AN: This was fun to write! It's been a while since I've played with these characters without all the BS. :D Thanks to Neliz & ronnie000 for looking over this one for me. I don't own anything but the words.

A Normal Date

a one shot for the TMI fic exchange

for punkfaire00

It hadn't been what I expected from him. If I was being honest, he had actually done more than I'd had requested. So much more...

Since Jace and I were officially together, without the weight of my father's war or the mistaken understanding of kinship on our shoulders, we had been inseparable.

We'd returned to New York City shortly after the battle on the grand fields of Idris, taking much needed time to get to know one another. We had been hesitant to be close in the beginning because both of us were fighting against feelings we had for each other that we thought were wrong.

It wasn't right to want to make-out with your brother...

So now that we were free to be together, most of our time was spent learning everything we could. I wanted to know what his favorite food was and how he liked his coffee. I asked him what his favorite movie was and who he'd seen in concert. It shocked me to learn that most of the things a typical teenager, like myself, would be into he had no clue about. He didn't go to the movies or even listened to music very much. I mean, he hadn't even played a video game. In my opinion, Jace was deprived, but to him, his life was like that of any other Shadowhunter. His time was spent training or hunting; there was no rest for the weary.

When it came to me, Jace was just as curious. His inquiries were different than mine, however. He wanted to know more intimate details about me - like how I positioned my body as I slept at night or if I wore clothes to bed. He meant his questions to be innocent, but I knew that he was hinting in the most subtle way he could that he wanted our physical relationship to progress. I just didn't think I was ready for that.

Kissing Jace was more than anything I could've possibly imagined. The way he held me, the way he touched me was so soft and intimate that on more than one occasion I found my eyes brimmed with unshed tears. To have someone who was, at times, incredibly abrupt and brutal in battle be so tender with me was more of a turn on than anything else I'd experienced. I'd seen him take a demon down with his own two hands, with nothing more than a small seraph blade as a weapon. He was literally a killing machine, born and bred. But with me, he was nothing but caring and gentle.

Seeing those two extremes from him made me take a step back and look at him as a whole person. He was the epitome of extreme in everything he did: the way he fought, the way he loved...

He was so different from me that I found myself questioning why he found me attractive.

I was a passionate person for the things I loved, so much so that I would find myself lost in my art; sometimes hours would pass by while I was under the enthrallment of my sketch pad. And in that same amount of time, Jace would have killed several demons and spent half that time training and learning everything he could about his enemy.

That thought made me see all the different incongruencies in our lives. He was a Shadowhunter, a Nephilim warrior. My blood was the same as his, yet my mindset was that of a Mundane teenager. I didn't strive to kill, to hunt - not like Jace or the Lightwood kids. I wasn't trained to take down a demon or even knew anything about the various breeds. I was planning to start training soon, but I thought that there might always be some kind of gap between Jace and me because of the different ways we were brought up.

And that thought scared me.

As the differences between us became more apparent, I was the one to suggest things that we could do together from both worlds: the Shadow and the Mundane. I asked him to go with me to a concert for one of my favorite bands. He asked me to train with him on the weeknights, learning the different weapons and studying fighting techniques.

And so that was how we spent our nights. Monday through Friday we'd train. Saturdays he'd take me out on a classic teenage date. It was great, but for the most part, the enjoyment of our new activities had been mostly one sided.

I was loving the training. It made me feel closer to Jace somehow, learning the ways of the Nephilim. It was something I could share with him that he had a real passion for. Besides, I loved the way his eyes would watch me as I moved according to his instruction. Sometimes he'd get this proud expression on his face anytime I'd get an attack sequence right. And then there was the way he'd look at me as my body bent and contorted across the mats that had my insides burning.

As for the Mundane side of it, Jace was trying to seem excited about our dates, but I could see right through him. It was hard for him to just sit still and enjoy a movie or a concert because he was always looking at the bigger picture. His eyes were trained to decipher the evil lurking among the Mundane world, and there were several times he'd have to stop himself from hunting a demon he'd seen hiding in the shadows. He'd put on a calm expression, trying to be the good boyfriend, when underneath it I could see him struggling.

That was why it was even more important for me to learn how to hunt.

"Hold it a little tighter," Jace told me, his golden gaze focused on my right hand as my fingers wrapped around the hilt. It was our fifth week inside the training room, and Jace was teaching me how to fight with a Katana sword.

"Like this?" I asked, holding the hard metal so firmly my knuckles were turning white. The grip for this kind of blade was different than the others I'd trained with up until this point, but according to Jace, it gave the fighter a broader range of motion for heavy slashes on the attack. Unfortunately, the hold on the sword itself had to be a firm one, and my little hands barely fit around the thick metal. "I don't think I can hold it any better, Jace. My hand is burning."

