#like who else is there? Maia?? how many exs is too many for a wedding lmao 😭😭

[helenofblackthorns]

the possibility of clace & sizzy having a double wedding is so funny to me because how would that even work. like you all need suggenes and you do not have that many close friends 😭 it can't all be Alec

[rhosyn-du]

Never make a mess when a total catastrophe will do - Chapter Six

Pairings: Jimon, past Clace, background Clizzy, a bunch of other minor background pairings Rating: Explicit Art: @cor321​ Beta: @all-thestories-aretrue​ Tags:  Alternate Universe - College/University, fake dating, oh my god they were roommates, friends with benefits, idiots to lovers, pining, miscommunication, holidays, drinking games, mistletoe, symbolically significant Oreos, domestic fluff, brief mention of past character death, Jace’s self-worth issues deserve their own tag Summary: What do you do when you find out your sister is not only dating your ex and love-of-your-high-school-life but is also bringing her home for Christmas? Bring your annoying, hot, annoyingly-hot roommate as your fake boyfriend to show them you're totally fine with it, obviously! There's no possible way this could backfire. Link: AO3 , Tumblr Master Post

Chapter Six

The irritation had been building all day, like sand rubbing under his skin, and it was especially irritating because Jace knew he didn’t have a good reason for it. Nothing was actually wrong, just a string of little frustrations that hadn’t let up all day, from the ancient coffee maker in their kitchen that didn’t start brewing when it was set to, meaning he had to go to his morning classes without any caffeine, to discovering he’d left his history textbook at home when his professor announced a surprise open-book quiz, right on through to missing his bus home and having to wait forty minutes for the next one, meaning he walked in the door with less than fifteen minutes before his friends were supposed to show up at his place for a group study session.

“Oh, hey,” Simon said when he walked through the door. “You’re home. I was starting to wonder if I got the day wrong and we weren’t having people over tonight, but then Bat texted asking if he should bring Spicy Ranch Doritos—which, obviously—so I figured you were probably just running late, which it turns out you were.”

“Excellent observational skills.” Jace tossed his bag onto the couch, not looking at Simon, and headed for the kitchen, intending to grab a beer from the fridge. Except when he opened it, there weren’t any left, and he realized he’d completely forgotten to go to the store the day before, because of course he had.

He slammed the refrigerator door shut, taking out his frustration on the appliance. It wasn’t as satisfying as he’d hoped.

“Everything okay?”

Jace spun around to find Simon in the doorway, watching him with an expression that held both wariness and concern.

“Everything’s peachy.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Simon said mildly. “You definitely use the word ‘peachy’ in casual conversation when things are going great.”

Jace took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Look, I’ve had a shitty day, all right? I’ve had a shitty day, and we’re out of beer, and I don’t need you trying to get me to talk out my feelings or whatever it is you’re trying to do right now.”

“Okay,” Simon agreed. “What do you need?”

Jace blinked. “What?”

“You don’t need to talk about your shitty day,” Simon said, moving into the kitchen to lean on the counter next to him. “So what do you need? Lily’s bringing beer, so that’s already taken care of.”

It should have been a simple question to answer, but Jace wasn’t used to people asking what he needed. Jace wasn’t used to considering what he needed.

“I don’t know.”

“What about a distraction?” Simon offered.

“A distraction,” Jace repeated, skeptical.

“Yeah.” Simon was grinning as he hooked his fingers through Jace’s belt loops and pulled their bodies together. “A distraction.”

Jace licked his lips, dropped his eyes to Simon’s mouth. “People are going to be here in eight minutes.” He didn’t have any objections to spending those eight minutes making out with Simon.

Simon’s grin widened. “Guess I’d better work fast, then.”

And then he dropped to his knees.

Jace sucked in a sharp breath as Simon popped the button on his jeans. “What are you doing?”

“I know you’ve had a shitty day,” Simon said, pulling down Jace’s fly, “but you can’t be that out of it.”

Jace let out a soft laugh and let himself slump back against the refrigerator door as Simon took out his rapidly-plumping cock and worked him to full hardness with his hands and mouth.

He was used to Simon teasing, giving him almost enough and then pulling back until he was desperate with it. This was the opposite, with every touch, every lick and swallow driving him relentlessly toward the edge, the frustration of his day bleeding away as Simon blew him with expert efficiency.

In almost no time at all, Jace was struggling to keep his legs under him as he felt his balls start to draw up, and he was so close—

And that was when Simon, the absolute fucker, pulled off his dick to remark with far more casualness than the situation called for, “Did you lock the door when you got home? Because people are going to be here, like, any second.”

Then his mouth was back on Jace’s dick, swallowing him down like it was his job, and Jace was cursing because no, he hadn’t locked the door and any second their friends could walk in and see—Jace, desperate and falling apart; Simon, swollen red lips wrapped around Jace’s cock taking him apart—and that was—it was—

There was a sharp knock on the door, and Jace came with a strangled shout.

Simon worked him through it, pulling back only when a second knock sounded at the door. “Be there in just a minute,” he called, sounding far too composed for someone who’d just given fucking fantastic blowjob.

Simon stood, pressing a quick kiss to Jace’s lips before saying, “Somehow, I just knew you’d have a bit of an exhibitionism kink,” and heading for the door, leaving Jace to fumble his pants closed and try look like he hadn’t just had his brain sucked out through his dick.

“You all right, man?” Bat greeted him as he entered the kitchen, arms loaded with far too many bags of Doritos for six people.

“Uh,” Jace said intelligently.

“Heard you shouting and I figured you must’ve hurt yourself. You were pretty loud.”

“I heard you down the hall,” Maureen added from the living room.

“Yeah, just stubbed my toe,” Jace lied, heading out to the living room. “Somebody left his stats book on the floor, and I tripped.”

Simon flashed him a shit-eating grin. Jace had a hard time not staring at his lips, still red and slightly puffy. “You should really be more careful.”

“Going to go help Maia bring stuff up from her car,” Maureen announced, holding up her phone. “Be right back.”

“You do know,” Jace told Simon in a low voice, “that I’m going to get payback for that, right?”

Simon’s smile grew smug. “Yeah. I do.”

After an hour of going over his notes and rehashing the earlier quiz with Lily, Jace was feeling much better about his history class, and even had some ideas for his end-of-term paper. They all took a break when the pizza they’d ordered arrived, and Jace found himself squeezed between Lily and Simon on the couch.

“So,” Lily said around a mouthful of pepperoni and cheese, “you two ready for your big wedding performance this weekend? Please say no, because I’ve still got fifty bucks riding on you not making it through this without panicking.”

“Your concern is so touching,” Jace said. “I really don’t know what I’d do without such supportive friends.”

“Based on what I saw the night we met, you’d spend a lot more time getting drinks thrown in your face by girls whose names you forgot,” Maia said.

“I did not forget her name,” Jace protested. “I hit on her girlfriend.”

“Not actually better,” Maureen observed.

“Okay, one, I had no idea they were dating, and two, not my fault she flirted back.”

“Just try not to get any drinks thrown in your face at cousin Rachel’s wedding,” Simon said, patting his knee condescendingly. And then left it there, like it was totally normal for him to touch Jace casually like this in front of their friends.

“Would it be cheating if I bribed Simon’s sister to take someone Jace hooked up with as her plus one?” Lily asked.

Jace thought she really didn’t need to. He was already panicking.

“Yes,” said Maia and Bat at the same time Simon said, “Oh god, please don’t.”

“You guys are no fun,” Lilly pouted, reaching for another slice of pizza.

“Speaking of Becky,” Maia said with affected casualness, “I was wondering if you could tell her—”

“Give me your phone,” Simon interrupted, holding out his hand. This had the effect of removing his hand from Jace’s knee, and Jace tried not to miss it.

“Sure,” Maia said slowly, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Why do you need my phone?”

Simon took the phone and pulled up Maia’s contacts. “So you just text my sister instead of asking me to be your messenger pigeon.” He passed the phone back. “Or call her. I’m not picky as long as I don’t have to be involved.”

Maia stared at the phone for a few seconds, then shrugged and put it back in her pocket with a sigh. “Yeah, okay. Fair. I guess I can, like, be an adult about this or something.”

“Good,” Simon said, his hand making its way back to Jace’s knee. No one else seemed to notice, and Jace tried not to react. “Please do it before Sunday so I don’t have to listen to Becky failing to be subtle about asking about you.”

Maia bit back a grin. “She asks about me?”

“Who wants to place bets on how long it takes Maia to actually call this girl?” Lily asked.

~~~

“Okay, you need to turn down the charm a little bit or I think Bubbe Helen is actually going to try to adopt you,” Simon said as Jace returned from his sixth dance with Simon’s grandmother. Jace didn’t think Simon needed to know that she’d used every one of those to grill him on his family, his plans for the future, his intentions toward her grandson.

“Just tell her you’re not into incest,” Jace told him, eliciting a gagging noise from Becky, the only one of Simon’s relatives still sitting at the table with them.

“Your boyfriend is gross,” Becky informed Simon, stabbing a spear of asparagus from her plate.

Jace grinned at her. “Simon wanted me to turn down the charm. I’m just trying to be accommodating.” He grabbed Simon’s hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss his knuckles. It was something they’d been doing all day, exchanging little gestures of affection like they couldn’t quite keep their hands off each other. Which was actually kind of true in Jace’s case.

It had started during the ceremony, Jace bumping Simon’s shoulder when he noticed him start to tear up during the vows. He’d meant it to be lightly teasing, but Simon had simply flashed him a watery smile and taken his hand, lacing their fingers together. Jace’s stomach had made an odd little flip and he’d squeezed Simon’s hand, and they just...hadn’t stopped touching each other. All through the rest of the ceremony and reception, it was a stream of constant little touches that made Jace wish for things he couldn’t have, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to stop touching either.

It didn’t help that Simon looked really good in a suit.

“That’s playing dirty,” Becky huffed. “I can’t hate you when you make my brother smile like that.”

“It’s all part of my devious plan.” He threw a sideways glance at Simon, hoping to catch the smile only to find him glaring daggers at his sister.

“Aww,” Becky cackled, “are you embarrassed? That’s adorable.”

“Embarrassed that you’re my sister? Yes.”

“Consider it payback for your presence throughout my entire adolescence.”

Jace leaned in. “Is there a story here? It sounds like there’s a story.”

“Dude, don’t encourage her.”

Becky leaned back in her chair, a predatory gleam in her eyes. “I have so many stories.”

“Oh, look.” Simon said, standing suddenly and pulling Jace along with him. “There’s Aunt Ruth. We should really go say hi.”

“I’ll still have stories to tell your boyfriend when you get back,” Becky called after them. “Jace, ask him about the llamas!”

Jace followed Simon, barely holding in his laughter as they ducked through the crowd of wedding guests, and then through an unobtrusive door that led out into an empty hallway.

“I’m so sorry about her,” Simon said, finally turning to face him and looking genuinely apologetic.

Jace shook his head. “Don’t be. I was having fun. I can see why Becky and Maia get along so well.”

“Because they’re both more than happy to tell embarrassing stories about me?” Simon joked.

“Can you blame them? It is pretty fun to watch you get all worked up.”

“You do seem to enjoy getting me worked up,” Simon agreed with a quirk of his eyebrows. “But my cousin’s wedding really isn’t the place for that.”

Jace glanced around the empty hallway. This was a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.

He turned back to Simon, a suggestive smile playing across his lips. “You sure about that?”

“Jace.” Simon’s voice was warning even as his eyes flicked to Jace’s lips and back up again.

Jace curled a hand around the back of Simon’s neck. “Because I’m not sure there’s any such thing as a bad place to get you worked up.”

“Literally everyone I’m related to is in the next room,” Simon protested. But he didn’t pull away.

“Fair point,” Jace conceded. He glanced around the hallway, then tried the nearest door. It opened into a room just large enough to not qualify as a closet. Jace raised a questioning eyebrow at Simon.

Simon looked dubiously at the stacks of office supplies that lined one wall, then back at Jace. “How are you so good at convincing me to make bad decisions?” Simon asked before grabbing him by the tie and dragging him into a kiss.

Jace grinned against his mouth as they stumbled into the room. “It’s my superpower. I got bitten by a radioactive advertising executive as a teenager.”

“Fuck,” Simon muttered, kicking the door closed behind them. “You can’t make Spider-Man references when I’m kissing you; that’s cheating.”

“Yeah?” Jace asked, pushing him against the wall that wasn’t occupied by reams of printer paper. “Does it get you hot when I talk nerdy to you?” He tugged at Simon’s shirt, pulling it free from his pants. “Or does everything I do get you hot?”

“Definitely not everything.” Simon nipped along his jaw. “Your ego, for example? Very unattractive.”

“Now you’re just making things up.” He slid a hand down to cup Simon through his pants, and Simon bucked into the touch. “My ego definitely gets you hot.”

“I know—fuck.” He rocked into Jace’s hand again. “I know some guys have trouble separating their egos from their dicks, but I never thought you’d be one of them.”

“Any association between my ego and my dick is well-deserved.” He tugged at Simon’s belt. “Don’t bother trying to argue. We both know it’d be a lie.”

“Yeah, that’s not actually how arguments wo—oh.” Simon cut off, eyes wide, as Jace dropped to his knees.

Jace smirked up at him. “I figure the best way to avoid staining your suit is if you come in my mouth. Unless you’ve got objections.”

“I have exactly zero objections to having your mouth on me.” Simon curled a hand around Jace’s jaw, drawing his thumb along Jace’s bottom lip. “Like, ever.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jace flicked his tongue out to catch the tip of Simon’s thumb and reached to finish unbuckling his belt.

He froze at the unmistakable sound of the door opening behind him.

Jace’s eyes were trained on Simon’s face, so he saw the emotions play out across it in real time: surprise, then panic, then a slowly dawning horror.

“Bubbe Helen!” Simon’s voice just barely managed to avoid being a squeak. “Hi! We were, uh, we were just—” He looked down at Jace helplessly.

The thing was, Jace had always been good in a crisis. No, that wasn’t exactly right. He’d always been calm in a crisis. Probably as a result of having endured so many starting at such a young age.

So, his gaze and voice were completely steady as he took Simon’s hand in both his own and asked, “Will you marry me?”

He heard a voice behind him that sounded suspiciously like Becky mutter, “Oh my god.”

Simon stared. “Wha—uh. Yes?” His eyes flickered up toward the doorway, then back to Jace. “Yes,” he said more firmly. “I will definitely marry you, which is of course why you’re on your knees right now, and…”

His voice trailed off as Jace pulled his ring—his father’s ring, the only ring he ever wore—off his own finger and slid it onto Simon’s. It was a little loose, but not enough to slide off.

Simon flexed his hand, the fluorescent light above glinting off the brushed platinum. And then he was pulling Jace to his feet and into a kiss that held a decidedly hysterical edge.

The kiss was short-lived, interrupted by a very deliberate throat clearing. Jace kept Simon’s hand clasped firmly in his as he turned around, the metal of the ring pressing into his skin a reminder of what he’d just done.

Bubbe Helen was watching him with a decidedly unimpressed look. Behind her, Becky had a hand clapped over her mouth, smothering what could have been either an overflow of emotion or laughter.

“Young man, did you just propose marriage to my grandson in a storage closet?”

Jace pasted on his best facsimile of a sheepish smile and prepared to lie his ass off.

~~~

“Look, I panicked, okay?”

Outside, rain poured down in heavy sheets, obscuring the passing scenery and dampening any other sounds. It made the inside of the van feel cut off from the rest of the world, like they were alone in their own tiny, bubble universe.

A muscle in Simon’s jaw twitched. “You said that already.” He kept his eyes on the road.

Jace’s eyes fell to the steering wheel, where the soft platinum of his father’s ring still rested on Simon’s finger. “You didn’t have to say yes.”

Simon didn’t respond to that, and Jace wished he could see his eyes, could find even the tiniest clue to what he was thinking. He’d barely said anything since they made their hasty exit from the reception. At least Becky and Bubbe Helen had agreed not to mention Simon’s supposed engagement to his mom until he could tell her himself.

The silence stretched between them as Jace stared out into the blurry downpour. The one saving grace to all of this was that at least no one else knew about it. Their friends would never let them hear the end of it if they found out. And Jace’s family, god, that would be a disaster. Izzy would probably try to plan the whole thing and they’d somehow end up actually married before Jace could even explain the situation to her.

