riverviewlogs | (no subject)

who: Shadowhunter cast!
what: Max wakes up in the hospital and his family comes to get him, catch all for anything else other canonmates want to do!
when: After they've all arrived
where: Hospital, other places TBD
warnings: SPOILERS for the book series and probably spoilers for the Shadowhunters TV show too just to be on the safe side, also mentions of violence

This was not where Max had been expecting to wake up. He hadn't been surprised to wake up in a hospital, but after the video he'd been shown, an alternate universe was definitely a surprise. It wouldn't be too much to wrap his head around, given time, since he'd read plenty of books with things like that in them and his family fought demons. He might have even been geeking out about it if he hadn't been so worried about his family. The last few things he remembered were demons invading Alicante, Alec running off to go find Aline, and Izzy going to get her stele while leaving him with Sebastian... Sebastian who had attacked him with a hammer. He remembered hearing someone coming up behind him, turning and seeing Sebastian swinging it at him, then everything going black. The next thing he'd known, he was waking up here.

He'd asked about his family after he'd been shown the video and while they hadn't known anything about most of them, they did mention an Alec Lightwood that had arrived at the same time he did and asked if they were related since they had the same last name. Once Max confirmed that was indeed his brother, the person had said they would send someone to go find Alec and tell him Max was here. While he'd been waiting, they'd asked him some questions and had him do some bioscan. When they'd asked about any special abilities he had that would be biologically-based, he'd been reluctant to answer at first but had eventually given in, holding onto his stele tightly so they wouldn't take it away.

They hadn't and Max was now holding it and the toy soldier he'd been gripping when Sebastian had attacked him tightly in his hands, waiting in a chair in the room he'd woken up in while looking out the window. His glasses were okay but he'd been given a new pair of clothes to wear, having been told his old ones had been destroyed. He might have also enjoyed the view more if he still wasn't worrying about his family. He hoped Alec would be able to tell him more about what had happened.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It warmed him to hear that even just his presence might be doing something to help Alec with his grief. He wanted to support him however possible, and he made a silent promise to do everything he could to keep Alec feeling as loved as possible while he was struggling with his memories and guilt. Nodding and already thinking of how to help him with any bad dreams, he took both of Alec's hands in his and raised them to kiss the knuckles. "Of course, angel. Anything you need."

Letting go of his hands again, he smiled and tilted his head to the side to encourage more of the touch. He let Alec speak without interrupting, getting out the thoughts so they wouldn't stagnate inside of his mind where they'd do much more harm than good. "Oh, Alexander," he said with a frown, turning his head so he could kiss the palm of his hand, the heel, and the pulse point in his wrist. "You're his biggest brother, and I'm sure he loves you no matter what." Never having had any siblings, though, he wasn't sure he was able to reassure him on that front based on personal experiences. "Do you think he blames his parents for not being around? And you said yourself that he was left alone, so would he blame Isabelle or Jace?"

Since they'd just arrived, he doubted that Magnus would be able to do more than just comfort him when he woke up but that would help more than he could put into words. Knowing that Magnus would be there, reminding him that he'd done everything he could would help put the terrible memories to rest until Alec could deal with them properly. "I already have what I need. We'll just have to wait until the worst of it fades."

Alec was relieved that Magnus let him express his doubts. Words might have power, but they also gave an outlet for the pain and guilt that he'd been internalizing for so long. Brushing is fingers against Magnus' cheek when he kissed his hand, Alec told himself that his husband was right. Max did love him. He might not idolize him or think of Alec as the favorite, but that didn't mean that Max didn't love him. "I always had to be the parent. I was the one my parents blamed if something went wrong. I was too scared of doing something wrong to actually be his brother. And did something wrong." That resulted in Max dying and Izzy being seriously injured. "Izzy was there. I thought Max would be safe with her and Sebastian. Jace was - " With Clary. That had been another cause of his hurt, but he knew that Jace had grieved just as much as the rest of them had. "He wasn't there."

It seemed wrong to let out the feelings that had been developing for years. He'd felt so much hurt and regret over the years, trying not to resent his role at the Institute. They were thoughts that Alec wasn't supposed to acknowledge let alone tell anyone, but he knew that if he didn't get some of it out now, he might say the wrong thing in front of Max. "No matter what happened, it was always my fault."

Magnus would always be there for Alec to wake up to, enjoying their mornings together when they were both refreshed and relaxed. Just before getting out of bed, it was easy to imagine they were alone in the world and there was no need for any inhibitions in conversation or reservations about touching one another. Then again, as they spent more time together as a married couple, both were rapidly dwindling concepts.

Listening intently, he brushed his fingertips along the inside of Alec's wrist and up towards the heavy ring he wore on his left hand. It was far from a traditional wedding ring, but Magnus' fingers and eyes often found it as a reminder of all they shared. "As he gets older, I'm sure he'll understand," he said, firmly believing it rather than saying it merely for comfort. While the Lightwood parents had been busy playing politics and fighting each other, Alec had been there to care for his siblings, even if that had meant some tough love. And though he didn't add the thought, he had one about the fact that Max now had the chance to grow up and come to that conclusion himself. "If you don't think Max can blame your brother and sister, then the same logic extends to you."

Sighing softly, mainly at the thought that Alec had been given so much responsibility at such a young age, Magnus straightened up so he could sit with Alec and pull him into his lap for more points of contact. They might have looked silly, given how much larger Alec was, but Magnus couldn't care less when he wanted to reassure his husband. "Your parents are difficult people," he said, snorting a little at his own obvious statement. "Perhaps that's the understatement of the year, but you know it's true. They expected so much of you because they couldn't live up to their own expectations."