Simon somehow wound up outside. He tightened his coat against the chill, teeth beginning to clatter. After a few minutes of aimless wandering, he somehow wound up at the edge of the woods. He stared up at the tree line for a minute through his dark, half lidded eyes before turning back to the school. He stomped the snow off of his boots before glancing up at one of the clocks. He frowned. It wasn't nearly as late as he had thought. Definitely not late enough to justify sleeping. So, he begrudgingly turned around once again, out into the snow.
A few minutes of wandering deposited him on Ebb's doorstep. Simon sighed and pulled his hand out of his pocket and into the chill to knock. After a moment, she answered.
"Simon!" she exclaimed, looking him up and down. "Come in, come in. It's freezing out there! What were you thinking?" she asked, ushering him inside the warm hut and shutting the door behind him. Simon let out a breath and shrugged out of his coat before stepping in front of the fire.
"Would you like some tea, dear?" she asked. Simon nodded, still trying to get some circulation into his hands. She handed him a mug which he took gratefully.
"So what brings you out here?" she questioned. Simon took a sip of tea and sighed, feeling it warming him. He glanced up and shrugged.
"I'm not sure. I don't have much to do. Besides, Baz is-" he caught himself, eyes panicked as he risked a glance up to see Ebb staring at him quizzically. He coughed before continuing. "I really don't have anything to do. I already did all of my homework and Penny is gone" he smoothed over. He winced at Ebbs gaze, knowing he didn't convince her in the least. She took a small sip of tea.
"And you and... Penny... are very close?" she asked. Simon blushed slightly, staring at his shoes.
"Y-yes, I guess we are." he smiled softly, thinking of all of the moments he and Baz had spent together. Ebb smiled knowingly. He was so obvious.
"And you really like him?"
"Yes, so much..so much that it feels like I'm drowning in him, but in a good way! It's like... like curling up to go to sleep, and you're warm and cozy and safe, but I carry this feeling around with me all the time!" He finished, taking a breath before realizing what he had said. He looked at Ebb, who grinned back and winked. She leaned back in her chair.
"It's alright to like blokes, Simon. Don't worry, I won't tell"
Simon let out a slow breath and sagged back into his seat slightly. He breathed out a small 'thank you' to Ebb, which just made her smile more.
"So how long have you two been together for?" she questioned after a few silent moments. Simon blushed slightly before answering.
"A few months, I guess. But I think... I think I've liked him for a really long time"
"And now?"
"Love. I love him."
Ebb grinned at Simon over the rim of her mug. It was good that he was so readily admitting it.
"And what exactly do you love about him?"
Simon's eyes lit up, a smile slowly growing on his features as he spoke. "Everything! He's so kind, and smart, and generous, and loving, and so very handsome. And when he's in a bad mood, or when I'm not giving him enough attention, he'll pout for a few minutes and then come and curl up next to me, or more often, on top of me. He's kind of like a cat. And sometimes, I swear, he has the stars in his eyes. When he's excited or passionate about something, they light up in the most gorgeous ways and it makes me fall in love with him all over again..."
Somewhere in there, tears had started to fall. Ebb stood up and shuffled over to Simon, draping her arm around him.
"Simon, dear, what's wrong?" she questioned, giving him a light squeeze.
Simon took a deep breath to try and steady himself. "I miss him so much" he finally breathed out. The ache of being apart was there, as prominent as ever. It stung and burned, twisting like a knife in his heart. Ebb gently pulled away, but left one hand on Simon's shoulder.
"Simon, I know it hurts now, but imagine how it'll feel when you two are finally together again. Break is over in just about six days, and he usually shows up early, doesn't he?"
Simon nodded, sniffling.
"Alright. So he'll be here in just a few days. Just a couple more days. You can make it Simon, I know you can"
Simon woke up the next morning feeling better than he had in days. He hadn't had that dream, just a calm, warm blackness. He opened the window and took a deep breath before instantly closing it again as he felt the icy wind bite at his skin. Baz was coming back tomorrow. 10:45 am tomorrow morning, to be exact. Simon grinned before showering and throwing on some clothes in a rush. After that, he headed downstairs to grab breakfast, and then to the library. When he got in there, he awkwardly looked around. Noting the one old librarian behind the desk, he made his way to the computers and began searching. Finally, he found it. It was perfect. He punched in his card number (The Mage had been against him getting one, but he had insisted) and hit buy. It would be arriving early the next day, thank magic. Then he got down to the hard part. He opened a document file to write in and began typing. More than two hours later he hit print, grabbed the papers from the printer, and ran back to his room.
A/N: AAAAAAGH I'm so so so sorry for the long break! I've been so busy and then whenever I sit down to write I can't think of anything! I'm on winter break now though, so I'll try to post more before school starts again! Honestly, I've missed writing these two. I just love them so much ;-;