The sun peeking through the windows and glaring in his face was what woke Simon up the next morning. He was in the same position he'd fallen asleep in, only with a blanket draped over his shoulders. He didn't remember grabbing it, but apparently he had. Unless the other person in the cabin did. The one who was currently nowhere to be found.

"Alec?" Simon mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Maybe he'd gone back to bed in the middle of the night. The couch was probably uncomfortable for someone his size. Or perhaps he was in the bathroom. Simon felt like kind of a creep using his enhanced senses to listen for him, but it was better than barging into a room and catching him unawares. But he didn't hear anything. Simon couldn't sense Alec in the cabin at all.

He told himself not to panic as he bounced up from the couch, looking for clues. Where would Alec have gone? The night had ended well, so he wouldn't have taken off in anger, right? Did Alec have a nightmare that Simon hadn't noticed? Or had he developed a habit of sleepwalking and fallen off a nearby cliff? Were there any nearby cliffs?

"If we're playing hide and seek, you have gotten a very unfair head start," Simon called out, stepping onto the front porch. Alec wasn't there either, because that would've been too easy. The door had been shut like normal, but not locked. Had someone come in and taken him? Were there dangerous things in these woods? Had Magnus dropped them into a bad place? Probably not, but Simon's mind was always cooking up crazy things and it was whirring with negative possibilities.

Simon made his way down to the lake, but Alec wasn't there either. What if he'd sleepwalked into the lake and drowned while Simon was snuggled up under a blanket? Magnus was absolutely going to kill him if something happened to Alec. This had been his idea and if he didn't bring back Alec better than how they'd left, it would not be good for him. Simon didn't even want to think about what a warlock was capable of.

"What are you doing?"

"Son of a-" Simon shouted, whirling around in surprise at the sound of Alec's voice. He would've fallen backwards into the water if Alec's quick hand hadn't shot out and grabbed him around the arm, keeping him upright. "Where were you?"

"Around," Alec replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I was looking for you. How did you sneak up on me?" Simon huffed.

"Shadowhunter."

"Oh, well that explains it," Simon scoffed. If he still had a normal heartbeat, it would be racing right now. "You scared the crap out of me."

"I woke up early and figured I'd let you sleep. I didn't think you'd get all twitchy."

"I'm not twitchy," Simon gasped, shaking his head in denial. Alec was staring at him like it was a forgone conclusion, so he decided to end that line of conversation. "So, you slept. Did that go okay?"

"Yeah, it did," Alec said quietly, looking around uncomfortably for a few seconds. Alec hadn't let go of his arm yet from his earlier save and he pulled Simon closer, into an awkward side hug. It ended before Simon could react, but that was okay. It was Alec initiating contact. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Simon replied, actively forcing his face to stay normal. He wasn't going to make a big deal out of this and make Alec feel uncomfortable. "What were you doing out here?"

"Let me show you," Alec said, gesturing for Simon to follow him. Alec led him to a clearing not too far away and Simon was really starting to question his skills as a vampire.

"What's all this?" Simon asked, looking around the space.

"Well, I thought that since you've been helping me so much, I could try to return the favor," Alec answered a bit hesitantly. He ducked down behind a bush and pulled something out, holding it for Simon to see. "How would you feel about an archery lesson?"

"You made that?" Simon asked, marveling at the bow Alec was holding in his hands. It was obviously made with found materials, but it looked high quality. "That's incredible."

"It's not that hard, if you know what you're doing," Alec waved off, although Simon thought he could see a little pleasure on his face in response to the praise. "Improvisation in the field is important."

"Well, you're gonna have your work cut out for you with me. I've never used one of these things in my life," Simon chuckled. He wasn't going to bring up that the only time he'd touched an arrow was when he was shoving it through a demon to save his life.

"That's good, actually. That means I don't have to fight against any bad habits someone else has taught you. I can mold you however I like," Alec smirked.

"A bit scary, but I'm in," Simon agreed. Alec started explaining the different parts of the bow and demonstrating how to use it. Simon paid close attention, wanting to do his best with this. If he didn't take this seriously, Alec might never trust him with anything like this again.

"This obviously isn't going to have the same power and velocity as my bow, but it'll do in a pinch. And it's probably better to learn on something that isn't so lethal. Jace and I almost learned that the hard way," Alec chuckled, shaking his head fondly.

"Sounds like there's a story there," Simon said, leaving the door open for if Alec wanted to continue.

"I almost shot him in the face with an arrow the day I met him."

"That's usually how all great friendships begin."

"It was an accident. Thank goodness that even as a kid he had sharp reflexes," Alec huffed. "We've been sparring ever since."

"Your own little meet-cute."

"Our what?"

"It's like a cute first meeting for couples. Although, now I realize that term doesn't really apply in your situation."

