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Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding The Mortal Instruments series.

-Jace-

I kept my distance from her for two weeks, keeping strictly in the boundaries of friendship, even though every thought I have reverts back to that night. And it is killing me, and I mean killing me, but Clary seems to be happy. So I've been going on and being the friend she wants me to be, and not the boyfriend that I want to be.

And Clary has been, well, Clary… sarcasm and all. Little secret? I've been even more arrogant, cocky, and even asshole-worthy, if that's possible, just to get her attention every once in a while.

But as I walk Clary home, something's off.

Something is wrong.

It's just that, the light that always emanates from Clary is just a little bit duller since the incident in the hall today. I don't know what Sebastian said to her when I saw him whisper something in her ear, but whatever it was has really upset her, and I can't imagine what it is.

I see red even thinking about him being in that close of a proximity to her.

Sebastian won't get away with touching her bare arms, since she was wearing a tank top, or speaking to her like that. But when Clary punched him, I was stunned. Where the hell does a small girl like Clary learn to pack a punch like that? It was, without a doubt, one of the most brilliant things she has done since I have known her.

I cannot tell you the pride that swelled inside of me when she stuck up and was protecting me when she was the one that I was supposed to be protecting, at least, in my mind I'm her protector.

Ever since we decided to be friends on that fateful night two weeks ago, I have not had that dream once. Not one time has Clary visited me in my sleep asking if I will protect her, and yet, I feel like it's engrained in me to help and protect her in any way I can. Not because I need to or that she needs me to, because she doesn't.

It's because I want to.

We make our way down the block away from the school and head toward the apartments where I had dropped her off after we stopped dancing that night. I would have stayed like that all night with her in my arms if I had the choice. We walk into the empty apartment and she tosses her keys on the counter. An awkward silence fills the room.

A distinct smell fills my nose as I inhale deeply.

What is it?

Coffee? Yeah, definitely coffee. But it's something else too. I'd ask, but I'm currently getting the awkward silence treatment, not even the angry kind, which I have dealt with.

Clary's actually the one who breaks me out of my thoughts, instead of the other way around. "So, do you want a drink or something?" I had just planned on making sure she got in okay, but if she's offering me to stay longer, I'll take it.

"Sure, whatever's fine," I say as she heads toward the small kitchen. I follow her into the kitchen and sit at the table.

The awkward silence ensues, nothing like the comfortable silence of two weeks ago.

Something is definitely wrong.

She pours both of us a glass of water and then heads toward the kitchen table where I have been sitting and watching her. "Thanks, by the way," she says as she hands me the water.

I give her a confused look. "For what?"

"You know, coming to my rescue and everything," she states, still not meeting my eyes. I think she's looked at me directly only once since the fight and it's driving me crazy.

I roll my eyes even though she can't see it. "You didn't need rescuing Clary. I think you proved that you can take care of yourself, not that I didn't know that. I just wasn't letting that bastard screw with my friend like that." I notice that she flinches slightly at my phrasing, but she smiles meekly.

"I wasn't trying to prove anything, but thanks."

"Where the hell did you learn how to punch like that?" I ask because I still have that image on replay in my head.

She laughs openly and gives me the first genuine smile in a while, meeting my eyes. "Self defense classes. My mom was insistent that me, her, and Jon take them a few years back. They've come in handy I guess."

I laugh now too. "I'd say that's an understatement." She smiles again, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She doesn't say anything. I can see her getting lost in her own thoughts like she so often does, but I want her to be here, with me. And I need to know what has her so down.

"Clary, are you okay?" I ask. I hesitate only for a moment before taking her hand, drawing her back to reality. Friends do that, right? I don't know, but I do know that the familiar electricity is something that is not a common occurrence among friends.

"I'm fine," is all she says.

"Clary," I say more sternly, "please tell me what's wrong. What did Sebastian say to you?"

Her head jerks up at that. "How do you know he said something to me?"

"I saw him whisper in your ear, and you haven't been acting like yourself since then," I tell her, because I want her to act normal, not this withdrawn Clary. She had been open with me two weeks ago. We've been friendly toward each other.

She even brought her sketch book out in front of me today. A fact that seemed lost on her, but sent my spirits soaring to the heavens when it seemed second nature to her. She trusted me.

So why can't she tell me this?

She sighs, saying, "It's nothing important."

I let go of her hand and wrap my fingers gently on her chin, tilting her head towards mine. "Clary please look at me. You can tell me anything. Please tell me what he said." She is the only one that makes me like this.

I can see her cheeks begin to flush, but not the way I love. This is her trying not to let herself get upset.

