A/N: I owe a ton of gratitude to LilithRisen for being an amazing beta and making this story a billion times better for all of you. I almost wish I could share what it was originally just so you could truly appreciate how much she improved it with her editing. If you haven't already checked out her stories on here - go do that right after reading this! You won't regret it! :)

Disclaimer: This probably isn't necessary, but to be clear: I do not own anything in relation to TMI/the characters in this fanfiction. only thing that's mine is the (rather unoriginal) plot.

Clary applied one more coat of lipstick before looking over her reflection for any flaws and deemed herself "ready" for the party. Her tight, gray sweater dress could have almost passed for modest with its long sleeves and high neckline. That is, if she didn't turn around to reveal the deep plunge displaying all of her back and the short hemline that just barely managed to cover her butt.

Winter break had started off great. Started.

The first 2 weeks, Clary genuinely enjoyed being back home with her family. She had really missed her parents, and even her older brother who she had never quite bonded with growing up; a 3 year age gap and vastly different interests contributed to their lack of closeness. It seemed, however, once the holidays passed, so had the novelty of being back under her parents roof and, specifically, she was over having to follow their rules.

Clary had been greatly enjoying her freshman year of college and all of the freedom it provided, with looser class schedules, and a different party every night that the sorority she had pledged to seemed to offer. Being expected to play the role of the 'good girl' her parents had viewed her as - and that she had mostly been - all through high school was starting to chafe at her and she was itching for some relief.

Clary had been sitting through another family dinner, that her brother was somehow excused from, when Maia Roberts had texted her that there was a party at her new boyfriend's house - some guy named Bat. She didn't think twice about messaging her friend back for the address, waiting for her parents to retire for the evening so that she could get ready without fear of one of them questioning her attire, and making sure she had enough money for an Uber. She grabbed her strappy heels in her hand, deciding it would be safer to put them on once she got outside rather than risk anyone hearing the click-clack of them against the hardwood floors. Cracking her door open just slightly, she made sure the light wasn't on in her parents room and that no one was in the hall.

Seeing the coast was clear, a satisfied cat-like smile spread on her face as she softly closed her door shut behind her and tiptoed over to the staircase. With one more glance over her shoulder, she descended the stairs as quietly as possible, glad for the carpet running the length of them that helped soften the sound of her steps.

When she reached the bottom, the hardwood floor felt especially cold against her bare feet, but she only had to make it down the hall to the kitchen. There she would be able to slip out the back door to the yard that was out of view from her parents bedroom window, go to the neighboring street to get an Uber, and she would be in the clear. Clary concentrated on her steps, watching her feet carefully as she walked, toe heel, toe heel, as lightly as possible, knowing that the old, wood floor was creaky in some spots.

Her hair fell down around her face in a waterfall of wild, red curls, creating a sort of curtain from the outside world. She concentrated on her stride, quickening her pace. This tunnel vision would prove her downfall, as a moment later, she was colliding into a wall and losing her balance, beginning to topple backward into the still quiet ground. Clary dreaded the thump she would make, screwing her eyes shut, placing her hands behind her in an attempt to break her fall, and hoping that her parents wouldn't hear and come investigate.

However, much to her surprise, the thump never came as two warm, strong hands gripped her by the hips and pulled her back upright.

Not a wall, then. A person. Clary glanced up, expecting to see her brother, and wondering if she would be able to convince him not to rat her out. She was surprised when her gaze instead met the honey-colored eyes of one Jace Herondale.

The blonde had been her brother's best friend all through high school. Clary had seen him around occasionally, but not all that often as he was a senior when she was a freshman, and she rarely attended any of her brother's sporting events. She didn't know that they had kept in touch through college, but then again, she never asked or paid much attention to anything going on in Jonathan's life. Clary didn't know where Jace stood on his friend's little sister sneaking out in the middle of the night to go to a party, but she was hoping even though Jon had always been somewhat overprotective of her, that this attitude wouldn't extend to his friends.

Clary stared up at him with wide eyes, knowing that she had the whole "doe-eyed" look going for her and hoping that the innocence she knew she projected when she didn't have on dark, red lipstick, and a dress short enough to be a shirt on some people, would come through to help her out here.

Jace hadn't released his hold on her hips and his smirk indicated that he wasn't buying her whole innocent facade. Clary's breath caught at the way his eyes scanned down her body, taking his time as they moved from the neckline that didn't give much away, but did hug tightly to her delicate curves, down to her flat stomach, to the gentle rounding of her hips, all the way down to her pale legs and small, bare feet.

