#every time clary and jace talk i want to rethink my life and the way i spend my time

[lovetaled-a]

been watching shadowhunters and plan on finally reading tmi this year ... which of these insufferable kids is getting added is the question.

[silver-lily-louise]

No Competition - a Shadowhunters fanfic

Summary:  On her bad days, when she's feeling uncharacteristically insecure, Izzy worries about the feelings Simon used to have for Clary. When she confides in Alec, he realises that he and Magnus have never really addressed his childhood crush. Or the small fact that Alec still shares part of his soul with that very person.

A/N: There is NO Jalec in this fic. It’s just Malec having a chill conversation about Alec’s past crush, and Magnus feeling so secure in their marriage that it honestly doesn’t faze him. Please enjoy! <3

Read it on AO3, or below!

~oOo~

Alec’s position as Inquisitor doesn’t often bring him back to New York. It’s a little eerie wandering through the familiar halls, noticing the subtle ways they’ve changed in the months since he was last here. The lights seem a little starker, and the air a little warmer – but then again, perhaps he’s just grown too used to the soft glow of Alicante, and the northern winds that chill the streets of Idris.

The most notable difference is also the most intangible, and it takes him a moment to realise what it is. The wards. He and Magnus celebrated their first anniversary not too long ago, and his husband’s magic is a comforting, familiar hum over most places Alec finds himself these days – his office in Alicante. Their loft. Magnus’ arms at night. The same used to be true of the New York Institute, but in Magnus’ absence, Izzy’s obviously had to call in another warlock to maintain the wards. Most probably Lorenzo, Alec’s brain supplies; though whether that realisation is born of his fleeting familiarity with Lorenzo’s magic, having wielded it in Edom, or whether it’s just sensible to assume the High Warlock of Brooklyn is the one maintaining the wards, Alec isn’t sure.

He pauses a moment, clearing his head, and knocks on the door of an office that was his not so long ago. ‘Come in,’ Izzy calls, and Alec steps inside.

Izzy looks up from her desk with a smile, and stands to wrap Alec in a hug. ‘Hey, you. I wasn’t expecting you so early.’ ‘I thought we could get lunch before the meeting this afternoon. By some miracle, Lydia’s briefing actually ended ahead of schedule,’ he explains. That’s another weird fact of his life, now – his friendship with Lydia, which is warm and light-hearted despite their complex history. Alec often ribs her about the thoroughness of her briefings; she never goes over the allotted time, of course, but she’s infamous for being one of the only people to consistently use it to completion. I’ve found it’s important to take my time and get all the facts straight, she said once, a trace of amusement in her expression. I remember that once, I was at a particularly important political ceremony – and if I’d rushed it? If I’d reached the end before it could be called off? Well, right now I’d be married to someone who was completely wrong for me. I’m actually pretty sure he was gay. Alec had glared at her, trying to stop his traitorous mouth from twitching upwards to return her smirk. (Magnus had made no such effort, chortling in delighted earnest.)

‘How’s Simon?’ Alec remembers to ask, before he can get too lost in his own head again. Which immediately stops being a problem, because Izzy’s hesitation and hastily-covered unease seize all of his attention. ‘He’s good,’ she says, too brightly. ‘Yeah, he’s good.’ ‘Izzy.’ It’s not a question. He raises an eyebrow, in a way that he knows Izzy will correctly interpret as Come on, you’ve gotta know by now that I can see right through you?

Izzy meets his gaze defiantly – Magnus has always insisted that Lightwood stubbornness is genetic, though he admits that wouldn’t explain Jace – but after a few seconds, she sighs in mild defeat. ‘It’s nothing,’ she insists. ‘It’s stupid.’ ‘Maybe it is,’ Alec says with a shrug, ‘but if it’s bothering you…’ He trails off, because despite how far he’s come in terms of healthy communication, he’d still rather leave certain things – such as I’m always here if you need to talk – unsaid, as long as they’re understood.

