I would only recommend reading this if you've read its predecessor, New Heights. s/10152004/1/New-Heights-Clace
AU Clary and Jace struggling with the shadow hunter lifestyle and their attraction for each other. They aren't together, yet.
Disclaimer: I Don't own TMI or any of their characters, I just make them do stuff.
The last thing Clary saw as she tiptoed away in the early hours of the morning was Jace sleeping peacefully on his stomach and the fading white and black lines of a mark on his lower back. In the hours of the previous night she had made countless mistakes and bad decisions. The worst on her part was sleeping with Jace and then using a rune so she wouldn't have to face it.
She ran straight to her room to change into training gear, a tight pair of ¾ leggings and a training bra that didn't rub her shoulder too much was the order of the day. Her reasons for training today were not unlike her reasons for training on the day before her first hunt. Frustration was bubbling at her stomach again except instead of guilt and self-loathing it was guilt and self-anger. Guilt over her cowardly walk of shame and self anger for sleeping with Jace and her method of dealing with it.
Rather than her crossbow Clary decided on balance training. She began the slow ascension to the highest beams in the room and secured a safety belt around her hips. Pacing the beams over and over did plenty for her balance but nothing to calm her nerves or her mind. With out thinking she unlatched the belt and jumped to the ground. The 25ft free fall should have at least broken her leg but thanks to her golden blood it barely jarred her feet. She moved towards the range and tried to calm herself the only way she knew how, with arrows and a battle simulation. Today she moved for a bow, it was faster than her beloved crossbow and the quivers could hold twice the ammunition.
Geared up she stepped into the sim arena and set it for the most difficult program available. Arrow after arrow was leased from the battle bow and sim enemy after sim enemy faded into broken hologram pixels and dying computer groans. She fired about 175 arrows before her arms began to tire and her shoulder began to throb. Sighing with resignation Clary packed away the bow and retrieved the arrows from the simulator and collapsed on the floor in a heap of limbs and sweat. Sighing inwardly Clary wondered which was the biggest mistake of her previous night.
When Jace woke a thousand questions ran through his mind. Why was he naked? What was that smell that flooded his bed and room? Why was Clary in the back of his mind? He glanced around and the smell became clearer in his mind. It was her smell, it was the grapefruit and honey smell she carried around but she had never carried it into his bed, let alone his room. His room was messier than he usually allowed it to be but that was the least of his troubles. The mysterious redhead's scent was emanating from every corner of his room and he had no clue why. He leapt off the bed only to find that s little silver necklace and ring leapt off with him. Clary's fathers ring. He placed it on the dresser and rushed to shower and dress himself. He had to find Clary; perhaps she would have the answers he so desperately needed.
When he arrived at the training room, his last stop on tour a la Clarissa, he found her panting heavily and firing arrows wildly around the sim arena. When she finished she tidied up her weapons and sat in a crumpled heap in the middle of the training room. She began rubbing desperately at her left shoulder and he remembered faintly applying an iratze to it the night before.
"You know, firing 200 arrows on a dislocated shoulder isn't exactly ideal if you want said shoulder to heal." She went rigid at the sound of his voice and slowly stood to face him.
"Jace," She mumbled. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes appeared conflicted. He wished for a moment that he knew why.
"Looking for a certain redhead funnily enough." He placed his hand about a meter off the ground. "She's about this tall, bright green eyes, fairly sassy and a little temperamental. You might know her." He grinned deviously but his grin straightened out when he saw she didn't return one.
"Well you found me, what's up?" Clary returned lightly.
"I'm just a bit foggy with last night, did you come to my room at one point?" As if possible, she became even more rigid, then after a moment her body relaxed.
"Oh is that all. I took a shower but my shoulder swelled up insanely and I needed you to put another iratze on it. I sat on the bed while you did and then left." She shrugged absently, believing her own words less than Jace did.
"Oh ok, how is it? The shoulder, I mean."
"I've had worse, I'll manage." She returned to the weapons stand and retrieved her crossbow.
"Clary. No." He said, stepping forward and taking her hands and wresting the bow from her.
"Do you mind?" Her green eyes flared at his golden ones.
