Fragile World
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these delightful characters, that honor belongs to Cassandra Clare. I have mostly followed the events of the show except for Simon's becoming a Vampire. For this story, I wanted Raphael to be his sire, so I followed the books version of his turning.
Chapter 8
A collective sigh of relief seemed to pass through the Loft at Raphael's affirmative declaration. Magnus clapped his hands and smiled.
"Excellent! We need to make some preparations then. What do you need Raphael? Before we do anything, I want everything we need or could need on hand," he said as he paced by the table.
"I believe we will need blood, quite a bit of it at that," Raphael said smoothly. "It is unclear exactly how much blood Simon will need, but logically, I believe he should drink until he is sated. I will need blood to replenish myself as he is drinking." Magnus nodded and picked up his phone, finding the number he needed and hitting call.
"Alexander darling," he said as the other boy answered. "I need you stop at Taki's on your way back and get some blood…a lot of blood. We need enough to replenish a very hungry vampire." He listened to the reply, chuckled and with a softly spoken "I love you," he hung up and turned back to Raphael. "He will bring everything he can get and be here within the hour." Raphael nodded and turned to Simon.
"How would you like to proceed, pequeno? I believe you will most likely be feeding for a bit. I'm not sure if there will be any unexpected side effects but we should be prepared for anything. Given all the undetermined factors involved, where would you be most comfortable?" he asked. Simon furrowed his brow considering all options before replying.
"I guess we should do this in my room," he replied looking between all of them. "Last time I fed from Jace, I felt so drunk that Alec practically had to carry me to my bed before I passed out. We might as well eliminate the need for manual labor before we start," he said jokingly, causing Jace and Magnus to chuckle. Raphael nodded in acknowledgement and they all settled in to wait for Alec to return. Simon found himself stretching out on the couch with his head in Jace's lap, the soothing feel of fingers running through his hair making his eyes flutter shut as he sighed.
Raphael took the time to observe the two. From an outside perspective it certainly looked as if the two were very close. Their comfort level with each other was noticeable. There had been several reassuring touches from Jace that had immediately calmed Simon's nerves and the two seemed to be pretty well in sync with each other. He raised his eyebrow as Simon snuggled closer to Jace and Raphael turned his gaze to Magnus, who just shrugged and smiled waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Raphael snorted and went back to observing his Fledgling and the blonde shadowhunter.
Simon was dozing, Jace's fingers on his scalp soothing him into a state of light slumber. He was vaguely aware of movement happening around him, but it didn't sound like he should be worried, so he just stayed where he was, head firmly planted in Jace's lap, eyes closed and for once, no negative thoughts plaguing him. The hand in his hair moved to his face briefly before coming to rest on his shoulder, shaking him slightly.
"Si? Alec is back. Time to get up," Jace said softly. Simon groaned pitifully and swatted his hand away.
"But I'm comfortable," he whined pitifully, cracking one eye open and looking up at the blonde. Jace smiled slightly and reached down to push some stray hair behind Simon's ear before gesturing about the room.
"I realize that… pretty sure you were drooling on my leg," he said with a wink. "But Alec is back, and Raphael is ready when you are. You can get comfortable again after we save your life." Simon groaned in protest but sat up anyway, looking about to see where they others were. Magnus and Alec were talking by the balcony door and Raphael was just coming back down the hall. He paused when he saw Simon awake before continuing into the living area.
"Good, you're awake," he said softly. "I have everything I need whenever you are ready to begin, pequeno." Simon nodded and stood up, stretching his arms above his head and feeling a satisfying pop in his should blades.
"Let's do this, I guess," he said nervously moving to stand beside his Sire. Raphael put a reassuring hand on his arm and squeezed gently.
"It will all work out, do not worry so much. Whatever happens, we will deal with it and get you better." Simon nodded and looked nervously at Jace, who moved forward to stand in front of him.
"Hey, you'll be fine ok?," he reassured. "We will all be here. We won't let anything bad happen. Whatever happens, we will all help you get through it."
Simon's response quickly fled from his mind when Jace stepped forward, very much in his personal space bubble, and gave him a tight hug. He was so surprised that it took him a full fifteen seconds before he was coherent enough to bring his own arms up to hug the blonde back. Now this, this was something he could definitely get used to. The embrace lasted only a minute before Jace stepped back and smiled encouragingly at him. Simon turned to Raphael and motioned down the hall toward his room.
