An update this early (technically late because it's a little past midnight) from me? Are your eyes deceiving you? No, actually, lololol. I told you, I am totally committed to this productive thing for real this summer.
Fair Warning.: Wessa and Sizzy fluff ahead. Bickering cousins. Reveals that no one was ready for. Read at your own risk.
Disclaimer.: I don't own The Mortal Instruments or any of the characters.
After a very filling breakfast, everybody migrated to separate rooms, nobody having the energy to change into real clothes or shower. Jace had intended to go up to his room and sulk alone. (He secretly hoped Clary would follow him). His secret hope was squashed when immediately after everyone finished eating breakfast Sebastian grabbed Clary's hand and dragged her off down the hallway, slamming the door to what Jace assumed was the bedroom behind them. Jonathan, being the clever idiot he was, hopped over the back of the couch to rush after them. Jace assumed he was trying to be like the kids in the movies. Except his foot got caught on the couch and he face planted into the floor. He raised his arm in the air and his fingers twitched. Jace actually laughed openly at that one.
Physically, Jonathan insisted he was fine. He flashed a thumbs up, a cheeky smile and assured them that there was no need to worry. His pride, Jace figured, was another story. Nobody bounced back from something like that. On the field, Jonathan was no stranger to falls. But those were easily forgotten. They were in the heat of game and nobody had time to make fun of him. And then when the game was finished, the team was too busy celebrating their win to remember about Jonathan's earlier blunder. But right now, Jonathan was stuck in a house full of obnoxious teenagers who were all too eager to tease somebody. A fail like that was never forgotten.
"You're such a klutz sometimes," Isabelle said, a sly smile crossing her features. "You know my mom records all the games. She has all of Jon's fails caught on video tape."
"We could send it to my idol Ellen!" Magnus exclaimed. "We could be on Ellen's Epic or Fail! We could make Ellen laugh! Isabelle, find those tapes. Why did nobody record that?"
"We could make Jon reenact it!" Will hollered.
"Haha guys," Jonathan spoke wryly. He dusted imaginary dirt off himself. "Ellen wouldn't think it was funny at all. If anything, she'd take pity on me and invite me to the show personally because all my friends are crap."
Jace blinked. He felt so left out of the conversation. This wasn't a new feeling to him. But it felt different. Maybe it was because there were more people here. So, going against everything he believed in, knowing he would regret his question later he sucked it up and asked; "Who's Ellen?"
All eyes turned to stare at him, wide with disbelief. He was uncomfortable. He was regretting everything. He hated himself. He hated himself so much right now. God, curse emotions. Being excluded felt horrible, but this was so much worst.
"You don't know who Ellen is?!" They all screeched in unison.
Jace flinched, taking a step back. "No, no, I do, I do. I um, I forgot, I just forgot for a second. I, I know Ellen. Good old, young, dark haired Ellen. We're good friends. I-".
Magnus jumped him. Jace tried to get away. As soon as Magnus jumped at him, he spun on his heel and scrambled up the stairs on all fours. He didn't make it very far. Happy to have the attention off him, Jonathan ran after him. He managed to get a hold of Jace's foot. He yanked it back. Jace's hands slipped and his chin knocked painfully against the staircase. He swore loudly. He didn't know where his parents currently were, but if they had heard him they would have washed his mouth out with soap. Nobody seemed to care that he was in pain. Will charged up the stairs and with surprising ease, slung Jace over his shoulder. Jace didn't have it in him to fight back at this point. He figured it would only result in more injuries for him.
When Will set him down on the couch, Jace felt the metallic taste of blood. He swiped the back of his hand across his mouth and when he pulled it away to look at it, it was smeared with blood. Jonathan walked over to apologize. "Listen Jace I didn't mean t-". Jace cut him off by spitting in his face. Jonathan inhaled sharply as the blood mixed with saliva hit him square in the cheek. Jace smirked to himself. He'd never realized how long he'd wanted to do something along those lines to Jonathan until it actually happened. The room got silent as Jonathan lifted a corner of his shirt to wipe to spit off his face.
