Disclaimer: I own nothing.
This story is inspired by the song Superheroes by The Script
Jace
It was spontaneous. I didn't think it through. But seeing Clary in the hospital stirred something up inside of me. I still can't believe that she was being abused. Her of all people! But even if someone is going through something tough, I never invite people to live with me.
But here I am, sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, waiting for Clary so I can bring her to my apartment.
It's been about a week since Clary was submitted. In that time, I've been doing everything I can to make as much money as possible so I can spend time with her. I've also stopped by every morning to talk with her. We knew each other before, but now I really think like we're getting to be good friends.
I haven't opened up a lot about my past. She hasn't told me much more, either. But we're still able to have lengthy conversations that somehow always seem too short.
As I sit and wait for a nurse to bring Clary out, I start to have second thoughts about this arrangement. I mean, isn't it kind of inappropriate for me, a twenty one year old man, to invite an eighteen year old bartender to live with him?
But as soon as that thought appears, I immediately push it away. Clary and I are friends. And besides, the age gap isn't that big, so if we did become something more...
"Jace Wayland?" I hear a nasally voice call. I look up to see a tall and skinny nurse standing with Clary. She smiles slightly, and I smile back, but she doesn't look that good at the moment.
"Make sure she takes her medication twice a day," the nurse instructs. She rips a piece of paper and hands it to me. "Keep her off her feet as much as possible. Make sure she keeps that brace on all 24/7 for five days. Then she only has to wear it until her next appointment." She points to the note in my hands. "Everything you need to know is on there."
I quickly thank the nurse before she walks away. Then I turn my attention to Clary.
"You look tired as fuck," my brain decides to say. Since when is telling a girl she looks tired gotten me any brownie points?
Instead of getting mad, the redhead just laughs. "Yeah, I feel like shit." She then knocks against her stomach. I hear a sound similar to someone knocking on a door. "And this brace is really uncomfortable."
I place my hand on Clary's shoulder and lead her out of the front doors of the hospital. When we step outside, I notice she's shivering. She's only wearing yoga pants and a light t-shirt. And it's kind of chilly today. So being the gentleman that I am, I take off the sweatshirt I'm wearing and hand it to her. She gives me a grateful smile.
Clary's long, red hair whips around her face. I take a moment to appreciate how sexy she looks even though she just got out of the hospital. Then I pull my gaze away from her and hail a cab.
The ride to my apartment is filled with Clary making small talk with the cab driver as I sit there being antisocial. I hate talking with complete strangers, no matter who they are. I'm terrible at making conversation. That's one of the reasons I like Clary so much. She's the one person who I can easily talk to. Besides Izzy and Alec, of course.
When we pull up in front of my apartment building, I fly out of the cab as fast as I can. I walk to the other side of the car and help Clary out. I don't miss the slight wince that appears on her face. I also notice that she's trying to hide her discomfort.
I don't address her pain. I mean, what do I say? This is the first time I've ever really had to take care of someone. And I've never really taken care of any girls before. I'm not proud of it, but it is true that I've never had a real relationship. Just drunken one night stands to help me forget about all the shit in my life.
Clary yawns. "If you don't mind, I'm kind of tired," she says. I smile and start to walk.
"No problem," I say.
We head inside the building and I we walk to the elevator. The ride up to the third floor is completely silent. When the elevator dings and the doors open, we walk down the hallway until we stop in front of my door. I unlock the door and open it, then let Clary step inside.
"I know it isn't much," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. Clary turns around, and I see she has a huge smile on her face.
"I love it!" she squeals. I smirk when she stumbles as she turns back around.
"Watch out," I chuckle. I put an arm around her shoulder and lead her toward my room. When I open the door, I feel Clary tense.
"Um..." she starts, but then trails off.
I awkwardly walk over to the bed and pull the covers down. Clary hesitates, but her exhaustion seems to win over because she practically jumps into the bed.
"I'll most likely be in the apartment, but I'll leave my phone number on the table just in case," I say. Then I reach out and pull the sheets over Clary's body. I linger for a little, standing above her and looking into her eyes. "If you need anything, just holler," I whisper.
I see her blush and I smirk to myself, happy I can do that to her. Then I snap back up and slowly exit the room. I carefully close the door behind me.
I immediately write out my phone number and tape it to the table. Then just in case, I write it out once more and put it on the fridge. It takes me a while to find a magnet, since I literally have nothing decorative in my apartment.
