I'm back! We're 2018! It does not feel like it at all. Haha. It still feels like 2017. Anyway, I hope that you all had a great Christmas and New Years, fun but safe (even though that make me sounds like a mum). Mine started well and then I had a bit of an accident which is taking a while to recover from, but we'll get there. And I hope that the first month of 2018 has been great! I've got a few concerts coming up which I'm psyched about—Ed Sheeran, Pink and Halsey, so that's awesome.
Now, my official updating schedule is kicking off from February, this update is just to get all my stories updated and get my oneshots posted. Check out my profile for the schedule. There are a variety of oneshots posted in quite a few categories, so make sure you check them out, along with my profile for the updating schedule going forward!
"You better have brought spare blankets," Clary announced as she opened the front door and saw Maia standing there with Jordan, Bat and Helen behind her. "Because I know you werewolves run hot blooded, but you always still steal the blankets, and that's not gonna work with us freezing humans."
"Speak for yourself," Helen rolled her eyes as she elbows her way past Maia and Jordan and walked into the apartment, holding up a bottle of wine in each hand. "You're the one who seems to have perpetually cold feet. The rest of us manage just fine."
"Yeah, well, guess what? You get to sleep on the couch tonight," Clary sniffed at her, stepping aside to let the rest of her friends inside. Lydia and Simon were already on the couch, shoving their hands into bags of Doritos, Lydia with a glass of wine in her hand and Simon with a bottle of beer. "You guys sorted out our viewing for the evening?" Clary asked as she climbed over the back of couch and wriggled between the two of them.
"Lord of the Rings trilogy!" Lydia announced. "Jordan—you brought over your amazing beef patties right? I've been dreaming about your burgers since we agreed on the menu on Tuesday."
"That's the only reason I'm here, right?" Jordan joked as he held up the bag in his right hand. "For the food?"
"Well it sure as hell isn't for your comedic side," Helen poked her tongue out at Jordan, who just pulled the fingers back at her before going into the kitchen. Clary's apartment seemed even smaller with seven people inside, but none of them minded. Even when it got closer to midnight and they were all going to sleep, they didn't mind either. Just because Clary, Lydia, Helen and Jordan weren't werewolves themselves, they had still become accustomed to the closeness that they needed, and maybe they weren't a typical pack, but they made up some sort of family.
"I'll have you know that some people think I'm very funny," Jordan shot back at Helen.
"Who? Your mum?" Bat snorted, and Helen let out a laugh, holding up her palm to give Bat a high-five. Jordan just made a sulky face and started unloading the containers that he had in his bag, two of them filled with the home-made beef patties that he had prepared earlier in the evening. "Wait," Bat suddenly frowned, and the rest of the room looked over at him in concern. "There's..."
"It's Jace," Simon announced with a frown, obviously picking up on the same scent that Bat was. "And Isabelle." There was a knock on the door a moment later, and it was almost funny the way seven sets of eyes all spun to look at the front door, before everyone turned to look at Clary.
"Right, as if they can't hear all of us from the other side of the door," she rolled her eyes. "Open it up, Maia." Maia was closest to the door, and shrugged, leaning over to twist the door handle to reveal Jace and Isabelle standing there. Isabelle had a wide grin on her face, and the way her eyes immediately sought out Simon made Clary's eyebrow raise in interest, making a mental note to ask her best friend about that later. She had never actually met Isabelle, only seen her around the township a couple of times, and heard Simon mention her. Jace's expression was schooled blank, but there was no doubting from the way his eyes were flickering around, taking everything in, assessing for any threats and for all the exits, before resting on Clary's.
"We brought dessert," Isabelle announced as she walked in, not seeming to care that their arrival had thrown everyone a little off balance. "I make a mean cheesecake."
"Hope you brought enough for everyone," Lydia piped up from beside Clary. "Because I'm a slut for cheesecake and I'm not sharing with the rest of you fuckers." And with that, the silence was broken, and Clary's small flat erupted in conversation and laughing again, and she saw Jace's shoulders relax slightly. His eyes were still on hers, the golden orbs making her feel all sorts of warm and tingly sparks skittering over her skin, and she gave him a smile before turning back to Lydia.
