Shadowhunters || Jimonael || Light of Their (After)Life || Jimonael || Shadowhunters
Title: Light of Their (After)Life – How Jace Accidentally Got Two Sugar Daddies
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, wingfic, hurt/comfort, courting, fluff, BDSM, kneeling, spanking, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, knotting, sex toys, f/f, m/f
Main Pairing: Raphael/Simon/Jace
Side Pairings: Magnus/Alec, Lydia/Izzy, Luke/Catarina
Shadowhunters Characters: Jace Herondale, Simon Lewis, Raphael Santiago, Lily Chen, Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood, Max Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, Lydia Branwell, Clary Fray, Luke Garroway, Madzie Loss, Catarina Loss, Imogen Herondale, Rebecca Lewis, Elaine Lewis
Original Characters: Harald 'Hal' Armstrong, Timothy Jeong, Grace Oriol, Salvador Oriol Salazar
Summary: In the aftermath of the war, the New York Institute wants to strengthen its bonds to the local Downworlders by assigning permanent liaisons to each fraction. Jace becomes the liaison to the vampire clan and thus starts spending much more time with the mated Alpha clan-leader pair, Raphael and Simon. At the same time, he's come to the decision to start embracing his omega nature and get off the suppressants he'd been on his entire life.
Light of Their (After)Life
How Jace Accidentally Got Two Sugar Daddies
Chapter 3: The Suit
Three months into this new arrangement, Raphael had to admit that it wasn't the worst idea and that Jace was doing a good job. Once a week, the blonde Shadowhunter would visit the Hotel Dumort to check in. He'd tell them whatever news there were – visiting Downworlders or Shadowhunters, new implements, new threats, or how old ones had been taken care of. The open communication was a great improvement to how things used to be. Especially about threats within the city, knowing what the Shadowhunters were actively battling, what could pose a threat to the clan.
And Jace himself was good. Better than Raphael had expected. He hadn't known the Shadowhunter well during the war, only met him on a few occasions and those times, Jace had been brash. Then again, an active soldier in the middle of any kind of fighting situation was different than meeting off the field in a more diplomatic and bureaucratic manner like this. Politeness was key in such a position and Jace could be incredibly charming when he wanted to be.
An out of city leader meeting was coming up and Raphael knew three months ago, even two months ago, Raphael would not have considered taking Jace with him. The meeting was specifically about Shadowhunters; institutes in other cities wanted to finally follow New York's lead, with Downworlder Cabinets and Shadowhunter liaisons. Other leaders were wary, skeptical, had never had a reason to trust Shadowhunters and accept such a thing, different than New York, where Downworlders had been working closely with Shadowhunters during the war. The other clan leaders wanted Raphael and Simon's input, that was the main reason for this meeting.
"Simon and I are going to leave for a meeting on Friday."
Jace raised one eyebrow and tilted his head at that information. "Okay. Wanna tell me more?"
Communication went both ways, though it was up to the vampires how much information they wished to share with the institute. Newbies, threats to the clan, those things. But what kind of meetings they attended wasn't really the Clave's business. Jace was a different matter though.
"I want you to come with us," replied Raphael calmly. "It's a meeting between clan-leaders. Other leaders have… concerns about the institutes of their cities reaching out, they want to hear from Simon and me on how that's working out for us. As our liaison, I want you to come with us."
Now, Jace raised his other eyebrow too, looking at him in surprise. Not seeing the way Simon was practically beaming. Simon was incredibly pleased with how much Raphael had warmed up to Jace. It wasn't just how polite and charming Jace was, or how good the omega smelt. They'd started talking about more than just work. Raphael had warmed up to Jace. He didn't mind anymore when the blonde came over to the hotel, he even enjoyed their conversations. And Simon, he loved that.
Simon, whose attraction to Jace and crush on Jace had been gradually growing ever since they started spending so much time with Jace, thought that it was great that Raphael showed more interest in Jace too. Though Raphael wasn't so sure about that. Yes, he was developing a tentative kind of friendship with Jace, but if anything, that seemed like a factor that made everything more complicated. It was easier to keep his mate's crush at arm's length when Raphael had no care for Jace. Now that he was befriending Jace and Jace was spending more time with them even outside his work-capacity, Raphael thought that would only make things messier.
"Only if you can, I mean, you have other duties outside of being our," there was the faintest pause in Simon's words, "liaison. I'm sure you have, like, missions and stuff and-"
"And this qualifies as a mission," Jace interrupted him, rolling his eyes at Simon. "Yeah, I would probably spend the shifts on patrol, or… doing… paperwork… You're not putting work into my vacation plans, Simon. Relax. And yeah, I'd like to come. That's… a big step. And this program means so much to Alec, on his account alone I'll do anything I can to move it along."
"Very good," Raphael smiled pleased. "When are you free next week?"