Izzy’s always understood him better than most. She drops down into a chair, gesturing for Alec to take the one next to it. ‘It’s stupid,’ she says again, ‘and I know it is, because things are going great with Simon. He’s sweet, and kind, and I trust him.’ She’s silent for a moment, and Alec prompts her. ‘But?’ ‘But,’ she sighs, ‘I’ve had a long week, and I’ve barely seen him because he’s helping Clary readjust to the Shadow World. Which is great,’ she adds hurriedly. ‘Obviously, I’m so, so happy she’s back.’ Me too, Alec thinks, because his brain doesn’t have nearly as good a poker face as his demeanour. ‘But she and Simon… I don’t know,’ Isabelle continues, seeming a little frustrated now. ‘I’m not usually like this, and I probably wouldn’t be if I wasn’t so swamped here. But I can’t help thinking… it’s Clary, and Simon was crushing on her for years before I was even in the picture. No matter how good we are together, how can I compete with that kind of bond?’

Alec’s not sure what to say to that, so instead he just stands up, and pulls Izzy into another hug, feeling her lean heavily against him. ‘I could always ask Magnus to threaten him,’ he offers. ‘He thinks the world of you, and after eight centuries to perfect it, I bet he gives an incredible shovel talk.’ Izzy laughs, pulling away, and Alec feels himself smile. Mission accomplished. ‘It’s okay,’ she says. ‘Like I say, I’m just tired, or this wouldn’t even bother me. I trust Simon. And Clary, too.’ She wanders over to the coat rack, draping her jacket around her shoulders. ‘Now, you mentioned buying me lunch?’ Alec frowns. ‘Who said I was buying?’ He shakes his head in mock-disapproval. ‘Honestly, this Institute’s hospitality towards official visitors really has slipped, hasn’t it?’ They bicker like that all the way to the diner. Alec keeps an eye on his sister, pleased to see that she rarely stops smiling the whole time.

***

Alec wants to toss and turn, frustrated with this stupid insomnia, but he doesn’t want to wake Magnus. He sighs, his eyes not so much heavy as stubbornly being refused the luxury of opening again. Izzy’s words have been echoing around his head for hours, ever since he portalled back from New York – and now, lying in the dark without any distraction, they threaten to consume him with worry.

Simon was crushing on her for years before I was even in the picture. No matter how good we are together, how can I compete with that kind of bond? Alec’s hand shifts down to graze absentmindedly against his parabatai rune, and he sighs again.

He didn’t realise it until Izzy confessed her moment of insecurity, but Alec and Magnus have never really talked about Alec’s old crush on Jace. Magnus obviously knows about it – it’s one of the first things Magnus said to him, and it was maybe the first time Alec had ever been told that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Since then, they’ve been through hell together in every figurative and literal way, and throughout it all they’ve had such a whirlwind romance that there’s barely been time to think beyond I love you and I want you and always.

But now, Alec’s thinking that maybe they should have made time for this particular conversation. Though nowhere near as all-consuming as his almost-immediate feelings for Magnus, Alec’s crush on Jace was long-lasting and pretty damn significant throughout his younger years. And yeah, with the benefit of hindsight, he’s fairly certain it wasn’t even about Jace for the most part, besides the initial attraction; it was Alec needing an outlet for all his repression and shame, directing that side of him towards someone who he knew wouldn’t immediately hate him for it. And, if he’s honest, towards someone who he couldn’t have – so that he could hide behind that, instead of risking developing feelings for a more viable option, and then having to face them head-on.

But even if it wasn’t a typical crush, it wasn’t nothing. And Magnus surely has to know that Alec loves him, there’s no way he could think otherwise – but he’s been hurt before, too many times for any mortal to count. What if on the bad days, the ones when even the spark of Magnus’ magic seems to dim a little and the years seem to weigh heavy in his bones, he’s thinking along the same lines as Izzy after a long week? Remembering how Jace’s image appeared in front of Alec when they summoned the memory demon? How a part of his husband’s soul still belongs to a man he had a crush on for about a decade?

