Hey everyone! I know it was a very last minute thing and my first time organizing it, but surprisingly everything went very smoothly, every one of y'all were very patient with me trying to figure things out, so thank you so much for being so amazing and working with me! And thank you for still caring about our fave parabatai pair! Even if the turnout was small (as expected), we're so happy to see new jalec content!!! Hope you enjoyed being part of this small exchange as well :)
Fanfiction - Link to the Collection on AO3
Love me like no one else, by @fandomidiot - for @bisexual-jace
The Sign, by @mewsiex - for @fandomidiot
Guilt and Pain, by @takaraphoenix - for @sivan325
Forget Me Not, by @kimannebb - for @tamsinwilloughby
we found love (right in front of me), by @moonlight-breeze-44 - for @takaraphoenix
Firsts, by @sivan325 - for @kimannebb
The Fire in our Hearts, by @tamsinwilloughby - for @mewsiex
Aesthetic & Playlists
Jalec Christmas AU, by @bisexual-jace - for @moonlight-breeze-44
From the bottom of our hearts we wish everyone who celebrates them wonderful holidays - enjoy all the goodies and we’ll hopefully see you again next year, in more normal circumstances!
we found love (right in front of me) ~ Jalec Secret Santa 2021
Hey, guys! Today's fic is written for @takaraphoenix through the 2021 Jalec Secret Santa.
[To my giftee: I really hope you enjoy this! I played with your soulmate AU prompt and added some hurt/comfort for our favourite parabatai pair.]
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Alec has wondered for years when he'll meet his soulmate; Jace has struggled for years to accept that he may never have one. What they don't know is that, when secrets are revealed, Jace and Alec might just find their own story written between the lines of themselves.
Read on AO3
It wasn’t that Alec needed a soulmate. It wasn’t that he was any less of a leader without one, or any less of a person or brother or friend. He had taken care of Jace, Izzy, and Max their entire lives, straight from the day Izzy was born. When Jace came to live with the Lightwoods at age ten, Alec had adopted him into their family from the moment he saw him. He had fed them, trained them, disciplined them, and made sure they felt loved all their lives. He had been running the New York Institute since he was fourteen, and he was Idris’ top pick for the Consul come next election. He knew he was lucky – he had family, he had friends, and he had his title. He had love, respect, and influence. Every morning, when he caught sight of the black soulmark, a tiny deflect rune swimming in the shadow of an ink-black sun on his ribcage, he tried to remind himself that he had everything he needed to be happy, to succeed.. He didn’t need a soulmate.
But that didn’t change how much he wanted one.
Alec had been in love with the idea of soulmates since he was four years old and his mother had told him stories of the first Shadowhunters to be marked, who were destined to be together by old Law. She had told him about their love, the unbreakable bond they shared. In battle and in life, she had said, their hearts make up half of each other’s. They share one heart, one love, one death. Alec didn’t believe in fate or destiny now, not like he had back then, but some small, hopeful part of him still clung to the idea that there was someone in the world that he belonged with.
He still held out hope that somehow, somewhere, there was a heart waiting to find its other half; waiting to find him.
A frantic knock on his door startled Alec out of his thoughts, and he called, “Come in!” without looking up from the paperwork he was supposed to be filling out.
A moment later, his sister bounded into his office, a radiant smile on her face. “Alec! I can’t believe it! I have to tell you about this first, you’re my big brother and I can’t wait to show you,” she rambled, practically vibrating with joy.
“Jeez, Iz, what’s going on?” Alec asked, chuckling and setting the paperwork off to the side so he could give Izzy his full attention. “What are you so happy about?”
“Look!” Izzy pointed to her wrist, where her soulmark – a serpent and a wolf, fighting for dominance – was usually jet-black against her skin. However, Alec noticed immediately that something was different.
Izzy’s soulmark was gleaming dark yellow, almost golden, and where before it looked like a painting, or just another rune that marked her skin, it was now pulsating, like it was breathing right along with Izzy; like it had just become a life of its own.
Alec stood up from his desk and reached for her, drawing Izzy into a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so happy for you,” he breathed into her dark brown hair. “You deserve this, Iz.” Izzy returned the hug just as fiercely, hooking her arms around her brother’s back.
“You were the first one I wanted to tell,” she murmured. “I - I love you, Alec.”
Alec’s heart smiled at her words, a fond warmth filling him from the inside out. “I love you too, Iz.”
Before long, Izzy pulled away, giving her brother a peck on the cheek before she headed for the door. “You can meet her tonight,” she promised. “We can all have dinner together. You’re going to love her, Alec.” Quieter, almost to herself, she added: “I do.” With that, she was out the door to return to her newfound soulmate, or perhaps to tell Jace and Clary and Simon, but not before giving Alec one last smile, smiled, as bright and beautiful as heavenly fire. Alec couldn’t help but smile back.
