Red Tape

Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMI or any of its characters; all credit goes to the amazing Cassie Clare. (Also I may have borrowed a line or two eheh)

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A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to my first TMI fanfic, yay~ So this is semi AU, it's set in the shadowhunter world but Clary is still finishing off high school. I'm not sure where it fits exactly in the TMI timeline, but let's just say it's sometime after either COG or COHF – your choice, it doesn't really make a difference. And, uh, yeah...I'll stop blabbering now, so happy reading!

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"Hey, Clary."

Clary turned, and almost smacked her face into the chest of one of the many banes of her existence – Aden Forrester, also known as the school's resident playboy and flirt.

Unfortunately for her, she was his new 'conquest' for the month, and unfortunately for him, she was his biggest challenge.

Which was why the asshole just wouldn't leave her alone.

Slamming her locker door shut, Clary snapped a brief "piss off" in his general direction and prepared to take her leave when Aden suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around so she faced him.

"Jesus, don't be such a drama queen." He rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to invite you to my party this Sunday."

Clary glowered. "Not interested."

"Come on, just think about it," he insisted. "It's gonna be huge. You're gonna miss out on so much if you don't come."

"Not interested," Clary repeated, more forcefully this time. She was about to turn around and stalk off when he grabbed her again and pushed a piece of paper into her hand.

"Details are all on there," he said, winking. "You'll come. No girl can resist."

Clary stopped in her tracks. Before she could punch him for making such a ridiculous assumption, he was already gone.

She groaned.

What part of 'not interested' did the guy not understand?

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"So, how was school?" Jace asked as she climbed onto his motorcycle and wrapped her arms around his waist. He peeled out of the parking lot slowly, taking care to not surprise his passenger too much – he'd gone deaf multiple times as a result. Lesson learned.

Clary's tone was casual; almost too casual. "Fine. Boring, as usual."

Jace didn't believe her for an instant. He said, "Really."

"Just, you know…assholes." Clary waved her hand dismissively, but Jace wasn't having any of it.

"What did the fucker do?" he growled.

Clary started drawing slow circles over his stomach with her finger. "Nothing. He just said some stuff, that's all."

Jace relaxed, then tensed. "Clary…"

"It's nothing!" she protested. "Really. I can handle it."

The motorcycle jerked to a stop as Jace pulled up in front of her house. He helped her down before hopping off himself, and when both of their feet were planted on the floor, he pulled her into his arms. "You can tell me anything, you know."

Clary smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head up for a kiss. "I know."

Jace grinned, sliding his arms down so they were locked around her waist. He hooked his fingers into the back pocket of her jeans…and startled when he touched paper. He pulled it out, frowning. "What's this?"

Realisation dawned on Clary. "Oh. Um, uh, that's…" She trailed off awkwardly.

"This looks like an address," Jace said, scrutinising the paper. "'7pm. See you there. Kisses and hugs?'" His brow furrowed. "You're not cheating on me, are you?"

"No, of course not!" Clary retorted indignantly. "I would never. It's just…ugh." She sighed. "It's that asshole I was talking about. He's been trying to get me to go on a date with him for like, the past two weeks. Now he wants me to go to his stupid party."

Jace narrowed his eyes, the gold in his irises darkening to an almost black. "You're not going."

"I told him I wasn't interested," Clary muttered. "But I'm afraid he won't take no for an answer."

"He will by the time I'm done with him." Jace cracked his knuckles, looking ready to kill. She would never admit it out loud, but the protective side of him was kind of endearing.

Not to mention hot. Very, very hot.

"He's an idiot," Clary said, "but he doesn't deserve a black eye."

"Still," Jace said stubbornly, "I'm not going to let him go around hitting on my girlfriend. He needs to be taught a lesson."

Clary's heart did the same little flutter it always did when he called her his girlfriend. She smiled up at him. "That's sweet, but I don't need you getting arrested because of me."

"Psh." Jace snorted. "As if the cops can handle me."

Clary rolled her eyes. "You're so full of yourself."

"And you love me for it." Jace winked and pressed a kiss to her lips.

She smacked him, but he only laughed. "There has to be some other way to get him to leave me alone…if I could just prove that I had a boyfriend… " She brightened suddenly. "I know. Why don't you come to the party with me? He never said I couldn't bring a date." She grinned, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Jace, however, looked horrified. "Me, go to a mundane party?" He shook his head. "I know I said I'd do anything for you, and that's true…but there are certain limits. I'd rather be locked in a room full of ducks."