“You know,” Simon said into the silence, “I hated you before I even met you.”

Jace didn’t know what to say to that, didn’t know if there was anything to say to that. That was okay, though, because Simon kept talking.

“Clary’s been my best friend since we were kids. My mom likes to tell the story of how we met on the playground and spent the whole day trying to build a moat around the swing set so no one else could play on it, but I don’t actually remember it. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t friends with Clary. She’s just always been a part of my life. The best part, sometimes.”

He took a deep breath, threw a quick glance at Jace before continuing. “So, of course I fell in love with her.”

The words hit Jace like a punch to the gut, and he was very, very glad Simon’s eyes were back on the road and he couldn’t see the jumble of emotions that Jace was sure were written all over his face.

“We were in sixth grade when I realized,” Simon continued. “I think I’d probably been in love with her for a while, but it just sort of hit me one day that I was just completely and totally gone for her. And it only took me like ten minutes after that to figure out that she didn’t feel the same way about me, but that was okay. I mean, it wasn’t. That kind of thing never is when you’re twelve.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Or when you’re an adult either, I guess. But it was as okay as it could be because I figured I just had to wait. Clary was the most important person in the world to me, and even though she didn’t love me like I loved her, I knew I was the most important person in her life, too, so I just figured.” He shrugged. “I figured that eventually she’d realize that we could be, you know, more.”

His voice got soft as he continued, “And then she met you.”

Jace sucked in a sharp breath. “Simon, I—”

“I’m glad she did,” Simon interrupted, and he sounded like he meant it. “Even though it sucked at the time. Every time she mentioned you, I just wanted to punch you in the face. Which is why I always made an excuse not to meet you, by the way. I thought if I did and you really were as perfect as she described you, I would actually hit you.”

“I did always wonder about the mysterious best friend who was never around,” Jace said around the odd lump in his throat he couldn’t seem to swallow down. “She talked about you all the time.”

“Yeah?” Simon sounded genuinely surprised. “That’s actually really good to hear. And it makes me even more glad she met you, because her falling for you, even spending so much time with you, it gave me time to get over her.”

The knot in Jace’s throat loosened an inch.

“By the time you guys broke up, I’d actually dated a couple of people who weren’t Clary, and even though I didn’t feel as strongly for any of them as I did for her, I realized that part of what makes our friendship so special is that it is friendship. And I think we might have really fucked that up if we tried to be anything else, so I’m glad we never did, because my friendship with Clary is still one of the best things in my life, and I’m pretty sure it always will be.”

“Is that what you wrote Random Afternoon about? About you and Clary?” It wasn’t what Jace meant to say at all, but he opened his mouth and the words just came tumbling out.

Simon’s let out a soft huff of laughter. “No.” He shook his head. “It’s, uh. It’s not about Clary.”

Jace didn’t understand what was so funny, but he wasn’t going to ask. Just like he wasn’t going to ask who the song was about. Wasn’t going to think about why he cared so much.

“She was my first love, too,” he said instead.

Simon nodded slowly, digesting this information. “I wondered. I mean, when Clary used to talk about you, it sure sounded like you loved her, but once I found out you were, you know, you, I wasn’t so sure anymore.” He was fiddling with the ring, now, twisting it slowly around his finger with his thumb. Jace wondered if he knew he was doing it. “I didn’t think you were a relationship kind of guy.”

“I’m not.” That wasn’t what anyone wanted from him. Even Clary, who really had loved him once upon a time, hadn’t wanted him to stay. And even if someone did want that from him, he was pretty sure now that he wouldn’t know how to give it to them.

“And there hasn’t been anyone since Clary who’s made you reconsider?” Simon’s hands were still on the steering wheel now, his face impassive in the flickering light of passing cars.

Jace thought back to that night weeks ago, when Simon told him that maybe they wouldn’t be a mistake, and just for a second he’d thought—he’d hoped—but of course that wasn’t what Simon had meant.

“No.”

“Of course not. Stupid question.” Simon flashed him a smile, but there was a worried crease between his brows.

The last thing Jace wanted from him was pity, especially over this. “So, tell me about the llamas,” he said, desperate to change the subject.

Simon winced. “Can we just pretend Becky never mentioned llamas?”

“Nope.” Jace grinned. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll get Maia to ask Becky. I’m sure your sister would be happy to share.”

“You’re seriously the worst,” Simon said before launching into a long, involved story about his and Clary’s third grade trip to a llama farm and how Becky had thought it was hilarious to tell them that llamas were venomous.

“So, there I was, just covered in llama spit,” Simon finished as he unlocked their apartment door, “crying my eyes out because I thought was going to die, with Clary shouting at the poor farmhand that her dad was cop and he was going to go to jail for murder. And of course Becky didn’t even get in trouble or apologize. She just started getting me llama-themed birthday gifts.”

“Just so we’re absolutely clear,” Jace snickered, following him inside, “I’m laughing at you, not with you.”

“Which is one of many reasons I should have known better than to let you meet my sister. Speaking of which,” he pulled Jace’s ring off his finger and held it out, “I wouldn’t want to forget to give this back.”

Jace looked at the ring, then back up at Simon, swallowing hard. “You should keep it. Until we break up.” Something flashed in Simon’s eyes, and Jace hurried to correct himself. “Until we tell our families we broke up, I mean. In case you need to, I don’t know, sell the story.”

“Jace, I know what this ring means to you. I can’t just—”

“You can.” He reached out and closed Simon’s fingers over the ring, holding them there. “I trust you to keep it safe.”

Simon stared at him for a long moment, eyes searching. “Okay,” he agreed. “Until we break up.”

Something in Jace’s chest loosened, and he stepped back, letting Simon’s hand drop from his. “Cool. I’m gonna heat up some pizza rolls. You want me to make enough for you?”

“Sure,” Simon said. “Yeah, pizza rolls sound great. Cheeseburger flavor, not triple cheese, though.”

“Obviously,” Jace said, heading to the kitchen. He didn’t think about the ring, or how naked his hand felt without it. Or why it mattered so much to him that Simon agreed to keep it, if only for a little while.

[inaheartbeat-phff]

Chapter 14

8:45am Nottingham Cottage, Kensington Palace, London

Arabella squinted her eyes as she came to that morning. Yesterday they didn't really rest much after their flight as they had dinner with Harry's immediate family. Arabella stretched her body and rolled to her side to see Harry peacefully sleeping beside her. No matter how many times she's seen this view, she couldn't help but smile to herself. He looks so peaceful while he was sleeping. There was no lines on his forehead and his body is relaxed.

Sighing she looked to a clock by her side table and checked the time. She groaned when she realised that she overslept by 45 minutes and rolled to her side to get out of bed. She sat down for a while before stretching and standing up. Walking towards the en-suite bathroom where she will do her morning routine. Once she was done, she got out of the bathroom to see that Harry was awake.

"Morning," he said in his morning voice. Harry rubbed his eyes and stretched before getting himself up to a sitting position.

"Hi. Did you have a good sleep?" Arabella asked Harry as she walked towards the bed and kiss him good morning.

"Yeah, I did. What’s your plan today?" Harry asked her as he reach towards his phone on the night stand.

"I'm heading off to St. James Palace for a meeting at ten, and then I have lunch with Bea, Genie and Zara. After lunch I think we're going shopping, but it's up to the girls really." Arabella laid back down on the bed next to Harry so she could have some morning cuddles.

"I'm so happy you get along well with my family. Really." Harry said as he put his head on top of Arabella's head. "Skippy invited us to a club opening tonight."

"What club?" Arabella looked up at Harry.

"Not sure. I think it's one of Sam's private clubs." Harry shrugged. "There's an actress coming tonight that Skip wants to introduce to you. She's a big fan of yours apparently. Maia something."

"You sure she's a fan of mine and not yours. I think you've got that mixed up babe. Besides Maia something?" Arabella giggled. "I don’t recognise an actress with the name of Maia something."

"Maia, Meghan, Molly. I don’t know. I know it begins with an M though." Harry shrugged, not really caring. "Do you want to go? I have to tell Skippy so he can call Sam and get everything sorted.

"Sure. I need a night out anyways. I think it will be nice to have a night to let loose. It has been a crazy week." Arabella nodded her head to Harry. Harry then typed something in his phone, probably replying to Skippy.

Skippy, or also known as Tom Inskip, is Harry's best friend. They've known each other since their time in Eton. Skippy is usually the reason why Harry got into so much trouble when he was younger. Though most of his partying days were over since Harry and Arabella became official publically in 2013, the pair do enjoy some odd night outs with friends. Arabella got along well Harry's friends. They have been very welcoming and friendly to her.

Arabella was introduced to Harry's friends back in 2012 when they first began dating. Since Arabella has met most, if not all of Harry's family members, she was a bit nervous during her introductions with his friends. She even met Harry's ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy early 2013. They were friendly with each other and know their places. They're not exactly the best of friends but if they see each other in public, they wouldn’t tear each other's hairs out.

Harry has 7 close friends and some of them has gotten married so his circle consist of 12 people. Him being a prince and all made that circle very very tight. There's Skippy and his girlfriend Lara Hughes-Young, Sam Branson and his wife Isabella Calthorpe, Hugh Grosvenor, Jake Warren and his wife Zoe Stewart, Thomas van Straubenzee and his wife Melissa Percy, Arthur Landon and Guy Pelly.

Arabella went to Sam and Isabella's wedding back in 2013 as well as Jake and Zoe's wedding in 2013 as well. It was in Jake and Zoe's wedding that she met one of Harry's previous flings Cressida Bonas. They were on friendly terms and it seems that Cressida and Arabella remain a good friend to each other. Cressida happened before Arabella and Arabella is not the type of person to get jealous at all. She knows what she's worth and feels very comfortable in her own skin. Besides, she is the crown princess for god sakes. If Harry would leave her for someone else, it would be a step down, unless of course, that someone is a Queen of her own right, but then again, there is no Queen who is single and even close to their age.

Harry finally got up from the bed and head into the bathroom to get ready for the day. While Harry was in the bathroom, Arabella finished getting ready before going to the dining room for some breakfast.

The tables were set differently here. There is no place mats on the head of the table and instead they are on the seats next to the head. So Arabella and Harry would be facing each other.

Arabella sat down and started eating her breakfast. Fifteen minutes later, Harry came out of the bathroom and sat opposite to her and start loading his plate up.

"So what's your plan today babe?" Arabella asked Harry. She realised that she didn’t know what he's doing today.

"I don’t think I have anything going on today. I think I'm going to visit Will and Kate at 1A, and I think I'm meeting Granny for lunch at Buckingham." Harry thought. "I think I have the afternoon free before the club tonight. We're having dinner with everyone before the club and I think Chelsy and Cressida will be there as well."

"Is the actress friend of Skippy going to be at dinner as well?" "I think so yeah." Harry said.

As Harry has finished his breakfast, he stood up from his seat and went across the table to kiss Arabella goodbye and head off to Apartment 1A. Arabella sighed. She isn’t normally a jealous person but she feels as if something is going to happen tonight and she doesn’t know whether she likes it or not.

Sighing, she called Anna, one of her ladies in waiting to the room.

"Your Royal Highness." She curtsied as she entered the room.

"Get Markus to ready the car, I'll be heading off to St. James in fifteen minutes."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The meeting at St. James Palace went as much as a meeting would go. They discussed their schedule for Arabella in London for the next month. Not much is planned, mostly meetings with charities that Arabella is patron of as well as some wedding planning. That and an engagement with Prince Philip at the end of the month. Arabella knew that it’s going to be a stressful thing planning the wedding as they have to incorporate both Dutch and British traditions. That and under which church do they get married in. Do they get married under the Church of the Netherlands or under the Church of England. Arabella thought that maybe they can have two weddings, one under the Netherlands and another under England, but that requires even more planning.

Jane and Eva have compiled a list of designers that would love to design Arabella's wedding gown so there's a pile that needs to be sorted. There's also the matters of cake, reception, music, decorations, guest list, and many more.

Now that she's done with her meeting, Arabella is off to lunch with Bea, Genie and Zara, some of Harry's female cousins that Arabella is close with. Arabella met Zara when she was visiting her Aunt Lilibet back in 2010 just after her wedding with Mike Tindall. They hit it off right away and remained close ever since. Arabella met Eugenie and Beatrice during Will and Kate's wedding and they kept in touch. Whenever Arabella was in London, Bea and Genie has taken her under their wing and show her around places that isn't that well known.

Travelling to lunch, Arabella slumped inside the car. The car they have used is her official car in London, a black Range Rover Sport that is actually armoured. In front of the car is a flag of the Netherlands. That is to say that it is her that's traveling in the car. If it was her father, there will be two flags in front of the car as well as a flag of his house.

Accompanying her to lunch today is Max, Lucas and Liam since Finn has to take care of head of security things. Markus is  driving her car with Max in the passenger seat, while Lucas and Liam are in the car behind. At all times, there has to be two cars with me. One of them are my emergency car, or as I like to call it, the backup car.

Arriving at the restaurant Bea has chosen for lunch, Markus opened Arabella’s door and help her step out of the car. 

Entering the restaurant, Liam was walking in front of her surveying the scene with Max behind her. They walked to the reception table at the front.

"Good Afternoon ma'am. Do you have a reservation?" The woman behind the counter asked looking at the boys who are now standing behind.

"Er, I'm actually meeting someone here, I think it should be either under Beatrice or Eugenie. Or maybe Zara actually I'm not too sure." Arabella reached up a hand to tuck in a piece of stray hair behind her ears.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ma'am. Right this way." She then started walking to the back and opened another door for her. This led into a private room which currently hold Zara, Bea and Genie.

Liam walked in first to check the room before allowing Arabella to enter. He checked every nook and cranny of the room, even under the table to check if there is any other entry door. When he's satisfied that there's none, he bowed to her before leaving the room.

In front of Arabella, stood three beautiful English women she’s going to call family soon.

They greeted each other with hugs and kisses before settling down in their seats around the round table.

"Happy belated birthday Bella." Genie started off once they’ve settled in their seats.

"Thank you. How are you girls?" Arabella asked them looking around the table.

"We've been good. Had a good New Year, it’s been pretty relaxed here this time of year." Bea shrugged.

“Tell me, how did our dearest cousin proposed? I know you guys had interviews and all that regarding this but you never tell in detail.” Zara asked leaning forwards a little.

“Well it was very romantic. We were at the Alps for my birthday and he took me outside to go for a walk underneath the stars. He got down on one knee in the snow and asked me there and then with the stars as witnesses. It was freezing as well.” Arabella told the girls before moving to a different subject.

They spent the next hour or so catching up with each other. Out of all of Harry's cousins, Arabella is closest to Zara, Eugenie and Beatrice, not only are they closer in age but they are the people that Arabella can turn to without being judged. Arabella doesn’t have many friends that is non-royal. Her best friends are members of a royal family and even then, sometimes they don’t have a title, but they understand how it feels like under pressure. Over the years, she had friends who tend to take advantage of her status and fame.

The four of them talked about their life, their other halves and what they've been up to. They called the waitress to come in and give them the cheque before moving outside and onto the next part of their outing which is a shopping spree. They went to oxford street to do some window shopping. When Arabella is given the chance to shop, she usually shops at high street shops instead of high ended ones. These are the clothes she'll wear every day. Clothes she'll wear during engagements and other things are usually picked out by Eva and she knows Arabella's type of style.

They went to Primark first, looking at pyjamas and night clothes. Arabella got some Harry Potter pyjamas as well as some really soft robes. Then they went to ZARA, which they promptly made fun of Zara for.

"Come on Zara, let's go to your shop next!" Bea exclaimed as they walk out of Primark.

"Do you think you'll get a discount for having the same name?" Genie thought out loud.

"I don’t think it works like that Genie," Zara then said shaking her head.

"Well let's go anyway. Kate likes to shop here, I haven't seen any of their winter line yet." Arabella said.

When they went inside ZARA, Liam stayed outside the doors, with Lucas and Max following behind them. Due to Zara not having a title, she did not get protection officers, however, Bea and Genie did have them before but in 2011, they were pulled away and are only used during engagements. So the only protection officers there are Arabella's and she has 3 with them at all times with an extra one, the driver Since she is the crown princess. It's a good thing that while she's out and about, she doesn’t need to bring any police escorts with her.

