Work Text:
Jace has no idea what they’re doing outside of what looks like a rundown warehouse. He trusts his boyfriend not to pull him into something shady – it’s Simon, after all – but he still isn’t convinced whatever is going on inside that building is completely legal. There are sounds coming from it, both laughter and something else, and Jace is extremely dubious.
“Simon are you sure this is the right place?” he asks, glancing at his boyfriend. The brunet looks completely unbothered by the state of the building and is already walking towards it excitedly. “When you told me you wanted us to go on a fun date together, a warehouse isn’t really what I had in mind.”
“This isn’t a warehouse,” Simon rolls his eyes before frowning and biting his lip in thought. “Well I mean, it is, but that’s not all it is. We’ve been together for a year, Jace, you should know mundane businesses sometimes choose eclectic places to settle down. I promise this is one of the best spots in New York City, date or not.”
“I bet our apartment would be better,” Jace grumbles, already thinking about going back to their place and moving onto more entertaining activities. He only agreed to this date because Simon promised he would love it and get a gift out of it. So far, he’s not seeing either aspect of their trip and it takes him all his willpower not to turn around and drag Simon with him.
Instead, he huffs and follows his boyfriend into the positively ancient building. Simon looks completely at ease and is apparently unbothered by the smell that floats to Jace’s nose as soon as he steps inside. He wrinkles his face disgustedly, starting to truly doubt Simon’s idea of what ‘fun’ means. Perhaps he’s about to be led into some weird morgue place with plenty of blood.
That sounds like the kind of place a vampire would enjoy, although it doesn’t explain the ‘gift’ part of the date.
Then, they step into the business’ main area, and Jace realises this isn’t a business at all. This is a dog shelter. Simon and he have been talking about getting a pet for a while, but Jace wasn’t sure they could actually manage another living being. And as far as he’s aware, Simon was just as uncertain about it as him.
He believes his boyfriend’s exact words were ‘I have enough on my plate with you, Jace.’
So whilst they’ve discussed it before, Jace hadn’t realised they’d agreed to get a dog. Not that he’s complaining, he’s just… a bit surprised at Simon’s initiative. Usually, Jace is the one to drag them into hare-brained schemes and dive into things without thinking about the consequences.
“Si, are you sure about this?” he asks quietly as they walk towards a group of employees and volunteers who are already dealing with other potential dog owners. “You know taking care of a pet isn’t a small responsibility, right?”
“Yes Jace I know that,” his boyfriend rolls his eyes. “However, we both want a pet, and I’ve done some research and gotten us books and talked to the people here a few times, and I think we can do it. Besides, we’ve been considering this for a while already. It’s never going to happen if we don’t take a leap of faith. We’re both decent people who love animals as long as they’re not ducks, we’ll be fine.”
Jace knows his boyfriend is right, knows they’re equipped to take care of an animal. They’ll even have plenty of sitters ready to jump on the occasion and look after a dog from time to time. Really, there’s no reason for this to go wrong.
Simon is looking at him with wide, pleading eyes, and Jace already knows what his answer is going to be. He’s never been able to resist Simon, especially not when he’s got that look on her face. Even less when he actually wants the same thing as his boyfriend.
“Alright, let’s find our perfect dog,” he sighs, still not quite believing they’re about to do this. “We’re only taking one home if we find our match, right?”
“Of course,” Simon scoffs indignantly. “As if I would ever get us a dog that’s anything less than our pet soulmate. We both need to like him or her, and they need to like us too. But don’t worry, we’re going to find the one! I can feel it!”
As soon as he’s done speaking, Simon is hurrying towards a volunteer who obviously recognises him. Jace takes a second to admire his overexcited and eager boyfriend before heading towards the pair, staring at the dogs around him as he goes. They all look like they’re well cared for and happy, exactly as they should be. He knows their lives would be even better with an owner, and it only strengthens his resolve to adopt one of these adorable puppies.
“You must be the boyfriend!” The volunteer smiles at him and holds out a hand to shake. “I’m Charlie, the one who’s been talking to Simon about adopting a pet and making sure you’re ready for such a big change. From what he’s told me, you two are more than competent enough. Just to check though, do you think you’ll be able to handle a canine friend in your life?”
Jace glances at Simon, seeing the hope and love in those beautiful eyes, and he doesn’t even have to hesitate before answering.
“I do,” he smiles, his grin widening when Simon claps his hands excitedly. “I’ve always wanted a pet, and I know Simon is going to be a great owner, so I have no worries. And any dog we choose will be nothing less than perfect for us, so I’m sure it’ll all be okay.”
