Spy Story

.7

Magnus was lying on the bed with his eyes lost in the air. It was as if he had been there for an eternity, but maybe it was just an hour. While his gaze was fixed on an inaccurate spot on the ceiling, his mind was on the other side. The words that Alec had told him did nothing but bounce in his head:

'I hope that thanks to what you said you will learn to stay away from me'. Magnus felt as if those words had been forced, said by habit, not really heard. What Alec had told him, when he tried to understand why he didn't want Max to go at missions, had hurt him a lot. But after that sentence the only thing that went through his mind was the thought that Alec didn't really want to be like that. A knock on the door brought him back from his thoughts. He jumped up thinking that Alec was coming to get him for dinner, but he regretted it. A hallucinatory pain in the abdomen caused him to rest and murmur painfully

"Are you crazy?". A voice said, and touched him to help him sit up, but Magnus, out of regret, didn't cooperate too much.

"You know what Jace, I forgot to have a gash in my stomach." Magnus rolled his eyes and Jace sat him down.

"I think it's better if you eat here". Jace told him calmly.

"Why? Don't you want to confine me right? ". Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely not, is that..." Jace stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Alec isn't well. It's in one of those moments where he wants nobody to be around him, so I'll bring you dinner here" Jace said with a low look, he seems very worried about his best friend.

"Why is he doing this? If he has a problem why didn't he want to be helped?". Magnus asked in a rather worried tone, he didn't know why he wanted to help Alec.

"You're right he doesn't want to be helped, but I'm always there even if he sends me away, that's how you do with the people you love. Alec simply always thought that nobody should be so close to be overwhelmed by the storm inside him. I never wanted that..." Jace paused, knowing he was talking too much, and went to the door.

"Dinner is coming soon". Jace only said this before closing the door behind him. Magnus was really confused now, what could have happened so badly to Alec to make him close in himself, and think that there was such a storm that nobody could help him. Magnus was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that somebody came in the room. He jumped a moment when he saw the youngest Lightwood with two trays in his hands.

"Sorry for scaring you." Max told him and handed him the tray.

"If it doesn't bother you... can I eat with you?" Max asked blushing a little. For some ways of doing and also of his appearance he was very similar to Alec.

"No bother, for now you are the only one nice here". Magnus said starting to eat the delicious food Max had brought him. Max looked surprised, and he started eating too.

"Really? I thought you liked more my brother". Max said as if it were an obvious thing, and Magnus almost chocked on his food.

"Alexander? And why did you think of something like that?". Magnus asked, making a little laugh. Max took a bite, and as if nothing had happened, he said

"Because you like him" and continued to eat. Magnus was shocked.

"What? Are you kidd..."

" No, I'm not kidding, I'm just telling you what I see". Max said taking a bite of the food. For a moment there was a little silence where Magnus tried to work out what to say.

"Even if there was a bit of physical attraction to me for him, this doesn't mean that I like him. He has a character of shit and I don't know how you can stand him". Max dropped his fork on the tray and looked straight into Magnus's eyes.