Title: Coming Out

Prompt: Clary and Simon are best friends. Jace is Simon brother and Clary and Jace are sneaking behind Simon's back.

Rating: K

I don't own anything but the plot, as always. Thank you guys so much for enjoying these one shots and genuinely liking my writing. It makes me feel great to know that you all read my stories and like them. Reviews make my heart swell. And keep the prompts coming!

Simon Lewis and Clary Morgenstern had been best friends since they were five, when the Morgensterns moved into a house three doors down from the Lewis-Wayland residence. In all that time, Jace Wayland, Simon's stepbrother, was the bane of their existence. He and his friends teased them as losers and tormented them for years.

All of that changed when the three were in eighth grade. Jace came home from soccer practice one day to find Clary and Simon hanging out by the pool. His fourteen year old hormones went crazy when he saw Clary in her little green two piece, with her red curls cascading down her back and her pale skin sparkling in the sun. Since that day, Jace had been in love with Clary.

But she was Simon's best friend. And she hated his guts. So he just suffered in misery, watching her as she bloomed into a smart, stunning, kind woman. Meanwhile, he dated anything that had boobs and went through girls like underwear. She ignored him.

That's why it was so surprising when Jace opened the door one day during the summer before senior year to find Clary standing there in the pouring rain. "Simon's not here, he's visiting his dad in Milwaukee for the week," he'd told her. Her auburn hair was flat and wet, sticking to her back. Her jeans were soaking wet. Water was even dripping from her eyelashes. She looked like a drowned rat. A beautiful drowned rat, but a drowned rat nonetheless.

"I know… I am his best friend," she'd huffed, pushing past him to drip water all over the foyer. Elaine would murder Jace if he didn't wipe it up immediately, so he went to the hall closet to grab a towel. Meanwhile, Clary just stood there, silently watching him.

"You're dripping all over my house."

"I know."

Jace rolled his eyes. Despite his love for her, even he could admit that sometimes she was a pain in the ass. "What exactly did you want, Clary?" he huffed.

"Are Elaine and Michael home?" Great, she was deflecting, that couldn't be good.

"Nope, they went to Texas for some business conference of my dad's. Now, what is it that you want?"

She wouldn't look at him, fidgeting with the hem of her tank top. "Can I have a change of clothes? I'm freezing. And I'm pretty sure Elaine will kill you if there are water stains on the wood when she gets back."

"Sure, come on," he said, already starting up the stairs. It's not like she didn't know where his room was anyway, it was right across the hall from Simon's. She waited in the hall (thank god she knew better than to drip on the carpet) as he pulled out a sweatshirt and some basketball shorts for her as well as a dry towel. She grabbed the clothes from him and disappeared into the bathroom next door as Jace awkwardly lingered in the hallway. The idea of Clary in his clothes did something to him that he couldn't fully explain. He'd been with far too many girls in his seventeen years, but none of them ever affected him the way Clary did just by being in his space.

Clary emerged a few minutes later and Jace had to stifle a groan. Her hair was a dryer than it had been, but fell in messy spirals around her face. Her emerald eyes were sparkling as she tried to roll up the sleeves on the sweatshirt. The clothes engulfed her, but he couldn't get over the fact that she was wearing them. "So, are we just going to stand awkwardly in the hallway?" he asked, shaking his head a bit to clear it.

She sighed and made her way down the stairs without responding. Jace followed her, still confused. She was quiet as she descended and then made her way to the laundry room to throw her clothes in the dryer. Sometimes it scared him how well she knew his house. When she finally sat down on the sofa, Jace sat next to her, watching her.

"So, I was hanging out with Isabelle today. You know, Simon's girlfriend-"

"Yes, Clary, I know Izzy. I'm her brother's best friend, remember?" He was getting frustrated… why couldn't she just spit it out already?

"Okay, okay, calm down. So we were hanging out and the subject of… you know… relationships came up. And we were talking and well, I guess she kind of dared me to come over and talk to you." She was clearly nervous; she was running her hands through her curls and biting her lip. Again, Jace had to bite back a groan. She seriously had no clue what she did to him.

Jace was confused. "What does that have to do with me?" he asked, his eyes closed.

"I kinda like you, Jace." At that, Jace's eyes snapped open and met Clary's. She was still biting that damn lip as she waited for him to respond.

"What?"