Jace glanced at me sharply with a small nod before he took a step back, evaluating my stance. He tilted his head slightly, assessing me in a way that made my blood burn. It wasn't that he was openly staring at me - which I'd gotten used to for a while now - it was just he wasn't looking at me in the same way he usually did: not like a boyfriend perusing his girlfriend. This time he was watching me as one fighter to another, looking at my guard and evaluating where my weaknesses were.

"Okay," he said after a moment, then turned toward a large counter where several blades were sitting in a row. He grabbed one, bringing it closer to his face for inspection. I heard him whisper a blessed name and the blade alighted with a subtle blue glow. He turned to me then, his blade held steadily in his hand.

"I'm going to come at you," he told me, making sure my stance was firm. "Remember your foot work?"

"Back, back, side. Back, back, side." I replied, repeating the steps he'd taught me on how to fight in a sweeping pattern. The movements were fluid, graceful almost. Not anything like the brunt, stacco thrusts I had become accustomed to. Jace nodded his approval, giving me a small smirk as his gaze lightened slightly.

"What?" I asked, feeling my own mouth curve a little. Jace never showed anything but a serious attitude while training me, and I attributed it to the fact that he didn't want me getting hurt. But seeing him cut through formality had me curious. I wasn't stupid enough to break my form, but I had to know what he was thinking.

"You look good like that," he told me, his eyes shining.

"Good like what?" I asked, curious.

"Poised and ready..." he answered suggestively, and I felt my face heat in response.

"Jace now is not the time..."

He cleared his throat, his face going back to a mask of formality. "You're right." and just like that, the moment was gone.

Jace came at me with speed and accuracy, not taking one bit of pity on me for my lack of experience. Our blades met in a clang of metal, and before long, I could feel the sweat run in droves down my taut back.

It took me awhile to get the fighting style down, but after several hours and Jace's constant reassurance, we left the training room confident that I'd at least had a solid footing in the new art.

That night we sat in the kitchen for a while talking about the training session. It'd become somewhat of a tradition for us, a way to wind down and evaluate my progress.

"I think it's time to push you more," he told me, taking a sip from his steaming mug of hot cocoa.

"Push me more?" I asked, my voice raising an octave. "You push me enough as it is." I rubbed my shoulder, the muscles sore and aching, for emphasis. "You have to remember that I wasn't brought up like you, Alec, and Isabelle. My body is not in a condition for strenuous activity."

"I think your body is in perfect condition," Jace replied with a lecherous smile, and I knew I'd walked right into that one.

I swatted at his arm, "You know what I mean, butthead. Don't try to be cute."

"Try?" Jace replied with a mock snort. "I'm always cute."

He gave me one of his infamous smiles then; the one that always had me melting inside.

"Yes, you are," I sighed to myself, my inner girlie teen raring her head in full force. Jace beamed at my dreamy face, catching me in mid-swoon. I cleared my throat before I attempted to change the subject.

"What's the plan for tomorrow night?" I asked, and thanked the Angel when Jace answered me instead of commenting on my embarrassing behavior. He'd been planning something for a while now, but hadn't divulged the details. I knew that he could tell I picked up on his solemn mood with the whole dating thing, and I hoped that he wasn't trying to do anything too outlandish in order to prove to me that he was willing to bend.

"I'm not telling you yet," he said with a smug smile, not meeting my eyes.

"Jace," I whined, fully invoking the inner teen within me.

"No," he answered with a laugh. "I want you to be surprised."

I knew it...

"Jace, you don't have to do that..." I trailed off, a slight hitch in my throat stopping my words. It meant a lot to me that he'd think to do something special, but having him do it out of any guilt or remorse was not right. I had to set him straight, let him know that he was more than I could ever have dreamed of in a boyfriend.

"Clary, I want to do this," he said, and I didn't realize that I had a tear falling down my cheek until I felt Jace gently wipe it from my skin. "Why is it making you upset?"

I was honestly surprised that Jace didn't shy away from my pathetically emotional display, but the sincerity and concern in his voice made me realize that he truly wanted to know what I was thinking. So instead of reverting into my shell, keeping all my concerns inside where they could fester into an infectious canker, I told him.

"Sometimes I wonder why you love me," I stated bluntly, and before he could even begin to try and justify it, I kept on going. Because I knew that if I didn't voice my concerns, I'd always wonder in the back of my mind if they were true. Some part of me would doubt his affection for me. Our differences were stark and frightening at times, and I wanted to see if he was having any concerns about that fact.

"I know you care for me deeply, Jace. I would never doubt that. But I also know that you get frustrated with the fact that we come from different backgrounds. Things that interest me seem boring to you. And the fact that you spend your free time killing huge, evil, disgusting demons terrifies me. Not because I think you will get hurt - I know you can take care of yourself. It's just that I can't top that. I have nothing that exciting to offer you. There are just so many differences between us, and I feel as if the bridge between them is so vast, that you'll give up before we can meet in the middle. Does that make sense to you?"

"No, Clary," he answered bluntly. "It doesn't make sense to me."