"Jonathan Christopher Herondale." Both Jace and Jonathan turned their heads to gaze at Will, whose eyes were sparkling. "I've never been more proud to call you my cousin. And Jonathan, you were great too. Can I adopt you as my cousin?"
Jonathan shook his head slowly. "I just, I think I need a shower. Jem. I'm going to borrow some clothes, okay? I'm so done with life." Jonathan turned his back on Jace, his hands held up in the air as a sign of surrender. He murmured to himself as he ascended the stairs.
"I'll go get you an ice pack," Will said, a cheery smile on his face. He patted Jace on the back and made his way to the kitchen. Tessa came to sit by his side on the couch. Her fingers lifted his chin and turned his head to face her. She gave him smile. He gave her a scowl.
"You'll be alright, Jace," Tessa assured him.
Jace didn't reply. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared ahead stonily.
"You know," Tessa laughed as she removed her hand. "You remind me a lot of Will."
Spitting in a girl's face isn't polite, Jace reminded himself. Though it certainly didn't make him want to do it any less.
"I need to talk to you," Sebastian breathed as he leaned against the door.
"Because that much wasn't obvious from the way you grabbed my hand and quite literally yanked me down the hallway after you," Clary remarked dryly, clearly not impressed. "Thanks for that, by the way, my arm feels like dying."
"I wanted to do it in private," Sebastian added, shrinking back against the door some more. Already he was losing his nerve and he hadn't even gotten to the topic that he wanted to talk to her about. He needed more confidence. Curse him for being such a spineless coward.
"Again, I couldn't tell by the way you practically shoved me into the room and slammed and locked the door behind us." Clary's lips twisted into a wry smile.
Holy hell, why oh why had he held Jonathan at face value and taken his advice without so much as a second thought? Obviously the other boy's intentions had been far from innocent and supportive. Who was he meant to side with on this particular matter? Obviously he was attempting to protect his sister by making Sebastian out to be a major fool. Then she would never want to date him. It was all a merely well devised plan to trick him into acting like an idiot in front of her. Why hadn't he thought more rationally about this moment and planned it out better?
Sebastian swallowed awkwardly, his hand moving slowly to the doorknob. His next move was to unlock the door and flee home, even if there was a couple feet of snow on the ground outside, and there quite literally was no way to get home.
"Hey, don't even worry about it. I was only joking Seb," Clary smiled comfortingly at him. She flopped back onto the bed behind her. She moved her head to look around. "This is where Magnus, Alec, and Tessa slept right? A match made in heaven, the three of them. Just look at how neatly they made up this room. It looks like it's never been slept in."
"Oh yeah. I definitely see the three of them keeping in touch after this."
Clary, taking notice of Sebastian's hesitance to move away from the door, took the initiative. She sat up on the bed and folded her legs under her. With a small smile directed at him, Clary patted the spot on the bed next to her. "Come and sit. Let's talk about whatever you want to talk about. I promise I'm a good listener."
"I- uh, I don't think," Sebastian trailed off awkwardly. He took a step away from the door, not wanting to hover in that spot anymore. Clary patted the spot on the bed again, this time more insistent. He shifted his weight from foot to foot before he took the seat next to her, putting more space between them than he had intended. But he couldn't scoot closer now, because she would notice, and would think he wanted to close to her. Well, he kind of did, but- Gah, he was over complicating things again.
How did someone start off a conversation like this? 'Hey, I've been pining after you for five years, but I'm not exactly sure if I really like you, of if I'm just shoving feelings onto you because I don't know how to let go of things.' He hopped off the bed and began pacing the room. He threw his hands in the air and whirled to face Clary, who looked utterly lost and confused.
"Ah, screw it, I'm just going to say it. I like you Clary, and before you say something dumb like 'oh, we're friends Sebastian, of course I like you too', I mean as more than a friend. As in, I think I want to sweep you off your feet and maybe kiss you senseless. Oh wow, did that feel good to say out loud."
"You know, I was thinking," Isabelle started, watching her feet mindlessly as she knocked then together.
"Oh no," Will snorted. "That's never a good thing."
