Jace feels the grounding connection of the Alliance Rune fade away he finds himself drawn to the Seelie Realm, and to the one person who can help him keep from losing it entirely.
Shadowhunter!Magnus - Chosen Family | Magnus & Ragnor & Catarina
“Three go in, three go out,” Magnus, Ragnor, and Catarina say together.
“Let’s do this,” Magnus adds, facing the small nest of ravener demons with a wicked grin on his face.
Hunt - A Very Successful Hunt | Clary/Isabelle
When Clary shows up at the Institute, Izzy falls for her hard and fast. Unfortunately, a few mixed signals leave each of them thinking their pining is one-sided until they're finally forced to talk about the unspoken tension between them.
Rivals - Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans | James/Cordelia
Cordelia does her best to sift through her conflicted thoughts and emotions after seeing James and Grace together.
Drunk Confessions - Want the Same Things | Jace/Simon
After Clary kisses Jace in the Seelie Realm, Simon can hardly blame her - after all, if he were in her position he would've kissed Jace, too. He just doesn't mean to admit that to Jace.
Enemies to Lovers - Had to Go Too Far to Know How Far to Go | Jace/Andrew
After growing closer to, and rather fond of, Andrew Underhill, Jace feels particularly betrayed to discover that Andrew's the one turning him in for sneaking out all the time.
Vampire!Alec - Married to the Dark | Alec & Simon (background Malec)
“You’re doing this tonight, aren’t you?”
“Simon…”
“Don’t lie to me, Alec. Those were goodbyes.” Simon doesn’t phrase it as a question.
“Yeah, they were,” Alec answers anyway. “Obviously, I don’t expect you to be the one to do it. I’ll find someone else, just don’t tell the others.”
“That’s the thing,” Simon says. “I don’t want to, but I also don’t want you to go to anyone else. If you are going to go through with this… I’ll do it.”
Meet Ugly - I’ve Never Been a Natural (All I Do Is Try Try Try) | Simon/Raphael
“What gave you that impression?”
Simon shakes his head. It’s beginning to dawn on him that Raphael doesn’t remember, and he isn’t sure if that makes it better or worse. “You told me, the first time we met. The night you… uh…” Simon really doesn’t want to say ‘the night you kidnapped me’, given everything they’ve worked through to put that rather unfortunate first meeting behind them. Simon clears his throat instead. “When I wouldn’t sit still, you said you really hated fidgeting.”
---
Simon's kept that one tidbit in the back of his mind the whole time he's known Raphael, and is usually a lot better about keeping still than he's being that night.
Two Person Love Triangle - Truth Be Told | Magnus/Alec
When Magnus is tasked with getting close to Alec in order to get information on his father Robert, he doesn't expect to like Alec even half as much as he does. And that, well, that's definitely a problem now.
Shadowhunter!Simon - Love Me When It Hurts (1/3) | Jace/Simon, endgame Raphael/Jace/Simon
Jace isn't ready to lose Simon when he dies - and the vampire blood in Simon's system means he doesn't need to. But will the complications of Simon's new existence as a vampire be more than the couple can overcome, especially when they find Raphael ingrained into their lives more than any of them were ready for?
Children of the Night - Love Me When It Hurts (2/3) | Jace/Simon , endgame Raphael/Jace/Simon
Simon returns as a vampire and struggles to strike a comfortable balance between his old and new lives.
Getting Back Together - Love Me When It Hurts (3/3) | Raphael/Jace/Simon
Raphael does his best to help Simon and Jace reconnect, and in the process finds himself growing more fond of Jace than he ever intended on. Not that it matters, because once Simon and Jace are back together he'll be out of the picture entirely... right?
Rune Ceremony - All I’ve Ever Known Is How to Hold My Own | Kit/Ty
Kit can't help but feel as if something - or someone - is missing from an important moment in his life.
Forbidden Love - Forbidden Feelings | Magnus/Alec, past Magnus/Camille
It occurs to Magnus that perhaps, somewhere along the way during his very extensive life, something got a little turned around.
Because the love that’s supposed to feel ‘forbidden’ to him - the sort of love that feels like he’s tempting fate, like he knows he shouldn’t want it as much as he does - should probably be the ‘love’ (if it was ever truly ‘love’) from the manipulative woman in front of him.
It certainly shouldn’t be the kind and compassionate love from a Shadowhunter who stops to ask if a raincheck is okay while being ordered into a potentially life-or-death demon attack debriefing.
Potions Gone Wrong - Just Enough to Get By | Magnus/Alec, Magnus & Jace
When Alec gets attacked by a rogue warlock, Jace goes against direct orders to contact Magnus to try and save his injured and slowly dying parabatai.
Free Space - Making Time for What Matters | Luke & Alec, background Malec & Luke/Maryse
Alec and Luke both have a bad habit of overworking, often at the expense of their personal lives. At least they're getting better at looking out for each other, even when they aren't looking out for themselves.
Long Distance - Go the Distance | Lorenzo/Andrew
Andrew is more than a little worried about he and Lorenzo spending a month apart so early in their relationship, but it leaves them with some valuable lessons about communication.
Arranged Marriage - I Don’t Want to Say I (I Want to Say We) | Lorenzo/Andrew, background Malec
When Andrew overhears that Lorenzo - who he's been secretly dating for months now - is going to be forced into an arranged marriage with a shadowhunter, he does the only thing he can: he volunteers.
Shadowhunter!Raphael - Come Around | Raphael/Jace/Simon
Jace wonders if there's more to the frequent requests for him at the New York Institute than meets the eye, and decides to test a theory...
Bodyswap - If You Don’t Belong, Don’t Be Long | Magnus/Alec & Simon/Isabelle
When a potion goes wrong, Magnus and Simon switch bodies. It's up to Magnus to figure out how to fix it, and up to Simon to control Magnus' magic enough to use it in the final steps.
Sex Club - The Right Company | Jace/Simon
Simon makes a joke about Jace and the other leather-clad Shadowhunters that leads to some interesting potentialities he hadn't considered before.
Marriage - Your Happiness is My Own | Gabriel/Cecily
Gabriel arranges a surprise for Cecily on their wedding day.
Traveling - Take Me With You - Jace/Simon
When Jace gets assigned as Simon's bodyguard during his upcoming tour, he certainly doesn't plan on growing as fond of the musician as he does.