They walked around ZARA for a while and got some clothes. Arabella got a few dresses as well as jeans and t-shirts while Zara, Bea and Genie got a few dresses as well. As they were queuing to pay, a few girls behind them noticed them and was whispering with each other. They didn’t really recognise Arabella at first which was a relief but they noticed Bea, Genie and Zara. The girls didn’t bother them much and after they paid, they went to the next shop which is Marks & Spencer.

They walked along Oxford Street, getting noticed here and there, and at the end of their trip, Arabella's second car was filled with shopping bags and they went to Selfridges, Mulberry UK, Adidas store, Forever 21, Lush, Disney Store, Next, Urban Outfitters, Mango, Nike town, H&M, JD Sports and a lot more shops along the way.

"I'll say that was a very successful shopping trip." Arabella said to the girls before laughing and going back home.

~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry's day have been very relaxing so far, he spent the morning with his brother and his first born son who's 6 months old. They talked all morning about this new role that Harry is going to take.

"So how are you doing?" Will asked Harry as he play with little George. "How are you coping with everything?"

"I'm doing okay, I think. Bella is there to explain how things are going and what to expect. It's been a roller coaster ride to be honest." Harry confessed.

"I'm sure you'll be fine Harry. If you need anything I'm sure Pa will help you. I don’t know how most things run there but I'm sure its similar to how Pa is here. "

"I think it's going to be a bit different Will. Pa is what Bella is. They're the heir apparent. I'm what mum was, what Camilla is." Harry said. "Though I will get the title Prince of Orange, and I will get the title King, but I don’t do the work that Bella will do, with the parliament, the government and all that."

"You'll learn along the way Harry. Just asking, what is your title after you marry Bella?"

"I asked Alexander about it while we were still at The Hague." Harry started. "I'll be HRH The Prince of Orange, Prince Henry of Wales, Duke of whatever gran gives and so on."

"Wow. You'll be known as the Prince of Orange then."

"Yeah. You'll have to bow to me then Wills." Harry jokes.

With that, Kate went down to where they were sitting.

"Hey Kate, you didn’t go have lunch with Bella, Genie, Bea and Zara?" Harry asked his sister in law.

"No, wasn't invited." Kate shrugged her shoulders before laughing at the uncomfortable look on Harry's face. "Relax, I'm joking. No, I have a meeting in a few with Rebecca about some of my charities. I'm also limiting my appearance in public if I have to, hiding the little one you see." Kate then rubbed her small bump.

Harry nodded before standing up and excusing himself as his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Harry my boy." His father's voice rang through the phone.

"Hi Pa, what can I help you with?"

"Do you have any current lunch plans?"

"No, not at the moment."

"Great. Come have lunch at Clarence with me. I have a few things I would like to discuss with you."

"I'll be over in a few. Bye Pa." With that, Harry hang up the phone and went back to the sitting room where Will is left with George.

"Where did Kate go?" Harry asked.

"She left for her meeting." Will answered.

"Sorry to cut this meeting short, but Pa has summoned me to Clarence." Harry gathered up his things before going over to his brother who stood up.

"Take care alright. I know this is new territory for you but take these next few months for you to learn the ropes. You are going to be a King Harry, a King. You won't bow down to Arabella once she's Queen, not like grandfather. You'll be her equal. Observe how they do things, learn their culture and language. Prepare yourself. You will still be King if Arabella dies before you. You won't be a prince or prince consort, you'll be King. I know you'll do well. Just take care alright." Will said hugging Harry tightly.

"I will." Harry hugged back. "Thank you."

With that, they pulled away from the hug and Harry said goodbye to his nephew before going to his father's place.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~

"So tell me, how are the wedding preparations? Have you started yet?" Charles asked as they eat their lunch.

"We’re having our first meeting with the wedding coordinators tomorrow. We plan to incorporate as much as we can from both countries in the wedding. It’s not going to be easy but we’ll try our best.” Harry answered his father’s question.

“That’s good to hear. It’s going to be a bit difficult since you are under the Church of England and she’s under the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. What’s your plans for this?”

“We might do the same thing as what Alexander and Maxima did for their wedding. Neither of us will be losing our place in the line of succession if we marry someone of a different religion but to appease both countries, we will have two ceremonies on that day or a separate day. It’s still uncertain.”

“My boy, going to be king some day. Never thought I’d see that day ever happening.” Charles shakes his head. “You were such a care free child. You didn’t have the pressure of being the heirs heir like your brother and you were so naughty growing up as well. Always getting into trouble.”

"Pa," Harry started.

"Let me just say this Harry." Charles interrupted Harry. "Before you met Bella, you were a mess. You've been with Chelsy for seven years, you were known as the 'party prince' to the press, hell you made a lot of mistakes and caused this family through bad press, but I feel like, if it wasn’t for that, you wouldn’t learn and grow to the man you are today. Ever since you met Bella, you've become such a good role model for the people, more responsible. I'm sure Afghanistan also contributed to this factor, but I am so proud of you Harry. I'm sure your mother would be proud to. Just remember, it's just not this country that you need to worry about now, you need to start thinking about the Netherlands and how you want to be as a King."

"Did you give Will this speech too?" Harry asked. "When he was about to marry Kate?"

"Yeah. Just not the King part, I gave him that speech when he was fifteen." Charles shook his head. "Your brother was under a very tight leash. We wanted him to have a normal childhood, but after your mother passed away, I had to talk to him and get him to understand the world we lived in. I told him, you are going to be King one day, don’t do anything that would jeopardise that."

They finished their lunch with small chats about their plans for the next few weeks, how long is Harry and Arabella going to be in London, and what about their royal engagements. Once they were done with dinner, they moved to Charles study to have a drink.

"Harry, your grandmother has spoken to me earlier," Charles began. "She asked me to give you and your future wife something."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, the reason why I've invited you over for lunch is to discuss your titles and some estates she would like to give to you. Normally, she would tell you herself, but she wish for me to tell you tonight so she can make preparations and join efforts with King Willem-Alexander." Charles then passed Harry his drink. "She has decided to give you a Dukedom. The Duke of Sussex actually, as well as the Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Your official title, from England once you've married would be His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. You will be primarily known as the Prince of Orange however once you've married Arabella."

"So how what's my full title? If I'm a prince and a Duke as well."

"Well your official title would be HRH Prince of Orange Prince Henry of Wales, Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Your titles from the Netherlands with come first since it’s a higher rank. Just like how I'm Prince of Wales and then comes my dukedom and so on."

Harry nodded understanding what his father was trying to say.

"Your grandmother, as an engagement present, would like to give you both York Cottage at Sandringham and as a wedding gift, she would like to give you Craigowan Lodge at Balmoral. She knows that Balmoral is Arabella's favourite place as a child and you love going to Sandringham during Christmas. You may start repairs anytime you want. The family lawyer will draw everything up and will present it to you once it's done."

"Wow. She's giving us two?" Harry asked slightly in shock. She knew his grandmother has given his brother Anmer Hall but other than that, they have been living at Apartment 1A at Kensington.

"Yes. She decided to give you a summer home as well as a winter home. Let's not forget Nottingham Cottage at Kensington. All three will be under both of your names, once everything is signed, you'll have to release a press release. Have you both talked about a pre-nup?"

"Yeah, we're meeting our lawyers and advisors tomorrow at St. James. Parliament on Arabella's side won't let her marry without one and we know that they have the power of removing her as the heir if they don’t approve of our marriage. They only agreed because I'm granny's grandson and fourth in line to the throne. There is also a probability that Will might abdicate or George but I don’t see that happening, or at least I hope not." Harry shrugged.

"Well, whatever their reason is, they allow you to marry and let her keep her place."

They talked some more before Harry have to excuse himself to go home and get ready for dinner and a night out with his friends. He did call Arabella on his way home to check in and see whether she's home or not.

"Hey." Arabella's voice called out on the other side of the phone.

"Hey, I'm on my way back from Clarence."

"Clarence?"

"Yeah. Pa wanted to talk about some things."

"What about?"

"Granny is giving us York Cottage at Sandringham and Craigowan Lodge at Balmoral. Both needs a lot of repairs but as soon as they're signed, we can start."

"Did she really?"

"Yeah. Are you home?”

“Just arrived. What time are we meeting everybody?”

“Meeting them at 8:30. I’ll see you at home, I’m 5 minutes away.”

“Love you.”

“I love you too.”

With that Harry hanged up the phone and sighed. He has a feeling that tonight will be a long night.

*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*

Arabella walked out of the bedroom wearing a sequined maroon sleeveless mini dress. Her hair was up in a ponytail with a few pieces loose in the front. She did her make up a little bit smoky with some liner and nude lips.

Arabella felt very comfortable in her skin and love dressing up to look good. She went downstairs and greeted Harry by the door, ready to go.

"Are you ready?" She asked him while putting on her shoes.

"Yeah. Barend is on shift tonight so he's driving us using my car, Samuel will be in the car with us while Arthur, Lucas, Max and Finn will be in the car behind." Harry informed her.

"Are all your friends going to be there tonight?"

"Yeah pretty much. Skippy, Lara, Sam, Isabella, Hugh, Jake, Zoe, Tom, Melissa and Guy will be the only ones for dinner. After that other friends of friends will join us."

"Great! I haven’t seen them in so long."

With that, they climbed into their car and left Kensington grounds.

The couple arrived at the restaurant at eight thirty sharp and was shown their tables as soon as they went inside. It was an Italian restaurant and they were seated in a private room. When the pair entered the room, all of Harry's friends stood up and started clapping their hands, shouting words of congratulations and praise. Once they were all seated, they began looking through the menu and ordering their food.

It was a rectangular table with six seats on each side. Arabella was seated in the middle with Harry seated across of her. On her immediate right was Lara and next to her was Isabella and Sam at the end. On her left side was Zoe and Jake. Next to Harry was Skippy, Tom and Melissa at the end while on his other side was Guy and Hugh.

"Well, let me see the ring!" Lara said to Isabella once they've finished ordering their meal. Out of all of Harry's friends, Arabella was closer to Lara and Melissa.

Arabella just smiled before showing Lara her left hand. There in her ring finger was her beautiful engagement ring.

"My goodness, what a beautiful ring. We saw your engagement interview and everything, but those don’t do these any justice." Lara said smiling before turning to Arabella. "Have you started the planning yet?"

"We've got a general idea of what we want but we're having our first meeting with the wedding planner tomorrow." Arabella started off. “We know we would like to incorporate both countries in the wedding, we just don’t know how."

"That idea will make both countries very happy I hope." Lara said.

"Do you know which designer doing your dress?" Zoe asked from Arabella's other side.

"Definitely not McQueen or David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The comparisons will be horrific. I know that I'm going to have more than one designer that's for sure." Arabella said. "I have a huge pile of resume's in my office with designers that wants to design my dress already. God knows it will only continue to grow until the actual wedding."

"Do you have a date already in mind?" Zoe asked.

"Well, we know it's going to be in October, I like the autumnal colours, like oranges and burnt red, it's absolutely beautiful. Perhaps early to mid-October, I don’t want the weather to be too cold or too hot." Arabella explained.

"Have you thought about your bachelorette party yet?" Lara asked. "Are you going to be the one planning it, or will someone else plan it."

"Madeleine will plan it I'm sure. I bet she's already started planning it." Arabella laughed.

"That's cute of her." Isabella said from next to Sam.

"So what's the plan tonight?" Arabella asked.

"Well, when we're finished here, we're off to this new club Sam is overseeing." Skippy started off, after hearing Arabella's question.

"There's this new American actress that wants to meet the both of you, said to be a huge fan." Guy said. "I thought I could introduce her to you and in return have a very fun night from a very thankful actress."

The whole table burst out laughing at what Guy said. It was typical for Guy to introduce someone to them to get lucky, so Arabella and Harry did not feel offended of being used like that. And that’s only because Harry has known Guy since he was little and Arabella knows for a fact that Harry's close circle of friends are very loyal. Sure they joked around and often use them to gain a benefit here and there, but at the end of the day, they are fiercely loyal and extremely protective of their friends.

"What's her name? I tried asking Harry this morning but all he said was someone starting with an M, which wasn’t very helpful." Arabella started pointedly at Harry across the table.

"Meghan Markle, small TV show actress. I know you have ties with the Hollywood scene Bella." Guy told Arabella.

"The one from Suits?" Arabella recalled. "Harry we watched an episode of that series. Remember? I said if you weren't with me, you would go for her."

"Babe, we weren't doing much watching at that time." Harry laughed.

At Harry's reply, the whole table burst into laughter leaving Arabella red in the face and stuttering for an answer. Shaking her head, she opened her mouth to retort a comeback but the food has arrived and they ate their meal. Once they're all done, food and drinks has been paid, courtesy of Skippy who said that it was a night of celebration, they left the restaurant and went to the club to let loose.

The club they were going to is a very high class club, which means bouncers, and high security, but that didn’t mean that Arabella's protection officers would wait outside. Nope. Barend will standby at the car, Lucas will stand guard at the back door while Max stands by the front door. Finn however will be within 5 feet away from Arabella inside the club. Arabella won't see Finn, but rest assure, if anyone touches Arabella who is not authorized, they will be on the ground. Harry's PO's however is a different story. Samuel will wait in the car (there's two cars on standby) while Arthur will be somewhere inside the club. Not as close as Finn to Arabella but he can see everything.

All of Arabella's RPO's carry a weapon, maybe even more. Even Barend and Markus is trained in martial arts and carry a weapon. They take their jobs very seriously since if anything were to happen to Arabella, they have to answer to the King and make sure that they have done everything in their power to protect Arabella. Not only do they have to answer to the King but also to the people as well. Princess Diana might have been known as the People's princess of but Arabella is known as the Kingdom's Princess.

They went inside the club towards the VIP section on the second floor which oversees the dance floor below and has its own bar and bartender. When the group arrived, Chelsy Davy was there as well as a few other acquaintances. Arabella and Harry greeted everyone they knew with a kiss on the cheeks and everyone else with a polite handshake and smiles. There was a few people who they did not know that was there and when it was Arabella who was greeting them, they y did a small curtsy when they shook hands which Arabella just ignored.

"Harry! Bella! Come here for a sec, I want to introduce you to someone." Guy called from somewhere near the bar. Harry excused himself from the person he was talking to and reached Guy before Arabella. Arabella was sitting at the couches when Guy called so she took a bit longer to get to Guy.

"Harry, I would like to introduce you to Meghan Markle. Meghan, Prince Harry." Guy introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Meghan gave a small shy smile.

"You too." Harry replied giving her a smile before turning around to look for his fiance.

"Babe," Harry called out to Arabella as she came closer to the trio.

"Bella, this is Meghan Markle, the girl I was telling you about." Guy introduced her again. "Meghan, this is Princess Arabella."

"Hello," Arabella said politely which Meghan returned with a smile. She didn’t really want to meet the Princess, she just wanted to meet Prince Harry. When Guy invited her to go out tonight, he said that the Prince might come so she dressed to impress. She wasn’t happy that his fiance was there as well.

"Shall we go sit? I'll grab us some drinks." Guy said as he gestured them towards the sitting area as he went to grab drinks. "Your usual I assume Harry? Bella? And what would you like Meghan?"

"Yes please." Both Harry and Arabella replied Guy.

"I'll have a Margarita please Guy." Meghan replied. With that Guy left to go to the Bar and order their drinks. Making sure to have Arabella's drink checked and made under direct supervision so that nothing is added or anything.

Meanwhile, Harry, Arabella and Meghan went to the couches and sat down. Harry sat first, pulling Arabella onto his lap and pulled her even closer, and Meghan sat opposite of the pair.

"So, Meghan, what do you do for a living?" Harry started off.

"I'm an actress and an activist." She replied.

"Oh, big screen or small screen?" Arabella asked. She knew a lot of actors and actresses and none of them have heard of Meghan Markle before.

"Small screen now, I'm currently doing this TV show called Suits. Have you seen it before?" She turned to Harry when she asked this question.

"I think we watched an episode, but I don’t think we were paying that much attention, did we babe?" Harry smirked at Arabella before pressing kisses on her neck.

Laughing, Arabella kissed Harry's cheeks before asking the next question. "How long are you here for?"

"Only for a few days." Meghan replied shortly. Feeling as if she didn’t want to talk to Arabella,  Arabella just looked away and surveyed the area. It was then that Guy came back with their drinks.

