Hey guys! So I posted this before, but it showed up with some kind of code, so it was impossible to read! Sorry that happened, but here it is again, all fixed!
Clary walked along the busy New York City sidewalk, weaving in and out of other pedestrians. The warm spring sun beat down on her bare arms and shoulders, exposed in her tank top. Her hair was pulled back in a half-hearted bun, a few loose curls hanging around her face.
The Institute came into view on the corner and she picked up her pace. It had become a habit of hers to go to the Institute around noon every day. It became routine to both her and Jace to see each other every day. Once she arrived at the Institute, they would usually train, or maybe get something to eat. Some days, though, they ended up just laying on his bed, curled around each other, talking for hours. Those were her favorite days. When they would just lay there, content with just being together. They would talk about anything and everything, or sometimes just lay there, cuddled together.
Clary clambered up the stairs to the Institute's front door. She dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door, swinging it open. Jace had given her a key to the Institute a few months before, considering she practically lived there. She didn't bother ringing the doorbell anymore, she just walked in unannounced.
After closing the door behind her and locking it, she made her way through the maze of hallways until she came into the kitchen, expecting to find Jace there. Instead, Isabelle stood over the stove, a pot of some kind of substance boiling over the top. When she heard Clary's footsteps behind her, Isabelle turned around to face her. It was then that Clary noticed that Isabelle was in her shadowhunter gear.
"Demons?" Clary asked, grabbing an apple out of the bowl on the counter.
Isabelle nodded. "Yeah, we got a call about some demons causing trouble downtown."
"I'll go get my gear," Clary mumbled into her apple, already stepping toward the weapons room.
"No," Isabelle said. When Clary gave her a confused look, she continued. "Only Alec and I are going to this one. Jace woke up sick this morning. It seems like he has a high fever, so we're forcing him to stay home, even though he insists that he's able to come, although he can barely lift his head off of his pillow. So you okay with staying here and taking care of him while we're gone? He's actually pretty sick, and I don't wanna leave him alone."
Clary nodded, worry starting to form in her stomach. "Of course I'll stay with him. He's gonna be okay, right? It's only a fever?"
Isabelle's lips curved into a small smile. "Yes, he's gonna be fine. It's just a bug that he caught. Magnus looked at him this morning. He said it should clear in a few days. Jace must love that. Not being able to get out of bed for days."
Clary laughed and threw her finished apple into the garbage. She turned to leave, looking over her shoulder at Isabelle. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
Clary heard Isabelle chuckle behind her as she made her way into the hallway. She walked the familiar path to Jace's room and stopped in front of her door. She gently knocked on the door. Footsteps shuffled closer to her and the door was pulled open, revealing a disheveled Jace.
He looked like hell. His normal look of jeans and a t-shirt was replaced with baggy pajama pants, hanging just on his hips, and a sweatshirt. His blonde hair was sticking out in several places, creating a messy halo around his head. His golden eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and dark bags had formed under them. His skin was as pale as a ghost.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hey," he croaked. His voice was hoarse, and it sounded like it pained him to talk.
"Isabelle told me you were sick," she stated. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. Instead, after a moment, he silently nodded. If it was anyone else saying this, he would have blown it off, not wanting to admit to needing help. But with her, he knew he didn't have to lie. He could tell her the truth.
She looked closer at him and noticed his body shaking and trembling, his teeth chattering. "You're cold?" she asked. He nodded and didn't resist when she put a delicate hand on his arm and guided him in the direction of his bed. He flopped down on the mattress, landing on his stomach. A groan escaped his lips as he buried his face in the pillow beneath him. Clary leaned over him and pulled the blanket around his body tightly, trying to keep him warm. She leaned in to peck his cheek, his skin burned under her lips. When she pulled away, Jace buried his face deeper into the pillow and launched into a violent coughing fit. She gently slid her hand under the collar of his sweatshirt, rubbing slow circles into his shoulder blades. She frowned at the sight of him looking so vulnerable. She was used to him being to strong, nothing getting to him. Now, he just looked miserable. When his coughs subsided, she got to her feet.
"I'll be right back," she murmured to him. He only nodded in reply, his eyes sliding closed.
She walked into his bathroom, reaching for his medicine cabinet. Her hands rummaged around the few pill bottles in there and found the one she was looking for. Fever reducer. She filled the glass on the counter with water and made her way back to his room. He was in the same position she left him in, his eyes still closed. She quietly walked up to him and gently shook his arm. His eyes fluttered open and rested on her face.
"Jace, honey," she whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed next to him. "I brought you some medicine. You need to sit up so you can take it."
Slowly, Jace rolled onto his back and propped himself on his elbows. He held out his hand and Clary shook two fever pills into his palm. He popped them into his mouth and washed them down with the water, downing the whole glass in the process. He flopped backwards again, too weak and tired to sit up.
"Thanks, Clare," he rasped, giving her a small smile.
She smiled back at him and sat back against the headboard next to where his head was laying. She gently ran her fingers through his soft hair, pushing it out of his eyes. "You're welcome, Jace."
"I love you," he whispered, his voice softer than usual.
"I love you, too," she grinned. She grabbed a pillow next to her and placed it on her lap. "Come here."
Jace immediately pushed himself towards her so that his head rested on her legs. The two of them sat there in silence for a while, Clary running her hands though his hair every few seconds.
A knock suddenly sounded on the door, and Isabelle poked her head in. She smiled at the sight of the two of them on the bed. "Alec and I are heading out," she informed them.
They both nodded, and Jace mumbled out a "be safe."
"We will," Isabelle assured her brother. "And you, feel better."
Jace just nodded his head, and Isabelle left, closing the door behind her. Clary looked down at him and noticed that his eyes were already drooping closed.
"Why don't you get some sleep?" she suggested.
He inhaled a shaky breath and nodded. "Can you lay with me?" She nodded, starting to slide out from under him.
Clary carefully lowered herself onto her back next to Jace's long body. She rolled onto her side to face him and wrapped an arm around his lower back.
"Go to sleep, Jace," she whispered. He gave a small smile, already drifting out of consciousness.
Clary lay there for a moment, looking at his sleeping form. He always looked so innocent when he was asleep. All of the worry lines on his face smoothed out, making him appear younger than nineteen. Carefully, so not to wake him, she gently ran the backs of her fingers across his cheeks, smiling to herself when he moved closer to her in his sleep.
Content with his moment, she wrapped her arm tighter around him, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep next to her favorite person in the entire world.
So that's it, you guys! Just a short little one-shot I wrote in less than a day. It doesn't have much editing, so please excuse any mistakes! Thank you guys so much for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought (constructive criticism is welcome)! Also, please look at my other story. It's not really a story, but it's a list of story ideas I have, and I want to know which ones you guys would like to see, so please go check that out! It's called Readers' Choice! So, please review, favorite, all that fun stuff! Thank you guys again for reading!
~ Ti Amo La Luna E Ritorno