Simon was sad.
"I think Jace wants to break up with me." He said when he went grocery shopping with Maia.
"What?" Maia's voice was high pitched. But Simon was wallowing in sadness and self-pity, so he didn't notice. "No, why would you say that?"
"I don't know..." Simon said. "He's been...weird. He's not at the bar when I go and see him, even though he told me he'd be there. He's spacey. Like he...he has a lot on his mind. I am the spacey one. Once I asked him to give me his phone 'cos mine was dead and I wanted to call you, he told me his was dead too, even though I saw him using it."
Maia shook her head and muttered something about stupid blondes. "I'm sure he's just...stressed. You know how he is."
"Yeah." Simon said, sadly. "That's what I thought and I thought I could help him take his mind off it, you know? And he turned me down. Jace never turns down sex. Never!"
"I didn't need to know that." Maia said, choking. "But you guys have been dating since-since forever, maybe he needs a break."
Simon gave her a dirty look. "A break from sex? Or from me?" his eyes widened. "What if he's found someone else? Oh my God! What if it's a girl? I knew he would leave me for a girl one day. I knew he was out of my league. What if he just realized that and he wants to leave me for someone more...Oh God!" He stopped and started hyperventilating.
"Hey, calm down." Maia held his hand and squeezed. "I promise he is not leaving you for a girl. Jace loves you. I'm sure he has a perfectly good explanation for his behavior."
"You think so?" Simon asked. "I know I am a worrier, but I have a good reason this time. I love him and I don't think I can live without him."
"Jesus, Lewis, calm down." Maia said. "If you start panicking now, I'll be forced to hit you and you remember what happened the last time."
That memory made Simon laugh. Jace had gotten so mad at Maia that he had asked her if she wanted to go outside and hit someone her own size. Granted, he was a little drunk because he was a lot bigger than she was and it took Alec holding him down and Simon assuring him that he was fine before he grudgingly apologized to Maia for freaking out.
"He wouldn't have hit you, you know?" Simon said, "He's just protective of me. I don't know why, I can take care of myself."
"Yeah, sure." Maia sighed in relief. She had managed to avert the crisis that was a Simon Lewis panic attack. She hoped Jace knew what he was doing, because she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep Simon in the dark. It wasn't as if she even knew what Jace was planning either. She just agreed to keep Simon occupied for a while. And only because Jace begged her.
"Why do you need so much sugar, Simon?" she asked, when she saw Simon toss half a dozen more frosted pop tarts into the trolley.
"Hey," Simon said, "I may soon be dumped, I need my comfort food."
Maia sighed again. "You are not-" Why did she bother? "At least it's not alcohol."
"That's where we're going next." Simon said. "I'm getting tequila."
Great. Maia thought. Just great.
******
"Do I want to know?" Jace asked he came back home to find Bat and Simon singing drunkenly. Maia rolled her eyes.
"Thank God, you finally showed up." She pulled him into the kitchen. "How long is this surprise going to take? What exactly are you doing? He thinks you are either cheating or you are going to dump him."
"What?" Jace rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm not...I should have known. He gets jittery when he worries. Let me guess, vodka and pop tarts?"
"Tequila." Maia said. "I can't explain why Bat is drunk though. I was gone for just an hour."
Jace winced when Simon screeched. "I don't get it. His voice is amazing, why does he sound like that?"
"Oh, they are trying to see who can sing worse than the other." Maia shrugged. "I dunno, I stopped giving a shit after the chicken dance."
Jace laughed. "I promise, it's just about done. I-I want to ask Simon to marry me."
"What?" Maia whispered. "Oh Jace...that's amazing. Wow, that's...that's big. What are you planning?"
"Oh, as big as grand gestures go, this is big. At least by Simon Lewis's standards." Jace smiled, a little nervously. "He'll probably lose his shit. It's something he has always wanted me to do. Wanted us to do. I hope. Even if I mess it up, the proposal should distract him from the clusterfuck."
"After what you have put me through in the past couple of weeks, you better not fuck it up." Maia said, but she was smiling.
They both jumped when there was a loud crash in the living room. Then shouts of "it wasn't me!"
"I swear to God..." Maia growled, as she made her way back to the living room. "Jace, it's time I take my drunk boyfriend home. Come and take of your drunk boyfriend."
******
Simon was at Pandemonium waiting for Jace. It was a Thursday evening, so it wasn't packed. Jace had sent him a text, telling him to meet him there.
When he got there, Magnus and Alec had told him to sit, while they got him drinks. Which was strange, because Simon had the feeling that he annoyed Alec. Even though he and Magnus were close friends, Alec just seemed to tolerate him. But today, Alec smiled at him. And not the tired or sarcastic smiles he had thrown his way in the years they knew each other. A real, fond smile.
