The Family Plan- A Malec AU Fanfiction

Second Guessing

The Family Plan Chapter Fourteen: Second Guessing

Magnus Pov

"They have been in there for a long time," Alec sighed, pacing the living room floor.

"Max was pretty shaken up. We need to give him time to calm down. Rafael is with him and he seems to know how to handle Max when he gets like this."

"He shouldn't have to handle it, Magnus. It's not his job to stop Max from panicking. Hell, the fact that simply seeing a playground messed him up like this just goes to show how much their mother failed them."

I frowned at that. "I think their mother abandoned them at the park. Think about it. Rafael's rules say no taking them to the park, no playing hide and seek, and not to forget them anywhere. It seems so plainly obvious, that I don't know how we didn't see it before."

Alec sighed again, plopping down on the couch and leaning forward, putting his face in his hands.

"I just feel so bad for them both. Especially Rafael. God, the look he gave me when I told him it wasn't his job to take care of Max. It was as if I was speaking Latin."

I hate taking care of Max. I hate that I wanted him to die.

Rafael had said that while in the rage room. You could tell by his choked voice and the tears in his eyes that his relationship with Max eats away at him sometimes.

Why wouldn't it? As far as I can tell, Rafael has been Max's only stable parent. When Max thought he was being abandoned, his greatest fear was that Rafael was the one leaving him. I'm sure deep down, Max knows that Rafael resents him. He's just holding his breath, waiting for the day when Rafael decides he's had enough and leaves him too.

The sound of a bedroom door opening and closing came from the hall, making Alec and I both stand on our feet instantly.

Rafael entered the living room alone. He looked exhausted, once again having the weight of the world on his small shoulders.

"How is Max," Alec immediately asked, causing Rafael to shrug.

"He cried himself to sleep."

"How are you," I asked.

He looked up in surprise, as if that's the first time anyone had ever asked him that.

"I'm... tired. It doesn't matter how I feel though."

"Yes it does," Alec immediately assured. "You matter just as much as Max."

Silence spread across the room and Rafael glanced away awkwardly, a slight flush appearing on his light brown cheeks.

Alec hesitated in the silence for a moment before wringing his hands together and taking a couple steps closer to our son.

"Rafael, I know it's hard... but can you please tell us what happened with your mother?"

Rafael pierced his lips, not answering.

"Maybe if you tell us, it will help us avoid stuff like this from happening again in the future," Alec pressed.

He glanced away again, rubbing his arm before hesitantly looking back at us.

"Can you count to twenty for me?"

The question surprised us both, yet I was the one to say, "what?"

"Max once asked me how long it takes to count to twenty. I told him it was a big number and it takes awhile to get to... can you count to twenty for me?"

Alec and I looked at each other for a moment confused, before looking back at him and beginning to count to twenty.

He listened, his hands clenching tighter at his sides the higher we got in numbers. Once we both got to twenty, I instantly saw the life leave Rafael's eyes. His shoulders slumped in defeat, and all the fight he had left in him seemed to vanish.