{Chapter Two}
~Clary~
Clary woke up in a warm, sock smelling cocoon. Tossing the offensive blanket off she lifted herself off the couch. Yawning and groaning herself awake, Clary rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. Her neck was stiff and she could feel the ache settling at the base of her back. This always happened when she slept uncomfortably and it sucked, by the time she felt better it would be nighttime and she would sleep in the same cramped position.
A throaty laugh sounds from the kitchen, Clary picked up her flat shoe and tossed it in the general area of Simon's head. Simon, being exceptionally Simon like this morning, attempted to dodge the flying weapon and tripped over his own feet. His arms flailing around as he set about steadying himself against the counter, hot coffee sloshing in every direction while Clary muffled a fit of relentless giggles into her hands.
"Laugh it up, psycho, this was your coffee." Clary suddenly felt very guilty for launching the assault on her best friend. Simon placed the half empty mug into the kitchen sink and wiped his sticky hand on a towel, rearing back, he clicked a few buttons on his laptop. "That creep you found online emailed you again."
Clary had been in an email chain with Jace for two weeks. It was honestly going really well. He was a bit of a video game nerd but Clary had gotten plenty of practice sitting around when Simon played so she didn't think it would be a dealbreaker. If anything he and Simon might hit it off and become friends.
Today they were supposed to be meeting his current, and her future, landlord at Jace's condo, to sign Clary to the lease. She was apprehensive to meet her future roommate but enthusiastic as well. They had so much in common, it was eerie sometimes. The ponderous amount of nervousness pressed down on her, chilling her bones and setting her nerves like a live wire. What if he changed his mind and didn't want to be her roommate anymore? Clary didn't want to call her parents for help. Again.
Clary's back adjust as she stretches her limbs from the couch. She flinched when her spine and neck cracks. "You don't know he's a creep." She muttered along as she poured herself a fresh dose of her daily caffeine addiction.
"I repeat, on-line." Simon breaks apart the word, annunciating and spitting out each letter like it tasted rotten. Clary rolled her eyes, taking a gluttonous gulp of the black substance, she released a satisfying sigh when she felt herself warm from the inside. Simon placed two piece of bread in the toaster, tapping his fingers on the edge of his plate as he waited patiently for the timer to go off. He hummed a tuneless song that Clary couldn't name.
"He could be a totally ordinary guy, who just happens to be searching for a roommate online." Leaning against the counter, Clary gently blew the gathering steam away from the hot ceramic mug before tipping it up to her lips once again. Clary moaned as the dark liquid cascades down her throat in bitter waves.
Simon choked on his, now ready, toast and began to laugh, shaking his head quickly. "Sometimes I think you'd rather have a relationship with coffee than an actual human male. Or female, whichever you prefer, I don't judge."
Chuckling, Clary nods along with his poor attempted humor. Simon mumbles something into the chunks of toast in his mouth. "Come again?" He uses his fist to cover his mouth from the flying crumbs, in an unnatural gentlemanly way. He seemed to be having trouble swallowing as he wildly gestures to the clock above his microwave. "Damn, I'm going to be late!"
She could not be late, that would be the worst, most unacceptable way to meet him. "Go meet your murderer, Fray." Simon chuckles darkly behind her. "I'll speak fondly of you at the funeral. But know I don't mean a thing, it's all a show for your parents!"
Spotting the weaponized shoe, Clary grabbed it and tugged it on. Quickly collecting her jacket and purse, Clary struggles to collect and slip on her other shoe while hopping to the door. "Wish me luck. Bye, Si!"
~o.O.o~
~Jace~
He's late. Jace's new, gay, roommate was late.
He felt the need to state that he was gay, at least in his head Sage was gay. Jace had nothing against people's sexuality, live and let live. He just hadn't lived with someone of the same sex, who could try to seduce him because Jace knew he was mancandy and Sage would try to seduce him. As a matter of fact, Jace suspected Alec was a little more into guys than he let on and Jace even wondered if he could set the two of them up. No, that wouldn't work. Alec had been talking about someone he met a while back, Magnus, something or other.
