A/N- Wow, I am so sorry for not updating sooner, but I really wanted to post these three chapters together. I really hope you enjoy them!

Disclaimer - All characters belong to Cassandra Clare.

"Will come on, you will be late if you do not leave", his companion spoke gently as they lay next to each other, his head of silver hair resting on the blue eyed boy's chest.

"I don't want to leave", Will complained as he pulled the other teenager closer to him and placed a small kiss on his forehead.

"It is your leavers' ball Will, you can't just skip it. Plus I will be here when you get back. Now get up, I want to see you in your suit".

"Fine", Will huffed dramatically as he pulled himself out of the bed and collected the suit he had left hanging in the wardrobe. "Honestly Jem, the things I do for you".

"Like bring me cheesy picnics so we can hibernate in the library?"

Will pivoted to face his boyfriend and placed a hand over his heart. "Why must you wound me so James? You love my picnics".

Jem got out of the bed and made his way slowly to his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his neck and smiling at Will as he looked into his eyes. "I always knew you were a hopeless romantic". He paused to give his black haired boyfriend a kiss on the lips. "Now go and get ready before I have to phone your friends and tell them why you are late." With that he gave his boyfriend a gentle push towards his en-suite bathroom and walked over to the armchair where his violin was sitting, playing a simple melody as he waited for Will to get ready.

As he felt himself get immersed in the music, his surroundings faded into background information. It was because of this that he failed to hear the bathroom door open, didn't see the way Will stood by the door, a smile on his face as he watched the way his boyfriend lost himself in his violin.

Will was quick getting changed after he had been forced into the bathroom, his reasoning being that the less time he spends getting dressed the more time he could spend with his boyfriend before he had to leave. His mind paused on the word boyfriend. It had been three months since the two of them became official, but the thought of being able to call the ethereal boy in the next room his boyfriend still made him unbelievably happy. As he finished getting dressed he thought back to April where, much to his surprise, it was Jem who had asked Will to be his boyfriend.

It was a rare, fairly warm evening in the middle of April and the two of them had been dating for three months. In this time, Will had learnt that while Jem's immune system meant he couldn't spend a lot of time in crowded places he didn't have to be confined to his home. He could go out, they just had to make sure that it wouldn't be too busy and that the weather wasn't too bad. The coffee shop where they had first met was a common date site for them; it was never too full and had excellent heating for when the weather was cooler. However, they didn't want to be confined to one place; the problem was finding a good restaurant that wasn't busy.

That task was proving harder than Will thought it would be; either the restaurant was too busy or looked questioningly unhygienic. He had been looking for two weeks and was becoming slightly desperate by the time he confided in his friends on the day he had promised Jem he would take him somewhere different for dinner. Surprisingly, it was Magnus who jumped to the rescue, telling him about a great Indonesian restaurant he knows a little out of town which is always quiet early on a Wednesday evening. Will didn't fail to notice Alec's blush when Magnus mentioned the name of the restaurant and gushed about how romantic it was, but he didn't have the room to dwell on his friend's dating life. He was too busy worrying about his own.

Will was usually confident in choosing what he wore, but that night he just couldn't decide. He wanted everything to be perfect, after all that was the night he intended to ask Jem to officially be his boyfriend. He wasn't entirely sure why he was nervous, he was pretty sure that Jem would say yes, but no matter how hard he tried to push it down there was still a part of him that was convinced he would be rejected. He guessed he would just always be insecure when it came to romance, to opening himself up completely to someone. But with Jem he had no regrets.

It took a while, but he was finally happy with what he was wearing. He wore his dark grey jeans that were almost black but had enough light in them to help lift the colour a bit and paired it with a tight fitting blue shirt which Isabelle told him brought out his eyes. All in all, he thought he looked quite good, but once he was stood on the doorstep of Jem's house and saw what he had on, he thought the other looked a million times better. He had never seen him in anything other than denim jeans and a comfortable T-shirt or jumper. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see him in a grey button up shirt, navy blue chinos and brown dress shoes. The sight was only beaten by the light blush that coloured his cheeks when Will told him how beautiful he looked.

It was a silent ride to the restaurant, not awkward but comfortable. Will kept his eyes on the road but occasionally glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye. Magnus and Alec had told him that the restaurant looked more like a cottage with an array of flowers out the front, but he was not prepared for the sight that greeted him. The entryway was lined with yellow, cream, red and orange tulips, while the various flower beds along the walls of the restaurant were filled with blue bells. Will quickly looked at Jem's reaction and swore to himself that even if the food was terrible, it would be worth it to see the joy on his face.

