11
Clary's POV
"When do your parents come home?" I ask Jace, sitting down roughly on the end of my bed, feeling odd being back in my home. I woke up this morning to find Magnus, Alec, Simon, Isabelle and Jace passed out across the chairs in my hospital room. I didn't expect them to be there when I woke up the next morning. I called my mom multiple times, and when I didn't get a response after three tries, I eventually gave up. After much discussion and arguing with my friends, we have decided that Isabelle, Alec, Magnus, and Jace will crash at my house for the next few nights, just in case my mother returns with my brother.
"I think two days, but it's constantly changing. I never really know with them." I nod at his response. I hear some clanging on the floors below me; and I am assuming that it is my other friends settling in their rooms below me. Jace agreed to sleep in the living room with Isabelle on the couches, and Alec and Magnus are taking the guest room/office. It is a tight squeeze, and it'll be an even tighter one once my mom and brother get home; and I'm sure they'll be pissed.
"You know you guys don't have to stay, right?" I glance down at my slinged arm, "Even with my bummed arm, I'm still able to take care of myself." I tell him, leaning down against my bed, feeling my ribs sting a little as I drop down, "I know that," Jace lies down next to me, staring up at the ceiling as my eyes bore into the side of his face, analyzing his angular features, "but I want to be here because I care about you," he sides his eyes to me, meeting mine, and he clears his throat, "we want to be here because we care about you." It's nice to hear that. I smile to him, he matches it, "You have a nice smile," he tells me, and I blush, looking away from him, the smile falling off my face.
"Don't be like that." He laughs, bumping me with his elbow, "You are very pretty." I turn my face back to look at him, "So are you." I respond, my eyes tracing over his face, "I know." I scoff, and his face goes soft for a moment, "If I did something that I wasn't sure you would like, would you be mad at me?" He asks me and I knit my brows in confusion, "Uh, I guess it would depend on what it was." All he does is hum in response as he rises from his seat next to me, before crinkling his nose, "You smell like a hospital." He tells me, "Were you smelling me?" I ask him and he smiles, "Yeah, and you smell horrible, did they forget to give you a sponge bath or something?" He teases me and I roll my eyes, "I mean the nurse tried, but," I point up and down my body with my good hand, "I think he got a little distracted." He laughs, "Well, I don't blame him. But, nonetheless, he did a horrible job sponging you down." He pauses, "Want me to give it a go?" I blush at his question, looking away from him, "Get out so I can shower," I tell him, still not looking at him, and he lets out a noise of disapproval, "What makes that nurse so much better than me?" He asks me, a teasing tone obviously lacing his voice, "Get out." I stand up from my bed, pointing at the door, "Fine, fine, I'll see you later for our, most anticipated, scheduled cuddle session." He winks at me, leaving my bedroom.
I carefully pull my sling off, pulling my clothing off little by little, feeling my body scream at the strain. I turn the shower on as hot as it can go, causing steam to fill up the room, and I let out a sigh. I will admit, it is nice being back in my own home, but I can't help but feel sick over the fact that my mother and brother are missing at a time like this. I wonder if my mom even cares about me at all. It seems that whenever my brother is in the picture, he takes priority, and whenever he's not, my mother is absent.
Tears stream down my face as the hot water engulfs my body. I wish my brother never came home, I wish my dad didn't call me on the phone, and sometimes, I wish I was still in Florida. I have begun to enjoy the life I have built up here, I have a group of friends who care about me- Isabelle, Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Jace- who constantly leave me with mixed feelings and at times, make me question myself, but I don't think I would be willing to leave this all behind.
"Clary!" Isabelle yells, banging on my bedroom door, "can you come turn the TV on for us? We can't figure out how to use the remote?" I turned the shower off, and just as quickly as my tears appeared, they were gone, "Yeah, give me a second." I yell back to her, stepping out of the shower and pulling a towel around me.
By the time I actually make it down the stairs, my four friends are gathered on the couch, huddled in the living room waiting on me, "Finally! I thought we were going to die of boredom." Magnus exclaims to me, and I shoot a nasty look at him, "If I remember correctly, you guys were the ones who demanded to stay with me. I was perfectly content living alone for a bit." Magnus rolls his eyes, pointing at the TV, "Please, turn it on." I sign, picking up the remote, and turning the TV on with ease, handing the remote back to him. Magnus and Isabelle cheer, and Alec smiles kindly at me. I have grown to like Alec quite a bit, he isn't the warmest or kindest person I have ever met, but he is genuine and honest, and to me, that matters above anything else.