"So? Want to put the first movie in?" She prompted. Lydia's eyes widened and she did a couple of intricate eyebrow movements towards the two new werewolves who were standing in their kitchen, an obvious kitchen. Clary just gave a half shrug, and was glad when Lydia was smart enough to ask any questions out loud, because there was no way to have a private conversation in the same apartment as a crowd of werewolves.
"Patties are gonna be ready in about five minutes," Jordan announced over the din of Isabelle introducing herself formally to everyone and Helen going on and on about a run in that she had with Aline at the grocery store today. "Everyone start getting your burgers ready so that we can get these movies started." Simon and Lydia were off the couch and scrambling toward the kitchen before Jordan had even finished speaking, and Clary rolled her eyes at their eagerness.
"You're not rushing to join the line?" Jace glanced over at her, and Clary shrugged.
"There'll be plenty of food, there always is," she replied. "I don't mind waiting until those pigs are all done."
"I heard that!" Simon snapped over at her, and Maia pulled the fingers in her direction. Clary just grinned back at them, poking her tongue out in their direction. Jace smiled at them, his body seeming to relax just a little bit more, and he came over to rest his hip against the back of the couch.
"I didn't actually think you'd show up," Clary noted quietly.
"You said it was an open invitation," Jace gave her a side look, almost nervous.
"Yeah, it's totally fine," Clary grinned at him. "Hope you like Lord of the Rings, because that's our viewing for the evening." Jace pursed his lips, his eyes flitting away from her, and then back at her, wincing a little and looking guilty. "Oh my god," Clary's eyes widened. "Have you never watched Lord of the Rings?"
"No!" Simon gasped, spinning around from where he was lined up to get burgers, his eyes comically wide. "That's a disgrace!" Maia snorted and nudged Simon in the back, forcing him forward in line. "No, really!" Simon continued complaining to Maia. "How can we trust a man who's never seen Lord of the Rings to be an Alpha?!" He was teasing, that was clear from his voice, but Isabelle looked a little worried as she shot a look over to where Jace and Clary were standing. But there was a smile pulling at the corners of Jace's mouth, showing that he didn't take the comment seriously, and the dark haired girl calmed down, going back to talking to Helen.
After everyone made burgers and got themselves drinks, they settled in the lounge. Instead of all trying to cram on the sofa, they were all spread over a little more area this time. Jace took a seat in the arm chair with Isabelle settled quite happily by his feet, her shoulder pressed against his leg. Bat, Helen, Simon and Clary were on the big sofa, with Maia, Jordan and Lydia on the smaller one. It would be almost claustrophobic for anyone who didn't like being in such a small space to each other, but it worked for them, all invading each others space and keeping each other feeling safe and loved.
Clary couldn't help but let her eyes drift over to Jace throughout the first movie, and then moreso in the second one after she had finished off her second glass of wine. He was the only one in the apartment who was still on his first bottle of beer, and she noted that it was one of the bottles that wasn't specifically for were's, so there was no way he was actually going to get drunk off it. The tension and nervousness from his shoulders and the lines in his face that seemed to be there almost every time she was around him seemed to fade away, and she was glad that he felt comfortable with their mismatched little family.
Jace had been thinking about Clary's off-handed invitation to their Friday night gathering all week. Both Isabelle and Alec had known that something was on his mind, and they had been smart enough to know that it was relating to Clary given they could smell she had recently been in his house. He had finally told them what was going on when Magnus had gotten sick of them bugging their Alpha and had threatened to snap his fingers and turn Jace's golden hair a vivid shade of purple.
Isabelle had instantly been enthusiastic about going over to join them for the night. She hadn't gotten to know anyone particularly well since she had been in town, and Isabelle needed to be around others. It wasn't just her wolf that wanted to be around people, it was also just her personality that craved friendships. It was something that they had known was going to be hard for her when they moved out here, because they were leaving behind all their friends and the werewolves they had been surrounded with in the city, but Isabelle had been determined to follow her Alpha.
Alec, on the other hand, had been hesitant, which wasn't surprising. He didn't warm to people as quickly as Isabelle, and he was only just adjusting to having Simon, Maia and sometimes Bat in Jace's house—somewhere that he considered their sacred place, just for their pack. He was getting better though, and he had grudgingly admitted that there was a definite warmth to having the scent of friendly werewolves around after being just the four of them for this long. However, Friday night came around, and Alec jumped at the chance to have a night alone with Magnus.
