This chapter is dedicated to the lovely MidnightBean x

Jace definitely become something of a regular fixture over the next month, coming around for dinner at least once a week and always bringing something different for the flatmates to eat—Jordan had officially announced that he was Clary's favourite booty call, and could he please stay around? Clary fucking wished Jace was at least fulfilling the most basic of requirements for a booty call, but he was doing everything but, taking her out on dates and sometimes buying her pretty things that she insisted were way too much but he never listened to, but the pair of them hardly ever alone anywhere private.

She hadn't been expecting him tonight, though.

"Jace?" Clary all but squawked as she saw the guy that she had been internally referring to as her kinda-boyfriend look through the kitchen door and skim his eyes around, landing on her with a smile.

"Clary," Jace was about to step forward when two drunk girls stumbled through the door and cut off his path, and he stepped back again, and Clary quickly crossed the kitchen to him.

"Hey!" She cried out. "What are you doing here?!"

"Do you not want me here?" Jace asked, and there was a teasing tone to his voice that Clary was getting used to, although it still caused a flurry of butterflies in her stomach.

"I always want you here," Clary said with a grin, throwing her arms around Jace's shoulders and tugging him in close, maybe using him to balance a little bit because she'd had a few shots with Isabelle earlier and she hadn't eaten since lunch, so she was feeling just a smidge shaky.

"That's good to know," Jace grinned, and he banded an arm around her waist to give her a hug before his other hand cupped the back of her head, bringing her in for a firm kiss.

"I just didn't know you were coming tonight—didn't think it was your scene," she said with a shrug as she looked around, and it really wasn't. It was barely Alec's scene, he only put up with it because of Magnus. She and Isabelle were definitely the youngest ones there, everyone else were friends of Magnus and Alec's, some of them people that they had gone to university with, some of them who they worked with, but pretty much everyone was younger than Jace, and he didn't really drink all that much.

"It's not, really," Jace replied, hand still resting on the back of her neck, thumb brushing down the curve in a way that tingled. "But I finished work early, and your phone was going straight to voice mail, but I remembered you saying something about coming here so I text Alec." Clary pouted as she ducked her head looked down at her phone and saw that it was dead.

"Me and Izzy were taking heaps of selfies with filters before," Clary explained with a wrinkle of her nose. "Must have drained the battery." Jace just smiled back at her, and she reached up to kiss him on the mouth again, because she could, before looking around. "Did you want a drink?" Jace glanced around, his eyes probably skimming over the half-empty red solo cups that were scattered on the bench behind her.

"I don't really think they have my preference," he grinned and Clary shrugged and laughed.

"Yeah, but after you've done three super cheap tequila shots, everything starts tasting the same," she said and Jace's smile widened, his eyes dancing as he looked around, and he was about to say something when there was a scream from the doorway.

"Jace!" Isabelle shouted out, and Jace turned around to see his cousin, his arm falling so that it was draped over Clary's shoulders, keeping her loosely against his side. "Oh my god, of course you're here, coz Clary's here!" Isabelle was more drunk than Clary, and Clary just laughed as her best friend nearly tripped over and ended up face first on the ground, but she caught herself like a pro, gripping the kitchen bench and steadying herself. Jace jerked forward a little, out of protective instinct, and Clary giggled under her breath, because Isabelle wore six inch heels when she went out as a rule, which included when she got drunk, and the girl knew how to stay on her feet, she'd only seen her go ass-over-tits two or three times, which was impressive, with the amount of times that they had been drunk together.

"Hey, Izzy," Jace gave her a hug and a kiss.

"Did you want a drink? Did you want something to eat?" Isabelle pursed her lips together and then wiggled her eyebrows. "Did you want something to smoke?" There was a grin on her face that Clary didn't quite understand, because yes, she was always down to have something to smoke, but that didn't mean Jace was, until she tipped her head back and was surprised to see Jace nodding.

"Someone here selling? I didn't bring anything with me," Jace said easily and Clary's eyes widened at the casual comment, suddenly feeling stupidly tingly in between her legs at the idea of Jace smoking weed. What the fuck even was her life? She was that sexually deprived that the idea of Jace smoking was getting her turned on?