Clary eyed him skeptically. "Really?"

"Okay, maybe not ducks," Jace relented. "But still. That's a no."

Clary widened her eyes, pulling her lips into a pout. "Please?"

Jace faltered. "No."

"Come on, Jace," she persisted. "This may be my one and only chance to get rid of him. You can just pretend we're going to Pandemonium. Minus the demons."

"I'd rather just beat him up," Jace sulked, but she could tell his resolve was weakening.

Just one more push…

"Um…you get to see me in a dress?"

"Babe, I can see you in a dress anytime." His cocky smile was back.

"The really lacy one," she added. "The one that Izzy bought me and I refused to wear."

Jace groaned. "You are so not fair."

Clary smiled triumphantly. "It's a good deal, if you think about it. You get to see me in a dress, you get to tell the douchebag to back off and you get a huge ego boost from all the girls that will be drooling over you."

Jace grinned and pulled her into his arms again. "You're right. It does actually sound like a good deal."

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"What? Wait, wait a second. You're going to that asshat prince's party?!" Simon's voice exploded through the phone, almost bursting her eardrums. "Are you insane?!"

Clary rolled her eyes, even though she knew Simon couldn't see her. She casually twirled the phone cord around her finger. "Calm your tits. I'm going with Jace."

"You're going with – " He sucked in a breath. "Oh, boy."

"You should come too," Clary said. "You could bring Izzy."

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm going to have to decline. We've got a date planned for Sunday."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. You're busy." Clary smirked.

Simon, ignoring her jibe, helpfully reminded her, "You know the girls are going to be all over him." He shuddered. "Ugh, gross. I can't believe I just said that."

"Yeah, I know," Clary sighed. "What can I say? The pains of having a hot boyfriend."

"You shouldn't worry," Simon replied automatically. "Jace is head over heels in love with you."

Clary smiled, her heart doing the fluttery thing again. "I know."

She could tell without looking that Simon was rolling his eyes. "Lovebirds," he muttered to himself, like he hadn't meant for her to hear it. He cleared his throat. "Look, I gotta go. Talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Si, bye."

Clary hung up and, after a moment of hesitation, dialled Izzy's number.

She had, after all, promised Jace that she would wear the dress.

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Sunday

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Jace and Simon stood side by side in an awkward silence.

Simon said, "I thought you said you hated mundane parties?"

Jace shrugged. "I do."

"So why are you here?"

"That hurts," Jace said, feigning a wounded expression. "I thought you wanted me here. I mean, who wouldn't?"

Simon rolled his eyes. "I don't know what Clary sees in you."

"Are you kidding? What about my charming smile? My devilishly good looks? My – "

"Oh my God, stop." Simon interrupted him before his ego exploded. "Haven't you heard that modesty is an attractive trait?"

"Clary said that to me once," Jace mused thoughtfully. "I told her it only applies to ugly people."

Simon rolled his eyes again, but before he could reply the sound of footsteps and voices approached the door.

"Izzy, isn't this a bit over the top – "

"Nonsense," came Isabelle's firm reply.

The door swung open, and Jace felt his jaw drop at the sight of Clary's tight, black dress and creamy, exposed skin; her glowing green eyes and the long red curls that cascaded down her back, and her lips – pink, soft and slightly parted, he wanted to take those lips and kiss her until they were both gasping for breath –

"Like what you see?" Clary's voice was teasing, but her cheeks had turned a flattering shade of pink.

Jace cleared his throat, which suddenly felt very dry. "You're so beautiful," he murmured, and he brushed his lips softly against hers, smiling when the blush on her cheeks deepened and spread down her neck.

Clary gave his black dress shirt and jeans an appreciative look, "You don't look too bad yourself." She smirked before tugging him down for another kiss, and he leaned into her, pushing her back against the wall; their bodies fitting perfectly together like two matching puzzle pieces. His hand moved from her hair to her shoulder, to the thin strap of her dress, until –

"Get a room, guys." Isabelle made an exaggerated gagging sound.

"Oh, please. Like you and Simon don't PDA in front of me," Clary shot back, making Simon blush furiously.

Jace laughed and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before leading her towards the door.

The sooner they got this party over and done with, the sooner they would be alone.

He couldn't wait.

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Half an hour later, they stood in front of a huge Georgian style mansion.