Groaning, he checked his watch again, his class started in fifteen minutes, he couldn't wait around forever. This was a very bad first impression. From the exchanged emails he knew that Sage was a pretty cool guy but this was a disappointment nonetheless.
"Okay, I have to go. When Sage shows up ask what his major is. It sounds weird, I know, but I want to make sure it's the right guy." Jace peers into his bag to make sure he had packed his textbooks, he really didn't want to forget them. Especially with Professor Wayland's bitter mood recently, Jace suspected he was in the middle of a nasty divorce but no way in hell would he ask. That was way out of his comfort zone.
He hurried out the door and took the stairs two at a time.
"Jace?" Maureen called out after him, he paused in the middle of the staircase, glancing back at her. Maureen was his 42 year old landlady, although she acted more like a mother than a professional contact. "Want to tell me what the guy's major is so I know too?"
Jace didn't exactly know what the guys major was but he did know one thing that only Sage could know too, "He's on his second year pre-med." Jace was well aware that it may not be Sage's main major but it was all he had and he mentally chastised himself for not asking Fray earlier in their conversations. Rushing through the front doors of his brownstone apartment complex, Jace quickened his pace.
Jace wasn't mad at Fray for being late, he just wished he was more invested in this roommate situation they were entering together. The cool New York wind bit down on Jace's exposed flesh, reddening the skin. Tugging his collar higher in an attempt to cover his neck Jace maneuvered around traffic. People milled past him, shoving their elbows out to create the smallest amount of personal space.
Usually Jace appreciated the longing looks women threw his way but this morning he wasn't in the best mood either. Izzy had given him another lecture about online meetings and how they could go wrong and this time she'd brought printed articles. Jace knew she loved him and that's why she did it but it was getting slightly annoying.
He finally broke away from the foot traffic, taking a deep breath of the chilled air into his lungs. A frail figure stumbles into his chest, his arms reaching out instinctively, catching the woman before she could hit the ground. Her unruly curls wrestling unsuccessfully against the current. She was plastered to him, her wrists in his hands, their breaths mingling. Jace couldn't help but inhale her with her being so close.
"Sorry." Jace apologized, but doesn't step away from her.
She smells like citrus and something spicy, Jace couldn't identify the scent. She was pretty, not his usual type, but she fit nicely against him. And that was with her excessive layers of clothes. "I should go." The girl nodded her head, waves of red hair tickling his hands.
She was devouring him with her bright eyes, taking in every angelic detail she could find. Jace wasn't uncomfortable with the attention she was paying him and if he didn't have Wayland's wrath to deal with, he would definitely get to know her better. "Maybe I can give you my number?" She was direct, Jace liked that in a woman.
"Sure, baby." Jace could live with Wayland's dirty looks if it meant he could tumble around in the sheets with this girl for a few hours. She rattled off her number while Jace quickly typed it under her name. After he turned away from her, Jace was running towards campus with a new bounce in his step.
When he entered the room there was a thick silence, Wayland was at his desk. His greying head resting on his arms, was he napping? Jace quickened his pace to a seat next to Jordan, hoping like hell that Wayland wouldn't notice him coming in late.
~o.O.o~
Clary took the steps two at a time, she could already see the door and knew Jace would give her hell for how late she was. She hadn't known Jace for that long but she was slowly getting used to the idea of rooming with a guy, other than Simon. She was a little worried about what would happen when Jace eventually brought a girl home, Simon hadn't but Clary knew nothing about Jace's nightlife. Maybe he expected her to make herself scarce on those nights. Not that she would want to involve herself in any of his sexy-time activities.
Even thinking about it freaked her out.
Clary stopped in front of the door, now that she was there she was more than a little nervous. When she was running down the streets Clary had been too busy panicking to really think about what she was doing. She was about to move in with a man she had never met and known only through a handful of emails. Would it be too late to back out?
Clary was disappointed at the thought of letting another opportunity go straight through her fingers and let her mistakes get back to her parents, another chance for them to try and convince her to move back home and never leave. Screw it.
Taking a deep breath, Clary gripped the handle and pushed it open.
