Malace || Shadowhunters || Malace || The Found Puppy || Malace || Shadowhunters || Malace
Title: The Found Puppy – Jalec Bingo 2023/2024
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: canon divergence, polyamory (m/m/m), alpha/beta/omega dynamics, shapeshifters, hurt/comfort
Main Pairing: Magnus/Alec/Jace
Shadowhunters Characters: Jace Herondale, Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood
Summary: Prompt: wine. In a world of shapeshifters, Jace ran away after his father faked his death and lived on the streets in Idris in his shift-form, until years later, when he is found by Magnus and Alec during their honeymoon and the mated pair take him in.
The Found Puppy
Jalec Bingo 2023/2024
The second Circle War had been hard on them all. So many lives lost, so much destruction and pain. But it wasn't all bad. This war, it had brought Magnus his Alexander. His pretty, lovely beta. And with Alexander, a whole new family. Isabelle, Max, Clary, even Simon. They had fought together, it had forged a bond between them. Made them a pack in their own rights.
And Magnus, he was the proud Alpha of that pack. Even prouder now that him and Alexander had sealed their mate-bond. So many centuries, Magnus had been alone, but finally he had a mate to love, a mate who loved him back just as much.
Now that the war was over, they finally got to enjoy the good. Without being interrupted by fighting, by threats, by danger. Him and Alexander got married, it had been a beautiful ceremony, with everyone they loved present and celebrating them. And now, finally, Magnus got to take his beloved mate and whisk him away on a honeymoon. Alone time, just the two of them.
With Maryse Lightwood deruned and banished, and Robert Lightwood moved to Los Angeles, Alec had suggested for them to spend their honeymoon in Idris. Magnus would have preferred something with a beach, but he was too touched by Alec's eagerness to share his childhood home with him, to show him around Idris, a place not many Downworlders had ever gone to. So Magnus was spending his honeymoon in the Lightwood Estate in Idris, which was a beautiful mansion and it did have a pond in the backyard so he did get to see shirtless and wet Alec on hot days, even without a beach.
/break\
Alec was making his way home after buying groceries when he heard laughter and a high pitched whining. He frowned and turned toward the source of the noise just to find a couple kids cornering a scared dog. One of the boys was holding a stone and raising his hand. Alec dropped his groceries and had the kid's wrist in a vice-grip within moments.
"Drop it now, before you hurt your wrist," Alec warned darkly.
"Ouch, what the heck," the boy cried out, turning toward him. "I'll tell my mom!"
"Please do, then I'll tell your mom that she is raising a little sociopath," Alec growled. "Get lost, now, and if I ever catch any of you tormenting an animal again, you'll regret it."
The kids ran away screaming and Alec was left with a better view on the dog. A Golden Retriever, but quite malnourished, fur matted and dirty. Frowning concerned, Alec went down into his knees. The dog growled at him in warning, pressed closely against the ground. Scared. Of course he was, these kids had just been tormenting him. Slowly, Alec backed off.
"Hey," Alec's voice was as soft and gentle as possible. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I know you have no reason to believe me, but I'm not."
He slowly made his way back to his groceries. With one eye on the dog, Alec rummaged through it, finding the sausage he'd bought for dinner. He walked closer to the dog again – careful not to get too close and chase him off – and then put the sausage down.
"You look hungry. Here, you can have this."
He offered the dog a kind smile, even as the poor animal didn't make any attempts to get closer to it, eyeing Alec warily. That was okay. Alec returned to his groceries and took a water bottle out, as well as the box of strawberries. He emptied the strawberries back into his bag and took just the empty box so he could place it next to the sausage and fill it with water.
"I'm sure you're thirsty too. It's okay, I'll leave all this for you and leave you to it, okay?" Alec then motioned toward the Lightwood Estate. "If you want more, you can come and visit me."
It was silly to talk to an animal like that, but living with Magnus Bane had rubbed off on him. His warlock always talked to the cats, having one-sided conversations. Alec had never quite seen himself as a cat-person, and the cats agreed with that. Well, there was one cat he liked, a lot, and who liked him back, but Magnus was different than the actual animals. When it came to animals, Alec had always seen himself more as a dog-person. The Golden Retriever whined confused, looking at him. Definitely a dog-person.
