James Herondale couldn't say that he'd ever noticed his good friend Daisy Carstairs before. She wasn't his best friend, that would be Matthew, but she was always just…there.

There was an ease to their friendship that he couldn't seem to find with anyone save Matthew and his family. He found himself turning to her often to share a secret smile about an inside joke. Or seeking her out to hear her opinion on a particular topic of interest or about an argument that he'd had. He even found himself confiding in her things he could not bring himself to confess even to Matthew.

Sometimes they sat in silence, sometimes they discussed books. James found that he could guess when she would welcome coffee and food before she'd even thought about it. And likewise, he noticed how she always seemed to be effortlessly attuned to his own mood.

She was always there.

When they hung out as a group, his place was always by her side. It was never something discussed by anyone, it was just the way things were. And if there wasn't a spot by her side, one magically became available once James entered into the room.

His arm would find its way onto the back of her chair while he was relaxing, her long, thick red hair was always curling around her shoulders and pushing into his space. Not that James minded the way the strands always seemed to be reaching towards him, anchoring him to her side. She was always close enough for him to feel the warmth radiating from her skin and to watch it glow underneath the light of the sun.

But always platonic of course.

They were only friends, they had always been friends.

James had even gone out with other girls throughout their time as friends. There had been a girl named Grace at one point whom he had considered himself infatuated with…although oddly enough, he never got the same shortness of breath or tightness in his stomach looking at Grace the way he did with Daisy. And he never had the overwhelming desire to touch Grace's hair, or even Grace, in the same way that he wanted to with Daisy.

But that's because feelings between friends and girlfriends were different, and James knew the difference.

(James is also a certified dumbass.)

(He's the only one who doesn't know it though.)

No, he was fairly certain that he had been on the verge of falling in love with Grace before she had unceremoniously dumped him with no explanation as to why. He had not felt nearly as cut up about it as he should have, but then again, James had always been a much more reasonable sort of fellow than, say, Matthew. And Daisy had been there to see him through it all, how could he be sad when she was there to lend him all her support.

That was what friendship was all about.

(Truly, no one could possibly be any denser.)

But it didn't explain the strange sensation that he felt in the center of his chest whenever he would catch the odd man standing a little too close to Daisy, or staring a little too long at her chest. Of course, anyone would be indignant at their friend being ogled in that manner, but he didn't think it was normal to want to start a fight over it.

And he could only determine that the way his thoughts and reason scattered whenever he contemplated Daisy with any man was because he so strongly believed that she deserved the absolute best.

The two of them were good friends like that.

So he couldn't quite understand why he suddenly wanted to throttle Matthew for the way he was looking at Daisy on one sunny afternoon.

They were out for lunch in London since classes had ended for the term. Daisy was radiant in a blue sweater tucked into a wool skirt, the kind that flared out when she twirled, her hair gathered into a bun. She looked particularly beautiful that day with the crystals of snow falling outside now melting in her hair.

And Matthew?

Well, Matthew had the sort of look on his face that James had seen directed at men and women right before Matthew charmed them into bed.

He didn't like it.

Matthew was sprawled in his seat, an arm thrown over the empty chair next to him, a crooked grin spreading across his face as he slowly looked Daisy up and down. Daisy, for her part, seemed completely oblivious to Matthew's attempts, as she often was.

Matthew? Contemplating… Daisy? His thoughts scattered as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

Surely not, James thought, even as Matthew ran a hand through his hair, knowing it would tousle it in a way that made it fall into his eyes in a way that so many found roguish and charming.

He was tensing, the muscles in his shoulders bunching as if he were preparing himself for something, although he didn't know what. But with every passing second, as he waited for Matthew to say something, felt like a moment pushing James towards recklessness, although he couldn't say with any surety what he was going to do.

"I feel so relieved that term is over. I don't know that I could've lasted another week studying for exams," Daisy said as she attempted and failed to eat her ramen using chopsticks.

"You know, you can always just ask for a fork, right?" James told her as he attempted to keep himself from smiling.

"Absolutely not, we've gone too long in the meal for me to ask, now it'll just be extra humiliating," Daisy insisted even as the noodles slid out of her grasp and splashed back into her bowl. Some of the soup in the bowl landed on her jumper and she let out a swear as she grabbed for napkins and began dabbing at the shirt.