An older woman sat on one of the black, leather couches. She looked small compared to the outrageously large furniture in Jace's livingroom. Everything in the room was in neutral colors, blacks and whites. No splatter of color, no art or vases. It was a cold room, Clary realized before she wondered if Jace was colorblind. Now that she thought about it, she barely knew anything about Jace. Clary didn't even know what he looked like, he could be a six hundred pound man in his late forties with a bright pink mustache.
Maybe Simon had a point about meeting people online, well, it looked like it was too late to back out now. "I'm sorry, I'm late."
The woman looks startled as she stood on her heeled legs. Was this Jace's mother? This would not be the appropriate way to meet her. Covered in a fine sheen of sweat from running several blocks and climbing stairs like a madwoman. "You're Fray?" Her eyebrows rose to meet her hairline.
Nodding her head, Clary shook the woman's hand. "Clary Fray, and you are?"
"Maureen Haworth. I'm the landlady. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you, Miss Fray." A slow smile spreading across the woman's thin lips. "I think you're going to love it here."
Something about the woman made Clary think she was scheming.
~o.O.o~
Isabelle sat across the tv in her messy room, chewing on a bag of pretzels. Normally, Izzy would be worried someone would walk in and see her, covered in crumbs, her hair a complete tangled rat's nest. The latest fashion magazine tightly gripped in her hands. Who would ever willingly wear animal prints? Absolutely disgusting. Izzy turned her mouth in disdain.
"Isabelle!" Izzy quickly pushed herself off the bed, using her hands to wipe away the more noticeable pretzel pieces before Alec burst through the door. "Guess what Maureen just told me?" Isabelle wrapped the bag of pretzels underneath her arm and looked at her brother expectantly. Alec stood in the doorway, a bemused expression gracing his features.
"Are you going to tell me or just stand there looking like an idiot all day?" Alec angled his head to the side and frowned quickly. Izzy was always impatient but recently she had gotten worse. Barely waiting for anything.
"Jace's new roommate is downstairs." Alec said in a singsong voice. Isabelle rocked on the balls of her feet, silently cheering. A silent question hung between them. "Before you go down there and try hitting on Fray in all your Isabelle like glory, you should know, Fray is a girl." Shock radiated through Izzy, freezing her celebration. "I mean you can still go down there and hit on her, I just don't know if she's into that."
"Shut up already, let's go meet her!" Isabelle grabbed her brothers hand and began speed walking towards her bedroom door. "We can go shopping with her!"
"Your enthusiasm is frightening." Izzy chuckled lightly as she pulled Alec's hand.
The walk to Jace's was quick and Izzy knew she was cutting Alec's circulation off but couldn't find it in her to care. Isabelle hadn't had a close girlfriend since she was a little girl. After Iz developed most girls began hating her because of it and others wanted to be friends with her just to get close to Jace and Alec, before Alec came out.
"I'm just excited. How often do you see Jace with a girl that he's not sleeping with?" Isabelle stood outside the closed door, whispering the question. Alec looked at her doubtfully. "Yeah, never would be correct. I can't wait to meet her. What do you think she looks like? I think she's probably a total nerd. You know, because of all the videogames she and Jace talk about. Oh! and I think-"
"Jesus, can you breath? Normal girls play videogames too, you know." Isabelle cocks her head to the side but before she could respond the door swung open to reveal a pale girl in a jean jacket. Red curls framing her delicate features, green eyes peering under thick lashes and a pair of glasses balanced on the bridge of her thin nose. Izzy had to admit, she didn't look odd or threatening, especially in her confused state.
She was pretty, Isabelle decided. In a natural girl next door kind of way.
"Hello?" Her trimmed eyebrows dipped down further. "Can I help you?"
"I'm Isabelle and this is Alec, we're Jace's best friends. Not to mention we grew up together and are like siblings." Isabelle rattled off, despite Alec's not so subtle poke in her ribs with his elbow.
The girl's mouth was slightly ajar. She took several breaths, like she was preparing to say something, but cut herself off before any words could penetrate her baffled expression.
