Chapter Text
Simon was happily sipping the right mixture of fresh pressed coffee and O negative he’d surreptitiously poured with the quickness that came from being a vampire, sitting on a chair right next to Java Jones truck in broad daylight. He’d missed this. Being out in the day, sitting outside and enjoying a beverage like a normal person or what the shadow world insisted on calling: a mundane. He got a text alert when he was halfway through his cup of bloody coffee. He checked to see who it was from. He was surprised to see it was from Jace:
Hey. How’s everything? Still OK with sunlight?
That was odd, Simon thought. Jace hardly texted him unless Clary was in trouble but a text this early and this casual was suspicious. Simon texted back:
Are you alright, man?
He sipped his coffee waiting for a reply but none came. He texted Izzy asking if Jace was alright. She called back right away.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You know? I drank a lot of Jace’s blood that night. My venom affected him. I’m asking you because you know…?” he paused, pondering how to put it delicately.
“I get it. Thanks for the concern. I’ll tell you if anything is up and honestly, Simon, you don’t need to feel guilty. Jace did it to save you. He wouldn’t blame you even if something was up” she said.
“Yeah, thanks, Isabelle” Simon says and ends the call.
It’d been a couple of days since that night. He’d have been out here with Clary, grabbing breakfast if it weren’t for some security protocols that said shadowhunters stay inside the Institute unless they’ve been given outdoor assignments. Simon didn’t mind about it too much. He got to visit her inside the Institute. He’d been glad that he could meet up with his mother have lunch with her the day before. He didn’t see Maia at the bar the night before though. Probably with her pack helping out with nursing Luke back to health.
He’d finished his coffee. So he got up and was paying the food truck owner when he heard his phone ring. He collected his change and took out the ringing phone from his front jeans pocket and saw it was Jace. He answered.
“Why the fuck would you worry Izzy like that? You know she has vampire venom issues!” Jace practically shouted on the other end.
“Uh…” was all Simon could get out of his mouth.
“You should think about others before you open your big mouth, Lewis!” Jace spat and ended the call.
Simon didn’t know if he was supposed to be angry or curious as to why Jace was suddenly angry with him, who was texting him casually a few minutes ago. He couldn’t blame the guy. He’d almost died saving Simon, been ready to sacrifice himself but instead ended up being one of the reasons for so many downworlders dying, and to find out he wasn’t actually Clary’s brother. That guy’s life was a rollercoaster ride than his own. Simon went about his day not making a big appearance to the downworld in broad daylight.
It was half past one in the afternoon and he took a walk and tried to breathe in the air which he didn’t require to be alive or dead or whatever term explained a vampire’s existence. He’d not seen much with “the vision” after he was bitten and had started turning. He went to the biggest park in New York with his hoodie on and noticed things that weren’t visible to him before; faeries habituating trees, merfolk underneath the surface of the water. He had to admit, even though he wasn’t comfortable with how cocky and aware of how handsome and charming Jace was or for that matter any good looking guy, it was nothing compared to the beauty he saw in these downworld creatures. Male or female, the fair folk and merfolk had that had that allure that sort of drew your eyes. It was all happy thoughts and mesmerizing and the sound of flowing water under the bridge and all he could see was a couple of merfolk smiling and inviting him with their hands. He was on the banks and leaning towards the water and the merman and the mermaid had each placed their hands on his arms and tugging him. Simon was entranced by their blue-green eyes and couldn’t remember anything but wanting to get into the water with them. He feels the merman’s hand gliding upwards and gently playing with his hair and the mermaid was about to kiss him when he is yanked away forcefully back to the ground. He shakes his head and tries to clear his head and all his senses return in a couple of seconds. He sees Jace talking to the pair with agitation. He hasn’t taken out his sword or anything. Simon moves a little closer and hears what is going on.
“Oh come on, Jace. He’s a downworlders. What does the Clave care if he’s cavorting with two very good looking merfolk?” the mermaid asks as the merman eyes Simon and winks.
Simon feels a funny feeling in his tummy at the wink. Was he just attracted to a guy? Sure he wasn’t human but neither was he.
“The clave doesn’t. I do. He’s my…” Jace resumes for a beat and finishes with the sentence with “friend”.
“Sure he is” the merman sasses, now leaning on his elbows on the grass and flailing his tail fin in the air. So does the mermaid. Their lower bodies are a gorgeous combination of almost all the rainbow colors, Simon notices.
“You know, we miss you having you over, Jace. You’re quite the swimmer, if we recall, don’t we sister?” the merman says with reverie in his eyes.
“Oh yes, we do” the mermaid says eerily.
Simon feels a shiver up his spine, but not a cold one.
Jace sighs and shrugs it off. “Those days are behind me. I know better now. Why don’t you swim off to somewhere safe? New York is ruthless, as people say”, he suggests.
“Oh this city can’t match us on that, believe us. Take care of your downworlders boyfriend. We don’t want making our dear Jace angry now, do we?” the mermaid says and her brother nods in agreement. They wave hands and go underwater in matter of seconds.
“What are you doing in the day in the park? Don’t you know how dangerous it is with these twisted merfolk and faeries?” Jace asks, growling.
Simon is still processing what the merfolk insinuated and just looks at Jace with dazed eyes.
“Simon!” Jace yells and Simon seems to function at the sound.
“What? What? I was just taking a stroll in the park. What is it to you? And why were you following me? Don’t deny it!” Simon speaks very fast, like a cartoon character.
“I saved your life. You don’t get to ask many questions” is all Jace says in reply.
They walk back and over the bridge.
“So what did you want from me?” Simon breaks the silence between them.
“What makes you think I want something from you?” Jace asks.
“Dude, I might be a newbie at this whole vampire thing but I don’t need fictional vampire powers to read your mind” Simon says.
Jace glances sideways towards Simon, contemplating how to say what he wants to say when his phone blares with the Institute’s ringtone. He checks the message and puts the phone back in his pants pocket. “Demon attack distress call. Meet me at Hunter’s Moon tonight at 8 and don’t tell Clary” He says and hurries off. He’s nowhere to be seen in mere seconds.
Simon isn’t dumb. He has a pretty good idea what this is about. Now that the lie about Jace being Clary’s brother is out he’s gonna suggest Simon stop seeing her as a favor in return for saving his life and making him the daylighter. He’s seen Jace in action and he’s faster than the other shadowhunters he’s met. He should probably learn a few karate chops just in case Jace decided to get violent