PRIDE-JACE

"You are so full of pride Jace, it will be your destruction someday"
Jace laughed at that phrase every time someone said it to him. It was funny that they thought that pride would be someone's destruction. He thought it was a good thing, because when you have pride, it meant you never gave in to battles and that lead to never loosing. So if pride let you win, how could it be bad?
Of course, it also had its bad side. Like right now. He was talking in Taki's with Clary, after the whole Valentine-ship-exploded-because-of-Clary. Had they won? Of course not. Only a battle, but not the war. At least not yet.
Anyway, Clary wanted to tell him something important, just like he did. He had taken a decision. He was going to act like just her brother and nothing more, because that is what she wanted. It hurt him, but he would do it for her. And he told her. He was quite shocked with her.
He expected her to show happiness and excitement, relief even, but not pain and disappointment. It was there, only for a second and then it was replaced by fake happiness. He didn't understand it at first; 'why are you sad? Isn't this what you wanted?' He thought confused. Then it hit him; she was sad because she was hoping he'd tell her that they could keep their relationship secret. He would bet his Marks that she was going to suggest that before he spoke. Part of him wanted to tell her exactly that, that they could be together and no one ha to know. The other part wanted to laugh bitterly. Wasn't she the one who wanted them apart? To act like brother and sister? Wasn't she the one that thought their love was repulsive?
It wasn't fair, Jace thought, that now, when he was willing to forget her, she did this. Well, it didn't work that way. He gave her a chance and she hurt his pride, and as he said, pride didn't let him lose battles, including this one. If Jace alone was hard to forgive, the Jace with a hurt pride is even harder. No matter how much he wanted to give in to Clary's wish, his pride wouldn't let him.
When he left Taki's, all he could do was curse himself repeatedly.
"Seems like all those people weren't wrong..." He whispered, watching Clary's form retreat with slumped shoulders, until she wasn't visible anymore. "Pride does destroy you..."