My eyes slide to Jace, who is sitting on the end of the couch, his legs crossed with a book balancing on his knee, "My, my, Mr. Wayland, you are very quiet over there." I walk towards him, slipping in between Isabelle and Jace, "Hm?" Jace looks up from what he's reading, and I look down. My eyes just about pop out of my head when I realize he is flipping through my sketchbook, "Hey! No, this is an invasion of privacy." I exclaim, swiping the book out of his hand, and Jace's eyes jump to mine, "Sorry, I was just curious. You are really talented." He tells me and I bite down on my lower lip, "Thanks, just, uh, I usually don't let people look at my work." I admit, tossing my sketchbook on the coffee table, and Alec lets out a cough, "If you two are done having your moment, can we pick something to watch please?" He asks, and Isabelle lets out a chuckle, bumping me slightly with her knee.
I shoot Jace one more silent look, before conversing with my friends on what we are interested in watching. Eventually, we settle on a new-age horror flick, much to my disinterest, but I am not in the mood to argue with my friends. I rest my back against Jace's shoulder, and I prop my legs on Isabelle, attempting to find a comfortable position for my pained body.
"You ok?" Isabelle asks me quietly and I nod, "Yeah, ribs just feel a little pinched." I respond quietly and she nods knowingly, "Well, let me know if you need anything. That is why we are here anyways." She winks, training her eyes back on the boring movie.
Everyone around me seems entranced in the movie, while I would like nothing more than to grab my sketchbook and draw this moment. I actually feel some sort of peace in the moment, surrounded by my friends in my house. Even though there is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to my family, and now my boxing career is up in the air, and my health is in question, I still feel some sort of happiness in this moment.
The feeling of both Jace and Isabelle jumping at the sight on the screen is enough to bring me back to the present. I laugh loudly at the fact that big, manly Jace jumped at the possessed old lady on the screen, making him shoot me a look, "Shut up." I let out a snort as I try to hold back my laugh, which pains my ribs; I double over, still laughing.
"Did the scary lady scare you?" I tease Jace, causing my friends to the left of me to chuckle as well, I glance at Isabelle, "Shut up, you jumped too." I call out Isabelle, which shuts her up pretty quickly.
"You'd be scared too if you were paying attention instead of sitting off in la-la land." Jace tells me in my ear, his breath causing goose bumps to rise up on the back of my neck. I shove the odd, girly feeling that has risen in my stomach back down, "I am paying attention." I tell Jace back, pinning my eyes on the TV screen to prove a point.
When the movie ends, all five of us are left staring quietly at the black TV screen, "Wow, great movie?" Magnus says, sounding exasperated, after not getting much of a response, "I think on that note, it's time for bed." Magnus says with a yawn. "Alexander." He looks down at his sitting boyfriend, offering his hand out to him. Alec takes it, rising to his feet, "Well, you know if you need us Clary, just start yelling, since that's what we are here for." Magnus waves at me and I smile at him, "Thanks Magnus."
"Goodnight guys." Jace bids goodbye to them, and Isabelle waves goodnight to them as well, "Hey Clary, can I take a shower?" Isabelle asks me, and I nod to her, rising to my feet stiffly, feeling a little pain. I wince at the movement, leaning forward in pain and placing my hand on the side of the couch to keep myself upright, "You ok?" Jace asks me, quickly coming to his feet and gripping my good arm."
"I think my pain medication has worn off." I hiss as my ribs pinch under my weight, "Let's get you upstairs," Isabelle comes to my other side, keeping a hand lightly on my back, and Jace keeps a hand firmly on my arm, as the two of them help me up the stairs.
"You can shower in my bathroom," I tell Isabelle as the two help me up the stairs, "You sure?" She asks me and I nod. The two help me to my bedroom, and place me lightly on the bed. Isabelle digs into my hospital bag, tossing me a canister of my medication. It's nothing super strong, but just enough to help with the pain.
"I'll be back," Isabelle says as she walks towards my bathroom, "behave yourselves, you two." She tells me with a wink, kicking the bathroom door shut behind her. I slide up so my legs are on the bed, and I scoot over so Jace can lie down next to me.