When he was done with this perusal, his eyes snapped back up to meet her own and she fought to hold the gaze without blushing, still feeling tingly over the way he had lingered over certain parts of her body and somewhat surprised at just how good looking he was up close like this. Clary averted her eyes, worrying her bottom lip.

"Going somewhere, little Morgenstern?" He asked lowly, his tone implying that he knew the answer wasn't one she was going to willingly give.

Clary swallowed, her throat feeling dry at the sound of his gravelly voice, but answered in a quiet, steady tone, "Just out for some air." She punctuated this with what she hoped was a rather nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, as if people frequently crept through their homes at midnight to just go out the back door for fresh air.

Jace's eyes seemed to dance with laughter as his smirk grew. "Do you frequently bring high heels with you when you 'get some air'?" He questioned, looking pointedly at the strappy pumps Clary had forgotten were still dangling from her fingertips.

Clary knew she was caught, but was unwilling to concede just yet, so she smiled up at him prettily. "I find the higher altitude helps provide fresher air," she stated in a very matter-of-fact sort of tone.

Jace's smirk morphed into a genuine smile. If Clary had thought he was handsome before, this smile made him completely gorgeous. "I see," he nodded, playing along, "Well, why don't I come with you, then? If you think the air quality improves with those heels, I bet I could boost you onto my shoulders for a bit to get some of the best air you've ever had."

Clary knew she had lost the battle not to blush now, as she was picturing her legs wrapped around his shoulders for an entirely different reason, and she hoped Maia could come through with some hot guys at this party, because Jace Herondale was seriously tying her into some knots and she was going to need to find some relief ASAP.

She cleared her throat, "Oh, that's okay. I wouldn't want to trouble you!"

Jace seemed to be trying to suppress laughter at this point, his lip twitching, "No trouble at all. Only the best air will do for my best friend's baby sister."

"I heard the air thins if you go too high," she tried. If she was going down, she was going down swinging. "And I'm not a baby."

Jace let out a small laugh this time and Clary stiffened, hoping her parents didn't hear. "Pretty sure you're not going to reach 18,000 feet on my shoulders, Kitten."

"Better safe than sorry?" Clary knew she was in trouble when her voice squeaked slightly saying this. She noticed his proximity then, the way her chest lightly brushed against his as she took puffs of cool air into her lungs.

Jace tsked, clicking his tongue, and stepped aside, finally releasing her hips and gesturing with his hand for her to lead the way. Clary shook her head in defeat before lifting her chin and squaring her shoulders. If she had to lose, she would lose with whatever was left of her dignity. She heard his sharp intake of breath as she walked past him and guessed that he had noticed the back of her dress, or rather the lack of one. Clary smirked to herself.

Maybe if she couldn't get to that party to make out with a hot guy, she could make do with the one that was already here. She tried not to giggle at the thought.

Clary strode confidently into the kitchen, feeling Jace following closely behind her, though she didn't turn around as she quietly opened the door to the outside. Hearing him close it behind them. Clary almost hissed as the wind licked across her flushed skin. She made her way over to the small bench on the porch, opting to sit on the back with her still bare feet on the seat of it. She decided not to bother with shoes at this point, dropping them unceremoniously on the ground next to the bench she had climbed up on.

The night air was chilly, but not as cold as you would expect in January. Still, it was enough for goosebumps to rise on her bare legs and she had to fight a bit against the urge to shiver. At least it was a clear night, the stars shining brightly, the moon nearly full. Clary felt Jace looking at her as she looked up at the stars and after a moment, she turned her head to look at him and was surprised at what she saw.

For the first time she could remember, Jace Herondale had a shy, hesitant look on his face. Something about his uncertainty seemed to boost her own confidence and Clary gave him what she hoped was a sultry look before asking softly, "You going to join me?"

She watched his eyes run over her bare legs shining in the moonlight, glance up to her face, and then focus on her legs once more before he nodded, making his way over to her slowly. Jace stopped just in front of her, seemed to consider their positions for a moment, and then sat, properly, on the bench next to her legs.

Clary smiled to herself, "Didn't want to join me up here?" She questioned tilting her head slightly which allowed her hair to fall to one side, trailing down her arm past her elbow.

Jace turned his head to look up at her, a playful look on his face. "I thought it would be easier for you to get on my shoulders from here," he said, winking.

Clary laughed, thinking she must have misread his expression before. Jace Herondale clearly didn't do shy.

She scooched over slightly, closing the inch of space that had been between them and thought how to best swing her leg over his shoulders in her short dress if they were really going through with this. After some debate, she decided that she would just have to slide up the hemline for a moment to allow her the mobility to get seated and then she could slip it back into place once her leg was around his head.