As it turned out, the food wasn't terrible; in fact it was one of the best meals he had ever eaten out. They had just been talking about simple things over dinner; what they had done during the week and what they could do on their next date, but it was while he was eating their dessert that he became more nervous. They were no longer in a rush to eat, and the opportunity to just sit and talk over a slice of cake was the best chance to talk about something serious. He had just opened his mouth to speak when Jem beat him to it.

"I had a really lovely time tonight Will, thank you". Will wasn't surprised that Jem spoke gently; everything about his companion was gentle.

"Really I should be thanking you Jem", Will started as he took the other boy's hands. "If you hadn't have sat with me when I was in the cafe I wouldn't be with you now. And honestly I'm the happiest I've ever been." He paused to take a steadying breath, the final encouragement he needed, when Jem once again broke the silence.

"That is good to hear", he said with a smile as he squeezed Will's hands. "Does that mean you will agree to be my boyfriend?"

Will could feel his eyes grow wide, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the right words. But nothing came out. He had spent all evening worrying about this question, and Jem had just uttered it as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Before he knew it, he was laughing; small giggles that eventually became an uncontrollable laugh. He could see Jem getting uneasy as he shifted in his seat, but the harder he tried to stop laughing, the more difficult it became.

"I'm sorry for laughing Jem", he managed to gasp out as the laughing subsided a little. "It's just I've spent all evening trying to ask you that, and you beat me to it!"

This time it was Jem who laughed as he held one of Will's hands, raising it to his mouth to kiss it gently before he spoke. "So that was a yes, then?"

"Of course", Will replied with a smile.

Will was still smiling as he pulled on his charcoal grey suit jacket and opened the bathroom door. He was so deep in thought that he hadn't heard the sound of his boyfriend playing his violin. He looked so peaceful that he didn't want to interrupt him; instead he leant against the bathroom door and watched as, with his eyes closed, Jem's body swayed in time with what he was playing. He still remembered the first time he came to this house, how sad Jem had looked when he said he no longer played. It wasn't until their first date that Will learnt the reason for this.

It wasn't until the week after the lunch where Magnus encouraged him to go and talk to Jem that Will had managed to find the courage to go and see him. They still talked or texted every day but whenever Jem asked if he wanted to meet up Will would give him the excuse that he was busy. He knew that this could only be used for so long and he felt terrible about lying to Jem, so it wasn't any surprise that he only lasted a week before he agreed to go to his house to see him.

This time he wasn't as nervous as he stood on the threshold of the house. When Charlotte answered the door, looking every bit as frazzled as she did the first time, he managed to greet her as warmly as she did, stopping to have a quick conversation with her and her husband once he came up from the basement.

He also didn't need directions to Jem's room anymore. He had been here several times since they met and already felt like he knew this part of the house like the back of his hand. Once outside the door, he saw it was left ajar so he pushed it open gently without knocking; Jem knew when he was coming and Will assumed that if knocking was desired then the door would have been completely shut. It was only once he was stood at the threshold looking into the tidy room that Will realised that he might have been completely wrong.

Jem looked as lovely as he always did, dressed comfortably in a pair of slightly worn jeans and bright green jumper, but the look on his face broke Will's heart. Jem was looking at something in his lap so Will couldn't see his eyes, but the pain was evident in the way that his eyebrows furrowed and in the way that he was biting down on his lower lip, his shoulders set rigidly. Will had never seen Jem this upset in all the times they had been together; not even when he explained to Will what his illness meant for him. He wanted to comfort Jem, but he had no idea how. He sure as hell was going to try though.

He turned around and shut the door firmly before taking some hesitant steps towards the boy on the bed. Once he had done so he could finally see what he was looking at, and when he did his breath hitched. Sat on his lap, being cradled as if it was the most precious thing in the world, was a violin. It had a deep colour, almost red in the right light, and even Will was able to appreciate the elegance of the instrument. He could also remember the sad way in which Jem announced that he no longer played.

"Jem", he spoke softly; afraid of startling the other boy.