Matthew was trying and failing not to stare in the general area. James was struggling with the urge to hit his mate over the head with the drinks menu.

Get a hold of yourself man.

It was Matthew for the Angel's sake! He was practically a brother to James, they'd been friends since the day they were born and gone through everything together. And here James couldn't seem to stop himself from acting like a dog who wouldn't share his favourite toy.

And all because Matthew was showing an interest in their mutual friend. And why shouldn't he! James thought rather desperately.

Daisy is beautiful and smart and funny and wicked intelligent! But no matter how he tried to rationalize it, something about the idea of his mate, and his second closest friend turned him into a caveman and made his throat go tight.

It was time for him to admit that he perhaps didn't want to share his friend. And why should he, after all, besides Lucie, him and Daisy were closest to each other. They were always paired up together, he didn't want to lose her to someone else even if it was the best person he knew.

"There's a concert by-"

"She can't go," James interrupted. Matthew and Daisy both blinked up at him in silence. There was too much adrenaline pumping in his body for James to feel any sort of embarrassment.

"I haven't even told you the date yet," Matthew pointed out slowly. There was something devious about his face that James couldn't quite understand, a sparkle in his eye or maybe the tilt of his eyebrows. Which meant he was up to no good which meant Daisy definitely wasn't going to this concert. Who knew what kind of shenanigans would go down and she might end up hurt and the idea of Daisy hurt was unbearable.

"Oh, well when is it?" James asked. Daisy had yet to say a word.

"January 11th-"

"Aha! She can't go!"

"I'm sitting right here, why can't I go?" Daisy demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Because we have something planned for that day!" James blurted out. Daisy continued to stare at him.

"No we don't," she said.

"Yes we do, you just don't remember us talking about it," James insisted. And before Daisy could continue to point out his half-baked plan. "I was taking you to a vintage bookstore, remember, I told you they had some first edition collections of Jane Austen's works."

The suspicion lifted from Daisy's face. "Oh did we? Sorry, I must've forgotten from all the studying I've been doing over the last few weeks."

She turned to Matthew, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, I guess it didn't work out this time, but next time we'll go together."

And because James was feeling like a little shit, he threw his arm across the back of Daisy's chair, making sure his hand lingered mere centimeters from her shoulder.

"Can I try some of that?" he asked, nodding towards her food. She gave him a nod, but because the Neanderthal in James was alive and breathing, he opened his mouth and waited for her to feed it to him.

Daisy gave another sigh of frustration as the noodles continued to slip out of her chopsticks before managing to feed any of it into James's waiting mouth.

But the feeling of smugness while he chewed his food and Daisy picked through his own meal, didn't last as he realized that he was going to have to actually find a musty old bookstore for them to peruse now.

#

"James, I don't mean to be ungrateful, but this is what we gave up a Friday night concert for?" Daisy said as she knocked into yet another stack of incredibly old books. He hurried over to steady the stack for her and couldn't stop the grimace that spread across his face.

"Somehow, I didn't imagine it would be in this state," he admitted. "And we did not give up a Friday night concert, you did. I wasn't invited as I recall."

"That's because you wouldn't even let Matthew finish speaking," she pointed out. Daisy picked up a book on the Peloponnesian War and flipped open the pages, her nose wrinkling in distaste as the smell of rotting paper drifted towards them.

"Christ, I wish there was more lighting in here, it's like a prison cell," James muttered as he smacked his elbow into a hard shelf for the seventh time in five minutes.

"Remind me next time to never let you make arrangements like this without double checking the establishment," Daisy said as she continued away from him and disappeared around a corner.

The bookstore in question was perhaps the worst one James had ever seen in London. It was dank, smelled like a corpse gone bad, had poor lighting, and he was fairly certain he'd seen a puddle in the corner of one room. In his defense, he'd been in a panic trying to find a place that was edgy and underground that would fit the description of what he'd told Daisy.

But after spending almost an hour together in the place, they hadn't laid eyes on any first editions of anything, let alone Jane Austen. There had been a plethora of outdated and unwanted fantasy books featuring half-naked women, a whole wall full of secret service novels that middle aged men loved, and plenty of… adult magazines that he and Daisy had flipped through in amused horror.