It’s about time Izzy found her soulmate.
She deserves this.
Alec tried to refocus on his paperwork, but the thought of Izzy and her soulmate wouldn’t leave his mind. Mixed in with the happiness for his sister and the relief that she had found the person she was meant to be with, he couldn’t help the bitterness that crept up his throat, or the sadness that threatened to choke him. He was happy for Izzy, so happy that words couldn’t even begin to express it, but beneath that, he felt a small well of despair that he couldn’t seem to rid himself of.
Abandoning the paperwork for now, Alec grabbed his keys and his stele and exited his office, turning towards his bedroom. He wouldn’t get any paperwork done like this. He needed to grab his bow and work off some of his feelings in the training room. It would do no one any good if he sat there moping all day, least of all Izzy and her new soulmate.
When he reached his room, he was surprised to find that it wasn’t empty.
Sat on his bed with one hand in his hair and one hand clutching Alec’s bedsheets, the familiar figure of Jace caught Alec’s eye. A pulse of warmth and belonging rushed through him, and Alec smiled without meaning to. Parabatai.
“Hey,” he said, putting his keys and stele on his desk and sitting down next to Jace, “You okay?” He knew his parabatai wouldn’t seek him out like this if he wasn’t upset. If he needed something work or family related, he would have come to the office. Something was wrong.
Jace made a small sound in the back of his throat and leaned closer to Alec, dropping the hand that was anxiously running through his hair into his lap in defeat. Alec shifted closer to his parabatai, placing an arm around his shoulders and allowing Jace to nestle into his side.
“Jace, what’s wrong?” Alec asked softly.
“Just…” Jace started, then stopped, heaving a sigh and twisting his hands together in his lap. “Izzy told me that she found her soulmate.”
“Yeah, she told me, too,” Alec said. He reached over and grabbed one of Jace’s hands, giving it a squeeze, as if to say Keep going. I’m right here.
“And I just – I should feel happy for her, and I do, but I just can’t - ” Jake broke off, swallowing hard. “I just can’t stop thinking that I’ll never find mine.”
Alec’s heart broke at his words, and he tightened the arm that was around Jace’s shoulders, holding his parabatai as close as he physically could. He should have thought of what the news might do to Jace. For centuries, all Shadowhunters had been marked with soulmarks. They appeared at age six, and it was often cause for celebration when a young Shadowhunter’s new soulmark was revealed. They appeared overnight, pulsing red the next morning until the Shadowhunter noticed the new brand on their skin. Every Shadowhunter had one, since beyond the beginning of their culture; since the beginning of time.
Every Shadowhunter, except Jace.
Alec could still remember when his mother had asked Jace, shortly after he’d been brought to live with the Lightwoods: “Where’s your soulmark?” And the ten year-old boy, who hadn’t shed a single tear since he’d arrived, even when Maryse had asked about his parents and what happened to them, began to sob uncontrollably.
Since then, no one had ever asked Jace about his soulmark again, but it was common knowledge in the Institute why not; Jace was the only Shadowhunter without a soulmark.
Alec had done some research, trying to help his parabatai, but information about Shadowhunters without soulmarks was limited. There had never been one before Jace. Most of the information he had been able to gather had been from the Downworld, who had their own soulmarks; it was much more common among Downworlders to have unusual soulmarks, including multiple or none at all. He had talked to the High Warlock of Madrid, who had told him that, in the Downworld, those without soulmarks were unlikely to ever find someone that they could spend the rest of their lives with. It was a fate he couldn’t imagine, and it made his worries about finding his soulmate seem trivial in the face of Jace’s loss.
“I know I don’t need one to be happy,” Jace said, snapping Alec out of his thoughts, “but I want one, Alec, so bad.” He clenched his free hand into a fist and turned to Alec with a desperate, pleading expression. “I want to find someone I love so fucking bad.”
“I know,” Alec murmured, turning towards Jace fully and pulling his parabatai into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Jace. I would do anything for you to have that.” It was true. Alec would rip apart Hell and Heaven both if it meant that Jace could find his soulmate. He would even give up his own soulmark if it meant that his parabatai could be happy with a person that he loved.
Jace tucked his head into the crook of Alec’s neck and allowed himself to cry, just a few tears, reminiscent of the day he had sobbed into his own hands when he was ten in front of Maryse, Alec, and Izzy. Alec couldn’t imagine how heartbreaking it must be, to watch everyone that he loved finding their soulmates and getting married while Jace was left behind, stuck on the sidelines of their society and tradition. He knew it had to be isolating, at the very least, so he did his best to make sure that Jace knew he wasn’t alone.
