Jalec || Shadowhunters || Jalec || The Selkie and the Sea || Jalec || Shadowhunters || Jalec

Title: The Selkie and the Sea – Jalec Bingo / Writer's Month 2023

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, hurt/comfort, selkie/merman AU, magic

Main Pairing: Alec/Jace

Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan 'Jace' Herondale, Alexander 'Alec' Lightwood

Summary: Jalec Bingo Prompt: free square. Writer's Month Prompts: memories + underwater AU. Jace learned that his life was a lie, that he was a selkie who had been stolen from his parents, and whose seal skin had been stolen. The only true thing in his life was Alec, who stood by his side even now.

The Selkie and the Sea

Jalec Bingo / Writer's Month 2023

Jace's childhood had not been a happy one, and it became more miserable when he was a teenager and learned that it had all been built up on a lie. The man who had spent all of his life abusing him had never been his father. In fact, Jace was not even human himself.

He was a selkie, taken from his real parents at too early an age to remember them, or himself.

He wasn't Michael Wayland's son. He wasn't human. He wasn't…

He was lost. So very, very lost. And afraid.

Michael Wayland was a member of an extremist group, who wanted to see all magical creatures gone, but also weren't above weaponizing said magical creatures for that goal. Like Jace. Michael had thought he could use Jace as a weapon, but also to study him and learn about his magic.

"Jace? Jace, are you in here?"

A soft voice. A gentle voice. A voice Jace loved very dearly. Alec. A human boy, one of the very few kids among the Circle. When Michael had moved from the recluse cabin in the woods where they had lived for the first ten years of Jace's life, Jace had gotten to interact with other kids for the first time. Alec stood out though. Alec was… Alec was Jace's best friend.

"I don't know what to do," Jace's voice was a whisper that cracked.

"Hey," Alec was quick to rush over to him and sit down. "What's… going on?"

"Fath…" Jace stopped himself, furrowing his brows. "Michael, he was so angry, he called me a failure again, but… it was more than that. He said… He told me…"

"Jace," Alec's voice was so gentle and warm, the only thing that ever made Jace feel loved in this world. "Whatever it is, you know you can tell me. I know your father is wrong."

"I'm a…" Jace's voice dropped to the barest of whispers. "I'm a magical creature."

"W… What?" Alec frowned, so confused.

"I'm a selkie," Jace had no concept of secrets, not when it was Alec. "He took me from my parents. He thought a shapeshifter, with the potential power of controlling the sea?"

The confusion on Alec's face grew as a million thoughts shot through his mind. Both of them had been taught about magic and magical creatures. Both knew what a selkie was. Yet Alec could clearly not compute it right now, the thought that Jace was a selkie.

"I'm a… I'm one of those we were raised and trained to hunt and kill."

And wasn't that the crux of it all? They'd been taught that all magical creatures were brainless monsters, awful creatures that needed to be vanquished to protect humankind. Within one short moment, that premise seemed to crumble before Alec's eyes, as he looked at Jace.

Jace, the boy he had been in love with for as long as Alec could remember. Jace, who had never done a cruel or monstrous thing before. Jace, who was… who was Alec's entire world.

"But you've never been…" Alec paused. "Can you turn into a… you know?"

"I don't know," Jace shrugged frustrated. "But he said… he said he has it. So I… can't. I can't change into anything. I can't get away."

One sentence changed the course of Alec's life and his goals. He has it. Selkies were magical seals that could change shape into humans by shedding their seal skin. And by putting it back on, they could change back. If someone was to withhold that skin from them, they were trapped.

"I don't know what this means for our… reality," Alec admitted after a bit. "But we can figure that out, together. After we get your skin back."

Large, mismatched eyes turned on him and for the first time, Alec couldn't help but see baby seal eyes in them. So big. There was no way he wouldn't do everything and anything for this boy.

/break\

Jace had been tasked with gathering their stuff and preparing other things they may need on the run – provisions; food and water – while Alec had gone and done the impossible. Stolen from Michael Wayland. They'd waited, until Michael was busy and thus distracted by an uproar of werewolves, allowing Alec to search the house in peace. It had been well-hidden, but Alec's determination was too strong to be defeated. Jace stared at it in something akin to fear.

"Take it," Alec held the skin out.

Jace hesitated. If he took it and put it on and it turned him into a seal, then… everything had indeed been a lie. His father wasn't his father. He wasn't human. All the things the Circle had taught them about the world would stand in question. Yet when he looked into Alec's deep, dark eyes, there was nothing but trust and love in them. Whatever happened, whatever it would mean for Jace's memories of his life so far, it would not change anything between him and Alec.