There was also the slight possibility that they could be murdered. It looked like a homicide scene to begin with. And the bloke at the cash register would probably let it happen, he hadn't even looked up when they'd walked in.

"How does this place even stay open?" Daisy's voice drifted towards him. "There's no one here, who is buying this stuff?"

"Could be money laundering," James said as he followed the sound to try and find her. Daisy let out a laugh that made him feel all too pleased with himself.

"What would you know about money laundering, James?" she asked teasingly.

"I watch youtube videos," he replied defensively. "I know everything."

"Yes, a veritable Einstein, you are," Daisy teased as she popped up around the corner James had been about to turn. It brought her up close enough that he could count her eyelashes. Something about the proximity made his brain go silent and his breath come in short.

"Um," Daisy stuttered as she looked up at him wide-eyed, but she didn't back away. There was a pink flush to her cheeks but James couldn't be certain because of the poor lighting.

They stood that way for what felt like an eternity. James didn't know what to do, he wanted to back away because he and Daisy had never been close like that, but he hated the idea so much he couldn't move. He didn't know if he wanted to lessen the distance even more because that would put them in decidedly unfriendly territory.

It was Daisy in the end who broke the spell.

"So, I forgot to tell you, but I've got a date this Sunday," Daisy said, moving past him.

She might as well have thrown a bucket of cold water all over him. His throat was tight, his stomach dropping with dread. He whipped around and stalked after her, unreasonably angry.

James found Daisy too focused on reading through the titles on the shelf in front of her to believe the ruse. She wouldn't meet his eye.

"With whom?" he demanded. He was standing too close to her, definitely invading her space, but he couldn't move back even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to.

He felt betrayed, he realized. Daisy's love life was of no concern to him, she could do whatever she wanted, and yet he felt as if he was being cheated on.

He could never remember Daisy dating anyone, even as James had dated girls, but she was perfectly allowed to. He was beginning to understand that some part of him had always assumed that Daisy would always remain unattached, always be there for him constantly as a friend. It was only now with sickening clarity that he was realizing that some day, Daisy would have her time and her attention and her affection taken up by a man who wasn't him and it made him want to be sick all over the floor.

And even as James had all of these thoughts, he felt ashamed of himself for thinking it. It was a poor way to think of his friend, and a poor way to treat her, and he never wanted Daisy to be treated as anything but the queen that she was.

"His name is Eamon," she said, hesitating. Her eyes were darting from whatever she was fixating on in front of her, to James's face. He was almost certain she could see his betrayal written all over it.

"Who the bloody hell is Eamon?" he asked, running a hand through his hair in his frustration.

"He's new, he's here on study abroad from Ireland," she said.

"I didn't even know you were thinking of dating people," he continued on in astonishment.

"Well, why shouldn't I be?" Daisy demanded of him, her mouth pursed in anger.

It seemed he had put his foot in his mouth but he wasn't sure how he'd done it.

"I-nothing-"

"No, what is it? Would I not be worth dating? Am I some hag witch with my face rotting off?" Daisy demanded, advancing a step towards him.

"No-"

"No, I want to know. Am I horrific to spend time with? Do I bore people when I talk to them? I'm single after all, there's no reason for me to not be dating as many men as I want to is there? I could go home with them if I wanted, I'm allowed to, I'm unattached!" she was practically yelling by the end. Daisy stood, chest heaving as she glared at James.

The thought of her going home with any man made James want to lock himself in the toilet and cry for five hours.

"No, none of that, I was just taken by surprise, I suppose," James stuttered with wide eyes.

Daisy seemed to deflate, as if the fight had gone out of her. "Yes. Well. I can't just sit around waiting–never mind."

"Waiting for what?" James asked her. It suddenly seemed of the utmost importance that he knew what she was going to finish that sentence with. The part of him denial knew what she was going to say but the part of him that couldn't make heads or tails of his feelings for Daisy needed to hear the words.

"Never mind," Daisy insisted, and brushed past him, aiming for the exit. "Let's just get out of here before we accidentally bring something home with us."

#

Saturday was an agonizing affair.

Matthew would do nothing but prattle on about how brilliant the concert he'd attended was, and all James wanted to do was put a pillow over his head until he'd stopped talking.

