hihihi. no excuses, 'cept school. (which is an excuse i know. but really, it's hardddd. im failing French, just so u know, except it's really not my fault. really.)

disclaimer:I don't won tmi

Sebastian awoke to a most delightful smell. The smell of food cooking in the morning. He threw the blankets off of his body. He swung his legs over the side of the couch in order to be in a sitting raised his arms and locked them behind his head, proceeding to let out an all-mighty yawn that the gods should have feared. He lowered his arms and glanced down to look at his feet. They were bare. He wiggled his assumed he had lost his socks last night in his sleep, and the smaller articles of clothing had ended up tangled in the hair was disheveled, falling into his eyes. In a futile attempt to tame it, he rand his hand through it. He soon discovered that his fingers were a poor excuse for a comb.

He glanced over his shoulder to stare at Jonathan's sleeping form. Sebastian hadn't had a problem with sleeping on the couch. The way one of Jonathan's legs was hanging off the couch was a clear indicator that he wasn't having a fit less sleep like Sebastian had had. His mouth was hanging wide open and a trail of drool made its way down his cheek. With a slight grimace he turned his back to Jonathan. Subconsciously, he rubbed the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

Sebastian's thoughts wandered back to their conversation that took place last night. It felt good to tell someone about his feelings, someone who was genuinely interested (even if Jonathan was kind of obligated to be interested in Jonathan's feelings), and someone who didn't just already assume they knew how he felt. Never in a million years had Sebastian thought that Jonathan would be the one who he spilled his guts to. And never in a million years had Sebastian thought that Jonathan would be as supportive as he was.

Jonathan had always been a good friend to him. Through thick and thin he'd been there for Sebastian. It made him smile just to think of it. He'd-

Sebastian cut his mind off. The smell of blueberry pancakes once again invaded his nostrils. He'd almost forgotten what he'd woken up for. Thinking had come in the way of eating. Usually with Sebastian it was the other way around. The smell was coming from the kitchen, Sebastian deduced.

He looked down at himself, his hair was once again falling into his eyes. His clothes were rumpled and he knew it was obvious that he looked like a bum fresh off the street. He raised his hand to his mouth and breathed out slowly. He wrinkled his nose. He needed to find a spare toothbrush. But-

He stood up, twisting his body this way and that, stretching, He rubbed his hand up and down the length of his face. He grabbed a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around his shoulders.

-Right now, food.

Jace immediately regretted his decision to stay up so late the previous night when he woke up the next morning. (Though, if he was being fair to himself, it wasn't actually his decision.) His mind woke up before any other part of him did and like it usually did, it went spinning in a hundred different directions. He willed his brain to slow down before he pried open his eyes. He was nose-to-nose with the wall and he blinked slowly before he pushed himself away. He tried to regain his bearings. He knew it was a Saturday, the start of Winter break already. Will and his two friends were already at his house (one currently sleeping on the floor in his room)along with a few uninvited, but not all unwelcome guests. His bedroom was being shared with Clary and Jem. They were asleep on his floor and he'd have to be sure not to step on them when he got up.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he allowed his eyes to drift back shut. With a start, he realized that he was still tired. For what was probably the first time in his entire life, Jace Herondale was still tired after he woke up. Yes he slept in all his classes on a regular basis, but that didn't necessarily mean he was often than not he was just bored. Clary had a sketchbook to doodle in when lessons were dull. Isabelle had become excellent in the art of using her phone in class and never getting caught. Even Simon sneaked in comics and read them. Jace didn't have anything like that. So he slept.

Why was he tired? Oh right. They had all gone to bed late last night. Past midnight, if he remembered correctly. Much later than his usual routine nine thirty. He had wanted to go to bed earlier. However, this wasn't made possible for Jace as Will had taken it upon himself to drape his body across Jace's lap, preventing him from getting up and going to sleep. He supposed if he wanted, he could have slept on that couch, but he couldn't imagine that being comfortable in the slightest. This meant he was forced to sit through all three movies in the High School Musical series. It was arguably the best torture anyone had ever inflicted upon him. Everybody around him sang along to every song (they insisted they were singing, Jace insisted they were dying.), and even at one point, Magnus dragged Alec to his feet to sway around the living room with him.