Clary did just that, laughing through it, but managing to end up settled with her legs on either side of Jace's shoulders. She let out a short yelp of surprise and dug her hands into his incredibly soft curls for balance when Jace wrapped his hands around her legs and stood so she was seated fully on his shoulders.

She must have pulled a little harder than she thought, because he let out a hushed and indignant shout of his own, "Careful up there, Kitten. That's my hair, not bike handles."

Clary dropped a kissed to the top of his head, mumbling, "Sorry," into the blonde locks. His grip on her legs tightened slightly, before relaxing once more, thumbs caressing back and forth across her calves. Clary closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of him underneath her, feeling his warm fingers drawing mindless circles against her and warming her in the cool air. Clary took a few deep, relaxing breaths.

She opened her eyes at just the right time to spot a shooting star sail across the sky. "Jace," she said and gestured excitedly, desperate to draw Jace's attention to the phenomenon that she hadn't seen since she was a child. It was, of course, too late as the spectacle was much shorter than she had recalled it being. Unfortunately, in her excitement, waving her arms had unbalanced her precarious perch on Jace's shoulders and she began to fall backwards, her legs slipping through his grasp too rapidly for him to recover her.

In an attempt to save her from cracking her skull open, Jace had made a split second decision to completely let go of her legs and turned to try to grab her around the waist. While he did manage to get a decent hold on her waist, the momentum proved too much for him to stop and they ended up tumbling to the ground together, Clary's left leg tangling with his right during their fall, her right elbow hitting the ground sharply.

"Ouch," she drawled.

Jace groaned in pain beside her. "Jesus Kitten, I forgot what a klutz you are," he bemoaned, rubbing his sore hip.

Clary scoffed and turned to face him, the cold, dead grass crunching beneath her. "Well, excuse me for wanting to alert you to the beauty of the galaxy!"

Jace rolled his eyes and turned his head toward her. "Maybe the air really was thinner up there," he teased lightly.

A small smile graced her lips at this and she saw his gaze flicker toward them when she lightly bit at her bottom lip in an attempt to hold in a giggle. Her eyes jumped to his mouth in turn, wandering to the slight stubble that had formed on his face over the day and she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him with the coarse texture contrasting with what she assumed would be the soft, pillowy feeling of his lips.

Jace cleared his throat, drawing her out of her reverie. "Where were you really going tonight?" He asked, his tone betraying nothing other than a mild curiosity.

Clary looked over his shoulder at a firefly flickering in the air behind him, but figured there was no harm in being honest now. "To a party," she said, and he just nodded as if she was confirming his suspicions, which she supposed with her attire, it really wasn't that surprising. "What were you doing here this late?" She questioned.

He reached over, pushing a strand of hair off of her forehead, twirling the curl gently around his fingers and unraveling it, only to start the motion again, as he answered, "Jon forgot his phone. He asked me to grab it before meeting up with him since I was passing the house anyway."

"Oh," Clary said, a little surprised at this, but she supposed that he really would have no other reason for being at her house without her brother there. A light breeze picked up, chilling her, inducing a shiver from her. Jace released the curl and pressed a large, warm hand to her exposed back.

"Do you want to go back inside?" He asked, his hand rubbing up and down her back gently, causing a burning feeling that left a buzz of electricity on her skin.

"No," she said, pressing a little closer and smiling up at him.

"Do you want to go to that party, now?" He whispered, his hand dipping to the small of her back, low enough that his fingers skimmed where the fabric began again, just above her butt.

"No," she repeated, shaking her head slightly. His auric eyes following the tedious curls as they fell around her face and tumbled as she moved.

Jace smiled, "Good."

Clary barely had a moment to appreciate the way his voice turned husky with that one word, because then he was pressing his lips to hers. The feeling of his stubble pricking her skin slightly in contract to the cushiony press of his lips to hers was even better than she imagined, the butterflies in her stomach that his proximity had created going wild with the contact. His hands tangled in her hair and pulled her closer.

She definitely no longer cared about making that party. Distantly, Clary thought she heard the creaking floorboards from her house shift under someone's weight.

A/N: I know, I know - another fluff piece from me! Who's shocked? No one? Sounds about right lol.
If you're here because you know me from 5B - no worries, that will be up on time this weekend and I'll probably be sending out previews tomorrow. If you're not here from 5B & you enjoyed this bit of fluff, then go check out my multi-chaptered fluff piece that updates every Sunday! ;)

Also, VOTE IN THE POLL IN MY PROFILE! I'll probably just keep writing all of the things, but it's nice to know what people would like to see next. :)