Isabelle, who had been clutching a small pillow to her chest with one arm let out a low groan. She half-heartedly chucked the pillow at Will's head. Will grinned and caught it in one hand. "Shut up, Will."
Jonathan was taking his sweet time in the shower. Jace still had no idea where his parents were hiding, and everyone had forbidden him from locking himself in the confines of his own room. The ice in the make-shift ice bag Will had actually prepared for him melted not all that surprisingly quickly with the fire roaring in the fire place. The remainder of them had made themselves comfortable in the living room. They talked mindlessly about nothing and everything all at once. Slowly the conversation died down until they were all left sitting in a comfortable silence.
Simon and Isabelle sat next to each other in front of the coffee table. Simon's arm was draped across Isabelle's shoulder, and she held his hand, her fingers intertwined with his own. To keep himself from freaking out too much, he held a cat toy of Chaton's in his other hand and he was playing with the cat. Jace, perched on the back of the couch watched the exchange with a careful eye. Magnus, Alec, and Jem sat on the same couch as Jace. Sat on the opposite couch was Will. Tessa was lying across the couch, her legs dangling off the arm rest, and her head nestled in Will's lap. His fingers were tangled loosely in her hair and she was humming softly. The whole scene was oddly serene and warm to behold.
"Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted." Isabelle shifted her stony gaze to Will who met it with a cheeky smile, unabashed. "It kind of really sucks that we're all stuck here, but as I've said before we should still try and make the most of it, and get to know one another. And what better way of getting to know one another other than being forced to in order to buy someone something they like in the form of a present."
Everyone was silent for a beat, trying to decipher the meaning of the words. Magnus was the first to speak up. "Are you implying that we play Secret Santa?"
"You just want presents," Will accused. He appeared thoughtful though, as his hand movements stilled in Tessa's hair. She groaned in protest, opening her eyes to glare up at her boyfriend. He grinned apologetically down at her. "Sorry Angel." His hand returned to her hair and she shut her eyes once again.
Jem hummed in consideration. "I don't know, it doesn't sound like a terrible idea. Though it's not like we could get anywhere in this weather to get the presents."
"And we'd also need more time than a couple days to figure out more about our person and their interests. I mean, I've known Simon for how many years now, but if I were to choose him out of a paper bag, I wouldn't have any idea as to what to get him," Magnus said.
"You know, I still have that video game you got me for my birthday a couple years ago, still with no way to play it," Simon said, lifting his head from Chaton to gaze at Magnus. His lips twisted into a wry smile. The other boy at least had the decency to look a little sheepish.
"Well we're all going to be at the Christmas party in a couple weeks, aren't we?" It was Alec who spoke up now. Jace's face darkened at the mention of the party, and he mumbled a soft "most regrettably" under his breath so quiet that no one picked up on it. "Maybe we could just do it then. I don't doubt that we'll all be seeing a lot of each other over the course of the next few weeks. In theory, that'd give us more than enough time to get to know each other a little better, buy the gift, and then we could just all exchange them at the Christmas party."
Will leaned forward in interest now. "I say we up the stakes a little more, don't you agree? What would be the fun in just giving people neatly wrapped presents that you probably would have gotten them either way, unless you're Jace? Who's to say that we'll even put any thought and effort into it? Knowing Jace he'd just run out to the nearest convenience store the night before and buy whatever he sees first. It'll probably be a pack of gum by the register."
"Tch. Not true," Jace murmured lowly. He tilted his head to glare at his cousin.
"Yeah, as much as I hate to defend Mr. Brooding and Moody over there, he doesn't suck at giving gifts," Simon jumped in. His eyes flickered hesitantly to Jace before they shot back to Will. "He got me a fifty dollar gift card for my birthday. I had fun with that."
"Yeah, but how impersonal is a gift card." Though it was phrased like a question, it came out as more of a statement. "And he totally went to a convenience store the night before to buy that, and nothing you say will be able to convince me otherwise. He probably didn't even know it was customary to bring a present when going to someone's birthday party. Probably because he's never had any friends to invite him to one before, but now I'm straying too far from the subject at hand." Will retracted his hand from Tessa's hair altogether now. He interlocked his fingers above her head. "I propose a challenge my friends."