Alec resists the urge to sigh again, but Magnus’ breathing hitches anyway, and Alec rethinks – yet again – his semi-serious theory that his husband is at least a little psychic. He watches as Magnus’ face scrunches, his eyes shifting between gold and brown as he blearily blinks them open. ‘Alexander, what’s wrong?’ Alec huffs out a miniscule laugh. ‘Who says anything’s wrong?’ Magnus frowns, gently swatting at him. ‘Try again. Your thoughts are much too loud for everything to be alright.’

Alec swallows, wondering how he should phrase his concern. ‘Does Jace bother you?’ he blurts out, before wrinkling his nose in self-annoyance. Okay, in terms of tone, they’re apparently going for blunt and graceless.

Magnus’ eyes widen in surprise. ‘What?’ he says, a small, incredulous smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. ‘He’s annoying, sure; but he’s your brother, that’s essentially his job. Plus, since we moved, and he doesn’t just… show up at inopportune moments anymore, I’ve grown to like him a lot better. It seems he’s much more palatable in small doses.’ He laughs quietly – but when Alec doesn’t join in, his expression turns a little more serious. ‘Alexander,’ he says earnestly, ‘I knew your mother when she was still a Circle member. Never in a million years did I think that one day I’d be friends with Maryse Lightwood, but here we are. Trust me when I tell you that of my in-laws, your slightly-irritating parabatai is hardly the tallest hurdle to jump.’

Alec just shakes his head. ‘No, it’s not that. It’s not just that he’s annoying, or the, uh… boundary issues,’ he says, ignoring Magnus’ smirk because this is far too serious a conversation for him to use the term cockblock. Alec groans, settling back further into his pillow. He wishes he’d never brought it up, but it’s too late now. ‘I was talking to Izzy, and she was feeling down, because Simon was so busy with Clary that she hadn’t seen him much. And she started talking about how – you know, how he used to feel about her, and the… bond that still exists between them. And I just… I just didn’t want…’

Thankfully, Magnus’ face lights up in understanding, and Alec lets the sentence die unfinished. ‘Ah,’ Magnus says. ‘You’re worried that I may feel the same way?’ ‘Not worried,’ Alec says tiredly, looking up at the ceiling. ‘Just… I know it’s weird. And I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.’

There’s a few beats of silence, and then a hand is gently guiding Alec’s gaze back to his husband, who’s smiling softly. ‘Alexander,’ he murmurs, ‘it’s alright. I promise.’ He presses a chaste kiss to Alec’s lips. Alec’s eyes stay fixed on Magnus’ expression as they part. ‘Yeah?’ Magnus nods, still smiling. ‘Yeah. You’ve accepted my past without quarrel – well,’ he amends, when Alec arches an incredulous eyebrow, ‘with far less quarrel than I’m accustomed to. The point is, we moved past all of that. What kind of hypocrite would I be if I couldn’t get over you having a childhood crush?’

‘But it’s different,’ Alec insists, wishing he could just accept Magnus’ answer at face value and hating that he has to protest. ‘Jace is still in our lives. He’s still a part of me. That doesn’t weird you out?’

Magnus looks away for a moment, and even though he knows an instant platitude wouldn’t be enough, Alec’s heart lurches a little. ‘I’ll admit,’ Magnus says slowly, ‘that I don’t fully understand the emotional ramifications of a parabatai bond. I’m not a Shadowhunter, so it’s likely that I never will.’ He meets Alec’s eyes again. ‘But it doesn’t matter, because I trust you.’

Alec holds his gaze for a moment, a little overwhelmed. Magnus smiles again, more brightly now. ‘Besides,’ he says, shifting gracefully until he’s straddling Alec, hands either side of his head, ‘let’s review, shall we? You left Lydia at the altar. You pissed off Clave officials more times than I can count. You asked Stanley to turn you into a vampire so you could get to Edom; and when you managed to get there anyway, despite that brilliant plan falling through, you told me in no uncertain terms that you would stay there with me. Forever.’