"Hello Will", Jem replied just as quietly with a voice laced with sadness. He had still been looking at the instrument in his lap as Will came towards him, presumably too caught up in his thoughts to notice Will's presence. However, once he had greeted him he looked up, and Will almost flinched at the pain he saw there. Even his usual silver contacts were missing, and in their place Will found himself locked in a gaze with misery filled dark brown eyes.

He silently sat on the chair next to the bed, resting a gentle hand on Jem's forearm. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Will decided to speak again.

"That really is a beautiful work of art", he said while looking at the violin in Jem's lap.

"Thank you". Jem's response was quiet, his gaze never leaving the instrument.

"Talk to me Jem. A wise man once told me that the things we don't want to talk about are the very things we should be discussing."

Will had hoped that his attempt to lighten the mood might work a little, but all it achieved was a slight lift of one corner of Jem's mouth.

"It is not a happy story, Will".

Jem had finally put the violin back in its case and had placed it under his bed where, Will guessed, he usually kept it. Seeing that Jem was still upset, Will took the opportunity to move to the other side of the bed, taking one of Jem's now empty hands.

"I won't force you to tell me if you don't want to, but don't bottle it up because you think it might upset me. I told you nothing but upsetting things the first time we met. You've helped me through some of the worst weeks of my life, and now I'd like to do the same for you. If you'll let me".

Will wasn't sure how long they were sat next to each other just breathing. It could have been minutes, or it could have been a couple of hours. But he meant what he said; he wouldn't push Jem. He would listen if he wanted him to, but if he wanted to change the topic he would gladly do anything to bring a smile back to his face. It had been so long since they had spoken that he almost jumped when he heard Jem's voice.

"My parents bought it for me. In fact, it is the only thing I have left from them". There was a pause as Jem readjusted them on the bed, sitting so that instead of being side by side they were face to face. But Jem was not looking at him; instead he stared at their hands.

"My father also played the violin; he used to play to me all the time when I was a baby. I cannot really remember when I fell in love with it, perhaps I always was. They bought me my first violin when I was four, and I was awful for a long time. It was so disheartening; I used to cry and insist I did not want to play anymore. My father never let me give up though; he would always remind me how much I loved the instrument and that if I kept practising I could play as well as he did. He had the patience of a saint that man".

Jem paused before he continued and Will could feel the sadness radiating off of him. He went to comfort him, but Jem started speaking again before he could move a muscle.

"We moved here from Shanghai when I was ten years old after my parents had been given jobs with the local police force. We decided not to bring anything with us; my parents wanted a completely new start. I struggled a lot with leaving everyone and everything I knew and had. I had nothing here, knew no one. I was miserable for months after we arrived, but I played my violin a lot. It was the only important thing I could bring with me, and by this point I had gotten quite good and learnt to love it again.

It took some time, but eventually I made friends with our neighbours. It made my parents so happy to see that I had learnt to settle in to our new life. Everything was great; for a while. It was on my 12th birthday that my parents gave me this violin. It was quite an expensive one and they said I only got it because they trusted me and they knew I would look after it. I was so proud, I promised I would always play it and that I would look after it as if it was a part of me.

And then two weeks later they were dead. They were cracking down on a gang in London that had people running large amounts of drugs into the surrounding counties but they did not get all the members in one go. Somehow a couple managed to storm the station my parents were based in. 15 people died that day, and I was left all alone. Charlotte took me in not too long after, but I never played again. I could not bring myself to look at it; it just reminded me of everything I had lost. Even now it stays under the bed most of the time. But today marks 6 years since they were killed, and it is the only way I can be close to them".

It was only then that Jem looked up at Will, tears streaming steadily down his face. The young man who was always calm and collected, who was the voice of reason in a sea of madness was shattering before his very eyes and Will just wanted to cry along with him. But he wouldn't let himself. Instead he moved the two of them so they were sat side by side again and pulled Jem into his arms, holding him close as he let the other cry until he had nothing left in him.

"You did not apologise", Jem hiccupped.

"I thought we knew each other better than that", Will whispered into his companion's hair. "But you know what I think?"

"What?"

"You need to play again"-

"Will I can't"... Jem broke himself off with a heartbroken sigh.

"Hear me out James. It hurts you because you associate it with the loss of your parents. But you don't have to. You can make it something happy if you remember their love or their pride. Or maybe just make new memories with it, play it for someone or something that makes you happy. I'm not saying it has to be today, but I think that eventually you need to play. You shouldn't keep it locked away forever."