"Alright," he said as he started walking down the hall. "Let's get this party started."
The two vampires entered the bedroom together and Raphael closed the door behind them. Simon raised his eyebrow in question and glanced back to the door. Raphael chuckled.
"There is no need for everyone to crowd into the room to watch. I will notify them if they are needed," he explained. "Now, why don't you put something more comfortable on. I do not know how long this will take or what will happen, but you may as well be in something that is not denim," he said as he stepped out of his shoes and placed them out of the way by the dresser. Simon nodded and got some sweatpants and a tee shirt out of the top drawer. He kicked his shoes off into the closet and quickly changed before turning back to his Sire. The older vampire was now barefoot and had removed his button up shirt leaving him in his black trousers and a white undershirt. He sat smoothly on the bed, resting his back against the headboard as he pulled a bag up next to him. He emptied the contents onto the nightstand so that he could reach the bagged blood as needed through out the process. He glanced up and patted the bed next to him.
"I don't bite Simon," he reassured. Simon chuckled at the bad pun and moved to sit next to Raphael. His Sire held his arm out to him, settling more firmly in his spot. "If, at any point, something does not seem right or feels strange, stop and tell me," he said firmly.
Simon nodded as he gently took hold of Raphael's arm. He took a deep, still unnecessary, breath and let his fangs sink into the soft flesh below his Sire's elbow, gasping slightly as he tasted the blood on his lips. It was a completely different experience than drinking from Jace. Where Jace had tasted bright and sweet like honey, Raphael tasted dark and bitter like red wine. It wasn't bad, just different. His Sire's blood also seemed to have a different effect on his body. Instead of feeling drunk, he felt more alert, his senses heightened. He could hear the heart beats of the other three occupants of the apartment from out in the main living space. He could smell the unique scents that belonged to each of them. He felt… alive. He continued to drink, filling the void that the months of hunger had left in his belly. Raphael sat relaxed next to him reading a book that he had set in his lap, occasionally pausing to grab a bag of blood and drink the contents within before returning his attention to the pages in front of him.
It could have been minutes or hours, Simon didn't know. All concept of time went out the window and the only thing he was aware of was the new blood entering his body and the burning sensation and hunger slowly dissipating. Finally, he felt satisfied, and he carefully detached himself from Raphael. He slowly moved himself to lean against the headboard, his shoulder brushing his Sire's. Raphael shifted to place his book on the nightstand before turning back to Simon.
"How do you feel?" he asked, looking his fledgling over intently. Simon took a mental inventory of himself before replying.
"I feel… like I'm super sensitive. Like I'm hyper aware of everything around me. I can hear and smell the others like they were in the room with us. And I'm really tired," he answered honestly. Raphael nodded.
"Good, the hyper awareness will become normal as you adjust to being a healthy fledgling. It is normal. You will most likely feel overwhelmed at first, much like when you were first born, when you are out in public, in large crowds especially. We will have to restart your training so that you will not accidentally hurt anyone. But that can all be worked out later. You need to rest now. I will let the others know that, for now, everything appears to be just fine," he finished as he went to stand. Simon reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could go. His Sire paused and looked at him in concern.
"Will…will you come back? Stay with me for a bit? I… I've missed you… your comfort the most throughout all this," Simon admitted softly, looking down at his hands and he played with the hem of his tee shirt. He looked up when Raphael cupped his cheek, his touch lingering for a moment.
"I will return in a few minutes," he assured as he left the bed and walked quietly to the door. Simon heard his footsteps in the hall and his silky accented voice telling the others that Simon had drank his fill and currently appeared fine and that he was going to stay with his fledgling to ensure that he was present in case there were any delayed effects. He heard the relief in their replies and then heard footsteps come back down the hall. He was surprised, when instead of Raphael reappearing, Jace stopped in his doorway. His posture instantly relaxed when he saw Simon leaning tiredly against the headboard looking at him.
"You're really okay?" he asked quietly, his mismatched eyes quickly scanning for any signs to the opposite. Simon smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I feel good right now," he admitted. "Way better than I have in months." Jace nodded looking satisfied with his answer.
