The path to the small apartment was already familiar, having already been crossed a thousand times before. Quickly smoothing out the skirt of my dress, I knocked on the door twice and chewed down on my lower lip, not knowing what to expect. Unsurprisingly, it was Jordan who answered.
"Isabelle" he sputtered, "hi."
"Is Simon there?" I asked, looking past his shoulder into the apartment. I could see Maia, looking short standing in the living room, wearing one of Jordan's shirts. My gaze moved from her to Jordan's bare chest in front of me and up to his flushed face. For the first time, I realized what they might have been doing. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, we were… we're just…"
"Simon's not here" Maia said, not finishing whatever Jordan was trying to say.
"He won't answer his phone, do you know where he is?"
"Isn't he with Clary?"
"I was with Clary."
"I… don't know, then" Jordan shrugged.
"How helpful" I rolled my eyes.
"I-" he started to say, but I interrupted him.
"Well, I'll wait for him in his room."
"Maybe that's not a goo-" Maia tried, but I had already walked away and shut the door behind me.
Simon's room was still the same; familiar and welcoming. The white walls, previously naked except for some plastic shelves, now hung some pictures, pictures of him with his family or Clary that Rebecca got for him, or more recent pictures, with Maia or Jordan.
I sighed, touching one of the pictures on the wall; it had been taken right after Clary and Jace began to date. We decided to go to Taki's after Clary's first training as a Shadowhunter – which was a total disaster, if I may add – and I insisted to take a picture: Clary and Simon smiling, her arms around him, and Jace scowling beside them, because the waiter confounded their orders, giving him the bottle of fresh blood Simon had ordered. The picture reminded me of different times, when we didn't need to worry about everything and anything so much; when Valentine and Sebastian weren't such a big threat.
I yawned; the clock on the wall announced it was almost two AM. Today it had been a tough day at the Institute, what has happened a lot lately, given the current circumstances; surely, Simon wouldn't mind if I stayed. I grabbed a black shirt from a plastic shelf on the wall, kicked off my knee high boots and stripped down to my underwear. I slid the shirt on, feeling the soft, comforting material against my skin and the faint smell of soap. I turned off the lights and climbed under the covers, tucking them around me. The faint noises from New York echoed in the quiet room, turning everything more comforting.
After a while, my eyelids began to feel heavy, and I clung to the pillow beneath me; trying to stay awake. I came here to see Simon; I had to see Simon, we needed to talk. I tried to think about how I felt when I was around him, about how fast my heart beat when he kissed me. When I talked to Clary about that, she said I was in love. But I wasn't in love with Simon... was I? I had never felt this way before, and didn't have the slightest idea of what being in love felt like, and that's what scared me the most. I spent years taking care of myself, playing with guys and making sure to break their hearts before they broke mine, but Simon… Simon was absolutely different.
The door opened suddenly and a dark figure walked silently into the room, scaring the hell out of me.
"What the f-"
"Iz?" Simon asked, confused for a second. His dark eyes were wide and his lips were lightly parted. "What are you doing here?"
"I… wanted to see you."
"At two AM?"
"I missed you" I said in a small voice, looking down at my hands. Simon shifted uncomfortably. "I wanted to talk to you, to hear your voice… I wanted you to make me laugh like you always do."
"Do you want me to tell you another Star Wars story?"
"If that's what it takes."
Simon grinned, kicking off his shoes and climbing into bed with me. We lay facing each other, his face not far from mine.
"What do you want to talk about?" Simon asked, his fingers gently pushing a strand of dark hair behind my ear. His fingers touched my face for a moment.
I opened my mouth to answer, but a loud noise rang in the other room, followed by Maia's laugh. My eyebrows shot up.
"Werewolves can be… wild sometimes."
Simon jerked back.
"Ew! They're my roommates. Well, not roommates, but we share the same apartment!"
"Oh please! It's not like you didn't know what they do when they're alone."
"I didn't!"
I rolled my eyes.
"When two people love each other, th-"
"Alright, alright, I got it!" Simon clamped his hand over my mouth, stopping me. I smiled.
"Is everything okay at the Institute?" he asked softly, withdrawing his hand.
"I don't know. Alec spends his day locked in his room and sulking about life. Clary and Jace… you know. My parents… I don't even know what to say; I think they are really divorcing this time. I guess they still blame each other for what happened to Max, even though it wasn't their fault, it was my fault. I should ha-"
"Izzy, Isabelle" Simon wiped the tears from under my eyes; I didn't notice I was crying. "What happened to Max, wasn't your fault. I'm sure anyone else would have done the same, in your place."
"Why are you so good to me?" I wiped the rest of the tears with the back of my hands. "I was nothing but a bitch to you."