After a moment of silence, I glanced at Jace, "Are you going to have nightmares tonight?" I have to squeeze my lips together to keep myself from barking out a laugh, "Bitch." He tells me, which breaks my exterior, as my face turns red with laughter, "I'm sorry, I just never pictured you as the jumpy type." I continue, still laughing quietly, "It's alright," I start, "if you have a nightmare you can come up here and stay with me. I'll protect you from the possessed old ladies - dislocated shoulder and all." Jace turns to look at me, a small smirk on his lips. "Are you inviting me to sleep with you, Clary?" He asks me, and my face turns slightly pink at his innuendo.
"Yeah, I guess I am." I respond, doing my best to prove that he has no affect on me, but he obviously does, "Are you flirting with me Red?" Jace slides closer to me, close enough that I can feel his minty breath on my cheeks, "Yeah, I am Jace." My green eyes pour into his, holding my ground with him.
"You keep surprising me Clary," Jace responds, lifting a hand and running it over the top of my hair. My eyes shut involuntarily at the act of intimacy; I have grown to like comfort, especially when it comes from Jace.
"Don't kill me," he tells me, leaning forward and putting his hand lightly on the side of my face, "is this ok?" He asks and I nod quietly, still relatively confused. He slides a few inches closer to me, so his body is angled towards me. My breath catches in my throat as he presses his lips lightly to my cheek, "And is this ok?" he asks me, "Yes Jace, I'm not made of glass." I tell him, which causes his eyebrows to shoot up at my harsh words, "You're the one that doesn't like to be touched," he points out, his eyes moving around my face, "Well, I'm telling you now," my eyes don't leave his, "it's ok." That seems to be the answer that Jace needs, because he brings his lips down to mine in a swift motion, pressing them firmly. He remains careful as one hand remains on my face, and he rolls us so he is over me, but one arm is holding his weight off of me. One of my hands reaches up to touch his sharp jawline, and my other is tucked between us. Jace remains careful as to not aggravate my injuries.
My mind, though, is bouncing around. I don't know why I'm kissing Jace, I never thought about kissing Jace before. Sure, he's astronomically attractive, and I've allowed him to wiggle his way into my life, and we have spent countless hours together since I've moved here, but he is still Jace, he is still an asshole.
His soft kisses speed up as he becomes more comfortable; probably because I haven't shoved him off of me yet. His hand travels down my face, to my neck, which he grips softly. In a quick motion, I go to move my pinned arm from between us and up his abdomen, which results in a pained groan leaving my lips as my shoulder pinches.
This slight noise of discomfort causes Jace to pull himself away from me, hands leaving my body as quickly as they appeared, with a look of confusion in his eyes, "You alright?" he asks, pushing out of my space so that he is sitting next to me, "Arm hurts." I grumble, squeezing my eyes shut, and taking my good hand and lightly rubbing my sore shoulder. It doesn't hurt as bad now that it is shoved back into place, but it is definitely still throbbing. Between the constant headache, the painful breathing, and the pinching in the arm, I'm feeling pretty miserable.
I let out another groan at the realization of what I just took part in thirty seconds ago. My stomach twists in concern as the realization that things will probably never be the same between Jace and I, "Clary," Jace bumps my knee, "don't be weird."
"You're telling me not to be weird? You just kissed me!" I exclaim at him, my eyes shooting open as I move into a sitting position, "I asked you if it was ok!" He exclaims back, "It was!" I yell back, which causes his look to change from confused to sly as he lets out a laugh, "I knew you liked me." He tells me. "Shut up, I don't like you." I narrow my eyes at him, hoping he can see through my lies, "It's ok if you do, a lot of people do." He tells me, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Oh yeah?" I ask him, "Yeah." He responds with confidence, "Well, you know who liked me?" I ask him, pausing for just a moment, "Who?"
"The hot nurse who got to give me a sponge bath." I tell him, stifling back a laugh as his cheeks turn slightly pink, and dare I say, jealousy flashed across his eyes, "Hm," he starts, "so, if I theoretically wanted to kiss you again, would that be alright?" He asks me, his honey eyes locked onto me.
"Well," my cheeks are hot, and my stomach is doing backflips, "as long as you don't crush my ribs I'll allow it," he smirks, "plus, I think it's better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission anyways." I bite down on my lower lip to hide a smile.