"Good. I'm going to try to get some sleep as should you. I'm right next door, so you come get me if you need anything, got it?" he said in a serious tone. Simon just nodded as a large yawn escaped him. Jace chuckled and with a mumbled 'goodnight' he continued on to this own room. Raphael reentered the room as soon as Jace had left, quirking his eyebrow, his lips twitching slightly.
"Your boyfriend is very… protective of you," he said, a hint of teasing in his voice. Simon's eyes widened in surprise.
"B…boyfriend?!" he squeaked. "Jace isn't my boyfriend. We're just friends," he said, a blush coloring his cheeks. Raphael chuckled as he came back to the bed and pulled back the covers before climbing in next to Simon.
"Really?" he asked incredulously. "Because you two certainly act like it." He ignored Simon's flustered denials as he pulled the fledgling down next to him, wrapping his arm around Simon's shoulder. "Shut up you annoying vampire and go to sleep. We can debate your relationship status after you are rested." Simon snapped his mouth shut, and tentatively moved a bit closer to his Sire laying his head on the other vampire's shoulder, soaking in the warmth and comfort that only the touch of his Sire could bring to him. He closed his eyes, feeling truly comfortable for the first time in months, and quickly fell asleep.
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Simon shot up into a sitting position, gasping for breath for a minute before his brain caught up with his body and he remembered that he didn't need to breath. He glanced around trying to determine what had woken him. Raphael was sleeping next to him and nothing else seemed out of place. And then he felt it. He felt hot, his whole body radiating with a heat so intense it left him falling back onto the bed, curling in on himself in an effort to minimize the pain. He groaned in agony as it felt like there was lava flowing through his veins. He felt a cool hand on his forehead and vaguely heard Raphael's voice, but his brain couldn't register the words or there meaning. He gasped and attempted to curl in on himself even tighter as another wave of fire passed through his body. He heard Raphael shout, but all sounds faded as Simon's vision went white and he felt more than heard an agonized scream leave his mouth and his body felt like it was being torn apart by fire and then everything went black.
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Raphael shot up as soon as he had heard Simon groan. Reaching out to touch his fledgling's forehead, he hissed at the heat radiating from him.
"Simon, can you tell me what hurts?" he asked in concern as he watched the other vampire curl up even tighter into a fetal position, gasping in pain. This was not good.
"Magnus!" he shouted as he quickly went to the bathroom to get a cold washcloth. He had just placed the cool cloth on Simon's neck when the fledgling let out a pain filled scream and then his body went limp. Magnus ran into the room not five seconds later looking alarmed, Alec and Jace quickly following on his heals.
"What happened?" Magnus asked. "Did he say anything? Do we know what hurts? Did you notice any changes?" His voice was steady and calm… The High Warlock of Brooklyn was now present. Raphael shook his head.
"I don't know," he admitted. "We were sleeping and then I heard him groan in pain, when I sat up, he was curled into a fetal position. He was burning hot to the touch. I went to get a cold washcloth and when I came back with it, he screamed and passed out."
Magnus nodded and stepped forward. He motioned to Raphael to help him lay Simon flat on his back and once he was moved, he placed his hand on the vampire's forehead, hissing at the temperature. He held his hands over Simon, a faint blue glow emitting as he summoned his magic to try to figure out what had caused this reaction. He moved his hands slowly back and forth above Simon's body for several minutes before the blue glow sparked and faded. The warlock sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"His body is, for lack of a better explanation, fighting an infection," he said looking between all of them. "Your blood now flowing in his veins, is seeking out and destroying the 'tainted' blood that has been sustaining him so poorly the last several months." Raphael, in a rare show of surprise, sucked in a sharp breath at the revelation. Alec and Jace looked between the two not really knowing what to do or say.
"So what do we do?" asked Jace, bouncing nervously from foot to foot. The worry in his eyes was evident as he looked from Simon to Magnus and back to Simon. Magnus shrugged.