Rivals - Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans | James/Cordelia, Cordelia & Matthew
Cordelia does her best to sift through her conflicted thoughts and emotions after seeing James and Grace together.
Best Friends to Lovers - Make This Leap | Clary/Simon
Whatever Simon has to say, she’ll handle it. She’ll be ready.
“I’m in love with you.”
She isn’t ready for that.
---
A Clary POV of Simon's confession of love in 2x08
Proposal - your heart was glass (i dropped it) | Magnus/Alec
After breaking down, Magnus tries to push himself to get through the lovely dinner Alec set up for them... but he quickly realizes this wasn't meant to be a typical dinner date.
Pairing: Andrew Underhill/Jace Wayland
Rated: Teen
Summary: “I know it’s ridiculous to be this concerned for a routine mission, but--”
“But you still haven’t told Andrew how you feel,” Alec finished for him and Jace nodded solemnly in response.
“The timing has never seemed right,” Jace argued even as Alec raised his eyebrows. It was a lame excuse, Jace knew; there was never a good time for a confession of love and risk being rejected by the person Jace had been pining after for months.
A gift for @facialteeth! Thank you so much for your support!!
“Every weakness contains within itself a strength.”
― Shusaku Endo
“Go hang out with your brother and Lorenzo, Jace. This is a routine mission and I’ve got Izzy by my side,” Andrew said, pressing a solid hand to Jace’s shoulder. Jace tried not to flinch away from the contact because every time Andrew touched him was just a reminder that they were friends when Jace wanted them to be anything but.
“These new demons are unpredictable, An-- Underhill. There’s supposed to be at least three shadowhunters to each mission,” Jace said, trying to make sure the fear wasn’t as prominent in his voice as it was in his mind.
Andrew just laughed and patted Jace’s cheek teasingly before he said, “You’re telling me that Izzy and I don’t equal at least three regular shadowhunters? I’m wounded, Jace, really.” Jace rolled his eyes and swatted Andrew’s hand away, unable to stop the small smile from tugging at the corner of his lips.
“We’ll be at Lorenzo’s for a few hours. Do you-- Why don’t you guys stop by after? I’m sure they’d love to see you,” Jace said, hoping his fib was believed. It wasn’t a complete lie - Alec and Lorenzo had a soft spot for Andrew and an even softer spot for Jace’s pining over him - but Jace knew the only reason the invite left his lips was because he had to make sure Andrew was okay after his mission. Andrew was one of the most talented shadowhunters the Institute had, but that didn’t stop Jace from worrying he would get hurt.
“We’ll be in and out in no time,” Andrew assured him as if sensing Jace’s hesitation. Jace sighed as Andrew continued, “Then we’ll head to Lorenzo’s and party because we all know he throws the best ones.” Andrew winked at Jace who had to push back the small sliver of jealousy that rushed through him as Izzy came to gather him for the mission.
When Andrew disappeared to grab his weapons, Izzy nudged Jace and promised, “He’ll be fine, Jace. I’ve got his back.”
-----------------------
It had been two hours since his sister and his-- Andrew, left to scour the streets for the newest demon attacking mundanes and downworlders alike. The mission was supposed to be complete judging by the elaborate clock hanging in Lorenzo’s living room and Jace felt his fear prickling at the back of his neck and a stutter in his heart each passing moment. Lorenzo and Alec were entertaining the best they could with the cloud of dread Jace seemed to drag into their home, but Alec was seemingly distracted by Jace’s mood as he removed himself from his boyfriend’s side to wander over to his parabatai.
“Still no word?” Alec asked. Jace was grateful that there was no judgment or annoyance in his tone as he squeezed himself between Jace and the side of the couch. Jace just shook his head and checked his phone one more time even though he hadn’t heard the telling chime of either Izzy or Andrew’s ringtones.
“I know it’s ridiculous to be this concerned for a routine mission, but--”
“But you still haven’t told Andrew how you feel,” Alec finished for him and Jace nodded solemnly in response.
“The timing has never seemed right,” Jace argued even as Alec raised his eyebrows. It was a lame excuse, Jace knew; there was never a good time for a confession of love and risk being rejected by the person Jace had been pining after for months.
Alec said as much. “You have to put yourself out there, parabatai. I know it’s scary and it’s making yourself more vulnerable than you’ve ever been but--” Alec glanced at Lorenzo and a fond smile crossed his lips, “It’s worth it, I promise you.”
Jace had wished for that. He saw the way Alec smiled at Lorenzo and the way Lorenzo waved back almost shyly which was so unlike his usual confident self. Somehow Alec and Lorenzo were perfect and Jace couldn’t help but think that he and Andrew would be, too, if he only had the guts to give them a shot. As if reading Jace’s mind, Alec grabbed his hand and flipped it over, pressing his finger to Jace’s wrist gently. He traced what Jace recognized as the fearless rune into his skin before kissing his forehead solidly and making his way back to Lorenzo. He pressed himself into Lorenzo’s side and kissed him on the cheek as if remembering how lucky they were.
It was all Jace needed to see to run back to the Institute. He made it in record time, stopping at the ops center to take a deep breath and try to push the fear that was flooding through him away. His heart stopped when he saw Izzy dragging herself into the room covered in blood and ichor.
“Jace, I’m--” Before she could finish, Jace was at her side, holding her up as tears washed away the grime caked onto her cheeks. The fear he had tried so hard to control rose inside of him like lava, burning through every ounce of hope he had in him.
“Are you okay? Is Andrew okay?” Jace asked even though he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer. Izzy nodded and then shook her head, her mouth opening and closing as if she wasn’t sure how to explain. “Izzy, what happened?” Jace asked softly. He was torn between comforting his distraught sister and wanting to rush to the infirmary to get the answers he so badly needed.
“They came out of nowhere. We were heading back to the Institute and Andrew, he was--” Her breath caught on a sob as she peered up at Jace. “We didn’t even see them and all I heard was Andrew screaming,” she cut herself off with another gasping breath. “There was another team around the corner to help me fight them but-- I don’t know how he’s doing. His iratze is taking too much time but there’s no venom in his system according to Ragnor. I didn’t want to leave him--” Jace pressed her close and ran a hand over her knotted hair soothingly as she cried into his chest.