"Because I like you, Iz, and you're an amazing person that shouldn't be blame yourself for what happened in the past."
He stared into my eyes for a moment, and without hesitation, I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. Simon sighed, his lean fingers tangling into my long hair. My mouth opened under his, deepening the kiss and I hooked my fingers through the belt loops of his jeans, pushing him against me.
Simon rolled us over, so he was lying atop me, his body pressing me down against the mattress. My arms slid his neck, my fingers playing with the soft brown hair at the nape of his neck. I moaned softly as his hands explored my body, tracing the scars on my skin with his fingertips.
Simon suddenly broke away, his breaths quick and shallow.
"What is it?" I sat up in alarm. His head was bowed, so that his hair fell on his face, partially hiding it. I touched his face lightly. "Simon, what is it?"
He turned his face, in a way I couldn't touch him anymore.
"Are you thirsty?" I asked in a whisper. When he didn't answer, I went on. "When was the last time you fed?"
"Yesterday" he said finally, with difficulty. "But the problem is... I…"
"What's the problem?" I asked softly.
"I… You. You, Isabelle. You are the problem. You're soft and warm and smell good and well, I'm attracted to you. I think you already know that."
"Then, the problem is my blood?"
"Yes" Simon said miserably. "I swear I try not to, but I-I just can't."
I leaned forward, brushing my lips against his before take the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. Simon gasped. I watched with a little satisfaction as his dark eyes drank in every detail on my body, from my pink bra to my slender legs, scarred with burned runes and scars.
"You can drink from me."
Simon shook his head, his lips pressed firmly. I knew his fangs were out, pressing into his lower lip and hurting him, thought, he didn't seem to mind.
"Don't be stupid" I hissed, throwing my hair over one shoulder. Simon gulped.
"You're the one being stupid here, Isabelle. You know I could kill you."
"But you won't. We've been through this before, you know you can stop. And you will."
"But Iz-"
"No buts" I said, locking my arms around his neck "please?"
Simon sighed – dramatically – and kissed me. He laid me on my back, his body hovering mine; I could feel his chest raising and falling as he breathed. His fingers traced my shoulders gently, moving down to my arm just when his lips left mine, leaving trail of kisses until he reached my throat. I bit my lip, waiting. Simon breathed in once and sunk his teeth into my neck. I closed my eyes and rolled my head back, giving him more access.
Moaning softly, I enjoyed the pleasure that waved through my body. My hands slid under his shirt, scraping the cold, soft skin of his back. Simon growled against my neck, a deep, pleasured sound from the back of his throat, and for a second, I thought I had never experienced anything so good in my entire life.
And then it was over.
Simon sprung away from me, breathing hard. Even in the dark room, I could see his wide eyes.
"Are you okay?" he gasped.
"I'm fine" I said, stroking his shoulder.
He dipped his head, as if to bury his face into my shoulder, but then I felt the icy tip of his tongue touch the side of my neck. I smiled a little, pleasured by the act.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Simon asked. I rolled my eyes.
"Simon, yes, I am alright. Maybe a little tired, but alright."
Simon pushed my hair back, stroking it with his hand. In the dim light, his eyes were black, his lips a little swollen, though his fangs were no longer there, and the corner of his mouth was stained with dark, red blood.
I swept my finger over the smear, gathering the blood on my finger, and hesitantly, pushed it in between his parted lips. Simon sucked the blood off my finger, our gazes locked.
Before I realize, he was kissing me, but not in the calm, soft way I was used to; these kisses were desperate. Simon's hands worked on my body, traveling their way on my waist and legs as I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth and bit down on it hard. He groaned and I took advantage of his distraction to take off his shirt.
We were both breathing hard, and as I arched up my body to kiss him again, he stopped me, holding the side of my face tenderly.
"Iz, I don't think that's a good idea."
"Wh-"
I stopped myself. Knowing Simon, he would have many different reasons and theories to not do it now. I sank back onto the mattress, looking up at him.
"Fine. Just hold me for a while, will you?"
Simon smiled, taking me in his arms. I hid my face against his neck, an arm draped over his chest.
"Simon?"
"Yes?"
"I-" Clary's words echoed in her head, Izzy… if you have feelings for Simon, or if you want to know if he has feelings for you… maybe you should just tell him. Right now was the right time to say it, to tell him the three words I was too scared to say out loud. In the last second, I lost my courage. "Can you tell me a story?"
"What will it be this time? Star Trek?" Simon grinned and I frowned, confused at him. He knew I never understood him whenever he talked about these nerdy things that only him and Clary knew.
"Alright," he sighed, "once upon a time, a professor called Xavier…"