While I'm at the fridge, I open it and grab a beer. I drop heavily onto the couch and take a long swig from the bottle. I've been completely sober since Clary's been in the hospital. The familiar taste of alcohol calms my nerves. I stretch out on the couch and take a deep breath.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
"Damn it," I mutter. I never get to relax. I sit back up and angrily grab my phone from my pocket. I read the message on the screen.
Unknown: We've got a code five. Big money. Come fast.
I stare at the text. Code five? I've never been involved in a code five before. That means that someone showed up and requested to fight me specifically. And I have a pretty good idea who the guy is.
I turn my head and stare long and hard at the closed bedroom door. I picture Clary laying in my bed, sweet and innocent, used as a personnel punching bag by her brother. A burning sensation ignites in the pit of my stomach. I clench my teeth and my hand turn into fists.
I roughly set my half finished beer bottle down and jump up. I grab my leather jacket hanging on the door and run out of my apartment.
-Superheroes-
The atmosphere of the club is dark and damp. I take in the familiar scent of alcohol and sawdust. I glance to my right and see the cement wall covered in circles. Some guy started calling this place The Circle, and I guess it kind of stuck.
The Circle is basically the basement of some shut down plant on the edge of Manhattan. It's just a big room made of cement, with a red circle in the middle of the room. That's the arena.
People are gathered around the center of the room. I can't see or hear the two people in the arena, but the shouts of the crowd make up for the lack of view. I make my way towards the crowd in the room, craning my neck and looking for my cousin.
"Hey, Jace," I hear a deep voice say from behind me. "You got my message." I turn around to see my cousin, William Herondale, standing there with a huge ass grin on his face' cigarette between his teeth.
I grin and embrace my cousin, slapping him on his back a couple of times.
"Will. It's good to see you," I say, taking a step back to look at him. I haven't seen him in a couple of months, and he's changed since the last time we met. His black hair is shorter and his blue eyes seem to sparkle more. He's still only a little bit taller than me, but he looks buffer and more fit. Will's skin is also tanner, giving him the appearance of some California surfer dude.
"Heard you're making big money," he says, taking a drag of his cigarette. He takes the carton out of his pocket and offers one to me, but I refuse.
"Yeah, this has become more than a past time," I joke. Will laughs gruffly. I look him over once more.
"What's wrong, cuz?" he asks. I smirk.
"You're different from the last time I say you," I say, crossing my arms over my chest. "What's up?"
An impossibly large grin graces Will's face. "I met a girl in England," he laughs. My eyes widen.
"Seriously? How'd you get a girlfriend?" I say sarcastically. Will punches my arm, not as light as he would if he was joking.
"Not just a girlfriend. We're engaged." I scoff and try to look for any signs of a joke on my cousin's face. When I fail to, I shake my head and chuckle.
"A little quick, don't you think, William?" I ask. I use his full name to piss him off. It appears I did so, apparent by the scowl on his face.
"Shut up, Wayland," he grumbles. "It's not like you've got a girl in your life."
An image of Clary appears in my mind. Her at Pandemonium, her hanging out with Izzy, her in the coffee shop, her in the hospital.
Will's face goes slack and his eyes widen. "No way. You have a girlfriend?!"
I glare at my cousin. "No, I don't," I hiss. Will smirks and starts to make some sort of smart ass comment, but luckily someone interrupts our conversation.
Or in this case, not so luckily.
"Well, well, well," I hear a smooth voice say. I turn to see Joanthon Morgenstern, standing there with a smirk on his face. I growl and launch myself at him, but Will reacts fast and grabs my arms. "I didn't think you would show. Too involved with your daddy issues and all." I hear Will's breath harden and his grip on me loosens. But I don't take the opportunity to attack him. Instead I step out of my cousin's grasp and walk right up to Jonathon; close enough where his breath is fanning my face.
"Let's take this to the arena and settle this like men," I growl, trying to keep my voice steady.
The crowd parts as we make our way to the circle in the center of the room. I hear people start to make bets and exchanging money back and forth. I enter the red ring and dig in my pockets. I take out the wad of bills I have concealed. Jonathon also pays up.
The woman overseeing the fight grabs the money from us. I notice the seductive look she gives me, but I don't react. My eyes are boring in on my opponent.
"Well, boys," she purrs. "You know the rules. You win, you get the sum of money."
"How much?" I hear someone yell from the crowd.
"Eight-hundred," she says, holding the bills up high. The people around us cheer.
