Simon Snow: The Final Battle (AU Au)

Chapter #4

"Tell me you like grandson. He is an epic artist! You can't not like grandson! It just isn't an option," Baz says frantically.

"I don't love it, no," I say carefully. Provoking a cranky vampire in an enclosed space is best avoided whenever possible.

"Lemme see. I can find something you'll like," he states, scrolling through his phone. "Got it! Live version of 6:00. You'll enjoy this," he says with certainty.

The sounds of blasting guitar and confident singing fills my ears, and all of a sudden I'm bobbing my head. A contagious smile spreads from me to Baz. Song after song after song, We're rocking out and laughing and smiling. It's too perfect. I wouldn't be surprised if I was dreaming right now. This is so unreal.

"That stupid Mage of yours has one more strike against him. He hasn't exposed you to any half-decent music," Baz complains.

"Let's not get into an argument about politics. The last time that happened I almost burnt Mummer's House to the ground. I don't think we need a repeat performance," I warn.

"That's fair. Bunce, you've been quiet. It's never a good sign when you're quiet. It means you're scheming. Or worse; plotting," Baz inquires, throwing me a wink. A wink? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

"Just observing," she responds with a smirk.

"Penny, I'm going to kill you," I threaten.

"I bet you think that."

"Play another one, Baz," I suggest, swiftly changing the subject.

"This one's called Despicable. It's one of my favorites. I'm actually arranging it back for a combo group. So far I've got flute, violin, tenor sax, and trumpet. I'm stuck on the drums, though. I haven't the faintest idea of how to write a set part."

Baz starts belting away at the sad yet hopeful lyrics, and I laugh at how carefree he is, even as we're hunting a monster of unknowable power. It's kind of nice. Without thinking about it, I lightly rest my hand on his knee. My action makes him sit up a little straighter. I can feel Penny practically vibrating in the back seat. I resolve to move my hand, but then Baz's fingers lace with mine, and all other thoughts are forgotten.

The car falls into silence as the playlist ends, my hand still intertwined with Baz's. It being Penny, she's still losing her shit behind us. You can't tell that girl anything. None of us are making eye contact, although I can feel Pen's eyes boring into the back of my head. Out of nowhere, Baz's hand jerks from mine. He's playing another song, pretending like whatever that was didn't happen. I suppose it was minuscule in the grand scheme of things, but to me it feels monumental. Just a few hours ago we were trying to verbally tear each other limb from limb.

All sorts of scenery flows past us, from magnificent chapels to gas stations and fast food restaurants. The music makes the quiet a little less miserable, even if some of it is terrible. With the racket, there's no way I'll be able to devise a plan to demolish either the Humdrum or the new problem that's been thrust into our unexperienced hands.

"Stop worrying. I can feel it from over here, and it's not pleasant," Baz orders.

"Oh, excuse me for being mildly concerned for the entire World of Mages, as well as our own lives as we run off to fight a thing with immense power that we have next to no knowledge about. Please forgive my obliviousness to your comfort level," I snark back sarcastically.

"Nicks and Slick, Simon, don't be so melodramatic!" Penny chastises.

"That's so wonderfully hypocritical of you, Pen. Hell, I'm probably going to die on this mission of ours, so I may as well try to be as prepared as humanly possible, even if it's a complete waste of time. And we all though the Insidious Humdrum was bad. I couldn't even defeat that. What chance do I have of stopping this thing?" I shout.

"Simon," Baz whispers softly. He finds a shoulder in the road and pulls into it. "Simon, you can't keep doing that!" Even though he's yelling, his voice isn't harsh or unforgiving; it's sad. "You're the Greatest Mage, for Crowley's sake! You're more powerful than any of us, maybe even all of us combined! Ad you're not going to die," he states matter-of-factly.

"How do you know that?" I croak.

"Because I won't let you. There's no chance you're dying on my watch. I'll Turn you if I have to. It'll kill me, but I will. Simon bloody Snow, you're not going to die."

"You -- you called me Simon," I choke out.

"Really, out of all of that, that's what you choose to comment on? Gotta love you, Snow," he remarks. Once he realizes what he just said, he looks like he wants to take it back, but he doesn't. I open and close my mouth a few times, but no sound comes out. "Yes, Snow, I just said that I loved you. Get your sorry arse over it," Baz adds with a smirk.

"I, um, uh -- I mean -- "

"Use your words, Simon," he teases playfully.

"Me too," I breathe.

After a tick, Penny says, "I need to pee. It'll, um, probably take me some time to find a spot with some privacy, so, you know, I'll be a while. Take your time." She winks at us as she exits the car.

"I'm going to kill you Penny!" I shout after her.

"You secretly love me!" she calls back.

***

"So.." I trail off after a minute or two of silence.

"Yeah. So," Baz repeats.

"You mean like -- "

"Yes."

"You didn't know what I was going to say, Baz."

"I can read minds," he jokes. "But you meant like -- "

"Abso-bloody-lutely," I state my voice wavering. He blushes.

"What do you think Bunce is up to?" he questions with a grin that makes my heart flutter.

"Probably watching us from a safe distance, plotting," I answer.

"Isn't that my job?" Baz asks with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but Penny's pretty damn good at it, too."

"I can see that," he says, nodding.

We sit there in silence, and when Baz grasps my hand, I feel a more than obvious blush appear on my cheeks, and maybe even my ears. I flash Baz a bashful smile, and he smiles back. The two of us fall asleep like that; holding hands and leaning onto one another. It's the happiest I've been in a long, long time.

A/N: Long update. You're welcome, if anyone's reading. Please comment. I know, stupid, and it's what everyone says. I've got this all written out, I just need to find the time to type it all up. More coming soon!
-Unfortunate Seven (XOXO)