"Did Clary say something to you?"

"Did Clary say something to me about what?"

"Me and Jace."

"No?" Simon replied hesitantly. They'd talked about everyone at one point or another, but Simon figured it was probably more than her complaining about how strict Alec was or something along those lines. What had Simon stepped into?

"She doesn't know what she's talking about," Alec insisted.

"Okay," Simon agreed. He also didn't know what they were talking about, but obviously it was riling Alec up. And he was currently holding a weapon.

"I mean, I thought- but I was just confused. It's complicated," Alec stammered.

"We really don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I'm willing to listen. I really didn't mean anything by what I said."

"It's just embarrassing, you know? Thinking for so long that you feel a certain way."

"I get it. Been there, done that with Clary."

"Right," Alec murmured, staring down at his bow as he spun it in his hands. "We obviously didn't get to that point, but a part of me hoped that we would. At least, at one point. Now I know that what I was feeling wasn't- it was just a- a-"

"A crush?" Simon finished for him. It must've been torture for Alec to have to hide who he was while being near the person he wanted to be with all the time. Simon could relate, but not on such a serious level. All he had to fear was a rejection, not being cast away.

"It's silly, now that I think about it. It wasn't at all like how I feel about Magnus. But at the time, it did. I didn't know any better."

"It's understandable. And at least you still have each other in some way." Simon didn't really understand the parabatai thing, but he knew how seriously they took it. The flippant way he'd talked to Jace about it and his subsequent reaction proved that.

"I can't imagine my life without him. It was always the three of us for years. Me, Jace, and Izzy," Alec sighed. "I think that's why it was hard for me to accept Clary."

"Oh." Simon wasn't expecting the conversation to go in this direction. But if Alec needed to get something off his chest, he'd let him. Simon had to put his own personal opinions aside.

"It was just so easy for her to come in and join the group. Like she'd always been there. It felt like she'd accomplished something in 10 minutes that I was still working on after 10 years. I was the guy who had to hold the line, while Clary was new and exciting. And that's not her fault, but it was hard to deal with," Alec explained.

"Change is hard," Simon agreed. "But it's also necessary."

"I know. I don't like it, but I know. And I am happy that Clary and Jace are happy, but it still feels like we're losing a bit of our bond. Which is ridiculous, since I'm with Magnus."

"It's not ridiculous. That's just part of growing up. Priorities change and you don't have time to do all the things you used to. Honestly, that's probably one of the most normal things in our lives. In the mundane world, you'd be going off to college or something and starting your adult life. But you've had adult responsibilities for years and now all the other things are playing catch up."

"I'm just ready for things to be settled. The more things change, the more chance it will be for the worst."

"But it could also change for the better. Change brought you Magnus."

"Change also brought me you," Alec pointed out.

"Well, I wasn't going to mention that but-"

"It counts."

"It counts as what?"

"A good change."

"Oh." Was Simon blushing? Could he blush?

"How about we get back to our lesson?" Alec suggested.

"I think that's a good idea," Simon agreed. He didn't need to prance around the forest in glee because Alec considered him a bright spot in a stressful time. He was mature.

Alec helped him with his stance and let him get a feel for the weapon, giving him tips along the way. Letting the first arrow fly was exhilarating, even though he missed his target by a mile. Alec stayed patient with him, adjusting him where it was needed. Simon could admit that he might've squealed the first time he bounced the arrow off the tree he was aiming for. And the proud look on Alec's face made it even better.

"I've got to say, you're a much better student than Jace," Alec chuckled as they headed back to the cabin. They were going to have a late breakfast before going out again.

"Are you kidding? I was terrible," Simon laughed, shaking his head. "Isn't Jace pretty much good at everything?"

"Yes, but that's the problem. He can master everything you throw at him, which makes him horrible to teach. He can go into a lesson completely blind, then try to give the instructor pointers by the end of it."

"That does sound like him. But maybe that's why you two work so well together."

"How do you mean?" Alec asked.

"Kind of like how opposites attract. Jace is big and bold, which helps bring you out of your shell. And you're calm and steady, which helps even him out." Alec stayed silent for the rest of the walk, considering what Simon said. He didn't look upset, just contemplative. Alec stopped on the porch before he walked in, leaning against one of the posts.

"I think maybe that's why I thought I was in love with him. He was everything I wished I was," Alec said quietly. "But now I see that being his friend is enough. Family really. And I think that a talk between the two of us is long overdue."

"I think you're right," Simon agreed. The fact that Alec was admitting that he needed to open up to the people in his life was a good sign and maybe was the next step toward being ready to go back home. It still didn't feel like the right time yet, but Alec was going in the right direction. Maybe this was the beginning of the end of Alec's journey back to health.