"Consent my dear, consent." Jace tells me, and I can't help the smile that breaks through, "I consent, I consent." I tell him quietly.
Jace leans into me again, kissing me firmly, and snaking his arms loosely around my hips. Rather than bringing himself onto me, he lifts me carefully so I am resting on his lap, my legs on either side of him. My braced arm is tucked between us, and Jace's hands rest softly on either side of my hips.
His lips move in rhythm with mine, and I can't help the butterflies that creep up my stomach. The constant question of 'do I like Jace, or is he just hot' is something I entertain for a bit as my good hand reaches up to his hair, knotting in it. At this very moment, finding the answer to that question is not exactly my priority. Rather, I enjoy the moment of intimacy Jace and I are sharing- it has been a while since I kissed a guy, maybe just a little over a year.
My breath catches in my throat as Jace leaves soft kisses down my jawline, and down my neck. I toss my head back with a noise of enjoyment, and Jace chuckles softly against my skin, "If I would have known you wouldn't have fought me off, I probably would've kissed you the first night you stayed at my house." He tells me into my collarbone, nipping lightly, "Is that so?" I ask, taking my hand from his hair, and putting it under his chin, lifting his face so that his bright eyes meet mine, "Yeah, you've had my attention for quite some time," he tells me, taking a hand and tracing it down the side of my face. I blush at the intimate gesture, my cheeks heat up even more at the position we are currently in.
"Don't clam up on me now Clary," he tells me and I sigh, blinking my eyes tightly, "I like you Clary, a lot, ever since you moved to town I can't seem to get you out of my head." He brushes his knuckles over my jaw, "Clary."
"I like you too, I think." I tell him, which causes Jace to laugh loudly, "You think?"
"Yeah Jace, I think, I don't think I would be straddling you if I didn't like you a little bit, but my thoughts are kind of scrambled at the moment." We can blame that on the concussion. He looks at our position for a moment, "Do you want to stop? Am I hurting you?" He asks me, taking a hand and putting it lightly on my rib cage, "I just don't want to move too fast." I tell him, taking my good hand and placing it warmly on his cheek, "I'm not good at these types of things." I say, "I'm not used to actually caring about people." I say, my thumb rubbing up and down his cheekbone, my eyes looking past him.
"I know, it's ok. You just gotta tell me what you want." He tells me, taking his hands and lightly moving me off of him so I am sitting next to him. As he does this, a sickening feeling rises in my stomach, "Am I a prospective hookup?" I ask quickly, "No, of course not." He responds a little too quickly, "Should I be offended by that?" I let out a nervous chuckle.
"Definitely not, I care about you, way beyond a hookup." His eyes raked over me once, "Don't get me wrong, you are ridiculously attractive," I can't help the confident smile that creeps onto my lips at his words, "but you mean more to me than that."
"I'm flattered." I drop down onto my back, putting my head up on my pillow, "You're cool too, I guess." He laughs, dropping down next to me, looking up at my ceiling.
"Well, I would hope so, saying that your tongue was just down my throat." I choke at his words, "Jace." I exclaim with a warning tone, "Oh come on Clary, you have to admit you're easy to get a rise out of." Jace responds, bumping my hip lightly with his.
"You two still have clothes on?" Isabelle yells through the bathroom door, "Barely, you better get out here now while you still can." Jace calls back to her, and I shoot him a look, kicking him. Isabelle comes out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, "Jace, if you are not downstairs in fifteen minutes, I'm going to assume you aren't coming down." Isabelle tells him as she walks through my bedroom, heading towards the stairs.
"That's a fair assumption." Jace responds, and I blush, putting a hand over my eyes, groaning, "Goodnight you two." Isabelle winks at us, flicking the lights off, and exiting my room, pulling the door shut behind her.
"You alright if I stay up here with you?" Jace asks me in the dark, "I guess." I say, a teasing tone dripping from my voice, "Fine, if you don't want me here, I'll leave. I'm sure your sexy nurse can come spend the night with you." I feel Jace start to slide away from me. I latch onto him with my good arm, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You can stay. I want you to stay." I tell him, keeping my arm wrapped around his.
"Goodnight Clary," Jace tells me, kissing the top of my head, but he doesn't pull me into him, "Night Jace." I mumble back, letting my eyes shutter shut.