"Wow, that's a big title. I'm Clary Fray, Jace's new roommate." Iz gave her the 'look', the one that said 'no shit, we thought you were robbing the place'. Clary held the door open for them. "It's a pleasure and all but I don't know why you're here."
"We came by so Izzy could make sure you weren't a NAZI who collects her back hair and nail clippings into a jar." Isabelle sent her brother a look of something that could only be defined as brotherly hatred. Iz glanced back at Clary, fully prepared for one of three things. I'm going to be your friend to get with Jace or Alec, I hate you, or freak out. She saw none of that in the giggling girl in front of her.
"I'm sorry to disappoint, I was under the impression that it wasn't a requirement." Isabelle decided, then and there, that this girl was her new best friend and Jace better not screw it up or she would be using her heels to dig out his eyes.
~o.O.o~
Clary sat in front of arguably the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. Even though Isabelle was discretely attempting to apply mascara while using the napkin holder as a mirror, she still got appreciative looks from every guy in the restaurant. If Clary had done the same she would have been escorted out
When Isabelle and Alec had shown up at Clary's door this morning she had been so shocked she hadn't even thought about it when she agreed to go out to lunch with the two of them. So far things were going great, better than one might imagine meeting your roommates siblings before the actual roommate. She had told them about her passion in art and how the medical degree she was working so hard for was all her father's doing, "It's not that I don't want to be a doctor! I love helping people but I don't want to spend every waking minute in a hospital wrist deep in someone."
In return they told her about Alec's boyfriend and Isabelle's lack of romantic interest. The way she had put it, it sounded like she was sick of macho guys who were just there to get in her pants or paw at her half heartedly. Clary made a mental note to 'accidentally' arrange a run in with Simon in the near future.
"So, bottom line, we were showered in glitter. It was everywhere- in my hair, up my nose. It took a total of six showers to get all of it off and even though it was weeks ago, I'm still finding glitter all over his house. Where is it coming from? That's the question I want answered." As Alec finished telling the story of his and Magnus, his boyfriend, first date, Clary nearly choked on her water. She noticed Alec leaned more towards his hands, gesturing and waving them when he spoke, he smacked Izzy's arm several times during his retelling.
"That was just their first date, they met when Alec tripped over a plastic llama at Magnus' house warming party and fell into the pool." Clary was laughing so hard just by looking at Alec's reddening face, she could barely get a drink of her water down before she hear Alec mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.
"I still don't understand why he had, still has, that stupid plastic llama. They freak me out." The patrons at the bar were giving them strange looks to make sure they weren't high because of how hard Clary was laughing.
"That llama must be the reincarnation of Cupid because, it seems to me, he brought you two together." Alec poked his French fries with the tip of his fork, smiling at her. They seemed to like her and that helped calm her raging nerves about meeting Jace.
"Literally, Alec landed on top of Magnus." Alec's face was a completely new shade of red and he sputtered.
"I hope Jace is as nice as the two of you." Clary smiled brightly at the dark haired siblings. She thought the three of them would become fast friends soon. Clary always had a soft spot for people.
"He's not nearly as awesome but I'm sure he'll warm up to you in no time." Isabelle reassured her but Alec sipped his drink without saying anything.
~o.O.o~
When Jace walked in through his front door something felt off.
There was laughter wafting in through his apartment, he recognized Alec and Izzy sitting on the couch but there was another person in the room, with a melodic laugh. One that didn't sound like any guy Jace knew. Fray must take his gay status very seriously because the giggling coming from the adjoining room sounded distinctly female. He dropped his bag unceremoniously next to the kitchen door to get everyone's attention, Izzy and Alec were blocking his view but from here he could tell that Fray was a very short guy.
"There's a party in my apartment, and I wasn't invited? I feel absolutely cheated." Isabelle moved to the side, revealing a short red haired girl. She was chewing her lip, her verdant eyes downcast. Looking at her from here, Jace could tell she was nervous, it was the usual response he received from women when he entered the room. She was probably one of Isabelle's friends from her design classes. "And who are you?"
"Clary Fray." That's when things hit home, this is Fray? His new roommate? The person he thought was a guy? Jace glanced around the room, looking for a camera, this had to be a prank. However, the longer he looked around his kitchen the more he felt the weight of living with a girl suffocated him.