He was fairly certain he'd caught something from the food he and Daisy ate the day before. After their fight in the shop, they'd gone for dinner and put the whole thing down as being hungry. It was easier than having a crisis about his feelings in the middle of dinner.

But come Saturday and James could not bring himself to get out of bed in the morning. His skin felt hot and feverish, particularly when he was imagining Daisy getting ready for her date and the excitement she must be feeling picking out her outfit.

His eyes stung with tears, but James was fairly certain that was because of the sun streaming into the room and stabbing him in the retinas. It just also happened to coincide with his thoughts about Daisy falling in love with this Eamon fellow and riding off into the sunset to have his brood of children, leaving James to die a miserable old man, all alone.

Although why Daisy riding off into the sunset with another man meant he died alone, he wasn't quite sure.

(Because James is a dumbass.)

He had no appetite for breakfast even though Matthew had gone through the pains of preparing waffles for him. James picked at them listlessly, shoving bits into his mouth, eyes glazed over as he stared blankly at his wall.

"Mate, what's wrong with you?" Matthew finally demanded as he washed their dishes.

"Did you know that Daisy has a date tomorrow?" James asked hollowly as he continued to massacre his waffles.

"Cordelia?" Matthew asked, looking over his shoulder. James nodded. "Yeah, Lucie mentioned something about that."

"I didn't know she was dating," James grumbled.

"She's a single girl in uni, she's absolutely brilliant, and fierce as hell, why wouldn't she be dating?" Matthew asked.

"No, of course, she should. I just…" James trailed off as he drowned his food in syrup. "Figured she'd tell me about it."

"She did, James, that's how you know she's going on a date," Matthew pointed out. James wanted to throw a spoon at his head. This wasn't helping. There was a look in Matthew's eyes, as if he knew something James didn't that was driving him up the wall.

"I'm going back to bed," James announced, pushing away from the table.

"You sick or something?"

"I think I caught something when we went for dinner after the shop yesterday," James mumbled.

"You're looking positively green," Matthew agreed.

"And the hits just keep coming," James muttered as he shuffled back to bed. He worried that he'd actually throw up all over himself at one point, and wouldn't that just be a fine way to spend the day.

James decided to take a shower, he was under the running water when he started thinking about Daisy laughing at Eamon's jokes, her eyes sparkling in amusement. Daisy reaching for Eamon's hand, leaning towards him in interest. Eamon walking her home, kissing at the door, Daisy's hands in Eamon's hair.

He was going to drown himself in the shower.

He was toweling down after he was finished when his mind wouldn't stop thinking of what Daisy would be wearing. Something appropriate for a date, a dress maybe, or a fancy shirt, her hair would be all done up in curls or flowers or something ridiculous like that. He couldn't stop thinking of her soft curves and warm brown skin on display for a complete stranger he'd never even laid eyes on.

The rest of the water on his body gave him chills.

He was in a fit the whole day. He tried to read, but James's mind kept wandering back to Daisy and he would lose track of the story. He tried working, but his eyes would glaze over looking at the screen in front of him because he was thinking about what would happen after the date. He couldn't play games on his phone, he didn't want to cook, he couldn't be bothered to watch TV.

Matthew came and brought him tea and biscuits but they all tasted stale in his mouth as he obsessed over Daisy and her date. Where they would do, how they would get there, how warm it was going to be, was she being picked up or walking there?

And then, oh God, he was thinking about her being in some slimeball's car and it made his skin itch.

He had a fitful night's sleep and woke up Sunday morning feeling and looking like shit. Matthew was even kind enough to comment on it.

To distract James, Matthew drove them out of London for the better part of the day in his new car. And if James didn't know any better, he would say Matthew was practically gleeful over his misery.

They spent their time eating and shopping for clothes or books James hadn't read yet, and in combination with the nice weather it did help a little. But then James was thinking about the fact that Daisy would also have nice weather for her date and it felt about as pleasant as being pissed on by a dog.

I don't even know what time it's at, she could already be on the date, he thought with a sinking feeling.

He wasn't going to ask Matthew about it.

He wasn't.

He didn't care.

He wasn't going to ask.

Daisy was her own person.

It was none of his business.

He was not going to ask.