He leans closer, his breath ghosting over Alec’s lips as he chuckles softly. ‘Not to mention, there were all those times you reminded me of that old superstition – how did it go? Ah, yes: Nephilim love once,’ he says, in a poor approximation of Alec’s voice that makes him smile helplessly anyway. Magnus’ smile widens in response, his eyes shining bright and golden. ‘Alexander, I hope you didn’t think you were subtle. Why should I worry about anyone else intruding on this side of your life, when any idiot could see how smitten you are?’

Alec leans up, closing the distance between them with a soft kiss, one full of promise. ‘Well, I guess you’ve found me out,’ he murmurs, a little breathless. ‘So I s’pose there’s no point denying it. I love you.’

Magnus gasps in exaggerated shock. ‘What a coincidence,’ he breathes. ‘I happen to love you too.’

It’s a long time before they get up and start their days, and the last thread of doubt in Alec’s mind settles. After all, it’s hard for anyone to be jealous when you feel like the only two people in the world.

~oOo~

[tella2006]

Magnus Has Had Enough

This has been posted on AO3 already, but I wanted to start posting on here too.

“Magnus, do you have anything to say?” Alec asked, breaking the stunned silence.

Magnus just let out a tired sigh as he sat forward in his seat, placing his elbow on the table and resting him chin on his palm as he stared at the nervously shifting Clary and Jace. He could feel the eyes of the others seated around the table staring him.

They had been in the middle of a Downworlder meeting, listening as the Seelie’s complained about the werewolves who were running freely in their forests with no care to their plants and wild life. Magnus had been trying to calm the argument that had been about to erupt when Alec, Izzy, Jace and Clary stormed into his loft, Clary and Jace demanding that he help them.

The werewolves had not appreciated the Shadowhunter’s interrupting their meeting and had shifted their anger onto the interlopers. Once Magnus had gotten everyone calmed down again, he turned to Alec to explain what had happened. Once his boyfriend had finished explained he had slumped down into his chair and stared at them in stunned silence, even the other Downworlders had just stared at the Shadowhunters in disbelief.

Alec cleared his throat, uncomfortable with all the silence and starring as he turned to his boyfriend and asked, “Magnus, what are you thinking?”

“I think that we really don’t have to worry about Valentine killing us all,” he said voice and face blank as he never took his eyes of Jace and Clary, he saw the smug smile that crawled across Jace’s face and the proud look in Clary’s eyes. He ignored the incredulous looks that the others were shooting him as he stood up, voice hard and cold as he said, “Not when we have Tweedledee and Tweedledum over there going to get us all killed first,”

“Magnus!”

“What Alec!!” he turned to glare at his boyfriend as he snapped, “What? Do you want me to pat them on the back and say well done!” he turned back to Jace and Clary as he continued, “I mean seriously, have the two of you learn nothing over the last year.”

“Magnus, it’s not their f…”

“Really,” Magnus glared at him as he snapped, “Are you really going to stand there and tell me that none of this is their fault!!”

“We didn’t mean… I mean…we didn’t think it…”

“And that’s the problem,” he snarled interrupting Clary, he ignored the shocked look on the girls face as he continued, “You never think. You never think things through, you just go ahead with whatever hairbrained scheme that you’ve thought up, no matter what people tell you, people who do know better.”

“This is not their fault,” Alec defended the stunned pair, “They thought they were helping.”

“This is all their fault!!” he shouted, he took a deep breath to calm his anger as he said in a more controlled voice, “If they had just thought for five goddam minutes then this mess wouldn’t be happening, again.”

“Again, we’ve never…”

“Let lose a greater demon, not just any demon, but a fucking Prince of Hell,” he snorted at them s he added, "No, I agree. you haven't done anything this bad, but at least you're consistent. When you fuck up, you really fuck up, big.

“Look, we thought we were doing the right thing,” Jace snapped defensively, before he glared at Magnus as he said, “Besides, I would think you would be thanking us…”

“Thanking you, thank…are you completely delusional?” Magnus asked completely stunned, “Why on earth would I be thankful for a greater demon running around causing havoc?”

“Cause we thought it would get you your magic back,” Clary cried, arms crossed protectively across her chest.