It was chilly in his room. He himself had never minded the cold all that much, so this was the usual temperature his bedroom was kept at. He wondered if Clary minded. He knew she didn't like the cold. If anything, she despised. She didn't like Winter in general. She'd told him that fact so many times before. He wondered if she even went outside to play in the snow like most kids did during this weather. He had once, but that had only ended in disaster in his old neighborhood. He shook his head, quickly dismissing the memory that was beginning to form. He'd rather not relive that particular memory.

His brain wandered to the time. He always tried to get up some time before eight on the weekends. (Never to do anything. He'd just always wanted to be up.) He'd never been able to understand how his classmates slept until the late hours of noon. Naps were okay. At least when you took a nap at that time, you could say you were at least awake at some point before that. Jace let out another long sigh. It was definitely long past eight.

He sat up in bed. With the palm of his right hand he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. With his left hand he began to untangle his hair, trying to make himself somewhat presentable if Jem or Clary were to take up at this moment. He pulled his shirt down, and his pants up. Speaking of Jem and Clary, Jace cast a glance to the spot on the floor where he knew they would be sleeping. He was rather disappointed to find that his pillow wall was demolished. All of his careful construction, and all they had done was tear it down. He was also secretly disappointed to find that Clary wasn't there. This meant she had woken up before him. He couldn't stop the pout from forming across his face. When he'd realized what he'd done, he shook his hand and slapped his cheeks lightly. Dear God, he'd been hanging around these people too damn long. He'd even started inheriting their childish antics.

For the third time in that very short morning, Jace sighed heavily.

Clary was surprised to find that she'd woken up before Jace that morning. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, unwilling to open all the way. Her eyes were smart. They knew if they opened fully, they'd be awake and then there was no going back to sleep. Though. slowly but surely, her eyes opened and she was left with her cheek pressed against Jem's shoulder. Her arm was draped across his stomach, and his hand was placed on the small of her back. Her shirt must have ridden up over her stomach, because she could feel his cool fingers against the bare skin of his back.

She quickly scrambled away from him, a blush already settling across he cheeks. Jem let out a small whining noise. He grasped at the air around him, searching for her before he rolled onto his side and fell back to sleep. Clary couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. A mortified smile of course, but a smile nevertheless. Jem was awfully cute when he slept, but that didn't excuse the fact that she'd just cuddle up to him while they slept. What would he think if he knew? What would Jace think?

Her eyes darted up to the bed. The covers were pulled over his head, but Clary could clearly make out the distinct shape of Jace's body. Clary let out a relieved sigh. He hadn't been up to see anything. She wouldn't know what to do if he had seen.

She scooted over to the bed, resting he back against the frame against. She pulled her legs up, and rested her chin upon them. Was it wrong to think Jem was cute? The steady rise and fall of his chest. The way his lips were slightly parted as he slept. The way his silver hair fell into his face as he slept. Clary screwed her eyes shut, willing those kinds of thoughts away. Those thoughts were wrong. She liked Jace. She liked Jace. She liked-

Clary dimly remembered a conversation she had with Isabelle a couple of years ago.

"I like someone," Isabelle announced, flopping into the chair beside Clary.

"I know you do. You already told me."

Isabelle waved her hand in the air impatiently. "No, no, not Michael. His name is Christian. Maybe you know him. He was also on the soccer team this year."

They were in eighth grade when the conversation took place. Clary had been sitting on the bleachers, watching as Jace practiced by himself.

Clary turned her head to look at Isabelle. "Oh, you mean the short Christian?"

Isabelle shot her a sly smile. "He may be shorter than me, but's he's still taller than you."

Clary rolled her eyes but smiled, showing Isabelle she wasn't at all offended. "So you don't like Michael anymore?"

Isabelle wrung her hands out in front of her, a small frown stretching across her lips. "Okay so that's the thing. I do like Michel still. But I also like Christian now. And it just feels kind of wrong, you know? Like I'm cheating on Michael or something. And yes, before you come in with your logical guns blazing, I know we're not actually dating and I know it's impossible to cheat on someone who you're not actually dating. But it feels like I'm cheating. And I know you don't know what the hell I'm talking about because you're so hopelessly devoted to Jace and all, but I still feel like you'd be able to help me out, because my heart is going to burst pretty soon. I- I'm cheating my heart, basically, because how can my feelings for Michael be genuine when my feelings for Christian are genuine?"

