Alec slips into Jace's room, leaving a package on the bed. The box contains a dagger, heavy, but artfully crafted. On the hilt is the Herondale & Lightwood crests, pressed together like that's how they belong. There's a note -- for my parabatai, so you always know where you belong. - Alec.
it’s jace’s birthday and we love @parabates a lot
Since he’d started to figure out everything he knew about himself was a lie, Jace had long stopped expecting anything on his birthday, or to know when it’d be at all. Sure. He’d made some calculations, and the Clave had somewhat confirmed his guesses, putting the new date down on his file, and he had told Alec all about it, but he hadn’t expected him to remember. Not because Alec didn’t care, but because most of the time Jace, himself, couldn’t remember the exact date that had been chosen. He also wouldn’t blame Alec if he decided to just keep Jace’s birthday as it had always been, in July. So long as they didn’t keep the second date he’d thought was his, Jonathan’s date, he was good.
For all that, when he walked into his room, although he’d had it in the back of his mind, he was still stopped on his tracks at the sight on his bed. He stared stunned, and he smiled, because he knew the only two people the slightly crooked package could belong to, and Izzy had never been one not to want to see the live reaction when she gifted someone. The surprise was as considerate and humble as only Alec could be. Jace stepped to the bed and sat down carefully, trailing fingers over the package with a soft smile of wonder. He picked up the note first and his throat tightened already at the words, as he wondered what it could be. The shape did give him some clue, but the note threw him for a moment.
He opened it slowly, and when managed to pry the lid off, he sucked air in at the object inside. It was one of the most beautiful daggers Jace had ever seen. He lifted it and his wonderstruck expression was reflected back to him on the shiny surface. He ran his fingers along and under it, feeling, sensing, the sharpness of the blade, then his eyes trailed down to the hilt, and he smiled around the new ball between his collar bones. Alec… Jace grinned and immediately picked up his phone.
txt – parabatai: thank you. txt – parabatai: it’s perfect.
He hoped Alec knew how much it meant to him. He smiled more.
txt – parabatai: can’t wait to use it. taki’s later?
He realized as he put the phone down that he was cradling the dagger to his chest, like he used to do with his wooden sword, flat side against his heart, and he felt it thrum against it before he put it back down to his knees still in awe of it. For the first time since he realized everything he knew about himself was a lie, he was completely and genuinely happy.