Alec was the only person that Jace had ever trusted with this, and Alec was grateful for it. He thought he knew why; at 27 years old, he was still without a soulmate, when most Shadowhunters found theirs before they were even in their 20s. Alec understood the pain of missing someone he’d never met all too well.
Jace turned in Alec’s arms, bringing him back to reality, and shifted so he could meet Alec’s eyes. His cheeks were shiny with tears, and he said in a whisper: “Can I tell you something I’ve never told anyone else?”
“Of course,” Alec reassured him, without hesitation. “You know I’ll always keep your secrets, parabatai.”
“I wasn’t born without one,” Jace said, his voice almost too quiet for Alec to hear. “A soulmark.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had one, once,” Jace said, and his voice sounded full of pain. When Alec looked into his heterochromatic eyes, they were haunted and far away. “It appeared when I was six, just like it was supposed to. I still remember what it looked like. A strength rune overshadowed by a bow and arrows. It was beautiful. I had it for a year.” He paused to take a shaky breath, and when he looked back up at Alec, it was with the unspoken promise that what he was about to say would never be shared with anyone else as long as they both lived.
“When I was seven, Valentine found my soulmark and burnt it off.”
Alec swallowed his gasp of horror, tightening his arms around Jace and fighting to tame the protective fire in his stomach. The idea of anyone burning his parabatai was almost too much to bear, but he knew he had to be strong; for Jace.
“H-He said it was a weakness. He told me that having a soulmate meant that there would be someone that enemies could use to get to me. He - He always said when I asked about it that a soulmate could take the focus away from my mission. To love is to destroy.”
Alec felt his heart break for the second time that day, and he pulled his parabatai impossibly closer, wishing with everything in him that he could make Jace feel the depth of his love, and how beautiful it was. They were stronger together.
“Do you remember what Clary said to you, when you told her the story of your falcon that first time?” Alec murmured into Jace’s ear. Without waiting for a response, he continued, “She told you that love is power. To love someone is to gain a friend, an ally, a partner in all that you do. Love is the thread that binds us all together.”
Jace nodded into Alec’s neck, and Alec pressed a soft kiss to the crown of his head. “She was right, Jace. I swear to you.”
“I know,” Jace said quietly, his voice wavering. “I just – it’s just hard, sometimes.”
“I know,” Alec echoed. “Believe me, I get it. When something is drilled into you, so hard that it seems like it’s all the way underneath your skin – it’s hard to get rid of that voice inside your head. But that voice is Valentine’s, Jace, not yours. And your voice is the only one that matters.”
Jace didn’t say anything in response, couldn’t; but he didn’t have to. Alec knew what was going through his mind. Sometimes their connection seemed to surpass even that of parabatai. Alec couldn’t imagine knowing anyone, or loving anyone, like he loved Jace.
After a few minutes had passed, Jace shifted in Alec’s arms, prompting Alec to release him and allow him to sit back a little. His gaze was focused on his lap, and he hesitated, turning towards Alec without looking at him. “No one’s ever seen my soulmark. Or, what’s left of it, anyway.”
“No one ever has to,” Alec promised him. “Not unless you want them to.”
Jace shrugged. “I kind of want you to. Just – Just to see it. So you know. So you know where it is, or where it used to be.”
“Okay,” Alec said, nodding and giving Jace’s hand a squeeze. “If that’s what you want, then I’m happy for you to show me.”
Jace nodded, and without another word he was pulling his shirt over his head, and he pointed to a mass of scar tissue on his skin that Alec had never seen before. When they trained together, Jace had always kept his shirt on, and even when they were kids he had refused to change shirts in front of Alec. He’d change pants or shorts or even boxers, but he had always kept his abdomen hidden, and Alec understood why.
The scar was cracked and thick, grotesque-looking, a spiderweb of lines extending from the center of Jace’s ribcage, where Valentine had chased the last of Jace’s soulmark across his skin, burning it until nothing was left. Alec took a deep breath, shoving down the urge to punch something. Getting angry at someone he couldn’t reach wouldn’t help Jace now.
He didn’t – couldn’t – understand exactly what this moment meant to Jace, but he knew he had been trusted with something important; Jace wouldn’t show the scar, nor tell the story, to anyone but Alec. It had taken him 26 years to utter the words. So Alec just reached for Jace’s hand again and squeezed, trying to tell the other half of his soul without the words that he was here for him, he wasn’t going anywhere, and no scar from Jace’s past could ever scare Alec away.
“Here,” Jace said, and brought their joined hands to his ribcage to rest against the burn scar. “Feel.” Alec knew, of course, what Jace wasn’t saying: Feel what I feel. I want you to understand me.
