Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to the book series The Mortal Instruments, nor do I own the rights to the TV show Shadowhunters. All I own is my imagination and the laptop I wrote this on.

A/N: I am still thoroughly obsessed with Shadowhunters and the Alec/Clary pairing, even though it is an unconventional one, seeing as how Alec is a gay character. I am choosing, not to ignore it, but to portray him as being more bisexual and unsure of who he is and likes. I hope I still manage to keep him as in character as possible. The chemistry between the actors portraying Alec and Clary is there on screen, so I hope that there are more of you out there who are shipping this pairing. :) Please let me know what you think afterwards and please direct me to more Alec/Clary stories, fi you know of them.

An Exploration

"…and there are secrets that no one knows…"

Clary looked up from her spot on one of the mats in the Institute's training room. She was on the sidelines, watching Jace and Alec 'play fight', as Isabelle had referred to it when passing on a message from Maryse Lightwood herself. Clary was to observe first before partaking herself, which had frustrated her because how would she be able to learn anything if she couldn't so much as touch one of the many weapons on display throughout.

Although she had to admit that she had been able to find the silver lining: two half naked men in front of her flexing their muscles and grunting. Surprisingly, Alec mostly had the upper hand due to Jace's innate desire to show off. The dominance and arrogance did make for a nice picture, even though Clary couldn't help but steal glances at Alec at times as well. The reclusiveness and alertness were intriguing to her. It fit the light in his eyes and dark locks that were almost too long in their unruliness.

It was a visually pleasing contrast to Jace's lighter tones.

She attempted to capture it in one single shot, putting down the lines quickly before taking the time shading. Dark smudges stained her fingertips as she retreated into herself and chose not to see anything but the page in front of her.

It wasn't long until Jace put away his sword, leaving Alec to his own devices. He leaned over Clary, the shadow he cast over the unfinished drawing cause enough for a frown to form on her brow.

"Is that supposed to be Alec?"

"It's not finished yet," she calmly let him know.

"I prefer the ones you do of me."

"You assume I do of you," Clary cleverly pointed out, although she kept her tone light to indicate to him that she had caught his joke. "I thought I'd try something new. Change it up."

"You know you're here to observe us, how we handle the different weapons and whatnot."

She looked up at Jace, noticing his annoyance. "I'll never be as good as you, you know that right? No matter how much I watch," she finished, knowingly having stroked his ego, although there was also some truth to her words. She dropped her gaze back down to her sketch. "It's a lot," she tried to explain to him. "This keeps me… calm, and grounded."

Jace nodded, eyeing the redhead at his feet for a little longer than she saw. "I'll leave you to it then. I need a shower anyway. Alec'll watch over you." He nodded at his parabatai before exiting the room.

"Like I need a babysitter inside this fortress," Clary mumbled to herself while coloring in a space before using her fingers to smudge it to a slightly lighter shade.

She heard Alec walk over to where she was sitting. She didn't look up, not even when he lowered himself down onto his haunches right beside her, despite the fact that she was hyper aware of his proximity to her at that moment. He took a second to take in the drawing of himself. "That's me."

Clary touched her forearm to her forehead to wipe a few stray strands from her face and nodded. "Do you like it?"

"Does it matter?"

She shrugged. "Guess not. I like it."

"You're good at this," Alec complimented and taking her off guard.

"It's sort of my thing. I was going to go to school for it. Not anymore. Obviously. Saving the world - worlds," she rephrased, "trumps art school."

"Art is better practiced instead of theorized about."

The comment offered her some relief, making the sting of the life that she would have had less harsh. "You're good at that." Clary nodded at the mat in front of them, repaying his compliment with one of her own.

"We have to be," Alec answered with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. " You know you'll have to learn."

She let out a sigh, temporarily dropping the pencil from her hand. "I won't catch up."

"Not if you give up before you even begin," he argued.

"Will you do it?" She looked at him, meeting his eyes as she went on to explain where she was coming from. "Jace will want to show off, show me how much he knows instead of focusing on helping me. I know he means well, but I'm just being honest," she quickly added, although the faint smirk on Alec's face indicated that he would be keeping her comment between the two of them. It lightened up his broody demeanor, the accompanying twinkle in his eyes affecting her from the inside out. He was on his feet in less than a second, holding out his hand. His grip was firm and safe as he pulled her up while his touch elicited yet another new sensation. It came unexpectedly as Clary had never spent so much one on one time with the raven haired boy.

Her fingers slid from his more slowly than Alec had intended, but he couldn't deny the urge that he felt arise from within to explore even more, of her. Her skin, her cerise locks. He looked at her from beneath his lashes as Clary quickly tied her hair back into a high ponytail. When she was done, she moved over to him and took on a defensive stance, her feet apart and securely set on the mat while she kept her hands up. Alec mimicked her position and nodded at her before they began their sparring session. He held her eyes with his own the entire time and both of them had trouble admitting to themselves that it was incredibly distracting.

His gaze would wander when her mind would.

He was better than her by far, but Clary appreciated Alec's patience and clarity every time he would pause his own attack and explain to her how she should react and how she should throw the next punch. He would grab her wrist and direct it towards his abdomen or side, showing her exactly what spot to hit. Her fingers would accidentally graze against his skin, but both of them did their best to ignore this bravery on her part, even though the urge to touch her back was almost painful on his part.

She attempted to dodge another one of his attacks, but her mind wasn't on him for the right reasons and he swept her legs from underneath her. Her back hit the mat hard and air left her lungs, but it was mostly because he held out his hand to her and a plan instantly formed. She tugged with all her might, taking him off guard and he fell as well. Of course he was more graceful than she had been and he caught himself with his hands before he allowed all of his body weight to land on top of her. Still, surprising them both, Alec remained in that position, dark locks tumbling over his forehead as he looked down at her.

"I told you I would be bad at this."

"To be fair, you did seem to be… distracted."

Clary bit down on her bottom lip as she traced his features with her eyes. "I think I did a good job of drawing you," she blurted out, her cheeks turning a shade darker when she realized that she had spoken the words out loud. She tried to break eye contact with him, but he wouldn't let her. "I was… distracted," she admitted softly but courageously. Her hand lifted as if she had no control of her motions and her fingertips grazed against his cheekbones.

Both of their breaths hitched at the same time. "What are you doing?" Alec inquired, although he didn't stop her. He couldn't bring himself to touch her, not yet, but he welcomed her boldness.

"Tracing you," she answered honestly and he let her continue her exploration as her fingers dipped to his lips. "I think I got it," she whispered.

"Good," Alec replied, licking his lips as he fought with his body for control.

"Don't do that," Clary told him, the look in her eyes telling him even more.

Still, he asked. "Why?"

Clary opened her mouth, but the words were left unspoken as she heard another pair of footsteps on the mats.

"I leave for a few minutes and you two are at it," Jace remarked as his face appeared above Alec and Clary. He gave Alec's shoulder a friendly push and waited for his friend to get back on his feet before helping up Clary. "Don't worry, you'll get better."

"Yeah, thanks." She directed it towards Jace, although it was Alec's gaze she met over his shoulder. Alec hid a smile as he lowered his head.

There was more there than just a visually pleasing image, otherwise she wouldn't be left feeling breathless and with her fingers aching for more.

Please review? :) I hope you enjoyed reading this and I would appreciate it if you would leave behind some of your thoughts. Thank you!