The volunteer nods, clearly satisfied with Jace’s reply. Whatever forms and interviews Simon went through, they were probably thorough. Jace can’t help but be thankful for that, since he’s absolutely terrible at dealing with mundanes and not coming off as aloof and strange. The last thing he needs is for someone from the shelter to tell them they’re not ready just because Jace has no clue what to say when someone asks him where he works.
“Right then,” Charlie beams at them. “Let’s try to find your dog, then. Do you have a preference in terms of size? Simon here told me you live in an apartment, so perhaps a smaller breed?”
“That’s probably a better idea, yeah,” Simon agrees easily, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waits for Charlie to lead them to the dogs.
Jace shakes his head at his boyfriend fondly, trailing after Charlie and him as they walk towards an area with a few smaller dogs playing together. The sight is heart-warming and Jace has to consciously stop himself from cooing.
He doesn’t coo, thank you very much.
If the look Simon shoots him is anything to go by, his boyfriend isn’t fooled. His attention is still on the volunteer, but he winks at Jace out of the corner of his eye and sends a meaningful look towards the dog. Jace doesn’t let his mask crack, though he still shrugs at Simon sheepishly as though to say ‘how else am I supposed to feel?’. Anyone who doesn’t find the display adorable is obviously heartless.
“Now it’s all up to you,” he catches Charlie say. Simon is staring at the puppies and dogs adoringly and Jace wonders if they’ll be able to choose a single one or if his boyfriend is going to try and talk him into hiring an entire pack of them. “I’ll be here making sure everything is okay, but feel free to ask me for a specific dog if one of them catches your eye.”
Simon nods half-heartedly but his gaze is already fixed on the many – many – dogs in front of them. Some of them are in pens together whilst others are alone, but they all need a home and it breaks Jace’s heart to know they’re only going to be able to choose one.
“This is going to be hard, isn’t it?” Simon sighs, lacing his fingers with Jace’s. “Leaving the others behind once we find ours?”
“Yeah,” Jace breaths out, extending a hand towards a tiny chihuahua that wags its tail at him excitedly. “This was a terrible idea, Si. You’re going to cry all night thinking about all the dogs we weren’t able to take with us.”
“We could always come back later.” Jace huffs at his boyfriend, sending him a dry look to make him know that they will not be coming back for a second dog at a later time. One is already going to be a handful. “Fine, but we could try to convince someone else to take one in. Magnus and Alec like animals, don’t they?”
“Yes,” Jace chuckles. “They also have about a dozen of cats that semi-live with them and are constantly wandering around the place as though they own it. As much as I’m sure they’d be wonderful dog-parents, I don’t think their many house guests would agree.”
“Fine,” Simon pouts. “What about Clary? She’s be a wonderful pet parent. She’s got enough energy to last two days and probably wouldn’t even blink at being suffocated by a furry friend in the middle of the night.”
“First of all, please don’t call them furry friends,” Jace scrunches up his nose. There are a few dogs begging for his attention as he speaks and it takes all of his willpower not to bend down, pick them all up, and run away from the shelter. “And Clary is not equipped to take care of a dog. Don’t even try suggesting Izzy. Face it, we’re the best option there is and for now, that’ll have to do. We’re already going to be saving one puppy, Simon. The rest will find wonderful owners soon enough.”
Simon doesn’t look convinced by his logic, but he goes back to looking at the dogs in front of them so Jace counts it as a victory.
For a few minutes, they’re lost in their own observations and thoughts. There are so many dogs to choose from and, as they wander around aimlessly, Jace still has no idea how they’re going to settle for a single animal. All he knows is there’s a dog here waiting for them, ready to be taken home.
It takes them a while to spot her, but their gazes land on her at the same time and Jace already knows they’re going to choose her. She’s playing with a few other dogs, running and rolling around, acting just like all the other puppies she’s with. There’s no reason for her to catch their eye, but she does.
They glance at each other at the same time, small smiles creeping up on their faces as they realise they’ve had the same thought. It’s amazing, really, how in sync the two of them can be at times, no matter how different they are.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Simon murmurs, tilting his head in the dog’s direction. She’s staring at them, eyes wide and a lovely shade of brown and absolutely entrancing.
Charlie obviously notices that their attention has narrowed onto a single dog because he’s at their side immediately, grinning and gesturing towards the pen.
“See one that you like?”