/break\
Magnus was humming to himself as he set everything out for dinner. Cheese, wine, sausage, figs, grapes. Just a nice cold plate to be enjoyed outside, a little late picnic. Only that he couldn't find the sausage that Alec had meant to buy. Frowning, he took a sip of his wine.
"Darling!" Magnus called out. "Did you forget the sausage?"
His lovely beta entered the kitchen and shook his head. "No, I kind of… gave it to someone who needed it more than us…"
Magnus frowned at that answer. "What does that mean?"
The look on Alec's face changed into something darker and his scent soured significantly. "There were some kids, they were… mistreating a dog. Once I chased them away, I noticed that the dog looked very malnourished, so I left him the sausage."
Magnus' face softened as he reached for his mate and kissed him gently. "And the dog?"
"Too scared of humans to let me get closer," Alec sighed, clearly worried. "I didn't want to risk chasing him away, feeding him seemed more important, so I just… left. I hope I'll see him again, maybe get a chance to gain his trust, we could take him to a vet…"
"I love you," Magnus whispered against Alec's lips. "Your big, kind heart."
Alec blushed in embarrassment. Open compliments and expressions of adoration like that were still something he didn't quite know how to handle. Nobody had ever looked at him, or spoken to him, like that before Magnus. It was nice, but he wasn't used to it. So instead, he went to gather some of the food laid out by Magnus to carry it outside.
"C'mon, midnight picnic is also good without sausage."
Magnus hummed his agreement and grabbed the wine-bottle and two glasses to join his love. The two of them got comfortable on a blanket in front of the lake, watching the ducks and the sunset. It was a perfect little moment and Magnus felt warm and happy in it. Finally, they had time to enjoy themselves, without the war and danger looming over them. Just Magnus and his lovely beta. He rested a hand on one of Alec's, holding it gently, smiling at his husband and mate.
The moment was interrupted by rustling. It set them both into high alert, the war too fresh on their minds. Alec reached for a knife – not his blade, that was inside, but the cheese knife would do for now. Magnus raised his hands warily, causing them to glow blue with his magic. Said magic illuminated the garden enough to show the source of the rustling. A dog, hunched low.
"Oh," Alec immediately lowered his knife, his voice dropping low. "Hello, gorgeous. You came."
Ah. The dog. Magnus raised one eyebrow, turning to watch his husband. When Magnus moved, he gained the attention of the dog and he immediately growled and backed off. Slowly, Magnus took a step back, to ease the dog's mind. He didn't look dangerous or aggressive, he looked afraid.
"Hey, no," Alec spoke gently. "That's my mate, that's my Magnus, he's not a danger to you, he is not going to hurt you, I promise."
A small smile spread over his lips as Magnus watched the interaction. He knew his Alexander was trying with the cats, but there was a mutual stalemate between them. Cats and dogs, as they said. Cats were among the animals who had a high sense for people's shift-form and they were very vary of Alec, because he was a dog-shifter. Every member of the Shadow World was either alpha, beta or omega, and that second nature was linked to a shift-form. Different than werewolves, who could turn into wolves of unnatural strength, speed and size. A shift-form was just a second animal skin, a manifestation of the more animalistic, primal nature of the Shadow World.
"Do you want more food?" Alec asked, crouching down. "Magnus?"
"Yes, I'll go and fetch something appropriate from the fridge. I doubt he likes figs."
Magnus made his way to the kitchen, having too soft of a spot for animals in need already – though he tended to lean more toward cats. Perhaps an instinctual thing, considering his shift-form was a black panther, a large feline, he'd always felt closer to cats. But his Alexander was a dog, a stunning and adorable Border Collie, so it made sense Alexander leaned more toward dogs.
"Here," Magnus returned with some bologna, handing it to Alec.
The dog growled again when Magnus stepped up to Alec, so Magnus took some steps back once more. The poor thing was in an awful state. Messy, dirty fur, clearly malnourished. If Alexander had a chance to give him food, maybe gain his trust, then Magnus didn't want to get in the way.
"Here," Alec's voice was soft and warm as he put the bologna down. "It's okay. We'll leave you to eat, okay? But you can stay here, you'll be safe here."