Clary wanted to argue that she knew Isabelle well enough to know that her feelings for both boys were far from genuine, but she wouldn't. "Cheating your heart, huh?" Clary hummed, trying to think. "Think of it this way, maybe. You really, really love pineapples. You eat them religiously. But then you discover grapes. And suddenly grapes become your whole life, but you decided you still like pineapples. It can't be considered cheating just because you've learned to love something else. Same with a marriage. You're completely devoted to your significant other, but you start to gain feelings for someone else. It can't be considered cheating unless you actually act upon those feelings.

"And while I don't condone cheating on your spouse, maybe having those feelings are for the better. Better for self-discovery and all that jazz. And since you're not actually dating either of them, it's completely okay to like both of them. Hearts waver, people grow. One day you might discover you never really liked Michael of Christian. It's okay to like both of them, I promise. But you can't like both of them forever. To be in a relationship, you need to be committed. So if you do decide to date one of them, you have to make sure your heart is completely devoted, because it wouldn't be fair to string one of them along. Did uh, did any of that make any sense to you?"

A contemplative expression made its way onto Isabelle's face. She pondered Clary's words for a couple of minutes before she nodded her head slowly. "I think I get it. I can like both of them, because I'm not dating either of them. But if I do decide to date one of them, I have to be sure I truly like them."

"Yeah, something like that."

Did that make her a hypocrite? But she didn't like Jem, she reminded herself. She just like the way he currently looked. She like Jace, she reminded herself harshly. She liked Jace and only Jace. Jem was cute that was all. He was nothing compared to Jace.

Clary stood slowly, making her way out of Jace's room. She closed the door behind her softly. not wanting to wake either boy up.

Will pressed a pencil to his lips, staring intently down at the paper in front of him. He sat on a stool by the kitchen counter. Behind him, Magnus and Alec were slaving away by a hot stove, preparing breakfast for everyone. Tessa stood behind him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her chin resting on his shoulder.

"I think I might be a snowflake because I'm falling for you," Tessa read aloud, her eyes travelling across the paper. "Will, are you trying to court another woman? I'm sorry to tell you this, but most girls. or at least most mature girls, don't want crappy, winter-themed pick-up lines used on them. It's no way to get a lady to fall for you."

Will turned his head to grin crookedly at her. "Need I remind you, my dearest Tess, that you fell for me the second a crappy pick-up line left my lips. I'm living proof that crappy pick-up lines get the guy the girl."

"Keep on dreaming my lovely Snowflake," Tessa pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Crappy pick-up lines affect me not. However roses, roses may be my one and only weakness."

Will laughed and Tessa moved to sit beside him. "No, but in all seriousness, why are you writing crappy pick-up lines?"

"I'm writing them for Jem to help progress Jace and Clary's relationship," Will explained, his eyes trailing back to the paper in front of him.

Tessa blinked owlishly before she laughed. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before she placed her hand over Will's. "Alright, do me this one favor Will. Explain that to me again so that I'm able to make sense of it this time around."

Will set his pencil and turned his head to face Tessa. "I'm writing these for Jem so that he can use them on Clary. Getting them together is not my goal, because let's be realistic, Jem and Pixie Girl would make a horrible couple."

"I'd like to actually disagree with that statement," Tessa said. "I think Jem and Clary would be absolutely adorable together."

"Doesn't matter either way. Jem lives on the other side of the continent. You know long distance relationships never work out."

"But I'm right though, aren't I?"

"'Course you are, Love," Will smiled at her. "But anyway, I'm trying to get Jace to realize he likes Clary. I'm his cousin. I know that brat better than anyone. He likes Clary, whether he realizes it or not. He's always had to hide everything behind this tough boy facade. You know the, 'I'm Jace Herondale and I have no emotions because emotions are below me' facade. And I figured that if we got Jace really jealous, it would give him that extra push he needed to come to terms with his feelings. I know Sebastian likes her, but let's face it, Jace knows he's no real competition. But Jem, he doesn't know Jem, and neither does Clary. It'd be so easy to turn him into someone that could steal Clary's heart. Or at least, Jace will think that."