"Math, what time is Daisy's date, did she mention?" he asked through gritted teeth. He hadn't spoken to her since Friday and the lack of texts from Daisy was just adding salt to the wound.

"Some time in the evening, I believe. Said they were going out for dinner at some new place," Matthew answered with a shrug.

"Brilliant."

James seethed for the remainder of their trip. Matthew pretended not to notice.

When they arrived back in London, Matthew and James were only in their flat for half an hour, freshening up before Matthew proposed going out for food that night. To cheer James up he said.

It did not escape James's notice that Daisy would already be on her way to her date or already there by now. But he had nothing better to do, and he was only going to think about it if he stayed home, so he agreed.

James tried to fix his hair, with no great success, and paid no attention to where Math took them.

Anna was waiting for them at a table when they arrived, James's feet took him over to her without thinking.

"What were you thinking of ordering?" Anna asked as she flipped through her own menu. James could hear Matthew respond as if from a distance. He could do nothing but stare at his menu, unseeing.

He gave up and instead let his gaze wander across the restaurant as Matthew and Anna continued to debate the options available to them.

And then his gaze landed on… no.

Surely, it couldn't be.

But there was no mistaking the dark red hair, the glowing brown skin of Cordelia Carstairs. James had her features burned into the backs of his eyes, he would know her anyway.

"Is that Daisy?" he interrupted loudly. Matthew and Anna looked over at him altogether too innocently.

What were the odds that they would be at the same restaurant she would be for her date.

(Very high actually because there is nothing Anna and Matthew love more than sticking their nose in people's business.)

"Why, I believe it is," Anna said. "Didn't she say she was on a date?"

"Yes with that new bloke from Ireland," Matthew threw in helpfully.

James's gaze was glued to them. Daisy was wearing a new dress he'd never seen before, it was all silk and the colour of royal blue. It clung to her curves like water, he could see the outline of every part of her body, it was obscene. Her hair was pile on top of her head and she'd put on dangly earrings.

And this stranger was looking at her. It wouldn't stand.

"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Matthew mused from his seat.

James was about to reply when he saw Daisy throw her head back and let out a laugh, her shoulder's shaking. The sight pierced his heart like a knife.

Oh no.

It was suddenly, painfully clear what was going on. The sounds and smells in the room seemed sharper once everything clicked inside of James's head. He was an absolute idiot.

Daisy was not meant to be here because Daisy was meant to be with him. She was his Daisy. She always had been. And he'd been such an idiot. The electric feeling in his veins whenever they touched, the peace he felt around her, the desire to be around her all the time, and the animosity at other men. It was all so obvious now that he thought about it.

He was on his feet before he knew it. If Matthew and Anna had tried to stop him, he didn't hear it.

(They did not try.)

"Daisy!" he barked. He saw her jump in her seat and turn towards his voice, her mouth opening in surprise. Goddamn it, she'd done something to her lips to make them look all shiny and full. For bloody Eamon.

"James!" she said uncertainly. Her eyes darted between James and Eamon before moving behind him where Matthew and Anna sat watching the whole exchange. "What are you doing here?"

"Math decided to take us out for food tonight," James replied shortly. He had yet to even look at poor Eamon who was looking between the two of them with wide eyes.

"That's nice. But, I'm on a date," Daisy said a little lamely, gesturing towards Eamon. James refused to turn to him.

"I can see that. You look lovely," James said. He felt inordinately pleased when he saw her flush at the comment.

"So… do you mind?" she asked, tilting her head. James chose to ignore the hint.

"Seamus, was it?" James barked at Eamon who immediately straightened in his chair.

"It's Eamon, actually–"

"Seamus! What do you do for a living?" James demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm a lawyer." Unacceptable, he was probably using the system to put innocent people into prison. The scumbag.

"Are you partner in a firm? Do you own your own firm?" James went on.

"Er, no, I work at a non-profit organization," the poor man stuttered.

Even worse! Everyone knew how terribly non-profits treated their employees. The bastard.

"Not bright enough to get yourself into a better paying firm then hmm," James went on. Eamon turned red around the ears.

"James!" Daisy cried at him in shock. Being an asshole was not a trait one would ascribe to James Herondale and here he was doing a damn good job of mimicking it.