"He told me- he told me- that I should have taken his offer of- of- screwing him since n- nobody else wants my twelve year old body."

I pull my hand away, completely taken aback, but she goes on. "And then," she stutters, her eyes never leaving mine, "he said that that's the reason you're n- not interested in me anymore and why you've been screwing a b- bunch of girls." She looks on the verge of tears, but if I know one thing about Clary, it's that she does not let anybody see her upset or crying.

I am absolutely speechless. No words even come to mind. "And you believe him?" I croak out without thinking. Clary just looks at me like I have all of the answers, like she needs me to tell her it's a lie.

"Clary, I haven't been screwing anybody," I speak with absolute clarity. Her eyes scan my face, and to my relief, her posture relaxes. "I mean, I have been going out with- other girls," her eyes look away, "but it's because-"

I stop dead in my tracks. How do I tell her that I have taken girls out, kissed a few girls over the past two weeks trying to get her out of my head? To convince myself that she's just my friend and nothing more?

"It's because what?" She asks almost inaudibly.

Tell her Jace.

Those three words have been screaming at me for two weeks. Do I tell her how she is the only girl ever to make me feel this way? How I can't ever get her out of my head? How it's practically a need to see her every day?

Take the leap Jace.

I take a deep breath. "It's because I've been trying to convince myself that I just want you to be my friend and nothing more. And I'm failing miserably," I whisper, though it feels like I'm yelling it with how quiet the room is.

I try to meet Clary's eyes, but she refuses to look at me and gets up from the table. "I don't believe you. I'm not like those girls you've been with. Sebastian's right about that part," she whispers the same way I had just moments ago.

How can she not see it? How can she not see how much I want to be with her? How can she not see how beautiful she is? How perfect she is?

I stand up from the table and slip my hand into hers, and she doesn't pull away. "Where's your bathroom?" She gives me a quizzical look, but leads me down a narrow hallway into the bathroom. She flicks the light on and turns to leave, but I shake my head and guide her in front of the mirror, my hands still on her shoulders tingling from the contact.

We're looking at each other through the reflections in the mirror. We look perfect standing in the reflection. Her standing right in front of me, but I need her to see that too.

I lean toward her ear never breaking contact with her eyes in the mirror and whisper, "Tell me what you see." And I can feel her shiver beneath my hands.

Her stare doesn't waver. "Honest truth?"

I nod my head. "I'll tell the truth if you do."

She sighs like she's about to reveal a secret. "I see a vertically challenged girl who gets confused with middle schoolers because of her height," she says.

I love her height.

I smile before saying, "Perfect height for me though," as I rest my head on top of hers, and I see her mouth twitch upward slightly.

"And I see obnoxiously red hair that is near impossible to tame and makes me the center of 'ginger' jokes."

I love her hair.

I take my head off of hers and gather her red hair that flows down her back and lay it over her left shoulder so that it is all off to one side. I can feel my hands shaking slightly. Definitely nerves from being this close to her and her letting me touch her. "I think it makes you look like an exotic beauty, and whenever I see it bobbing down the hallway I can't help but smile."

This brings my favorite blush to her face, but she's continues stubbornly.

"I also see pale skin that makes me look like a ghost. Kaelie made some snide comment about how it's so pasty even though I lived in Miami."

I love her skin.

With her hair draped over her left shoulder, her right shoulder is left bare except for the strap of her tank top. Without thinking, I run my hands down her bare arms and smile when I see goosebumps trailing behind my hands.

It's not just you Jace. She feels it too.

I lean down and barely place by lips on her shoulder and I hear her take in a breath in a gasp.

"I think your skin is flawless," I say into her shoulder, my lips barely brushing her skin.

I can feel my heart slamming in my chest and I have no doubt she feels it beating into her back with how close we are.

I graze my lips over her bare shoulder towards the crook of her neck, and to my surprise, Clary arches her neck so that I have more skin to cover as she lets out a sigh. I can see her eyes closed in the mirror. "Freckles," she gasps out as I kiss the crook of her neck, "I have freckles."

I love her freckles. I love h- Do I? Is that what I'm feeling?

I let my lips leave a ghost of a touch over her ear before whispering in her ear, "I think your freckles are beautiful Clary. You are so, so beautiful and you don't even see it."

By now, both of us are breathing deeper than we were when we walked into the bathroom, and I feel my body's senses aware of everything Clary.

She opens her eyes with a look I have never seen and turns to face me, resting her hands on my chest, and I can feel my whole body blazing with heat. I'm sure my face is just as flushed as hers.

She opens her mouth to say something when we hear a blaring ring coming from the kitchen.

