So I decided to try my hand at a MI fic Its been forever since I wrote anything honestly so I cant promise that its any good. Im still working on the major details of it so bare that in mind when reading. It is Jace/Clary, Alec/Magnus and Simon/Isabelle/Maia (as in which girl is to be determined). This story takes place post COG and is as canon as I can get it. I dislike A/U and AH stories so this is my idea of what happens when COG ends. I dont own any of the characters and I am sure we all wish we did own Jace! However, thanks to the world of imagination we can play with the characters so long as we put them back where we found them or Cassandra Clare might get mad! ;) PLEASE Read & Review, I not only live for it, my muse lives for it and if shes alive- so does the story! Thanks! Enjoy!
Chapter 1: The Angel's Gift
One would think the sensation of flight would be inspiring, invigorating, or at the very least intriguing as a person's body fought the laws of gravity and all physics by gliding through the air wingless. But all it was in the end was painful.
With a grunt coming from a mix of pain and annoyance, she hit the padding stomach and cheek first. Her palms planted into the blue mat next and she lay there in exhaustion with a sigh following the groan. She closed her eyes and wondered when she was going to get it right. She wasn't sure how much more her body could take of this.
And why was this padding so damn thin- it offered no protection from black and blues, bumps, and bruises! Of course, neither did the hard pavement had this been a real fight which she was sure he was going to remind her of momentarily.
Surprised yet again, she turned onto her back to find a set of thin, long fingers, the kind a musician would kill for, stretched out reaching to help grasp her up. Those long fingers were attached to the hand of a lithe, muscular arm the color of pale honey that she was knew matched the rest of his lanky but stout body's complexion.
She heaved another sigh, blowing strands of copper, orangey-red bangs out of her eyes. They didn't go far since most of them were matted to her forehead, damp with sweat. She reached out for his grasp, her pale, freckled skin looking almost sickly in comparison to his bronzed tone.
Of course, she could never match up to him- at least not in her opinion. The picture before her was that of a model, almost god-like, angelic, and yet the smirk was devilish and the look in his eye was certainly as mischievous as an imp- assuming they were not the real kind of demon and just the metaphoric kind.
Her smaller, warm hand found his equally warm grasp and his long fingers enveloped around her wrist as he pulled her up without struggle. She, on the other hand, let out another groan of protest as she allowed him to right her whole body in one quick motion. She planted her feet firmly, trying not to waver.
"I think you've had enough for one day," he relented, his voice heavy, laced with concern and perhaps a mix of fatigue. He still hadn't released her hand from his.
She followed the trail of tight muscle in his arm up to his face. His wavy blond hair had started growing a little too long again and some strands were deceptively blocking the gold-tawny color of his eyes. She reached up with her free hand and gently brushed back some of his yellow curls. Everything about him was gold- his skin, hair, eyes… he was a bronzed angel- with the personality of devious devil. Well- normally. His personality had been on and off since they had gotten home from Idris.
"Don't be so hard on yourself- you'll set yourself up for failure," he informed, misreading her silence.
"Oh," she replied lamely, still entranced by his gaze.
He smiled. "Earth to Clary?"
She heard a murmur escape her lips but he was still holding her hand and despite the lack of intimacy in his touch, it still set her skin on fire. She found it difficult to think of much else when he touched her. Maybe that was why she was having trouble learning?
He laughed gently. "Did you hit your head again or are you stunned by my awesomeness yet again?"
This snapped her out of her reverie. She rolled her eyes but still felt a flush of heat return to her cheeks at his implication. "I must've hit my head." She drawled, not giving him the satisfaction he already knew belonged to him. "If I keep it up it may get as swollen as yours Jace Lightwood!" she added for good measure, but once again became red in the face as he gave her another implied look. Ok so perhaps those weren't the greatest words to use…
He chuckled softly, pulling her by the wrist gently with a flick of his own wrist. Her body tumbled forward, crashing into his rock-hard frame. He caught her easily around the waist, fingers splaying out across her hips. "I think you're a bigger tease than you let on to be, Clary."
She gave him the best smile she could muster being so easily distracted by the heat of his body. She could feel her skin burning with the exhaustion of their training session, now mixing with the desire and heat of being so close to him. "I think we both need a cold shower." She advised, heart hammering so hard against her ribs that she bet he could feel it pumping against his sweaty black t-shirt as well.