"Okay, okay, I get your plan. One question though; what if Clary actually does fall for Jem and realizes she doesn't like Jace anymore?"

"Won't happen. I've got Clary's feelings all sorted out. She really, genuinely loves him. Her heart's unwavering and her devotion knows no bounds. Same with Jace. The only problem is, he's not as open as Clary is. But he could be. Which is why Jem needs to be the one to "court" Clary."

"But why Jem in particular?" Tessa pressed. "Why not Simon, or Alec?"

"Try and keep up Tess," Will teased, a smile crossing his lips. Tessa stuck her tongue out at him. "Simon is Clary's best friend, and he's obviously in love with Isabelle. I'm off the market along with Jonathan because he's Clary's brother. Alec is gay and has feelings for Magnus which Magnus returns, and they both view Clary as a baby sister. And like I said earlier, Jace doesn't view Sebastian as a threat. The only one left to court her is Jem."

"Totally off topic, but have you noticed how many times we've used the term courting in this conversation?" Tessa laughed. "Do boys our age even court in this day and age?"

"I courted you," Will pointed out.

"Upon my insistence," Tessa poked his nose. "I'm a lady and I insist I be treated like one."

"Besides, Jem seems like the type to court doesn't he?"

"I suppose he does."

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la la la la! 'Tis the season to be jolly Fa la la la la la la-".

"Sing that last 'la' and I swear to God I'll kill you," Isabelle murmured into the pillow.

"But Isabelleeee~" Simon whined, flopping into bed beside her. "We have to don our gay apparel and giggle like little schoolboys after we hear the word 'gay'."

"If you want to don gay apparel go talk to Magnus," Isabelle lifted her head to glare at him. "And leave me alone. I need to sleep."

"But you're already so beautiful," Simon promised her. He mentally cheered. Clary would have been so proud of him. He'd manage to utter those words without blushing or stammering.

Isabelle scoffed noisily. "I never said I need my beauty sleep. Like you said, I'm already beautiful. I just need sleep in general. Sleep is nice."

"Sleep is nice," Simon agreed, nodding his head. "But food is also nice. Everybody else is already up except us."

Isabelle rested her weight upon her elbows to squint at Simon. "Everyone? Even Jon and Seb?"

"Even Jon and Seb," Simon confirmed, rolling off the bed. "So let's go. Don't bother with your hair or clothes. Everyone else is still in their pajamas. Except for Jace of course, because he has to look perfect all the time."

"You brushed your hair," Isabelle pointed out.

"That's because I have low self-esteem," Simon explained. He wore an impish grin. "Everybody just rolled out of bed and the table still looks like a group of models meeting up for coffee and light brunch."

Isabelle took her hair out of its ponytail but didn't bother attempting to do anything with it besides run her fingers through it a couple times. Simon offered her his arm and she took it. He led her to the dining room where everybody had already gathered to eat. Simon's words rang true. It appeared that everybody had already woken up before her. Though, they sure as hell didn't look like models. If anything they all looked like hobos.

Will's eyes lit up when he saw her, and she immediately feared what was to come.

"Hey Isabelle!" he called loudly, gathering everyone's attention. "I think I might be a snowflake, 'cause I'm falling for you!"

Isabelle blinked before she threw her hands in the air.

"Iz, you're blushing!"

"Oh, how cute!"

"Told you the crappy winter themed pick-up lines worked, Tess!" Will shouted triumphantly.

"William Herondale!" Isabelle shouted, a blush, albeit an angry one, quickly spreading across her cheeks.

This only made everyone laugh harder.

Okay, so uh you now that whole rant Clary went on about hearts wavering and ppl growing. if it doesn't make sense to you that's okay. if it did, good job cuz it made no sense to me. i mean, i wrote it, but it's kind of blurry and hard to understand. it's just something my friend asked me one day, and it made sense to add to the story line. (and i don't condone cheating of any sort) but yeah.

all this exposure to different pov's. are you loving it or not? i know i am.

on a side note, do you know how many drafts this chapter went through. literally the only scene that was in all my 7 drafts was that jace scene, and it's probably my least favorite of all the scenes.