What's Left Behind

3. Safe

Penny's mom had been trying to bribe him with tea for the last hour to talk, but Simon wouldn't.
He couldn't. What was he supposed to tell her? How he killed the Mage and was the Insidious Humdrum? That her daughter created the spell that ended it?
He wouldn't even know where to start.
And he had never been good with words.

Penny brought him tea anyways.
In those first few hours he mostly drank and clutched onto Baz.

It was all he could do.

The others didn't talk about it either. Baz appeared as shell-shocked as Simon was, his grey eyes gone completely murky and his face gaunt.
Still, he managed to politely answer a few questions Mrs.Bunce had that didn't directly pertain to the events of the day.
Of course Baz could be ever charming.

Simon didn't even have the strength to mock him for it.

Besides, what was the point of arguing? Neither of them needed that now, except for that it would maybe restore a shred of normalcy. Much better to be boyfriends (even terrible, broken ones) on a day like this.
Baz had been so patient with Simon ever since that spell rang through the air. Holding him, comforting him, not once pressuring him to talk.
Simon wished he could tell him how grateful he was, but he'd probably just sound like an idiot. Baz was so much better at words than him anyways.
Instead Simon pressed a soft kiss to Baz's cheek, hoping it would convey the words for him somehow.
(Crowley,he sounded like an idiot. )
Baz looked at him, surprised.
And then he smiled, one of those rare real smiles he seemed to reserve for only Simon.
Something in that smile made it seem that maybe everything would be alright, after a while. Like Baz had told him right after the Mage crumpled to the floor of the chapel and he was suddenly sobbing in his arms.
(It's alright, love.)
Love.
Simon offered a smile back, and Baz leaned over to kiss his forehead; cool lips against his skin just barely.
It was so gentle, so soft, it made Simon somehow want to cry all over again.
(Idiot.)

But then Baz pulled him in closer as if to shield him from the world.
And maybe he hadn't been an idiot.
Because now he was in a safe bubble of pale skin and velvet lips and jet black hair.

The outside world didn't matter so much right now.
They had had their share of it for the day, and now they could be safe.
Safe.
That's all Simon wanted, to keep Baz safe.  And now there was no Humdrum, no Mage, no war (maybe) with the creatures, and Penny's mom told them the Old Families called it off once the Mage was dead.
Even though there were still so many questions, so many uncertainties, maybe he could at least accomplish this.

Baz's arms wound around Simon's waist, securing their safe bubble.

Maybe in time, everything could indeed be alright.