We both whip our heads toward the noise and realization crosses Clary's face.

"What's my laptop- Oh my god! I forgot about Jon!"

Clary runs out of the bathroom, leaving me standing there, shocked and breathless.

I did it.

I just told her how I feel, and she was going to say something.

And now she's gone.

I shake my head and head back toward the kitchen. I'm not upset, just… confused. I can hear a conversation going on as I walk in to see Clary standing in front of her laptop placed on the counter.

"Did you forget about the video chat date you set up with your brother a week ago Fireball?" A voice asks from the laptop speakers. Brother? This must be Jon, the guy I had no reason to be jealous over because he's Clary's brother.

Clary rolls her eyes, but I can see she's flustered. Her light, her glow is back. I smile knowing I did that. She comments back. "I didn't forget per say. I remembered this morning. I just… got a little distracted throughout the day." I stand in the doorway of the kitchen, not wanting to interrupt. Clary doesn't glance over at me.

"And what kind of distractions are we talking about, hm? The detention kind?"

Clary gawks at the screen. "I swear by the angel you are a mind reader sometimes, you know?"

Her brother laughs, "Or… mom got a call from the school saying you punched a guy and texted me about it." Clary's face turns even redder, making me notice that she is still flustered and her face still has that lovely blush. I internally laugh knowing she's trying to seem calm to her brother.

"I- I- that asshole deserved it," she stammers out. Agreed.

"Don't worry Fireball, I approve, and so does mom. Of course, it doesn't hurt that your knight in shining armor was there too, right?"

"Jon," Clary whispers menacingly, and even warningly, while glancing over and meeting my eyes. If possible, her face turns even redder.

Knight in shining armor? Is that supposed to be me?

"Oh don't tell me he's there Fireball." Clary's face confirms his assumptions. "Well, tell him to get over here so I can get a look at the dude who pulled you away from the bitch with the punch."

I take the cue and walk over beside Clary where she introduces us. They look nothing alike. Jon is all pale blonde hair and dark eyes as opposed to Clary's flaming locks. I say hi as the phone rings down the hall and Clary runs to get it, saying she'll be right back and not to say anything stupid.

Now it's just me and Jon.

"Thanks for watching out for her, sometimes she gets in over her head," he tells me.

I shrug my shoulders. "What can I say, she can handle herself, but that's what friends do."

Even if one said friend just told the other said friend that he wants to be more than just friends. But you don't tell her brother things like that.

He rolls his eyes while laughing on the screen. "Friends, huh? Is that what they call it these days?" He sets himself on another round of chuckling.

What is that supposed to mean?

Before I can ask Clary walks back into the kitchen and stands next to me so that she's visible to her brother. "Who was on the phone?" He asks casually.

"Dunno," Clary says, "nobody answered me when I picked up. Must have been a wrong number or something." She brushes it off, but as I glance at Jon, there's a fleeting moment where he looks like he wants to ask more, but then he brushes it off as well.

"So…" Clary continues, "what were you two talking about?"

"Oh, you know, just telling the knight about how you never stop talking about him," Jon says with a wink.

Clary makes a stuttering noise. "That's not- I've never- Jon!" She turns toward me as I wear a smirk on my face. "Wipe that smirk off your face. All I've said about you is how you pulled me away from Kaelie at the dance," she states stubbornly. Any hint of passion she had in the bathroom seems to have faded.

"Sure, that's what I meant," Jon laughs. "Look Fireball, I gotta go. Talk to ya this weekend?" Clary agrees to a meeting time. The last thing Jon says before the screen goes blank is, "catch ya around knight." And Clary shoots him a venomous look which leaves him laughing until the sound is shut off.

Knight in shining armor, huh?

-Clary-

If I could describe absolute mortification, it would be this moment. This moment where my brother just told the guy whose supposed to be my friend how I talk about him nonstop and how our name for him is the knight in shining armor.

The same friend who has just told me that he wants to be more than friends with me. Who told me such beautiful things about me. Whose lips on my skin left me breathless and wanting so much more. Whose body leaning into mine felt so right. Whose heart was pounding just as hard as mine.

Who told me I was beautiful and made me feel beautiful and wanted.

Who made my heart soar with possibilities.

Who now is staring at me as we stand in the kitchen where the awkward silence from before has returned for an entirely different reason.

The things Max had told me come flitting back to the front of my mind.

"So…" Jace drags the word out, making things even more awkward. "Do-"

"Do you want to watch a movie?" I blurt out before he can say anything else.

He looks at me for a second with a hint of disappointment before saying "sure."

