A Very Clace Christmas
Okay guys, I know have not posted in forever, but first was Christmas Eve, then Christmas, and then my birthday the day after, so, yeah… Busy week!
On the other hand I'm writing a sweet Clary/Jace one-shot, so here it is!
"Simon, what should I get him, he doesn't have any, like, normal interests!" Clary whined to her best friend as they walked through the huge outdoor market.
"Well, you could get him a Dungeons and Dragons membership so he can play, or a boxed set of Lord of the Rings…" Simon went on as Clary sighed in exasperation.
"It's Christmas Day!" She yelled, "And all of that time settling issues in Idris put us back to day 1 on the Christmas schedule!" Simon gave her an awkward boy-pat on her shoulder.
"There's got to be something that can please even Jace." Simon said.
"What did you get Izzy?" Clary inquired, changing the subject.
"Oh, it's kind of a long story," Simon said steadily," One night, I had kind of told her the whole plot of Star Wars, and hey, she remembered it! So I bought Izzy the movie set and a Darth Vader tee-shirt." Clary burst out with laughter, tears coming to her eyes.
"What?" Simon asked, bewildered.
"That's so geeky!" Clary exclaimed, "Yet so highly adorable!" But then, something caught her eye. "Chopin Second Sonata" blazed across the top of the page, and under it were complex notes and time signatures, for the piano. It was a whole stand dedicated to music pieces, and Clary immediately bought the piece. She then walked to the stand of fresh-cut flowers and picked a bouquet of classical red roses.
"Perfect!" Clary squealed, and grabbed Simon's arm.
"Let's go home," said Simon. They hailed a taxi, and sped away.
As Clary stepped out of the cab on her street, she strolled, to her house, humming. Jocelyn waved to Clary while washing some apples for later.
Clary ran to her room, pulling out a white notecard, and on the unlined side, she wrote a note, tucking it into the roses. An excitement rose in her belly, and Clary's mind thrummed with the joy of Noel. Clary had a dilemma, though; what would she wear on her first Christmas with Jace?
Clary picked up jeans, and they went sailing across the room into the pile. Clary tore at her hair, hot tears running down her face.
"Clary?" Jocelyn asked. Clary buried her face in her mom's shoulder, eyes smarting. Jocelyn cooed, and brought out a bag.
"I'm sorry I forgot to get this to you earlier," she chuckled. Clary looked up suspiciously.
In the bag was the most gorgeous dress. It was the same bottle-green as her coat, and had little gold buttons reaching the V-neck of it. The top was fitted, and the bottom flared out; it was all made of velvet! Clary hugged and thanked her mom, and pulled on the dress.
Clary put on tall black boots, shrugging on her coat. Her curls bounced down her back, resting warmly below her shoulders.
Before Clary left, she was confronted by a stern Jocelyn. "What are the rules?" Jocelyn asked.
"No alcohol, don't do drugs, no birds and bees. Got it." Clary listed. She opened the door of her apartment and her boots crunched into the snow. Clary walked to the nearby bus stop and got dropped off near the Institute, putting her hand to the door as it swung open for her.
Inside hung small golden baubles, and everything was festooned with thick, red ribbons. Clary heard a piano playing "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire," and came into the dining room, where a great evergreen with golden ribbon stood, the star on top glowing, Magnus's work. Clary clutched the roses and Chopin tightly, putting them down on the small table that held various gifts. She saw a lumpy package that said, "To Izzy," and smirked.
Suddenly, the music stopped, and Clary gasped as warm arms encircled her from behind.
"Hey, gorgeous," Jace whispered, and Clary could feel him smiling against her hair.
"Wait, I thought that you were the only person entitled to gorgeous," she retorted. But he did look
"I am pretty stunning," Jace said, "We just have to pretend that I'm not better than everyone in this room right now, because you have to be nice on Christmas."
"Jace Herondale," Clary admonished him," You are going to get a bucket of coal right in your stocking."
"Being naughty is MUCH, more fun than being nice," he said, winking suggestively.
"JACE!" Clary blushed as he pinched her cheek.
"Aw, you're so cute when your embarrassed," Jace said sardonically, as Simon and Izzy came over. Simon had cleaned up, and was wearing contacts tonight, a sports coat over his Superman tee, and Isabelle looked stunning, as always, in a floor-length, red satin dress that pinned at the shoulder and flowed down her body. She even put on matching red lipstick, and her dark eyes sparkled in the pale, unmarked expanse of her face.
"Clary, you look like such a darling, and Jace, straighten your tie," Izzy clucked, straightening his green tie that was fastened to a white, button-down shirt. Jace's hair got ruffled as he rakishly slid his fingers through the golden mass, grinning as Izzy tucked in the back of his shirt.
Magnus and Alec sat in a corner, looking serious, and fawning over each other. Magnus reached out for Alec and pulled him into a kiss.
"Tweet! Tweet!" Jace catcalled, "Do you hear the lovebirds?" Alec grew as red as a beet, breaking away from Magnus, who, looking bored, yawned.
Jace laughed, sides heaving, as Isabelle scolded him. Magnus and Alec strolled over, Alec still fuming.
"Do calm down, Alec, darling," Magnus said. "I feel as though it is ruining the mood."
This comment, however, made Jace laugh even harder, and Clary looked down, snickering. They soon all fell into an uproar of laughter, excluding Magnus, who idly spun golden light, and Alec, whose face burned.
"Okay," Jace gasped, calming down, " Alright." The laughter died down.
"Presents?" Clary asked, to a chorus of "YES!"
First, Alec opened his gist from Magnus, an bow and arrows that Magnus had enchanted with things like true aim, and fire. He hugged Magnus delightedly, and Izzy tore open her gift from Simon, turning pink and giggling as she kissed him on the cheek. More people went around opening gifts, and Clary gave Jace her gift, the last one of the night.
Jace glowed with excitement as he pulled out the music, draping his arm around Clary. Jace grasped the note, pulling it out, and when he finished, he smiled as blindingly as the sun, with the little ship on his upper-left incisor, that Clary adored.
"Read it! Read it!" Izzy chanted, and the others joined in. Jace blushed sweetly, and started reading.
"Dear Jace,
I know that I'm not good with words, like you, but I do know one thing. Being with you makes me want to start writing a story, and I want that story to last our whole lives. Jace, everyday, when I see the sun, I think of your golden laughter, and when I see the moon, I see you, your light guiding me through the darkness, and when I see fire, I think of the flame of your love that scorches me, smolders within me, and warms me. I think of you wherever I go, and I want you with me wherever I go in life. I love you, Jace, and I don't care if you're a Wayland, Lightwood, or Herondale. To me, you will be that boy that came into my room late at night on my birthday, bringing me to the greenhouse with cheese sandwiches and apples, a magical flower that opens and midnight, and best of all, my first kiss, which tasted like the sweetness of an apple. And since then, you have seen the worst and best of me as I have you, and I love both sides of you. I love you so much, Jace, my darling.
Love,
Clary." Jace finished reading, and their friends applauded. Jace pulled Clary in closer, and Magnus's hands flashed. Sure as sure, a sprig of mistletoe dangled above.
"I love you, Clary," Jace said.
"I love you too, Jace," Clary replied, sealing the best Christmas ever with a kiss.