Right from the Start - Zarry

eight

About two weeks after that night, Harry asked Zayn if he wants to start training together again. He found Zayn one afternoon in the library, at first seeming only wondering what book is Zayn reading. He told Harry the title, and continued to read. Harry had no other questions about the story, just sat at the table and tapped out a melody with his fingers on the wooden surface. Some minutes passed and Zayn was starting to get suspicious.

"Harry, why are you here?" Zayn asks, putting a bookmark where he stopped reading and shuts the book closed.

"I wanted to ask you something," Harry is still tapping his fingers into the wood when he says it. "I was wondering if you would want to start training again, just the two of us. Well, if you don't want to, it's fine I suppose. But I really enjoyed it? And I miss it. A lot. It's your time so of course, if you don't want to spend it with me, I'll just- "

He's starting to ramble, so Zayn jumped into his speech, "Harry, it's fine. I want to. Spending time with you isn't a bother." 

Harry looks at him, hesitation flashing on his face. "Are you sure?" he asks.

"Yes, absolutely. It's not as if I were doing something more entertaining with my time. Besides, you're not the worst company around here."

"Very well then. Can we meet tonight before dinner?"

They do meet that evening, and almost every single one for months. Training together without Will and Jem becomes a routine part of their days again. Charlotte obviously notice it, since she starts to send them alone to investigate cases at least once a week. That part is especially exciting. Their nights are now occasionally filled with demons, rogue vampires and werewolves, but mostly with walking around pretty London locations.

Both Zayn and Harry are hopeless romantics, neither of them want to admit it, though. The number of novels and poetry they read does the talking. So far, they have seen about six sunrises by the Thames, spent countless hours just wandering through the sleeping streets and parks, and visited the National Gallery at midnight. Harry definitely didn't think it was visiting.

"You're a lunatic. We're going to get arrested for this. It's the bloody National Gallery, there must be dozens of guards!"

"If you haven't forgotten, we're Shadowhunters, Harry. Glamour prevents mundanes from seeing us. Everything will be alright."

"You're a menace. I've got no clue why I even go along with your berserk ideas."

(They didn't get caught. Harry eventually enjoyed it very much, but still insisted it was a terrible, terrible plan.)

In addition to their night time adventures, Zayn and Harry visited places all over London. Zayn was getting bored in the Institute, suddenly missing the Parisian lifestyle of glamour and lavishness. He was very well aware that he was basically whining about wanting to go see a play or a visit a museum. There weren't any parties, really. Well, not those that the residents of the Institute were invited to anyway. Downworlders don't want Shadowhunters at any of their parties and opium dens and gentlemen clubs aren't exactly the place Zayn would want to visit. Mundanes throw the kind of parties Zayn is used to, but unfortunately, he knows no mundanes here in London.

Harry came up with an idea to go and do not-so-Shadowhunter-activities twice a week. So, they visit museums, theatres and culturally nourish themselves. Jessamine often joins them, usually for the plays. Jem and Will accompany them to some places as well. They even visit the National Museum during opening hours.