"Your shoulder is bad enough. Take the day off, Trainers' orders." He loosened his grip on her hands. "Go paint for a bit or sleep. No training before Saturday when we hunt next. Think you can manage 5 days of rest?"
"Yeah what ever Jace." She grumbled and turned to walk out the door.
Those five days of rest were total torture for Jace. He found himself thinking of Clary more and more over those days and couldn't get her maddening smell out of his room. It filled his mind and made him long to have her sleeping next to him. His mind constantly wandered to the importance of curves. He had always appreciated them but it wasn't until he began to train Clary that he began to apprehend their importance. The simple curve between ankle to calf, to knee, to thigh to butt. Women's bodies were so fluid and smooth, easing gently from one place to another. On Clary the curves were subtle, but they held importance and his interest nonetheless.
When the Saturday night hunt began encroaching Clary found herself pushed into Isabelle's bathroom with yet another clothing ensemble.
"So Clare, what's the deal with you and Jace? I've been getting some serious sexual tension vibes." Her voice filtered through the door, slightly muffled.
"Nothing is going on between me and Jace, Iz." She shouted in return.
"Exactly. That's the problem. You clearly want him and he definitely wants you, get back out here those clothes are going to be totally wrong." Isabelle's voice growing in intensity and excitement.
"Ugh fine, what now Iz" Clary pushed through the door, unpleased to have to try yet another ensemble, her fourth for the night. This one consisted of her trademark fitted leather jacket, a tight, black pencil skirt, fishnets and an emerald peplum blouse. She threw on the clothes, a rather sexy choice compared to her usual outfits. "Isabelle, what are you trying to do to me?" Clary called through the door. After a second Isabelle forced it open to look at Clary.
"Perfect! He won't be able to keep his hands off you! Magnus said there is only a low disturbance tonight, so 4 demons max. Then the rest of the night is ours!" Isabelle ducked back out but returned almost instantly with a dangerous pair of shoes. 4 inch, stiletto heeled, knee high boots that Clary was not entirely sure she could walk in.
Once their outfits were completed the girls made their way to the training room to stock up on weapons. The boys were there as always, being a walking arsenal took its own perfection. Jace glanced up the second the doors began to move and gulped at the sight before him. Clary stood in her heeled boots 5 feet 6 inches of pure sexy. Smoky makeup decorated her eyes and her fiery hair flowed free in ringlets down her back. She wore a beautiful top that matched her eyes and accentuated her curves in a dangerously appealing way, especially those at her chest. She also wore a female codpiece, a necklace that hung just above her delicate cleavage. She caught his gaze and blushed fiercely but didn't move her eyes. His mouth moved of its own accord into a genuine grin before he moved back to his weapons.
"So what's the plan tonight? I'm not really up for baiting tonight." Clary stated, breaking the silent tension that was building.
"I'm baiting tonight, divide and conquer style." Isabelle grinned wildly.
"Are you sure you're up for hunting? How's the shoulder?" Jace glanced up at Clary, concern lightly coating his tone.
"Its fine. Just stiff because I got banned from training." She poked her tongue at him. Clary wandered around to the weapons table and grabbed a black belt that she fastened around her waist at the blouse's flair and proceeded to fill it with daggers. Jace watched her with absent fascination. Clary glanced up and caught his eyes again.
"Pass me that sheath will you?" She said to him, gesturing at a short sword sheath. He passed to her no questions asked. She pulled out her stele and carved her secret tardis rune into the sheath. "Here, it's how I hid your sword." She passed the sheath back.
"I don't get it. You used a runed sheath?" He glanced at the sheath, seriously puzzled.
"It's a tardis rune, makes it bigger on the inside. Makes it easily capable of holding a broadsword. Easier to conceal more weapons that way." Jace took up the sheath and his eyes grew as he slid his sword into it.
"Whoa. So that's how you hid my sword in your back. That's amazing." Clary shrugged of her jacket and runed two inverted holsters, sliding two seraph blades into each. She placed them on her back and began marking her arms for the night. Runes for balance, dexterity, strength, night vision, even one for sure-footing. The burn of the stele no longer bothered her, she barely felt it. Once they were complete she strapped a short sword on her forearm before she pulled the jacket back on and the group finished its preparations and headed for Pandemonium.