Chapter 22
A/N: So I am extremely sorry it has taken so long for me to update. It took some work before I was happy with this chapter and I just hadn't been in the mood to write, as awful as that sounds, but I finally got the words out. So thank you to all of who have stuck with me and my awful updating patterns. You guys are fantastic.
The next morning when Jace woke up he had his arms wrapped around a soft, warm body and he was instantly confused. Slowly, his foggy mind recalled the events of last night, of someone knocking on his door too early in the morning and him finding a next to distraught Clary in the hallway. He remembered inviting her in and letting her cry into his shoulder and not having the heart to send her away after she had calmed down. Jace hadn't expected for her to say yes, but she had. He also hadn't expected for her to ask him to share his bed with her. At first he was reluctant, he did have morals after all, but Jace found he couldn't deny Clary anything she asked for most of the time and once the word 'please' had been uttered from her lips he had caved.
Too comfortable to move, Jace just lay in bed and watched Clary as she slept peacefully. Her red hair was a mess, but he found it endearing. He had fallen asleep with his chest firmly against Clary's back last night, but now he was lying on his back with Clary's head resting on his shoulder. One of Clary's arms was pinned under her head and the other was wrapped around Jace's stomach, holding him just as firmly to her and his own arms had held Clary to him. This close to her, Jace could almost count every freckle that dawned her face. Jace couldn't help but admit to himself that Clary was beautiful.
The thought brought on a tugging in his chest and Jace closed his eyes in realization. Jace allowed a huff of breath out in place of a chuckle. Perhaps Alec and Magnus had had a point that night in the club when he had been glowering at Sebastian the entire time he had been dancing with Clary. And undoubtable all the little looks that his siblings and Magnus kept giving him after looking at or talking to or about Clary meant something as well. Actually, there was no perhaps to it.
A sigh slipped through his lips as he opened his eyes and looked down at Clary, his arms tightening slightly around her of their own volition. Jace didn't know how or when, but the little red head in his arms had warmed her way past whatever defenses he had and into his heart. He wouldn't say he was in love with Clary, but he was most definitely falling for her, and he was falling hard.
Jace wanting to hit himself for not realizing sooner what was happening, how his interest and devotion to Clary was more than just platonic friendship and curiosity, but something more. But in the end, it only made since that Jace would fall for her, what with as protective of her he had felt recently and how much time he had bestowed on her.
None of it really surprised him at all, but what did surprise him was how alright he was with it. How right it felt to care for Clary and want to protect her and never let her go. Logically that amount of feeling should have scared him, it had in the past with much much less. So, instead of worrying about it or feeling terrified, Jace accepted it and just held still as Clary continued to sleep.
Jace wasn't sure how long it had been from the moment he woke up to when Clary started to stir, but he had noticed that it was a lot brighter than it had been when he had initially woken up.
Clary groaned a little before her eyes blinked open. Her eyes seemed to roam around the room, not certain where she was until they landed on Jace's face and Clary's body stilled.
"Morning," Jace said softly.
A small smile graced Clary's lips. "Morning. How long have you been awake?"
"Not long, I don't think."
"You don't think." Clary smirked a little.
Jace just shrugged. "You're surprisingly calm for just waking up in bed with a boy."
Clary just wiggled into his body a little more. "You're surprisingly comfy."
Jace snorted, his heart rate accelerating slightly as Clary made no move to get up or leave. "I could have an alternative motive to letting you sleep in my bed."
With a roll of her eyes, Clary smirked at him. "Please, you're harmless and if you weren't you have a houseful of people willing to beat you up, after me of course."
"Of course."
It was silent for a while before Clary spoke up again, voice soft.
"Thank you, thank you for letting me stay."
"Anytime." Jace replied, just as softly, his hand smoothing the curly mess of hair on her head down a little as his stroked her head absently.
"Mmm." Clary closed her eyes for a moment before the snapped back open, more alert than they had been. "Isabelle."
"What about Isabelle?"
"I have to get back before she wakes up. She'll have a hay day if she finds out I stayed here last night." Clary said, her arm loosening from its hold on Jace.
