SebJace || Shadowhunters || SebJace || The Owl's Falcon || SebJace || Shadowhunters || SebJace
Title: The Alphas of Jace Herondale – The Owl's Falcon
Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Disclaimer: All rights to the Shadowhunters show reserved to Ed Decter, the books the show is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/m, wingfic, wing kink, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, fluff, hurt/comfort
Main Pairing: SebJace
Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan Christopher 'Jace' Herondale, Sebastian Verlac | Jonathan Morgenstern, Alexander 'Alec' Lightwood, Isabelle 'Izzy' Lightwood, Clarissa 'Clary' Fray
Summary: Sebastian and Jace fought on the bridge, but before Sebastian could kill Jace, he was killed himself – by a Sebastian from another reality. That Sebastian had lost his Jace and, with nothing left, he went through a Seelie Portal to at least be able to save another Jace's life.
The Owl's Falcon
The Alphas of Jace Herondale
Jace was fighting Jonathan Morgenstern on the bridge. It was a close fight, he had known that from the beginning. Both of them had been raised and trained by Valentine, their techniques and skills were relatively evenly matched. And then the fight ended. Strangely, abruptly, in the most unexpected manner possible – by another Jonathan driving his sword through Jace's attacker.
It was bizarre to look at this one. He looked like Sebastian Verlac but somehow also not. Minor differences, slight variation. His hair was nearly silvery white, his features sharper somehow, his eyes more intense and also kind of silvery – and he had traditional Seelie make-up on his face, green vines and leafs. His clothes looked rather Seelie too, like a Seelie Knight. But his wings were those of a Shadowhunter – large, strong and those of a falcon by the looks of it; the mark of their angelic heritage.
"W... Who are you...? How is this... possible?", grunted Jace warily.
He looked from one Sebastian/Jonathan to the other, confused and on edge. The Seelie-looking one pulled his blade out of the murderous one, dropping the body in the middle of the bridge and then heading toward Jace. Jace didn't know what to expect – a hug wasn't it though. The other was hugging him tightly, a hand cradling the back of Jace's head, the other on Jace's lower back, holding him close in as familiar and warm an embrace as Jace only knew from Alec. Jace had been badly hurt during the fight already and he felt himself passing out against his will.
"I found you. I saved you", was the last thing he heard.
/break\
"He let himself be locked away in the cell. No protests at all. After he brought you to us. The only thing he insisted on before going with us was that we had to make sure you're alright."
Jace nodded sharply as he listened to his parabatai. The two of them were heading down to the cells, together with Isabelle and Clary. He had woken up in the infirmary with all three of them hovering about, concerned. So all of that had really happened? That other Jonathan showing up, killing the one Jace had been fighting against...? He hadn't taken advantage of Jace's passed out state to kill him too, he had brought Jace to the Institute and made sure Jace would be taken care of?
"Did he say anything?", grunted Jace, leaning heavily against Alec.
"Not aside from 'make sure he will be taken care of' and that he will only speak to you", offered Isabelle confused. "We had Magnus check if it was some kind of spell or illusion while you were out of it and... he is Jonathan Morgenstern. But from a different reality."
"Like the one we've been to, just... different", tagged Clary on. "Another alternate Earth."
Jace simply grunted and nodded. It made as much sense as anything, all things considered. However, the problem was that this Sebastian had saved Jace's life. It made Jace nervous, because he hated not knowing, not understanding. Why would any Sebastian-Jonathan from any reality do that? What possible motivation could he have? What did he expect to gain from this?
"You are safe."
Jace startled at the relieved tone in the other's voice. He was behind glass, tied up. Safe distance. Yet he appeared to be unbothered by any of that, his main focus was on Jace as soon as Jace and the others came in. Alec's grip on Jace tightened instinctively. Always the protective parabatai.
"I... am. And it seems that's thanks to you. Though I would have absolutely been able to handle myself. I may be an omega but I don't need any alpha to protect me like a damsel in distress."
"I'm well-aware that you are strong. So very strong. But even the strongest need help sometime."