"Did you tell her that we were coming?" Isabelle asked Jace as they parked up outside Clary's apartment building.
"Not exactly," Jace admitted as he turned off the engine and pulled the keys out of the ignition.
"Oh well," Isabelle shrugged with a grin as she opened the door. "Let's do this." Jace couldn't help his small smile as he got out of the car, glad that he had brought Isabelle along. She was skipping off ahead of him, but as they reached Clary's floor and could hear her and her friends inside, she paused and waited for Jace. He bumped her elbow reassuringly, and she dipped her chin forward slightly, her eyes flashing beta gold for a moment.
They were about to step into a room full of people that they barely knew, including a couple of werewolves that they were still getting used to. Even though Isabelle was headstrong and confident, she still relied a lot on her Alpha. Jace reached out to touch his hand to her neck—the most sensitive and vulnerable part of a werewolf—and then reached in to press a quick kiss to her cheek. Their scents were already blended, naturally from being pack and spending so much time together, but every time they touched it became stronger, and it was instinctive to seek it out before being in a room with other werewolves.
The evening went a whole lot better than Jace thought it would.
He really didn't know what he was expecting, his judgement had been clouded by the fact he was going to see Clary, and he was going to be in her apartment, completely surrounded by her scent.
But it had gone well.
There had been some tension when he had first walked in, and even for the first half an hour, he was still a little uneasy. But as time went on, it all seemed to fade away. The whole apartment smelt good, like everything amazing that built up Clary's scent, and it was comforting and right in so many ways that Jace didn't know where to start. He purposefully didn't grab one of the beers that Simon and Bat were drinking that were laced with wolfsbane, so that he didn't get drunk, wanting to keep his head level.
One of the things that he had been nervous about was smelling someone else in Clary's apartment—someone other than her friends. Someone intimate. He had no idea how he would react to that, but luckily the only scents he picked up on were the people already in the room, or of Luke or Jocelyn.
The way they all relied on each other was closer than family, it was pack, and Jace felt a niggle of jealousy in his stomach with how comfortable they all were with each other. Helen and Clary were snuggled up with Simon, and even though Bat didn't look quite as touchy-feely as the rest of them, Helen had her feet resting on his lap, and he had one of his hands around her shoulders. Lydia, Jordan and Maia were all tangled together, although as the evening went on, Lydia seemed to be falling asleep and just seeking out the heat that Maia's raised body heat was giving off. Even when they had all gotten up from their positions to go into the kitchen and get second helpings of dinner, or dish up dessert, they were all touching or bumping into each other, moving as though there were elastic cords stretching between them.
This was what he had missed.
This was what he had distanced himself from after his parents had passed.
And now it felt as though he was being invited in.
Better yet, it felt as though he had the chance to be part of one, and his mate was clearly a well loved member of it.
Isabelle stayed close by Jace, but he could see the way Simon and her kept exchanging glances. Hell, it was obvious to any with advanced senses that the pair of them were interested in each other, and Jace wondered what was going to happen there.
It was almost one in the morning, and they were halfway through Return of the King when everyone was drifting in and out of sleep, humans and werewolves alike all feeling sated with food and alcohol, and warm with one another. Lydia had been snoring for a while, and Bat had curled himself around Helen, while Simon had slid off the couch so that he was now sitting on the ground, his leg only a couple of inches away from Isabelle's.
"You guys want to drag the spare mattress out?" Clary mumbled, lifting up the remote and pausing the movie.
"I got it," Bat grunted as he unfolded his long legs from the couch and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. He disappeared into the adjoining room that Jace had already picked up on was Clary's bedroom, given how strong and raw her scent was coming from that doorway. Jace personally wanted to disappear into the room and never leave, but he was trying his hardest not to twitch in that direction. A moment later, Bat reappeared from the bedroom, dragging out a double mattress with him.
"Uh, do you need help?" Jace got up and gave him a questioning look.
"We need to push out the couches so that we can fit it in the middle," Clary sounded tired as she extracted herself from Helen's hold and got off the couch. She arched her back, making it click a couple of times, and then rolled her neck, blinking rapidly. Jace watched intently, tracing the smooth, sleepy lines of her face, and the relaxed slump of her body. He liked how loose her limbs were and how open her face was, and he wanted her to always look this calm and relaxed around him.
