wouldn't be the same.
The Lightwoods and Clary both.
The redhead in question snapped her fingers in front of his eyes and put on a formal voice. "Jace Herondale, are you attending?"
He smirked at her. "I am afraid to admit that I am not, madam. Please, feel free to get creative with my punishment."
"Jace!" She punched his arm.
"As entertaining as this is," Alec interrupted. "I believe you have classes to get ready for? Both of you?"
Clary pointed at Jace. "I was coming over to hurry him up, I swear."
"Swear all you like; your professor isn't going to happy if you disrupt his lecture when you're late."
Jace held up his hands. "All right, all right. I'm just brushing my teeth and we'll be out of your hair so you can invite Magnus over."
Alec flushed again, muttering under his breath. "Why can't you just live on campus like normal people?"
In the bathroom, Jace took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. "Two minutes," he muttered. "That's all you get."
His best friend was getting married to a jerk. In the beginning, Jace had tried to explain to Clary what he'd been like at school. Sebastian had used enough girls that he had something of a reputation, but he acted like a perfect gentleman to Clary, and she dismissed his concerns as nothing. After a while, he'd stopped trying. He figured that they'd break up sooner or later and then he'd confess. Confess to the feelings he'd been harboring since the day they met in middle school.
The teacher had been quoting Blake. Quoting him incorrectly, that was. Clary stuck up her hand and told him so. "You've got it wrong," she said, ignoring the frosty look the teacher was throwing her. "The quote is, 'Then you'll see the world as it is- infinite'." She said, her voice clear. Jace, who hadn't been paying all that much attention, watched her for that brief moment and couldn't stop his eyes returning to her for the rest of the lesson. Afterwards, she'd marched up to him, hair constrained in two matching braids. "Why were you staring at me?" She asked him, a strange lack of nervousness in her words.
"Who says I was staring at you?" Jace questioned acerbically. "What if I was staring at her?" He pointed towards another girl, this one in rainbow coloured leggings.
Clary crossed her arms. "You were staring at me."
"Someone's got a big ego, don't they?" He threw out, wanting to see how she'd react.
"Oh, Jace, you've finally realized it. I'm so glad we didn't have to get you professional help." Her tone was thick with sarcasm.
He blinked once. "I didn't think you knew my name." He said, taken off guard for the first time in a while.
She rolled her eyes. "The teachers call on you often enough. They seem to think you're smarter than you appear to be."
"And do you agree?" He asked curiously, no underlying mockery.
She turned away, the discussion seemingly boring her. "I think they could be right."
Without saying anything, they became friends. Over the years, they grew closer and closer until Jace was sure he loved her.
He thought about telling her all the time. The words forever rested on the tip of his tongue until he was sick of the taste of them. Clary, I've been meaning to tell you something… Clary, I'm in love you… Clary-
But old habits die hard, and eventually it was easier to hold his tongue than say anything.
The middle of junior year, he had to swallow the words because Sebastian had asked her on a date, and then another. Then a few more, and so it continued.
The funny thing was, Jace knew Verlac was going to do it. He should have stopped it, but he never dreamed that Clary would say yes, or that she would like the guy quite so much.
And so he waited. For them to break up, for someone else to come along and take his mind off Clary. But neither happened, and now he was here, years later, about to watch her marry someone else.
Look out for the next chapter in about a week! You won't be bored.