His hand stilled and he felt a sinking feeling, he brushed it off before he could dwell on it. "What, ashamed to spend the night with me?" Jace's voice was forced to be teasing, he was thankful it didn't sound as strained as he felt.
Clary snorted. "Never, and don't let that add to your ego. I just don't want her giving you any crap or asking me any questions."
"Wh-"
"My dad." Clary interrupted.
"Oh." Jace said before loosening his own arms and allowing Clary to sit up. "Well, you best sneak back then before someone wakes up or tries to check on either of our rooms."
Clary smiled over at Jace some as she got out of the bed. It instantly felt a little colder. Jace wanted to berate himself for suddenly being such a sap. But instead he merely got out of bed himself.
"You're wearing a shirt." Clary stated suddenly, her head cocked to the side as she looked at him.
"Yes, people tend to wear them from time to time, look, you're wearing one as well."
Clary scrunched her nose up a little at him. "I meant, you weren't wearing one when I came in last night."
"Oh, yeah," Jace said, his voice even. "I put one on before sliding into the bed with you."
She didn't respond, but Clary looked at him, as if contemplating something. He could tell the moment she had made up her mind because her eyes sharpened a little and she moved towards him. Jace wasn't prepared for her to reach up on her toes and kiss his cheek lightly before turning and leaving with another soft thank you. He just stood there and continued to stare at the closed door that Clary had just walked out of, his heart beating a little harder than was normal.
With a groan, Jace finally moved and rubbed his hands down his face aggressively. He was like a love sick school girl and it frustrated him, nothing good could come of it. But he wasn't going to change his mind about helping Clary or being there for her. In fact, it just made him want to do it even more. And if Clary came to have the same feelings for him that he did for her, then bonus. If not, he'd just deal with it and maybe get up the courage to fight for her affections. With another sigh Jace went back over to his bed and just flung his body back down on it, content to just stare at the ceiling until someone demanded he get up.
…..
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…..
Clary had successfully snuck back into Isabelle's room without seeing anyone and without waking Isabelle up. She vetoed slipping back into her side of the bed and decided to shower in Isabelle's walk in bathroom, one of the perks to her family being well off. After showering and getting dressed, Clary curled up with a book she had brought in of Isabelle's room where she had a plush bean bag left over from when Isabelle was younger. Clary doesn't get very far in her book, partially because she can't concentrate for some reason and partially because it's not too long until Isabelle stirs and then wakes up.
"Clary," Isabelle mumbles, sitting up as she looks around the room. When her eyes land on Clary she asks, "How long have you been up?"
"Not too long. I didn't feel like disturbing Magnus by going to the living room."
"Please," Isabelle says a little slyly, "like he left Alec's room last night."
A surprised chuckle leaves Clary's lips. "That's true."
"I suppose I should get around as well." Isabelle stretches a little before getting out of bed. "I bet Max is downstairs watching cartoons or something."
Clary gives Isabelle a pointed look.
"What?" Isabelle says, trying to keep a smile off her face.
"Stop messing with Max."
"Please, his crush on you is adorable. If he wasn't so much younger than you I'd say one day after high school you guy would make a cute couple."
"Isabelle." Clary chides.
"I'm teasing. Now go make my baby brothers day and talk comic books or something with him."
"Manga." Clary corrects without thinking.
Isabelle just rolls her eyes and makes a shooing motion as she heads to the bath room.
Clary put her book back in her bag, grabbed her phone, and went down stairs and to the living room. Isabelle was right about Max being there, he was curled up on the couch with a game controller playing something on the tv.
"Hey," Clary said as she took a seat on the other side of the couch.
"Hey," Max said, instantly straightening up a little. "Want to play?"
Clary looked at the screen and saw it was some king of combat game where two players could spar against each other with different avatars.
"Sure." Clary agreed, grabbing the second controller from the coffee table.
After that they played for a while until Magnus came in, still clad in black sweats and a purple tank top for pajamas.