As one, they point towards the tiny black and white puppy with floppy ears who’s still gazing at them guilelessly. Jace’s heart melts more and more as the minutes pass. Charlie is speaking to Simon about something, probably telling him about the puppy and what she’s like, but Jace doesn’t care. She could be a devil for all he cared; she was perfect and wouldn’t let anyone tell him otherwise.
“What’s her breed?” Simon is asking. Jace listens with half an ear, wanting to make sure he can answer that question if anyone asks him later. “She’s adorable, by the way.”
“She’s a mutt,” the volunteer explains. “Part terrier, part beagle. And yes, they are quite cute, aren’t they?”
Simon and Jace nod, gazing at each other lovingly for a few seconds before jumping back into the conversation about adoption papers and procedures and everything else they need to deal with before bringing her home. They go through everything easily before reaching a line neither of them had thought about before.
“A name?” Jace frowns, trying to think about something that would fit this little ball of joy. “Did you think about anything before dragging us into this or are we going to have to improvise something on the spot?”
“I had a few ideas,” his boyfriend admits with a shy grin. Jace knows this means Simon already has an exact name in mind. He doesn’t care, honestly, as long as he’s not naming it something as ridiculous as Chairman Meow. If there’s one person on this planet who shouldn’t be allowed to name a pet, it’s Magnus Bane. As much as he likes the man, Jace can’t even look at the cat without bursting into giggles, and he knows Simon isn’t much better.
(Alec, of course, disagrees with them.)
“Go ahead,” Jace rolls his eyes fondly, waiting for his boyfriend to spout something utterly idiotic. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Simon, but he knows he doesn’t understand half the references his boyfriend comes up with, and he doesn’t want to accidentally accept a god awful name for their dog. “Just please don’t choose something that will make everyone laugh at our darling.”
“Our darling?” Simon laughs. “Who are you, Magnus?”
“Shut it, Lewis,” Jace huffs. “Or actually don’t shut it, and just tell me what the name you have in mind is. What is it, Leia? Like that princess? Or one of your video game characters?”
“I love that you know who Leia is,” Simon sighs dreamily. Jace can’t help the small smile that tugs at his lips. “But no, neither of those. I thought we could name her Buffy. Don’t you think that’s a cute name?”
Jace narrows his eyes at his boyfriend because yes, it is a cute name and he doesn’t trust Simon not to have an ulterior motive with this.
“What am I missing here?” he asks. Behind them, Charlie is chuckling softly. Obviously, he knows what’s going on. “Is Buffy a villain? Is Clary going to tease me about this forever once she finds out?”
“You wound me, Jace,” Simon says mock-offendedly. “Why can’t you just trust me on this? I just thought Buffy was nice and simple and something everyone could pronounce. What would you name our poor dog? Gabriel? Ezekiel? Amenadiel?”
“Ha, ha,” Jace huffs. “Whatever, let’s go with Buffy. Was a name the last thing we needed?”
Simon nods, signing the adoption papers with a flourish and handing the pen to Jace for him to complete the last line. Ten minutes later, they’re leaving the shelter with Buffy and plenty of toys in tow. The puppy was barking excitedly, licking at Jace’s face as he cradles her in his arms.
Simon insisted on taking the van and now Jace understand why. It takes them a while to get Buffy settled and relatively calm but once they do, Jace leans over and kisses his boyfriend slowly and adoringly.
“Thank you for this,” he whispers against his lips. “I really did want a dog.”
“I know you did,” Simon murmurs, caressing Jace’s cheek gently and pressing one last kiss to his mouth before starting the engine. “It’s why I took you here. Did you enjoy the date?”
“Of course I did,” Jace rolls his eyes. “Now, are you going to tell me who Buffy is or am I going to have to look it up?”
For a moment Simon stays silent and Jace thinks he’s actually going to have to do some research just to figure out who their dog is named after. But then a smug grin makes its way onto Simon’s face and Jace knows he’s about to get an answer he won’t like.
“It’s Buffy,” Simon shrugs, glancing at Jace mischievously and snorting through his words. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
There’s a pause, and then Jace is groaning and shaking his head sadly at their dog. Simon is laughing wildly in his seat, petting Buffy absentmindedly. He’s obviously very pleased with himself, and Jace can feel himself smile reluctantly.
“I just hope our Buffy doesn’t slay my vampire.”
It’s enough to send Simon into peels of laughter again, and Jace lets the sound soothe him. His boyfriend is next to him, their lovely Buffy is on his lap, and everything is alright in the world.