"I'll grab blankets," Simon said as he got off the ground, easily navigating the cupboard in the corner of the room and pulling out a couple of spare blankets and pillows. When he came back over to the mattress, there was a strange look exchanged between him and Isabelle and Jace could feel the tension between them. Clary didn't have his attuned senses, but she could clearly see it, because she cracked a half smile and rolled her eyes.
"You guys crash out here," she stated. "But you're gonna have to share."
"I bags the couch," Helen grumbled, already starting to stretch out on the couch and reaching for one of the blankets. "You're on the mattress." Bat didn't look too bothered, and it wasn't long before Helen looked as though she was asleep on the couch, and Simon, Bat and Isabelle were making themselves comfortable on the mattress.
"You need help with her?" Jordan asked quietly, speaking over Maia's sleeping head to where Lydia was also asleep at the other end of the couch.
"I can help," Jace assured him. "Where do you want her?"
"She'll be in my bed," Clary said, pointing toward the doorway. "And that's where you'll be as well." Jace had started walking over to where Lydia was sleeping but he froze at Clary's comment. He glanced over his shoulder, but Clary was already walking toward her room. Jace's eyes dropped to Isabelle and Simon, both werewolves looking at him, Isabelle a little smugly and Simon's eyes narrowed slightly. It looked as though Simon was about to say something, but then he pursed his lips together and looked away. Jace's skin was buzzing now, the idea of not only going into Clary's room, but slipping between her sheets.
Jace took in a subtle breath through his lips and forced his eyes not to bleed red, leaning down to coax Lydia to her feet. She smelt like the rest of the pack, as well as wine and burgers. She'd probably had the most alcohol out of everyone there, and she barely opened her eyes as Jace helped her to her feet. They walked into Clary's bedroom, the room dark with the only light coming from where there was a sliver of moonlight shining through the curtains. Jace could hear Simon turning off the TV, and everything had fallen quiet in the lounge, except for the breathing and rustling and heart beats of the werewolves and humans, and they were all comforting noises as Jace deposited Lydia onto the bed. He did a cursory glance around the room, making out the clutter in the dark with a half smile.
"No hanky panky," Lydia mumbled as she pushed off her jeans and climbed into the bed next to Clary. "I don't care if you're smoking hot Alpha...No one's having sex with me in the bed, unless I'm in the middle of it." Clary snorted and Jace could make out that she leaned over to put her arm around her friend, the two girls cuddling together. Jace's heart stuttered slightly as he took off his jeans and folded his jersey, putting it on the top of the dresser in the corner. He considered getting into bed beside Lydia, not wanting to push Clary too far out of her comfort zone, but she was staring at him, and didn't look as though she minded when he started walk around to her side of the bed.
She felt so perfect against him, and she had no problem with them touching, one of her legs shifting backwards to press against Jace's.
She smelt so good, and it was taking every ounce of control Jace had not to reach out and taste her skin, or bite at the curve of her neck.
Matematemate kept chanting over and over in his head, and he took in several deep breaths to calm himself down. Clary's body shifted again, and it was as though she could sense his anxiety, because she reached back and laid her hand against his arm. The touch was soothing, calming, and Jace blinked in surprise, taken aback by the way that she reassured him so simply.
It was his body telling him that he was completely comfortable with her.
He was asleep within minutes, listening to the steady beat of her heart just inches away from him.
Okay! Let me know what you guys thought! Let me know if you liked it, if you didn't, what your favourite part was, etc etc.
Alright, now I've got so many song and movie recommendations given the gap in updating, so I'll limit it down. Movie wise, The Last Jedi and The Greatest Showman are both absolutely incredibly. Especially TGS. Holy shit, the songs and the costumes and the dances, they were all amazing. I don't even know what my favourite songs from it is...This Is Me, Rewrite The Stars, Never Enough, From Now On...I just don't know! And TV series recommendations would be The Gifted, Black Lightning and The Runaways.
Songwise, I'm Gonna Show You Crazy by Bebe Rexha, Him and I by Halsey and G-Eazy, Missing You by Blake McGrath, Never Enough from The Greatest Showman, My My My by Troye Sivan, Dynasty by MIIA and Phases by French Montana.
Let me know what your own recommendations are! I note down all your song, TV series and movies suggestions so I can get around to them when I have time!
Make sure you check out my other updates and let me know if you want a preview of the next chapter xx