"Tell us at least you live on your own then," James went on, bending over in a threatening manner. Eamon tugged at the collar of his shirt as he leaned away from James.

"Well, see I live with my parents at the moment–"

"Ah, so you can't afford to support Daisy over here in the style she deserves. Honestly, I don't know what you see in him," James added over his shoulder at Daisy.

Cordelia herself felt as if her head was going to explode and splatter all over the table. James was making a perfect fool of himself and dragging her into it.

"May I speak to you please?" She didn't wait for an answer before grabbing James by his shirt and dragging him outside. Cordelia paid no attention to the patrons gawking at their display as she frogmarched James outside of the restaurant and into the nearest secluded corner she could find on the street.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. They were standing outside, the winter air nipping at their skin but she was far too furious to notice or care.

"I was doing you a favour."

"A favour!" she scoffed incredulously. "You call that a favour? I call that making an arse of yourself."

"An arse–" James started indignantly. He reared back as if she'd hit him.

"And you embarrassed me! In front of my date!" she went on, her voice rising with every word.

"Embarrassed you!"

"Yes! We were having a perfectly lovely time before you marched over there and ruined it all. I'll be lucky if he bothers to ask for a second date."

"He's not good enough for you, why would you go out for a second date?" James asked with a toss of his head.

"You were being a right snob in there, not everyone has daddy's money like you do James Herondale," Cordelia went on, taking a step closer to jab him in the chest.

That made him pause, because she was right. That had been a low blow.

"You're right, that was in poor taste," he said quietly, the wind leaving some of his sail. Daisy's shoulders drooped.

"James, what's going on? What was all this?" she asked quietly, the fight leaving her.

"I was being a right brute, I just don't want anything bad to happen to you," James said. He hadn't noticed it but he'd taken another step closer to her, he could see the light glittering in her eyes as she gazed up at him.

"I'm a big girl, I can choose for myself."

"Still, he wasn't good enough for you," James insisted, bringing a hand up to cup the back of her neck. Cordelia's breath seemed to rush out of her as she gazed up at him. He couldn't seem to stop himself from staring at Daisy's lush mouth. He had the intense urge to see what it felt like pressed against his.

"And who's good enough for me?" She aimed for a joking tone and failed. "You?"

"Well, I'd be a sight better than poor Seamus," James said, moving closer.

"James, is this still banter?" Cordelia said breathlessly.

"I couldn't be more serious, darling," he replied. Daisy's mouth parted and he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers.

They were as soft as he'd imagined. She gasped against him and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue against hers.

She was so warm.

Cordelia gripped at his shoulders as his other arm came around her waist and pulled her roughly against him. They were a press of mouths and tongues, chests and hips as they tried to get closer to each other. Her hands were in his hair, James's leg sliding in between hers for support as he pulled her upwards and closer, her dress bunching up around her legs as he pressed her against the wall.

James couldn't stop touching her, his hands roaming down her back, to her hips, up her sides, gently cupping her breasts. Cordelia pressed closer to him with every pass, humming in pleasure when he touched her somewhere she liked. James's skin felt tight, his shirt felt constrictive, he wanted nothing more than to have his skin pressed against hers.

He tore away from her mouth, pressing open mouthed kisses down her neck as she gasped, breathing in her smell, biting and licking his way down to her collarbone, sucking on one particular spot that made her legs tighten and shake around his thigh.

He couldn't stop the rumble of approval in his chest when she arched against him, her hand in his hair, pushing his head where she wanted it most.

When she let out a choked, "Please!" his sanity hung by a thread.

Nothing had ever felt so right. He was at peace even as his pulse raced because finally, everything made think he had been denying himself this with Daisy this whole time.

"We have to stop," Daisy panted. Her eyes were glazed with desire and her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. "We're in public, someone could see us."

The Neanderthal in James wanted nothing more than to be in flagrante delicto. Especially if it was Eamon who saw them and got the message that Daisy was off limits.

"You're right," James agreed with a nod. "We should go somewhere place or mine?"

Daisy gaped at him. "James…what does this mean… between us?"

"Well, for starters, no second date with Seamus."


a/n: this is not the story i should be working on but i'm almost finished chain of iron so it's what i wrote instead. this isn't my best work i wrote it when i was feral over james and cordelia but it's what i got so here we are.