"Best guess is wait it out. I can help regulate his body temperature with magic and hopefully keep him as comfortable as possible, but I can't stop the process without injuring him further. Once the tainted blood is completely cleared, he should be just fine, but until then… we wait." Jace huffed. Waiting was not his strong suite…patience in general was not his strong suit. He sat on the bed next to Magnus, unconsciously reaching out and running his fingers through Simon's hair, his gaze softening slightly as, even unconscious, the vampire leaned into his touch. Magnus put a hand on Jace's shoulder, squeezing lightly, and then rose to his feet moving to stand next to Alec.
"I will go see if I can get a potion together to help with the aftermath. I am sure he will be very sore when he wakes next. Call if you need us," he said to Raphael as he took his boyfriend's hand, and they left the room. Jace sighed and looked back down at Simon and then up at Raphael.
"I guess I'll go to," he said quietly as he stood to leave. Simon whimpered as he took his hand away and pushed himself up to his feet. Raphael grabbed his wrist before he could turn to leave. Jace raised an eyebrow in question as he gazed at the vampire.
"Stay," Raphael said by way of explanation. "Simon can obviously sense your presence. Even unconscious, he seemed to relax a little bit when you were touching him. Stay, ease some of his discomfort. It is clear that he trusts you a great deal." The older vampire moved from his position on the side of the bed and moved around to sit in the chair in the corner. He sat cross legged and reached for the book he had previously been reading. Jace just stared at him, unclear what he was supposed to do here. After a minute, Raphael turned his gaze back to the shadowhunter and raised his eyebrow. "Relax Blondie," he drawled motioning to the bed. "It's late. Lay down and get some sleep. I will stay up in case anything else happens." He returned his gaze to his book and, after staring at him for another minute, Jace turned back to the bed before climbing in next to Simon. Tentatively, he reached out and brushed his hand across the vampire's cheek. Simon sighed and shifted closer. Jace smiled softly and then carefully wrapped his arms around Simon, drawing him against his side. It should probably feel awkward, he thought to himself, but it just felt… right. He liked this. He liked Simon…a lot…a lot more than he should. He had no business liking the nerdy vampire, but he did, and he didn't really know how to handle it. But in this moment, he didn't care. All he cared about was helping Simon get better. And if him being here, providing physical comfort, was helping even a little bit, then he would give all the comfort he could provide as long as it was in his power to do so.
Sighing, Jace tightened his hold on Simon before closing his eyes and trying to get some sleep.
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Simon groaned. His whole body hurt. But he felt…warm…and comfortable despite the pain. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt so heavy. He took a moment to use his other senses. He heard the pages of a book turning from behind him. Someone was reading in the armchair… probably Raphael. He was obviously still in his bed. Warmth surrounded him, it felt nice…really nice. There was a steady heartbeat attached to the warmth, he noted. He inhaled deeply… bright and sweet…like honey and strawberries... Jace! He struggled to open his eyes again, needing to confirm what his brain was telling him.
After a moment, he managed to crack one eye open ever so slightly. It was Jace! The blonde was laying next to him, his arms wrapped tightly around him, sleeping peacefully. He looked so pretty with his hair all mussed, spreading across the pillow like a halo. He truly did look like an angel. Simon attempted to move his arm so he could feel if Jace's hair was as soft as it looked, but the simple motion brought so much pain that he couldn't hold back the groan that escaped. He heard movement behind him, but his attention was focused on the beautiful, mismatched eyes that had shot open at the distressed noise. Jace looked at him in concern, one hand coming up to rest on his forehead.
"Are you okay? What hurts?" the blonde asked softly. Simon tried to roll onto his back but, again, his body was filled with pain and he just groaned.
"I feel like I, quite literally, got hit by a truck," he whispered hoarsely. His gaze fell on Raphael, who had appeared behind Jace, also looking a bit worried. "Did you change your mind and try to kill me instead?" he joked, causing his Sire to chuckle softly.
"No pequeno. You have been burning up with fever all night. You had a rather adverse reaction to drinking my blood. It seems that once your body was replenished, that my blood was targeting the old 'tainted' blood that remained, eliminating it. A reset of your system so to speak. It must have been very painful. You were only conscious for a brief time before you passed out. Magnus used his magic to help keep the pain and fever at bay. You have been asleep for several hours now." Simon blinked owlishly, he vaguely remembered waking up and feeling like his body was burning from the inside out. He returned his gaze to Jace, who looked a bit uncomfortable now that he was awake and still in Simon's bed, and still holding Simon close. Raphael made an excuse of going to find Magnus as he winked at Simon and left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
Jace shifted and made to draw his arms away but Simon moved to stop him. Only trying to move reminded Simon that his whole body hurt beyond belief and he was unable to hold in the gasp of pain as he tensed his whole body. Jace froze, his eyes widening, guilt shining in them.