Jace frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. The Lightwoods were on either side of him, flanking him, while Clary stood behind Jace. He wondered if she was hiding, even just subconsciously. This was her brother – biologically speaking anyway, though they all knew not to care too much about blood, family was defined by so much more than that. Fact of the matter was that Clary had hoped against hope that there was good in Jonathan. Her Jonathan, the brother from this world, he was now dead, gone for good. Alec had said that this strange alternate one had brought the body with him. Yet the question was what this guy's intentions were.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you save me?", asked Jace tensely.
"I'm Jonathan Morgenstern, son of Jocelyn and Valentine Morgenstern. I'm from a different reality."
"We gotta establish the difference between your world and our world", pointed Isabelle out.
That made sense. It had been easy enough the first time around, because the world Clary and Jace had visited had been one without magic. That was the deciding factor. Without it, Jace had been raised by the Herondales, Clary had been raised by Valentine and Jocelyn.
"Most obvious things first. Why do you dress like a Seelie?", asked Jace, motioning at him.
"Ah." Jonathan nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "So there lays a difference then. When my mother noticed that something was different about me at two years old, so she... consulted her warlock friend, Magnus Bane. He detected a strange mixture of angel blood and demon blood within me. Mother was afraid of me, feared me. Angel and demon blood coursing through one's veins may not... entirely make someone a Seelie, but it was close enough. She brought me to the Seelie Court, asked them to raise me because she had no idea what to do about my powers. The Seelie Queen was intrigued enough, because I was different and thus... entertaining. She raised me as her own."
That made surprisingly much sense. More than Jocelyn's reaction on this world of turning murderous on her own son due to what the kid used to do as a toddler. So this version of Jonathan had not been raised by Valentine at all? He had gotten a safe and normal childhood – well, as far as being raised by Seelies, the queen at that, would qualify as normal.
"So you were never raised by Valentine", whispered Jace. "Then what do you got to do with me?"
"I wasn't. I only met Valentine on the battlefield", confirmed Jonathan. "Where I fought on your side. We met when Alexander started the Downworlder cabinet. I was sent by the queen, what with me being born a Shadowhunter. She thought it'd be fitting and... entertaining, I suppose."
"Still trying to wrap my head around the part where you're one of the good guys", snorted Jace.
"Well then, you are not going to believe the next part", chuckled Jonathan. "You were my mate."
This time, it was Jace's turn to tighten his grip on his parabatai and it wasn't entirely due to him feeling dizzy from the previous blood-loss. He would never take an alpha. For one, he still couldn't fully grasp love – to love is to destroy, it had been hammered into his head too often for too long and he had just spent months seeing the people he loved nearly destroyed just because they were in his orbit. An alpha though, that was so much more, that was binding. A matebond. Not just dating. A matebond was sacred. And of all the alphas available, Jace would have taken Jonathan Morgenstern? That was... really hard to believe. Sure, the guy was good looking and those wings – those mighty falcon wings, they were very impressive and they did appeal to his inner omega. But physical attraction was hardly reason enough to form a matebond with anyone.
"Were", repeated Isabelle slowly. "You said 'were'. Not 'are'."
Jonathan averted his eyes, frowning to himself. "Valentine killed him. Before my eyes. To prove a point. Called him... no longer useful. I had to watch and... and... couldn't do anything. At all."
He clenched his jaw and hands, glaring at a vague point, probably at an imaginary Valentine. Jace swallowed hard, holding onto both Lightwoods. So he had died. Not too much of a surprise. A miracle Valentine hadn't tried killing him yet in their world, honestly. Jace was a disappointment, had proven to be useless and not given in to Valentine's attempts to manipulate him.
"That's why you're here", stated Clary, voice soft as she spoke up for the first time. "Because Jace died in your world and now you came here and saved our Jace's life."
"Ah. So you came for a replacement", snorted Jace sarcastically.
"No one could ever replace my Jace", snarled Jonathan, looking genuinely offended.
Jace jumped back a little, startled. The hurt on Jonathan's face was true and raw and deep. To see someone mourn him this much was... odd. To see Jonathan Morgenstern do it...?