"I've had this, this thing for you for a while. But you're Si's stepbrother and generally a bit of an ass and… I don't know. This was a mistake. I should have just called off the dare. Izzy would have been fine with it. I can't believe I walked here in the pouring rain. Sorry I bothered you." She stood up quickly. Jace knew if he didn't act soon she would leave feeling rejected and he would lose his chance. So he quickly wrapped his hand around her wrist, pulling her towards him softly.

"Clary, wait." He stood, hovering over her short, five foot two frame. His hand move until it was entwined with hers, his thumb rubbing her skin reassuringly. Jace felt like he couldn't breathe when he saw the stunning flush in Clary's cheeks as she stared up at him.

"I… I've liked you for a really long time, Clary." Her mouth opened in surprise and he heard her gasp. That's when he made his move. His free hand rose to cup her cheek gently, savoring the soft skin beneath his palm. He leaned down until his nose was hitting Clary's and he could feel her pants of breath on her skin. He was giving her time to back out, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned forward and her red, plump lips met his gently. It was an innocent kiss, but to Jace it was the best he'd ever had. Sooner than he would have like, Clary pulled back, her green eyes staring into his amber ones.

"Go out with me?" he asked.

"Okay…" she whispered before leaning in to kiss him again.

Six months later

"I have to go, Jace," Clary whined from her place under Jace on his bed. He was sucking on that spot on her neck that made her weak in the knees and she was trying desperately to resist his charms. Simon was going to be home any minute. It was a Sunday night, so he had to be home from Izzy's soon to finish his homework.

"No," he murmured, his lips still against her skin. He was so sick and tired of hiding his relationship with Clary. All he wanted to do was hold her hand at school and take her out on a real date. And he couldn't because she was too scared to tell Simon about them. Her small hands landed on his chest and she pushed him off of her before sitting up on the bed and straightening her hair out.

Jace sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Are we ever going to tell him?"

Clary froze and looked at him. "Of course we are. I just need… to find the right moment. I don't want him to be mad."

"He's gonna be mad, babe. It's been six months. We should just rip the Band-Aid off."

She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. "Soon. Right now I've gotta go."

Jace walked her out, kissing her briefly and watching as she walked back to her house quickly. When he got back in his room, he laid on the bed. It was so hard to pretend that he wasn't in love with her, to act normal around her, to not pull her into his arms and kiss her whenever he saw her. And it was hard to deal with all those girls – the ones that didn't know he was taken and continued to flirt with him. All he wanted was to shout from the rooftop that he was in love with Clary Morgenstern and he couldn't – he'd promise they would do it on her schedule.

"Hey, dude, what's up?" Simon called from Jace's doorway.

"Not much, how was your date?"

"Good, good. Izzy and I saw that new Hunger Games movie. She's obsessed. I'm starting to worry that she may leave me if the tall, dark haired guy shows up around here. Anyhow, I'm gonna finish my homework and get to bed. You still driving Clary and I to school tomorrow?"

"Sure. See ya tomorrow." Simon left, closing the door behind him. It was killing Jace. Simon and Jace had never had a terrible relationship. I mean, Jace teased him and made fun of him sometimes (hey, he was a nerd), but Simon knew that deep down Jace viewed him as a brother. Which made this screwed up situation even harder.

On Monday, Jace stood outside at exactly eight in the morning, leaning against his car and waiting for Simon and Clary to meet him. The night before, he'd come up with a plan to show Clary that it was time to come out in the open – he would appeal to her jealous side. He knew she was jealous. He could see her grind her teeth when girls flirted with him. She rolled her eyes and balled her hands into fists when a couple stupid cheerleaders harassed him. He only hoped it would work this time. When he saw Clary walking down the block, he wanted to go meet her, to hold her in his arms. But, at the very same time, Simon exited the house, making it impossible. He settled for a tense hello as they piled into his car.

At school, Jace murmured goodbye to Simon and Clary and found Aline Pennhallow right away. She was a friend of his, a cheerleader that he'd known for all the years he'd played football. He also happened to know that she was a closeted lesbian in a long-term relationship with a girl named Helen who went to a different school.

"I need your help," he said as they walked to class together. She knew all about Clary, just like he knew about Helen. Aline was the only one who knew – even Alec, Jace's best friend in the world, couldn't know for fear that he would spill to Izzy. As he explained the situation and his plan, Aline's eyes widened.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked as they walked into first period. He just nodded. For the next few hours, he was obsessed with the plan.