"We're going to give you two a moment." Alec stood from his seat and pulls a gleeful looking Isabelle up with him.
Jace hears Iz protest, "I want to watch."
Jace was too focused on the girl sitting in front of him. She was very nice to look at and if she were wearing a tight dress, some make up, and they were at a nightclub, Jace would have definitely made more than a few moves on her. In that scenario they would have had their fun and then never see each other again, while in this case, they would have fun then live a very awkward existential crisis until the lease ran out.
"I thought you were a guy." Jace hadn't meant to be that direct with it but he couldn't help the fact that he was blurting stupid things out when he was shocked.
She had probably already signed the least if she was sitting around in his-no, their- apartment. Now they were stuck together, he might as well be honest with her. Clary looked at him with a mixture of horror and surprise, if he wasn't wrong, there was some amusement hidden behind there.
"I told you I just broke up with my boyfriend." Jace studied her. She looked guarded, her arms crossed across her chest and she hadn't made eye contact yet. "You thought I was a gay guy." A bemused laugh passed her gritted teeth, her head snapping up, sharp eyes meeting his. "Why is it you were okay with living with a gay guy but not a straight girl?"
"Because if I lived with a guy, gay or not, I could still bring girls home without the added bonus of hiding another girl." Clary dropped her arms and flung out of the chair, landing on her feet. "What I mean is-"
"Oh, I know what you mean, you can't bring your one nightstands back here because if they see me they'll think we're together and might not want to sleep with you." She waited for him to deny it but, truth be told, he couldn't because that's exactly why he didn't want a girl for a roommate. "You're disgusting." She grabs the jacket that had been slung over the back of Alec's chair and headed for the door. "It was nice meeting you," she grumbles before slamming the door back in his face.
~o.O.o~
What a tool.
After Clary had stormed off she'd walked around Central Park trying to calm herself, but when she reached into her purse to call for a cab she ran into a slight problem, it wasn't there. Currently, she was facepalming for being stupid enough to leave her purse at that douche's apartment. It had been well over three hours since she'd left but she was hoping he hadn't decided to be an extra ass and throw it away.
The walk up the stairs was awkward, to say the least. When Clary neared the door she could hear voices inside, she scrapped her hand against the doorframe, hoping that Isabelle or Alec would answer, but no such luck. His broad shoulders came into view once the door was opened and his messy blonde locks brushed over his raised eyebrows. He looked surprised to see her but not angry or 'police call' ready. That was a good sign at least.
"Before you yell or tell me to leave, I forgot my purse and getting new cards would be a pain in the ass. Can I grab it before being thrown out?" Clary wasn't trying to be rude but something about his cocky smirk made her want to be an outright bitch, she doubted she was the only one out there with that feeling. Especially around this playboy.
"Who is it, baby?" Clary hoped to God that it wasn't Isabelle because if that was how she treated her siblings, it was repulsive and not something she could avoid throwing up over. Although the voice was more chipped than Isabelle's and definitely more libidinous.
"I need your help." His eyes widened to the size of a quarter as he whispered, his words coming out like violent strokes against her face. "Get this psycho out of my house." Clary opened her mouth to argue but Jace cut her off. "I don't have time to explain but if you do this, you can stay here as long as you'd like."
That was certainly a tempting offer, the penthouse was beautiful. Cream colored walls and wall to wall windows letting in soft rays of light. And she really didn't want to give Simon the satisfaction of being right about the internet, his head was big enough as is. She also didn't want to move in with her parents house or into the crowded dorms.
"Fine, follow my lead." Jace barely had enough time to nod his head before Clary launched herself at him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Jace reacted surprised but quickly, lifting her off her feet and spinning her inside the apartment. "Take me into the kitchen and act like me being here is a huge shock." Jace placed her down until her feet hit the ground, squeezing her tightly before releasing her. He laced their fingers together as he led her into the kitchen talking adamantly about some business trip she was apparently back from too soon. Clary chose to ignore the tight clasp of his fingers. Clary notices the angered redhead by the bathroom door but pretends not to.