“Magic that I wouldn’t have lost, if it wasn’t for you two.” He mumbled as he began to pace, he ran a hand through his hair, mind going a mile a minute as he tried to think a way to clean up their mess, again.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jace snarled, taking a threating step towards him, only to stop as Alec reached out and grabbed his arm.

“It means, that if you had talked to us, told us what was happening, none of this would be happening,” he snapped as he turned to face them and taking another deep breath, as he said, oddly calm, “You died and Clary used the wish to bring you back and that is fine, I’m glad your not dead, but if you had told us, I could have checked you over and made sure that you were okay, that nothing went wrong with your resurrection.

“Or how about those dreams. I mean, really, who the hell thinks it’s normal to have the same dream every night of killing the woman he professes to love, over and over again,” he scoffed as he turned to Clary and waved his hands between the two of them and smirked, “Because, honey, if he really thinks that’s normal, you might want to rethink this.

“And don’t even talk to me about the black out or the missing time, because if you had told someone, told Alec, your parabatai, the man you claim is the other have of your soul, but clearly don’t trust or respect, because if you did you would have told him and if you had told him we could have had someone watching you, find out what was happening with your black outs and maybe, just maybe we could have prevented all of this.”

He let out a sad sigh and shook his head before he turned and began to walk towards his bedroom.

“Magnus?” Alec called out to him as he walked away, “Magnus, where are you going?”

Magnus turned back to face them as he let out an exhausted sigh before he said, “I am going to bed. I am going to bed and I am going to pray to a god that I barely believe in, that when I wake up in the morning, all of this,” he waved his hand at the Shadowhunters as he let out a bitter chuckle as he said, “that this is all one big massive nightmare.” He put on a big fake smile and said in false pleasant tone as he finished, “I’m going to bed and pray that when I wake up tomorrow morning it’s twenty years in the past, and when Jocelyn comes knocking on my door, I’m going to tell her to go fuck herself with all the other Nephilim.”

He ignored the devastated look on Alec’s face as he turned and walked into his bedroom slamming the door behind him as leaned against it, before he took a couple of deep breaths to calm his anger and fear, after all his father is free from Edom, and pushed himself off the door and crawled into his bed, pulling the covers over his head and blocking out the world.

[outofcertainty-blog]

the song remains the same

[So. I was taking a break from writing an essay and stumbled across a post from @neonlightwood with Jimon prompts here. My brain then decided I absolutely needed to write the first one. Enjoy?]

Okay, so maybe the day had started off a little weirdly.

Not that Raphael was a big talker, usually preferring to intimidate people by giving them the silent and stony treatment, but the conversation had been a lot quieter than usual. He hadn’t told Simon to shut up more than twice, for one, and he kept staring at him in a way that was starting to make him uncomfortable. It reminded him too much of how they had met, when he was still a mundane, taken captive by Camille. Like prey, his brain helpfully supplied, and thank you so much for that, brain.

It wasn’t until he made his way out that he realized it wasn’t just Raphael, but every other vampire in the premises too. For a moment, he wondered if he had done something to make them really, truly angry but he couldn’t remember anything that would earn him more than a rebuke. His thoughts were interrupted by someone stepping right in front of him, making him stop abruptly, raising both hands in instinct.

“Woah, uh-“

“Hey. You come here often?”

Simon blinked, a little stunned, and looked at the girl. He’d absolutely never seen her before, which only added to the confusion. While he had started getting some attention after being taken under Raphael and Magnus’ wing, it had never been to quite this extreme. Any amount of interest in him was still surprising, as he wasn’t used to it yet – because he was a nerd, yes, thank you brain – but this was just… baffling. Simon looked around, at the old red brick buildings and the crosswalk not ten feet away from them.

“We’re… outside? On the street?”

“Right, so listen,” she said, completely disregarding his answer, trailing one finger down the front of his shirt. Some people around them had stopped to stare, the same intense look in their eyes that Raphael had earlier. Something prickled the back of his neck. “If you want to go somewhere-“

“No, I’m good- thank you- excuse me,” he stepped away as quickly as possible without resorting to superhuman speed, ignoring the way she called out after him and deftly avoiding the people who seemed to be ready to intercept him next.