I looked at his stern face in surprise at his sudden attitude change, trying to analyze through everything I'd said in order to depict what could have angered him so much. I felt my brows furrow, my posture tense as an unknown wave on anxiety washed over me. Was this it, then? Had my words made him realize how different we really were, and now he was done?

I had to look away from his intense gaze as the questions of my failure came pouring into my mind. I felt like in the last several months that I'd known him, Jace had become the focal point of my life. Everything I did, every thought I had revolved around him, evidenced by my countless drawings that took up every page of my sketchbook. And now, to have it possibly taken away from me because I was just too...mundane for him was heart wrenching.

"Clary..."

His voice was a light whisper across my face, his tone imploring me to look at him. I couldn't. Despite the plea in my name I couldn't turn and watch him as he told me it was over.

"Clary, please look at me..." When I didn't respond, I felt his fingertips curl around my chin, angling my face so it was within his view. I still couldn't meet his eyes.

"You are so much more to me than something as petty as silly differences," he told me softly, and I could sense the stark veracity in his words, giving me the strength to meet his gaze. When my green eyes reached his golden ones, the raw love and desire I saw kept me spellbound.

"Silly girl," Jace said, wiping the tears I didn't know had fallen reverently from my cheeks. "Why can't me planning an evening for you be anything more than me wanting to do something nice for my girlfriend?"

"I know you aren't happy indulging my girly teenage fantasies, Jace."

"Oh baby, I'd be more than happy to indulge your teenage fantasies," he told me with a wag of his eyebrows and a lecherous smile. I elbowed him slightly, cracking a small smile at his tease.

"You know what I mean, Jace. I know how hard it is for you to pretend to be a part of my world."

"Pretend?" Jace asked, his tone slightly offended.

"Yes." I clarified further. "I see you struggling to shut out the Shadow World during our dates, fighting the pull to go fight the demons."

Jace laughed fully, the rich sound reverberating around the silent kitchen, a vivid contrast to the topic of conversation.

"It's not funny, Jace. I've really been thinking about this a lot lately, and if you'd-"

I didn't finish. Jace had silenced my hysteria with a firm kiss on my lips. The abrupt contact surprised me at first, but as the pressure lessened, leaving the supple feel of his soft lips on mine, I began to get that warm tingling feeling I got every time he kissed me. Soon, my lips were parted, welcoming his sensuous tongue to tango with mine.

I was lost... Devoured into a bubble of heat and passion that kept me enthralled, forgetting everything I'd been upset about. My worries and concerns seemed trivial in comparison to the electricity between us.

When I was completely breathless, Jace pulled away to place little pecks along my neck and ear.

"Silly girl," he breathed upon my heated skin. "The only thing that could possibly pull my attention away from you is your safety. It's not the thrill of the hunt or my need for blood that distracts me. Only the threat to you, baby. Always you..."

That night we'd spent more hours kissing and touching. Jace was adamant about making my insecurities about how he felt disappear under the skill of his powerful lips and hands. Our physical relationship developed further, heading closer to third base than I thought we were ready for, but I was done over thinking it. Jace wanted me, and I seemed to need him.

Saturday night came quickly. Isabelle had helped me get ready in a dark pair of skinny jeans and blue blouse. She did my makeup, but kept the coloring light and youthful. My hair hung around my shoulders in loose curls.

I met Jace at the front of the Institute with a smile and a stomach full of excited butterflies. He looked incredibly sexy in a pair of worn jeans and black button up, sleeves rolled. It took some effort not to stand there and drool, making my words of greeting sound like English in my suddenly uncooperative mouth.

"You look gorgeous, baby," he told me with a small peck to my cheek. His hand had wrapped itself around my slim waist, his thumb automatically working its way under my shirt to rub small circles on my bare skin.

"Thanks," I replied breathlessly, my heart stuttering a couple beats at the familiarity of his touch.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah, where to?"

He laughed, "Not until we get there, baby."

Like I said before, he'd done so much more than I expected of him. That night, Jace had taken me to a four star restaurant, wining and dining me until I was stuffed with gourmet food. Afterward, he'd taken me to a private concert of one of my all time favorite bands, Incubus. I guessed he'd heard of their small gig at a bar that showcased unplugged bands, and was able to score us two tickets. The band was amazing, but during the mellow show, I found myself watching him more than I did the performers.

Looking back on that night, I thought that was the moment I realized Jace truly loved me as I did him. He was relaxed in that environment, content, with his arm firmly around me while his outer hand drew soft circles onto my knee.

As we left the bar that night, I could see Jace tense slightly as we walked into the darkening night. But as he automatically scanned the streets, I looked at his actions differently this time. He wasn't itching to leave my side in order to hunt the beasts that prowled the shadows. He was searching, preparing, protecting.

In that second I fell deeper in love with Jace Wayland - my warrior, my guardian, my Shadowhunter...

My boyfriend...