I figured I should put up another update while I can. I go back to college in a few days, so my free time will rapidly disappear. This one's of the time when Jem follows Will. In case you were wondering, my prompts are coming from iTunes on shuffle.

Enjoy!

Rogues

Some nights, Will slipped out of the Institute. Jem had always noticed his absence—it was hard not to when Will came back the next morning with fantastical stories of drunkenness and debauchery. Will had never given the same explanation twice for where he had been.

Jem found that incredibly suspicious.

Jem never knew what was going on in that dark-haired head of Will's, and Will usually didn't care to elaborate. Will was a private person. Giving such detailed descriptions of his misadventures was incredibly out of character, and Jem thought it seemed a bit off.

Will always seemed happier when people thought worse of him, and the stories rarely painted him in a positive light. Jem decided that it was time to do some investigating. Jem would never confront Will if he really were lying about what was going on. However, Jem found it difficult to envision Will being as awful as he made himself seem. Jim wanted to gain some peace of mind.

Will's unhealthy curiosity had to be rubbing off on him.

Jem decided that the best way to figure things out was to follow Will. He waited for a cloudy night with cool weather. He did not want Will to be able to see his shadow in the moonlight. Following a seasoned Shadowhunter would be difficult in the first place, and Jem wanted to make sure that very few external factors were working against him.

Jem took a little extra of his drug that afternoon. Although he hated himself for it at the time, he was glad he did later. From the time Will left the Institute to the time Will returned, he was on the move, and Jem was right behind him.

After the sun had set, Will headed out. Jem waited, letting Will get a few-minute head start. Although the streets of London were crowded during the day, there would be fewer people this late at night. Jem would need the extra distance to keep hidden as he walked. Will was tall, and his dark hair was distinctive enough that Jem should be able to find him in a crowd.

After three minutes, Jem headed out. Will was already to the corner at the end of the street. Jem walked briskly to make sure Will did not get too far ahead. Will seemed to be walking abnormally quickly, even for him. Jem watched carefully, making sure Will did not turn at the corner. When Will went straight, Jem was able to slow down a bit. He could see Will's head bobbing above the crowd. As long as Will did not make any sudden turns, Jem could walk at a normal pace.

They continued on the main road for fifteen minutes or so. The further they walked, the fewer people there were on the roads. This was the time of night where people returned to the safety of their houses. Jem's father had always called it the time of the rogues, where the only people on the streets were up to no good.

Considering he was only out and about to tail his closest friend, he supposed his father was right.

Jem was wrenched out of his thoughts when he noticed that Will seemed to be slowing down. While he was walking briskly before, he was now strolling down the cobblestone streets. Will's head never turned, focused only on what was ahead of him. However, he was walking in a leisurely manner, as if he were completely at home wandering the streets. Jem wondered if this was a common route for him.

Will turned left at the next corner and continued to walk. Jem made sure to memorize the area surrounding the curve, just in case he had to head back on his own. He knew some parts of London fairly well, but he did not know all the twists and turns of the city as well as Will did. Will had been there longer and had spent far more time exploring than Jem had.

Will and Jem walked further and further into the city. Every once in a while, Will stopped and looked around. Jem wondered if Will was looking for something. However, even when Will stopped, it was never long before he continued walking.

Jem was baffled. While one part of his brain was keeping track of the route back, the other part was trying to find an explanation for what Will was doing. Will never talked to anyone along the path. He walked past brothels and bars without sparing them a second glance. Nothing seemed to exist except the street in front of him and his feet.

Eventually, Jem started to get tired. The sun would start coming up within another hour or so, and Will was still wandering, seemingly aimlessly. Jem was starting to recognize the area, though—they were getting closer to the Institute again. Jem knew he should be back in bed before Will got home. It would be suspicious if he wasn't there. Luckily, though, since they were close to home, Jem knew all of the shortcuts. As Will walked down the main strip, Jem turned into a side street, picking up his pace to compensate for Will's head start. He entered the Institute before Will had turned the corner and he crept up to his bedroom. Five minutes later, he heard a creak in the floorboards outside his room. Will was back, and he was safe.

The next morning, Will had bloodshot eyes and a ridiculous story about a werewolf girl seducing him. Jem was careful to react like he normally did, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. However, he was secretly confused and disappointed. Will was not a bad person. If last night was anything to judge by, he was a deeper person than anyone gave him credit for.

It frustrated Jem to watch Will portray himself as a rogue. Will acted like he could not be trusted to behave properly, but Jem didn't buy it for a second.

Regardless of how little Jem understood his parabatai, he would trust him with his life.