Malace || Shadowhunters || Malace || Demon On Your Shoulder || Malace || Shadowhunters || Malace
Title: Demon On Your Shoulder – The Split Soul's Soulmates
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: polyamory (m/m/m), alpha/beta/omega dynamics, soulmate AU, daemons, past child abuse, hurt/comfort, angst, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, f/f, m/f
Main Pairing: Magnus/Alec/Jace
Side Pairings: Lydia/Izzy, Simon/Clary, Luke/Catarina
Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan 'Jace' Herondale, Magnus Bane, Alexander 'Alec' Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, Clarissa 'Clary' Fray, Simon Lewis, Lydia Branwell, Madzie, Catarina Loss, Luke Garroway, Raphael Santiago, Maxwell Lightwood, Imogen Herondale, Valentine Morgenstern
Daemons: Aurea (Jace's Golden Retriever), Celestina (Jace's barn owl), Shyama (Magnus' panther), Minerva (Alec's snow owl), Dolios (Max's raccoon), Nagendra (Izzy's cobra), Timon (Lydia's lynx), Seraphina (Clary's robin), Adina (Simon's rat), Ares (Andrew's dog), Piedad (Raph's bat), Menelaus (Cat's lion), Regulus (Madzie's bunny), Lupercalia (Luke's wolf), Cornelius (Imogen's horned owl)
Summary: Everyone had a daemon, an animal-shaped manifestation of their own soul, and bore a picture of their soulmate's daemon on their body. Everyone, aside from Jace. Because Valentine split his soul, giving him two daemons – and took the one on his soulmate's marks. So even when he meets them and recognizes them by their daemons, his daemon doesn't match.
Demon On Your Shoulder
The Split Soul's Soulmates
Chapter 4: The Stolen Parabatai
Alec smiled softly, his fingers tracing Celestina's face. The owl loved that and she needed the comfort. What had happened with Valentine, it had rattled her more than anything Alec had ever seen. He just wanted both Jace and Celestina to feel safe again.
"Mh, mh, mh, you clean up very well, darling."
Magnus' voice was so dark, filled with something like... lust. Alec didn't think he'd ever heard someone talk to him like that, about him like that. The way Magnus made him feel, so wanted... Looking up, Alec wanted to say something too, but the words got stuck in his throat because Magnus looked gorgeous in the well-cut suit with the fancy purple patterns on it. The things Magnus wore, so form-fitting but in a different manner than the skin-tight clothes Alec was used to Izzy and Jace wearing. There was so much elegance to Magnus. And so much color.
"Well? Have nothing to say?" Magnus smiled amused, lifting both hands in question.
"...Pretty..." the word was a whisper that escaped him without Alec meaning to.
A flush lit up his face, but it made Magnus laugh, and it was so beautiful. The way Magnus' eyes crinkled and lit up, the curve of his mouth. Without thinking about it, Alec leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the corner of Magnus' mouth, startling him. It was just the two of them in Alec's room, nobody to see them. Still, it felt... different. Kissing him here than in the loft.
"Shall we go?" Magnus whispered warmly. "I'm sure your sister is waiting."
Magnus' eyes were on the owl sitting on Alec's shoulder. Not Alec's owl. Alec had noticed the looks, the curiosity. As long as Magnus didn't put his question into words, Alec didn't know how to answer it. Perhaps not even when Magnus put them into words. Alec's relationship with Jace was hard to explain – would he have to admit aloud to Magnus that he was in love with Jace? That he, a beta, loved another beta? Another man? One who wasn't his soulmate? How could he...?
/break\
Jace sat with Max, Max's daemon sitting curled together on the boy's lap. A raccoon, as mischievous as Max. Max's fingers ran through the gray fur, even as his eyes were trained on his older sister. Isabelle looked stunning in her golden-white wedding dress.
"She really is a vision to behold, isn't she?" Magnus commented.
Jace's pulse raised. Close exposure to the alpha did that to him. It had been easier with Alec, because Alec was a beta. Betas scents were calmer, less strong. But Magnus? The alpha's scent was overwhelming for Jace, making him feel nearly dizzy when he sat this close to the other. Right next to Magnus, because Alec, who should be sitting between them, stood up there, as Izzy's best man.
"She is," agreed Clary from Max's other side.
Jace chanced a glance at her – at his sister. His sister by blood. A concept that Jace still didn't entirely know how to wrap his mind around. Michael was Valentine and Valentine was his father, was Clary's father. They had barely talked about it. It was... awkward. Guilt on Clary's part made it awkward. Because she'd gotten to grow up with their mother, a happy and sheltered childhood in the mundie world, while Jace had suffered the brunt force of abuse at their father's hands. Jace didn't know what to do with that, how to help her with that. Because a part of him felt the same way. Felt betrayed, that he had a sister who had gotten everything he hadn't.