Either the universe was playing a gigantic prank on him – and wasn’t that the story of his life, or maybe undeath now that he thought about it – or something was wrong. He ducked into an alley and tried to think. Okay, so Raphael was out if the way he had been eyeing him like his next meal was anything to go by. Maybe Clary could help but no, he didn’t want to drag her into whatever this was, at least until he had some idea of what on Earth was going on. So maybe- Magnus! Magnus would know what to do.

Simon nodded, smiling, pleased with himself until he saw the shadow of someone following him into the alley and decided to make himself scarce. It didn’t take him long to get to the loft – although longer than usual as he tried to avoid being seen – and he left himself in as soon as he arrived.

“Magnus? Magnus, I uh, I kinda need your… help?”

“Simon.”

A head of perfectly styled hair – okay, seriously, how did he do that – popped out of the kitchen and Simon immediately headed that way, shoulders sagging in relief. If there was anyone that’d be able to help him figure this out, it was Magnus. Even if it was all inside his head – and maybe, just maybe, there was a little bit of fear that it was, that he was definitively losing his mind for good and it hadn’t just been the turning-into-a-vampire thing – the warlock would still have some comforting words to say.

“Oh man, Magnus, I am having a day- listen, everyone has been staring at me weirdly, all intense and a little bit creepy-“ he cut himself off, stopping on his way to Magnus, noticing the piercing gaze directed towards him. Slowly, Simon started to backtrack. “Kinda… like… that…”

Another head popped out of the kitchen, bringing him a second of relief before he noticed an equally intense expression on Alec’s face.

“I- I- I’m gonna go-“ he said, definitively not squeaking, before turning around and blindly running into the nearest room. It took him a moment to remember that he should probably have just left, instead, and Simon was already cursing himself for his poor, panic-induced, decision-making skills when he turned around in the middle of the bathroom – only to come face to face with Alec.

Instinctively raising his hands, he took a couple of steps back, then a few more as the other man followed, until he bumped into the sink. Magnus was right behind him, clutching a wine glass tightly in his hand.

“Uhm. Guys? What’s going on?”

For a very long – and really rather uncomfortable, honestly – moment, no one spoke. Then Alec leaned a little closer, making him instinctively jump onto the sink, although that didn’t seem to deter him any.

“Marry me.”

Simon stared. Alec held his gaze.

“What.”

“Marry me.”

“Okay,” this was so, so wrong, either he was stuck in some odd dream or – he didn’t even know. “First of all, you guys,” he pointed first at Alec, then Magnus, then back again. “Love each other. Unconditionally. Like we’re talking Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed levels of love here.”

“Marry us,” Magnus suggested, apparently unperturbed by his boyfriend asking Simon to marry him and what on Earth was going on.

“How would that even work? And no- I love you but it’s not that kind of love, more like an older-“ Alec took a step closer, almost trapping him, and Simon froze for a moment. Oh boy. “I’m really, really sorry about this.”

Before either of them had time to say anything else, he suddenly jumped off the sink with enough speed to knock both Alec and Magnus down on the way.

“I’m sorry- I’m so sorry- I’ll make it up to you later when you’re not-“ he couldn’t stop babbling even as he sped his way out, mind on overdrive. The door was still open so it was easy to make his way out, then all the way down the building – by the stairs, thank God for enhanced speed, he didn’t want to risk the elevator – and he was just about to turn the corner when he collided with a firm, broad chest.

Jace, his traitorous brain provided at the first sight of golden hair, and then, oh no.

Rather than looking at him like he was the last cup of coffee in the entire state, however, Jace merely raised a brow.

“You need to watch where you’re going Simon.”

“Your brother just asked me to marry him!”

Oh, crap crap crap, he thought, cursing his lack of a brain-to-mouth filter. That wasn’t what he was supposed to start with.

Jace’s brow rose even higher and he scoffed. “What, Alec?”

Simon stared at him for a second and then decided, screw it, the day couldn’t get any worse anyway, before grabbing Jace’s shirt by the front and pulling him in, too busy panicking to think it through.

