Third Person's POV
Simon stood at the Institute's doorstep, shivering slightly. Even though he was a vampire, it didn't mean the cold and clammy feeling of the snow sticking his clothes to his body didn't annoy him.
Suddenly, a dark head stuck out. "I'd invite you in, but you're a vampire. So where are we going?"
The said vampire turned towards the source of the voice, and found Isabelle, clad in a long red coat, black jeans, and black boots that reached up to her mid-thigh.
"To the Central Park zoo."
"Why?"
"Have you ever been to the Central Park Zoo in winter at night?"
"Well,no-" She didn't feel like adding that she'd never been there in the first place.
"See? There's your answer."
"But-" Simon pressed a finger over Isabelle's mouth.
"Ah, ah, ah. No buts."
After a taxi ride that was rather uneventful except for the cab driver being perverted towards Isabelle, and Simon trying to glare at him -only mildly effective- and Isabelle shooting him a death glare -extremely effective. "What are we doing here?" Isabelle asked as the two got out of the taxi.
"For the adventure of a lifetime."
"I think I've seen better."
Although, truth to be told, she was rather amused. Simon looked like a kid on Christmas morning- all bright eyes and on the verge of jumping up and down. But the Park was full of people, small children being held up by their parents to see the lights that were strung throughout the trees, glimmering like fireflies. The many New Yorkers skating, couples holding hands, families, with children laughing as they fell. She breathed in a sharp inhale of the crisp cool New York air at the sight of the skyscrapers standing tall in stark contrast to the sky behind it, the trees seeming miniscule in comparison against the buildings amongst the streetlights.
"It's beautiful."
"So are you." No one had ever called her beautiful. Hot, yes from many boys she'd had flings with, but never beautiful. She liked it. In her head, a voice said, aww. Out loud she replied.
"That's so cheesy."
"But it's true." Simon said this matter of factly as if he were commenting on the colour of the sky or stating the name of a character in Star Wars. Unable to think of an acerbic or witty retort, she fished around in her mental bank of comments and came up with "Let's go skate."
"I thought vampires were supposed to be graceful." Isabelle teased as Simon stumbled on the ice, waving his arms for balance.
"We can't all have agility runes." He pulled her to the side, situating them in the shadow of a bare branched tree. "You have long earlobes." The Shadowhunter said suddenly.
"So? It means I'm wise, like Buddha."
"But you're Jewish; that just makes you a nerdy vampire with long ear lobes."
"Oh, shut up." Countered the aforementioned vampire, looking displeased as he lightly shoved Isabelle's shoulder.
However, he was unused to his newfound strength and accidentally knocked her over, and she grabbed his shoulder to steady herself. Then she was in the circle of his arm, and he was kissing her, his lips sweet and tasting strangely of cinnamon, her fingers tangling in his disheveled hair. He accidentally bit down on her lower lip, and she was grateful that his fangs hadn't come out as he backed her against the tree, which Isabelle used for leverage to press herself closer to him. His arms lifted her and she took it as a sign to hitch his legs around his waist, hands moving under his thin fleece jacket -why bother with parkas when you didn't feel the cold?- to feel his bare chest, cold skin stretched over sinew that warmed as she touched it, like she was breathing life back into him. Simon pulled away suddenly, and she felt a stab of hurt in her chest, new. She could see a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, and relaxed, then wanted to slap herself. Since when gad she cared what anyone thought of her?
"That was... Unexpected."
"Most people think it's nice when someone as beautiful as myself kisses them, yet you... You didn't find that enjoyable. At all."
"No. It's not... It's just that..."
"Shut up and kiss me." So he did.