Jace frowned at him in confusion. "You just said leaving on Friday…?"
"Yes, and before that, I'd like to take you shopping," Raphael gave Jace a slow, judgmental once-over. "If you go with us to a vampire meeting, you are first and foremost acting as a representative of us, of our clan, and… this won't do."
He motioned at Jace's stonewashed black jeans and too tight t-shirt. A t-shirt. Raphael had even managed to make Simon wear suits on official business, even within the hotel. Shirts and jeans were for casual get-togethers and private time. As the clan-leader, Simon had to demand respect and show authority. Also, he looked very good in the suits Raphael had been buying for him.
"Ye—eah, a make-over is not in my budget," Jace gave Raphael an amused look.
Raphael waved a dismissive hand. "It's on me, just tell me when you'd have time."
That made Jace snort in amusement. "You're not buying me clothes, Santiago."
"You just said you do not have a budget for this," countered Raphael dryly. "And I am the one requesting… different clothes from you, so it seems unfair to demand you pay them out of your own pocket. It doesn't matter to me, I'm a century old, I have… no money problems."
Jace narrowed his eyes at the alpha vampire, like he was trying to argue but couldn't find another angle to work with here. In the end, he huffed in defeat and threw his hands up in the air.
"Fine, waste your money, who am I to decline free stuff. Wednesday sounds good."
/break\
When Jace had admitted defeat and accepted Raphael buying him clothes, he had not expected Raphael to drag him to an actually expensive store. They had agreed to meet here, but just walking in, Jace was already growing more self-conscious. Nothing he saw was under a four digit price.
"Jace!" Simon called out excitedly, waving. "We're here!"
It was hard to miss them. The entire store was empty aside from one fancy looking elderly employee, Raphael and Simon. The shop was closed, this late in the night. Jace assumed Raphael was paying extra for the late night treatment. Jace frowned as he approached them.
"This… isn't what I had assumed," Jace glared at Raphael.
"Welcome, you must be Jace. I'm Marco. Mister Santiago said tonight is about you. Please, the jacket," the elderly man motioned toward the mirrors. "Stand here, arms out."
Jace continued glaring at Raphael even as he did as instructed. While Jace got measured, Simon and Raphael just… sat there, in comfortable and expensive looking armchairs, drinking what looked like whiskey. Like Jace was evening entertainment. He tried not to think too hard on that, because there was a certain degree of voyeurism that Jace had always been into. So being watched with hawk-eyes like that, by two attractive alphas…? It was easy to let his mind wander elsewhere, so he had to try hard not to let it wander into that direction.
This job had not helped him in the least about getting over his stupid feelings for Simon that were not going to lead anywhere anyway because Simon had a mate. A handsome, charming alpha. Jace shook his head a little, turning his focus onto the mirror instead, watching himself.
"This feels like something you didn't have to be a part of, Lewis."
"Ye—eah, but also this is fun," Simon grinned at him. "Reminds me of shopping trips with Clary, Izzy and Maia. You should tag along to those, you know."
"I stopped going shopping with Izzy years ago, for my own sanity's sake," Jace huffed. "She always loved putting me into stupid outfits and I'm over my fishnet-shirt phase."
Simon made a high-pitched noise. "Two questions: Your what and are there pictures of this?"
A lazy grin spread over Jace's lips as he turned to look at Simon. "Alec was too stoic to allow it and young teen Izzy loved playing dress-up with someone, so I was the preferred victim."
Jace relaxed a little with the banter and let the tailor work his magic, even as it took hours. He had apparently already worked on a piece that now needed to be adjusted to Jace's specific measures. It took longer than anticipated, but then Jace had never been fitted for a suit so he had no frame of reference. He sat with Simon and Raphael, also being handed a whiskey, as Marco disappeared into the back to work on the adjustments. When Marco came back, Jace got ushered into a changing room and when he stepped out again, his eyes first found the two alpha vampires whose eyes were watching him so intensely, before looking into the mirror. Damn. He looked good.
"Very good," Marco sounded pleased. "Some more minor adjustments, now that I see it on you."
He was tugging on certain parts of the suit, but Jace was too busy staring at himself, and then at the two alphas again. The look on Raphael's face was so pleased and something about that made Jace feel very good. Though Simon looked strange, nearly in awe. Jace didn't know how to place it.
"Yes," Raphael's voice was dark and satisfied. "This will do nicely. You clean up well, Jace."
/break\
Jace practically fled into his bedroom and closed the door a little louder than necessary, leaning against it. He was clutching the far too expensive suit in his hands, eyes closed tightly. He'd been annoyed, at first, against it when he saw what kind of high-end store Raphael had picked. But when he'd been done? The way the two alphas had looked at him? And when Raphael had actually paid for it, like it was nothing, even though it cost about as much as Jace's entire wardrobe.
