Did you enjoy that last chapter? We think it wasn't enough so we're giving you all a little fluff! That rhymes :P Again, this is based on a true story so something similar to this did happen. Keep that in mind while reading please :)

To a Guest: Hey, it's Raquel. In my situation, I had multiple infections and that indeed can happen. You can say my condition was kind of complicated because even though my skin was burning and hot, I felt cold from of high fevers that came with the infections. There are different types of eczema so maybe yours is different, I don't know. I'm not one to question such personal things. Hope you understand that. Thanks for reading this story. I use to think that it eczema was extremely rare and now that I've heard others, I don't feel as lonely. Thank you, again :)


"You two were laughing," stated Izzy as she shut the door to her bedroom. She had already laid out an extra mat for Clary to sleep on and made room for a tiny spot for her to put her things.

"Well, I guess you can say we can talk to each other now," said Clary with a small smile on her face. They began to dress into training clothes while talking. By training clothes, that meant a sports bra and shorts.

"In what way…?"

"I'm not sure, but he's opened up to me quite a lot." Clary finally got her shoes on and proceeded down the stairs with Izzy to the training area.

"Again? Angel, did you drug him or something?!"

"I can't believe you would even consider that as an option," she shook her head. "We talked naturally, uh, ish, and got to making up."

"How exactly did you two make up?" Izzy scrutinized every part of Clary to check for lies.

"Talking. I'm pretty sure the version of 'making up' you have in mind involves no words but really, all we did was talk." Clary could suddenly feel her face heat up and desperately tried to keep her heart rate to a minimum. Okay, so she had been attracted to him in a certain way for a while but nothing like this. She fancied his appearance, nothing else. Well, ha, not anymore. He had shared secrets he couldn't share with anybody else and she did as well. It was easy to talk to him when he wasn't being an ass. That was the Jace she wanted to know and was getting there at a faster pace than she expected.

"I knew it, you do like him," Izzy shrieked. Clary couldn't tell whether her future parabatai was happy, sad, or in shock.

"Excuse me?" Clary raised an eyebrow. Drama skills, I command you to aid me.

"Through all the guys that have hit on you and got rejected, that thing is the only one you haven't refused." She got me there, thought Clary. "And I bet you've liked him for a while now too. You just put up a front so he wouldn't notice it."

"How do you see right through me?" said Clary exasperatedly. She knew she couldn't hide this from her best friend and it would've noticed once they started becoming friends.

"So, how long have you liked him?" Clary leaned back in slight surprise.

"You're not- You're not going to stop me?" She figured the taller girl would because of well, she didn't want to lose her best friend to her brother, for one. A bigger case would be losing her best friend because of her brother; knowing the player he is on the inside.

"I thought it through once before but never thought it'd actually happen." Izzy tapped her chin while picking out a weapon from the rack in the training room. "But hey, if he hurts you, I'm going to kick his ass. And I kinda owe you something like this because of what you did with Simon and me. Besides, looking at this situation from this perspective, I think I see how you felt when hooking Simon and I up at Starbucks. You're like a sister to me, after all."

"So, you're not going to kill me because I only slightly feel minority attracted to that egotistic bastard?" asked Clary, a small smile on her face.

"Nope, I'm going to help you." The redhead dropped the seraph blade she just picked up. "You never answered my question. How long have you liked him?"

Clary picked up the blade and started to think. "I fell for his appearance like every other girl in school did in about… Year 10, I think. Only once I started to get to know him did I actually register him as a crush."

"Okay, that's it." Izzy pulled her best friend by the back of her sports bra and took her took the sparring mats. "I can't stay in denial forever so I'm venting this out on training. We're doing this as a warmup. Whatever I say, counter it with something else, got it?"

That was straightforward. "Uh… ok?"

The two stood at opposite ends of the mat with equal weapons. They only held one seraph blade each and neither had extra runes than another. Izzy went for attack first.

"I've always wondered what was so interesting about my brother," said Izzy first. Clary ducked and slid forward.

"He's not that bad when he isn't acting self-centred," she replied, striking Izzy's legs.

"That's a part of him you'll have to accept." She jumped and aimed straight down.

"I will in time." Clary blocked the attack from above.

"We're going to graduate in another year and a half. That isn't a lot of time," said Izzy, stepping back. Clary got up as well.

"I never said I would date him," argued the redhead, knowing where this conversation would have led. She decided to cut it short and attacked first.

"I'll make you," replied Izzy with a basic block.

"I don't think he even likes me that way." Clary did an aerial around Izzy and prepared to block an attack from her partner.

"You don't know for sure," said Izzy, striking Clary's leg though skillfully avoided injuring her in any way.

"He goes for all the asians. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not asian." Clary went low and attempted to trip Izzy.

"Aren't you at least a quarter because of Valentine?" questioned Izzy, calming down from her 'why does my best friend like my brother' phase.

"Yeah, but I don't look asian at all." Green eyes and red hair sure didn't state the stereotypical asian Chinese-Japanese-Korean type that Jace liked. Aline, who was in Jace's and Clary's Drama class, was an example of that with her dark hair but Clary was far from it. (sorry if that sounded racist)

"If he likes you, he won't care." They both stopped and stood at opposite ends of the mats, weapons down.

"I can't counter that," sighed Clary in defeat.

"Who were you even talking about anyway?" The sight of gold caught Clary's eye and she already couldn't pull away. Quickly, she grabbed her stele at the rack and drew a brand new rune that helped maintain focus.

"Someone," Izzy sang. Jace looked at Clary for some help but she just smiled and waved.