/break\
The wedding itself had been a beautiful ceremony, but before the new wives had a chance to leave for their honeymoon – planned to spend in Idris, planning to take the Mortal Cup to the Clave as they'd head home. These plans fell through when Hodge betrayed them and stole the Mortal Cup.
So much had happened all at once, Alec was dizzy from it. They'd followed the leads, had fought Valentine and the Circle, they had ended up with the book but Valentine had cornered them. Had threatened to kill them and Jace had... Jace had gone... had gone with Valentine.
"Darling," Magnus' voice was urgent and concerned. "Alexander, we'll find him. We will."
"I promised myself," Alec's voice broke and he clung onto Magnus desperately.
His alpha caught him, held him close and safe. "What is it, darling?"
"I promised myself I'd protect him," Alec's voice was muffled by Magnus' shoulder. "When he told me... about his father, for the first time, I promised myself I'd never let him get hurt like that again. And now the man who abused him for the first half of his life has him again. Is going to hurt him again. And I'm not there to help him. I... I... Magnus, we need to save him."
"Of course," Magnus whispered gently, kissing the top of Alec's head. "You're not alone, Alexander. I'm here for you, I'll help you find him. We're going to bring him back safely."
Though Magnus couldn't deny the twist of his guts. He barely knew these Shadowhunters, he just knew what they meant to each other – Alec's parabatai, Alec's sister. Magnus hadn't known that Jace had been abused as a child. Yes, if asked whether he thought Valentine Morgenstern would be a cuddly and kind father, he would scoff. Still, the news of Valentine being not just Clary and Jace's father but also the man who had raised Jace, it was all so new. He hadn't entirely put it into context. And he hadn't spent too much time with Jace himself yet, never alone really. That was something he should remedy once they saved the blonde. Magnus wanted to know more about his soulmate's parabatai. And surely, Jace had some delightful stories about a young Alexander too. Yes, once Jace would be safely back with them, Magnus was going to make an effort to get to know him better.
/break\
Alexander had taken too much of a risk, using not just the parabatai bond but also magic to enhance it and to try and track down Jace. But Magnus knew how important this was for his soulmate, he could see the determination burning passionately in his beta's eyes and what kind of alpha would he be to deny him? To leave a pack-member in anger, on top of that. Alexander was an adult, he could make his own decisions, it wasn't Magnus' place to patronize him.
Still, it left Alexander close to death and it left Magnus feeling desperate and heartbroken. Even more so since it hadn't even worked. Magnus sat next to Alexander's bed, distraught. The only saving grace he had was the snow owl nestled into his lap. Not just Alexander was weakened; his daemon mirrored his condition. And in her own weakness, Minerva had crawled into Magnus' lap, seeking the warmth and protection of Alec's soulmate. An incredible honor.
Ringing on the doorbell disrupted Magnus, relief filling him. They hadn't managed to track down Jace, but Clary had. She'd freed him, somehow. Magnus was too distracted for details and they were in too much of a rush, but Isabelle had sent him here, knowing that only Jace could help Alec.
Very gently did Magnus place Minerva on the bed, where Shyama was laying spread long next to Alec, trying to sooth the beta. Now the owl was nestled between the panther and Alec.
"Jace," Magnus refrained from commenting on the blonde's appearance. "Come in."
He rested a gentle hand on Jace's back, but the beta flinched away from the touch. He was soaking wet, bruised and bloodied. For days, he'd been missing, had been with Valentine. Not now, Magnus couldn't focus on Jace's injuries now, because Alexander's life was on the line.
Magnus reached out to hand Jace the stone. He'd expected Jace to shuffle the weight of his daemon into one arm and take the stone with the other. Instead, Jace handed the owl over to Magnus without a word and took the stone. Magnus stood frozen to the spot but he quickly had the sense to wrap his other arm around Celestina, holding the owl gently and carefully.
He was holding Jace's daemon. Without thinking, Jace had just... handed her to Magnus. Was it because Jace was too focused on Alec? Too traumatized and hurt? No, those instincts would make him want to shield his daemon, protect her at all costs.
"Are you... Are you hurt, Celestina?" Magnus asked in a soft voice.
"Wing broken," the golden owl's voice was raw. "Hurts."
"Sh, sh, sh," Magnus ran gentle fingers through Celestina's feathers. "I'll take care of you."
He walked over to the armchair next to the couch so he could watch the parabatai while taking care of the daemon. Jace was nearly laying on top of Alec as he clutched the other beta's hands and recited the parabatai oath. Magnus' hands carefully checked the owl's wings.
"Parabatai..." Alec's voice was weak, but he was speaking.
Magnus' heart filled with relief. His soulmate would be okay. And his soulmate's parabatai was back with them, they would be able to take care of him now. Celestina nuzzled into Magnus.