"A challenge, you say?" Isabelle's eyes glinted and Simon tensed visibly beside her. She dropped his hand and leaned away from his touch. "I am always up for a good challenge."
"I imagine you would have been," Will smirked ever so slightly. Jace turned his upper body fully to face Will. His amber eyes flashed dangerously as he narrowed them. Jem, recognizing the look on Will's face, sighed heavily. "Will. . ."
Tessa popped an eye open to peek at Will. She raised her hand to rest upon his cheek. "Just what are you plotting exactly, William?"
"Nothing too drastic for you to get overly concerned about Angel." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed each of her fingers in turn. "That is, if you don't lose."
"So how are we playing, and what are we playing for?"
"Well we obviously have to play it by how meaningful each gift is. When all the gifts have been opened, and the reason for buying them has been revealed, we all vote on who we think half-assed it the most. Meaning who we think gave the most impersonal gift, and that person goes on to receive their punishment."
"And the punishment? What should it be?" Magnus inquired, gazing coolly at Will. "I'm not trying to do anything that requires me to get my hands dirty, Pretty Boy. And I mean literally."
"Well a punishment should be voted on when a loser is voted on. I mean, it'd be pointless to come up with a punishment now. A punishment has to be tailored to fit the loser. Otherwise how will it teach them a lesson for the future? It has to be meaningful, and personal, exactly like their gift wasn't."
"I agree with that," Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest.
"I don't, but I suppose it doesn't really matter what I think or want, now does it?" Jace grumbled.
"Oh, you're finally learning Jace," Will cooed and clapped his hands together excitedly. It reminded Alec of a scene where a father was watching his baby take their first steps on their chubby little legs. "So we agree that we'd all like to play?" Nobody objected. "Excellent. We can all draw names after Jon gets out of the shower and Sebastian and Clary get done with whatever they are doing. Undoubtedly a heated make-out session."
Jace's head popped up at that, and heat rose to his face as he scoffed in an indignant manner. "Excuse you?"
"Ooh, did I strike a nerve Jacey Boy?" Will raised a brow. "You can't deny it, just as I can't, and you've known the both of them a lot longer than I have. I've seen the way he looks at her. It's the exact same way she looks at you."
"Shut up Will," Magnus warned, glancing at Jace.
"He's very charming in his own way," Will added. Tessa sat up, frowning deeply at her boyfriend. She squeezed his shoulder, as if telling him to knock it off, but he paid her no mind. "I'm sure she's all but forgotten about her little crush on you."
"Clarissa doesn't have a crush on me," Jace glowered.
"Of course she does! How dense are you?! She's obviously head-over-heels for you! And if you don't feel the same way about her at least have the decency to tell her that much! Don't let her keep pining for someone who's never going to return her feelings!"
"Will!" Everyone shouted in unison.
"She doesn't like me," Jace murmured, softer this time. He turned his back to Will to gaze out the window. "She doesn't."
"You're an arrogant asshole, too blind to see what's staring you right in the face," Will spat.
"That is enough, William," Tessa dug her nails into his arm, and he let out a slight hiss. "Apologize to him."
"She doesn't like me," Jace repeated, but even he was beginning to believe it less and less. "She can't like me. T-That's impossible." It was quite possibly the first time in his life that Jace stuttered.
Nobody met his gaze, unwilling to confirm what he was finally starting to realize.
"Uh," Clary squeaked, her eyes growing impossibly wide and practically bulging out of her head. Heat rose gradually to her face until it nearly matched the color of her hair. Sebastian wasn't even aware that people could even turn that shade. "C-can you repeat that? I-I don't think I heard you correctly."
Sebastian's jaw dropped as he stared at her in disbelief. He began flailing his arms wildly, resembling a frantic chicken. "You want me to repeat that?! I had enough trouble as it was saying it the first time. I can't say that again!"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Clary shrieked, raising her hand to clutch wildly at her hair. "Just stop screaming at me, it's sending me over the edge! I'm sort of freaking out here because I've never had any one confess to me, much less one of my closest friends, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do or how I'm supposed to handle this!"
