A few of you have said you think Jace should man up and make the first move. I just wanted to remind you he has already asked Clary out multiple times and been turned down. Just something to keep in mind. We know it is because Clary was working, but he doesn't. Anyway, hopefully you are enjoying the journey, even if it is taking a bit longer than we might prefer.
Jace woke before Clary or her alarm. There was a small amount of light coming into the window from the parking lot street lamp shining through the crack in the drapes, but that was not what woke him. At some point during the night he must have rolled onto his back and Clary had rolled to where she was half on top of him. What had woken him was her hair tickling his nose when some of the curls had come free from her makeshift bun.
Clary's hand, no longer holding his, was now lying palm open, directly over his heart. Her head lay on his right arm, which he now had wrapped around her holding her tightly against him. Her right leg was also flung over him, bent at the knee and pulled up toward her chest so that it rested right where his appendage was making itself known.
That was going to be awkward when Clary woke up, but he wasn't really in a position to be able to do anything about it now.
Clary looked so peaceful. Her mouth was open the tiniest bit. Just enough to release the air in her lungs when she breathed out and cause the fine hairs on his chest to stand up. He didn't remember removing his t-shirt, but he must have done it before he fell asleep. With no makeup on yet to cover the dark circles under her eyes, Jace was reminded of how little sleep Clary must actually get on a regular basis. He didn't sleep much, but with him it was because his body didn't seem to need it, not because outside forces required him to be alert. Jace found himself wishing he could turn off her alarm and just hold her while she continued sleeping until her body was ready to wake on its own.
Jace closed his eyes. He didn't want Clary to wake and find him watching her sleep. That might not sit well with her and he didn't want to creep her out.
Depriving himself of the sight of her seemed to sharpen his other senses. In addition to her warm breath on his chest, he also felt the rise and fall of her chest against his side. He thought again how perfectly she fit against him. It wasn't logical, since she was at least a foot shorter than him, but everything seemed to line up exactly where you might want it to.
Jace was also acutely aware of the scent of her filling his nostrils. It wasn't just the strawberry shampoo he was coming to love. There was also a hint of vanilla, maybe from body wash or deodorant or something and also a delicious smell he had no way to describe that was just uniquely Clary.
It had been years since Jace had fallen back asleep after waking in the morning, but as he listened to the calming, rhythmic sounds of the air going in and out of her lungs it must have lulled him back to sleep because the next thing he knew the alarm was going off and Clary was mumbling something about five more minutes. He reached over her head and pressed the snooze button on the alarm, but no sooner had he pressed it than she shot out of the bed next to him eyes wide.
"Sorry," she said quickly. "I… uh…" Clary trailed off as she looked down and noticed his awkward condition.
Jace wondered if he would ever be able to keep things friendly between them without his stupid penis getting in the way. He tried to discreetly adjust himself as he turned on his side. "It's not… this sometimes happens to guys in the morning for no apparent reason. It'll go away in a minute," he assured her.
"I know," she said irritably. "I just forgot for a minute that I wasn't sleeping alone. Thanks for staying, by the way." She looked embarrassed, but Jace couldn't figure out what she had to be embarrassed about.
"It's too bad you don't live closer," she finally added. "I haven't slept that well since Gramps died. You make me feel so safe." Jace wasn't sure what to say to that. He'd never thought of living anywhere but New York before, but now he found himself agreeing with her that living here would definitely have its perks.
This seemed as good a time as any to bring up visiting. "I've been wondering about that," he started. "I travel all the time for work anyway. Do you think… would it be okay if I come to visit sometimes?"
"I have family here," he added, when he felt she was about to object, "so I'd have reason to be in Louisville anyway."
"Oh!" Clary said brightly. "If you're already in Louisville, I guess I'm not that far out of the way."
Jace wanted to argue that it didn't matter how far he'd have to come. He wanted to tell her that he'd happily travel to another country every week if that's what it would take to see her, but he didn't want to scare her. Saying something like that might make her change her mind about letting him come. He stood up, wondering how he should say goodbye.
"Well, um, you have my number, so let me know when you come so we can figure something out. I - I'd like to see you again." She looked away as she said the last part, but even in the dim light he could see her beautiful blush.
"Of course!" He said. "I should go so I don't get you in trouble." He started to reach for her, then thought better of it and stuck out his hand. A handshake didn't feel right either though, so he dropped his hand without touching hers. He finally settled on bending to kiss her on the forehead on his way out the door.
He wanted to ask if he could check on Gran, or pick Clary up for lunch, or do basically anything that would give him an excuse to see her again, but he knew he'd be picking Alec up from the airport later. Jace hadn't seen his brother in a while and he didn't know how long he would have to visit. It was important to make that a priority, and being around his redhead seemed to make him forget about everything else.
Alec's flight ended up getting in ahead of schedule, so it was a good thing Jace hadn't made plans with Clary for lunch. He'd parked and come into the airport because he wasn't sure if Alec would have luggage or not. He still hadn't told them how long he'd be able to stay, so Jace didn't know whether to expect a backpack with a couple extra outfits or multiple pieces of luggage. He had been thinking they should have made better plans about where to meet, but once he got there he remembered the Louisville airport was so tiny it would be hard to miss anyone. It was just one small terminal.