/break\
Or so Magnus had thought. How much he hated to be wrong. As soon as Jace had saved Alec's life had he been taken in by the Clave. Thrown into prison, the City of Bones, for being a traitor.
"Run this by me again," requested Magnus, keeping his voice low. "The boy gets kidnapped by his father and tortured for days, but your people think it proper to... punish him for it?"
"Don't think I didn't try to help," Isabelle glared at him.
The omega's scent soured and Magnus sighed. "I did not suggest that, my dear. I'm just baffled by your government's inefficiency. How are you holding up?"
Isabelle groaned and leaned back in her chair at Alec's bedside. "I'm... tired. I'm thankful for Lydia. With Jace in prison, with Alec still on bed-rest... I don't know... I don't know what I'd do without her at my side. I'm not cut out to be head of the Institute, I was never prepared for it – it was always supposed to be Alec, as the firstborn. But Lydia knows how the Clave works, knows what to do."
"I'm glad to hear that your wife proves supportive," Magnus spotted a small smile.
A light blush dusted Isabelle's cheeks at that. "Not the honeymoon I had hoped for..."
"How about I spring for a real honeymoon, once things settle?" suggested Magnus.
"Why, no you can't-" Isabelle started to protest.
Magnus winked at her. "You're practically my sister-in-law now, we're family, dear. And I have a few nice homes in various countries, you can take your pick and I'll open a portal for you."
"Thank you," Isabelle smiled faintly. "But for now, Lydia and I are working hard on regaining control of the Institute. The Clave sent another envoy, to investigate us, since all of us were present. They locked up Jace, but we're all being investigated, Alec, Lydia, me... Clary, of course..."
"If you wanna talk, can you talk in another room?" Alec turned to glare at them.
"We thought you were asleep," Magnus brushed Alec's hair back to kiss his forehead. "Sorry. Come with me, Isabelle, I have an excellent wine that we could open on the balcony."
/break\
Tired. Tired, tired, so so so tired. Not just normal tired, but tired to the bone, like he was drained of all energy, all motivation. Like all he wanted to do was curl together on Alec's bed, like he used to when nightmares of his father haunted him. Only that these weren't nightmares. His father was alive again and he had done... No. No, no, no, he didn't want to think of the things Michael... Valentine... had done to him on the ship. The pain. He grasped Celestina closer, pulled her tighter.
"I don't want to be here anymore," whispered Jace to his daemon.
Something he never thought he'd say. The Institute, it was supposed to be his home, it was supposed to be safe. After the abduction, the torture on the Morning Star, the further torture in the City of Bones. While abducted, Valentine had taken him out, one time, and Jace had seen Jocelyn – they'd effectively woken Jocelyn and Jace, he had been so eager to meet his mother. She'd tried to kill him. One look at him and she tried to kill him. The institute was also the place where Jocelyn was and Jace didn't know if he could meet her, talk to her.
And, right now, Aldertree was head of the institute, investigating if the Branwell-Lightwood couple were 'fit' to lead the institute. The man had been harassing Jace ever since he'd been reluctantly released from the City of Bones. Hazing. In the place that was supposed to be his home. What made it all worse was the fact that Alec wasn't here. He was still on bed-rest after having nearly died – his parabatai had nearly died trying to find him – and he was having that bed-rest in the High Warlock's loft. With his soulmate. Jace wanted that too, longed for it.
He'd had one slip-up. When Alec had been nearly dead and Jace had still felt the ache of the torture and Celestina had had a broken wing and all Jace could think was that he needed Alec to live and he needed Celestina to be finally safe. So he had handed her to Magnus, to his soulmate, his alpha. Alphas protect their omegas. Only that Jace wasn't an omega anymore and Magnus wasn't his.
"I want to go to Minerva," Celestina declared. "And to Shyama."
Jace pressed his lips together to keep from saying 'me too', because he couldn't have that. Now even less than ever before. He'd just thought he denied himself something, but now Valentine was alive and the man was cruel. Jace could still hear the sound of his falcon's neck snapping, echoing in his nightmares. Even if he told Magnus and Alec the truth, even if they believed him despite Aurea being gone, their soul-animals not matching his daemon, even if they decided to try have a relationship despite all of that... then that would only give Valentine more reason to hurt them. And that, that was something Jace could not allow. Could never allow.
Still, he felt weak. Not just physically, but also emotionally. Beaten up by too many. Worn down.
/break\
"My boy," Magnus' voice broke. "Come in, mijo."
He supported Raphael, with a firm hand on his back. In his hands, Raphael was cradling a little bat. His daemon, Piedad. Both of them looked like they'd been worked over badly. Guiding Raphael to the couch, he helped the vampire sit down, before getting anything he needed to help Raphael.
