Make A Move

APRIL 2016

The Hunters Moon was packed on the night of Simon's first solo gig. Jace was exhausted by the time he found his friends. All he wanted to do after work was go home and sleep the entire weekend away.

He loved his job as a baker, but the past two weeks had been demanding and he had been working round the clock with no breaks. After making his last delivery of the day, he decided to take the weekend off. Perks of being your own boss and all of that.

But his sister and bane of his existence practically bullied him to come to the Hunters Moon and support Simon, or else? Saying no to Isabelle Lightwood wasn't a good idea, so he had agreed to come and support Simon's stupid gig. Even though he was dead on his feet.

Izzy waved when she saw him and he made his way to the table where she sat with her girlfriend, Maia and his brother's boyfriend Magnus. "Where's Alec? How come I was bullied into showing up? Hey Magnus. Maia."

"Blondie." Maia said, smiling at him. Magnus rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Alec is here." Izzy said, smiling. "Simon got him to be part of his performance."

Jace grinned, "Really? Now this I have to see." He leaned in his seat and watched the stage being set up. "Where's Clary? You'd think she'll be here to support her best friend."

"She's on a date?" Magnus said. "Remember Lydia?"

"Sorry, I have been super busy in the past couple of weeks and nobody kept me in the loop." He said, dryly. "Except to threaten me to show up for the nerd's gig, or else."

"Simon is our friend." Maia said, frowning. "I don't know why you hate him."

"I don't hate him. He hates me." Jace protested. "Why don't you ask him?"

He and Simon were best friends a lifetime ago, until something incredibly stupid happened and they just stopped.

"Simon doesn't hate you." Magnus said, "He thinks you are an asshole, but then we all do." He flinched when Izzy kicked him, "Well, I do."

"Magnus, be nice." Maia said, laughing. To Jace, she said. "Simon doesn't hate you. He doesn't hate anybody. He and Raphael are best friends and nobody likes Raphael. Anybody who is friends with Raphael Santiago is an angel. Or Jesus."

Jace didn't say anything. He knew for a fact that Simon didn't like him. Not that he was obvious about it, but he knew he did. And it was Jace's fault. Not that he'd tell anybody. It was his shame that he'd take to his grave.

Ten years ago, back in high school, Jace had...well, he had sex with Simon and then gave him the cold shoulder for the rest of the school year. He could still remember the wounded look on Simon's face. But Simon had said nothing, not even to Clary. He had acted like everything was fine. For a while, he had avoided their group of friends and hung out with Raphael, and that was that.

The truth was he had no idea how to fix what had messed them up and after a while he didn't even try anymore. He missed him, but it was too late.

If he could get another chance to apologize to Simon or...something, he'd take it but that was never going to happen. Simon looked at him like he wasn't there. He just tolerated him due to their mutual friends.

Simon stayed away from them when they went to college. Although he hung out with Alec, Izzy and Clary once in a while. In fact, he had introduced Magnus and Maia to his siblings. If Jace was being honest, he supposed he had Simon to thank for his siblings happiness. Especially Alec. There was a period he thought Simon and Alec were a thing, but Izzy just told him that they were just good friends.