Our eyes are still interlocked. I keep my expression stony and cold. My fists are clenched, itching to punch this bastard in the face.
And then the fight starts.
I start on defence. Jonathon lunges at me, and I side step. But his fist still grazes my ear. I take advantage of his being off balance, and hit him hard in the face. He stumbles back, but he's not down yet.
We circle each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. I decide that if he's not going to go, I should. I step forward and swing, but he ducks. Then he runs forward and hits me again; this time it's hard in the stomach. I heave forward, trying to catch my breath. But before I can finish, I get punched in the face.
I stagger backwards and try to put distance between me and him. But he just walks forward. Jonathon punches me again. Then he kicks me in the knee, causing me to collapse. I try to get up, but the kicks and blows that continue to come cause me to stay in place.
"Aw, can't get up, pretty boy?" Jonathon laughs, stopping for a second. I try to jump up, but Jonathon's foot holds me down. "Get up and fight!"
"Get up, boy!" my father yells. I hold in my cries of pain knowing if I show any signs of weakness I'll get beat more. I struggle to stand up from my spot on the floor. My face is covered in blood from the beer bottle that was smashed over my head. I can barely breathe from all the hits I've received to my stomach. And my eye is already swollen shut from the door that hit my face.
"You're weak," my father growls, grabbing the front up my shirt and yanking him towards him. I'm practically in the air, since he's holding me up to his eye level. And I'm only thirteen; shorter than my ex-soldier father.
"Behave like a man!" he bellows, throwing me back onto the floor.
"Get up!" he yells again. "Get up!"
"Get up! Jace, get up!"
I groan and roll to my side. My vision is fuzzy, so I blink a few times. When the world comes back into focus, I see that The Circle is completely empty. Except for my cousin who's kneeling on the floor, blowing smoke right into my face. I cough and fan the air in front of me.
"Holy shit. I thought you were dead!" Will exclaims, jumping to his feet. I groan when I feel the pain in my sides. I open my mouth to talk, but immediately close it when the pain sets in.
I sit there for a while, breathing in and out, trying to numb the pain. At some point Will hands me pills, and I take them without hesitation.
When I'm finally feeling better, I sit all the way up and slowly stand to my feet.
"What time is it?" I groan. Will takes his phone out of his jacket pocket and checks the time.
"5:38," he reads. My eyes bug out.
"Shit," I mumble. Who knows how long Clary's been in the apartment alone? I walk as fast as I can towards the exit of the complex.
"Jace!" Will calls. I don't turn around. I just continue to walk. "Where're you going?"
"Home," I say. I throw open the heavy door and run up the flight of stairs. My bruises burn with every step I take, but I honestly don't care. I've had much worse.
"Jace!" my cousin yells again. This time I ignore him. "Jace! I can give you a ride!" This time I turn around and look at him. A second later he appears at the top of the stairs. He has a smirk on his face and keys in his hand.
"Yeah, you couldn't live without me," he crows. I just glare at him and grab the keys from his hand.
"Shut up. I'm driving."
-Superheroes-
Clary
I freak out for a second when I wake up and I realize I'm not in the hospital. Then the memory of Jace bringing me back to his apartment enter my brain. I sigh and close my eyes again. But unfortunately I can't find sleep again.
I slip out of bed and shiver when the cold air hits me. I notice I'm still wearing Jace's sweatshirt. I pull it tighter around me.
I walk out of the room and around the small apartment. I don't find Jace anywhere. I go into the kitchen and straight to the fridge. I haven't eaten anything today, so I hope that he has his fridge stocked.
As I open the door to the fridge, I notice that a phone number is stuck on there. I hesitate, wondering if I should call him, but decide it's not worth it to interrupt whatever he's doing.
I look through the contents of the fridge. Not seeing anything I want in the moment, my eyes trail downwards. And that's when I see the stock of beers. Without even thinking about what I'm doing, I grab one and then close the fridge door. I immediately find a bottle opener on the counter.
I sit down at the small table and take a sip of my drink. I look around the apartment until my gaze locks on the digital clock on the microwave. My eyes widen when I notice the time. 5:45 P.M! I went to sleep at around eleven in the morning! Was I really out for that long?
I continue to down the contents of my beer bottle. Slowly of course, since this is only my second time having alcohol.
All of a sudden, the apartment door bangs open. Startled, I fall out my chair and onto the floor. I scramble to my feet and stare at the scene in the doorway.
A really tall and buff guy with black hair and tan skin is standing on the other side of the door, and he's basically carrying Jace. Jace who's wearing torn clothes and has blood all over his face.