"What happened to you, my boy?"
"Aldertree happened," Raphael winced. "He's... very determined to find Camille."
Magnus cupped Raphael's face, as best as he could, with the injuries. "It's going to be okay. I'll help you with your injuries and then... I will take care of... the other issue."
Camille was such a tricky topic for him. Part of him would always resent her and another part of him would always love her. That was what made it so hard, why he hadn't spoken up in tracking her down yet. If the Clave wanted her, they had to find her themselves. But if they hurt his son for it? If Magnus was forced to chose between Camille and Raphael? Was it even a choice?
"There," Magnus whispered. "All better. Lay down. Rest some, my boy."
"I'm fine, papa, I don't..." Raphael paused as Magnus nudged him down. "... Okay."
"There," Magnus smiled please. "Don't argue, just rest, mh?"
Only after Raphael laid down and had his eyes closed did Magnus leave the living room. To head over and check on his other patient. Well, Alec's injuries were mostly healed by now. The physical ones at least. Still, Alec kept coming back to him. Because they were soulmates? Because it was easier, safer, more comfortable to be with him than to deal with the institute? After what he'd just heard from Raphael? That second one sounded more and more likely.
/break\
Helplessness was something incredibly... frustrating. It was something Alec never wanted to feel. Growing up, he had been side-eyed for being a beta; betas were usually in bureaucratic positions, not active fighters. He'd fought an uphill battle, because while he wanted to be the leader of the institute one day, he also wanted to prove himself to those he was going to lead one day. So helpless was not something he felt a lot. In the past two weeks he'd felt helpless more often than ever before in his life put together. Valentine took away his parabatai, Aldertree took away his parabatai next. And then Valentine... Valentine infiltrated the institute, leaving Alec possessed. Helpless to the actions his own body performed. Helplessly watching as his own hands killed Jocelyn Fray.
Helpless. So helpless. He'd done everything not to feel that way and yet here he was...
"I had hoped this would distract you some," admitted Magnus.
"I... I'm sorry, Magnus," Alec heaved a sigh, turning toward his alpha. "It's just..."
"Your head is filled with many things," Magnus cupped his cheek gently. "It's okay. I don't hold it against you. You've been... through quite the ordeal in the past two weeks. I had hoped this would help you get out of your head, but I don't hold it against you that it didn't work."
Alec leaned in until their lips touched in a loving kiss. "Thank you. For trying to take my mind off things. It was... It was nice, going on a date with you. Exciting. I just... worry about Jace."
Leaning forward some more, he rested his forehead against Magnus' chest, inhaling the alpha's dark, soothing scent. It helped. Staying at the loft helped his recovery. Removing him from the place where he had killed Jocelyn, the place that made him feel helpless. There was just one thing missing and that was his parabatai. The reason he wasn't going to stay here any longer; even if being in the institute hurt, Jace needed him and Alec... needed Jace. He needed his parabatai close by.
"Hold that thought, love, I'll just get the door," Magnus kissed Alec's cheek.
Alec remained standing here, eyes on their daemons. Shyama had curled together in front of the fire-place and Minerva sat comfortably snuggled up in the next on the bookshelf. A nest, on a bookshelf. Because Alec's soulmate was a very considerate alpha.
"Jace," Magnus sounded surprised, drawing Alec's attention. "What... can I do for you?"
"Do you... have a spare room?"
That was a new expression on Jace's face, nearly demure. Asking for something. Asking for help. Guess Alec wasn't the only one feeling helpless. Still unexpected, to hear Jace ask for help. And Magnus, at that? That really came as a surprise. Was it because of him? Because Alec had practically been living here for the past two weeks, staying over more often than not?
Magnus snapped his fingers. "I do now. Come inside, golden boy."
All Jace was carrying was a bag and Celestina. The owl took off and flew right into Alec's arms, nuzzling into his neck in excitement. Chuckling, Alec held her close and caressed her.
"Missed you," Celestina rubbed her head against his neck.
"Missed you too, girl," Alec smiled. "How is your wing doing? Does it still hurt?"
She shook her head and then shook all of herself. Taking off, she flew up onto the shelf to sit with Minerva, who immediately nudged her gently. As it was supposed to be, Minerva with Celestina. The snow owl and the barn owl just... belonged together, Alec knew that deep down.
"Let me show you your room," Magnus' voice was so soothing to Alec. "You look like you could use a couple of nights rest."
"Yeah," Jace's voice was weak. "Yeah, I guess I could... Thank you."
"Anything for Alexander's parabatai."
There was a strange expression on Jace's face at that, but Alec dismissed it for now.
Author's note: Okaaay, now we got the big plot points that had to make the cut out of the way! Next up, Jace living with Magnus and Alec, whiiich means I get to develop the Jagnus angle *rubs hands together eagerly*