“You need to rest, Iz. I’ll go stay with him, just-- I’m glad you’re okay,” Jace whispered as he kissed her temple before nudging her toward the residential hall. It took everything in him not to sprint to the infirmary but he knew that panic wasn’t going to help Andrew through whatever injuries he had obtained. Jace needed to pull himself together so that he could think and act rationally and he did that by channeling Alec. He focused on the parabatai bond, the way it seemed to flicker with love and laughter and hope, and held onto that comfort as he shuffled to where Andrew rested.
The moment Jace saw Andrew was like a knife directly through his heart. He felt bile rise into his throat and swallowed it down as best he could before taking a shaky deep breath and stepping beside Andrew’s bed. He was pale, whiter than Jace had ever seen his skin, and his lips weren’t their usual vibrant pink. They were tinted blue and the breath that left them was labored and husky. Jace pulled down the sheet that surrounded him and flinched when he saw the wound covering his lower chest. There was no way his lungs would come out unscathed, but Jace momentarily thanked the angels that it was the side opposite his heart.
“What happened?” Jace asked as he ran a hand over Andrew’s sweat covered forehead. He was hot, his fever overwhelming him as his body struggled to recover, and Jace took that as a good sign. A fever meant his body was fighting and Andrew was the best soldier Jace had ever known.
“He’s lucky they were so close to the Institute. I almost didn’t make it in time,” Ragnor commented as he sauntered up to the other side of Andrew’s bed.
“Is he gonna be okay?” Jace asked as Ragnor combed Andrew’s still body with his magic, the usual soft green color reddening with each passing stroke.
Ragnor shrugged. “We’ll see if he wakes up,” the warlock commented as his magic disappeared. Jace glared at him but Ragnor was uncaring about it. “I rarely ever see you in here, Mr. Wayland. What makes this one so special?” Ragnor disappeared without waiting for an answer and Jace was stuck on the question.
What did make Andrew so special? Jace wasn’t sure why his feelings for Andrew were so much stronger than he had ever felt for anyone previously. He knew that Andrew was attractive by any standard. His too-long curly hair resembled Jace’s color almost perfectly and his blue eyes seemed to match the glow of his seraph blade when it lit up in his hand. He was tall and broad, the total opposite of Jace, and his smile never seemed to dim on his lips. Jace would’ve had to have been blind not to notice the incredibly good looks the angels had blessed him with.
But there was so much more that attracted Jace to him. Andrew was a soldier, first and foremost, willing to do whatever it took to protect and fight for his Institute, and Jace had always admired that about him. Jace hadn’t known much about Andrew’s past, but it was because he always focused on the present and looked forward to the future. Jace had always found himself stuck in the past and Andrew reminded him that while the past was important to learn from, it didn’t matter to nearly anyone besides Jace. It had him looking at the world so much different than he had ever let himself.
As a man, Andrew was confident without ego, brave without bragging, strong but with the knowledge of his weaknesses. He didn’t want to be anyone other than himself because he was happy with who he was. At first, Jace wasn’t sure he was jealous of Andrew, if he had wanted to be him as opposed to like him. But then Andrew talked to Jace when he was at his worst, touched him when he needed comfort, and looked at him as if he was something worth remembering and Jace was nothing if not gone for how Andrew made him feel.
“You’ve gotta wake up,” Jace whispered, his lips brushing against Andrew’s ear with every word as he rested his forehead to Andrew’s temple. “You can’t die on me before I can use that bravery and strength you’ve taught me all about, okay?”
He closed his eyes, gripping Andrew’s hand tightly in his own, and let himself sleep off the panic thrumming underneath his skin.
-----------------------
“I’m sorry I didn’t--” Izzy’s watery voice rang through Jace’s ears, but he was barely awake enough to respond. There were gentle fingers stroking through his hair and the lull of breathing moving his head up and down to a comforting rhythm. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so soundly and he didn’t want it to be over yet.
“You did nothing wrong, Isabelle. Ragnor said that you got me back here just in time, so accept my thank you and go get some rest. You look like hell.” It was Andrew’s voice that had Jace catapulting up from where he was hunched over onto the bed. Andrew winced as his hand fell to the mattress and Jace’s eyes widened in response. When he realized the fingers in his hair must have been Andrew’s, a blush darkened his cheeks and he glanced up at Izzy in hopes that Andrew wouldn’t notice.
“He’s right, you know. About everything,” Jace said with a nod and a small smile, his need to comfort his sister pushing through the embarrassment he felt from falling asleep on Andrew. Izzy nodded and pressed a kiss to Andrew’s forehead before squeezing Jace’s shoulder on her way out. She looked at him, her eyes clearly stating that he was an idiot and that now was his shot, but Jace had already known that.
“Hi,” Andrew croaked, his eyes blinking slowly as he struggled to stay awake.
“Hey,” Jace said with a small laugh of relief. He couldn’t stop himself from lacing his fingers with Andrew’s again now that he knew it wasn’t completely unwanted. Andrew squeezed his hand as best he could but the delicacy of it showed how weak Andrew still was. “You should be sleeping,” Jace said because every other word that seemed to float around them was too serious, too much of a discussion that he wasn’t sure an injured Andrew was ready for.
“Ragnor’s gonna come knock me out in a few minutes. He wanted to earlier, but I wanted to send you to bed first,” Andrew responded, a smile on his face. Jace wasn’t sure how his smile was so bright when he knew the pain Andrew felt was unmatchable.
“Well, I’m awake so…” Jace went to pull away but Andrew gripped his hand tighter and didn’t let him move an inch.
“I was almost killed, Jace,” Andrew said, his voice full of exasperation that Jace couldn’t quite place. He nodded as his eyes glanced down to the slowly healing hole in Andrew’s chest.
“You think I don’t know that?” Jace spat. He hated that his first response was always to be on the defense. He knew he didn’t have to protect himself from Andrew, but for some reason, his head was screaming at him to run away and hide his heart.
“I know you know that. And I also know that you’ve been here for almost 24 hours, by my side, when there were plenty of other places for you to be,” Andrew shot back. Jace tried to tear his hand away again, but Andrew gripped even tighter, the pain it caused present on his scrunched face.
Jace apologized and said, “I didn’t need to be anywhere else.” I didn’t want to be was left unsaid.
“I’m lying in this bed, injured almost to the point of unmoving, and you still can’t just tell me?” Andrew accused, an almost pleading tone to his voice that had every muscle in Jace’s body tensing in worry.