"Jace Herondale was the best person I have ever met", continued Jonathan, voice gentler. "My world... lost its Jace and... no world should. I had... nothing left, no one left... I admit, it may have started out as me trying to... to find a replacement... I went to a parallel world to have sex with a Jace who wasn't mine but then we were attacked and I – I saved him. And I realized that while no Jace was like my Jace, there... were other Jaces out there that I could still save, even if I failed mine. So I started traveling to other worlds, trying to save as many Jaces as I could."
"How... How many Jaces did you save so far?", asked Alec slowly.
"Thirteen. Fourteen, with yours", offered Jonathan, smiling faintly.
"Why are you telling us all of this?", asked Jace warily.
"Usually, I stay, for a few... weeks", replied Jonathan.
"What for?", wanted Alec to know.
"Like I said, I have... nothing left", whispered Jonathan, looking unfathomably sad. "I didn't have real connections to the people at the Institute in my world, not beyond Jace. Alexander never... forgave me for not saving Jace. It broke him... as much as me. The loss of the parabatai-bond, the loss of the mate-bond. But we couldn't ever really give each other comfort."
"What about Clary?", asked Isabelle, eyebrows raised. "I mean, our Clary fought hard trying to prove there's good in... you, not you, but... You know. Did yours just give up?"
"Mine is evil", replied Jonathan with a frown. "Clarissa is loyal only to our father's cause. She was the reason I couldn't save Jace, because I was too busy trying to fight her."
"...Oh."
A faint, sad smile laid on Jonathan's lips as he looked past the Lightwoods at Clary. "I always wanted to... I tried to, reason with her. But... It was too late. She had been raised and brainwashed by our father beyond the point of return. So I try... I try to help other worlds to avoid... what I went through and to... maybe find a place for myself, I suppose."
"So, basically, you're asking for asylum?", asked Alec.
"I'm not saying you should trust me blindly. I'm happy to go through all those questions all over again holding your Soul Sword – assuming it has the same truth-forth-bringing abilities as the one from my world. Or a truth potion, whatever it takes. If you don't want me here, I can leave again, to the next world. But yes, I... I would like to stay here for a little while at least."
"We'll think about it", grunted Alec, eyes hard.
Jace knew where that came from. This guy had come here, saved Jace's life, talked about the loss of Jace in the same way Alec would. Alec was relating to this guy. That was going to cause problems.
/break\
"You need to stop avoiding him, Jace."
Jace glared and dodged Alec's attack. "I can. Am effectively doing it, actually. Why is he even still here? It's been two weeks. He said he'd only stay a couple of weeks."
His glare darkened while he landed a punch. When Alec freed himself, he rolled them over and managed to actually pin Jace. He didn't let up, keeping Jace down and trying to make him cool down forcibly. The blonde gave up after a little while, heaving an annoyed sigh.
"C'mon. You can beat me more easily normally", offered Alec softly. "You're letting this get to you. And... I don't really understand why. He saved your life. Usually, that gets people a few bonus points with you. I can feel the turmoil and it always increases when he's close by. Talk to me."
"I...", started Jace tentatively.
Alec finally let go of him and sat down opposite him. Jace sat up, looking at his parabatai.
"I was his mate. Well. Other me. The me from his world", muttered Jace softly. "Come on, he only saved me because I am an alternate version of his mate. I... I'm avoiding him because honestly, why make him look at a... a pale copy of the man he loved and lost? And it absolutely freaks me out. I mean, me, having an alpha? A mate? Him? You know I never really wanted to take a mate."
Alec hummed softly in understanding, tilting his head. That, he understood. Jace was afraid. Afraid to be faced with feelings, afraid to have something entirely different to live up to – Jace had lived all his life trying to live up to someone's expectations. First his father, then the Lightwoods, the Clave, Imogen after he learned he had one living relative. Now there was a guy who was willing to travel through alternate realities to save Jaces just because he had known a Jace who was the best person he had ever met? That was... a very high bar to clear.