“Listen to me. Raphael and everyone else was eyeing me all weirdly today and a bunch of people tried to corner me to ask me out or give me their number and then- and then! Your brother asked me to marry him and then Magnus asked me to marry them and I really hope there’s something wrong because it’s either that or I’m losing my mind and everyone keeps staring at me like I’m a piece of meat do you know how uncomfortable that is- I mean not as uncomfortable as being seen as a literal meal but it’s pretty close I’ll have you-“

A hand pressed firmly against his mouth stopped him from continuing to talk, even as he still tried to ask a question. Jace was staring at him with narrowed eyes, the same pinched look on his face that always showed up whenever he was trying to figure something out. After a moment, the hand dropped.

“I don’t feel any different.”

Simon stared at him for a few seconds and then grinned, relief coursing through him as he gripped Jace’s shoulders and shook him a little, mindless of the annoyed look being thrown his way.

“Yes! Sorry, I just – at least someone’s still acting normal!”

“Are you sure you didn’t drink, I don’t know, something a little o-“

“Hey.”

They both stopped and turned to see who had interrupted them. Simon looked up and up and up, not really afraid but still filled with a little trepidation. The guy was huge, towering above them, with a bald head and a full beard and wearing far too much leather for this time of the year. He was strong enough to take the man if he had to now, but he hadn’t always been and some instincts were hard to overcome.

“He bothering you?” the biker asked, nodding towards Jace. “If he is, I’ll take care of him. Tell you what, why don’t I do that anyway and we can go somewhere… private?”

“Uh,” Simon replied, blinking. “No, no I’m good, thanks-“

“Excuse me?” Jace interrupted him, stepping in front of Simon and crossing his arms, brow rising again, sharply. The stubborn set of his jaw and the tension in his shoulders were dead giveaways that a fight was probably going to break out very, very soon. Simon cursed his luck – usually, seeing Jace really to kick some ass was both hot and annoying, but now- okay, it was still hot and annoying but also really unnecessary. “He’s not going anywhere with you.”

Making a quick executive decision – and not letting himself rethink it – Simon apologized, punched the biker in the jaw hard enough to push him down, grabbed the wrist of an indignant Jace and dragged him away as quickly as his vampire legs allowed him to.

Unfortunately, his day could and did keep getting worse.

They had tried going to the Jade Wolf, which was a terrible idea in retrospect. Luke’s entire pact had been affected by whatever was going on, which only resulted in both of them teaming up to literally fight their way out. That was going to require an explanation and probably a lot of apologies. Simon didn’t think anyone had gotten seriously hurt but it still made him feel a little guilty.

Jace persuaded him to try and ask Clary for help but at the first sight of her widening eyes, something long gone flickering in them, Simon had backtracked and ran off. That really wasn’t a can of worms he wanted to open ever again, especially as they had just reached the point of being okay. Isabelle was next, but when her expression – and the one of the two other Shadowhunters she was with – changed, it was Jace’s turn to drag him away.

Simon sat on the ground now, legs crossed, squinting at the sun poking out from behind Jace’s form pacing back and forth in front of him. They didn’t have any other leads and really didn’t want to risk dragging any other friends into this. Everyone seemed affected, except for the Shadowhunter currently running a hand through his hair.

“And it all started this morning.”

“Yeah. Everyone was normal yesterday and then this morning-“

“What did you do yesterday?”

“Nothing.”

Jace stopped pacing and turned to him, one corner of his mouth tugging down into a frown. That reply clearly wasn’t acceptable and Simon sighed a little.

“I really did nothing. I was training most of the day- sorry, night. I only spoke with Raphael once. I didn’t want to interrupt his important dinner, you know? Like with the Seelie and the warlock, but it was really urgent and-“

“Wait,” Jace interrupted. “A warlock? And you just remembered that now?”

“Well no,” he replied, feeling a little insulted. “But he didn’t do anything. He just said that interrupting was bad manners and asked if no one had ever taught me some – which they did! My mom was really insistent on being a gentle-“

Jace sighed, pressing a finger against his temple for a moment, and then pulled out his stele.