After a moment, the couple returned to their blanket and ate, though both their attention was on the dog, watching as he slowly inched closer toward the bologna until he could sniff it curious and then, finally, eating. Only when the dog ate did Alexander relax. This was a very beautiful new side of his beta. Not entirely new, Alec was always kind and caring, particularly with his siblings.
"Do we now have a dog, darling?" Magnus asked in a whispered, teasing voice.
"What. I just," Alec flushed a little. "I don't know? If… he wants to stay? If we can gain his trust, do… you think… we could… keep him? Do you mind? Since you're more of a cat-person…"
"Well," Magnus smiled playfully, grasping Alec by the neck. "I've been known to be charmed by a particular puppy before, I'm sure I can be swayed again."
Alec huffed and rolled his eyes. "Do not call me a puppy."
Magnus laughed and stole a kiss from his mate. He did so love to tease.
/break\
Alec had woken up far before Magnus and left the mansion to head to the city and buy some things. He hadn't meant to, he'd just meant to feed a dog in need, but then Magnus had put the idea into Alec's mind that they could keep the scared Golden Retriever. When Alec saw the dog in the garden, sleeping under the bench on the porch, Alec had a feeling that if given some time, they really could make him trust them. They really could keep him. So Alec headed out, to the nearest pet-store in Idris, to buy some supplies. Back at the mansion, he went ahead and filled the two dog bowls he'd just bought, one with water and one with food, before carrying them outside.
As soon as he entered the porch, the dog stirred and gave the lowest, softest warning growl. He may have accepted food and may have come here, but he didn't trust Alec yet. That was okay. Alec was patient, he was fine earning the pretty boy's trust. With a smile did he put the two bowls down.
"Here, that's for you," Alec whispered softly. "And if we see that either of them is empty, we'll refill them for you. As long as you stay with us, you won't have to go hungry or thirsty, okay?"
The dog looked at him doubtfully like he didn't fully believe him. Alec offered a small smile.
/break\
Magnus liked to spend his evenings outside, watching the pond and drinking a good glass of wine. Raiding the Lightwood wine cellar had become his favorite pastime at the estate, right after ravishing his mate. Perhaps it was a little petty, but then Robert and Maryse Lightwood had not been the most welcoming in-laws and they had given Alexander a lot of grievance over his choice in boyfriend, and they hadn't warmed up to him after the wedding, after Alexander and Magnus had sealed their mate-bond. So Magnus felt like he deserved the treat.
"Good evening, gorgeous," Magnus smiled at the dog sitting under the bench.
He growled at Magnus, though it was half-hearted at best. The Golden Retriever had been living on their porch for about five days now. Alexander, the dear, kept trying to coax him into the house, trying ever so carefully to touch the dog so they could bring him to a vet and have him checked through, but the puppy would back off every time, one time that Alec had tried to pick him up, he had even run away. It took him two hours to return to the mansion, wary and keeping his distance. Still, it felt like progress to Magnus. They could get relatively close to him, even Magnus.
"I don't take offense to your hostility, you know," Magnus noted casually while sitting down on the outdoor couch opposite the one the dog was hiding beneath. "I'm an alpha. I know dogs are more sensitive to shifter-scents. You already have trust issues, so my scent doesn't help. My dear Alexander, he is a beta, that's less threatening to you, mh? And perhaps you can pick up on the notes of our shift-form. I'm a predator, more danger. Alexander is… a dog. Familiar to you."
The puppy whined curiously and stuck his head out from beneath the couch, just a little. He was cute. And he was slowly gaining weight, or maybe Magnus was imagining that, hoping that their efforts were paying off, that the poor thing's health would increase.
"But it's okay," Magnus continued after a moment. "You will come to like me. Most people do. You're already trusting Alexander an awful lot, it's only a matter of time until he gets to pet you, until you take the invitation and come inside, so Alexander can give you a bath and we can have a vet check you for serious injuries. And then you get a collar and a warm bed inside, mh?"
The dog made a huffing noise and retreated again. Not a fan of collars, mh? Magnus chuckled and sipped his wine. They were not going to leave Idris without that dog, Magnus knew that.
/break\
"Who's a good boy?" Alec's voice was filled with awe and warmth. "You are. Such a good boy."