"Talk to him. He's... He's going to stay for a while", noted Alec softly. "He has befriended Izzy and... and I... kind of also... Look, he's a strong fighter, a good strategist. He's good to talk to. Clary has been bonding with him too – they both lost each other in their world, to Valentine."
"So what, you think he's going to stay here for good?", grunted Jace gruffly.
"I won't offer that without your consent. But yes, I've been thinking about it", admitted Alec. "He would be a good addition to our Institute and we... lost many during this war. We could use the help and he... he has been aimlessly traveling through alternate realities for months. He... deserves a home too. But I promise, I will not offer him anything if it makes you uncomfortable."
Great. Now Jace had to go and at least give this Jonathan a chance because Alec asked nicely.
/break\
"You... busy right now, or do you wanna go spar?"
Jon blinked surprised as he looked up. Jace. Not his Jace, not even close. He looked so different from Jon's Jace. And yet he also was breathtaking and gorgeous. His hair was longer than Jon's Jace wore it, golden strands falling into his face gently. The most prominent difference were his eyes though. This Jace had heterochromia. Only a few of the Jaces he had encountered had that.
"I can make the time for you, Jace", offered Jonathan with a smile.
Jace looked doubtful but he led the way to the training rooms. They started out with staffs to warm up. Silence accompanied that, the wood's clashing being the only sound. Jonathan was transfixed by Jace's movements, the way the golden hair, now sweat-soaked, clung to his forehead, how his muscles flexed. His wings. Wings so mighty and pure. A barn owl's wings, shining golden when the light hit them right. The two of them went at it for hours with no break, only switching it up – staffs, hand-to-hand, swords. Both were breathless as they collapsed in yet another tie.
"Call it a day for today?", asked Jonathan between gasps.
Both were on their knees. Jonathan had to admit this Jace too looked very good on his knees. Most Jaces did. Jonathan had gotten a lot of them onto their knees during his stays in their worlds. He wondered if he'd get this one too...? Jonathan slowly got up and offered Jace a hand.
"I'm starving", grunted Jace. "Wanna... join me? Maybe we can... talk?"
Jonathan would be a fool to say no to that. "Shower first and then you'll meet me in my room?"
"I'll order pizza for us", shrugged Jace, ruffling his hair slowly.
/break\
Jace arrived at Jonathan's room freshly showered and with two pizzas. He paused when he saw Jonathan step out of his bathroom, only wearing a towel around his waist. He... looked... good. Well, Jace wasn't blind he had noticed before that the guy was good looking. But now? Wow.
"Clothes", grunted Jace pointedly as he put the pizzas down on the bed. "Put them on."
"I like the snarky bossiness. All my favorite Jaces have that", whispered Jonathan amused.
"How do you do that?", asked Jace softly. "I mean... You go to alternate realities to see copies of the man you... loved... and it's not... How does it not bother you? Break your heart?"
"You... share characteristics with my Jace, but you are not him. You're... you", offered Jonathan.
He dropped the towel and got dressed. Jace averted his eyes, his cheeks darkening. "I'm me?"
"You look different, sound different, act different. Not entirely, wholly different but different enough to make you your own person. I know my love is gone forever. I held him when he died, I buried him. I went and tried to look for a replacement, but the Jace I had sex with... he wasn't like my Jace. The more worlds I visited, the more Jaces I met, the better... I got at telling the little differences. But regardless of how many Jaces I meet, regardless of just how different you are from my Jace, I can't help but see the good in you and want to... do what I couldn't for mine."
"I... guess I get that", sighed Jace, taking a piece of pizza for himself.
"I love your wings", whispered Jonathan after a moment. "They're beautiful. My Jace had dove wings. Pure white, no other color. Truly the most angelic one I could imagine."
"Huh", grunted Jace a bit confused. "Your wings..."
"What about them?", chuckled Jonathan amused. "It's okay, you can take a compliment without forcing a return, you know."
"No. I mean, sure, they're pretty, but...", started Jace. "I used to own a falcon. My father, he gave me a falcon when I was a boy. Made me tame it, raise it. And then he snapped my falcon's neck, because I ruined it by loving it... I've never met anyone with falcon wings before."