“He didn’t do anything right then, where you could see, Simon. Come on, get up. We have a warlock to track.”

Swallowing down his protests – he wanted to ask Magnus to talk to him first, but he also really didn’t want to ask Magnus for anything right now – Simon got up and followed him, ignoring the trepidation bubbling in his chest.

Which was good, because the fight turned out to be very… anticlimactic. It wasn’t even a fight at all, despite Jace doing his hardest to turn it into one – and oh God, Simon really needed to find a better and healthier thing to get hot and bothered over, something weird but totally harmless, like feet or whatever –, all it had required was a sincere apology and a latte.

It still didn’t stop him from feeling nervous as they stepped outside the coffee shop they had tacked the warlock to. Someone bumped into his shoulder and Simon immediately tensed up, ready to run again at the slightest hint of a love confession.

“Watch where you’re going!” the passerby snapped, before continuing on her way.

Simon watched her go in disbelief, and then grinned, belatedly remembering to yell out a “sorry!��. Manners were what started this whole mess in the first place and he wasn’t in any hurry to repeat any of this. It wasn’t nearly as much fun as the movies made it out to be. Kind of like being a vampire, really.

He looked over at Jace who was staring at him, mouth tugging up in an amused smirk as it always did whenever he tried to keep from smiling and failed.

“Well, that was something.”

“Yeah. Let’s not do that again.”

“You’re telling me. You weren’t the one being proposed to. Thank God you don’t like me.”

He had expected some sort of gruff remark, but when none came, Simon turned to look at Jace in surprise. There was a slight tension in his posture and his face was guarded now.

“What? All I’m saying is, I don’t think I could have done this on my own- okay, I definitively couldn’t have done this on my own. Without panicking. It’s lucky that you don’t like me enough that the spell didn’t affect you.”

“Alec doesn’t like you.”

Simon opened his mouth to reply and then promptly closed it, staring at him in confusion. That was… actually, that was true. They were friends by now, he thought – he hoped – but not as close as he was with anyone else. If the magic was based on like and dislike, then Alec would have been able to keep his head and, most importantly, would not had asked Simon to marry him which he didn’t think he would ever get over but was also happy to never mention it again out loud for as long as he lived.

But. Why would Jace remain unaffected then? He had said he didn’t feel any different. He must have though, because everyone else did. Everyone else had suddenly fallen in love with- oh. Oh.

Simon blinked, realization suddenly dawning, and it must have shown because Jace turned his head away – oh my God, was that a blush? Was Jace Wayland actually blushing?

“Now that we fixed your mess, I have to go back to the Institute,” and with those parting words – someone really had to teach the guy how to say goodbye one day – the Shadowhunter took a step away from him.

“Wait!” Simon called out, surprising them both by grabbing Jace’s wrist, causing him to look back. They stared at each other for a moment. He fought the urge to fidget. Or run away. “You uhm. Would you like to- grab a drink sometime? It doesn’t have to be today- or at all if you don’t want to! I just thought- I mean- you see, I kinda… … … … like… you? A lot. Oh God- uh, I mean-“

“Simon,” Jace interrupted and Simon could almost kiss him for that because if he kept digging himself a hole like this then he’d probably end up in China. Maybe. What was on the other side of the Earth from New York again? Probably not eyes like those, intense and sharp and holding so much and someone kill him right now, because his brain had decided to return to his early teenage years.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

And suddenly those eyes were right there, a few inches away from his, and Jace was kissing him – not at all like he’d imagined, not firm or rough, but surprisingly gentle and soft, almost- no, definitively hesitant, like he thought Simon would back out.

It took him barely a second to recover from the shock and then he was kissing him back, firm and strong and sure in the face of Jace’s hesitation – self-doubt – and slowly, without him realizing it, his brain finally went quiet, his usual jumble of thoughts reduced to nothing but the warm lips pressed firmly against his own, the bangs brushing slightly against his forehead and his fingers wrapped tightly in Jace’s shirt.