On day nine of the Golden Retriever staying on the property, Alec finally got to pet him. He tried, every time he put food out, reaching a hand out for the dog to sniff and allow him to touch. So far, he had never done it, just went for the food. Today was the first time the dog came to sniff his hand and even lick it, carefully bumping his head against it. Alec was so excited and happy, he kept piling on words of endearment and praise, until the puppy seemed to relax more, tail wagging.
"Am I asking too much if I invite you inside, pretty puppy?" Alec asked hopefully.
A reluctant whine came from the dog and he took a step back. Alec sighed and inched after him.
"C'mon, there is a very fluffy, comfy dog bed waiting for you in there," Alec tried. "Plus, you need a bath. Don't growl at me, I'm not taking you growling at me seriously anymore at this point. Your fur is all matted and dirty, I'm sure it's gorgeous and golden beneath all that dirt."
The dog gave him a pointed look, as much as a dog could do that anyway. He needed a name, Alec thought. If they were going to get the puppy to go into the mansion and stay with them, they needed a name for him. Puppy wasn't exactly a long-term solution.
"Please, gorgeous?" Alec cupped the puppy's face. "Come on, I won't hurt you, you must believe that at this point. Whether you're out here or in there makes little difference then."
A noise close to defeat came from the Golden Retriever and he laid down on the floor, looking up at Alec with the saddest puppy-dog eyes. So manipulative. Alec huffed out a laugh.
"No. No, that's not going to work on me," Alec shook his head. "Come on, good boys need a shower and once they got a shower, they get really comfortable beds, and cuddles."
A whine, more curious than complaint, as the dog sat up. Good. Alec was finally getting somewhere. Getting up, Alec walked back to the back-door, opening it wide and indicating for the dog to follow him. The Golden Retriever got up and shook himself but didn't walk yet.
"Magnus is making dinner and if you are a good boy and come with me, I will tell him to make some extra bacon for you, because good boys who get baths also get treats."
On day three, Alec and Magnus had noticed that their puppy had a weakness for bacon, when the couple had eaten breakfast outside together and the Golden Retriever had gotten daringly close to the table, his tail wagging and his nose sniffing the air. Once again, the promise of bacon worked on the puppy and he perked up some, tail wagging.
/break\
When Magnus returned from his stroll – he liked to explore Idris, not many warlocks had ever gotten the chance to – he went ahead to prepare dinner. Alec had sent him a text, claiming that he had bribed the golden puppy into entering the mansion with the promise of bacon. Magnus was doubtful on how true that was and how much had just been Alec's charm, which seemed to be working on the dog as well as it did on Magnus, but who was he to argue with special treats for special boys? So he sizzled some bacon in an extra pan, because they spoiled their puppy.
"Look who is all clean and pretty."
Magnus turned around to see his mate with a blinding smile, looking prouder than Magnus had ever seen him, and in Alec's arms, a slightly disgruntled but clean Golden Retriever. And Alec was right. He did look very pretty, with his fur cleaned and fluffed like that.
"Hello, gorgeous," Magnus smiled. "And were you good or did you give Alec a hard time?"
The dog barked once and Alec looked a little frustrated. "Well, he wasn't the biggest fan of getting a bath, but I am unharmed, so I count it as a victory for me."
Alec put the dog down and he immediately walked over to Magnus, tail wagging, nose sniffing and expectant look on his face. Ah. Someone wanted the promised bacon it seemed. Chuckling, Magnus took a bacon stripe and held it up in front of the puppy.
"Who's a good boy?" Magnus asked, dangling the bacon a little, receiving a bark. "Yes, you are."
While Magnus bribed their puppy with bacon, Alec sat down at the table with an exhausted sigh. Well, it figured that bathing a fully grown Golden Retriever, who did not want to be bathed, would be an exhausting task. Magnus smiled warmly at his mate.
"I picked a name for him," Alec's voice was soft.
Both Magnus and the dog turned toward him at that, the dog as expectant as Magnus it seemed.
"I was thinking Jace, spelled J-a-c-e, because it's pronounced like 'chase' and you know how much I love when he's chasing squirrels in the backyard, it's so adorable. But I thought 'Chase' isn't… that's not a name," Alec explained, maybe a little flustered.
Okay, Magnus had not expected his mate to put that much thought into naming their dog. With a gentle smile did he lean in to kiss his beautiful beta. This was a very endearing side of his Alexander. The dog – newly named Jace – yelped curiously and tilted his head at them.