"I'm... sorry", whispered Jonathan concerned. "In my world, Clarissa got the brunt force of Valentine's... parenting. And my Jace never really spoke about his abuse..."
"Well, I overshare", offered Jace casually, stuffing the last bite of his pizza into his mouth. "Chronically, really. It's been brought to my attention that some of the more cruel aspects of my childhood aren't exactly good conversation openers. So, sorry for the oversharing."
He knew he did this. He had shared the story with Clary when he barely knew her a day. He had shared the story of his piano lessons with Jonathan-pretending-to-be-Sebastian after too short a time too. He needed to reign that in, he was working on it.
/break\
Seeing Clary and Jonathan together made Jace smile. The two had found in each other what they had hoped to get from their own world's version and had been denied. Jace was glad that Clary got a second chance, found a Jonathan with whom she shared so much at that. Both had lost the other in their own world, had no chance to help redeem them. Jonathan had been with them for two months now and they all kind of knew that he wasn't going to leave again. He had finally found a place to call home, had made friends here. The problem was that Jace had gotten... attached, in his own way.
In an effort to, well, make an effort Jace had been spending more time with Jonathan. Training, hunting, patrolling. They got along well, surprisingly so. And the more time he spent with Jon, the more attracted he felt to the other blonde too. The problem was that he wasn't just physically attracted to Jonathan anymore at this point. He genuinely liked Jon.
"Your heat is coming up soon", noted Alec. "I can feel your unease through the bond. Also, if you pluck any more feathers from me, I may go bald, Jace."
"Right. Sorry", grunted Jace embarrassed, hoarding his bounty. "Clary! Your turn."
"Her turn for what?", asked Jonathan curiously as the siblings approached them.
"Grooming", replied Clary. "We always do it for each other, but when one of us is close to heat, then all the feathers go to them. Jace's heat is coming up, so..."
She vaguely motioned at her own wings before sitting down in front of Jace. Alec straightened his wings before tapping Jonathan's chest and motioning for him to join him in a bit of sparring while the omegas were busy wing-grooming. Jace, Izzy and Alec had always done that, grooming each other and Jace got to keep the feathers for nesting.
"I'm still unsure why exactly", grunted Jonathan as he dodged Alec. "I mean, I do understand the need for proper wing-care, however I don't quite understand why Jace is hoarding feathers. Do you want to stuff a pillow with them, or...?"
"Right. You weren't raised in Shadowhunter society", grunted Alec. "Omega Shadowhunters build nests for their heats, out of their flock-mates' feathers. It... provides comfort."
Jace hummed in confirmation while still going through Clary's wings for loose feathers. It was also a very relaxing, calming task, to groom someone's wings. Once he was done with Clary's wings, he turned his attention on Alec and Jonathan, frowning.
"Jon?", asked Jace, voice soft.
"Yeah? Wanna go a round too?" Jonathan grinned as him and Alec stopped sparring.
"No. Your wings. You're next. C'mere", grunted Jace, patting the space in front of him.
The others in the room paused at that. Sure, Jace had befriended Jonathan, but this was more than that. Jonathan stared at him in surprise before he quickly stumbled his way over to Jace, sitting down in front of him and spread his wings wide. So far, Jace had never groomed his wings. Usually, Jon used it as a means of bonding with Clary, who now went to take Jonathan's place in sparring with Alec. Jace smiled contently as he got to pick Jon's wings.
/break\
The morning after his heat, Jace woke up in his nest, well-rested and content. Heats were annoying because they were time-consuming, however they also helped him flush out his system. Smiling to himself, he buried his nose in the feathers nearest. Falcon feathers. Jon's feathers. Which also brought to mind the thoughts that had coursed through his mind during his heat. Jon.
Rolling out of bed, he opened a window and then went to shower. Three days of heat really kept a guy sweaty and stinky. Not exactly the impression he wanted to make on Jonathan.
Jonathan looked surprised when he opened the door for Jace. "Go out on a date with me."
"...Good morning to you too, Jace", grunted Jonathan slowly. "What?"
