Thinking out loud
Jace took a long swig of his drink and tried to shrink back into the corner of the booth. He hated karaoke and he was so damn nervous he felt like his tongue was coated with sand paper. He grimaced as the drink rolled over his tongue but didnt help at all. Clary bowed low as she and Simon finished their number to wild cheers from the crowd. They made their way back to the table amid howls of encouragement and claps on the back. Jace guessed the audience was either tone deaf or they had a soft spot for bad singing. As much as he loved her, Clary was no singer and she knew it from the way she smiled at him sheepishly. Apparently her years of singing "aint no mountian high enough" to her mirror had paid off.
She slid into the seat on his left side leaving him on the end and able to get out, just as he'd planned. He turned to her and smiled, trying to hide his nerves. He ran his hand through her curly red hair and pulled her in for a kiss. Her lips met his and quickly he felt the fire begin to burn him. He wanted so much more than a kiss, but the howls from the table brought him back to reality.
"Shut it." he hissed playfully as he released her.
"So was it that bad?" she asked as her sweet breath mingled with his as he pulled his resisting lips away. He didn't answer, just squeezed her leg quickly, forcing himself not to let his hand linger.
"Well lets see you do it." she said with a wicked smile slapping his shoulder "you can't critique unless you are willing to try it."
Jace was about to answer when the chime for the next Singer sounded. The dj began to spin filler music, while the crowd howled and waited impatiently. Jace gulped and caught her eyes "your right"he said with a lopsided grin as he stood.
"You asked for it." he said softly as he leaned down quickly and kissed her hard. He turned away from her surprised face and made his way to the karaoke stand. He heard the roar of his table behind him but went up anyway.
He felt the sweat trickle down his back and regretted leaving his leather jacket on. The lights felt like the sun, but this is what he wanted, what he needed to do for her.
"sorry in advance" he said softly into the microphone as he sat down. He felt the seat under him creak and worried that he'd end up on his ass, but this was all for her. "this is for you Clary." He said softly as he adjusted the microphone and found her in the crowd. He nodded to the dj and the first strains of the song drifted out low and sweet. The noise died away as it filled the room and Jace gulped slightly and began to sing.
"When your legs don't work like they used to before
And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks"
He sang with all the love and emotion the song evoked and found Clary's bright green eyes even in the darkness of the bar. She glowed with an inner light that marked her as different and special and he loved her more than anything else on earth.
And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70
And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am
He put everything he could into each syllable he sang wanting her to know how much the last five years had meant to him. Every touch, every moment was as special as the first and he wanted her to know it. He stood ignoring the whistles and jeers as he passed and began to slowly walk down the steps toward her. He made sure to keep eye contact with her every second as he continued to sing, He felt his stomach clench and wondered how the hell Ed Sheeran made this look so easy. He winked at her and pulled the mic closer and continued to sing, he just hoped it was mostly on key.
So honey now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are
He made his way to the table and knelt down at her feet as he sang about how he would still love her when his hair was gone and his memory had faded. He hoped he would die before he lost his hair, he thought with a grimace, but to spend even one more moment with her he'd deal with it. He saw her smile, saw the tears in her eyes and felt his heart thump louder.
'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen
Baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe it's all part of a plan
I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand
But baby now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart I'm thinking out loud
That maybe we found love right where we are...
He gripped her hand and continued to serenade her as he told her with every word, every touch of his hand down her cheek what she meant to him. The crowd sat breathless and silent, holding its breath. Jace took a minute to wonder at the miracle of a packed New York city club being dead silent but the thought was chased away a microsecond later by Clary's smile. He reached into his jacket pocket as he tripped over the last part of the song but it was okay with him because he got to see that look in her eyes.
So baby now Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Oh darling, place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
That we found love right where we are
"Clary,"He said softly as he knelt in front of her. He thrust the microphone into Simon's waiting hand his hands shaking as he opened the case in his hand" I love you more than anything and you know we've been through hell, but I want you to know that I want to be with you every minute of every day. I don't care if you leave your art supplies all over the place or are incapable of doing laundry," he heard the chuckles coming from their table but pushed ahead "I can't wait another day to let the world know that you belong to me. Will you marry me?".
He showed her the ring and felt his hand shake as she looked down at it. Her eyes, glistening like the leaves of the forest after a rain storm, trailed tears down her pale cheeks. He thought she'd never looked more beautiful. He took the ring out of the box and held it out her. Clary's eyes were glued to the herondale ring she'd given back to him that night at the lake. The boldly struck H stood out and shone in the dim light of the club and the bird on the outside seemed ready to fly off the silver. Clary took the ring and was about to look up when something inside caught her eye. She turned it toward the light and saw the engraving there.
"Love is as strong as death, but survives it's finality." She read softly to herself as she recognized an adjusted version of the shadow hunter wedding ceremony.
Jace felt his heart stop as she didn't answer. He began to squirm under the weight of the silence of the club as they all waited. He rubbed her hand feeling the heaviest weight rest on his chest.
"Clary" he said in a whisper, "I'm dying here, will you marry me?"
Clary looked up at him and...