“Tell you?” Jace whispered, doing everything in his power to avoid the way Andrew was looking at him. Andrew sighed and Jace’s heart stopped beating when he pulled his hand away to rest it on his stomach.
“I’m awake and Ragnor says I need to not be and right now,” Andrew looked away, “I don’t know that I want to be conscious either.”
“I was terrified!” Jace blurted before he could stop himself. Jace wasn’t sure what Andrew wanted to know so he decided to just tell him everything. “I was so scared that I was shaking and-- and crying over your unconscious body because I didn’t know how to handle the fact that you were hurt, okay? I feel fear so rarely and I don’t have the weaknesses that others have but--” Jace took a deep breath and held Andrew’s hand delicately in his own until Andrew turned back to connect their eyes. “My weakness is apparently you,” Jace said simply as he gazed into Andrew’s ocean blue stare.
“Why did it take you so long?” Andrew asked slowly. He didn’t seem half as scared as Jace was or even a little surprised at the confession and Jace wasn’t sure how to handle that.
“Because you’re so sure of yourself. You’re so sure of me - more than anyone ever has been - and I was--” Jace shook his head as Andrew stroked a trembling hand over his cheek. “You were - are - too important to me to risk losing whatever this is between us. If I have to--”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Jace. I’ve been waiting for you to come around for weeks and if this near-death experience taught me anything, it’s that our job means everyday matters. I’m not going to wait until you’re on this bed to tell you that you’re my weakness, too,” Andrew confessed, the smile on his face never faltering.
Jace moved forward as carefully as he could given Andrew’s injuries - he was also giving Andrew the chance to take it all back even though he wasn’t sure his heart could take it - before holding Andrew’s face delicately in his hands. Without another word, he pressed their lips together gently but with more emotion filling it than Jace had ever put into another kiss. He wanted Andrew to understand that even though he was Jace’s weakness, Andrew was also his strength, his bravery, his compassion, his happiness, his confidence, his present, and more importantly, his future.
Andrew kissed him back and it was like everything that had piled up in Jace’s mind - the years of torment and abuse, the decades of trying his hardest to be important, to be perfect - didn’t matter because Andrew had always been the one to remind him that the only thing that mattered was where they were at that moment and where they would end up. Jace was sure wherever their life would take meant that they would be together and nothing else was more important.
Jace needs a bit more cuddles time in the morning. Andrew is very happy to oblige. Love confessions ensue.
Written for @shadowhunterschallenges, Day 7 of the RarePair Challenge: Heronhill
Read On AO3
The warm weight over Jace’s back shifts cruelly away, leaving him alone in the bed.
That is definitely enough to wake him up. He isn’t a big sleeper. Especially when his boyfriend is leaving the bed way too early.
He pulls the white sheets up a little, eyes fluttering open.
Morning light is streaming in the room, catching on the mirror of the wardrobe. Jace buries his face a little further into the pillows. Unfair. It’s unfair that when he manages to fall asleep, when he manages to sleep through the night, he has to be awakened by the loss of Andrew’s body against his.
Andrew walks away from the bed and towards the bathroom, walking in front of Jace and Jace makes an annoyed groan. He’s so not ready to share Andrew with other people. He’s so not ready to be part of the world again this morning.
He shifts slowly, moving his limbs to wake himself up a little. Everything’s still a bit hazy and heavy, and he wants it to stay like this as long as possible.
"If I say there’s a demon in my bed, are you obligated to check it out?" Jace croaks out. His voice is muddled with sleep and rusty from not using it in the past few hours. He needs a glass of water and a coffee but that will have to wait until later. Until he’s been able to get the rest of his cuddles.
"You’re a good enough Shadowhunter not to need the Head of Security checking for demons in your bed, babe,” Andrew replies. He’s barely even looking at him.
Jace pouts. This is not okay. He groans again. He doesn’t care if he’s ridiculous right now, he just needs more of Andrew this morning. Like all mornings.
“Come on,” he whispers, and finally, Andrew turns towards him. His eyes are blue like the sky in Idris and it makes Jace almost forget what he’s trying to get out of being cute. “You’re basically the boss, and I’ll deal with Izzy if she says anything.”
Andrew looks at him with a soft, fond and slightly annoyed look. Jace tries not to focus too much on the fact Andrew’s shirtless and that his abs are level with Jace’s eyes right now. Not only his abs…
“I just need a tiny bit more of you this morning. Before I have to share you with the world…”
For now, they just get to be safe, quiet, everything Jace needs these days. He’s doing better than he ever has, and that’s partly thanks to Andrew’s quiet love and patience. Some days are just a little harder than others. And cuddles before he walks out into the noisy, busy world make it a little easier.
He has things to do today, people to train and reports to write. Jace closes his eyes for a moment, pushing his face deeper into the pillow and inhaling. He can already feel the stress building back into his body, like a weight over his chest. So many people, expecting so many things.
The bed creaks slightly as Andrew gets on it. He slides under the sheets again and wraps an arm around Jace’s waist, pulling him to him. Jace exhales when his back hits Andrew’s chest. He’s so thankful for this. For this quiet moment.
Andrew presses a kiss at the tender junction of his neck and his collarbone. “You have an alarm on in case we fall back asleep?” he mutters against Jace’s neck, sending shivers down Jace’s spine.
Jace hums in reply. He always does. Andrew swallows and shifts a little to get more comfortable. His hand reaches up to hold Jace’s. It’s so quiet that Jace feels like he can hear both of their hearts beating. Everything’s so peaceful.
Jace twists his hand to kiss Andrew’s knuckles. “I love you,” he murmurs, so incredibly quiet that he doubts Andrew can even hear the words.
“I love you too, Jace,” Andrew replies. “Every day more than before, I think.”
Jace feels a little choked up. He always is when Andrew says things like that. He’s not used to this, never thought he’d have more than one-night-stands and fleeting connections. He’s not used to the idea of a steady love like the one between the two of them, like the one that makes every day easier to deal with.
He never thought he would be able to love someone like this, to be loved back, and for it not to feel like it was consuming him alive, poisoning him almost. He could stay forever in Andrew’s arms, and in his life.
Maybe some days, for Andrew, it’s a burden to always have Jace need him the way he does. Maybe Jace is the only one that’s really content right now… He tries to shove away the sudden paranoia that threatens the quiet perfection of his moment, but fails.