"What do you say, pretty puppy? You like the name? Jace?" Magnus asked.
Another yelp, nearly like he was agreeing with them. It made Magnus laugh softly. That was when he noticed that Alec had managed to put the collar on their puppy too. A red leather collar, with a golden tag. It was blank on the front, but Alec had it engraved with their address in New York on the back, since they planned on returning back home once the puppy was more used to them. Magnus raised his hand, blue magic swirling around it. With his magic did he engrave the tag, spelling JACE in all capital letters. Jace made a startled sound as the magic swirled around him.
"There you go," Magnus smiled pleased. "Jace Bane. Good boy."
/break\
After that first bath, Jace quickly warmed up more to them. For the past two weeks, Jace had been very affectionate, particularly with Alec. Alec was still his primary human, but he did finally also let Magnus pat and touch him. If given the choice though, the Golden Retriever would rather climb into Alec's lap for cuddles when they watched a movie together or it was time to go to bed. And yes, the dog was sleeping in their bed, despite the dog bed Alec had bought him. But Jace would use those irresistible puppy-dog eyes on Alec and then Alec would turn and use his own irresistible puppy-dug eyes on Magnus, so the dog got to sleep in the bed.
"Look at him," Alec grinned and ruffled Jace's fur. "He looks so content."
Alec was sprawled out on the bed, reading a book. Jace was sprawled out on top of Alec, happy and asleep. One of his hands was holding the book, the other hand was gently tracing down Jace's spine. Magnus, who had just entered the bedroom after taking a nice, hot bath, smiled at them.
"He is completely enamored with you, darling," Magnus chuckled. "Just like I am."
"It seems you are both men of great taste," Alec teased with a grin.
Magnus laughed and climbed onto the bed, crawling over toward his husband so he could kiss him. "It seems we are. What do you say, how much longer do we give our puppy?"
When their kiss broke, Alec frowned. Their honeymoon should have been over for a couple days already, it was supposed to only last three weeks, but they had been so close to getting the Golden Retriever to trust them so they'd stayed, and now they had Jace's trust. Still, Alec was reluctant to return to New York, because they'd just gotten Jace inside the mansion. What if changing locations like that would upset Jace, what if their puppy would run away from the foreign environment?
"We also both haven't shifted in two weeks," Magnus added next. "I'm itching to change, and to see you, my number one precious puppy."
"I don't know how well he'll take that either," Alec's frown deepened. "You saw how long it took him to trust you based on your alpha-scent. Smelling you're a predator and seeing you in… all of your huge, impressive black panther glory… it might freak him out."
"Or he is completely charmed by your Border Collie form," Magnus argued.
Alec grunted and looked at his sleeping puppy. He had grown way too attached to Jace. The thought of anything scaring him off, chasing him away, unsettled Alec. His arms tightened around Jace, pulling him into a comforting hug. Magnus' fingers carded gently through Alec's hair.
"The vet said that our good boy here has gone through a lot," Magnus whispered. "He's a survivor, he's adaptive. He can get used to the changes, my love. Give him a chance."
Alec heaved a sigh and leaned into his alpha. "Tomorrow. I'll change first, since seeing a human turn into an animal will freak him out, but you are right, another dog might not frighten him as much. We ease him into this, okay? And then, we return home, with him. Okay?"
"We can't hide out here forever," Magnus smiled gently. "It's time to return home, yes."
/break\
Magnus had been right. It'd been too long since he'd last shifted. There was an exhilarating feeling to shifting into his dog-form. He shook himself when he landed on all four, stretching pleased.
"Alec? Alec! Alec, you're a dog!"
Alec jumped startled as he heard a voice inside his head. A voice he was unfamiliar with. But as he looked around, he saw nobody aside from Magnus and Jace. Jace, whose tail was wagging so hard as he jumped up and down in front of Alec in utter excitement.
"Alec! You're a dog, too. I didn't think you were a dog! I thought you would be an owl or something, something wise and regal. You're bigger than me. That's unfair."
Alec stared at Jace, baffled. They couldn't communicate with common animals. The mental link, it was only reserved to shapeshifters. Tilting his head, Alec took a few tentative steps forward.