"Who are you?" the tall guy asks. I gulp, because he's really intimidating. I try to answer, but no words come out of my mouth.
"Calm down, Will," Jace groans. I'm surprised to hear his voice, because he looks like he's dead at the moment. "She's staying with me."
The man, Will, looks at me and I nod vigorously. His expression changes into a grin as he extends his hand.
"I'm William Herondale," he says. "Jace's cousin. You can call me Will." I shake his hand and respond with a 'Nice to meet you. My name's Clary.'
Will deposits Jace onto the couch. I turn to face him and take in his appearance once more. "What the hell happened to you?" I ask.
"I got into a fight," he says simply. I cross my arms and wait for him to respond, but when he doesn't elaborate I huff in annoyance and roll my eyes. I'm not sure if he notices my exasperated state, but his cousin certainly does. Will gives a low whistle and looks from me to Jace.
"I don't know where you got this one, but she's a keeper." My face turns red and Jace's eyes widen.
"We're not together," we both say at the same time. Will looks back and forth for a couple seconds before shrugging his shoulders and reaching in his pocket, pulling out a cigarette.
Hoping to escape the awkward atmosphere, I hurry into the kitchen and search for a towel of some sort. When I find one, I hold it under cold water until it's soaked. Then I walk back into the living room. I hand Jace the wet rag. He gives me a grateful smile and then proceeds to start cleaning his face.
"We're ordering takeout," Will announces after a few minutes of silence. He reaches for some menus on the coffee table, flops down on the other small couch in the room, and starts to flip through the menus. Jace doesn't seem bothered by the fact that his cousin is smoking in his living room. I hope Jace doesn't smoke, too.
I glance at Jace who's laying on the couch with his arms behind his head. He's back to looking like an angel now that the blood and dirt is off of his face. He looks so peaceful. All of the worry and stress is wiped off of his face. Jace is relaxed; laying there with his eyes closed and a small smile playing on his lips.
I break my gaze away from the golden haired man. I discreetly try to walk backwards towards the table. I quietly snatch my empty beer bottle and hold it behind my back. I quickly turn around and hold the evidence against my chest. I try to find a trashcan, but unluckily for me I don't see one anywhere.
"What do you have in your hand?" I hear Jace say. I turn around and try to put the bottle behind my back. All I can see is Jace's head. The rest of his body is hidden behind the couch.
"Um... nothing?" I try. Jace cocks an eyebrow and sits up more on the couch.
"Wrong answer," he says. "What do you have in your hand?"
I guiltily take the beer bottle out from behind my back. Jace's expression instantly turns to rage.
"You were drinking?" he practically shouts. I roll my eyes and wave the empty bottle around as I talk:
"Why do you care?" I retort. "You were the one who gave me my first drink!"
Out of the corner of my eye I see Will staring at us. Probably wants to watch the drama. I turn my gaze and glare at him. He scrambles to pick up the menus and goes back to reading through them.
"I care because something could've happened!" Jace says, throwing his hands in the air. "You're eight-teen. Your body isn't exactly ready for alcohol. And you're lightweight, Clary. I would be fine if I was here, too, but I wasn't. I care about you, Clary. And besides, if something would've happened while I out somewhere, Izzy would've killed me."
I'm stunned by Jace's little speech. But only a few words stand out to me. I care about you.
"Dude," Will says loudly, breaking me out of my thoughts. "She's eight-teen? Isn't that too young for you?"
"For the last time," I growl. "We are not together!"
A/N: Jamie Campbell Bower is in a Harry Potter movie. And I thought I couldn't love him any more.
Sooooooo... Long chapter! So much has happened! So much is going to happen! I'm really excited for the next chapter!
I apologize to the people who wanted minimal characters in this story. But I had to include Will. But one more isn't bad, right?
Seriously guys. I want feedback. I want you to tell me what you liked. What you disliked. What you want to happen. I'm open to all ideas, since this story isn't tightly strung. It's very loose, and I honestly love having it this way.
Rn I'm listening to Killer Queen by Queen. Great song.
And I'm sick. So yeah.
Thank you all for reviewing. I still can't believe this story already has over one hundred reviews! That's crazy!
Oh, and most of you wanted me to stick with Superheroes for now. So I'll wait until later to start my other story.
-SneekAttack101
P.S Do any of you read Agatha Christie? If you do, please tell me! I want to make sure I'm not the only one!