"Martini for the Princess, Whiskey for the Prince and a Margarita for the actress. Enjoy." Guy handed each of them with their drinks and started a conversation with Harry and Meghan. Arabella whispered to Harry that she's going to go over to Skippy and Lara before getting up from Harry's lap and heading over there.

They stayed there for a while, many drinks between them. Arabella stayed with Lara and Zoe, often going to the railing to watch people dance before heading to the mini dance floor and dance themselves while Harry chatted with Guy and Skippy who joined them not long after Arabella left. Meghan stayed there as well with Chelsy joining them after Skippy. Chelsy and Harry remained friends after the break up and Arabella and Chelsy are friendly with each other. Chelsy has her own boyfriend and are very happy right now.

Throughout the whole night, Chelsy watched how Meghan interacted with Harry, feeling slightly suspicious of the new girl in their circle. She liked how happy Harry is with Arabella and she doesn’t want anyone jeopardising that. The whole night, Chelsy could see that this Meghan was full on flirting with Harry, touching his arms, laughing at every single thing that Harry says and even doing the tucking of the hair behind the ears move. Chelsy then glanced at Arabella to see if she noticed that Meghan was making a move on Harry and it looks like she was having a blast with Lara and Zoe. She was laughing and dancing and drinking like there was no tomorrow.

Feeling annoyed, Chelsey excused herself to go to the bathroom and went to go do her business. Once she was done, she left the cubicle to see that Meghan had went to the bathroom as well and is re-applying her lipstick. Chelsy ignored her as she went to wash her hands.

"Do you think if I pull down my top more, Harry will notice me?" Meghan spoke up beside Chelsy.

"I'm sorry, what?" Chelsy furrowed her eyebrows.

"What do you think I should do to get Harry’s attention?” Meghan asks again. “Do I need to show more skin to get him to leave his fiancé? Or do I need to play nice girl?”

Chelsy just looked at her flabbergastedly.

“Is that your plan tonight? To get Harry interested in you that he will leave his fiancé? A crown princess for some low small screen nobody? Please, have some respect for yourself.” Chelsy scoffed before leaving the bathroom.

Meanwhile at the table, when Chelsy left, not long after Meghan left to the bathroom as well and Arabella approached Harry, Guy and Skippy.

“Having fun?” Arabella asked Harry kissing his cheeks.

“Not without you baby.” Harry replied.

“Please stop guys or I’ll barf.” Guy said mockingly barfing.

“Why didn’t you stay here with us?” Harry asked Arabella.

“Yeah, you missed Meghan throwing herself at Harry while Guy just moped.” Skippy laughed.

“Well I didn’t want to see someone throwing themselves at my fiancé, so I decided to just let loose myself.” Arabella replied to Harry’s question. “Besides, absence makes your heart grow fonder, is it not?”

Shaking his head, Harry just pulled Arabella closer to him and swayed to the music.

It was then Chelsy came back from the bathroom with a slightly pissed off look in her face.

“What’s wrong Chels?” Harry asks still hugging Arabella close to him.

“I just want to rip out Meghan’s head off.” Chelsy said angrily.

“What? Why?” Guy asks.

“She literally asks me in the bathroom what to do to make Harry notice her, show off more skin or pretend to be a good girl.” Chelsy shakes her head.

“And? What did you say to her?” Curious, Arabella prodded some answers from Chelsy.

“Well, I said, word for word, if that’s her plan tonight. If she’s trying to get Harry to leave his fiancé, a crown princess, I might add, for a low small screen nobody. And that for her to have a little respect for herself.” Chelsy shrugged.

With that, the whole table burst out laughing.

“Oh Chelsy honey.” Arabella pulled away from Harry to hug Chelsy. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I had to, Bella. I know we’re not exactly the best of friends, but you are one of my friends and I have grown to respect you a lot. I’ve been through where you were, only I was more insecure and in the end, that and how his life is like, that we didn’t end up working. I don’t want some bimbo nobody get in between Harry and his happiness. After all that he’s been through, he deserves it. And you, not only embrace this life of his, but your life is even more demanding than his. So, yeah. I have to do this. I will do this again.” Chelsy said to Arabella.

“Thank you.” Arabella smiled at her. “It means a lot to me. For you to do this.”

When they pulled away from each other, they faced the smiling group and shook their heads. At that, Meghan came back from the bathroom and the group could clearly tell that she chose to show more skin. It was indicated by the lower neckline of her shirt and even shorter skirt and ruffled hair.

Arabella just stared at Harry before laughing and shaking her head. She then kissed Harry on the lips, just to mark her territory before going to the bar to get some more Martini, maybe even some tequila, she definitely needs something stronger.

"Tequila shot please." She gestured to the bartender before turning around and lean against the bar to survey the VIP area. What she didn’t realise, is that Meghan followed her and stood next to her against the bar.

"I see I pushed you to drinking shots now? Are you that insecure that I'll steal your man?" Meghan spoke up.

Turning around, she looked Meghan up and down, before laughing again. "Honey, what makes you so sure that you can steal my man?"

"He's been into me the whole night. I bet you if I would walk past him and give him a signal, he'll come following shortly. Because let's face it, who would want a stick thin dumb blonde as a fiancé?"

"Let's get one thing straight here Meg, can I call you meg?" Arabella asked before smirking. "That guy behind you there, with the leather jacket? He's my protection officer, well one of them anyways. I don’t usually pull this card but, compared to me, you're nothing. I'm the crown princess, my godparents are kings and queens, if anyone were to threaten me, well let's just say that you won't be allowed back in many countries. You want to try and get Harry's attention go for it. I just want to see your face when he doesn’t give you the time or day." With that, Arabella gestured for Meghan to go walk past Harry and come back.

"Fine. You'll see how he'll drool over me when I come back here." With that, she flicked her hair and walked towards Harry in what Arabella assumed to be a supposed sexy walk. She walked really slowly in front of Harry, trying, and failing to show some legs. When Harry didn’t even glance her way, she just huffed and stalked back to where Arabella was standing.

"Now watch how it's done." Arabella threw back her shot of tequila before slamming it back down on the bar top and make her way to Harry. She swayed her hips a little as she got closer to Harry. It was at that moment when Harry felt the need to look up and there it was, right in front of him, his fiancé walking towards him sexily. He bit his lips before excusing himself from his friends and meet her half way.

"You want to get out of here?" Arabella looked into his eyes and bite her lips.

"Let's go." Harry just signalled Finn that they were leaving before taking her hand and dragging her towards the exit and their cars.

Arabella turned her head to look behind her, her eyes stared into those of Meghan's and Arabella gave her a wink before turning back to the front and giggled softly.

"I know what you did," Harry said as the car doors close.

"I have no idea what you’re saying." Arabella smiled coyly.

"I saw you talking to her by the bar, I saw the way you laugh and how you challenged her."

"Fine, she told me that you were into her and how if she would walk past you, you would look at her and follow her into oblivion. I obviously challenged her to actually do it and when she failed to catch your attention, I told her to watch and learn how it's done, and well, you're here now aren't you?"

Let's just say, when they returned back to the cottage, their night was spent with laughter and a lot of love making.

Next Chapter 

[sakuswritersblog]

Ex’s Wedding, Part 3  - Brett Talbot Imagine (Teen Wolf)

A/N: Here it is. This is the final part of my wedding series. I'm really happy with the end and I hope you guys are too. It's probably the longest prompt out of all of them, but I hope you don't mind it, because I think it's definitely worth reading it. So anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this prompt as much as I loved writing it. Don't forget to send in requests if you want us to write more stuff. Love you!

Part 1, Part 2.

Brett and I approached the table where Jake, Maia and their families were already waiting for us. Maia arised from her seat and smiled at us the moment she saw us. I smiled back at her and tried to calm myself down since my heart was beating like crazy at the sight of Jake and his family.

You can do it, (Y/N). Just breathe and don't worry too much about it, I thought to myself as we arrived at the table.

 ''(Y/N), Brett, there you are. We've been talking about you two just a second ago,'' Maia told us with a big grin on her face. 

''Jake, Honey, don't you want to welcome them?'' Maia turned to her husband, who had been lost in a conversation with the person sitting beside him.

Jake instantely looked up from the table and turned his head towards me and Brett. I reached out and grabbed Brett's hand as if it were something we did every day. Knowing that he was by my side, helped me to calm myself down.

Jake arised from his seat as well and walked over to us. ''(Y/N) hey. It's really nice to see you again,'' He pulled me in for a quick but very warm hug.

''You look really good,'' Jake said as he studied me and I instantly felt the heat rise to my cheeks.

 ''Thanks,'' I responded shyly. God, why did he still have such an impact on me? I asked myself at the reaction my body still seemed to have on him.

Brett suddenly cleared his throat which caught both mine and Jake's attention. Our heads jerked up at the same time and Jake and I both looked in the direction where Brett was standing. ''Honey, don't you want to introduce us to each other?'' Brett asked me as he wrapped his arm around my waist. ''Oh yeah, sorry. So Jake this is my boyfriend Brett and Brett this is Jake...'' I said and looked first at Brett then at Jake. They both nodded their heads at each other and I could feel a tension rising between them.

''Brett, it's really nice to meet you.'' Jake reached out his hand which Brett shook hesitantely.

''I've already heard a lot about you, Jake.'' Brett said with a rather inconvenient tone in his voice. ''Well I assume it's not just good things,'' Jake sheepishly rubbed his neck while he was looking at me with eyes full of guilt. I looked back at him, feeling somewhat embarrassed. I didn't want to talk about it, because it would make me feel vulnerable and that's not what I wanted to be especially not in front of Jake and everyone else.

''Please, we don't have to talk about that, Jake.'' I mumbled, trying to change the topic. 

''I mean, today should be all about you and Maia. It's your wedding day, so why don't we talk about you two?'' I suggested as I pulled Brett closer to me, so that he was now standing right beside me.

''Everyone at this table already knows everything about us,'' Maia replied nonchalantly. ''so, I would rather talk about how you two fell in love,'' Everyone at the table and in the room seemed to agree and paid their attention towards us.

A silence fell over the room and I could feel everyone's eyes on us. My heart instantly skipped a thousand times faster than before because I hated being in the spotlight. I also hated to talk in front of many people, especially when I didn't know who they were and Brett knew that. He actually knows me better than anyone I know so I was pretty sure that he would help me out. 

''Well... I can tell the story but only if you don't mind, love,'' Brett spoke, glancing at me for a second. He gave me a reassuring smile, telling me that I didn't have to worry about anything. I nodded my head and looked at him, excited about what he was going to say.

Brett told everyone the real story about how we both met and became friends, how we decided to become roommates since we were both looking for a place to stay and going to the same university, how we got to know each other better day by day and just added some cute fake details like how he fell in love with me, our first date and how he had asked me out in order to complete the story.

I had to admit that I was pretty impressed by the story and how authentic he had told it.

After he had finished telling it, everyone applauded. ''Wow, what a beautiful love story you two share,'' Jake's mother Samatha said as she wiped a few tears from her face.

 ''You two are really lucky to have each other,'' Maia added while she was looking at us. ''Yeah, you're right honey, but I am lucky to have a wife like you too,'' Jake suddenly interjected, kissing his wife sweetly on the lips.

I looked away as their lips collided and played with the hem of Brett's shirt, because seeing Jake kiss another girl was something I still had to get used to. I felt Brett's warm hand on my knee and looked up at him. 

''Are you okay?'' He asked and I nodded my head while giving him a small smile.

 ''Thank you for backing me up, Brett. I really don't know what I would have told them about us if you hadn't been there,'' I said into his ear, so the others wouldn't hear it.

Brett smiled down at me. ''I'm sure you would have been fine. You just have to believe in yourself more, (Y/N).'' He said as he gave me a gentle smile. I shook my head. 

''No, I would have been a complete disaster and probably ended up telling everyone the truth about us,'' Brett just laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. ''What are you two lovebirds talking about?'' Jake's mother Samantha, who sat opposite from us, asked curiously.

''We were just talking about our upcoming anniversary and what we want to do,'' Brett blurted out almost a little too quickly. Luckily, I soon realized what he was intending to do and played along with it. 

''Yeah, we've been talking about it for weeks, but we still don't know what to go for. I suggested a trip to New York City but Brett thinks it's not romantic enough,'' I continued, looking first at Brett then at the people sitting at the table with us.

I really wanted them to believe our little lie, so no one would ever find out that I secretly still felt something for Jake or never got over him in the first place, and that's why we had to be as authentic and believable as possible.

''Well, it's our second anniversary, (Y/N). I just want it to be the best and most romantic day you've ever had, because you are definitely the best thing that ever happened to me,'' Brett answered and leaned down to give me a sweet peck on the lips. I was thrown off guard about his gesture at first, but soon after the shock wore off I went along with it and kissed him back.

My whole body filled with electricity the moment his lips collided with mine and I could feel butterflies filling the pit of my stomach. Well, that's new and different, I thought as we broke away from the kiss. I starred at him for a couple of seconds with a look full of confusion and shock.

Why did my body react like that to a simple kiss from Brett? I mean he was my best friend, that one person who knew me better than anyone else. He was like family to me, one of the most important people in my life, but I had never actually considered Brett to be more than just my best friend. I had never thought about him or seen him that way.

But, maybe I was just overthinking everything now and my body reacted that way because of the situation we both were in and not because I had feelings for him... right?

''Aw, you two are adorable together,'' Maia complimented with a smile and pulled me out of my wooly thoughts. ''and I think that whatever you two decide to do on your anniversary, it's going to be great because all that actually matters is that you have each other.'' Maia advised while she looked happily at Jake, who nodded in agreement.

 ''I'm just glad that you treat (Y/N) the way she deserves it, Brett.'' Jake said as he gave him a pat on the back.

Brett abruptly pushed Jake's hand away, ''Well, I think at least someone has to do it the right way and repair the wounds and bruises that are left in her heart because you betrayed and cheated on her while you two were together.'' Brett muttered, glaring back at him.

''Brett,'' I warned him as I looked at him in shock from his harsh words and his sudden reckless behavior towards my ex-boyfriend. I put my hand on Brett's chest to stop him, because I knew that he would probably kick his ass and attack him if I wasn't there to hold him back.

''No, (Y/N), it's okay. He's right and I definitely deserve it,'' Jake replied, trying to defend Brett. ''No, you definitely don't deserve it, Jake. What happened between me and you is a personal matter and not something everyone should know about. It's nobody else’s business and bringing that topic up, especially on your wedding day, is just not the right thing to do. So, I'm really sorry about that.'' I apologized as I looked at him feeling somewhat guilty. Of course I felt guilty, I brought Brett along with me.

Before anyone else could respond to that, I pulled Brett aside from the tables and scrunched my eyebrows towards him, ''want to explain what the hell that was, Brett?'' I whisper yelled at him while crossing my arms in front of my chest. I really wanted an explanation for his reckless and disrespectful behavior. I knew that he was still angry at Jake for betraying me and hurting my feelings, but that shouldn't explain his behavior towards him. Brett had been acting weird around Jake the whole time we've been here anyway and it was really starting to piss me off.

''I only told him what he deserved to hear, (Y/N). You and I, we both know how much he hurt you, how much you have been suffering because of him, so why are you even defending him?!'' Brett whisper yelled back at me, throwing his arms in the air defensively.

''I'm not defending anyone, Brett! I'm just annoyed that you brought that topic up even though you know how I feel talking about it!'' Brett opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted him. ''I mean I get that you're still pissed about how he treated me and about how much I cried because of him, but that still doesn't give you the right to talk to him like that! You've been acting all weird ever since we met Maia and Jake and it makes it really hard for me to enjoy being here with you. I thought you were here to support me as my best friend and not to make the whole situation even worse. All of them probably think I'm crazy now because of you, Brett!'' I snapped back at him.

Brett looked at me in disbelief, his hands balling into little fists on the side of his body while he was clinching his jaw. ''I can't believe you're actually blaming me for all of this! You know it's not my fault, (Y/N).'' Brett shouted back at me.

The whole room was quiet now and everyone had mine and Brett's full attention. I ignored the eyes that were burning wholes on my back, because I was too angry to even think about them. Instead I narrowed my eyes at Brett, my body still in the same position as it was before.  

''Of course it's your fault, Talbot! Who else is there to blame besides you?'' I yelled back, angrily.