The reason he was currently so winded though was because all of that had done something to Jace, and Jace was struggling with it. Not just the way the alphas had looked at him, most of all the fact that the two alphas had bought him the suit. Had bought him something, at all. Gifts weren't something Jace was used to in general, only birthdays and Christmases and only with the Lightwoods. Nobody outside the Lightwoods had ever given him a gift. And certainly not without any reason. There was something primal to receiving unprompted gifts from alphas, like an itch in his soul that was currently getting scratched and giving him goosebumps all over, made him want to melt into a puddle. The fact that it was expensive and that Raphael had just shrugged that off like it meant nothing to him only added to it. Not necessarily because he needed or wanted someone to spend a lot of money on him, but more so because Raphael could and had chosen to.
This had to do with him being an omega, Jace knew that. He wasn't stupid. However, he was very overwhelmed by this, because it felt so much more intense than he could have expected.
Though the feeling that their eyes on him had given him also factored into how he felt right now, because both their gaze had been intense. Simon's puzzling, but Raphael's so clearly pleased and Jace's inner omega was preening at having pleased the alpha, wanted to figure out what else he could do to please the alpha, wanted to put that look on Raphael's face over and over again, wanted the alpha pleased with him, perhaps Raphael would even praise-
"Stop that," Jace growled, grinding his teeth together as he slid down the door.
Wasn't it bad enough he had his pointless crush on Simon? Was he now seriously developing some kind of attraction to Raphael? Sure, they were getting along rather well, what had started as a civil but distant work relationship had gradually grown into friendly territory over the past three months, but that was absolutely no reason for Jace to start having any kind of attraction there.
Surely it was just because Simon and Raphael were alphas and he was spending a lot of time with them. That was the only reason. There weren't too many alphas Jace knew and was close to. Magnus, Lydia, Luke and he didn't know if Maia counted too, since the two had barely seen each other since the war had ended, only occasionally running into each other in the Hunter's Moon. Luke had taken on a paternal role in Jace's life, ever since they had assumed Jace to be Valentine's son and Clary's brother, the werewolf had taken it upon himself to be a father-figure in Jace's life and even after the reveal that Valentine had once again lied to him, Luke didn't stop. Magnus was Alec's mate, had become a friend ever since Jace had lived with him. Lydia was a close friend to Alec and she was Izzy's mate. So technically, Jace categorized all three alphas as familial.
Simon and Raphael weren't part of the family. That made them different. Surely that was the reason Jace's body was reacting the way it did. Because Jace wasn't used to alphas who weren't part of his family paying close attention to him, showing any kind of care for him. Not since Jace had gotten off his suppressants and was embracing him omega side. That was all there was.
/break\
"Magnus. I need to borrow your mate."
Magnus heaved a sigh and removed his face from where it had been buried in Alexander's neck, so he could instead look at his intruder. And here he thought he would be seeing less of Jace after the blonde moved back to the institute. Alas, as long as Alexander was going to spend a lot of his time here, Jace would find his way to the loft too. Sadly, due to his position as the head of the institute, Alexander was still officially living at said institute, and saying at least two or three nights a week in his rooms there too. Magnus understood that, after all, he in return would not move into the institute himself because his job as High Warlock meant he had to be reachable for his people, and the institute was first and foremost Shadowhunter territory.
"I set my wards to recognize you and allow you into my home," Magnus leveled a glare at Jace. "The least you could do is knock if it's not an actual emergency, little Shadowhunter."
Jace offered him a cocky grin. "Now where's the fun in that?"
Mh. Interesting. The blonde had lived with Magnus long enough and Magnus had gotten to know Jace well enough to see the nuances in that cockiness. Most of the time, it served to cover something up. Trauma bonding was how the two of them had really gotten to know each other, over many shared drinks too late at night when neither could sleep. Magnus had grown… attached to his then boyfriend's parabatai. After all, Alexander had chosen to tie his soul to this boy. That made Jace very important to Magnus, by association alone. Now that Magnus and Alexander were mates, now that Magnus had spent these months living with Jace, he had also grown fond of Jace on Jace's own account. And now that Jace was fully presenting as an omega, Magnus also knew that there was another layer to that attachment. This little group of theirs that had formed during the war, it was a pride – a pack, a flock, a bit more complicated to name when so many different fractions came together – and Magnus, he had become the Alpha of this little group. So these days, Magnus looked at Jace as an unmated omega under his protection, and that made his inner alpha feel protective. Not that he was going to tell Jace that; the blonde would flip him off and take offense.
"What is it?" Alec groaned as he removed himself from his mate, offering him an apologetic look.
Magnus smiled and waved a dismissive hand. When he had started courting Alexander, he'd known that he would always share Alexander's attention. A parabatai bond was deep and important and Magnus knew and respected that. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to his lovely beta's temple.
"A drink, blondie?"