This kid is freaking rich, Jace thought idly as he and Clary trudged past the enormous lawn and circular driveway. He eyed the mundies that littered the lawn with disdain. Their world was black and white, right or wrong. They were so blissfully ignorant, it got on his nerves.

Beside him, Clary squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Think of Pandemonium," she suggested.

Jace rolled his eyes. "The only reason I put up with Pandemonium is because I get to kill demons."

"You met me," Clary pointed out, and Jace smiled softly; a genuine smile only she got to see.

"There's that too."

They were almost at the entrance now, and the doorway was so packed Jace had to push people out of the way to get them through. He tucked Clary close to his side. "Stick close to me."

Clary nodded, letting his arm stay securely around her shoulder. They made their way down the corridor, attracting more than a few stares. Clary could hear the whispers:

"Isn't that the nerd, Clary Fray?"

"What's she doing here?"

"She looks kinda different today. Pretty, even."

"Who's the hottie with her?"

"Ignore them," Jace whispered, but Clary only smiled. After what she had been through, the gossip and whispering hardly affected her anymore. She had demons chasing after her, for God's sake; a couple of insults couldn't hurt her.

Jace gestured to the mob of people in front of them. "Wanna dance?"

Clary gave him a questioning look.

"It's a party," Jace said, shrugging. "We might as well try to enjoy ourselves." He added, "Even if the music is crap."

Clary laughed and took his outstretched hand, letting him lead her onto the makeshift dance floor. She grinned to herself, seeing the jealous stares she received from the other girls in the room.

Jace, noticing her grin, raised an eyebrow. "I'm starting to think you brought me here to show me off."

Clary's grin widened. "What makes you think that?"

Jace started swaying them to the beat of the music. Lowering his voice, he leaned down so his mouth touched her ear. "I don't mind."

Clary flushed. "Well, who can blame me? Girls like me don't have hot and badass boyfriends. It's like the number one rule in the social hierarchy."

Jace grinned, flashing her a view of his chipped incisor – a flaw to his face that only seemed to add to the adorableness factor.

"I never cared much for rules."

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No signs of Aden, and no signs of queen of bitches Rachel Lambert and her Barbie doll clique.

So far, so good.

Clary pulled back from Jace for a moment to stretch out her sore limbs. They had been dancing for quite a while, and she was getting tired.

Jace, as usual, noticed straight away. "You okay? Want a drink?"

Clary nodded, "Actually, that would be great."

They made their way towards the refreshments table, where there was a huge punch bowl, as well as plates of chips and sandwiches.

Jace poured them each a glass of punch. He eyed the red liquid suspiciously. "Is this spiked?"

"It's punch." Clary downed her glass in one go. "Try it."

Jace sniffed it. "It smells weird."

Clary giggled at his rare display of childishness. "It's not going to kill you, Jace."

Gingerly, Jace took a small sip of the drink. He wrinkled his nose, "I think it's spiked."

He drank the rest of his glass anyway.

"See? It's good." Clary grinned. "The guy may be a complete asstard, but he does know his drinks."

Jace's mouth dropped open in mock surprise. "Did you just compliment someone other than me?"

Clary rolled her eyes. "I compliment Simon more than I compliment you."

"Really?" Jace smirked. "Because I could have sworn you called me 'hot' and 'badass' just a while ago."

"That was your ego talking."

Good save, Clary.

Jace chuckled, leaning in to kiss her nose. "You're adorable."

Clary felt warmth spread into her cheeks, and she mentally cursed her pale skin for making her blush so visible.

"Don't hide," Jace chided, prying her hands away from her face. "I think it's cute when you blush."

"Yeah, well, it's embarrassing," Clary mumbled. She may have lost some of her self-consciousness, but that didn't mean she didn't have her doubts. Especially when her boyfriend was, as Jace liked to put it, 'stunningly attractive'.

"You're really going to make me give you the 'you're beautiful' speech again? I thought you would've been sick of those by now."

Clary smiled. "Never."

Jace cupped her cheek; looked straight into her eyes. "You're beautiful. You're strong. You're brave. You're amazing and perfect in every way possible, and I love you; everything about you. Your stubbornness, your recklessness – I wouldn't want to change any of it, ever. I care about you more than anything else in the world." He traced his finger over her cheekbone, "I love you, Clary."

Clary stared at him, her heart melting at the warmth and love that was reflected in his golden orbs. She stood on her tip toes and looped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his. Vaguely aware of all the eyes on them but not caring the slightest.

A few minutes later, she forced herself to pull away. "I love you too," she said, horribly aware of the slight breathlessness of her voice, "But I need the bathroom."

