I hope you enjoy this little piece. It's meant to be all angsty/romancy so some of the finer details might not match up with the actual series. It is meant to take place before the last book of the series and before Jace and Clary really get physical at all.
Thanks for reading – let me know what you think.
"Clary, I can't believe you guys haven't done it yet," exclaimed Isabelle as she applied black polish to her nails.
"Izzy, give me a break. It just hasn't happened yet. Besides, we are a bit busy." Clary was really tired of trying to explain herself.
"I just don't understand it. I mean, if two people want to be together, they get together. I think you're just scared."
"Izzy, it's a big deal, that's all. Besides, it's not like I have any experience in this area."
"Seriously Clary, I know Jace must want it. Just get over yourself and go for it. Be bold and I'm sure Jace will respond appreciatively."
"Izzy, it's just not that easy."
"Clary, guys are easy to please. You just have to show up, put a little effort into it, and everyone will be happy. Trust me."
"And what should she be trusting you with, exactly" Jace said as he entered the room where the girls were painting their nails?
"Nothing!" Clary shouted as he came and sat down beside her. Jace smiled at her and kissed her temple.
Thankfully, Jace and Isabelle started talking about upcoming Institute duties. Clary let her mind wander to what she and Izzy had been talking about. It wasn't that she didn't want more with Jace, she definitely did, but if she was honest with herself, she was scared. She had never been with anyone before and she knew Jace was experienced. They hadn't really talked about his past history, but she knew from comments that Izzy had made that he had been with girls before. He had never pushed her to do anything more, but she worried that what they were doing might not be enough for him. Maybe she would take Izzy's advice and just put a little effort into pushing things forward.
"Clary? Did you hear me?" Jace sounded concerned as Clary looked at him in confusion. "I asked you a question."
"Oh, sorry. I guess I was lost in thought," she tried to sound casual so he wouldn't worry.
"Want to share it with me?' he asked as he scooted over to sit closer to her.
"No, it was nothing."
"Okay." For a moment, they just sat in companionable silence. Jace picked up her newly painted hand and started playing with her fingers. "This color looks nice on you. Isabelle's influence seems to be wearing off on you," he chuckled as he brought her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Clary asked with some hesitation.
He didn't look away from her hand as he continued to give her feather light kisses. He shrugged. "It's neither. I was just making an observation. I could make more if you would like." He smiled his crooked smile and looked up at her from beneath his lashes. "You look stunning today."
Clary could feel her cheeks blush from his compliment. He trailed a hand up to her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her lips. It was a soft kiss.
Clary pulled away before he could deepen the kiss further. She thought she saw a slight frown cross his features but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "We should go meet up with the others. Aren't we patrolling tonight?"
As they stood up together, Jace pulled Clary against him so she couldn't walk away. "Yeah, we are leaving soon. Is everything okay? You seem a bit off." He looked searchingly into her eyes for the root of his concern.
She leaned in and kissed him quickly. "I'm fine. Perhaps it's pre-patrol jitters. Let's go." As she stepped out of his embrace, she grabbed his hand as they walked together to find the others.
The patrols were easy. They didn't run into any major problems. Actually, they only came across two demons the entire time they were out. They had an easy time disposing of those. They walked along joking with each other and discussed their upcoming training and lessons. Thankfully, Izzy hadn't tried to continue their conversation from earlier. That would have made the night one huge embarrassment.
When they got back to the Institute, they made their reports and made plans to meet back for breakfast. They were going to meet Simon and Magnus at Taki's so they could all hang out before the day got busy.
Clary didn't have a room in the Institute since she lived with her mother and usually just got ready in a spare room or with Izzy. As they made their way up the elevator, Jace leaned down to whisper something in her ear. His lips brushed against her hair sending butterflies into her stomach. "You could get ready with me, in my room, if you want." It sounded like Jace was a bit unsure of himself. She smiled and simply nodded her head. She didn't trust her voice right now.