Alec pressed all five of his fingers into the scar, the remnants of Jace’s soulmark, and the feeling overwhelmed him, something close to empathy but deeper, a feeling so visceral that Alec let out a strangled sob, his shoulders shaking. A gasp forced its way out of his throat, and something exploded behind his eyes, and oh Raziel, it all makes sense now.
“Jace,” Alec mumbled, and the sound of his parabatai’s name on his lips made something click within Alec, like a lock snapping open, like a door being closed, like the end of a book or the beginning of a new story.
“Alec,” Jace answered, and his voice was full of wonder. He looked radiant standing in front of him, more beautiful than ever before, and Alec hadn’t thought that was possible, and suddenly Alec realised: He looked like the sun. He was as bright, as fierce, as capturing as the sun, and he was what Alec had always orbited around.
Alec grabbed at the hem of his own t-shirt with shaky fingers and lifted it up just enough to see his own soulmark, glowing golden. It was relief and euphoria and love all at once, and Alec didn’t even try to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. I found my soulmate. And all this time, he was right here.
Right in front of me.
“Soulmate,” Jace said, and there was something sure and complete in his voice, like the last piece of a puzzle he’d been trying to solve for years had finally slotted itself into place.
“Soulmate,” Alec repeated in awe. The words burned his throat, but it felt like the kind of burn he felt in his lungs after running through the city, hot on a demon’s trail, or the burn of his stele, tracing a new rune onto his skin. It felt like life. It felt like a promise. It felt like hope.
Alec moved forward almost unconsciously, following the pull of the feeling, and met Jace’s lips like they were both born to do it, and maybe they were. It was the first of many, a new beginning, and Alec knew now that he had been wrong; he did need a soulmate. He needed this soulmate. And with any luck, he always would.
Hey y'all! Unfortunately we've all been busy with RL and tbh we weren't sure that people would still be interested in a Secret Santa this year. Shirasade is the one who organized our previous ones, but couldn't do this one.
We were thinking about it for a while, now that we have a bit of time and if there's still interest, we'd be more than happy to organize it. We know the timeline will be very tight, but we're willing to try. Like our motto says: We're Tiny but Mighty! And a small amount of content is better than none, right?
That being said, the timeline would look like this:
Sign-ups: December 5.
Assignments: December 6.
Check-in: December 15.
Posting: December 24.
If you think that you would still like to participate, please fill out this form and spread the word like wildfire! @mewsiex , @polarnacht2 , @tamsinwilloughby , @iolikeoit , @takaraphoenix , @kiteran , @fandomidiot
p.s.: We'll add a fancy looking banner asap and if you have any questions don't hesitate to message me here or @willowsmarika. Thanks!
p.s.s.: Probably y'all know the drill, but just to be safe, some rules: on December 24, please post your contribution on Tumblr, tagging your recipient as well as #jalecsecretsanta. All contributions will be reblogged on this blog. If you don’t have a Tumblr, please email us a copy or link to your fanwork and we can post and tag your recipient on your behalf. If you use AO3, feel free to add your fanfic to the gift exchange collection (jalecsecretsanta2021), which we’ll reveal on December 24, along with the masterlist.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
@Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland
Characters: Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Mutual Pining, Exes, Break Up, Happy Ending, Getting Back Together, Established Relationship, Protective Alec Lightwood, Jace Wayland Needs A Hug, POV Jace Wayland, Past Relationship(s), Internalized Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Fluff and Humor, Jalec Secret Santa 2021
Summary:
- The universe has a way of bringing you where you need to be. In Jace’s case, it takes him to the one person who can fix the hole in his life
For @bisexual-jace from @fandomidiot
First fic ever for the Jalec Gift Exchange. I wanted to make it longer but i've been swamped and i have terrible consistency. Really hope you enjoy, Kayla <3!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Shadowhunters (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood
Characters: Alec Lightwood, Jace Wayland, Isabelle Lightwood
Additional Tags: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Jace is a nice thing, Protective Alec Lightwood, POV Alec Lightwood, Alec Lightwood Needs A Hug, he gets one, Alec Lightwood Feels, Jace Wayland Deserves Nice Things, Alec is a nice thing, Jace Wayland Needs A Hug, He also gets one, Jace Wayland Angst, this poor boy honestly, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Past Child Abuse, Burns, Bad Parent Valentine Morgenstern, (more details in my author's note), Jalec Secret Santa 2021, no beta we die like men
Series: Part 12 of Secret Santas, Exchanges, Oh My!
Summary:
Alec has wondered for years when he'll meet his soulmate; Jace has struggled for years to accept that he may never have one. What they don't know is that, when secrets are revealed, Jace and Alec might just find their own story written between the lines of themselves.
Written for the Jalec Secret Santa 2021! For @takaraphoenix