“I’m sorry you always need to take care of me,” Jace whispers. “I’m sorry you always have to make sure I’m okay.”
Andrew huffs slightly behind him. “I’ve never been trusted with anything half as precious as you before,” he answers, voice firm and full of an emotion Jace has trouble dealing with. “I love caring for you. I love knowing that you trust me enough to let me take care of you. I know it can be hard…”
Jace shakes his head. “Never with you. I trust you with my life.”
Andrew holds him tighter suddenly. “Thank you, Jace,” he whispers. “Thank you for letting me take care of you.”
Jace turns around in his arms, all idea of getting more sleep forgotten. He looks at the man that’s holding him now, the man that he loves more than he can actually say because words are still complicated for him.
Andrew looks a little tired like this, all soft against the pillow. His hair is getting a bit long, he needs a haircut, and the curls roll against Jace’s fingers when he reaches up and brushes his hand over him.
He leans in softly, and kisses him. It’s not a heated kiss, none of them really feel like more right now, more than the quiet of this. Jace kisses him, thanks him, loves him in one breath.
The world around them doesn’t exist, for a solid few minutes until the alarm rings.
Flufftober Day 2 - Sneaking Out Together
(Read on AO3)
Andrew knows he shouldn’t be encouraging Jace’s habit of sneaking out when he’s supposed to be asleep, but what is he supposed to do, turn his boyfriend in to his mother?! Absolutely not. Andrew’s seen some of Maryse’s reprimands and he does not want Jace to be on the other end of that any more than he already finds himself. Which, to be fair, is a decent amount considering his general inability to follow the rules.
Andrew used to care a lot more about things like that. He still does, as far as the big rules are concerned. Things that would actually put the Institute in danger, or someone into harm’s way… but not so much the little things like sneaking out at night to explore the city, or grab a few drinks at the Hunter’s Moon.
Jace likes to brag that he’s a ‘bad influence’ on him, but honestly, Andrew thinks that all the changes he’s made since starting to date Jace have done him a world of good. Loosening up a bit opened plenty of opportunities for genuine, uninhibited fun in his life - something Andrew was sorely lacking before. Not to mention the confidence boosts that come from being constantly hit on by the Jace Herondale, not that Andrew will ever admit that to Jace and blow his ego up even more.
So yeah, Andrew tips Jace off on patrol schedules and certain sides and corners of hallways that aren’t covered by the surveillance cameras. He doesn’t mind the fact that Jace goes off on adventures without him, especially since most of them are while Andrew’s pulling the overnight shift, but Andrew’s been in a weird mood lately, and tonight he’s feeling particularly lonely and the thought of ending his shift and going to bed alone while Jace is out and about is the last thing he wants to do.
So when Jace mentions his plans to sneak out later and go to a downworlder party he heard about, Andrew frowns.
“Something wrong?” Jace asks, picking up on the shift in Andrew’s mood immediately.
“What if you wait until after my shift and I sneak out with you?” Andrew suggests.
Jace’s eyes widen in surprise. “You? Want to sneak out?”
“Why not?” Andrew challenges, bringing his hands to his hips.
“Because you’ve never broken a single rule in your life,” Jace points out.
“I have, too! I-”
“Helping me break rules doesn’t count,” Jace adds, and Andrew’s retort dies on his lips.
“Well, I want to break one now,” Andrew confirms. “Unless you don’t want me to come.”
Jace balks. “In what universe would I not want to show my boyfriend off at a party?”
Andrew feels the slight flush rise in his cheeks but ignores it. “So you’ll wait?”
“Of course I will. I’ll always wait for you.”
Jace says the words so casually, like they don’t make Andrew’s breath stop and his eyes close involuntarily in reaction - like it doesn’t mean the world to him to know how easily Jace simply loves him without hesitation. It’s this side of Jace, the one reserved only for him, that Andrew appreciates more than anything else about their relationship.
“Hello? Earth to Andrew?” Jace says, dramatically waving a hand in front of Andrew’s face with a knowing smirk. “You went all zoned-out, starry-eyed at me again.”
“Shut up and get ready to sneak out at exactly 11:15, it’ll be right between tonight’s patrols,” Andrew says, trying to change the topic.
“Mmmm, I love it when you talk dirty to me,” Jace says, voice low as he moves forward to wrap his arms around Andrew’s waist and pull him in for a kiss.
"Jace," Andrew protests, his voice somewhere between a whine and a groan. "I'm still working."
"And?" Not only does Jace not move away, he leans in to deepen the kiss.
"And," Andrew says, pulling back. "If you get me in trouble before the end of my shift I'll triple the patrols tonight and sneak out on my own."
"You wouldn't dare," Jace says, but there's a flicker of doubt in his words.
He's right, of course. Andrew wants this night out with Jace too much to ruin it for himself, but Jace caves instead of calling his bluff.
"See you at 11:15 then. Don't work too hard."
Jace gives Andrew a chaste goodbye kiss to his forehead before leaving. Working too hard definitely isn't a worry the rest of his shift - with his mind on the night ahead, Andrew spends most of it counting the seconds until they get to make their escape.
( @shadowhunterbingo Square: Enemies to Lovers)
(Read on AO3)
Jace is seething, sitting across from Maryse in her office as the Head of the Institute. Jace isn’t sure if he’s relieved it’s Maryse and not Robert - sometimes he thinks he can play Robert a little better than he can Maryse, but he isn’t sure it matters this time around. He knows he’s in actual trouble when he’s called into the office instead of just reprimanded wherever she happens to find him around the Institute.
And he’s definitely in trouble. Apparently, someone saw him sneaking out after curfew and turned him in. He barely made it two blocks away from the Institute before he felt a tap on his shoulder and was instructed to return back immediately, then escorted directly here.
Jace isn’t sure who told on him - he knows he mentioned the party he was trying to go to around a few of the other Shadowhunters during training that morning, mostly to brag about the pretty Seelie girl who invited him. Any one of them could’ve gotten jealous and decided to be petty about it.
So instead of drinking Seelie wine and forgetting about his responsibilities for a night, he’s getting a lecture on representing not only the New York Institute and the Nephilim stationed here, but the Lightwood name. Jace grits his teeth and manages to “Yes, Ma’am” and “sorry, Ma’am” his way through the lecture.
No matter how many times he asks, she refuses to tell him who turned him in.