Jace looked around at the other people who appeared to be waiting for loved ones. One was a guy about his age, holding a dozen roses and looking very nervous. Jace wondered if the guy was waiting for someone he'd been dating a while, or meeting someone for the first time that he'd befriended online. For some reason Jace got the later vibe off him.
Next there was a pregnant woman holding a toddler. She had a sign in her hands that said "Then there were two. Congratulations, Daddy!" Once he'd read the sign he noticed the little girl was wearing a shirt that proudly declared her a "Big Sister". How long had the guy been gone that his wife looked ready to pop and he didn't even know they were having another kid? Jace wondered.
The last group didn't fit with the rest. It was an older couple with a person who was… maybe an adult son? The woman was crying and standing between the two men who were looking somber and each had an arm around the woman between them. He had no idea what their story was.
Alec was the first one he saw step onto the escalator. If anyone cared enough to watch who Jace was waiting for, he doubted they would have pegged Alec for his brother. Jace was all bronze skin, gold eyes, and honey hair that hung in waves halfway between his ears and shoulders; Alec was fair skinned, had straight black hair, and had the brightest blue eyes the world had ever seen. His hair was far from a military cut, but it wasn't nearly as long as Jace's and looked like he didn't put nearly as much effort or product into styling it. The black hair and blue eyes was a very startling combination, but apparently a very attractive one. Jace wouldn't have thought of it that way, but he'd heard plenty of women comment that it was a waste for such a gorgeous man to be gay. They also frequently referenced his eyelashes, which didn't look particularly special to Jace, but were apparently 'to die for.'
The only physical trait the adoptive brothers shared was that they were both muscular, but even that they wore differently. Jace was the kind of muscular that came from being faithful to a workout regime, but his body was also that of a businessman who enjoyed indulging from time to time. On the other hand, Alec's taller, leaner body had the understated muscles of a firefighter. Someone who is used to wearing heavy gear day in and day out and being prepared to carry full sized people out of burning buildings, but tries to look unassuming and not showcase their strength. In fact, he usually wore such baggy clothes when he wasn't working you couldn't tell what kind of build he had.
Jace had always been the popular one, in school and out, but if he were to offer an objective view he would have to say Alec was probably actually at least as good, if not better, looking than Jace and just remained in the background because he was quieter and kept to himself.
"Hey bro!" Jace said, slapping his brother on the back and pulling him in for a man hug. "Are we waiting on luggage?" He could see Alec had a rolling carryon with him, but that didn't give any clue to the length of his stay.
"No," Alec said softly. "Let's get out of here."
Jace wanted to ask why the rush, but the look on his brother's face told him he should wait until they were at least outside. "What's up?" He asked when they were finally in the rental car and ready to go.
"The plane was almost empty. In fact, I was the only civilian onboard besides the flight crew," he explained. "Aside from me there were two marines escorting a fallen comrade home in a casket. The atmosphere was very heavy, but at least they both have family to visit while they're here. One guy said he hasn't seen his wife and daughter since he shipped out right after Valentine's Day, and she told him on the phone she has some kind of surprise for him. The female marine with him said she'd be coming back to her fiancé for the first time since deploying."
"That explains the pregnant lady with the congratulations sign and the nervous guy with the flowers," Jace said. Then he thought about the other people he'd seen waiting. He guessed it explained them too. They were probably the parents and brother to the fallen soldier.
Alec must have seen his face and guessed at what he was thinking. "Yeah," Alec said. "Didn't really want to be in the middle of any of those reunions." Alec rubbed the back of his neck. Jace hadn't really given it much thought before, but he guessed this nervous habit was another thing the brothers had in common.
"Izzy and Simon both have school today, so we're on our own for a while. Want to get lunch or something?"
"Sure!" Alec agreed happily. "You can show me where you've been hanging out in all your free time. Izzy said she's only seen you a few times the entire time you've been in town. She seemed to think you'd been 'otherwise occupied' a lot."
"Have you graced the beds of the entire female population of Kentucky, or just the ladies of Louisville?" He jokingly asked.
Now it was Jace's turn to scratch his neck. "Ummm… I haven't really been with anybody since I got here. Well, I guess I kinda was the first day, but not really…"
Alec raised an eyebrow. "How were you kinda with someone?"
"Never mind," Jace said, "it's a long story and not important at all. I told you what's been important to me since I've been here. You said I should be her friend, so I have."
"You've been pining after a girl for two weeks and you still haven't slept with her?!" Alec asked incredulously.
"Actually, we did sleep together. Last night." Jace said slowly.
"You don't have the grin of someone who finally got what he wanted," Alec said. "Was the sex bad or something?" Alec blushed as he said this. Sex wasn't a subject he would usually discus with anyone.
"We didn't have sex," Jace explained. "We slept together. She's not trying to have a relationship. She just wants to be friends."
"And you're okay with that?!" Both Alec's eyebrows were above his hairline now. He obviously couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, I wish it was more, but I'd rather be friends with her than more with anyone else. Plus she's got a lot going on right now. The last thing she needs is someone she thought she could trust trying to get into her pants."
Jace looked straight ahead. He didn't want to see the shock in Alec's eyes anymore. What did it say about him that even his own brother didn't believe he could care more about someone else's needs than his own wants?