Honey, even I can tell that's cheap hair dye.
"What are we doing?" Jace was staring intently at the doorway to the kitchen while Clary searched around the room for her purse, when she found it she dug around inside. She pulled out her cellphone and sent a quick message to Simon apologizing for not texting or calling back the past couple of hours. He must have been on the verge of skipping class and coming all the way uptown to make sure she wasn't reduced to body parts in a freezer.
Ignoring his question, Clary pushed Jace back out through the door. "Go back into the living room and talk to your bimbo, it's all part of the plan." Taking several long breaths Clary heard a sharp female voice protesting.
She could hear Jace's deep baritone voice saying something in a rushed tone, she couldn't understand him because of how quiet he was but she figured it was long enough. Stepping out from the kitchen Clary steeled herself.
"Hey, babe…" She called out towards Jace as she halted in front of the taller figures. "Oh my god… How could you do this to me?" Forcing tears to spur out of her eyes wasn't a difficult task, she'd had plenty of practice as a kid begging her father for things.
A spark of understanding passed Jace's eyes and he played along. "It's not what it looks like, I swear." He almost looked convincing as he pleadingly stared between the two women. The woman next to him was very close to naked, close as in all she was wearing was her bra and thong. Clary had seen too much of this stranger to last a lifetime.
"What? Did she fall out of her clothes?" Clary used her hand to muffle the cries as she turned back into the kitchen, she heard Jace telling the girl to get dressed as he ran after her.
"This is going well."
When they finally heard the zipper of her jeans, Clary picked up a white plate from the drying rack. "Do you like this plate?" Jace didn't get to answer before Clary flung it towards the wall, smashing it into porcelain piece. "How could you?!" She threw another plate, followed by a similarly plain mug, Jace dodged the flying platters like a champion.
Clary wondered how many times in his life women had thrown things at him for Jace to get this good at not getting hit.
A terrified looking woman stumbled into the kitchen, looking down at the broken pieces and then at Clary's grief stricken face. "And you, how dare you sleep with the father of my child?" Clary made a show of grappling at her flat stomach while plastering herself against the refrigerator and sliding down to the floor, crocodile tears rolling down her face. "You should both be ashamed of yourselves!"
The woman ran out of the apartment faster than Clary had the first time, leaving an entertained Clary and bewildered Jace behind. "You are quite the actress, Miss Fray."Clary laughed as she picked herself up off the floor. He reached out his hand to help her but she shook it off. She didn't feel like touching him much more with the knowledge that his hands were all over another girl ten minutes ago.
"Are you going to tell me why I just had to get rid of a girl you clearly hadn't finished with? Or does a fake pregnancy just turn you on?" Jace's body rocked with silent laughter.
"She started talking about getting married and having my babies, it seriously freaked me out." His rough hands ran across the nape of his neck before he turned back to face her.
"Okay, that's understandable. Sorry about the plates." He nodded but didn't say anything, just stared at her. His eyes sweeping up from her flat shoes, eyes slowly inching their way up to meet hers, his body tensing. "Now, this staring contest is just awkward. Want to show me where I can sleep or do you have a little black book of women I need to scare off?"
"Wait, you aren't going to clean this up?" Jace gestured wildly at the shattered pieces of his china all around them. Clary shrugged off her jacket and headed back out into the living room, a reluctant Jace followed close behind her.
"I evict your psychos, you clean up the mess I make in the process. That's the way this works." Jace groaned but didn't argue with her, Clary knew she won when he knelt his head.
"Second door to your right." Clary turned towards the hallway. "Try not to break anything else on the way." Clary had to use all her self control not to cackle back at him, but she couldn't stop the eye roll.
To Be Continued...
Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments or any of the characters used in this story. Please don't steal my plot thought.
I know for those of you who have been following this story since the beginning this is nothing new, but it had been so long that I barely remember what happened so I figure while I'm editing you guys could use the reminder. Also, yes, Clary wears glasses.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this refresher because soon new chapters are going to be getting spit out. Honestly I think I might actually finish this entire story, won't that be crazy?
Let me know what you think so far!