"is Alec OK?" Simon asked Magnus. "He's smiling. At me. I was under the impression he didn't like me very much."
"What?" Magnus looked surprised. "Alexander loves you. He's just...Alec, you know."
Clary and Izzy came in at that moment and Clary hugged him. "Hey Simon. How are you?" Izzy was talking to Alec, but she smiled at him in greeting.
"I'm OK." Simon frowned. "What's wrong? Have you been talking to Maia? I told her I was just worrying. I always worry, you know that."
"Uh..." Clary said. "OK. It's OK. I just miss you."
"I saw you on Tuesday." Simon said.
"And I miss you." Clary said, adamantly. "Is it a crime?"
Izzy came to his rescue. "Sorry, Simon. This one had too much coffee."
Simon looked at them confused. His friends were being weird. Weirder than normal.
He picked up his phone to call Jace, then he stopped. If Jace was going to dump him, he was not going to...Simon got up and walked to the bar and saw Magnus behind the counter fixing drinks. "Hey Magnus, can I get a drink? And have you seen Jace...?"
As soon as he finished asking, there was a sound coming from the elevated area in the club which was often used as a stage. Simon turned when he heard Jace's voice.
"Uh, hi." Jace had one of those small microphones clipped to his collar and he sounded nervous. "I want to do something for someone. Someone special. He has been after me for...a really long time to do this. So..."
Simon walked towards the stage slowly and he saw Jace's face light up as soon as he saw him. Simon's heart was racing, what was going on?
Then he heard it, a familiar beat and tune. He gasped and his heart beat faster. Then Jace...
I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in, 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"
It was the song he sang the first time he met Jace. In fact, Jace had told him that it was the song that made him look up that night and see him. Jace said it felt like Simon was singing the song just for him.
Simon remembered Jace calling it their song.
He didn't think Jace was this...romantic. He didn't even know Jace could sing like this. His boyfriend could sing. And he was singing for him. Him. This was better than any dream he had ever had.
As he was singing, Jace walked slowly towards him. Simon started at him in disbelief and shock and awe as his heart beat almost painfully in his chest and then Jace took his breath away.
It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
The music stopped and Jace went down on one knee. He reached for Simon's hand and Simon gasped.
"Simon, this is the first song I ever heard you sing and you literally swept me off my feet. And you remember what I said?" Simon nodded, his eyes shining.
The past four years have been pretty damn epic," Jace continued, "I can't imagine my life without you and your crazy, dorky ways. I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me, happier, if you'd let me...so Simon Lewis, I love you. Will you marry me?"
Simon felt tears prickling the back of his eyes and he blinked them away. "Damn it, Jace." He took a deep breath as Jace reached into his pocket and brought out a ring.
"Yes, yes, I'll marry you, you hot idiot." Then he knelt down and kissed him.
Simon heard a loud wolf whistle (probably Izzy) and applause. He and Jace stood up; "You don't sing. But you can sing. And you're really good. Not as good as I am, but babe. We've been together for four years and I never knew."
"Gotta keep up the mystery." Jace said. Then he added. "Come on Lewis, we have a song to finish."
"Oh." This was almost too much. "I...But, I don't have my..." Simon started to say. Maia tapped his shoulder and handed him his guitar. "Oh. OK. Let's do this then."
He let Jace pull him back to the stage. He saw Clary smiling with tears in her eyes. At least he knew why his friends were acting weird.
The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
(I bless the rain)
I bless the rains down in Africa
(I bless the rain)
I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
(Ah, gonna take the time)
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
******
"You have made me the happiest man in the world." Simon said excitedly when they got home later that night. "I don't think anything could ever top this."
"Not even the actual wedding?" Jace asked, kissing his neck. Simon made a pfft sound and waved his hand dismissively.
"You sang for me and then you sang with me." Simon said, excitedly. "I have had dreams of that happening. Babe, you made my dreams come true! The actual wedding would be the icing on the cake at this point!"
Jace smiled at his boyfriend as he chattered excitedly. He kissed Simon silent.
"I love you." Jace said when he pulled away. Simon beamed.
"I love you too."
Jace hugged him, and then frowned. He pulled away; "I can't believe you thought I was cheating on you."
"Hey, you know how I get." Simon smiled. "You turned down sex. You never do that."
"I was stressed." Jace said, rolling his eyes.
"I was trying to help with that." Simon said. "How was I supposed to know you were planning something big enough to affect your libido?"
"You're crazy." Jace said, pulling him to their bedroom. "There's nothing wrong with my libido."
"You love my crazy ass, Herondale." Simon said, happily. Then he added innocently "So, how about we test out that libido of yours?"
*Also posted on AO3.*
*Characters do not belong to me.*