I have no clue what movie I even put into the DVD player as we sit down on the couch, leaving space between us and both of our hands placed on our laps.

All of my focus is on the distance between me and Jace and how it could be possible that the static electricity is still ringing between us. His hair is as golden as ever, and every few moments I catch him stealing a glance at me as well. Our hands stay on our laps.

About ten minutes into the movie, Jace lifts his hand and reaches over me to grab the remote without looking at me. He directs it toward the TV and it turns off.

Silence ensues again. "Why did you do that?" Because I don't know what else to say.

He gives me a knowing look. "You weren't paying any more attention to that than I was. I can't even tell you a character's name or the title of the film."

I just stare at him.

"I think," he stammers, "I think we should talk about before."

Oh god. Does he regret what he said? What he did? He must.

I look down at my hands in my lap. "It's okay, I get it."

"No," Jace lets out a breathy laugh, "I don't think you do Clary."

I dare to meet his gaze, and I'm shocked to see the longing in his eyes. The want in his eyes.

Can he see it in mine?

"Clary, I can't be your friend, it's driving me crazy. I can't let guys look at you and think that they have a chance, because I want to be the guy that makes them see that they don't have a chance," he says with such simplicity that I'm left utterly speechless.

I've been trying to convince myself that I just want you to be my friend and nothing more.

He did mean it. He has feelings for me like I have for him. The realization almost brings me to tears, the good kind… almost.

I still can't speak, so he scoots closer to me until there's no space between us on the couch and he cups my face in his hands. I knew they were calloused from the few times he has held my hand, but this is entirely different. His touch is as light and as gentle as can be, like he might break me. And I can feel the slight sweat on his palms.

"Every single time I look at you, I have to stop myself from-"

"From what?" I whisper out shakily.

He lets out a trembling breath before saying, "to stop myself from doing this."

He leans his head toward mine agonizingly slow and his lips meet mine ever so tentatively, as if he is unsure of how I will react.

I'm left speechless, but that doesn't stop me from weaving my hands into his smooth, golden hair as he starts to pull away. How many times have I imagined running my hands through this hair? I can feel the surprise in his body when he realizes I'm not going to pull back, as if I would ever pull away from him.

I press our lips firmly together until they are gliding smoothly across one another, and if I had said before that nothing had felt so perfect, I was wrong.

This was perfect.

We are breathing in each other's air and I pull way only long enough to whisper breathlessly, "Me too, I feel it too. I want it too."

I look into his eyes to see them in the most heart stopping shade of gold. His hands still hold me on each side of my face as our lips continue to explore one another's and he leans back on the couch pulling me on top of him. Our chests are flushed together and our hearts are both slamming in an erratic beat.

His cheeks are flushed as he breaks the kiss to place butterfly kisses over my cheeks, my eyes, and then one last kiss on my forehead.

Simple. Such a simple kiss and my mind is all but mush. There's no reckless passion or heavy lip locking. Maybe there'll be a time for that, but right now this is all we need. A sweet kiss to know that we feel the same way about each other.

I've only kissed a few boys, but nothing compared to this.

The look Jace gives me as he looks up into my eyes practically melts me on the spot. He removes his hand from one side of my face to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Wow," is all he whispers out.

I chuckle and look down at him, making a curtain around us with my hair. "Wow is a good description."

Jace takes a deep breath in and out that raises me up down as I lay on his chest. His face seems thoughtful and I need to know what he's thinking. Seeing the look on my face tells him my curiosity. "What's that smell?"

Of all things, this is what Jace Lightwood says after kissing me?

"What?" I ask, completely confused.

"The smell. It's coffee, but it's something else too."

Oh, I know that smell all too well. "It's paint. Paint and coffee."

"Hm," he ponders as he releases my face to wrap his arms around my waist and pull me closer to him. "That's an interesting combo."

I shrug to the best of my abilities. "The two most important things in my life, you know, aside from family and Simon." That's how it has always been.

He closes his eyes like he is deep in thought before opening them and smiling. "You think a drop dead gorgeous boyfriend can make it onto the list of important things in Clary's life?"

I roll my eyes, but my heart starts going triple time.

Boyfriend.

He wants to be my boyfriend.

He wants me to be his girlfriend.

And overwhelming joy settles inside me.

"I think if his inflated ego can fit that it's doable," I joke.

That smile that I always treasure, and that I've been trying to get down on paper, meets me as I gaze down at him.

"I don't know about that, I am just that amazing. You can't control an ego that's rightfully inflated."

I let out a content sigh as I rest my head on his chest. I'd take him any way he was willing to give me, and from what I've seen from him so far, he was showing me everything.

"I think I can handle it."

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