As they headed down the hall together, she saw Isabelle give her a wink before she turned and went into her own room. Clary felt her cheeks redden. Perhaps she would try some of Izzy's advice. Clary lost herself in thinking about what she was going to do. She didn't hear Jace say goodbye to Alec and open the door to his own room. As she walked in, following Jace, she was surprised to find herself in his embrace against the back of the door. Since she hadn't been paying attention, she wasn't expecting this. They kissed for a long time standing there, bodies pressed against each other. It was heavenly. They slowly started to move together towards the bed. Jace's room was so clean and organized, they didn't have to worry about stumbling upon anything as they walked. Clary did step on Jace's foot though. They stopped and Clary started to pull away to apologize. Jace just gave her a sexy smile and bent down to pick her up. Clary squealed as she found herself in his arms.
"This is much better. Now you can't stomp all over my feet."
Clary punched him in the chest as she said, "I do not stomp all over your feet. It was an accident." Jace just smiled as he kissed her lips once again.
Clary might have been distracted by her thoughts when they first entered the room, but she was acutely aware of what was happening at the moment. As Jace laid her on the bed, Clary sat up abruptly, to his surprise. She leaned over and continued kissing him. As she did so, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head. This seemed to spurn Jace on. He grabbed her face with his hands and kissed her passionately. His own fingers found the hem of her shirt. He hesitated there, playing with the sensitive skin just below the fabric. As he started to move her shirt up, Clary put her arms straight up so he could remove it easier. They had done this before. In fact, this is as far as they had ever gotten. The small amount of skin contact was delicious. She knew Jace enjoyed it. She could tell in the way he looked at her and she could feel it through his passionate kissing. She did want more; didn't she? She just didn't know what to do. She wanted to make Jace happy but was so inexperienced. She just knew she couldn't match his expectations. She was worried about seeing the disappointment in his eyes.
But then she thought about what Isabelle had said. Maybe if she just tried anything more, he would go for it. She knew he was holding back because he didn't want to pressure her into anything. Before she could lose her nerve, she started caressing his chest and back with her hands. He made a small moaning noise into her mouth. This spurned her on. She let her hands travel all over his abdomen. Jace was sitting on the bed next to her, leaning back on his hands. She was doing all the touching. As her hands reached the button of his pants. She felt Jace freeze beneath her. She opened up her eyes to find him staring at her. She didn't know what to say. She unbuttoned his top button. "Clary, you don't have to do this," he said in jagged breaths.
In a small voice she asked, "Is it okay if I do want this?" Jace just looked at her and nodded his head. He couldn't form a coherent word. She started kissing him again and fumbled for the zipper of his pants. Slowly she pulled the zipper until it was completely down. Their breathing was uneven around their kisses. She stopped and looked down past his waist. She had no idea what she should do. She was expecting Jace to take over once she moved past where they had gone before but he seemed to be letting her take charge of the situation. He was letting her do whatever she wanted to do yet she didn't know how to do what she wanted to do. She hadn't realized that she was just sitting there staring until she heard his voice.
"Clary, are you okay? We can stop," his voice was full of concern as he looked down at her. What was she doing? This was Jace, she shouldn't be so apprehensive or afraid.
Instead of answering, she moved in and continued to kiss him. In a moment of boldness, she moved her hand over to his waist. She threw caution to the wind and slowly moved her hand inside his pants. He gasped as her hand made contact with his skin. She froze. What was she doing? She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but it wasn't this. He was clearly aroused by their activities and the sheer magnitude of the situation came crashing down around her at that moment. She looked up at Jace with wide eyes and saw the shock and concern on his face.
"Clary, what's wrong?"
Before he could even finish his question, she had removed her hand and covered her face. "Jace, I'm sorry, I just can't." She was so embarrassed. She couldn't look at him.
He sat up and put his arms around her, pulling her close. "Clary, don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong." He was trying to comfort her and convince her that everything was okay. He realized that his pants were still undone and thought that maybe the situation would be easier if he put himself back together again. "Just give me a minute. I'll be right back." He grabbed his shirt as he got up and went to the bathroom. Clary was mortified. She also grabbed her shirt. Instead of waiting for him to come out, she left his room. She ran to Izzy's room to hide. She just couldn't face Jace right now.