Taking a deep breath, Jace took the seal skin and wrapped it around his shoulders. He could feel the magic working on him, though he'd never experienced magic on himself before, he knew exactly that this was what was happening here. For a moment, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his point of view had changed. He was so much smaller than Alec all of a sudden. Sure, he'd always been shorter than Alec, but this was ridiculous. When he tried to speak, a strange noise came from him, startling him. Right. Seal. No… human noises.

"You are…" Alec paused, causing Jace to tend. "So adorable."

It wasn't a word Alec would use under normal circumstances, however he was lost for any other words as he looked down at the utterly adorable seal in front of him. Just a good round boy. Nothing nefarious, or… or monstrous about it. Not the fanged vicious beast that they had taught Alec and Jace about when it came to selkies. It was like the confirmation needed.

"Listen," Alec's voice was firm. "We have to hurry. We need to use this opportunity, we have to get away now. My parents and your… and him, they're away on this mission."

Within seconds, the seal turned back into a human. Though Jace had no real idea how he had done it, in that moment he'd felt like he needed to be human, and so he was.

"B… But-" Jace looked reluctant, even though they'd planned this for weeks at this point.

"No," Alec reached out, grasping Jace's hands in his own. "They lied to us. They did. You are not a monster. You are not evil. They lied to us about it. They lied to us about everything."

"I know. I just…" Jace was still struggling. "This is the only life we know."

"And it isn't a good life, Jace," Alec spoke with more urgency. "I know how he treats you. You know how mother treats Izzy. She's currently safe, away at training, but we can get her later. Right now, you and I need to leave. This is our chance to change our lives. Think about it, how… how good is this life that we know? How many happy memories do you have?"

And it gave Jace pause. Because he did have many happy memories. But they were all centered around Alec, every single good thing that had ever happened to Jace featured Alec. In that moment, Jace knew that regardless how afraid he was of leaving, he was much more afraid of living a life without Alec. Wherever Alec was going, Jace would be following him. To the end of the world.

There was something else Jace knew in that moment though. Because all of his happiness featured Alec. And because Alec had looked at Jace's creature form and not flinched away from him. Because Alec saw who – what – Jace truly was and called it… adorable. He loved Alec.

And in the next moment, he grabbed Alec and pulled him close enough to kiss. Didn't kiss though, just searched Alec's eyes, searched for feelings like his own, searched for a yes. Once it registered with Alec what was happening, he gave the most sound yes he could by pulling Jacein to bridge the last bit of distance between them and get the kiss he'd wanted for so long.

/break\

They'd run away together and hid in a small fishing village. And it was fine. For months, it was… fine. Their relationship was beautiful and they reveled in the new closeness they shared. But Jace wasn't happy, and Alec could tell that he wasn't happy. After spending all his life cut off from his true form, he yearned for the ocean. Living in this human village – as far as they lived on the outskirts of it – meant hiding, for Jace. With every passing week, Jace seemed to spend more time in the ocean. And Alec, he watched, yearned too. He had meant to give Jace freedom, but it seemed like that had not been achieved. Every time Jace returned from the sea to tell Alec with all that excitement about the wonders below the surface, it filled Alec with a different yearning too. All these wonders, he wanted to see them himself too.

"Jace," Alec whispered softly one evening in the late autumn.

They were laying together in front of their fireplace. It was getting colder. Jace's swims were going to draw attention at one point. The blonde hummed curiously against him, snuggled up to him.

"The sea warlock you met…" Alec trailed off for a moment. "Do you think he could turn me into a merfolk? So we could be together, underwater?"

Jace's heart actually skipped a beat at that. He froze for a few seconds before looking up at him.

"I… I could ask him. But why would you… You're human."

"I am whatever I have to be to be with you," Alec argued, pressing a kiss to Jace's temple. "And I can tell that you're not happy here. You're happy with me, but not this place. And I will be happy wherever you are, Jace. You had no way of turning into your selkie form for so long…"

Jace turned more, kissing him properly. Alec smiled into their kiss.

/break\

Jace had three forms. His human form that he had spent most of his life in, his seal form that was particularly good for cuddling with Alec who could never deny it, and his third form was half of both. A merman with a seal tail, essentially. Which stood in contrast to Alec, whose lower half was that of a dark-blue fighter fish. The most beautiful sight Jace had ever seen. Part of him still couldn't believe that Magnus had done him this favor, even though they'd only met a few months ago. The other part couldn't believe Alec had done it. But then he saw how genuinely happy Alec seemed to be living underwater with him, to be a merman. Being magical didn't make them monstrous, and now they finally got to make their happiest memories, together under the sea.

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: This was brought to you by someone on Discord reminding me of selkies. Though the original idea was a little different - Jace and his beloved leather jacket in-universe - I still ended up writing it for Jace!