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It started with a seelie woman.
Well perhaps it would be more accurate to say it started when Clary regained her memories, but not her love for Jace. He'd whined about it desperately, but she'd explained that she wasn't exactly the same person she was a year ago and she'd rather spend time rebuilding her relationships with Luke and Simon.
So Jace went back to sleeping around.
For some reason, seelies were the only ones that wanted to sleep with him, accepting his offers with wide eyed giggles and constant glances back at their friends. He didn't think much of it, why would he? He was Jace Herondale. They were lucky to be in his presence.
The seelie he'd approached on that fateful day however, had been uninterested.
He was shocked, to say the least, - why was she different from the rest?- But that didn't mean he was deterred.
She was a beautiful specimen too, with skin like smoothly spread mayo and a sizable chest. They'd look good together, he thought. Clearly she disagreed.
"I'm the best shadowhunter there is," he said. "how could you not want me?"
She curled her lip, briefly flashing sharp teeth, "I can think of several reasons."
He just laughed and leaned into her space, giving her no space to move away. Her glare became tinged with fear.
"You don't have to play hard to get."
"Leave me alone."
Jace leaned in closer, his lips brushing hers. Her breath came out in short huffs.
"I know you want me," he whispered. "Just admit it, you don't have to be shy. I'll show you a good time, sweetheart."
And that was the last thing he said.
A palm was shoved against his abdomen, imbued with magic and her inhuman strength, it was powerful enough to send him flying across the room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Maia set down a sharp object with an impressed look.
He began to pass out, then his head hit the wall.
And that was the beginning of hell on earth for Jace.
The only reason no one in the bar was laughing was because of how shaken the woman Jace had been harassing looked. Her eyes were wide and her bottom lip trembled. Slowly, like a flower in reverse, she curled into herself.
A bunch of fellow seelies flitted over to her, keeping a respectful distance, and speaking softly, in turns. Maia didn't quite understand most of what they were saying, but Meliorn had taught her enough to get the gist.
"Jesus," she heard Raphael say, "He just keeps getting worse doesn't he."
She hummed, then inclined her head in Jace's direction "Well, I don't think he can get worse now."
Raphael snorted. She didn't think it was the right time to call him cute for it.
"I'll take him back to the institute later." she told him instead.
He frowned at her. "No, I'm going."
"Nope. You're not. I want to see Izzy's face."
"Well maybe I do too? Besides you can't stop me when you're working."
Maia sighed, but before Raphael could start feeling smug she placed her hand on his. "Why don't we both go then? After my shift?"
He stared at her for a moment, blinking slowly like a big cat, as though the thought had never occurred to him.
"... OK."
Beaming, she tapped his hand once and slid a glass of water over to the seelie group. The woman, now a little calmer, smiled at her shyly.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Maia shook her head, "No, you didn't do anything wrong."
"See?" Said another seelie, " He deserved that."
Noise crept back in to the bar as people became reasurred that the woman was alright. Across the room, Jace remained motionless.
When Jace came to, he was surrounded by familiar faces, all squished together to view him more clearly. A shudder ran through him, did his perfect face get messed up?
"Wow." said Alec, the traitor. He was certainly bold for showing his face to Jace again. "So he's really stuck like this?"
"Unfortunately," replied Magnus, sounding like he didn't think it was that unfortunate at all.
"Big oof," muttered Simon.
Clary laughed, "F in the chat."
A series of "F" 's echoed through the room, along with a confused sound from Alec.
"You can say fuck if you want?"
"That's not what it means darling," said Magnus.
Alec looked ready to demand an explanation, but instantly became complacent when Magnus placed his hands on his shoulders.
Idiot.
Magnus cleared his throat, "Anyway, as I was saying, the seelie Jace angered is a particularly old and powerful one. I don't know her well, but I've spoken to her a few times. From what I know, today was the anniversary of her lovers death too."
The wave of sympathy that passed through the room missed Jace completely. So what if someone died a while ago? She could still sleep with him.
He opened his mouth to point all that out, but instead -
"QUACK"
Fear, frigid and sudden, struck him. A duck. There's a duck in the room. He tried to yell -
"QUUUAAAACK"
"Oh no." said Izzy. "I forgot he was afraid of ducks."
Magnus pursed his lips, "That is certainly...tragic."
Across the room he saw Clary shake her head, "I can't believe I dated that. Afraid of ducks. My god."
He tried to tell her to go fuck herself but once again, that dreadful noise rung out.
"I think he's confused," said Izzy. "Magnus?"
"One moment," with an over dramatic flourish he summoned a simple mirror and held it up to Jace.
It was a nightmare come true.
Staring back at him in shock, was a duck.
A duck.
The demon bird.
When he opens his mouth to scream it does too and the only sound is a loud, frightened -
"QUACK"
When he flailed his arms, the creatures wings moved.
It was him in that mirror. That monster.
He wailed.
No.
Nononononononono.
He wasn't a duck. He couldn't be a duck. He didn't deserve that.
He looked desperately around the room, but no one tried to help. Simon even looked away from him.
He tried to move, but his body was unfamiliar and stumpy. He let out a sob.
His life was over.
He was a duck.