Simon's first impression of Jace Wayland was that he was an asshole.

Jace had a holier than thou attitude, and seemed to look down upon normal humans - mundanes, as Nephilim called them. Simon was a mundane, while Clary apparently wasn't. That just led to Jace being kinder to Clary than Simon.

Simon hated Jace, and he hated this new world his best friend had gotten thrown into. Simon knew it wasn't too late for him. He could still pull out of this, continue living an ordinary life. But wherever Clary went, he would go as well. That was how it worked.

So that meant having to put up with Jace. That was fine. He could handle it.

"He's different," Clary said slowly as she and Simon sat in his room, eating snacks and watching whatever show was currently on TV at the moment. "I don't know. He just seems… more vulnerable now."

"Because Valentine's his father?" Simon questioned. "Huh. I thought it would explain why he's so much of an asshole, if anything."

Clary elbowed him. "Stop being rude to Jace. And besides, you know Valentine's my father too."

Simon swallowed. He had almost forgotten. "Right. Sorry."

Clary sighed softly. "It's just… He spent so many years thinking his father was dead. Now finding out he's alive, and that he had basically abandoned him… had forced his son to witness his supposed death…" She shuddered. "I can only imagine how Jace must feel."

"You haven't seen him recently?" Simon questioned.

Clary shook her head. "No, I haven't really seen any of them recently, I guess. Maybe I should check on them soon."

"I'm guessing they wouldn't want me there," Simon muttered.

Clary didn't even try to deny that.

When Jace continued to be rude to Simon after he was turned into a vampire (and honestly, Simon preferred being called "mundane" instead of "bloodsucker"), Simon thought all hope was lost for the Shadowhunter boy.

Then, on Valentine's ship, Jace fed Simon his blood.

Simon still remembered. He thought he had died, but then, he hazily woke up to blood running down his throat, Jace's bleeding wrist pressed to his mouth. Then his instincts took over and he had pinned Jace to the ground, bit his neck, and drank his blood.

"I could have killed you," Simon had said when he finally came to his senses.

"I would have let you," Jace had replied.

That Jace - the one who fed Simon his blood, the one who saved his life - that Jace was different from the Jace that Simon had first met. That Jace was someone Simon wanted to know better.

And maybe, Simon had to admit to himself, he was starting to fall for that Jace as well.

When Jace first saved Simon, he told himself he was doing it for Clary. He knew Simon was his sister's best friend, and that if Clary knew he had a chance to save Simon, and that he wasted it, then she might never forgive him. But as he thought about it more, he realized that no, he wasn't just doing it for Clary. He was doing it for Simon too.

Even when he was a mundane, Simon was brave. Not many mundanes could kill a greater demon, after all. Jace had to respect that, even if he didn't exactly express it. And over and over again, Simon proved that even though he was a mundane and then a Downworlder, he was as brave as a Shadowhunter. And Jace? He liked that.

Yet when Simon showed up on the Institute doorstep, Jace still felt the urge to kick him out.

"I don't understand why you're here," Jace drawled out. "It's not like you can come in here anyway."

"I'm aware," Simon said, though he shot the Institute an offended look, as if he blamed the building itself for being too holy for vampires to enter. Which, fair, Jace supposed. "I just wanted to talk to you."

Sighing, Jace began walking away from the Institute. "If we're going to talk, let's at least head somewhere more pleasant. Taki's is always a great place to eat. They even serve blood."

Simon made a face at that, which Jace found amusing. Who knew that a vampire could dislike blood so much? "Alright," he said. "Yeah, let's go to Taki's."

Jace led the way to Taki's, Simon trailing behind him. "So," Jace said. "Does this have anything to do with our road trip to Idris? Are you trying to get an invitation?"

"I thought you were going there through portal," Simon said, probably with the intention of annoying Jace. The Shadowhunter shot him a look, and Simon sighed. "No, it isn't."

"Really," Jace murmured. He had to admit to himself, he had been hoping that it was related to that, so he could get Simon's opinion on if Clary should go or not. Jace thought it was too dangerous for her and that she should stay in New York, but his sister just seemed determined to go.

"I guess this was more of a…" Simon trailed off. "Well, a thank you for saving my life. And maybe a social outing."

Jace raised his eyebrows. "A social outing. I'll take the thank you, but convince me why I should accept your social outing offer."

"It'll cure your boredom," Simon offered.

Jace thought about it, then said, "Yeah, you're right. It will cure my boredom, if you prove to be entertaining." Finally, the two of them reached Taki's. Jace moved to pull the door open, waving Simon inside. "You first. Let's have lunch together as our social outing."

Simon didn't expect Jace to accept his "social outing" offer so quickly, but hey, who was he to complain? Now, they sat in Taki's, waiting for Kaelie to bring them their orders, in an awkward silence, unsure what to say.

"You never directly said thank you," Jace finally said, drawing Simon's attention away from a female vampire who was winking at him.

"I did," Simon protested.

"No," Jace said. "You said, 'a thank you for saving my life,' not 'thank you.'"

Simon groaned. "Oh, so you're going to focus on the little details now, are you."

Jace smirked. "I believe I am."

Deciding to make this as dramatic as possible, and to fend off the vampire currently trying to get him in her bed, Simon reached across the table and took Jace's hands in his. Jace startled back, a faint red showing on his cheeks, but Simon ignored it, staring into Jace's eyes instead. "Thank you," he said in a solemn voice.

"That's…" Jace choked out. "A bit too much."

Simon took his hands back, hoping that he wasn't blushing as well. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Oh, so it's either too little or too much. I can never get it ri-"

He startled as a random card slammed down onto the table. He looked up to see the vampire from earlier. "Here's my card, if you ever want a fun time," she said flirtatiously. "And if you want the Morgenstern boy there as well, I'm open to threesomes." With a wink, she turned and walked away.

Simon and Jace were both silent for a moment before the latter spoke. "People actually want to have sex with you?"

"Shut up," Simon muttered.

Finally, Kaelie arrived with plates in her hands. She set down a blood smoothie and a blood cake in front of Simon, who began eating and drinking without much enthusiasm. Drinking blood still felt horrible to him, even though he had been a vampire for a while now. Glancing over at Jace, he envied the normal food Jace had bought.

"I'd give you some," Jace said, catching his look. "But I don't want you to throw up at our table."

Simon sighed. "Honestly? Same."

"Glad we agree," Jace said, with a small smirk.

The rest of the social outing - which Jace was trying not to think of as a date - went well. As he and Simon exited the restaurant, Jace could feel his nerves tingling within him. Finally, as they reached the Institute, Jace turned back to face the vampire. Swallowing, he awkwardly said, "Thank you."

"For hanging out with you?" Simon sounded almost confused.

"For distracting me as well," Jace admitted. "From, well… Clary and Idris. All that."

"Ah," Simon breathed out. Jace didn't know why he bothered breathing sometimes. He was a vampire, he didn't need it.

"I admire your bravery," Jace said slowly. "I don't just think of you as just a mundane, or, well, a vampire. You're Simon. And I thought that maybe I should tell you that."

Simon smiled slightly. "I see. Well, I don't think of you as just a Shadowhunter, if that helps. You're Jace to me. Jace the asshole."

Jace rolled his eyes and huffed. "Oh, now you're giving me titles?" He sighed and met Simon's eyes again. "I'd like to do this again sometime, when I return from Idris."

Simon's smile grew wider. "Really?"

Jace nodded. "Really." And then he entered the Institute, leaving a grinning Simon behind him.

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