My lungs were burning from all the screaming, but I didn't really care. Who did Brett think he was?! He knew how important this day was for me and he still tried to ruin it by attacking Jake without having a proper reason. Brett and I have had little disputs and discussions before, but never as big and loud as this one. I couldn't believe that my best friend was standing infront of me, because I didn't recognize him at all. It was like a whole different person was talking to me and not the person I cared so much about.

''Oh my god, (Y/N), you're being absolutely ridicilous! You're acting like I'm the actual bad guy even though I only said what needed to be said, alright? Everything I did was because I couldn't just stand there and watch the guy who broke your heart talking about you, about us, like nothing had happened between you and him. I did it 'cause every time I look at him being super happy with his new wife, I think about you and see you laying on your bed, crying your eyes out and being totally heartbroken because of him. You may have gotten over it, (Y/N), but I for sure didn't! Do you have any idea how I felt when you were crying over him? How I felt when you didn't wanted to leave the apartment because you felt too ugly to go outside let alone go to university? I did everything I could to cheer you up and distract you from your thoughts about him because I was sick of seeing you like that, because you are important to me (Y/N), but now, all you do is scream at me for being harsh to him. Do you really think that's fair? All you care about is what he and his family thinks about you even though you're here with me! Tell me why you still care so much about Jake, (Y/N), because I really don't get it. He broke your freaking heart and cheated on you and yet you only see the good sides on him!'' Brett argued back, his face turning red.

I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it again. I didn't really know what to say. Brett had a good point. Why did I still care so much about what Jake thought about me? He broke my heart and was the reason I had trust issues with other guys, he was the reason why I stayed at home for almost a month and skipped all of my classes at university, he was the reason I distanced myself from so many people who used to be my closest friends, so why the hell did I care so much about him?

Maybe it was because he was my first love, my first heart break, my first everything. Jake gave me so much nobody else could give me and I knew I would always love him for that. I have tried to hate him so many times, but every time I wanted to delete our pictures on my phone or unfriend him on my social networks, all the good things, all the memories came back flooding in my mind and I just couldn't do it. I would somehow always care about him whether I wanted to or not. Brett, who had never actually been in love before, had no idea what it was like to love someone as much as I loved Jake so he absolutely had no right to talk about things like that.  

''It's not as easy to get over a heartbreak and the person you once loved as you think it is, Brett. Jake was my first love and not just some random guy I hooked up with, so of course I still care about him! Yes, he broke my heart and I cried a lot over him, but he also gave me so many things nobody else knows about. You're right, I don't know how you felt and maybe I should have thought about it sooner, but I don't think it's fair that you blame me for still caring so much about Jake when you've never had your heart broken or even been in love before!'' I shouted back at him.

''(Y/N), you're just too blind to see that the person you love is married to a woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, alright? When you asked me to be your date for your ex-boyfriends wedding I thought you'd asked me because you wanted to show him that you've moved on, because you wanted him to see that you're better off without him, but I was wrong. The reason you really showed up here today was to impress Jake, because you still care too much about him. And I'm only here because you were to scared to go to this wedding all by yourself, am I right?''

No he was not right, but before I could even open my mouth to defend myself, Brett had already started talking again.

''I really thought that coming here with you would open your eyes and you'd see how happy Jake is with his new life and how much he loves his new wife Maia, so that you would finally move on and start to think about dating other guys. I really thought I could finally show you that I'm good enough for you. That I'm not just your best friend, but the person who's always been there for you. I really thought that you'd finally see how I see you, how I feel about you, but instead all you do is talk about Jake and get angry at me for defending you. I'm sick of this, (Y/N). I thought I could handle being around him, because he's with someone else now, but seeing the way you still look at him, hurts. It hurts, because it makes me realize that you'll never look at me the way you look at him and that you'll never love me the way I love you. So, yeah.. you were definitely wrong when you said that I don't know what it feels like to have my heart broken or to even be in love with someone, because I'm in love with you, (Y/N). I've always been.'' Brett confessed. I could see that his eyes were filled with tears and that he was doing his best to hold them back.

A few seconds passed and the whole room was still quiet. Everyone heard the words that Brett had just said out loud, which meant that everyone knew the truth about us now. Even though I should have been angry at him for not keeping our secret a secret anymore, I wasn't angry at him at all. Somehow, all the anger that I had felt inside of me towards Brett  was suddenly gone.

''You know what, (Y/N)? Just..uh..just..forget about what I have just said. I've never said anything, alright? I..I have to go.'' Brett suddenly stammered, before he grabbed his jacket and ran outside the door, passing past all the people who were looking at him in disbelief and shock.

I also stood there, frozen in place, for a couple of minutes, replaying Brett's last words in my head over and over again, before realizing that he had already left the building. ''Wait, Brett!'' I yelled and run towards the door, trying to catch up with him. Just when I was about to leave the door, I heard someone calling my name from behind me. I turned around and saw Jake and Maia standing behind me, looking at me with a mix of concern and guilt in their eyes.

Great, out of all the people in this room they were the least people I wanted to talk to right now, I thought as I faked a smile at them. Both of them probably knew how I really felt right now, but it was still their wedding day and I didn't wanted to be the one ruining it for them, even though it was probably too late for that. I sighed, ''Well, I guess you guys heard everything?'' I scratched my neck awkwardly and tried to avoid their gaze. Now that they knew the truth about me and Brett it was really hard for me to look them in the eyes. I felt really guilty for lying to them. ''Yeah,'' Both of them murmured at the same time.

''Look, I'm really sorry for not telling you the truth about mine and Brett's relationship and for pretending to be with him, even though we're not really together. It was just... when I heard your voice after such a long time, I was totally overwhelmed by the whole situation. I didn't really know what to do, because I had been spending the last years of my life failing to get over you and our relationship, but was too scared and stubborn to admit that towards you. Brett  just got home from his lacrosse practice the moment I was talking to you on the phone and that was when this crazy idea of him being my boyfriend popped into my head and I told you about him. He agreed to help me out and be my date for the wedding today, but I never thought that it would end in such a disaster.'' At this point I finally managed to lift my head up and was now looking right at Maia and Jake.

From the look on their faces I could see that they both were even more shocked than before since they knew the truth now. I felt tears welling in my eyes, but I held them back as much as I could. I didn't want to cry or come off as weak in front of them.

''Don't look so shocked, guys. I mean did you really expect me to recover from the pain I felt in my heart, after my boyfriend of over six years left me for another woman, he barely even knew, and fell in love with while we were still together? You have absolutely no idea how I felt.. I was so miserable after you moved out of our apartment, Jake. I rejected my friends, my family heck even skipped university because of you. The only person who talked to me this whole time was Brett. He was the one that got me out of this dark whole I was buried in after our break up, the only person who really cared about how I felt. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to look at myself in the mirror without feeling disgusting or insecure about my body, my face or what I was wearing? All this time was blaming myself for our breakup, even though Brett told me, that I was not the one to blame. He told me that I should be angry at you and your new girlfriend, but I couldn't be angry at you. I've never been. I have tried to hate you, Jake. I really did, but no matter what I was doing, you were always somehow in the back of my mind. So, when you asked me to come to your wedding back then I just had to make up a lie about being in a relationship, about being happy with my life, because I wanted you to believe it, even though I did not believe it myself. God, please don't get me wrong when I say this, but Brett was right... I've cared too much about what you guys thought about me this whole time, even though the only person I really should have cared about was him. But now he's gone and I ruined everything. Your wedding, everyone's mood and my friendship with Brett. I'm.. really sorry about that.''

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore and felt how they were running down my cheeks, feeling somewhat relieved about not having to hide the truth anymore. On the other hand though, I felt terrible because of Brett. He had been in love with me this whole time and I had been too busy with myself and my own feelings, that I never really thought about how he felt. His whole behaviour tonight, the words he said to Jake or the way he acted around me, it all started to make sense now and I knew that I had to talk to him. But before I could do that I had to deal with Jake and Maia first.

''(Y/N),'' Jake said, shoving his hands in his pockets. ''Please, you really don't have to apologize or feel sorry at all, because the only one who needs to apologize is me. Look, I know that I was an idiot for breaking your heart and leaving you like that and I know I'll always hate myself for that. You were my high school love and the girl I thought I'd always wanted be with, but in the end I turned out to be the asshole who ruined everything. (Y/N), I know there are not enough words in the world to apologize for what I have done to you, for what you went through because of me, but I really want you to know that I'm sorry. Maybe, it's too late to say that and I'm definitely not blaming you if you're not willing to forgive me, but knowing that I tried and apologized to the girl I was so in love with back in high school at least makes me feel a little better about myself.'' He looked at me with an apologetic glance on his face and put his hand on my shoulder.

''I'm sorry (Y/N). I'm sorry for everything that I've put you through. I want you to know that you've always been in the back of my mind  too. Don't get me wrong, I love Maia and feel really blessed to have her by my side, but (Y/N), I will always care about you too. You were right, we both share so many memories nobody knows about and I'm really glad I do. But Brett, he was right too, (Y/N). It's time to move on. All I want for you is to be happy with your life and I know that I'm not the one who can give you that. But Brett? He seems like a great guy who really cares about you. Believe me, I saw it in his eyes. I saw it in the way he acted around you, talked to you, looked at you. He's something special and you know that too. Don't just let him go like that. You deserve to be happy, (Y/N).''

He smiled at me gently and I found myself smiling back at him. I was genuinely happy about not having to worry about Jake anymore and that I could now finally move on. I finally got my closure.  Yeah, Jake would always be my first love and I knew that I would never forget him, but after hearing him say these words to me, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. All these years I've never really thought that Jake would feel the same way that I did, but now that I knew he had, now that he had apologized officially, I finally realized myself that it was time for me to move on.

''Can I say something very quickly?'' Maia asked and I nodded my head at her. 

'' I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry, (Y/N). I know I'm responsible for your heartbreak as much as Jake is and I just want you to know that I always hated myself for that. You are such a sweet person who deserves to be happy and I hope that you find that kind of happiness with Brett.'' She said honestly. I smiled back at her. 

''Thank you guys,'' I mouthed at them. Both of them gave me an encouraging smile, before Maia took her husband by the hand and lead him to the dance floor, where a few couples were already dancing.

''The special wedding dance between the bride and her groom is happening right after the next song, so be prepared everyone,'' The DJ announced through the speakers.

''It's also the perfect opportunity for all of you to grab the person you love and share a sweet moment with them that both of you will never forget.''  After he had finished his announcement, he continued playing the next song.

I watched some of the couples dancing together, holding each other happily in each others embrace. I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. ''I hope you find that kind of happiness with Brett.'', ''Brett, he's a great guy and he cares a lot about you.'' , ''Because I'm in love with you. I've always been.''  These words had been stuck in my head ever since they were spoken out and I just couldn't stop replaying them over and over again.

Brett, the one person who I had always seen as my best friend, the person who knew me better than anybody else, was in love with me. Jake, heck even Maia told me that we both would make a great couple... but how did I really feel about that? Were we really meant to be together?

I never really thought about Brett being more than just my best friend, but I could not deny that I didn't have feelings for him either. Of course I felt something for him, he was my best friend, my soulmate even, but was it really love? I didn't know that.

What I knew though was that Brett had always been the one person who stayed by my side ever since the day we both met. He was always there for me, even in my darkest of days. He was the one I could talk to about everything and anything without being judged, the one person I trusted with all of my heart.

Brett helped me to become the person I was today, because he inspired me with his constant kindness, encouragement and loyalty. God, he had even agreed to be my fake-boyfriend for today's wedding, even though he felt this way about me. He held onto my hand whenever I felt anxious about talking to someone and even managed to calm me down on our way to the wedding ceremony. He told stories about us that weren't even true only to support me and he had even kissed me to proof it to them.

The kiss... I remembered it now. I remembered exactly how I felt when he kissed me in front of everyone, how I had felt when he kissed my head the moment we met Maia, how I felt each time he took my hand. I remembered that I felt safe in his arms like nothing could ever happen to me as long as he would be there to protect me. I remembered that I felt loved whenever I was around him and I remembered that he felt like home to me.

And then suddenly it all hit me like a ton of bricks and I realized that I was wrong about my feelings this whole time. It had always been Brett, not Jake.

Brett was the one for me. He had always been. I was just too blind, too oblivious to see it. The butterflies I felt in my stomach the moment he kissed me, the reaction my body had on just a simple touch of Brett... it all started to make sense now.

I was in love with him too.

__

At this point I found myself running outside the door as if my life depended on it, calling his name desperately until my lung was burning. ''Brett! Brett, are you here?'' I shouted as I stood in front of the building, looking around to see if he was still there.

As I stood there I realized that it had started to become dark already. The moon was up and the wind was blowing like crazy, but I didn't care.  I didn't care that my body was freezing, I didn't care that my lung was on fire from screaming his name. All that really mattered in this exact moment was to find Brett. I needed to find him.

I was just about to lose my hope, when I suddenly saw someone leaning against a brick wall, hands shoved in their pockets and their head hanging low, just a few miles away from the building. ''Brett?'' I asked as I approached the person slowly. He looked up from the ground and I let out a sigh of relief. It was really him.

''Brett.. I'm so glad that I found you. I've been looking everywhere for you,'' I muttered as I stood in front of him. He studied me with raised eyebrows, looking rather unhappy to see me. Seemed like he was still mad at me. ''What do you want (Y/N)?'' He asked, his voice sounding rather cold.

''I'm here to apologize, Brett. Look, I'm really sorry, okay? Please just give me a chance to explain everything. You can still be mad at me afterwards.. just one chance,'' I pleaded desperately. Brett didn't say anything. I could see in his eyes how hurt and angry he was. I sighed and tried to make a step forward, but Brett held me back. 

''I don't really feel like talking to you, (Y/N).'' He answered as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

''I understand...but Brett I didn't even had the chance to respond to you earlier, you just ran away without hearing what I have to say to you.'' He remained silent but looked back at me, giving me the chance to talk.

''There are quite a few things I want to tell you Brett, but can we please do that back inside? I don't really feel comfortable out here and my whole body is freezing as well,'' Brett sighed at first, but after a few seconds he nodded his head and started to walk back towards the building and I followed him. I soon caught up with his tempo and was now walking next to him.

As we walked in silence together I could see from the corners of my eyes that he was taking his jacket off. Just a second later he had wrapped it around my shoulders to warm me, causing me to smile at him. ''Thanks,'' I mouthed at him as we arrived at the building where the wedding party was. We entered the building again and walked back inside where everyone else was celebrating.

The announced wedding and couple dance had already begun and I saw Maia and Jake happily swaying to the slow song that they had chosen as their wedding song. A lot of other happy couples were swaying to the song as well, enjoying each others company. I took the jacket off my shoulders and gave it back to Brett. He just hung it on a chair and leaned back against the wall of this building, looking at the crowd in front of him.

I looked at Brett and couldn't help but smile. My whole body was going crazy just by looking at him and I knew that I had to make it up to him somehow. ''You want to dance?'' I asked from beside him, a small smile plastered on my face.

He turned his head to me, looking surprised. ''I thought you wanted to talk?'' He raised his eyebrows at me, causing me to chuckle.

''I still want to talk to you Brett, but I thought it'd be nice if we could do both at the same time, because in the end we're still celebrating a wedding, right?'' I said as I held out my hand to him, which he took quite hesitantly. I lead him to the middle of the dance floor, where I put my arms around his neck while he put his on my waist. I offered him a smile as we slowly swayed to the song that was playing in the background.

I could feel Brett's eyes on me. He didn't say anything and just focused on me and what I had to say to him. ''Listen,'' I finally spoke and locked my eyes with his. ''I was a real bitch to you and I'm really sorry about that.'' I let out a deep breath that I had been holding the whole time before I continued, ''I don't even had a reason to be angry at you, because you've been right about everything, Brett. You've been right about the things you said to Jake, you've been right about the things you said about yourself like the reason I brought you here and you've been right about the things you said to me. Well, at least about most of them...'' I said, which seemed to catch his attention.

''What dou you mean by that?'' Brett asked curiously as we continued dancing. The song  that was playing in the background was almost over and a few couples had already left the dance floor, but I didn't really care about that. I only cared about telling Brett how I felt about him and hoped that he would still feel the same way about me. ''You said I could never love you the way I love Jake, but you were wrong about that, Brett. And do you want to know why?'' I asked, biting my lips nervously.

Brett nodded slowly and looked right back into my eyes. My heart was beating out of my chest. This was it.. This was the moment I had been waiting for ever since I realized that I was just as much in love with him as he was with me.. or at least I hoped that he still was.