"This is one of Magnus' parties, so there will be at least four people selling," Isabelle grinned and then stuck out her hand. "Pay up and I'll get you some joints." It was kind of funny, because these were literal interactions that Clary had, although admittedly, Jace just pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and slipped out some notes easily rather than having to count through the change like Clary always had to. Isabelle didn't look as surprised as she grinned and snatched the notes out of Jace's hand, flicking her fingers in a wave before she disappeared and Jace looked down at her.

"You alright, sweetheart?" He asked, arching an eyebrow and Clary just narrowed her eyes.

"I didn't know you smoked," she blurted out and Jace blinked.

"Is that...Okay?" Jace looked a little hesitant and Clary's eyes widened.

"Oh shit, yeah, of course, fuck," she let out a laugh and nudged him in the side with her elbow. "You can do whatever the fuck you want, you're an adult, I just didn't know." Jace's eyebrow raised slightly.

"I know I can, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with that, I don't want to do something in front of you that makes you uncomfortable," Jace explained, giving the arm around her shoulders a squeeze. Clary stared up at him for a beat and then reached up and gave him another kiss.

"As long as you share, I'm totally okay with it," Clary grinned and Jace smiled back at her. She would have been completely fine to just shack up in the kitchen, maybe climb up onto a bench and get Jace to stand between her legs and get him to touch her thighs and possibly kiss her neck a little, but then a few people came in and shot them knowing grins and she rolled her eyes. "Wanna go find Alec and Mags?" Clary asked and Jace nodded, arm moving so that he could link his fingers together with hers, gripping them firmly in between his as he nodded toward the kitchen door, letting her take the lead. The apartment was full, but it was a lot bigger than the one Clary lived in, even though there were only two people living here, rather than four, but they were two, like, fully functioning adults with jobs rather than four students, so there was the main difference, so there was still room to breathe, even with a party happening. "Mags!" Clary called out when she saw a shock of blue hair and the head turned.

"Biscuit!" Magnus squawked, and from the way his pupils were blown, it was clear that he was on something, and Clary giggled as Magnus ditched whoever it was he had been talking to, to come over and throw his arms around Clary, giving her a sloppy kiss half on the mouth before looking up at Jace. "And of course, Jace keeping my darling Clary company. She's not corrupting you too much, is she, Jace?" Magnus reached forward to give Jace a sloppy kiss of his own, almost completely on the mouth, just like Clary's, because he was drunk and high, and Magnus was tactile as all hell anyway, and Clary giggled at the way Jace just grinned and shook his head in amusement in response as Magnus pulled back.

"I'll have you know I'm a great fucking influence, thank you very much," Clary snapped playfully and Magnus snorted as Isabelle suddenly appeared again, holding up two joints in her hand.

"Merry Christmas!" She announced as she shoved them at Jace and Magnus looked at them and then at Clary and then at Jace.

"Hey, this wasn't me," Clary widened her eyes and waved her hands in front of her. "He became a casual drug user on his own, no influence from me." Jace laughed next to her and Magnus grinned before he was pulling out a lighter from the back pocket of his impossibly tight leather pants and held it up in front of them.

"Have fun, kiddies," he said as he tossed the lighter to Jace and then disappeared, the gown thing he was wearing over top of his singlet and pants shimmering and glittering behind him and Clary watched him go with a shake of her head before looking up at Jace.

"There's one quiet place here," she told him and Jace nodded with a smile. She tugged on his hand, pulling him back through the apartment, and on their way out, she snagged a bottle that was still pretty full with vodka from one of the side tables. Alec was coming out of the bathroom, making a face at two people who were making out against the door and who nearly stumbled inside when he opened the door, and he shouted out a greeting to Jace, and Jace waved back before Clary was pulling him through the front door. It was instantly quieter when they got into the hallway, but Clary didn't stop, leading Jace to the end of the hall and toward the stairs that were labelled 'Fire Exit'.

"Aren't these usually alarmed?" Jace asked with a half smile.