Jace groaned, his grip around her waist tightening. "Torture me, will you?"

Clary smirked and placed quick kiss on his cheek before darting out of his grasp. "I'll be right back."

Jace watched his girlfriend walk away.

Clary might think she was unattractive, but judging from some of the stares she got from the other males in the room, she most definitely was not. She wasn't like other girls; the girls who had caked up faces and plastic boobs. She was real, and the pureness about her, the innocent beauty, was what drew attention to her.

She sent him a wink just as the door to the ladies' bathroom closed behind her.

"Tease," he muttered.

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After relieving her bladder and taming her scarecrow's nest of hair, Clary exited the bathroom and automatically scanned the room for Jace. She spotted him easily; his golden hair and tall, muscular build separated him from the crowd immediately, even from the back.

She was just about to join him when bane of her existence no. 2 approached him with her groupies.

Clary eyed Rachel's bleached blonde hair, fake tan and the scrap of fabric she wore and called a dress.

How could anyone find that appealing?

Rachel leaned forwards so her cleavage was on full display, batting her freaky long eyelashes flirtatiously. Clary couldn't hear exactly what she was saying, but it was didn't take rocket science to figure it out.

Before she could stroll in and show the bitch a piece of her mind, however, she was stopped by an obnoxious and regrettably, all too familiar voice.

"Well, well, well…" Aden stood in front of her, his face arranged into his usual cocky smirk. "I told you that you'd come."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Surprise."

Aden's eyes dropped from her face to her body, lingering inappropriately long on her chest area. He grinned. "You look nice, Clary. Different."

"So I've been told," Clary scoffed. "Now, if you're done paying me compliments, can you leave me alone?"

Aden grinned. "Why would I do that, now that you're here?"

Oh, please kill me now.

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Jace had never felt so disinterested in a conversation in his life, and since he'd met his fair share of boring people in seventeen years, that was really saying something.

The girl was hot, sure – someone the old him might have gone for, but ever since he met Clary, every other girl he came across just paled in comparison.

Clary.

Just the thought of her name made his mind wander again, and he found himself looking towards the ladies' bathroom for the millionth time.

And she was there, talking to a dark haired bastard.

Well, he wouldn't really count it as talking.

She was backing away from the guy, obviously trying to tell him to piss off. When he got too close, she lifted her leg and kneed him in the groin.

Jace grinned. That's my girl.

The girl, thinking he was grinning at her, obviously took this as a 'let's hook up' sign, because the next thing she said was, "You and me, dinner, tomorrow night?" She gave him a flirty smile. "We can even catch a movie."

Jace was about to reject her not-so-politely when she saw the guy reach out and grab Clary by the wrist.

Oh. Hell. No.

He did not just put his filthy hands on her.

Jace was at her side in less than a second, and Clary watched, stunned, as Aden was yanked away from her and thrown to the floor. Jace's beautiful, angular features were set in a murderous glare, and while he did look intimidating, she thought she had never seen anything more beautiful.

"Don't. Touch. Her." Jace accentuated each word with a kick."Don't look at her, don't talk to her. Don't come within a fucking two metre radius of her." He held up the boy by his throat. "If you do, I will know, and you will die a slow, tortuous death. Are we clear?"

Aden nodded, his face contorted with pain, and Jace dropped him with disgust. He strode towards Clary and took her arm, gently rubbing the darkening bruise on the delicate skin of her wrist with his thumb. "Are you okay?"

Clary, still in shock, nodded numbly.

Not for the first time, she was amazed how Jace, a fierce and deadly warrior who could easily take out a bunch of demons by himself, who could beat up a boy the size of Aden without breaking a sweat, could be so tender and so gentle when he was with her. Touched by his protectiveness, Clary wound her arms around his neck, and, as his mouth found her own, his lips parting to taste hers, opened her mouth to him, biting gently at his bottom lip.

Jace groaned low into her mouth, and suddenly, she was being lifted into his arms and carried towards the door. The last thing she heard before she completely abandoned herself in Jace's kisses was Rachel's outraged scream, "That bitch!"

Oh, well. She could worry about that another time.

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Fin.

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A/N: ...Meh. Not my best piece of writing - for one thing, it's not very original, and I feel like the transitioning between different scenes and POVS was kind of awkward...but hey, I tried. If you liked it, please review! Constructive criticism is welcome, but don't send hate. I'm aware my writing isn't close to perfect.