"Mmhmm…" he squeezed her hips with his fingers, trying to draw her even closer- even if it were impossible for them to get any closer. He could feel each curve of her body through the tight leggings and soft blue cami she worn to train in. He closed his eyes, reveling in the joy it brought and allowing himself to feel this way- with no guilt, no hard feelings- one of the greatest joys he had ever known.
Her small hands rested on the front of his chest, feeling the dampness of his shirt as his muscles rose up and down with his heavy breaths. His hot breath hit her in the face as she stared up at him, her eyelids fluttering shut as he closed his. She could feel the intensity of the moment mounting as her lips closed in on his. She was glad his hold on her was so tight because she felt as if she may collapse at any moment from the sheer joy of being with him like this- free of guilt and concern. It's ok, Clary- he's not your brother- let yourself go, she told herself.
Then his lips found hers and all thought escaped from her mind like dynamite exploding. His lips were warm and soft at first. Then he pressed into her harder with the heat of the moment claiming them both. She let her mouth mold against his and she couldn't help but let out a soft moan of enjoyment as his tongue traced the lines of her mouth before pressing into hers, crashing against one another like the pounding of ocean waves.
Clary felt herself spiraling to the ground, the sensation of free-falling claiming her and it was almost the same experience as flying through the air earlier, except when she hit the bottom, she landed protectively against his chest, his arms wrapped around her like a cocoon. This was everything she thought flying should be- and then some.
Jace held her small frame against him as she felt her legs go weak and he tipped backwards crashing onto the mat with ease- her light form crushing against him in the most comforting way possible. He couldn't remember time or place, his manners- as if he had much of them anyway- or a thing about anything else but the heady rush kissing her gave him. He'd been kissed perhaps a thousand times before but none of them compared to what she managed to do to him. Much like Clary herself- her kisses worked their way under his skin. They got rises- literally and figuratively- out of his emotions that he didn't know were possible before. Kissing Clary was like touching the clouds of heaven, like being graced by the Angel, like setting fire to his skin… He didn't quite know it could be like this. With all his experience with girls- never had he known anything could be quite like this. He let her pull away first, gasping a breath as her eyes opened lazily- like she had just woke up.
He stroked back the damp strands of her fiery hair to reveal her bright green eyes. Eyes the color of emerald stones sparkling in the sun- a green he couldn't quite compare to anything to be green enough. He smiled up at her, placing a short, gentle kiss on her lips before letting his head hit the back of the mat. "See- tease…" he closed his eyes as the world kept spinning, slowly now.
Clary crossed her arms over his chest, gazing down at his handsome face with a sense of satisfaction she'd never felt before. She rested her chin on her knuckles, grinning at him. "You're not so innocent either." She paused, looking around. "How exactly did we get down here?"
Jace chuckled lightly and smiled at her. He couldn't remember smiling like this- so genuinely- in a long time. He was so grateful for that. It had been a difficult time for both of them- spending weeks apart thinking their love was forbidden because they thought they were brother and sister, finding out he was not Jonathon Morgenstern but the son of Stephen Herondale, the fight with Sebastian- the real Jonathon and Valentine… Max… finally realizing they wanted to be together- oh and then there was the part where he had died and she saved him. It was a lot to take in.
They returned from Idris two weeks ago but the memories were still raw and fresh.
Clary watched the change in his tawny eyes. She knew he was thinking of all they had gone through and were continuing to face. She was glad for the small moments where they could just be two people in love but they were fleeting moments usually interrupted by such thoughts, or training, or their parents, or the rest of reality. She let out a sigh, slowly standing up. "C'mon Jace. It's getting late- I have to go home soon."
He frowned, coming to stand up beside her. He hated that Jocelyn wouldn't let her live her at the Institute, but he understood. It wasn't right for her to be living under the same roof as him, even if she was training to be a Shadowhunter now. He folded up the exercise mats and led the way out of the training room.
She fell in step beside him, reaching for his hand as they walked down the long hallway. She laced her fingers around his, lost without his touch already. "I think I'm getting worse instead of better."
Jace gave her a half grin. "Now, now… give yourself a chance Clary. You can't expect to be good overnight. Besides, with me as a teacher, you'll be amazing before you know it."
Clary rolled her eyes at his arrogance. The best part was he really knew he was the best. She wished she could be as good as him one day- if only to knock him down a few pegs and get rid of his smug grin. "I don't know… I'm a Shadowhunter- it's in my blood; you think I'd get something right by now."
