After Baz stormed out of the dorm, Simon began to do the most unusual thing. It was more unusual than Simon and Baz getting along, in fact it's unusualness tromped everything that had taken place that fateful day. He sat. He sat completely still and thought. Simon broke is own rule. He thought about everything that had happened, everything he had pushed to the back of his mind so he would never have to come to terms with it. And he did it all by himself. There was no Penny, no Baz, no Mage to help him, no one to give him advice. "If Baz was here, he'd laugh to no end. His perfect face would be curled into a sneer. He'd never let me live this down." Simon thought with some what of relief. Then he began to cry. This time Simon did not blubber, tears silently streamed down his freckled face as if they owned the place. In a way they did, for Simon just let them fall.
It was a while before Simon recovered himself, also recovering his sense of action. Simon stood up grabbed his wand, and ran like an Olympic sprinter out of the Mummers house. Some may say that all the deep thinking he did in some way caused him to mature. In reality, maybe it did, maybe not. As he reached the White Chapel he was as much himself as he ever was. With ever step he took Baz's word reverberated around in his head:" Plans do exist you git, plans do---" he cut himself off there with a more urgent thought, yet somehow he still wasn't actually thinking," What Baz? What about now? What should I do now? Where is my plan now? Baz. Baz how could you? You- you started it! Now you just leave me? Baz come back! Just get back here!" By the time he finished he was at the entrance to the catacombs. He was barring down on the entrance like an ambulance heading to a fatal emergency, he didn't even stop as the door groaned open for him. He didn't even stop when he grazed his bare shoulder against the rough stone.
In fact, he didn't stop until his legs gave out beneath him. Simon swore, "Well I guess I should have tried harder to get on the football team." He winced then gave a kind of hollow breathless laugh, totally unique to Simon. Dragging himself back to his feet, he bent over at the knees attempting to catch his breath. It wasn't until then that he heard the sobs.
Right away he quitted his heavy breathing, although it almost caused Simon to pass out. Listening closely, Simon cautiously put one slippered foot in front of the other, wincing as he knocked a stone loose. It flew over the ground causing a steady echo to fill the room. Simon froze, straining his ears for even the tiniest vibration. For a minute there was nothing. The silence was as painful as a stab wound straight through the heart. Then; Crash!
Simon began to run, ignoring the screaming pain in his legs. As he neared source of the noise, the sobbing intensified. The floor was more and more uneven, soon Simon was tripping more than running. His hands were lacerated from each fall. Little lines of blood were dripping off of his clenched fists, but he gritted his teeth and kept going. Later it was discovered that all that teeth grinding he did that year was what caused his TMJ, only Simon didn't know that. Still the light in his palm didn't go out; if anything it got brighter and brighter. It gave Simon his own little sun to guide him through the darkness.
His breath rattled in his broad chest. Simon Snow had been running, running as fast as he could, for at least fifteen minutes. For anyone that gets to be too much. Fortunately for Baz, (and Simon too) "giving up" wasn't in his vocabulary. Simon knew that there was no way that Baz would give up on him, so what better way to repay the favor. He stumbled forward, rounding one more sharp corner. There was sudden presence. Something that made Simon stop dead in his tracks. It took him only a moment to notice a difference, there was a light in the room ahead. Slowly he lurched forward again, trying to see into the next room. As not to make too much noise, he even tried to slow down his heart beat. Silently he noted that Baz would have laughed at that too, as he became sure that as a result the entire world could hear it. Especially Baz.
In reality, Baz couldn't hear his heart beat. He couldn't hear anything. It seemed that as long as tears tracked down his face, all of his senses were compromised. Every few minutes the poor guy tried to pull himself together. It only made everything come flooding back. He was practically drowning in his own sorrows.
Simon peeked in the door way. He let out a long breath that he didn't know he had been holding. There was Baz. His beautiful Baz, safe. He was a black silhouette against a scene lit with only a feeble torch. His black hair flopped over his arms, which were folded on his knees, so tall regal Baz became a tight little ball of sadness His body moved like a cell phone on vibrate. Simon wanted to rush over to him, to pick him up and hold him. To whisper, " Baz. Baz, your okay; it's okay Baz. It's okay I'm right here." Simon fought the urge with the ferocity of a lion. Forcing himself to remember that Baz had been the one that ran away. Baz left him. But love always wins.
Finally after a few agonizing minutes, Simon couldn't stand it any more. He flew at Baz.
To Baz it looked as though Simon was going to kill him. His angel was coming to end it all, to put him out of his misery. Baz stood up, he wanted to at least look like he put up a fight when they found his body. He towered just six feet, only four inches taller than Snow. No matter what happened at least he and that, he would always be taller (although he didn't think that because they had both stopped growing, that he might shrink faster). Baz held out his arms as if he was on a cross. His gorgeous dark eyes were closed, amplifying his long lashes.
Simon was yet again in a full sprint, his head lowered slightly like a bull about to charge. He barreled into Baz like a freight train. Both boys went flying backwards onto the floor. Baz was sure he was living out his last moments. But instead of feeling a cold blade piercing his heart, instead Simon's warm arms wrapped around his torso.
There they were, on the floor of the catacombs. Simon lying surprised on top of Baz, who was actually more surprised, if only by a marginal amount. Simon sprang away several feet. So he was towering over Baz as Baz sat up, dazed in multiple dimensions. Shaking his head, Baz growled," Simon? What the-" Baz cursed loudly and Simon pretended not to hear" -are you doing here? How the heck did you find me? " Baz was on his feet, standing there like he was the King of the world.
Right away Simon replied," Baz, listen to me! Just please give me a minute! I, I- " Just as he was beginning to babble, he was cut off by Baz. Not by words per say, but by the look in Baz's eyes. It was a look Simon had never seen before, a look that told him, " You better shut up now, Snow."
Baz took one confident stride and closed the gap between them. It was Simon's turn to feel like death was on his doorstep. He squeezed his brilliant brown eyes shut in anticipation, in hopes he was imagining it all. Baz put his arm out, his hand shaking a little, but his face showed no sign of hesitation. He reached out and grabbed the back of Simon's head softly, intwining his long fingers into the curly heap of gold. To Baz that moment lasted forever, time stopped.
With his eyes still shut tightly, Simon closed the last few inches that separated them with out a second thought. Both boys' minds were completely numb. And as Simon would later describe, their hearts were the consistency of melted butter. As Simon opened his eyes in slow motion, Baz pulled him into the tightest hug he had ever felt. They stayed that way for a while; Simon with both arms wrapped protectively around Baz's waist, and Baz with one in Simon's hair and the other around his waist. For them time went by slower than what should have been possible. There they stood, nothing changed outwardly, meanwhile major construction, major reforms,were going on inside.
Simon slowly tipped his head up, whispering softly, " Baz?" There was that look again. In one fell swoop Baz slade Simon Snow. He bent his head down so their faces were millimeters apart, Baz could feel Simon's sweet breath on his face. Then he brought his cold lips to Simon's. He was kissing Simon. Simon was kissing Baz. Stars were colliding, their universes were coming apart, they were ending. With every end comes a new beginning, a new beginning that wasn't like the last. One that included two stars, brightly shining together.