"A date. I just spent three days – uh, let's not...", started Jace, just to interrupt himself. "I... like you, I think. A lot. I'd like to... I don't know. See where things could go. And I know you... I know you dated other Jaces before too. So, wanna take this model for a test-drive?"
The look on Jon's face was fond as he reached out to grasp Jace's neck and pull him in. "Yes."
/break\
This world was different than any world he had visited before. Clary was always either evil, already had a Jonathan in her life that she loved, or had been broken beyond repair by her own Jonathan. The one from this world craved a sibling to rely on as much as Jon did. Then there were Alec and Izzy and Andrew and Lindsay – he was making friends here, to a greater degree than he had in other realities. When Jace had come to him and asked him out, the decision was an easy one. He wasn't the first Jace Jon had dated, yet Jon would never stop being amazed by all the little differences and how much he loved every single Jace for their individual reasons.
"Mornin', Jon", yawned Jace as he rolled over and half onto Jon's chest.
Jon smiled softly as he wrapped his arm around Jace's shoulders to draw him closer, gently running his fingers along Jace's side. So pretty. Jace stretched out one wing to cover them both like a blanket. Jonathan loved the scent of his omega. Maybe because it was nothing like the Jace from his world. No, this Jace smelt like honey and strawberries. Mh. Somewhere along the way, he had stopped thinking of the Jace from his world as his Jace – he was still Jon's Jace, but... not the only one anymore. Because Jon thought of this Jace as his Jace too. Weren't feelings complicated...?
"You are looking lovely this morning, my owl", whispered Jonathan gently.
That petname always made Jace smile softly, pleased. Knowing the Jace from Jon's world had been a dove, knowing that this was all and wholly Jace's, knowing that he had carved a spot all for himself in Jonathan's heart. Leaning up, Jace pecked Jonathan's cheek.
"So, today, dinner at Luke's. You aren't gonna bail, right?"
"No, I am not going to bail", assured Jonathan, nosing Jace's neck. "I... like Luke. He is very fatherly, he loves Clary very much. I'm looking forward to spending family dinner with everyone."
"Mh... yeah. Family dinners are nice", agreed Jace softly.
He too felt like he was a part of that family, through Clary and Jonathan and also the way Luke had been treating him ever since they had all thought Jace to be Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. Honestly, his life was a bit of a headache overall. First he thought he was the guy, then the real guy posed as the cousin of a good friend and tried to kill Jace, just to then be killed by his own double from an alternate reality... whom Jace ended up dating. Definitely not boring at all.
"I'm glad you stayed", whispered Jace after a moment, tracing the runes on Jon's chest. "I know I was... uh... hostile, at first. Because this whole thing was strange to me. But... you're you. Not him."
"And... you are you and not him either", whispered Jon back, with his whole own meaning.
"I... love you, my falcon", stated Jace, voice only barely wavering.
It always did that when he expressed his love. He never stopped being tense about that, however he did love Jonathan. The falcon who got to live, out of Valentine's reach. Beautiful and kind and good, because the blood in his veins didn't define him. Seelies had trained him, had taught him to control his emotions and his powers. To see that Clary was right after all, that Jonathan Morgenstern wasn't doomed by birth, it was... odd. Jace wondered what Jocelyn would have to say to that, but then again the woman had tried to shoot Jace on sight when she first met him, so there was that.
"My beautiful owl", murmured Jon gently, kissing along Jace's neck. "My love. Thank you. Thank you for loving me, for giving me a home after I had lost everything."
Jace didn't reply, didn't know what to reply to that. He simply kissed Jon softly and laid back down to enjoy the rest of their calm morning together.
~*~ The End ~*~
Author's note: As much fun as a good redemption arc is, sometimes it is also fun to just... Remove The Bad. What if Jonathan was raised by people who actually cared about training him and his powers and reigning him in? Instead of an abusive dickhead who'd throw him into literal hell? And the Seelie thing is something I've been thinking about a lot ever since it was first explained to me that Seelies are the mixture of both demon blood and angel blood - because that's kind of Jonathan's whole spiel. So, what if Seelie!Jon? Anyway, this was a fun thought experiment, I hope you had fun too ;)