"...Jace? Are you… talking to me?"
"Yes!" Jace sounded very happy as he leaned forward to sniff Alec. "And you're talking to me. I missed that. I haven't spoken to anyone in so, so, so long."
"But… you're a dog… why can you… Why can I understand you?"
Jace paused in front of him and tilted his head curiously. "I… wasn't always. I was like you."
"Like me? Like, a human, or specifically a Shadowhunter?"
"Shadowhunter," Jace blinked, eyes large at that word. "But it's been so long… I… I forgot. I forgot how to change back. So I've been living as a dog. And it… wasn't good, until you found me. Now it's good. I like being with you. And your alpha. Though I don't like when he hogs you."
"Why. Why did you shift into your dog-form and not turn back for so long that you forgot?"
Alec frowned, doubtful. Jace looked at him with the irresistible puppy-dog eyes and he immediately wanted to hug his puppy. This was a strange story, but there was so much sincerity in Jace's eyes.
"My father, he was… Someone came to our home and killed him and I watched and I hid and I was… so scared. So I shifted and I ran. I ran as far and long as I could, into the mountains, away. I hid for… so long. Ten years. I kept count of the winters. At one point, I would have been a teenager, I came to the City of Glass, but I couldn't… I couldn't remember, how to turn back. I wanted to, I thought I could have a life, as a Shadowhunter, but I couldn't remember how to become a human again. So I stayed a dog, and I walked the streets and I was… all alone. Until you found me."
"What's your name? Your father's name?"
"Jonathan Wayland. My name is Jonathan Wayland. My father was Michael Wayland."
That gave Alec pause. Michael Wayland had been his father's parabatai. He remembered, ten years ago, Robert had learned of his parabatai's death. Supposedly, the man had a son, but the son had vanished. The Clave had looked everywhere for the boy for weeks before he was declared dead at one point. If the then ten year old child had seen his father killed in front of him, shifting into a fast-running dog to run away and escape the people who killed his father? That made sense.
"Okay," Alec heaved a deep sigh. "I can… I think I can teach you how to turn back."
Jace flopped down onto the floor, tilting his head. "But can we play first? You're my size now."
That made Alec laugh just a little. His puppy was very playful and adorable.
/break\
Magnus was sitting on the couch with a glass of wine, smiling to himself as he watched his mate in his shift-form – beautiful black Border Collie – chasing their Golden Retriever. How cute.
And then Alexander turned back human, after a while. The shocking thing was when their puppy also turned into a human. Magnus nearly dropped his wine-glass in surprise when there was suddenly a very naked man with shaggy golden-blonde hair sitting on the floor in front of him. His surprise only grew when the scent of unmated omega hit his nose.
"What," was all Magnus could get out, staring at Jace.
"So our puppy isn't a puppy, he's… a Shadowhunter," Alec explained, voice soft. "Apparently, his… his father was murdered when he was a kid, and he was so scared, he shifted and ran away and lived in the wild, in his shift-form, for so long… he forgot how to change back."
"Oh, sweetie," Magnus' eyes softened as he looked at Jace.
"I knew of his father, that part… checks out," Alec cleared his throat. "This is Jonathan Wayland."
"Well," Magnus reached a hand out. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Jonathan."
The blonde flinched away and his scent soured in something close to distress. At first, Magnus thought it was a reaction to him, as an alpha. Maybe their scents became more prominent to him as a human now too, the way Magnus could only now smell that the other was an omega.
"Don't," he shook his head. "Don't… call me that. Please. I don't… Only father called me that. I like Jace better. Can I keep the name? Can you keep calling me Jace?"
Well, that was peculiar. It surely didn't give Magnus a good feeling about the blonde's father.
"Jace, then," Magnus smiled, trying to look non-threatening and charming. "Hello."
"Hello," Jace sat up some, looking at him. "I… Thank you, for… helping me."
"I… I'll… I'll get you some clothes," Alec muttered flustered when Jace stood up.
Naked omega right in front of them. Magnus' smile turned more amused by his flustered mate, though he also tried not to look where he wasn't supposed to look. The blonde wasn't bothered at all. Which figured, if he'd spent the past decade as a dog. Dogs didn't wear clothes.
"Woah," Jace yelped a little after trying to take a step. "Two legs are weird."
