Early chapter for day twelve. AKA: Kay will forget she posted one today, and probably write two chapters. Because Kay is never awake enough to write in the morning. Whoops.
Anyway, I know I'm kind of writing a lot for Jace, but that's mainly because Jace typically doesn't get a big role in things outside of being Lara's 'little brother' (or… twin, or cousin, or…) So I'm kind of trying to further build on Jace in here in response to him not getting quite as much attention in other things that are more Jay/Lara based.
Also, because Jace/Lara/Jay is kind of a theme (in a platonic/romantic for Lara and Jay way), I wanted to write one more little 'follow up' to address Lara's acknowledgement of Jace's feelings of being left out, Jay's confusion but acceptance of it, and Jace's feelings. This seemed like a good way to do it.
If there's one thing Jace has learned to fear, it's the cold.
It's not just that he doesn't like the cold. It's that he hates the cold, and quite frankly, it returns his hatred with a passion.
Jace is a creature from the Nether. Jace is Netherian and lives in delight of fire and warmth, which is something that the cold completely lacks. He loves the cold and can survive in it peacefully for about as long as Polaris can the ocean or Jay can the Aether or Lara can the Void. Which is to say, he can manage for all of point-five seconds before attempting to claw his way free of whatever is keeping him trapped in the cold.
Ever since experiencing the snow and ice for the first time, Jace has had an 'irrational' fear of it. He thinks the fear is perfectly rational, but some of the others call it irrational and proceed to try and pelt him with snowballs that they find whenever it snows. Because of that, Jace has taken to hiding away in Dianite's temple during the cold winters, only appearing when Dianite forces him to leave because Tom needs help with some stupid prank that, at the time, Jace couldn't possibly care less about.
He doesn't mention to anyone about the nightmares he has of being in the water (another thing he dislikes, but is more bearable) and trying to surface only to find a sheet of ice frozen over it so thick that even his claws at their sharpest do nothing against. He doesn't mention vividly feeling like his lungs are burning, despite his temperature dropping in his dream to the point where he can't even muster the strength to try to get free anymore.
Jace certainly doesn't mention how he must act in his sleep for Dianite to wake him with a brief look of concern on the god's face, or how he hacks on water that isn't in his lungs, or how he spends hours in a lava pool because the heat reminds him that he's not freezing to death.
Jace can't even deal with snow hitting his back without being thrown into a fit of shivers, his wings and tail seizing up and his breath coming out in visible, harsh gasps. He knows that the Mianitees never really mean it when they try to involve him in their snow-wars despite knowing about his issues with the cold, but it doesn't stop him from lashing out against them when he's been forced to retreat to the Nether. Or to Lara's little cabin, which is the only other safe place for him to hide from everyone else.
He knows Lara dislikes the cold and that, like him, she can't handle it very well. But it will take Lara longer to freeze to death than it will Jace. Despite that, she keeps her cabin a cozy amount of warm, and always makes it a bit warmer when Jace comes barreling inside uninvited. He knows Lara likes the heat, but not as much as he does. He curls up close to her fireplace, nearly inside of it, and she sits nearby like a good, protective sister.
Lara never bothers to ask. Jace never bothers to tell.
But somehow, they understand one another.
On the evermore-frequent occasions where Jay is with Lara in the cabin, Jay gets slightly huffy to lose Lara at his side in favor of her sitting next to Jace. Jace understands why he does. Jay loves Lara so much, and any unplanned interruption from the time they spend together is unwanted – but Jace is too thankful for having Lara around to be bothered with Jay.
Until Lara gestures Jay over as well, and Jay reluctantly gets off of the bed to sit a bit further back from the fire.
"No, silly, come here. Right here," Lara scolds half-heartedly.
Jay hesitantly obliges, and Lara wraps one of her wings around him. Jace can hear Jay's wings shuffle for a moment before he manages to free himself of her wing, instead interlocking one of his with one of hers.
"I don't like the heat or the light, Lara," Jay admits.
"Well, cope because Jace needs to be comforted, and you obviously want my company," she replies, "I can't manage the both of you. I'm only one Guardian, not two. Sillies. You can't both have separate versions of myself."
Jace can feel Lara's hand running gently over his wings, and he reaches out, curling his tail around her wrist in the way he's done since they were children. The only affectionate show he's felt allowed to do since Jay and Lara became a couple. He doesn't want to steal Lara's wings from Jay, when he knows how sensitive and precious that display is to others who see it.
He misses it, though.
"So, you'll both have to learn to get along properly," Lara continues, "to share me. Because you're both incredibly important to me, and I love both of you. Perhaps not in the same manner, but I do love you both and I would give nothing less than the world to either of you."
Jace, embarrassingly, can almost hear himself purring as he hears her talk. As he starts to doze at the sound of her voice and the feel of her hand on his wings. The thrum of her pulse – steady and familiar and soothing – against his tail.
Lara laughs softly, signifying that she can hear him as well, and Jay chuckles.
"Jace, I will always love you. You will forever be that obnoxious little brat who pounces on me every chance he finds because he's happy to see me, or who gets me into trouble because he's gotten himself lost in the Overworld, even after almost a century of wandering it," she promises, "and Jay, I will always love you. I may not be in love with you when you get on my nerves, but I will always love you. You are one choice I will never come to regret."
"Love you, too," Jay murmurs.
Jace nods. "Yeah."