"Maybe in buildings where rent costs two arms and a leg, this place only costs one arm and a leg," Clary shot back as she opened the door and no alarm went off, just as Clary had expected. She shot a triumphant look back at Jace, who just shook his head and grinned, following after her. They were only two floors from the roof, which meant that they had to take four flights of stairs, and when Clary pushed open the top door, she made sure to grab the little wedge of wood that Alec and Magnus always made sure to leave up here—and probably other people, since this was a getaway spot for quite a few in the building—and she stuck it under the door so that it wouldn't shut behind them. Luckily, there was no one out here tonight, and Clary started twisting off the lid of the vodka bottle. "Welcome," she sung out, holding out her arms to either side of her.

"Nice," Jace said with a nod and then pulled one of the joints out of his pocket, and the neon pink lighter that Magnus had given him. "Shotgun?" He asked with a tilt of his head and a purse of his pink lips and Clary blinked before taking a very generous sip of the vodka and nodded her head.

"Let's do it."

She had shotgunned before.

She had shotgunned on many occasions, including with guys and a girl that she had slept with, but this was different. Why was literally everything different with Jace, Clary wondered idly as Jace pulled back and the world went hazy around her as the remaining smoke curled around his lips and she held the rest of it in her throat, from where he had passed it between their mouths. His lips felt softer, they looked pinker, and when she had opened her eyes again, it literally felt as though they were suspended somewhere above the city on a cloud that was made up of the smokey wisps that were really puffs of smoke.

"You okay, pretty girl?" Jace gave her a lazy smile as he leaned back against the concrete wall behind him, and those words—they did things to her. Clary pouted a little before bringing the vodka bottle back to her lips, wincing at the slight burn that was nothing compared to the first sip that she had taken, she had long ago gotten used to drinking straight vodka directly from the bottle—although usually, it was cheaper vodka.

"More," Clary said by way of reply, because she definitely had something that she had to say, but she needed a little more herbal courage before she said it. They had settled down on some old cushions that had been tossed around. There was an old couch with water proof cushions as well, but that was on the far side of the roof, and they had decided to sit near the door. Clary didn't care about the old cushions, but it wasn't like her jeans cost thousands of dollars, but Jace hadn't thought twice before settling down next to her and lighting up the first joint.

"Come here," Jace murmured, voice a little strained from holding his breath as well, and Clary leaned in, unable to stop her eyes from closing which wasn't something she always did, but when Jace's lips pressed to hers briefly, parting them so that he could blow the smoke into her mouth. He didn't say anything, didn't ask her again if she was okay, just kept smoking and sharing with her until they were at the bottom of the joint, and then he stubbed it out on the concrete next to them and put it the rusted beans tin that someone had brought up to be used as an ashtray.

"We're gonna fuck, right?" Clary asked with a tilt of her head as she exhaled the final breath of smoke from the joint, and whatever Jace had been expecting when he had asked her if she was okay, it clearly hadn't been that, because he nearly choked on his breath and Clary couldn't help her giggles.

It was kind of nice seeing Jace off balance, and the tinge of red to his eyes made her feel like they were on more balanced ground as well.

"Do you...Want to?" Jace asked slowly, squinting a little and Clary grunted in exasperation.

"So. Much," she replied bluntly and Jace let out a loud laugh before he reached out a hand to rest on her knee, giving it a squeeze and leaving it there as he leaned back against the wall.

"Okay," Jace nodded with a small smile, eyes drifting shut. "Good to know." Clary stared at him in disbelief, and at the silence, he opened his eyes again. "What?"

"That's it?!" She cried out.

"What else were you expecting?" Jace laughed a little and Clary was trying to pout, but Jace looked so loose and happy and kind of younger, with the buttons of his shirt undone and his cheeks flushed and slumped down a bit and she really just wanted to climb on his lap and beg him to fuck her. "Our first time isn't going to be on a roof while we're stoned and drinking cheap vodka." Clary's eyes narrowed as she looked down at the drink, tipping the bottle back to look at the label.

"This isn't cheap vodka!" She protested. Jace arched an eyebrow.

"How much do you think it cost?" He asked.

"I don't know, like..." Clary pursed her lips, and she hesitated, because she knew it wasn't a super expensive bottle of vodka, it was just—usually the bottle of vodka that her and Isabelle would buy would be the nine dollar stuff. Tasted just a little like paint stripper, but it did the job. She snorted. "Forty dollars?" Jace laughed as well and Clary couldn't stop her grin as she took another drink from the bottle and then held it out to him. Jace took it and had a sip as well, although he winced as he handed it back for her to twist the lid on.