"Hey," Clary said, glancing up long enough to give him a quick smile.
Magnus settled down beside her and leaned in close. "So, why did I see you leaving Jace's room this morning?" He whispered just loud enough for Clary to hear.
This instantly caused Clary to freeze up a little and allowed Max to win. Max made whooping sounds as Clary turned to look at Magnus, who had an eyebrow arched up. His look was purely curious, not an ounce of judgment, and this allowed Clary to relax some.
"We're gonna get a drink will fast, do you want one, Max?" Clary asked, looking at the boy as she stood up, putting the game controller down on the couch.
"Maybe some milk." Max stated. Clary nodded, declared she'd be right back, and Magnus followed her to the empty kitchen.
"So?" Magnus asked, leaning up against the kitchen counter as Clary got three glasses down from a cabinet that she now knew held glasses and coffee mugs.
"I had a bad dream." Clary started, opening up the fridge and grabbing the carton of milk and the orange juice. "I went to Jace because I didn't want to wake you and Alec up and he already said he wouldn't mind me talking to him if I was ever having trouble sleeping."
Magnus seemed to be turning over what she had said as he stayed quiet. Clary pure milk into two of the glasses for herself and Max and then the orange juice for Magnus, he wasn't much of a milk drinker unless there were cookies involved.
"So this has happened before." Magnus finally stated as Clary returned the milk and orange juice to the fridge.
"Yes, the first time we just talked in the kitchen and I've called him a couple times, just long enough for him to get me off topic and thinking about something else."
Magnus nodded. "And this time?"
Clary's brow furrowed a little. "I knocked on his door when I realized I wasn't going to be going back to sleep anytime soon and he let me in his room and just comforted me. I kind of cried myself into exhaustion and he let me sleep in his bed since I was just about to pass out. I got up this morning, both of us fully clothed, and went back to Isabelle's room." Clary put emphasis on the fully clothed part because of the raised eyebrows Magnus had given her. They both knew nothing was going on between Clary and Jace and knew Jace wouldn't try anything, but she suspected Magnus was just going into protected big brother mode.
"Okay." Magnus said, and with that he picked up his orange juice and left.
Clary grabbed the glasses of milk and followed him back into the living room. Setting down a glass of milk on a coaster on the coffee table for Max and curled back up on the coach, sipping at her own glass.
"On for another game?" Max asked after he had won his last game and taken a big chug of his milk.
"Of course," Clary smiled. They continued to play even as the rest of the house woke up. Alec was first, looking freshly showered and sitting down beside Magnus, who instantly through his arm around his boyfriend and drew him in close. Clary couldn't help but feel a little proud at helping the two idiots get together. Maryse came down at some point and started breakfast, Robert was soon to follow. Isabelle made it down just as Clary was high fiving Max for beating a wounded looking Magnus. Jace didn't make an appearance until Maryse announced that breakfast was ready.
Dream forgotten, Clary was half way through her chocolate chip pancakes and licking peanut butter off of her fork as she realized she could get used to being around a real family again and feeling like a part of something. Maryse was so wonderful at including both Magnus and Clary anytime either of them were over, even more so with Clary. She suspected this had to do with the fact that she no longer had her own mother and Maryse wanted to help feel that void, but at the same time Clary knew that the Lightwood's mother was just a naturally kind person. Snitching a piece of bacon off of Magnus's plate, Clary caught Jace's eye. He was looking at her intently, but he had a smile on his face and seemed completely at ease, Clary just smiled back before batting of Magnus as he tried to steal a second bit of her pancakes in retaliation for the bacon.
Yes, this was definitely something she could get used to.
Praise Thor, I finally got this done. I kid you not this was supposed to be done months ago. I was supposed to have this up in November before Thanksgiving. College is sucking the creativity out of me between studying and working on papers. I cannot tell you how sorry I am for the ridiculous gaps between updates. So your reward for sticking with me is a happy-go-lucky ending.
And as always this wasn't really proof read, I mean it kind of was, kind of not. I always get so excited when I finally finish a chapter that I just immediately post it for you guys.