The next morning at training he eyes the others with a steely gaze. “I’m not sure which one of you ratted me out,” he says. “But if I find out-” Jace pauses there, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Scratch that, when I find out, I’ll make sure you never have a single fun night in your entire life. Don’t pull that shit again.”
Jace eyes them all one-by-one, catching Alec’s eye-roll before noticing the confused expressions of a few others who don’t seem to know what he’s even talking about, let alone be the ones responsible for it. Either they’re surprisingly good at playing dumb, or none of them went to Maryse.
But if it wasn’t any of them, who else could it be?
---
The next time Jace gets in trouble for trying to sneak out of the Sanctuary to avoid getting caught, this time to test out using the morning star flail that Robert keeps insisting Jace can’t take in the field, he gets assigned weapon and combat gear cleaning duty for the next two weeks.
To his surprise, Andrew Underhill is waiting outside the training room as he leaves Maryse’s office. He tries to look like he’s just passing by but Jace is positive he was listening in.
“Who knew wanting to practice a new weapon would be frowned upon,” Jace comments, covering his frustration with the whole situation with his usual bravado, forcing a smirk on his face. “Guess cleaning all the weapons is one way to familiarize myself with them better.”
“Pretty sure it’s less the wanting to practice and more the going on patrol alone with a weapon you’re not proficient in,” Andrew doesn’t look amused. “Seems like a good way to get yourself killed.”
Jace rolls his eyes. “I would’ve been fine.”
“Sure you would’ve,” Andrew agrees easily enough, though Jace notes with a moment of annoyance that he doesn’t sound genuine. Does he think Jace is that incompetent, too? “Sorry about the cleaning detail,” Andrew adds, which shifts the subject slightly.
“Don’t be,” Jace shrugs. “Isn’t like it’s your fault.”
A strange look crosses Andrew’s face at that, a flicker of hesitation as if he might say something, then changes his mind. Jace almost comments on it but Andrew speaks again, his words quick and dismissive.
“Yeah, no, of course not. Just trying to be sympathetic.” That’s what Andrew says, though Jace can’t help but notice he still looks guilty, but maybe that’s just for the eavesdropping.
Jace arches an eyebrow. “Right,” he says slowly, not sure why Andrew’s being so weird all of a sudden. “Anyway, guess I should go get some rest if I’m going to be up at the crack of dawn wiping down weapons.” Jace turns and leaves Andrew still lingering outside of Maryse’s office, not thinking twice about it.
The following morning Jace shows up to the weapons room prepared for several hours of solitary cleaning. He definitely doesn’t expect Andrew to show up about half an hour in with an offer to help.
“Want a hand?” Andrew asks, eyeing the still very large pile of unpolished weapons.
“...why would you want to do that?” Jace asks suspiciously. This is a punishment after all, and he sure as hell wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have to be. No one in their right mind would willingly subject themselves to this.
Andrew shrugs. “Couldn’t sleep. Sometimes the repetitiveness of these sorts of tasks helps clear my head. Plus, I figured you could use the company. If you’d rather be alone, though, I could go…”
Jace considers the offer. It’s way too quiet in here - Jace always preferred to be around people, to have conversation and distractions so he isn’t left alone with his thoughts for too long. If nothing else, Jace would definitely appreciate the company even if Andrew just hangs out and doesn’t do any actual cleaning.
“Alright, have at it,” Jace finally agrees.
The two of them spend the next two hours talking and joking as they polish the weapons, and Jace realizes that this is probably the first significant amount of time he’s spent alone with Andrew. They get along surprisingly well, and Jace would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit how much he appreciates the way Andrew seems to look at him with an almost reverent admiration, despite being older than Jace. He can’t help it - when you spend the better part of your life trying to impress others, it’s the best feeling in the world when it pays off.
Andrew shows up to help Jace a few more times that week, until Jace begins to expect him rather than wonder if he’ll show. Outside of a few misguided attempts to rein in Jace’s reckless side, which Jace chalks up to pretty standard interactions for a friendship with him, the two of them only grow closer. Andrew is smart, the properly clever sort of smart that Jace loves, but he’s also kind. Much more kind than many raised in the life of Nephilim are. And it’s that kindness, that warmth, that Jace is drawn to the most.
When Jace’s punishment ends he feels a pang of unexpected loss at the idea of not seeing Andrew every day. He goes out on a limb and asks if Andrew would want to have a standing offer to meet up for breakfast in the mornings in the cafeteria, so they still have time outside of training and patrols to just hang out.
There’s a little flutter in Jace’s stomach when Andrew eagerly agrees with a huge smile, and Jace realizes with sudden certainty that somewhere over the past two weeks his feelings for Andrew may have shifted to something more than just a desire for friendship.
He ignores that for now, content with breakfast, daily talks, and getting to know Andrew a little better.
---
“Why don’t you wash up and meet me down in the cafeteria? I’ll see if I can get us some breakfast food cooked up,” Andrew offers. He sounds… hesitant. Maybe even a little scared. Jace doesn’t blame him - Jace knows he must look about two seconds away from self-destructing because he feels like he is.
Jace messed up. He knows he messed up, and he’s going to do something to fix it. He has to.
“No, I just want to sleep,” Jace says, his tone uncharacteristically cold toward Andrew who has recently become the only person to see the best sides of him nearly constantly. He can’t help it when the very sight of Andrew brings a small smile to his face no matter how bad of a mood he’s in… or at least, it usually does. “See you tomorrow.”
They just got back from a failed mission, one that Jace was in charge of. Jace kept most of his control during the debriefing, and now the rest of the team heads off to shower and rest.
Not Jace.
Jace waits until Andrew is out of sight before he slips away unnoticed to the weapons room. Grabbing two extra daggers and a seraph blade, he heads back to where his team lost track of the demons they were after before. He’s only back on the trail for a few minutes before Alec finds him, saying that Hodge sent him to track Jace and bring him back. The look of pure regret on Alec’s face says everything Jace needs to know about how in trouble he is.
“Sorry,” Alec says for the tenth time on their way back to the Institute. “I could always say I didn’t find you,” he offers, sounding unconvinced that would be any better.
Jace shakes his head. “No, then they’ll just punish you, too,” he sighs. “How did he even know I was gone?! I swear no one saw me leave.”
Alec shrugs. “I dunno.” They continue to walk in silence until Alec drops Jace off in the training room where Hodge is waiting, arms crossed over his chest.