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked in concern. Simon made a negative noise, unable to fully respond just yet as his body was still not cooperating with him. He fell back on the 'taking deep breaths to help trick his brain' human technique and after several moments, he was able to relax his body with minimal discomfort.
"No, you didn't hurt me," he responded. "I was selfishly trying to stop you from moving and forgot my whole body was potentially his by a freight train in my sleep," he added, his lips curling into a hint of a smile as he gazed at the blonde shadowhunter. Jace looked surprised, but didn't move any further from Simon, so he was taking that as a win. "I'm comfortable… you make me feel comfortable… and safe," he added very softly. Jace looked like he was about to say something but before he could the door flew opened and Magnus hurried in looking exhausted and worried.
"Sweetheart!" he exclaimed looking relieved at seeing Simon awake. "Thank goodness! I was so worried! How do you feel?" he asked as he came to sit on the bed next to the vampire, laying his hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
"Like I got his by a truck or a highspeed train," Simon provided as Magnus moved his hands to hover above Simon, letting his magic scan for any lingering ill effects. Once he was satisfied, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange glowing orange vial.
"This will help with the pain. A few hours of rest and you should be back to normal," he said patting Simon's shoulder. Simon groaned as he tried to sit up but was unsuccessful as he flopped back onto Jace, causing the other boy to huff a bit at the unexpected impact.
"Sorry dude," Simon said. "Again, kinda forgot a can't really move right now." Jace chuckled but slid behind Simon and carefully moved the vampire so that he was sitting up, his back leaning against Jace's chest. Jace put his hand out for the potion and Magnus uncorked it and handed it over. He carefully put the vial to Simon's lips and slowly tilted it so that the vampire could drink the potion. Simon sighed as it felt like a cool blanket had settled over his body. He felt his body relax and he leaned heavily into Jace, letting his head fall back to rest on the blonde's shoulder.
"I already feel better," he said, flashing a smile to Magnus. "Could someone find my phone and let my boss know I'm sick and won't be in tonight?" he added as he remembered he was supposed to work later.
"I already called him for you," Alec said as he came into the room with another oddly colored vial of liquid. "He said take tomorrow off too. He'll expect you back on Thursday for your normal shift." He handed the vial to Magnus as he stopped by the bed, his eyebrow raising slightly as he took in Jace and Simon's positions. "Is this the one you wanted? I didn't see any other blue 'sparkly' potions in your work room." Magnus nodded as he took it from his boyfriend and shook it up.
"Thank you, sweetheart, this is the one," he confirmed as he turned back to Simon. "Take this one too honey, it will help with the muscle aches. Your body has been tensed for so many hours I'm sure you're super stiff and sore." Simon reached up to take the bottle and was glad to find that his arms moved with only a little stab of pain instead of the searing pain he had felt earlier. He downed the potion and returned his head to Jace's shoulder, letting the blonde hold him up. He sighed contentedly when he felt fingers running through his hair. He was just contemplating closing his eyes again when Raphael made his way back into the room, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
"I have to get back to the hotel, but I will return this evening. I need to talk to the clan about things and figure out your training going forward," he said as he retrieved his shoes from by the dresser. "I will leave you in your boyfriend's capable hands," he added with a smirk as he turned to leave the room, Magnus and Alec following him out. Simon made a slight squeaking noise as he went to sit up so he could turn around to look at the blonde shadowhunter, but before he could move more than a few inches, he was pulled back against Jace's chest.
"Just relax nerd," Jace said softly as he went back to running his hands through Simon's hair. "We can talk later, just get some rest. I'll be right here when you wake up." Simon hummed as he felt his eyes drifting shut as Jace continued to gently massage his scalp. He could definitely get used to this he thought as he finally surrendered and let sleep claim him.