Jem was silent for a moment as he pulled himself out of Will's embrace and settled against the headboard. "I will think about it."

There was something about the tone of Jem's voice which indicated that this discussion was over, and Will decided it was probably wise not to try and push him too far. Indeed, he was just about to move the conversation on again when Jem spoke.

"I am glad you could make it today Will, I know you have been busy this week. Are you finally free or was there something that brought you here?"

Will can remember thinking in that moment that Jem had to be a mind reader; no one should be that astute.

"Honestly, I wanted to ask you something, but I uh, I'm not sure if now is a good time?"

Will couldn't remember the last time he had sounded so apprehensive; but this was important. Jem was different to everyone else he had ever met and he didn't want to mess anything up. He was pretty sure that asking while Jem was still visibly upset probably wasn't a good idea.

"You can ask me anything Will, it is okay".

That was typical of Jem , Will thought. He immediately concerned himself with how others were feeling, he even held one of Will's hands in an attempt to ease his worries.

"Okay, um. Well, if I'm being fully honest I haven't really been busy this week I've just been too afraid to come and see you."

Will had averted his eyes while he said this, but now he looked at Jem to try and gauge his reaction. All he was met with was an impressive poker face.

"And why is that?"

Will opened his mouth once, twice, three times but no sound came out. He knew what he wanted to say but he just couldn't get his vocal chords to work. The more he looked at Jem, saw the sadness fade a little in his eyes and the tear tracks stained on his cheeks, the surer he was that he wanted to know what it felt like to kiss him. To be able to hug him and call him his. But the more he wanted it, the harder it became to speak and the more he felt himself panic. He was sure that the panic must have been visible in his eyes, because before he knew it Jem had placed a hand on the side of his face and was gently brushing his thumb against his cheekbone.

"Calm down Will. Just tell me what it is you want to say."

It was the way that Jem was still cradling his face, smiling softly at him that finally gave him the confidence to ask what he had gone there to ask.

"I really like you Jem; so much. You're incredible and I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me?"

He had tried to maintain eye contact throughout his question but found himself staring at his lap as he finished what he wanted to ask. It was only when Jem moved his hand to under his chin that he looked at his face, his heart leaping at the smile that Jem wore.

"I really like you too, Will. And yes, I would love to go on a date with you".

It was impossible to tell who was smiling more, but all Will knew was that his face hurt but he never wanted to stop. He wasn't sure what silent communication had passed between them, and he wasn't sure who moved first (he had a fleeting thought that it might have been Jem) but suddenly they were kissing. Jem's hands were wrapped around his waist while he placed his around Jem's shoulders. Jem's lips were soft but firm against his and he poured everything he had into the kiss; his gratitude at having found him, the sorrow he felt for his parents and the comfort he wanted to offer. He felt Jem press himself slightly closer, deepening the kiss in return and it was in that moment that he felt a peace he hadn't experienced in a long time.

"What are you thinking about?"

An amused voice cut through his reminiscing. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard when Jem stopped playing. He smiled at his boyfriend as he walked further into the bedroom, stopping right in front of the silver haired boy.

"You", he answered with a playful smile.

"Well stop it", was Jem's response. "You really have to leave now if you want to get there on time." He paused as he stepped closer to his boyfriend, straightening his tie before placing his hands on his shoulders. "But you really do look beautiful you know?"

"Thank you James", Will replied with a sincere smile before giving his boyfriend a quick kiss. "But I really wish you could come".

"I know you do, you have said this several times today".

"I know", Will said with sadness seeping into his voice. "But it's my leavers' ball and I wanted to share it with you".

"Do not be sad William", Jem replied as he pulled the blue eyed boy into a gentle hug. "I will still be here tonight; and the day after that and every day after that until you get bored with me".

It was clearly an attempt to lighten the mood, but Will took this comment very seriously and pulled back to look his boyfriend in the eye.

"I will never get bored of you James, never. I just wanted you there tonight because I wanted to spend it with all the people I love".

Will felt his eyes widen with those last words; he hadn't meant to say them. He knew what he felt, but he wasn't sure if Jem felt the same way and he didn't want to pressure the other teenager into saying something he may not mean. However, his panic was short lived when a radiant smile lit up his boyfriend's face as he pulled him closer, leaning in to rest their foreheads together uttering the words Will had always wanted to hear from someone.

"I love you too".