Magnus was quick to catch him by the arm, steadying him. "Ah. Yes, I suppose, when one is used to walking on four legs… Come, sit down on the couch for now, mh?"
Jace nodded sharply and let the warlock guide him toward the couch. This evening surely had taken a different turn than expected. Magnus regarded the omega curiously, wondering what came next.
/break\
Alec being Alec had first of all checked Jace's story. Michael Wayland's death, the still missing and declared dead status of his son Jonathan. He'd remembered it correctly. He also read more details of the murder. Michael Wayland had been one of the Circle members, that was why he'd lived in isolation farther away from the City of Glass. Which explained why Jace had chosen to run into wilderness instead of toward civilization. Because he didn't know civilization, he'd never been to the city, nobody had known the boy personally. There was no one left. Eliza Wayland had been dead for many years prior to Michael's death. No grandparents, or aunts or uncles. Only Jace.
Unsure what else to do, Magnus and Alec took Jace to New York with them and Magnus summoned a guest-room in the loft for the omega to live in. At least for now. They'd stayed two more days in Idris, and Jace was… too new to being human again, for them to just thrust him into the institute. It'd be too overwhelming, especially considering that the two of them had only gained Jace's trust two weeks ago. There was a lot of trauma this boy held, they doubted that masses of people with questions and demands would do him any good.
The problem was that even in his human form, Jace still did very dog-like things. Like crawling into Alec's lap for cuddles during a movie. Or staring at Magnus with the most impossibly large eyes during breakfast to get bacon (more bacon, because he now had his own plate, with his own breakfast, which already included breakfast, but he'd puppy-dog-eye his eye into also getting the majority of Magnus' bacon). Or crawling into their bed at night.
So far, the guest-room stood very unused, because Jace found his way into their bed every single night so far. Which flustered Alec a lot, and thus amused Magnus a lot. He didn't find it bothersome, he thought it was adorable. And Magnus was aware that a large part of it was the fact that the person doing it was a very cute and unmated omega. He'd probably feel differently if Jace were an alpha too, feel threatened in his territory and with his mate.
"Alec?" Jace whined softly, the noise very dog-like. "Are you mad? Did I do something wrong?"
"Mh?" Alec frowned and turned to look at the blonde. "No? Why would you…"
"You haven't called me a good boy once since we got to New York," Jace pouted in a cute and endearing manner. "You called me a good boy like once per hour at least when we were still in Idris. But not anymore. Am I… not a good boy? Are you mad at me?"
Magnus bit his lips to keep from laughing aloud. How was his darling going to explain to the enchanting omega that it was not socially accepted for alphas and betas to just call an omega a 'good boy' like that, if they weren't in under very specific circumstances in the bedroom.
"No," Alec grunted, a miserable sound. "You… You didn't do anything wrong, I just… You're a good boy. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad. You… You're very good."
Alec blushed so hard, Magnus could no longer hold in his laugh. Oh, this was highly entertaining. Though Magnus had already noticed that their puppy was still wearing his collar. Had actually bared his teeth and growled at Alec when Alec had suggested to take it off. And it figured, in a way. Jace had been a dog for so long, certain things that may seem unusual or weird for humans gave him comfort. The collar was a representation of him finally having a place, a home, it represented safety. And being called a good boy was normal to him, as he'd just pointed out, Alec usually called him that at least once per hour. So to not be called that, he must not be a good boy then.
/break\
Magnus and Alec did their best to slowly and carefully ease Jace back into human society. First in a small and controlled environment of their loft, inviting Isabelle over, then also Simon and Clary, until Jace was relaxed enough when being in a small group. Then going out into the park and grocery shopping, to get him used to being among many people. All the while, Alec had picked up training with Jace. Whether it was muscle-memory, or if Jace truly was such a natural, but he was incredible with a Seraph-blade. Jace had come a long way, but he was still living at the loft. Still sleeping in their bed, to be more accurate. Because he had nobody else, he had Magnus and Alec, Magnus and Alec were his. Moving out and living with strangers? No.
"Why do you let me sleep in your bed?" Jace whispered softly into the dark room.
He knew Magnus was still awake. Alec had fallen asleep about half an hour ago but Magnus was still awake, gently playing with Alec's hair with one hand and caressing Jace's back with the other, both Alec and Jace snuggled up to him from either side.