"Ye—es," Jace groaned, sounding frustrated and exhausted.
Mh, at least Jace wasn't interrupting Magnus' Alexander-time for no reason. Something was clearly bothering Jace, and Jace's first instinct might always be to go and seek out his parabatai.
"Well?" Alec raised his eyebrows as he went to sit on the couch. "What's wrong?"
"I'm feeling-" Jace scrubbed his upper arms. "Itchy in my soul?"
"Well, that sounds peculiar," Magnus raised his eyebrows and handed Jace a drink. "Did you come to see Alexander, or do you need… a potion of sorts against that?"
"I think you just handed me the only potion that might help," Jace emptied his glass in one go. "It's… an omega-thing. I know it is. Something… happened, and I'm having… feelings about it. And I'm not used to this, it's… urgh. I just. Can you groom my wings, Alec? Please. I need…"
He dropped the special glamour that made a Shadowhunter's wings intangible and invisible, revealing the golden-dusted white barn-owl wings and spreading them. Alec adjusted to sit behind him, his fingers near automatically carding through the mighty wings, gently sorting the feathers.
"Wanna talk about what happened?" Alec asked, in a soft voice.
He knew not to push his parabatai, knew Jace was still very new to talking about his feelings, learning how to open up. The fact that he had come and seek Alec out for a gentle, calming grooming session instead of chasing a one-night-stand or throwing himself into work was a good sign already. He was learning better coping mechanisms and articulating it better when something was wrong, when something was upsetting him. Alec was so proud of his parabatai.
Curiously enough, Jace's eyes wandered toward Magnus for a moment. "No. I'm just. No."
Or perhaps uncomfortable with the alpha in the room. Magnus raised an amused eyebrow.
"Would you like me to leave… my own living room, and give you two some privacy?"
"No," Jace rolled his eyes, waving an annoyed hand. "It's not. It's not you. I just don't… I just need to get used to all these new feelings and instincts and stuff, there's nothing to talk about that. It's just… awkward and annoying, that's all."
Not comfortable with it himself yet, much less with sharing it with someone. Fair enough. Magnus went ahead to sit on the other couch, watching his mate work on Jace's wings in comfortable silence, until he was done and the two Shadowhunters switched places. Magnus' eyes flashed golden as he looked at Alexander's beautiful snow-owl wings. How much he loved those wings. And how grateful he was to Jace, for teaching him how to properly groom a Shadowhunter's wings – how to properly groom Alexander's wings. It was something Shadowhunters did among themselves for bonding, with family and flock members, and Magnus had wanted to be a part of that, to be able to provide that to his mate, even though he had no wings of his own and thus never learned how to do proper wing-grooming. Until Jace had moved in with him and taught him.
"Thank you," Jace whispered softly, not looking away from Alec's wings. "This… helped."
"Any time, parabatai," Alec smiled to himself. "And if you change your mind and want to talk…"
"I know where to find you and steal you away from your mate," Jace turned to grin at Magnus.
/break\
"Someone's looking fancy," Isabelle grinned teasingly. "What is the occasion? Don't tell me you're going on a date with someone? Did… Did an alpha ask you out?"
The teasing turned into genuine interest and even excitement. Jace fidgeted with the sleeve of his wine-red dress-shirt. The material was so soft against his skin, when he'd put it on this morning, he involuntarily started purring. And he hated that. Purring was an omega thing. Omegas did that when they were very, very comfortable. And soft things made omegas comfortable. But Jace had never purred before, Jace Herondale did not purr. Certainly not about the clothes an acquaintance had bought for him for entirely business-related reasons.
"I told you, about the mission, for the clan," Jace jerked his head a little.
"You didn't mention that you went shopping for it," Alec furrowed his brows as he approached.
"Raphael insisted," Jace tried to sound casual, dismissive. "He bought it for me earlier this week."
Alec narrowed his eyes as he watched his parabatai closer. Earlier this week? When Jace had stormed into his loft, agitated? When he hadn't spoken up about what was bothering him? He wasn't sure what to do with this, he was a beta himself and his mate was an alpha so he had no real guess on what might have happened. Isabelle made a curious noise next to Alec.
"It's a very nice suit," Izzy tilted her head. "Say hi from me and enjoy your trip?"
Alec pulled his parabatai into one last hug. "Be careful. Call me if anything goes wrong."
Author's note: You are reaping the benefits of me REALLY being into this story right now, because here, have another unscheduled update xD It was supposed to be up in two weeks, but I was overcome with the idea for the suit shopping and felt REALLY motivated to write it right away! After all, at the core the idea for this story was Saphael as Jace's sugar daddies, so let's get them into buying stuff for Jace ;D ALSO Raphael and Jace growing closer~
Stay tuned for the next chapter featuring the three of them going to that meeting together and sharing a hotel suite ;)