War of Hearts (A Malec AU) COMPLETED ✅

Chapter 2 - Max

Alec fell onto his bed. His pyjamas were short, hence the heat of his bedroom. Alec was ready to get to bed, sleep for a while, before waking up to start the next day. He was surprisingly exhausted from the business party, but he was happy that his father had gotten the promotion. He would now become second in command with Magnus's father. Maybe that would mean Alec would see him again sometime.
     Alec pushed thoughts of Magnus away. All he wanted was to curl up under the covers and go to sleep, so he did. He closed his eyes, and was out like a light.

Max was sitting on Alec's bed, reading his manga novels. Alec looked over his youngest brother's shoulder. "What book are you reading?" Alec asked.
"Naruto," Max answered, doggy earring the page. Alec knew Simon would have freaked out. Wait a minute, Alec thought. Max never met Simon. Alec closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was Max, lying on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood, dad's hammer laying next to him. Alec remembered; he was the last to use it, and he never put it on the shelf properly.

Alec woke slowly, remembering the dream of Max. His eyes welled up with tears as he put his head in his hands.

Izzy woke to the sound of Alec sobbing across the hall. She jumped out of bed and went into his room. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, and crying. Izzy approached her brother and sat next to him. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "Alec, what's wrong?"
Alec didn't move, he just continued sobbing.
"Alec. You know you can tell me anything," Izzy said gently. Finally, he pulled his hands from his face. Tear stains littered his cheeks, and his eyes were red and puffy. Unshed tears glistened in them. Isabelle held him tighter.
"Alec, tell me."
Alec took a shuddering breath before saying one word. "Max."
It hit Izzy like a punch. Tears welled up in her own eyes, but sometimes she had to be the strong one.
     "Oh, Alec. We all miss him. Mum, Dad, Jace, me. It was an accident."
Alec's eyes flashed. "It was not an accident. It was my," he broke off, his voice cracking. "It was my fault. I was the one who-, who didn't put the hammer on the shelf properly. It hit him in the head because of me."
"Alec, you have to stop blaming yourself. It was not your falt," Izzy said calmly, even though she felt like crying.
"You couldn't have known it would have fallen off at all, let alone hit him."
"But I feel like I did it. I was the cause of his death."
Isabelle shook her head. "The hammer killed Max, not you. Alright?"
Alec took a deep breath before replying. "Alright."
"Good." Isabelle hugged her brother tighter, and waited for him to calm down. Once he had calmed down, she let go of him, waited for him to get back into bed, before she left the room, a single tear dropping down her face.

The next morning, Alec woke up with his eyes swollen and red, tear stains still lingering on his cheeks. He sighed as he washed his face in the sink. Once he was happy with how he looked, he tried failingly to fix his hair; it was a complete disaster. Giving up, he left his bedroom and went down the stairs slowly, remembering the dream.
     A pang of sadness hit him as he saw his Mum's grim face. It was the anniversary of Max's death. One year. Alec remembered the incident and bit back tears that were willing to pour down his face. He was the one who found Max's body, his eyes closed. He could have been sleeping, if Alec had not seen the massive pool of blood surrounding his head, and the hammer Alec didn't pack away properly laying next to him. Max died of blood loss and brain failure, but the doctors said Max's death was reasonably fast. That didn't make the situation any better.
     The word had spread around school, that Alec had murdered his own little brother. He was bullied for it, hard, and almost committed suicide. Luckily, Izzy and Jace stopped him. Although Alec graduated two months ago, he would never forget the pain and suffering the past year left him with.
     Alec couldn't hold his tears back anymore. He started crying, wiping away the tears furiously. Maryse noticed, and stopped cooking breakfast and came and enveloped her son in a warm embrace. Alec held on tight, not wanting to let go.
    
Jace entered the kitchen and saw Alec's face; tear stained and full of sorrow. His eyes were closed, and he was holding onto Maryse as if she was going to fly away. Jace knew Alec struggled with the loss of Max the most, due to the entire situation of it all. He knew Alec blamed himself for what happened, and it made Jace's heart almost feel shattered.

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The flowers on Max's grave were beautiful and thriving. Alec put his bouquet of white roses down, biting his lip to stop his crying. He was the last of the Lightwoods to put their flowers on the small grave in the graveyard.
     Maryse moved forward, and helped Alec gently to his feet. The four Lightwoods walked back to the car, and they all climbed in. As they drove away, Alec blinked slowly and rested his head on the window, tears shining in his eyes.