"You're also 16 and never been trained before. You have a lot of catching up to do to be more like us," Jace reminded her.
Clary frowned. "That's the thing, Jace… I don't know if I'll ever feel like one of you." She admitted. When he didn't respond, she continued. "It's kinda like… well; I guess it's kinda like being the water boy for a football team! You're always on the side lines and even though you're supposed to be part of the team, you're never involved in the action, ya know?"
Jace raised his eyebrows at her. "No... Actually, I'm not sure what you mean." He frowned now, wishing he understood more of her "normal" life. There were so many things he didn't understand about being a teenager in the normal world. It made him feel all wrong for her.
Clary gave him an understanding smile. Oh how similar they were! Both trying to fit into each other's worlds- both being so different from one another, but yet the same feeling drove them. It was kind of funny the more she thought about it. She was trying to fit in as a Shadowhunter- a world she barely understood but was tossed into and needed to understand now more than ever. He never had a normal childhood so he didn't understand the world she once lived in.
"Clary-" he started, unsure of what to say. He knew she wanted to be a Shadowhunter- not just to be with him, but because it was who she was. Yet, sometimes he felt she was giving up too much. It was not too late to go back for her- to a normal high school, with regular boys and dates and dances, football games, and parties- all the things he didn't really understand. "You know-"
"Don't say it Jace. I know where I belong," she reassured him, coming to a stop in the hallway. She wrapped her arms around his waist, bringing herself close to him as if to reiterate her point. "This is my world now too. I know I'm still learning- but you're right, I have a great teacher." She bit her bottom lip as she smiled teasingly at him. "You are my world."
He still felt a twinge of unease but knew she was determined and stubborn. It was one of the things that drove him nuts about her- in a good way and a bad way. Yet, he knew she was giving up so much- had already given up so much to be a part of this. He knew it wasn't all for him, but he selfishly knew it was for him as well. After all, he wouldn't even be alive if she hadn't asked the Angel to bring him back.
Clary could see the storm of thought in his eyes. She hated when he allowed himself to do this. "You need to stop being so arrogant for five minutes Jace Lightwood. You're not God's gift to the world you know." She squeezed him, chuckling.
"No- I'm the Angel's gift," he responded, trying not to sound selfish.
It worked. Clary could hear the twinge of guilt in his tone. It wasn't his usual arrogance fueling that comment but the truth. "That's right, the Angel's gift to me." She agreed, happy to have him. "For once you are a gift to a girl and you're not even going to gloat about it?"
He frowned at her. He knew his arrogance was annoying but often lightened the mood. However, right now he was trying to be serious. She made the sacrifice of any wish in the world to save him. He was still feeling at odds about it- a mix of guilt, happiness, and gratefulness. He owed her, plain and simple and he didn't like be indebted to anyone. He withdrew from her grasp.
She sighed, angry with herself for saying the wrong things. She was new at this too! She didn't know how to console him. She just seemed to agitate him further. She tried not to feel the sting of pain that accompanied him removing her hold. Ugh! It wasn't supposed to be this difficult anymore! They were supposed to be happy together. "Jace- I'm sorry, I-"
"No, don't be." He cut her off, placing a kiss on her forehead. He gave her a small smile, trying not to worry her. It wasn't her fault, really. He didn't want her to be upset. Somehow they always knew how to anger each other more than anything. There was so much passion and heat between them that sometimes their signals just got mixed. He knew they were doing well with the physical stuff, mostly- but the emotional stuff was difficult. He looked past her at the door to his room. "This is my stop. I'll see you later."
Clary's shoulders slumped and she lowered her eyes to the ground. She wished she knew what to say and what not to say. She wasn't sure of anything and that was the scariest part of her relationship with Jace. She never had a boyfriend like this before! Simon knew her so well and she thought Jace did to, but it seemed they only knew how to get through their lives being in danger and not how to have a simple conversation. It seems things only worked in the face of danger and high strung situations.
She felt bad for messing things up. She nodded mutely in response as he placed a quick kiss on her cheek then brushed past her. She turned around quickly. "Jace, I love-"
The door shut before she could finish.
Jace leaned against the door, letting out a sigh. Relationships were hard- that's why he usually avoided the emotional stuff and went right to the physical. But, he loved Clary- it wasn't just about the physical. He frowned. You're an idiot Jace. Don't make her feel bad for trying. She's innocent- she doesn't know better. He flung the door open quickly. "Clary, I love-"
She was already gone.