"Well it's not like I've ever confessed before! Although, you could make this a lot easier on the both of us if you just say you return my affections and we can get engaged to be married."
"Sebastian! You are not helping at all!"
"Sorry, sorry! It was just a suggestion," he mumbled under his breath.
Clary took in a deep breath. She untangled her hand from her hair and placed it on her chest, just over her heart where she felt it beating erratically beneath her fingertips. She attempted to clear her cloudy mind and focus on the situation at hand. She liked Jace, she knew that. Having Sebastian confess his true feelings for her didn't change the fact that she didn't feel the same way. However it did most certainly change a lot more things.
She bowed her head, allowing her frizzy curls to fall in her face. This way she could peek at Sebastian without him being able to see her face and read her expression through the red curtain her locks provided. How was she supposed to proceed? How was one meant to deal with a situation like this? How was Clary supposed to reject one of her closest friends?
A part of her knew. A part of her had always known, but she didn't want to believe it. Clary shut that part out and denied ever knowing anything. She had never wanted to see the picture that had been painted in front of her all along. Why would Sebastian confess now? Why would he confess at all when he knew about her feelings for Jace? Did he think he could make a play for her heart and win her love over? No, he knew her better than that, and he knew her feelings were truly genuine. Then why?
She pushed her hair back impatiently and tucked it briskly behind her ear. She crossed her legs and stared cautiously at Sebastian. He was wringing his hands out nervously in front of him. When he caught sight of her looking at him, he shot her his signature goofy grin.
"What was the point?" She asked tentatively. "Surely with time you could have gotten over me. Are you just trying to drive a wedge between us and ruin our friendship?"
"Do you know how long I've been trying to get over you? How many years-. Hey, wait a second. What do you mean 'drive a wedge between us and ruin our friendship'?" Sebastian, who had still been pacing in front of the bed, stopped in his tracks.
"Would you really still want to be friends with the girl who rejected you?"
"Wait, wait. Pause. Back up a second. You're rejecting me?"
"Well, yeah, of course I am. . . Did you think I wouldn't?"
"I mean I kind of figured, but still. A small part of me hoped that after this we would live happily ever after together. But, uh, I get it, don't worry. Man, rejection stings a lot more than I expected it too, and yet at the same time, it kind of doesn't? I'll just- go now."
"Wait! What do you mean? You can't go, we still have to talk."
"Talk? You want to talk?"
"Yes I want to talk. Despite what I said earlier and what it may have sounded like, I don't want to stop being your friend. We can't just not talk about this and act like the other doesn't exist. My brother is one of your closest friends, we go to the same school, I go to all the soccer games for the team that you play on. Avoiding each other isn't really an option that's on the table. So we have to talk about it, and I'd rather deal with it right here, right now."
Sebastian sighed heavily. He edged away from the bed purposefully until his back made contact with the wall and gradually slid down to the floor. He shifted his knees and rested his arms on them. "No offense, but what's there to even talk about really? I like you, you don't like me, it's as simple as that."
"Yet somehow I don't really think it is as simple as that," Clary pressed. She scooted forward until she was on the very edge of the bed, her feet resting flat on the floor. "I think there's something you're not telling me. I'm not dumb, and I'm not blind Sebastian. I know that you know that about me. So I want you to tell me what you're not telling me. Who knows, maybe I can help."
Sebastian chuckled dryly. He didn't reply for the longest time. Instead, he fiddled with his fingers before he finally caught her eye and grinned. "Maybe you and Jon are more unlike than you originally thought. That's exactly what your brother said to me the night before."
Clary blinked, doing nothing to mask her shock. "You talked to Jon about this?" Her older protective brother Jon, who swore to pummel anyone who so much as looked at her wrong? Who, while he had good intentions and his heart was in the right place, acted like a complete idiot just in the name of "protecting" her? He didn't really seem the type to let someone confess their romantic feelings in regards to his baby sister, and then encourage them to confess to said baby sister the next day.
"Jon kind of backed me into a corner," Sebastian admitted. "But he's my best friend so I'm sure I would have told him eventually."
Clary raised her brows because she was still incapable of raising one. "I thought you liked to insist that you were Jace's best friend, and you were his."