''Because I could and never will love Jake as much as I love you, Brett. Yes, I love you,  and by love I don't mean that cute friendship kind of love, but rather the head over heels for you kind of love. God, I'm so in love with you Brett and not even scared to admit it.'' I paused for a moment to catch my breath. ''For all of my life I thought that Jake was the person who I was meant to be with, that he was the person I loved the most, but now I finally realized that I was wrong about that. I was wrong, because ever since the moment you told me how you felt about me, ever since the moment you left the room and even right at this exact moment, I just can't stop thinking about you. I can't stop thinking about the moments we spent together, I can't stop thinking about everything you've done for me and I can't stop thinking about how much I love you.'' I removed my hand from his neck and put it on his face. 

''I'm not wasting my time with thinking about Jake anymore, because now I'm wasting my time thinking about you, Brett. Because you're the one I'm meant to be with. You're the one I love the most, you've always been. I was just too blind and stupid to see that.''

Brett seemed to be in shock. He had stopped dancing now and just looked at me with wide eyes. ''I can't believe it.'' He mustered out in a small voice. I chuckled softly and nodded my head, ''believe it, Brett. Because it's the truth.'' I caressed his cheek, before pulling him into a gentle and sweet kiss.

My whole body felt like it was about to explode as I touched and tasted the sweetness of his lips and I knew exactly that this was the way I wanted to feel for the rest of my life.  

''Is that proof enough for you, Talbot?'' I asked, leaning my forehead against his while smiling at him. He nodded and smiled back at me. ''I could get used to that.'' He answered, before pulling me in for another, deeper and more passionate kiss.

__

A few months later.

''Babe, look what just arrived today,'' I announced happily as I sat next to Brett on the couch in our living room, holding an envelope in front of his face. ''Are these the pictures of the wedding?'' He asked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I looked up at him with a grin on my face and nodded. 

''Yes, they are. I'm so excited to see them.'' I answered before I opened the envelope.  

We both scanned through the different pictures of Maia's and Jake's wedding, laughing and thinking back at the day that had changed both of our lives completely.

It has been about two months since Brett and I confessed our feelings to each other and officially became a couple and I was happy to admit that it had been the best two months of my life.

Brett and I got along so well, even better now than before. Of course we both were still best friends, but in a different kind of way now. We did everything together and never got bored of each other.

I learned to love so many different sides of him every single day and fell in love with him over and over again. He made me smile and happy in so many ways, made me feel things I've never felt before, not even with Jake.

Speaking of Jake, I could finally say that I had gotten over him completely. Maia, Jake and I had become pretty good friends after the wedding and I was really happy about that. Even though I wasn't in love with Jake anymore, I still wanted him to be a part of my life and he felt the same way about me. We both had decided to keep in touch with each other and Brett was okay with that too. We even managed to hang out with them sometimes.

My life was perfect at the moment and I knew that it would always feel this way as long as Brett and I were together. He was the person I was waiting for all of my life and he would be that one person for the rest of my life.

''Baby?'' I put the pictures on the table in front of us and turned my head towards him. He looked back at me with his loving eyes and I couldn't help but smile at him. 

''I love you Brett Talbot.'' I whispered as I rested my forehead against his.

Brett smiled and pulled me closer to him, crashing his lips against mine. The kiss sent chills up my whole body, making me feel all fuzzy from the inside.

As we both pulled away from the kiss, he put his hand on my face, caressing it softly. ''I love you too, (Y/N). I love you so so much.''

I smiled and pecked his lips again, before we both continued to look at the rest of the pictures.

The End.

[hiddlesgirl]

SH 306: A Window Into An Empty Room

This was another fantastic episode; as I have said before Season 3 is proving to be the best season so far, I have really liked (if not loved) every single episode and have only had very few small issues. We finally got drunk Alec but not in the way we expected, we won but at what cost? Maryse and Luke have some fantastic chemistry and I hope we see more scenes with them in the future. I love seeing Magnus and Biscuit team up, they have such a wonderful friendship. And I said last week, it’s all downhill from here!

I love that Simon and Kyle are testing out the mark; Simon need to be confident in having some ability to control or anticipate it activating, which we now know won’t activate if he evades the attack. It helps Simon, Kyle and the Praetor have confidence that they can control it and therefore reduce the risk of it hurting anyone else. 

Simon brings up having lunch with Maia which Kyle quickly evades; as I have said multiple times, I have not read the books but have read a lot of fanfic and seen a lot on twitter so I know that Jordan is Maia’s ex and the one who turned her. I feel bad for Simon because he seems to really like Kyle and they could be great friends, but knowing about Kyle and Maia’s history you know there is going to be a lot of upset and friction when that all comes out (which happens in 3x07 by the look of the promo). I also feel sympathy for Maia because she has heard about ‘Kyle’ from Simon and how he has helped him, so that built up image of him is going to shatter when she learns who he really is. Plus we know just how much she has been affected by what he did; soured their relationship with possessive behaviour, presumable stalked her because he attacked her after she had been on a date, turned her against her will, and then abandoned her to deal with it on her own. I predict that I am going to want to give Maia a million hugs next episode. 

Heidi is waiting for Simon in his apartment (stalker alert!) and drops the bomb about him being her sire due to his blood being on her lips when she died; I have to give massive props to Tessa for her portrayal, not only making Heidi seem creepy, but also desperate, delusional and vulnerable. She has been around vampires for several years and has probably built up this fantasy in her head that she would have this amazing bond and relationship with her sire, especially because of her family issues, so it is understandable that she has become fixated on that; that there is someone who will love her and be bonded to forever.

Simon is understandable freaked; he thought she was dead and he is not prepared to be a sire, he has only been a vampire himself for a little over two months plus he didn’t turn her willingly or knowingly. He has a lot of his own issues to deal with right now and doesn’t feel capable of helping someone else, practically a stranger, through theirs. Plus she is an un-dead physical reminder of one of his biggest mistakes he is spooked by her and what she represents, his loss of control.

When Simon tries to suggest she go to Raphael she becomes upset and agitated, I loved her delivery of the line ‘Your blood runs through my veins, you don’t get to just turn your back on me like I’m some stranger��, you can tell how much rejection from him would affect her. She has already experienced abandonment from her biological family and cannot face rejection from her sire, especially when she has pegged so much (her happiness) on him and their perceived relationship.

I absolutely loved the lighting for the Malec scene, it was so beautiful and gold (hinting at a future wedding? Those gold sheets weren’t an accident remember).  Magnus is pleasantly surprised with the delicious French toast Alec has made, he visibly hesitated one the first mouthful and no wonder after the stew disaster of 3x03; at least Alec can cook breakfast right? It is the most important meal of the day after all.

I’m glad I wasn’t drinking anything when Alec said ‘Maybe you should save the spatula I used for your little box’ because I would have spat it all over the floor; I giggled madly at the return of salty Alec. As much as his insecurities hurt I cannot help but laugh when he is being salty and petty, it reminds me of Season 1 Alec; it’s like his default setting whenever he’s hurt or annoyed and needing just spark a conversation.

Magnus welcomes conversation about his mementos because he doesn’t want Alec to bottle it up and suffer in silence; he would rather they talked it through than it become a rift that drives them apart. Alec says it’s his issue because it’s him who need to come to terms with the contents of the box and what it means for their future; he feels that it is something he has to deal with on his own because it is his insecurities that are making it hard for him to deal with it. He believes that as he ages he will become a burden to Magnus, that as he grows old their feelings for each other (more so Magnus’ feelings for him) may change and that he will become an obligation and a burden.

‘There is no universe where you would ever be a burden’ and I am crying; Magnus knows that his love for Alec will not change not matter how much Alec’s appearance may change, he loves Alec for who he is as a person, not for his looks or physical capability. Plus, Magnus has probably been with someone and watched them age before so he can be certain that his feelings won’t change as Alec does. Alec is not so sure, his lack of self worth is making him fear that as he ages Magnus will no longer love him; all he can see is himself, aged and feeble, next to Magnus who is still young and beautiful. He cannot visage Magnus staying with him at that point, he fears that Magnus will no longer desire him and leave him; or will stay with him out of obligation.

Magnus then suggests that Alec might be having a hard time processing because it is his first relationship; he makes the point that every relationship is complicated and he may be less daunted if he had, had at least one other relationship. He thinks that Alec may be less daunted by their relationship issues if he had been in a relationship before them. If he had experienced the difficulties and complexities that come with every relationship he may have been able to deal with their issues better. Magnus himself has a lot of relationship experience, so whenever they have an issue he can come at it from a place of knowledge and deal with it relatively calmly; whereas Alec’s just trusts his gut and ‘wings’ it. So you can understand where Magnus is coming from but I don’t necessarily agree with him because the immortality is such a big issue that even if you had been in a previous relationship it is still going to be a huge thing to process and deal with.

Alec, understandably, reacts badly; with sarcasm and anger. To him it sounds condescending and that Magnus is suggesting he should go have other relationships so that he can deal with their issues better. Alec is not overly daunted by their standard relationship issues because he knows that relationships take effort and people have issues; it is their future, the immortality that he is struggling with. He has so many fears about what their future will look like that it is hard for him to process that, realise that worrying about it will not stop it and they should enjoy every moment they have. He also believes that no amount of previous relationship experience would have made him better equip to deal with it. I just hope that it doesn’t take another life or death situation for him to realise that nothing is certain and to live in the moment instead of brooding on possible futures.

Alec finally bursts with ‘I’m not a child Magnus’, to him Magnus’ remarks sounded condensing, implying that his lack of experience was why he was reacting they way he is; implying that he is overreacting. Magnus snaps back ‘Then stop acting like one’ and that physically hurts because his immediate regret is enough to tell you that he didn’t mean it at all; he was just frustrated with the direction the argument was taking and that he couldn’t get his point across properly. They both failed to get their points across and only succeeded in upsetting each other. It is important that they talk about this issue but they both need to approach it a little more calmly and openly, Alec needs to lay out exactly why he is having an issue with it and Magnus needs to listen and reassure him.

Alec walked away because he was hurt by Magnus’ remark; it is the first time that Magnus has really said something that played into Alec’s insecurities about his lack of experience even if it was unintentional. Alec needed space and in the moment it was probably the best thing to do to stop it from escalating any further; they both need time to cool down and then come back to the issue later. Plus, even thought Magnus seems to want to apologise there was really no good way to talk themselves back out of that situation and the hole they had dug in the moment.

I really like that Alec confided in Izzy and is asking for advice; it shows how much he has progressed since Season 1 when he was very reluctant to open up about his feelings. He knows that talking about it will help him sort out his own thoughts but also getting an outside opinion may help him re-evaluate the situation.

However, Izzy is unable to offer any advice because she admits that part of her attraction to Downworlders was that those issues stopped it getting too serious. I really like that she has really thought about her previous relationships and putting a lot of thought into what she really wants. She does tell him that his relationship with Magnus is real and that if anyone can make it work they can; she has watched their relationship grow from the very beginning and knows the connection they have. She can see the love they share and knows that they will fight for each other, in the end their feelings will conquer their issues.

Their conversation is interrupted by a Shadowhunter trying to deny Maryse entrance to the Institute with Underhill fight her corner. It is confirmation that Maryse has been deruned and is no longer part of the Shadowhunter community; she tries to reassure Alec and Izzy that she is adjusting to her new life but it is obvious that she is struggling.

Clary tells Luke that she cannot find any information on the demon that attacked her in the archives and that she wants to tell people about it in an effort to get answers; she knows that this demon is a huge danger to them, it killed Ithuriel and anything that powerful needs to be dealt with quickly. Luke stops her; he doesn’t want her to get in trouble for using the wish knowing that the Clave will react badly once they find out the truth. We find out that Clary is under the impression that Jace is in the Silent City getting treatment.

We find out that he definitely is not in the next scene; Lilith tells him to bring her the last disciple (she already has 32). She then address him in a way that implies that Jace’s true consciousness is aware of what is happening but doesn’t have autonomy and is being forced to watch what’s happening, not being able to do anything to stop it. If that is the case you cannot help but feel a lot of sympathy for Jace, he is a prisoner in his own body; watching himself posses mundanes and do the bidding of a demon. He is going to be in a bad way once he is free of her control.

We also get confirmation that Lilith is going all out; she tells him that he will return to his friends dead and his world on fire at Jonathan’s hands. She is not pulling any punches and is going to destroy Jace’s world in revenge, making him live through her pain multiple times over. Anna is amazing, her delivery is so awesome, it gives you chills.

Lilith then kisses Jace and the red magic that transfers when Jace possesses mundanes passes between them. So it is safe to assume to that she imbues him with her magic, her power, which he then passes to the mundanes which is why she can feel it when they die (as seen with Tim). It was cool to realise who all that was happening but in my opinion the kiss was more full on and drawn out more than it needed to be; I was literally asking it to stop. Just those first few seconds, the magic transference and lips connecting a bit would have been enough; we didn’t need it to go on like it did, even if it was a wide shot.

Poor Simon only seeing the best in people think that Raphael turned Heidi to give her a life back because one of his clan killed her; poor innocent, wonderful Simon. Maia makes him realise that when he turned he had people there to help him through and Heidi doesn’t, she is alone and is obviously not coping very well. She tells him that it’s hard when the person who made you abandons you; she knows from personal experience just how hard it is to cope with your new life when you are left to figure it out and fend for yourself.

Simon, realising Heidi’s side of the situation, tells her she’s right; he knows that he was lucky to have people who loved him to help him and acknowledging that not everyone has that. He realises that he cannot turn his back on Heidi, he doesn’t want her to suffer because of him and wants to help her adjust to her new life.

Maryse tells Izzy that Max is doing better in LA, it’s good to know that he is recovering from Jonathan’s attack but I assume that we are not going to see him for a while; I just hope that when we do see him he has followed in his mother’s footsteps and apologises to Magnus for his behaviour at the party in 2x08; yes I know he’s a child but he needs to acknowledge that his behaviour towards his brother’s partner was not acceptable (I’m still bitter ok).

Izzy prompt Maryse to talk truthfully about how she is dealing with her new life, ‘Mama, we said no more secrets, you don’t have to hide how you feel’. I absolutely melt when Izzy calls her Mama, and I’m not even sure why, it’s just so soft. Izzy wants to maintain this new honesty between them, to continue this new, healthier and more loving relationship between them. She can tell that Maryse is hurting and doesn’t want her to suffer in silence.

Maryse reveals that she feels lost, her whole life she has been a Shadowhunter, dedicated her life to the Clave; now it has all been ripped away from her. Her purpose, her career is all gone; it’s like she has lost her anchor, she doesn’t know who she is anymore. She isn’t a Shadowhunter, all her runes are gone, and she has no idea how to lead a mundane life; she is drifting between two worlds and not knowing where she fits into it.

Izzy is visibly upset, that could have been her fate in Season 1 if not for Magnus being her lawyer, and Clary bringing the Mortal Cup back; she hates to see her mother this way. Maryse has always been strong and sure, but now she is vulnerable and trying to redefine who she is. Izzy reassures her that she is still strong, brave and beautiful; and that she isn’t alone, she has four kids who love her.

Maryse asks to meet Charlie, she saw how brightly Izzy smiled when he text her; she told Izzy to fight for love and wants to see her happy. She knows that anyone who can make Izzy smile like that is special and she wants to be supportive from the beginning.

Ollie and Luke discuss trying to locate one of the Owl targets in order to lead them to the Owl and its master. Ollie seems to be having issues with Sam; Luke tells her to make sure Sam knows that she is the most important thing in her life. This pulls at my heartstrings because he is looking at a picture of himself, Clary and Jocelyn; he knows that he didn’t make Jocelyn feel as important in his life as she was and regrets the time they lost because of his dedication to his job. Which may also be why in the past few episodes we have seen him really make the point to Clary how important she is; he doesn’t want to lose her too and needs to make sure she knows how important she is to him.

Jace is interrupted from his search for a virtuous mundane by Alec who is ‘out taking a walk’; it is clear that the argument with Magnus is really weighing on his mind and he is really trying to process everything. Jace tells him that he has already completed his treatment and is clear for duty; when he tries to ask Alec about his walk he says ‘forget about me, I’m glad you’re feeling better’. I know that we cannot blame Jace for not pushing because he is not in his right mind; but it is really distressing and annoying that Alec always puts himself and his feelings on the back-burner with Jace. He always brushes off his problems, Jace is his parabatai and he should feel able to confide in him it upsets me that he doesn’t feel he is able to do that.