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Clary. He was already at the centre of the training area when he spoke up.

"When I heard uh… something about accepting and the rest of the conversation," said Jace tilting his head to the side. "Should I be curious about who you have a crush on…?" Clary's eyes widened as she recalled that huge scene where Jace had practically asked her out a multiple of times. Her face went red and Jace seemed to notice it with a smirk. Why are you such a weak rune? thought Clary as she poked her arm.

"Yes, you should be." Izzy answered for her. The redhead banged her head against the flat side of the angelic blade at least 10 times.

"You're giving yourself a concussion," Jace chortled as he went to choose a blade.

"I wish I had one," sighed Clary as she put the weapon down. Izzy ushered her towards him and shoved her so hard she fell on his back. "Sorry," she mumbled, face going beet red.

"It's ok. You up for settling that deal?" he asked making nothing of the sudden contact. Izzy fought the urge to strangle her adoptive brother from his denseness.

"You haven't warmed up yet though." Clary rubbed her forehead slightly, the blade's pain coming back to her.

"I'll live," said Jace picking out a seraph blade exactly like Clary's.

Is he really that confident? Thought Clary as he walked towards the area she and Izzy trained at a moment ago.

"We'll duel for first strike. Or until one of us backs down," he announced.

"What are you two even talking about?" asked the third-wheeler in the corner with a drink in her hands.

"We made a deal," said Clary. "If I win, his attitude is gone until I leave. If he wins, he can talk the way he wants until I leave." She emphasized her last words knowing that Jace wouldn't pay attention and tried to draw him out.

"Fine, fine," sighed Jace as he pulled up his sword.

"First strike it is. Imma ref," smirked Izzy as she walked to the centre to start the battle. "Go!" She stepped away at a safe distance yet close enough to watch the battle play out.

Clary's eyes observed the aura her opponent gave off. He wasn't too serious about this, being just a deal, but after he display of skill the last time she was in the Institute, he wasn't letting his guard down as easy. Clary, on the other hand, knew Jace's tactics as well as how his body worked from helping him and Alec at the Two Heavens Technique from time to time. Well, she stopped teaching Jace for a while and had Alec help him out, but that was besides the point. She knew how he moved and that was going to be put to her advantage.

Jace stepped forward, eyes still and blank. He waited for her to strike first. Clary didn't budge. The first to strike always loses. Her patience was waring thin but Jace was more restless than she was. He attacked. Clary dodged to the side, but that was a mistake. His sword was just a decoy and his fist had come out to where she sidestepped. He wasn't the same as Izzy who relied on her weapon if she had one. Jace knew how to use his body to his advantage just as Clary did.

Openmouthed, she sprang up into an aerial. Going through the air wasn't safe here, but she had to. There wasn't another option for her. Jace came at her again as she landed, but this attack Clary could see coming. Clashing her sword with his, it became a test of strength. No, she ruined the moment. Swiping low with her feet, she tripped Jace so his knees buckled. He pressed on with his sword though. Clary's muscle power wasn't as great as Jace's, but her strategic and fast thinking got her through. Twisting her sword, the sharp edge of Clary's blade scratched the flat side of Jace's. That was an olden technique used to distract opponents. It didn't do any harm, but it gave a good threat. Pulling her hand away at the last second, her fist collied with Jace's stomach and she finally got him down on his knees. She stepped back.

"Surrender or no?" Jace spat on the ground and chuckled.

"It's been a while since I've been in such an aggressive training session," he sighed. "There's no way I would lose to a girl." He came at her again with his sword, two hands at the hilt. He was relying on his weapon now. Clary thought of better. She blocked his attacks one handedly while her other hand formed a fist that went for his shoulder. It was like two battles simultaneously progressing on one person.

Before her feet got to the edge of the mat, her knee lifted high and hit that one area of a male no one who isn't full of lust wants to be touched at. He doubled over and Clary took the opportunity to kick him back so he was on the ground. He kept trying to get up and the only way for her to have restrained him was to pin his body down with hers. A slight blush came to her face at the thought. Her mind made her hesitate but she fought it head-on and managed to do as she needed.

"You know," grunted Jace, arms spread along the mat. "When you hit a guy in that area, you shouldn't bring more attention to it." Clary body was seated on top of him, her legs restricted his movement by clamping his lower torso, hips, and thighs. Her face grew hotter and poked the tip of her blade beside of his neck.

"It'd be a shame to ruin that pretty face of yours," said Clary slyly. "How about…" She tilted the blade a little closer to his neck. "Here?" The blade wasn't pressured on his neck enough to consider this a first strike. I can't hurt him, thought Clary, ready to pull back and submit to defeat. But I wouldn't live hearing him talk like that all night…

"It's a draw," she concluded, pulling the blade away from him and getting off of his lower body. Putting the blade away, she walked over to the rack of weapons and put hers down. By the time she was having a sip of water, Jace had only just started to get up from the mat.

"I'm going to shower." Clary couldn't face her golden crush and decided to make a break for it. Yes, she was told never to run away from problems since it wouldn't change anything, but emotionally, she had to.

"Hey, Clary-"

"See you later."

Jace's words were cut off and no other words were said. The sound of a certain redheaded girl's footsteps were all that anyone could hear.

"You guys are done already?" Alec, sorry, but you were a little late.


Aahh! We're updating a little more frequently now. This chapter was only written to complete the fighting scene of who won or not. We'll give you a hint. Truce. In reality, Raquel would have won but called a tie because her team members were more experienced than her opponents. How do they solve it in the end? Hm?

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