"So. A cheap bottle of vodka then," he clarified and Clary rolled her eyes playfully.

"Fine," she agreed. "Prude," she added with a jab of her finger into his thigh. "So when we fuck it's gonna be with expensive vodka and in a bed?" She tilted her head to the side and Jace stared at her for a minute before groaning and rubbing a hand over his face, hiding it temporarily before blinking over at her.

"Stop," Jace groaned and Clary paused as he looked up at her. "It's way too hard to think about things like that while you're looking as gorgeous as you do." Clary blinked and looked down at what she was wearing—ripped jeans and a singlet with no bra, the cooler, night wind making her nipples hard so that it was obvious she had no bra on as they pressed against the material, and a bomber jacket with jeweled shoulders that she was actually pretty sure was Magnus' originally. But before she could think of using his words to his advantage, he was already moving on. "Okay," Jace pushed off the wall and then reached out for her, taking the vodka bottle from her and putting it on the concrete with a soft clink, his big hands encompassing hers. "I actually wanted to ask you a question."

"No, I'm not a virgin, please don't feel the need to lay down flower petals and light candles when you finally have sex with me," Clary instantly stated. "And yes, we have to use condoms, at least to start with." Jace just stared at her for a moment, his hands going still around hers before he made a face.

"Of course we're using condoms, what the fuck?" He looked almost confused.

"Well, ya know," Clary shrugged a shoulder and made a face. "There's always the whole thing..." if Jace wasn't holding her hand so tightly she would wave it awkwardly to the side, because Jace looked genuinely confused by the statement. "Like, the guy is like, are you on birth control, and the chick is like, yeah, but that's not completely guaranteed plus I don't know if you're clean, and the guy is like, oh, but I can't feel anything with the condom on, let's just go without it, and then the chick is like, no, I might get knocked up or a fucking STD, and the guy is like, oh, come on, babe, I'll just pull out, but then he doesn't—" Clary cut herself off at the alarmed look on Jace's face, but maybe that was also because of the voices that she was putting on, something incredibly high pitched for her chick voice and then something so low pitched she could actually feel her throat vibrating for her guy voice.

"Fuck," Jace whistled out with a shake of his head. "Yeah, okay, I remember being a bit of an asshole when I was in college but...Yeah, we use condoms until we talk about it again. Birth control is both of our responsibility." He said it so casually that it was just dumb that Clary's pussy fluttered at the words.

She really was just damn horny.

"So. You said you had something to ask me?" Clary changed the subject back, hoping that it would get them closer to the subject of fucking for the first time. He might have standards and not want to fuck on the rooftop for the first time, but she could totally ride his hand or something and that should be okay?

"I have to go to Miami next weekend for a work conference and an interview," Jace began, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand. "It's only a couple of hours over two days, I only really need to go for a night, but I was thinking—I was thinking that maybe we could fly out on Thursday, after you finish work, spend the weekend there, come back Sunday afternoon?" Clary just blinked at him. "I'll cover your flight, you don't have to worry about that, and accommodation is covered by the company."

"I..." Clary's eyebrows pulled together slightly. "I—are we going to fuck in Miami?" Was all that came out, because one second ago, they'd been talking about condoms and sex, and now he was asking her if she wanted to go to Miami for a long weekend, and literally the only time she'd been to Miami was when she was eight and her mum and dad had argued the whole time and her and Jonathan had only got to go to the beach once.

"You really have sex on the brain, don't you?" Jace just looked amused as he let go of her hands with one of his, reaching up to gently brush her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Well, have you seen you?" Clary almost whined, and Jace's smile was almost predatory, their faces so close that she could feel his breath against her nose before he pulled back, squeezing her hand once more.

"We'll see," he said as he let go of her hand completely, reaching for the second joint. "If you're good." Clary's body stilled at the words and her eyes darted to his, wide and pupils suddenly blown, and Jace winked at her before he was lighting up the end of second joint.

Life really wasn't fair.

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