Jace thinks that the worst news he’ll hear that night is the clearly stated warning that if he ever tries to go on an unsanctioned mission alone again he’ll be pulled from active duty entirely.
Instead, it’s the revelation of who told Hodge what he was doing that fills Jace’s veins with ice and makes him feel like he’s about to throw up.
“If Underhill hadn’t seen the cameras and warned us as fast as he did…”
Jace doesn’t hear anything after that, the words a buzzing noise in his brain. Underhill. Andrew. The fact that Andrew is the one who betrayed him makes this a million times worse. He trusted him. He liked him. He still does, which makes this hurt so much more. If it’d be anyone else…
Jace wastes no time going directly to Andrew’s room after Hodge releases him.
“What the fuck, Andrew?!” Jace demands before the door is even fully open.
Andrew looks as sick to his stomach as Jace felt only minutes prior.
“I’m sorry,” Andrew manages. “But you-”
“You’re not my goddamn keeper. You nearly got me pulled from active duty!” Jace seethes.
Andrew pales. “I’m sorry,” he repeats.
“Yeah, you keep saying that,” Jace points out, nothing but heat in his eyes and venom in his tone. He’s pissed. He doesn’t want to be pissed at Andrew, but he is, and he needs to get this out.
Andrew, to Jace’s surprise, grows defensive. “Maybe if you stopped trying to show off on your own all the time I wouldn’t have to keep turning you in just to--”
Jace’s jaw drops open and Andrew’s words cut off abruptly with the realization of what he just admitted.
“Keep turning me in?” Jace repeats, shaking his head. “It was you before, too, wasn’t it? By the Angel, Andrew, I thought we were friends! I thought-” but now it’s Jace’s turn to cut his words off abruptly because now is not the time for that, no matter how hurt he feels right now. “You know what, never mind. It doesn’t matter, because we clearly aren’t. I don’t want you to speak to me again, Underhill.”
Jace doesn’t stay for a response, allowing the abrupt shift from calling him Andrew to spitting out Underhill like it’s poison to do all the talking for him.
---
Things continue on in this way for a while - it seems like every time Jace goes off to make a potentially reckless decision Andrew is right there to drag him back. At first, Jace thought he was being too obvious, but no matter how many precautions he takes, Andrew always finds out, and Jace suffers for it. He knows the punishments are meant to be a deterrent but he mostly ignores them - in fact, they have the opposite effect. If everyone is going to assume he’s always out to cause trouble, then he might as well actually be out to cause trouble and have some fun in the process, live up to the reputation and all, right?
The times he manages to elude punishment only fuel more attempts, more risks to see how far he can push whatever fates are working against him here. When he gets away with it he’s rewarded with lavish nights out and thrilling solo missions far beyond anything he’d get cleared for through official channels, as well as any other number of adventures. More importantly, every time he manages to sneak out under Andrew’s seemingly constant watch (because of course Andrew works security at the Institute) it feels like a bigger victory, a louder ‘fuck you!’ to the person who, for reasons Jace still doesn’t understand because he refuses to speak with him, seems determined to ruin his life.
The only time they talk is on missions, and even then Jace shuts down any attempt at conversation outside of tactics and relevant information on whatever they’re tracking or fighting or protecting. He can tell that it hurts Andrew, but he pretends not to care just as intently as he pretends it doesn’t hurt him just as much. Jace reminds himself that Andrew is the one who betrayed him and his trust, after all.
They go on like this for quite some time. For half a year, in fact. Six straight months of Jace glaring daggers at Andrew every time he gets pulled in for breaking some rule or another. Six months of ignoring Andrew every time he practically begs Jace to just stop doing things that’ll get him in trouble in the first place.
Six months until Jace’s curiosity gets the better of him, finally overriding his anger enough for him to spin around after starting to walk away from Andrew in the middle of yet another attempted-conversation-turned-fight.
“I have to know,” Jace says. “What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?”
“I don’t hate you!” Andrew says. “I never hated you! Which you’d know if you ever just listened to me.”
“The thing is, I find that really hard to believe because I can’t imagine spending every waking moment trying to ruin the life of someone I liked.” Jace huffs. “Was it something I said? Were you jealous that the Lightwoods let me head missions-”
“Stop it,” Andrew pleads. “Stop being an ass just to push people away. I’m not your enemy, Jace!” Andrew snaps. “I’m trying to keep you alive, since you have no inclination of doing that on your own. I’m…” Underhill’s words stall out in his frustration as if he’s suddenly wondering if he should be saying anything at all. “I’m looking out for you, you self-sacrificing asshole,” he finishes, then seems to forcibly shut his mouth to not say anything more.
The words sound like they should be insults, but there isn’t anger behind them. Or, at least, there isn’t just anger - Jace can hear the concern behind them, too.
“I can look out for myself,” Jace points out, still defensive but much less angry.
“Sure you can,” Andrew says. “But you don’t. And I couldn’t convince you to, so…”
So Andrew wasn’t trying to ruin Jace’s life, he’s trying to protect it. And if Jace believes him, then he’s been doing it since before they were friends, and while they were friends, and even after, while Jace treated him like absolute shit for it.
“Why?” Jace asks. He’s pretty sure he knows, but he needs to hear Andrew say it. He needs to know and not just assume.
Andrew looks momentarily mortified by the question. “I can’t believe you’re going to make me say it…” Andrew mumbles.
“You wanted me to listen,” Jace reminds him. “Here’s your chance. I’m listening.”
Andrew seems to have lost the drive he had at the start of the conversation when the words were spilling out of him. Now it looks as if he has to force himself to say what comes next, but he does.
“Because I care about you, Jace. Because I like you. A lot. And the idea of something happening to you…” Andrew trails off, looking down at his feet for a moment before lifting his head to meet Jace’s eyes again. “I couldn’t stand it, not if there was something I could do to try and keep you safe. And maybe it wasn’t my place. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I just… even if you hated me for it, I couldn’t just stand back and wait for the night you went off to do something reckless and didn’t make it back.”
A heavy silence falls between them, Andrew done speaking his truth and Jace taking a moment to process it all.
“It wasn’t your place,” Jace agrees. “But as far as reasonings go, not wanting me to get hurt isn’t the sort of thing I can hate you for, is it?”
“I don’t know, you tell me,” Andrew says, looking anxious again.