"Mh?" Magnus paused in his movement, looking at him.
"Don't stop petting," Jace couldn't keep the whine from his voice. "And I mean, why do you… You summoned me my own room. With my own bed. But you still let me sleep here. I'm… I'm not stupid. I spent a decade living as a dog, but I'm not stupid. I know that humans don't just let other humans sleep in their bed like that. You two are mates, that's why you share a bed. I'm not."
Magnus resumed the caress, though his eyes were more inquisitive. "If you know that, then why do you keep sneaking into our bed, Jace?"
Jace flushed and tried to hide his face in Magnus' chest. "I… didn't do it on purpose at first. It was… instincts. After… After I turned back human, remembering… my name, my father, his death, my life as a Shadowhunter… I've been having… nightmares. About his death, but… also… my life with him. He was not… a good man, not a kind man. He was cruel. And remembering these things that I had buried so deep, I just… I was seeking safety. You two are my safety."
"Then you have my answer too," Magnus' voice was very gentle. "We let you sleep in our bed, because it makes you feel safe. Don't think we haven't notice your nightmares yet. So if sleeping in our bed makes you feel safer, then you get to sleep in our bed."
"It can't be that simple. You're a mated pair. I'm an unmated omega."
Magnus chuckled and leaned down to kiss the top of Jace's head. "But it is. You… mean a lot to us, you've become very dear to us in the time we've known you. Both, as our precious little puppy, but also as the person you are. You've become a part of our lives."
Jace hummed, unsure what to do with that. He was aware that his own feelings for them were not that simple. Alec was his savior, he'd found Jace, he'd been patient to coax him out, and they both had been kind and generous and loving to him, in a way Jace had never experienced before. But ever since he'd managed to turn back human, he had also been looking at them differently. They were incredibly attractive and charming and they smelt so good. Not just like safety, also like comfort and love and everything good he could imagine.
/break\
The cutest thing Alec could imagine was both Jace and Magnus in their shift-form, together. The gorgeous, large black panther sprawled out on the floor, his mighty paws wrapped around the Golden Retriever, while his sandpaper tongue licked the puppy's cheek. They were so cute, Alec loved them so much. And that startled him. Magnus had been his first love, they'd had a whirlwind romance. It had never crossed Alec's mind that he could fall in love with anyone else. Yet here he was, deeply having fallen in love with Jace. And Alec wasn't born yesterday, he knew Magnus also had feelings for the omega. Otherwise he would not allow another man to sleep in their bed.
"C'mon, I think the puppy is clean, Mag," Alec chuckled.
Magnus growled at him in reply, burying his face in golden fur. Alec couldn't blame him, Jace was excellent for cuddling, whether he was a puppy or a human. Jace whined pleased and snuggled up to the panther, which Alec also understood. The large wild cat was amazing to snuggle up to.
Alec huffed, knowing how he'd get them both. "Well, I'm feeling very neglected right now."
Moments later and he had a Golden Retriever on his lap and a black panther pressing against him, licking his face until his hair was sticking up. Alec laughed softly, ruffling both their fur.
"Okay, okay, how about you two turn back human now, mh? It's time for bed."
They both did, and Alec had this beautiful omega sit on his lap, straddling Alec's thighs. That was something he may never get used to, but that he also loved a lot. Jace, so close to him, stared at him intensely, tilting his head curiously. Leaning in closer and closer.
"I talked to Magnus a few nights ago," Jace spoke softly. "That I sleep in your bed, because you feel safe to me. And that you let me sleep in your bed because you want to make me feel safe. But that still doesn't… make sense. For people who aren't mates. So I have decided that you should be my mates. You are already mine. You are my humans, my people. I want you as my mates too."
Alec stared at him in surprise and awe, before turning toward Magnus, unsure what to say. Magnus was all smile, warm expression on his face as he reached out to caress Jace's cheek.
"I think that you made a very good decision there," Magnus whispered warmly. "Alexander found you and you have been ours since then. You should be ours, pretty puppy."
~*~ The End ~*~
Author's note: This story is brought to you by; a tumblr post describing someone finding a dog this way and my brain, naturally went 'that's a Malace meet cute', so here we are! ;D