At lunch, he walked into the cafeteria with Aline. When they arrived at their table, she sat close to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Their friends didn't say anything; they were used to Jace making the rounds with different girls. In fact, they'd worried for the past six months that he'd been "single" that he was losing his touch. It was reassuring to them to see him being himself again.

Across the cafeteria, Clary was fuming. What the hell was he doing? How dare Jace be over there all over some other girl? "You okay, Clary?" Izzy asked, breaking Clary's stare, which was aimed at the back of Jace's head.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're staring into space," Simon added, stealing a chip from Clary's lunch.

"I'm actually not feeling too well. I think I'm gonna head to the nurse. See you later?" They nodded and went back to eating their lunches as Clary gathered her belongings and left. As she walked out, she met Jace's eye and nodded at him, signaling him to follow her.

When Clary found a janitor's closet, she opened the door and waited for Jace. Luckily, he'd gotten the message and was right behind her. She slammed the door behind them and turned on the light. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed as she saw him standing there, smirking at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"With Aline. What are you doing?"

"Well, my friends are wondering why I've been single so long. And you don't want to be public…"

"That's not true," she interrupted. "I do, I'm just scared. You know that."

"Well I can't do this anymore. So either you tell him, and the world, or I'm going to go ahead and date someone who will be proud to be seen with me, like Aline. So think about it." He took her face between his hands and kissed her briefly. And then he left, leaving Clary standing with her mouth open.

Jace didn't answer when Clary called him later. But when the doorbell rang at 10 pm, he couldn't ignore it. Simon ran downstairs and got to the door first, Jace hot on his heels. He stopped in the hallway and peeked around the corner. Clary was standing there in her pajamas, her hair in a messy ponytail. "Hey Clary, you didn't tell me you were coming by. Is something wrong?" Simon asked as Jace leaned against the wall of the hall, listening in on the conversation without being seen.

"I… I'm… JaceandIaredating."

"Sorry, Clare, I thought you just said you and Jace were dating."

"We are." Silence. All Jace heard was complete and total silence, except for a door slamming.

"JACE!" He heard Simon scream suddenly and sulked into the foyer. After all, he'd been the one pressuring Clary into telling Simon. He had to take responsibility.

"Why, Jace?" Simon asked as soon as Jace came into view. Clary was standing by the door, her eyes wet with unfallen tears. Simon pushed Jace's chest. "Out of every girl you could have, why my best friend? Is it not enough that you're smarter, more popular, more athletic and just better at everything? Now you steal Clary?"

"No one stole me, Si. We've been dating for six months, and I'm still around, aren't I?" Clary interrupted, but she was speaking to Simon's back as he yelled at Jace.

"Six months? You've been lying to me for six months?"

"Simon, please, take a breath," Jace pleaded.

"No, I can't believe you did this."

"We didn't do it to hurt you. Really, we didn't. In fact, we both resisted for a really long time because of you. But we can't help that we fell in love. Clary didn't freak out when you and Izzy got together, even though she was suddenly a third wheel, because she knew you loved Izzy. And I love Clary." Jace heard the high-pitched gasp coming from behind Simon, but he was too focused on his stepbrother to concentrate on anything else, even Clary.

Simon's face softened as he turned to look to his friend and back to Jace. "You really love her? Like, this isn't just some new conquest?"

"I really love her. With my whole heart. I swear."

"If you hurt her, I will hurt you." Simon thought about it for a second. "Or I'll… pay someone to hurt you. Do you understand me?"

"Simon!" Clary interrupted again.

"If I hurt her, I will hurt myself." Jace moved to stand next to Clary, his arm slipping around her waist.

Simon sighed. "This is going to take some getting used to, but I'll try. On one condition, Clare."

"What?"

"You get to tell Izzy!" he said before running back up the stairs, laughing.

"Well, shit," Clary groaned. Jace just kissed her forehead and smiled.

"You really love me?" she asked.

"I really love you."

"Good, cause I love you too," she said before turning in his arms and throwing herself at him, peppering his face with kisses. As their lips latched together, the kiss got heated. Jace picked her up and carried her up the stairs to his room, closing the door behind him with his foot.

"And no sex noises through the walls, Wayland! I have the money to call someone to hurt you, don't forget!" Simon shouted through the wall. Clary pulled away from Jace and laughed as he groaned.

The next day, Jace walked into school holding Clary's hand. He proudly explained to everyone that she was his girlfriend. Izzy spent the whole week pestering Clary, but even she admitted it was worth it as she kissed Jace besides his car on Friday afternoon after school.