Jace sighs. “Listen, before all of this,” Jace says, making a vague hand motion between the two of them to symbolize the past six months and everything that went wrong. “Before I ruined everything, I thought there might be something between us. And I get it, if I fucked things up too much to go back now, I understand, but-”
A second later Jace’s words are cut short by the press of Andrew’s lips to his in a kiss he returns eagerly once he recovers from the momentary surprise of it. It only breaks when Jace absolutely needs to take a breath, and honestly, Jace might’ve just gone right back in for more if Andrew didn’t take a small step back.
“You didn’t ruin everything,” Andrew says, unable to keep the small smile from his face now. “I meant what I said. I care about you. I like you. Present tense, here and now, even after everything. I’m not saying we should just pretend the last few months never happened, but… I don’t think it isn’t anything we can’t come back from. Do you?”
“Listen, I know we need to talk about this, and we will, but right now I really just want to kiss you again,” Jace confesses.
Andrew laughs. “We do need to talk. We should also maybe take the night to think things through before we jump into anything we’ll regret, verbally or physically.”
“I hate it when you’re rational,” Jace mutters. “But you’re right.”
“Maybe we can meet tomorrow? Over breakfast?” Andrew suggests.
The idea of having Andrew back, as a friend or something more, feels too good to be true. But here it is - here Andrew is - beaming like the goddamn sun.
“Breakfast sounds perfect,” Jace agrees, his smile genuine and hopeful for the first time in months.
(Advent Prompt: Bells) (Pairing: Underhill/Jace - no warnings)
(Read on AO3)
“Hey Andrew,” comes a sudden voice from behind him, and Andrew nearly jumps a foot into the air in surprise. His heartbeat races from the shock.
“Raziel, Jace,” Andrew says, his tone exasperated as he steadies his breathing again. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“You know, for our Head of Security, maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings,” Jace says, his tone light and teasing.
Andrew glares, but there’s no heat behind it. “Maybe you should stop sneaking up on me!”
“I wasn’t!” Jace swears. “Not intentionally,” he amends.
This is an ongoing struggle for the pair of them: Jace, along with his cat-like reflexes and impressive overall Shadowhunter skills as far as running and jumping and fighting are concerned, also apparently walks as if he’s made of feathers.
“I swear, I’m going to start tying bells around you or something,” Andrew threatens, but as Jace’s arms snake around his waist even his joking annoyance is gone, replaced by the immediate need to melt back into the embrace.
“You could,” Jace says, and Andrew can already tell where this is going by the tone of Jace’s voice, the way it lowers ever so slightly. “Or you could tie other things around me…”
Andrew makes a noise that’s a half-groan, half-moan. “Why must you do this when I’m just starting my shifts?”
Jace laughs. He leans in giving Andrew a kiss to the side of his temple while sliding a hand under his shirt to run very deliberately along the skin just above Andrew’s waistband. “Because apparently, I live to torture you.”
And, true to his word on the torture, Jace makes one extra, teasing press of his fingers before abruptly pulling away and heading back towards the door. Andrew’s expression is part-pout, part-glare.
“Have a good shift! I’m going to have a nice, sweaty training session then take a long, steamy shower.” Jace calls over his shoulder with a wink. The moment Andrew is left with 8 more hours of work ahead of him and those mental images, he immediately decides that Jace is going to pay for this.
---
The next morning Andrew is in the security room going over some footage from the night before when he hears it - the sound of bells jingling toward him down the hallway. He does his best to school his expression into something neutral, forcing down the smile that immediately tugs at the corners of his lips.
“Why won’t they come off?!” Jace demands.
“Is that any way to greet your boyfriend?” Andrew asks innocently.
“It is when he put bells on all of my shoes,” Jace says, moving his right foot for emphasis which causes a series of jingling to echo in the otherwise quiet room.
“Mmm, yes, I see,” Andrew says. “Looks a lot like the payback someone deserves for their torture yesterday.”
Jace huffs. “Alright, fine, you win. Now take them off.”
“I can’t,” Andrew admits.
“What do you mean, you can’t?” Jace asks.
“I may have gotten a little extra reinforcement with the bells,” Andrew admits. “Magnus said the spell would wear off in 24 hours. So you only have…” Andrew checks his watch. “Twenty-one hours left!”
Jace looks down at his boots with very reluctant resignation. “I hate you,” he says.
“You do not,” Andrew counters immediately.
“Okay, I don’t,” Jace admits. “How did you even get him to agree to this?”
“He owed me a favor,” Andrew admits. “I erased some footage for him a month or so back.”
Jace raises an eyebrow in question.
“For him and Alec, I should say,” Andrew adds, and Jace snorts out a laugh.
“You know,” Jace says slowly. “I didn’t realize you were so willing to break the rules. Maybe the next time you have a slow day we could make some footage of our own to erase.”
Andrew pretends to consider that for a moment. “I could definitely be persuaded,” he agrees finally. “In fact, I think today is shaping up to be pretty uneventful.” After a few quick keystrokes Andrew glances up, Jace following his gaze to watch the red light on the camera in the corner of the room blink off.
The moment it does Jace moves to back Andrew against the nearest wall, both laughing into the kiss as every step Jace takes jingles around them.
Please tell me more about Andrew/Jace and why they'd be great together, I'm intrigued 👀
AHH, THANK YOU FOR ASKING.
See, I take Jace as someone that’s very confident with women but the moment he tries something with a man, he loses all of that. He’s embarrassed. He has no clue what he’s doing and I also take Andrew as someone thats not cocky but very confident with what he wants and what he’s offering. I see him as someone that isn’t too embarrassed to ask people out, even if he’s expecting to get turned down.
And I think that’s exactly the kind of person bi-curious Jace would need to meet to make him finally explore that curious side. He’d need someone that’s blunt and willing to make a move because he’s not going to.
I also just think their personalities would mesh really well together. Jace’s chaotic nature with Andrew’s rational ‘Head of Security’ thinking. I don’t think Andrew is quite as uptight as Alec is but I think he has a solid head on his shoulders and is pretty responsible. I think that would work so well with Jace because he needs someone to stop him sometimes but he also needs someone to indulge him.
(Also, I wrote a fic about them here and I didn’t even quite ship them until I got to the end and realized how good they worked. This soft fic made me ship them even more too.)
In conclusion, I wrote them on a whim one day but they’re good together.
