Chapter Text
Chapter 47: Unyielding Resolve
The soft hum of city noise filtered into the apartment as Jace sat by the window, staring out into the fading twilight. His fingers absently traced the scarred wood of the sill, his mind spinning with everything that had transpired in the last few weeks. He had come to understand that the life he’d been avoiding—the world of Shadowhunters and their war against demons—was no longer something he could outrun. Not with Valentine’s return. Not with Simon so firmly entrenched in it all.
The thought of Simon made his chest tighten. Jace had never been good at handling emotions, but the way Simon looked at him, the way he never seemed to falter even when Jace pushed him away… it left him reeling. It was both comforting and terrifying. Comforting because Simon’s presence was steady, an anchor in a world Jace had long deemed chaotic. Terrifying because the closer Simon got, the more Jace feared losing him.
“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” Simon’s voice broke through Jace’s thoughts.
Jace turned to see Simon leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. The faint glow of the streetlights reflected off his pale skin, a reminder of what he was. A vampire. Immortal. Powerful. Yet Simon carried himself with a humanity that Jace couldn’t help but admire.
“I didn’t realize I was pacing,” Jace muttered, dropping his gaze.
Simon stepped closer, his presence filling the room with a strange kind of warmth despite his vampiric nature. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
Jace hesitated. He wasn’t ready to admit the full truth, not yet. “Just thinking about what comes next. Valentine… everything. It’s a lot.”
Simon nodded, leaning against the wall. “Yeah, it is. But we’ll figure it out. Together.”
Jace’s heart twisted at the word. Together. It sounded so simple, but the weight of it pressed down on him. Could he allow himself to believe in that? In Simon?
“You shouldn’t get too close,” Jace said suddenly, his voice quieter than he intended. “It’s dangerous.”
Simon’s brow furrowed. “Dangerous? Jace, I’m a vampire. Pretty sure I can handle myself.”
“It’s not about that,” Jace said, turning back to the window. “It’s me. Everything I touch… it falls apart. I don’t want that to happen to you.”
Simon’s voice softened. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”
Jace felt Simon’s hand on his shoulder, and the touch sent a shiver down his spine. He turned to face him, his golden eyes meeting Simon’s dark ones. There was no judgment there, only understanding and an unwavering resolve that both scared and comforted him.
“You’re not going to scare me off,” Simon said firmly. “I’m here, whether you like it or not.”
Jace wanted to argue, to push Simon away for his own safety. But the words wouldn’t come. Instead, he found himself nodding, the fight leaving him. For now, he would let Simon stay. For now, he would hold onto the fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, they could face the darkness together.