Back at the Institute we get solid confirmation that the elixir has worked because Jace brushes Clary off completely; I have to give Dom props for his acting with Kat, there really was no affection in his gaze or body language, a complete change from previous episodes, a very good performance.

Simon arrives at an old abandoned factory believing that he is meeting Raphael, instead he gets Heidi who is playing his music again and has a romantic table set up. She tells him what Raphael did to her, and again it becomes clear that she has pinned everything on him; during her torture it was the thought of him that kept her going. She tells him that his hesitancy to hurt her at the bleeder den was the first time anyone had shown any type of care towards her; it makes you sympathise with her. For someone who has never had anyone to care for her it is understandable that she would latch onto the first person who showed her any.

He tells her that he is there for her, he hates the part he played in her situation and doesn’t want to make it worse by abandoning her, especially after what Raphael did to her; she really does only have him at this point. He pulls away when she tries to kiss him telling her he has a girlfriend; he wants to be there for her but needs her to understand that it’s not in a romantic way. Everyone gets nervous when she asks what his girlfriend’s name is, you can tell she does not have good intentions in mind; Simon quickly leaves.

Magnus, not recognising the demon that attacked Clary, taps into the energy signature it left behind and realises that it is the same one that corrupted the ley line; they are chasing the same demon. His quickly sends a fire message to a contact that may be able to help them. Clary hesitates when she mentions Jace and I melt when Magnus calls her Biscuit, I adore their friendship. She tells him about Jace’s strange behaviour, she is scared that his treatment may have affected him in other ways; after everything they have been through together she doesn’t want to lose him and this afternoon has shown her what that would look like.

Magnus tells her that sometimes people just need space and time, he knows from his own troubles with Alec that sometimes people need time to themselves before they can open up to others. He receives a message; Brother Zachariah is willing to meet them that night.

Simon is panicking as a result of his visit with Heidi and has informed Kyle of the situation who wants them to go into hiding. Maia refuses, she has work and is not going to run and hide; she is not going to let Heidi interrupt their lives. Simon is clear scared  by Heidi’s demeanour (who can blame him) and he could smell fresh blood while he was there (which would have been the person she had swinging from the ceiling); he knows that Heidi likes being a vampire, is not afraid to kill and doesn’t want to underestimate her, especially if it puts Maia in danger.

Maia tells him that if Heidi comes for her she’ll be sorry; Maia is capable of defending herself and wants to reassure Simon that he doesn’t need to be scared. She is touched by his concern but is not willing to hide or disrupt her life because of a vampire who can’t take no for an answer.

At the Hunter’s Moon Maryse is worried about embarrassing her children because other Shadowhunters are gossiping about her and she doesn’t want it to affect them; she doesn’t want their reputations to be compromised due to her excommunication. She knows how hard they have worked to gain respect and their positions at the Institute and doesn’t want her situation to jeopardise any of that. She hopes that her new life and what other people think about her doesn’t affect how they see her; she has tried really hard to change herself to become a better person, especially for her children, and doesn’t want that to be compromised by other people.

Alec and Izzy reassure her that no matter she is their mother and they stand by her; they need her to know that they will always be there and love her. They know that she regrets the actions that lead to her excommunication and that she is making changes to herself to better herself and unlearn years of prejudice. They love her and are not going to turn their back on her now; they will be there to support her as she navigates her new life and will continue to provide love and support.

Maryse says that the silver lining is that she will get to spend more time with them; she has always loved her children but it has been overshadowed by her duties and devotion to the Clave. Now that she is free of that she can spend her time as she wishes, she can dedicate more time to her children and be a bigger part of their lives. I love that she asks after Magnus, it shows just how far she has come since Season 1 when she could barely stand the sight of him; now she has accepted him into her family and her life, it’s beautiful to see and I hope we get some more interactions between the two of them.

Alec and Jace are surprised that Izzy’s new boyfriend is a mundane as her past lovers have all been Downworlders and I love Maryse’s proud ‘he’s a doctor’; it is so well delivered, I also love her line ‘Oh, Isabelle, he is handsome’ it makes me giggle and yes Maryse, yes he is. Then I proceed to shout ‘No’ at the screen when Charlie has a glowing golden aura which signifies that he is virtuous and is a viable candidate for Lilith.

Alec receives a text from Magnus saying that he is busy with a client, so he cannot make it; Alec excuses himself to go to the bar and we know exactly where this is heading, he is gonna get drunk. We have been longing for drunk Alec since Todd first hinted it but unfortunately it is not the happy, flirty Alec we were hoping for; it’s a bitter, sad Alec (we won but at what cost?!). I also wonder if he may feel a little guilty for getting drunk because he assumed Magnus was blowing him off when he learns that Magnus was actually chasing an important lead with Clary. Yes, you could make the point that why didn’t Magnus just tell him he was with Clary; but Clary probably told Magnus that she hadn’t told anyone else about his demon and is putting her trust in him which he would not want to betray. Plus there would have been nothing that Alec could have done to help them, Magnus did not want to pull him away from time with his family or make him fret about a situation he could do nothing to help with.

I love that Underhill refers to Magnus as Alec’s better half; we found out that Underhill and Magnus will meet at some point, and I am curious how it is going to play out. Will he be respectful and kind as he has been with Alec, or will he be a bit of a Magnus fan (think Lydia)? It will be interesting to see them interact. Alec’s face when he says Magnus is ‘Busy’ absolutely kills me; I paused it for one of my screenshots and spent five minutes laughing at his expression.

I love the little wave shared between Izzy and Simon, it is adorable and I really like their friendship; Maia tells him to go see his friends. Simon, however, is unwilling to leave Maia’s side in fear of Heidi showing up; he doesn’t want to let his guard down until he knows for sure that Maia is going to be safe. I love Maia so much, she doesn’t need his protection but she acknowledges how much Heidi has spooked him and isn’t going to upset him by pressuring him to leave her side. I love her line ‘You should try blinking, you’re starting to freak people out’; it helps lighten their mood and help Simon relax a little. I love their relationship so much.

Luke appears at the Lightwood table to talk to Maryse, reassuring her that he isn’t here to rub her excommunication in her face; he would never make anyone feel belittled or humiliated, especially when he knows just how difficult their situation is, he isn’t spiteful. He tells her that he understands what she is going through and how difficult it is to adjust, he had to go through the same adjustment after he turned; he knows how lost she is feeling and how daunting it is to have to find a new life and reinvent yourself. He promises her that her is there for her if she needs help adjusting to her new life; he had to figure out his new life with a very limited support system (pretty much just Jocelyn I think) and doesn’t want her to go through that too.

Maryse knows that she acted shamefully towards Luke in the past and clearly regrets it, she is trying to make amends for her past behaviour but it pleasantly surprised with his open gesture of support. She says that this is an opportunity for a new beginning, a chance to be a better person; she wants to change and acknowledges her past faults, now that she is away from the Clave and the toxic affect it had on her life she can start fresh.

They reminisce about the Accords Ball in Idris 20 years ago, Luke says that she looks just as lovely now as she did back then; Maryse is clearly surprised by the compliment and Luke seems a little bashful too. I adore this scene and their flirty behaviour towards the end; I love their chemistry, cannot wait for more scenes between them and I definitely ship them, they both deserve more love in their lives (even if it does start out more platonic then develops into romantic). Some people may say that it is too soon after Jocelyn who only died about 6 weeks ago, which may be true but storyline wise so much has happened since then that it seems so much longer. Plus, they are probably not going to jump straight into a romantic relationship, Luke is still mourning and Maryse is recently divorced, but it will be lovely to see them get to know each other all over again and watch their connection develop over time. Think slow burn, like Sizzy.

Clary asks Magnus is he’s ok, she can tell that he is not his usual self and something is bothering him; she knows that she has been focused on her own problems but makes sure he knows that she is there for him too. I know that Jace is under Lilith’s influence right now but for future reference, Jace take notes from your girlfriend on how to be there for your friends, not just focussing on your own problems all the time (yes, I’m still bitter that Alec never confides in him and Jace doesn’t open a conversation for Alec).

Magnus tells her that he and Alec had a bad fight, said things they didn’t mean; he knows that their argument got out of hand and they both became agitated too quickly. Clary says ‘I’m sorry, but there is nothing you two can’t work through’; I love this parallel to the scene between Alec and Izzy. Clary, like Izzy, has seen their relationship develop and seen how strong they have become; she knows that they love each other so much and they will work through their issues together as they always do.

SPOILERS FOR NON-BOOK READERS

We meet Brother Zachariah; he is an important character to the book fans before he was a brother he was known as Jem Carstairs, Will Herondale’s Parabatai, it will be interesting to see how they incorporate him and his story into the plot in future now they have introduced him. Also, I wonder if he may come up in a conversation between Alec and Magnus because Magnus’ friend Tessa is a warlock who fell in love with both Jem and Will, then later married Will; they stayed together for 60 years until he died. So it could come up between them because Magnus knows someone who loved, married and outlived a Shadowhunter.

END OF SPOILERS

It will be interesting to learn why Zachariah does not look like the other Brothers and I hope that we do find out at some point. He gives them some texts that may contain information on the demon they are looking for, but he says that the Botherhood cannot know he helped them; which proves that he must consider Magnus a good friend for him to go against the Brothers in order to help him, I would love some more back story at some point besides just that they both were close with Will Herondale. Also, once Jace is himself again this may be an opportunity for back story; for Magnus to tell Jace about his ancestor. Zachariah also tells them that Jace did not arrive at the Silent City for treatment.

I love the scene between Izzy and Simon; she knows that she con confide in him and also offers to listen to his problems, they have a wonderful friendship. She tells him that she wants to do more to help her mom, she knows that Maryse is struggling with adjusting to her new reality and doesn’t feel like she is doing enough to help. Simon opens up about his mom, that when she was having issues just being there was enough; letting her know that he was there to support, help and love her. That Maryse knowing Izzy is there for her is enough; she kisses his cheek, she appreciates his honest advice and knows that she can depend on him.

Alec, now completely drunk, declines the offer of playing pool with Underhill; playing pool has become his and Magnus’ thing. We get confirmation that Magnus is at least 800 years old, not the estimated 300 that Hodge told them in Season 1. Drunk Alec, even sad drunk Alec, is adorable and I have to give Matt props for his acting; it was very authentic and he didn’t over play it.

Heidi, believing her to be Simon’s girlfriend, attacks Izzy which is definitely a bad move because Izzy is a very capable badass. Simon interrupts before the fight can get too nasty telling Izzy that Heidi isn’t in her right mind because of what Raphael did to her; you can completely understand Simon defending her. He knows that she has been through a lot and has become unhealthy fixated on him as a result; he doesn’t want to see her unduly punished when there is a chance for him to help her.

He persuades Izzy to let him deal with her; the Clave would kill Heidi for attacking the mundane which would not be fair to her, all fledglings have trouble controlling their urges and it must be worse for Heidi who had no moral guidance.

Underhill has taken Alec outside to find a cab to take him back to the Institute, Alec opens up a little; telling Underhill that he and Magnus had their first date at the Hunter’s Moon. That they never got around to answering the question if they were too different to be together; Alec has all these doubts in his head and I am glad that he is talking to someone about it. With Underhill he isn’t under the pressure to be perfect that he feels with his family (no matter how false it is), he feels that he can unload a little especially in his inebriated state.

Underhill tells Alec that Magnus may not understand their ways ‘Nephilim love once. Fiercely’; he may have a point, Magnus knows Shadowhunters but never romantically before so he may not understand that for many Shadowhunters they only have one great love. If he did he may not have worded his comments about experience in quite the way he did; he has loved many times so may not understand the belief of only having one love in your life. He tells Alec that whatever he feels is ok and not to be too hard on himself; I like this because it is reassuring Alec that his feelings are valid and he shouldn’t pressure himself to feel a certain way.

Another thing that makes me believe that nothing will happen between Alec and Underhill (besides the fact that Alec would never betray anyone, let alone Magnus, that way) is that Underhill seems to be very respectful of their relationship. In their first conversation he complimented their relationship which sounds like he admired what they had and probably hopes to reach that with someone one day, he referred to Magnus as Alec’s better half and from what he just said he believes that Magnus is the one person that Alec will love in his life. He seems very respectful of Alec and his relationship with Magnus so I don’t believe he would ever disrespect them, or their relationship, by making a move on Alec.

I really hope we continue to see them develop a good friendship, and in some of Todd and the writer’s tweets about them include #friendsforever. So not only does that suggest, if not confirm, that nothing of a romantic nature is going to happen between them but also that they are going to develop a friendship; which would be great for both of them.

Ollie shows up Hunter’s Moon to talk Luke about a lead she found on the Owl’s targets; Luke tells her they will investigate in the morning and to go home to her lady. Ollie smiles and tells him to go back to his, meaning Maryse; I adore Ollie so much. Again we are yelling at Jace because Ollie also has golden aura.

Heidi is under the impression that Simon has chosen her and wants to start a clan of their own; you feel sympathy for her because all she seems to wants is someone to love her, a real family. Simon has organised Praetor’s to come collect her to be rehabilitated; although she may resent him at first and he may feel bad he has done the right thing. He was never going to be able to help her efficiently because of her obsession; she needs to be somewhere safe and where she can be taught how to be a responsible vampire.

Magnus and Clary portal behind the Hunter’s Moon; Clary is angry at Jace for lying to her, after everything they have been though and the secrets she has kept for him she believed that they were at least honest with each other. She feels betrayed that he has deceived her. When she says you don’t lie to someone you love I can understand where she is coming from, in a romantic relationship honesty is very important; but also it is a bit hypocritical, she loves Alec and Izzy as family and yet she has been lying to them. But at least the truth seems to come out next week, finally.

Magnus puts all the pieces together; telling Clary about the woman who requested the elixir, how he couldn’t put his finger on what was off about her. He figures out that she must be the same demon who attacked her but masking her power and disguised in human form. I knew that Magnus was smart enough to figure out that there was something wrong with her and I am glad he has put the pieces together quickly. I am also dreading the guilt he is bound to feel; despite the fact that she manipulated him and he had no way of knowing who she was, or what her real intentions were, he is going to blame himself for giving her the means to pull Jace further into her influence.

The Owl already has Ollie and is transferring power when Clary finds him; Magnus prevents him from attacking Clary but gets blown back himself, caught off guard by the magic he is wielding. Luckily Luke comes to the rescue by shooting him and it is revealed to them that it is Jace behind the mask; he flees and a possessed Ollie escapes. The last few minutes were a great whirlwind and I am so excited for next week.

Again, I really liked this episode; Season 3 has not disappointed at all, every episode is fantastic. I love the Magnus and Biscuit team up; I hope we see some more interaction between Luke and Maryse and I need Ollie to be ok.

I am not ready for seeing Magnus punish himself in guilt next week but on the upside we get the Malec hug inside the Institute.

Also, we are getting a double finale! Episodes 9 and 10 are airing on Tuesday May 15th (Wednesday May 16th on Netflix). I am not prepared!  

[rhosyn-du]

Never make a mess when a total catastrophe will do - Chapter Eight

Pairings: Jimon, past Clace, background Clizzy, a bunch of other minor background pairings Rating: Explicit Art: @cor321​ Beta: @all-thestories-aretrue​ Tags:  Alternate Universe - College/University, fake dating, oh my god they were roommates, friends with benefits, idiots to lovers, pining, miscommunication, holidays, drinking games, mistletoe, symbolically significant Oreos, domestic fluff, brief mention of past character death, Jace’s self-worth issues deserve their own tag Summary: What do you do when you find out your sister is not only dating your ex and love-of-your-high-school-life but is also bringing her home for Christmas? Bring your annoying, hot, annoyingly-hot roommate as your fake boyfriend to show them you're totally fine with it, obviously! There's no possible way this could backfire. Link: AO3 , Tumblr Master Post

Chapter Eight

“If you’re taking me to a strip club, I’m walking out and crashing Magnus’s bachelor party.”

“Dude, have a little faith.” Jace grabbed Alec’s elbow and helped him out of the car.

“And stop scrunching your nose to try to see through the blindfold,” Izzy said from Alec’s other side. “We can see you doing it. Besides, do you really think there aren’t going to be strippers at Magnus’s party? Have you met Catarina and Ragnor?”

