Fading Scars: A Series of Malec One Shots

History

This scene takes place at Max's funeral in City of Glass

Alec set down Max's toy soldier on his grave. It had once belonged to Jace, but Jace had passed it on to Max when he turned 13. The little soldier and Max had been inseparable ever since.

"I'm so sorry, Max. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I'm so-" Alec's voice broke and he fell to his knees, sobbing as he gripped the ground with his hands. He tore at the grass and beat the dirt with clenched fists. He let out an anguished scream and sobbed some more, not caring if there were other people around him to hear him cry.

A strong hand gripped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Turning his head, Alec saw Magnus kneeling down beside him, a small smile on his gentle face.

"Magnus. I'm-I'm sorry," Alec chuckled through a sob. "You don't need to see me like this....."

Magnus shook his head. "Like what? Heartbroken? In pain? You just lost your little brother, Alec. It's understandable. No one's going to judge you for mourning the loss of a loved one. Especially not me."

The crowd had broken up somewhat, a few of the families that had survived the war going back to the city and whispering quietly amongst themselves.

"Did you see how the warlock touched him-"

"-can't believe they're in love-"

"The oldest son is gay apparently-"

"The Lightwoods were always strange like that-"

Alec clenched his fists and covered his ears with his hands to drown out their voices. He almost let out another scream-an angry one this time-when Magnus gently took his wrists and pulled his hands down from his ears. To his surprise, the voices stopped. Alec could see their mouths moving but no sound came out.

"What-what did you do? Have I gone deaf?" Alec stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it.

"No, dummy. I cast a simple spell of quietude. Now you can mourn in peace without those turds getting on your nerves."

Alec smirked. Magnus was never good at insulting people using mundane terms. This amused him. "Thanks. I appreciate it. For a second I thought I was going to shoot them with my bow."

"That would've been something. Death at a funeral. Can you imagine?" Magnus chuckled and held Alec close to his body. "I never met Max before. I don't think I did, anyway. What was he like?"

Alec sighed. "Max was.....Max. That's the best way I can describe him. He had a thirst for knowledge and a knack for getting into trouble. He nearly burned down the Mumbai institute a few months ago. He thought the Heat rune was the Nourishment rune. Nearly set the place on fire."

Magnus chuckled. "Yes, I can see how one can get those two mixed up."

"They look nothing alike, Magnus."

"Oh. Well then. I'd make a terrible Shadowhunter," he smiled when Alec laughed. "See? You're smiling and laughing. Things aren't going to be dark all the time, Alec. There's always a light when you need it."

Alec looked at him, eyes glazed over with tears. "It hurts, Magnus. It hurts so goddamn much."

Magnus cradled his head. "Shhh. I know. But it won't hurt for long. Max wouldn't want you to be sad, would he? What would he say?"

Alec wiped his nose with his sleeve. "He'd call me a Crybaby and say something about my sweater," he let out a giggle. "Yeah, that sounds like him. Always had something to say about something."

"See? His memory isn't lost. As long as you hold on to those memories, Max is still vibrant and alive. He's everywhere. You can feel him when you fight and when you sleep at night. This might sound a bit cheesy, but he's watching over you. I know he is."

"That does sound a bit cheesy."

"Well if you have any other words of encouragement that are better than mine, then by all means. Let me hear them."

Alec just shrugged and fiddled with a blade of grass. "Have you ever lost anyone important?"

Magnus' cat eyes grew wide with surprise. "I lost a lot of important people, Alec. I'm immortal. Remember?"

"That's not what I meant. I meant....have you lost family members? Like a brother or sister?"

Magnus took a deep breath. "I had a younger sister. She was human, thankfully. Or else my human father would've drowned her like he tried to do to me. I was normal until I turned 12. Or I looked normal, anyway. My eyes didn't change until the day of my birthday. My mother had come into the room to wake me up. When I turned to look at her, she screamed and started blessing herself. I had no idea why she was doing this until my father came into the room and spit on me. Called me a demon. He tossed me out of the house and I landed in a puddle of water. It wasn't until I saw my reflection that I realized why they were so scared. I had cat eyes."

Alec held his hand and squeezed it. "And your sister? What happened to her?"

"Magnolia? I'm not sure. I left and lived on my own for several years before returning home to see how they were faring without me. There was no one home. No candles. No farm animals. Cobwebs covered every inch of the home. They were long gone." Magnus let his gaze fall over Alec before smiling. "But that's all in the past. History. What matters now is the present."

Alec let himself be kissed, not caring if he felt the eyes of the other families watching him. "I'm so sorry about your sister. Have you ever considered seeing if you have any living relatives?"

Magnus laughed. "Now why on earth would I wonder that? What would I tell them? 'Hi I'm Magnus Bane and I'm your great great great great great great uncle. Oh I'm also a warlock. And I'm immortal too!'"

Alec rolled his eyes. "Sorry I asked. All you had to do was say no."

"I'm sorry. You're right. I was being rude," Magnus moved a lock of black hair that had fell into Alec's eyes out of the way. "Come on. Let's head back to the Penhallow house. Everyone is waiting for you."

He helped Alec to his feet and took down the spell he had cast earlier. Once again, the whispers started and the strange looks continued. He almost put up the spell again when Alec reached down for his hand and held it as they walked. Surprised, Magnus glanced at the Shadowhunter and saw a small but sad smile on the boy's face.

"What?" Alec said. "Things aren't going to be dark all the time, Magnus. You're my light when I need it."

Magnus beamed and kissed Alec's hand, which was entwined with his own. "Wise words, Alexander. Wise words indeed."