"I was only joking, and besides, he gets a little pissy. I can't have someone who is constantly that moody in my life, around me every day, always dragging down my high spirits."
Clary laughed, and he laughed along with her, and they both felt the tension leave their bodies. It was alright, they both thought to themselves, we're friends. This is just friends having a casual conversation. "Hey now, don't insult Jace like that. I'll have you know that you are in the presence of his actual best friend."
Sebastian's laughter died down. He leaned his head back against the wall and gazed up at the ceiling. "Where to begin?" He mused to himself. "I should probably start by saying this; I'm not upset with you, but even if I was, I would have no right to be. You made your choice and I can respect that. I have to respect your choice because if I didn't, I'd be a horrible person. I'd always known how you felt about Jace, and I always knew that if by some crazy chance that I did confess, you would reject me for him. And a part of me was okay with that, because if I'm being completely honest with you right now, I didn't really like you."
"W-what?!" Clary screeched, squinting at him. "You just got me so overly flustered right now and you were only joking. Sebas-!"
"No, no!" Sebastian waved his hands in front of his face frantically. "That's not what I meant! Well, it is what I mean, but I didn't mean it like that. Gah, it came out wrong. It's, uh, fairly complicated and hard to explain. I did like you. I used to like you a lot. And somewhere along the line I got over you. But my brain didn't actually get my heart's message until now, and I'm finally realizing that. I've been over for you a long time now, but I was denying it because I didn't want to be over you.
"You're so easy to like. Gah, you're a great person. Pretty, kind, generous, witty, and smart. It was so easy to delude myself into believing that I loved you. And when I fell out of love with you, I told myself it wasn't real. I don't know why I kept pining, because it hurt so much to see you pine after someone else that was nothing like me. I was fighting so hard for you even though you were never mine to have. But hearing you say you don't feel the same way just now, I've finally come to terms with my real feelings. Don't get me wrong, the rejection really hurts, but I'll get over it a lot sooner than I would have a couple years ago. But I know now. You're like my baby sister, and I'd do anything to protect you."
And then Clary did something that he hadn't at all been expecting. She hugged him. Clary threw herself off the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Hesitantly he brought up his own arms to wrap around her shoulders. He smiled slightly.
"You are so undeniably sweet, Sebastian." Clary pulled away to look him in the eye and convey her sincerity. "And someday you're going to meet some beautiful blonde, and you're going to have so many gorgeous children with her, and she is going to love you with all her heart, and you are going to adore her with all your being because you deserve it so, so much."
"Thanks Clary. You don't think I could get a parting kiss from you, do you?" Sebastian grinned crookedly at her. "I mean, all these years of being hopelessly devoted to you, and I don't even have anything to show for it. Take pity on me, please."
Clary laughed, squeezing her eyes shut, and lifting her hand to rest upon the back of his neck. Slowly she leaned forward to press her forehead against his. "One kiss, that's all you get Seb." His eyes went wide. He had only been joking. "On the forehead." She used her other hand back to brush away the dark tresses and press her lips softly to his forehead. She lingered there, and Sebastian knew it was never meant to be romantic, and somehow, that made the kiss so much better, because she meant it in a way that only close friends could. He didn't want her to move. Finally she pulled away.
"For the record, I hope you marry a French girl. I've always wanted to learn the language of love."
Sebastian suppressed a shiver as an image of his aunt flashed before his eyes. "There is no way in hell I am ever marrying a French girl."
"Aw. Not even for the former love of your life?"
"Especially not for the former love of my life."
aw, my poor bby jace. conflicted because now he knows about clary. will infuriates me, but that doesn't lessen my love for him. and clary and seb, aw, that's like her second big brother. . . who should we lock in a room together next so they can have a heart to heart? i'm seeing a definite growing trend in this story, lmao. when literally everybody learns more about one another in the course of a few days than they have in how many years. lololol. i love these dense, idiotic, annoying, completely stressful kids. they're extreme high maintenance.
also, there's a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter of things to come in the future. lololol. i wonder if you were able to decipher it within all the "witty" banter.