“Yes, and I trust their taste in strippers more than I trust yours.”

“I think I’m supposed to be insulted,” Izzy said, opening a door so Jace could usher Alec through, “but honestly, I kind of just want to ask Cat if she knows any good strip clubs I can take Clary to for our next date night.”

Alec made a pained sound. “Can I request a moratorium on anything that involves strippers and any of my siblings?”

“You can request it,” Jace said, “but it doesn’t mean we’ll listen. Mind the gap; you’re about to step into an elevator.”

“Isn’t my bachelor party supposed to be about things I like?”

Izzy pushed the button for their floor. “No, it’s supposed to be about doing things with your friends and siblings before you get married and forget all about us.”

“Iz, I meet you for drinks literally every week. I’m not going to stop just because Magnus and I are married instead of engaged.” A slow smile spread across Alec’s face. “I’m marrying Magnus tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you are.” Jace patted Alec’s shoulder as the elevator doors slid open. “Almost there, buddy.”

They led Alec out of the elevator and down the hall.

“Okay stop,” Izzy said when they reached their destination. “You can take the blindfold off now.”

Alec made a show of keeping his eyes squeezed shut as he pulled off the blindfold, opening one eye slowly as though bracing for something horrible. Jace saw the moment Alec recognized where he was, his shoulders relaxing all at once.

Alec glanced between his siblings, unimpressed. “This is the door to our loft. I live here.”

“I told you I was going to plan you the perfect bachelor party,” Jace said. “Did you really want to spend your last night as a single man somewhere else?”

“Your party awaits, big brother,” Izzy said, swinging the door open.

“Alexander!” Magnus met them at the door, smiling broadly. “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up.”

“We had to drive around enough that he wouldn’t know where we were going,” Jace explained. “You know what his crazy sense of direction is like.”

Alec gave his fiancé a questioning look. “What happened to separate bachelor parties being an important part of the tradition?”

“Ragnor and Catarina reminded me that some traditions really aren’t that important,” Magnus said airily. “Especially when breaking them would make you happy.”

“He means he sulked and whined about having to spend all night away from you until we suggested a joint party,” Catarina said, handing Alec a martini and Izzy something dark and fruity with far too many cherries. “And then he pretended like it was all our idea.”

“It was pitiful, really,” Ragnor added. “At one point, he actually languished on my couch to moan about it like some discount gothic heroine.”

“And on that note,” Magnus said, taking Alec’s arm, “my fiancé and I will be going to join our friends who don’t intend to spend all evening mocking me.”

“That’s really sweet, you know,” Alec said as he let Magnus lead him away.

“Well,” Ragnor said, “it’s my duty as Magnus’s co-best-man to make sure he is sufficiently mocked this evening, so I suppose I must follow.” He looked at Jace and Izzy. “I believe Clary and Simon are in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the cupcakes.”

Jace threw Izzy a questioning look. “Cupcakes?”

Izzy shook her head. “Must have been something Ragnor and Catarina planned. Let’s go see.”

The cupcakes, it turned out, were dick-shaped. And because it was Clary decorating them, they were very accurately dick-shaped.

“Oh yeah,” Izzy laughed, “this was definitely Cat’s doing.”

“Cat was in charge of baking, I’m in charge of decorating,” Clary confirmed, eyeing the cupcake she was working on critically. “Devil’s food cake with a chocolate-and-whiskey ganache filling and a variety of different icings. We’re calling them cock-cakes. Simon, pass me the lemon buttercream?”

“You got it, boss,” Simon said, grabbing one of the many pastry bags lined out on the counter and handing it to Clary before stepping over to Jace and greeting him with a warm smile that made Jace’s insides melt. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.” Jace couldn’t help his answering smile, couldn’t help drawing Simon into a soft kiss that felt easier than it probably should. “If I knew you were going to be creating culinary dick art without me, I would have made Iz drive Alec around on her own.”

“I’m mostly just assisting.” Simon leaned into him, stealing another quick kiss. “Clary’s the real artistic genius behind this masterpiece.”

“It’s true, my girlfriend is a genius,” Izzy agreed happily, walking over to wrap her arms around Clary’s waist from behind.

“Right now, this artistic genius is being distracted from finishing her cupcakes by too many people in the kitchen. You two,” she gestured at Simon and Jace, “take that finished tray out to the table.”

“Wait, how come we have to be the ones to leave?” Simon wondered. “Izzy’s being way more distracting than we are.”

“Because she’s cuter than you are,” Clary said without looking up from her cupcakes. “Go.”

Jace looked at Simon. “The lady has spoken, I guess. Come on, let’s go watch Alec pretend he doesn’t think these cupcakes are hilarious.”

~~~

Jace couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this happy. He wasn’t sure he ever had been this happy. The joint bachelor party had been a rousing success—cock-cakes, a stripper who was definitely not better than he would have hired, and all—and Jace was so glad he and Izzy had been able to help do this for Alec. And it had been amazing to see Alec so joyful and so obviously in love, to see Izzy and Clary and how happy they made each other. To feel the possibility of a love like that for himself every time Simon took his hand, to see it every time Simon smiled at him, to hear it every time Simon said his name.

It was enough to make him want to be a little reckless. Maybe even reckless enough to tell Simon that he was more to Jace than a fake-boyfriend-with-benefits, that Jace wanted them to be more. It was hardly a new thought, but Jace thought that maybe he was finally ready to say the words out loud.

“Hey, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” Simon said, as if reading his thoughts. “When we get back to the hotel,” he added, throwing a pointed glance at their Uber driver.

Jace smiled at him. “Sure. I actually wanted to talk to you, too.”

“Cool.” Simon sounded nervous. Jace could relate. Now that this was actually happening, he felt like he had an entire kaleidoscope of butterflies in his chest.

Jace’s butterflies hadn’t calmed down any by the time they made it back to their room, and he could practically feel the nervous energy radiating off Simon as he kicked his shoes off and started pulling out his clothes for morning.

“So,” Jace said, leaning against the wall with an affected casualness, “what did you want to talk about?”

Simon squared his shoulders, turned to face him. “I can’t do this anymore.”

Jace’s whole world rocked sideways. “What?”

This was not how this conversation was supposed to go.

“This whole fake dating thing. It was a mistake. I probably shouldn’t even have suggested it in the first place, but I thought—” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I was wrong, and I can’t keep pretending with you, so.” He took a deep breath, obviously steeling himself. “So, this is has to be it. After the wedding tomorrow, no more pretending.”

“Oh.” It was all Jace could find it in himself to say. He reached for the bravado he would normally wrap around himself in a situation like this, but it had deserted him entirely. “I can’t keep pretending with you.” It had all been pretend for Simon. And Jace didn’t even have any right to be hurt by it, because it was what he’d agreed to.

“It’s just,” Simon continued, “seeing Alec and Magnus so happy tonight, and seeing the way Clary and Izzy are together, and even the dumb text Becky sent me earlier about how excited she is to see Maia tomorrow, it all made me realize just how much I want that. I want it with someone I love who loves me back, and you—”

“And I’m not a relationship kind of guy,” Jace finished for him. He didn’t actually need to hear all the reasons that would never be him. He was aware of his own failings.

“Right.” Simon’s voice was barely above a whisper, all his nervous energy having drained away.

“I get it.” Jace forced a smile. Maybe he couldn’t be someone Simon wanted to really be with, but he could at least pretend he wasn’t devastated by that fact. “You deserve that kind of happiness, maybe more than anyone I know. I hope—” He drew in a sharp breath. He would not let his voice tremble. “I hope you find someone who can give it to you.”

He turned away, unable to maintain the facade any longer. “I’m going to hit the shower before bed.” He wasn’t proud of having to hide the bathroom with his feelings, but he couldn’t stay here with Simon, not now.

Jace spent a long time under the shower’s spray. Until he was sure Simon must have fallen asleep. Until he was sure all his tears had washed away.

~~~

Best man duties were almost enough to distract Jace from his own problems for most of the next morning, and he threw himself into making sure everyone in the wedding party was where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be, keeping Max away from anything flammable, and keeping Maryse and Robert away from each other. In the thankfully rare moments of downtime, he forced himself to put on a lighthearted demeanor. He wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of Alec having a perfect wedding, especially not his own stupid feelings.

He should have known that Alec would see right through him.

“You okay?”

Jace glanced up from the mirror he was using to fix his bowtie. Everything was set, everyone was in their proper places, and Jace had nothing left to do but keep Alec company and wait for the ceremony to start.

“I’m fine. I’m not the one getting married in,” Jace checked his watch, “twenty-three minutes.”

“Don’t deflect. You’re doing that thing you do with your eyebrows when something’s really bothering you, and I’m not doing anything for the next twenty-three minutes if you want to talk about it.”

“What I want,” Jace told him, “is for you to stop worrying about other people and get your ass married.”

“Fair enough,” Alec agreed. “But I’m here when you do want to talk about it. I know I’ve been completely wrapped up in wedding stuff for a while, but you’re still my brother and my best friend, and I don’t want you to think you’re any less important to me now than you always have been.”

Jace walked over and put a hand on Alec’s shoulder. “The only complaint I have about you being wrapped up in wedding stuff is how sappy it’s apparently made you.”

Alec chuckled. “Oh god, that was really sappy, wasn’t it? Shit.” He wiped at his eyes. “I think I might actually cry out there. You’re not allowed to make fun of me if I do.”

“Buddy,” Jace said gravely, “as your brother and best man, it is my solemn duty to make fun of you for it for the rest of our lives. But I’ll wait until you’re back from your honeymoon.”

Alec didn’t cry during the ceremony. Jace noticed a few moments when he had distinctly watery eyes, though, and filed those away for future teasing. Then Alec and Magnus were kissing and the ceremony was over and Jace had absolutely nothing left to distract him from his thoughts.

Especially when the subject of those thoughts was waiting for him in the reception hall, looking as hot as Jace had ever seen him in a perfectly tailored black suit. Jace had managed to avoid looking for Simon during the wedding, and seeing him now hit like a punch to the gut. His emotions were still too raw to deal with what had happened the night before, and there was only one way he was going to make it through this. Luckily, it was the thing he was supposed to be doing. Namely, pretending his ass off.

So he greeted Simon with a warm smile and a kiss to the cheek before settling into his seat. They were at a table with the rest of the wedding party, along with Clary, and it was all so familiar that Jace had no trouble falling back into his role, teasing the hell out of Alec and congratulating the happy couple. Simon made it easy, not acting any different than he had before their conversation, never hesitating to offer small touches and gestures of physical affection, even moving his chair closer so they could lean into each other once they were done eating. It would have made Jace a little sick if he let himself think about it, which he pointedly did not.

Jace let himself get lost in it. It was stupid, and probably a little selfish, but if this was the last time he would ever get to be with Simon like this, he was going to enjoy it.

“Dance with me.” He didn’t mean to say it, but apparently he’d had enough champagne that he wasn’t quite thinking before speaking anymore. He knew as soon as he said it that he’d overstepped. After all, look what had happened the last time they’d danced together.

“Oh.” Simon looked genuinely shocked by the suggestion. “I, uh...”

“I mean,” Jace backpedaled, “if you want to.”

“I believe I might fancy a dance, myself,” Ragnor said. He extended his hand to Madzie, the flower girl and Catarina’s daughter. “Might I have this dance, young lady?”

“Can we do the twirls?” Madzie asked, jumping up from her chair and spinning around to demonstrate.

“Obviously,” Ragnor told her seriously. “After all, what’s the point of dancing without twirls?”

Madzie didn’t bother to give a verbal answer, just grabbed Ragnor’s hand and skipped off toward the dance floor.

“With any luck, that will help her work off some of the sugar buzz from all that cake.” Catarina gave Magnus a long look. “I can’t believe you gave her a second slice.”

“My dearest Catarina, it’s my wedding day, and I will spoil my goddaughter if I want to.”

Catarina scoffed. “You say that like you don’t spoil her every day.”

“It’s true,” Alec agreed. “We might need to give her a third slice if we want to spoil her extra today.” He managed to keep a straight face right up until Cat’s napkin hit him in the face.

“I think I might need to dance off my own sugar buzz,” Izzy announced, grabbing Clary’s hand. “Come on, hot stuff. Let’s go shake our booties.”

Clary laughed. “I can’t exactly say no when you’re offering to shake your booty for me.”

“You know what?” Simon said suddenly. The look he gave Jace was challenging. “I do want to dance.”

It was Jace’s turn to be shocked, but he recovered quickly. “Okay.” He met Simon’s challenge with a smirk. “Let’s dance.”

Jace’s bravado was shaken slightly when the music transitioned to a slow love song right as they made it to the dance floor. But Simon didn’t hesitate, stepping onto the dance floor and drawing him close.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke, rocking gently to the music. They danced close enough that Jace could hear Simon’s breaths, feel them against his cheek. It was too much and not enough all at once, and Jace had to say something or he was going to go crazy.

“Thanks, by the way. For, you know, all of this. I don’t think I ever said that.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for.” Simon’s voice was low and intimate. “This was as much for me as it was for you.”

Jace wanted to say that it couldn’t possibly be, that if any of this meant half what it did to him for Simon, then he wouldn’t be able to give it up so easily. But that would have been deeply unfair, no matter how true, so instead he just said, “Well, thank you, anyway.”

Simon pulled back just enough to look him in the eye, and Jace didn’t understand why he looked so sad. “Thank you.”

And then they were kissing, slow and gentle, and Jace didn’t even remember moving, but he must have or how else could they have gotten here? All the longing and heartbreak he’d been pushing down all day rose up, threatening to break him open and spill out all over the dance floor. The only things holding him together were Simon’s arms around him, Simon’s body pressed against his as they swayed to near-forgotten music, Simon’s mouth on his.

When the song ended and Simon pulled away from him, Jace stumbled and had to force himself upright.

“Come back to the hotel with me,” he said urgently. He couldn’t just let Simon go, he realized, not without at least trying. They could go back to their room, and they could talk, and Jace would somehow find the words to convince Simon to stay. “Please.”

Simon closed his eyes and visibly steeled himself. When he opened them again, Jace knew he’d lost before he even had the chance to put up a fight.

“I already made plans to hang out with Becky and Maia tonight. You know, sibling and sibling’s-maybe-girlfriend bonding. Maia’s going to give me a ride back to Boston in the morning.” He took Jace’s hand and lifted it to his mouth to place a gentle kiss on his knuckles, then pressed something small and metal into his palm before letting go.

Jace couldn’t do anything but watch him walk away, the weight of his father’s ring heavier than it had any right to be in his hand.

~~~

The apartment was quiet when Jace got home, and he was both relieved that he wouldn’t have to face Simon yet and disappointed because, as much as he hated that he would have to box his feelings away, he missed Simon, even though it had only been two days since they’d last seen each other.

He found the note pinned to the refrigerator, held in place by the Spider-Man magnet that he’d gotten Simon as a “congrats on surviving a horrible lab partner and not failing chemistry” gift last year.

Staying at Bat’s for a while. -S

That was all. Nothing about why Simon had left or when he was coming back. If he was coming back. Jace’s fingers almost itched with the need to text Simon to find out exactly what the hell was going on, but the fact that Simon had left a note instead of texting suggested he didn’t mean for this to be a discussion.

Not that Jace actually needed a discussion. Simon had made it very clear that things were over between the two of them, that he didn’t feel the same way about Jace that Jace did about him, and instead of accepting it and moving on like a good friend would have, he’d kissed Simon at the wedding. He’d been on the verge of begging Simon to give him a chance. Of course Simon didn’t want to see him right now. He wouldn’t want to see him, either.

For half a second, Jace considered taking Alec up on his offer to call if he needed to talk, but Alec was on his honeymoon, and Jace might on occasion be a self-centered asshole, but he didn’t want to be that much of a self-centered asshole. Instead, he grabbed his half-empty package of Double Stuf Oreos and took them to the couch, where he turned on Return of the Jedi and bundled himself up in the fleece blanket Simon always used when his feet got too cold in winter.

When the movie was over and the Oreos were long gone, he dragged the blanket into Simon’s room and curled up on his bed, on top of the covers. Sleeping on top of Simon’s bed wasn’t as pathetic as sleeping in Simon’s bed, he reasoned. Especially if no one was there to see it. And if the fleece blanket kept any tears from getting on Simon’s comforter, then he wasn’t really crying.