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"Well done." Max lowers his bow, forcing his eyes off the warlock's magic.
"More like medium rare."
He blinks, what, he looks up. The man's back is still turned towards Max, it's lean, spiked hair and the disappearing wasps of magic frame his physique. He looks ethereal. Even with the meat pun.
Mystery Guy's hips turn outward, feet sliding left on his heel, shit, shit, he is turning! Max averts his eyes back to the door, checking entry, exit-
"I am Charles. Don't think we have been introduced."
A breath catches in his throat. Sharls, Sharls, It must be Leclerc. The Warlock from Monaco. Charles Leclerc. He is beautiful. His eyes are green, his hair fall on his forehead effortlessly, his cheeks are pale and pink and his lips form a bow that Max could trace under his fingertips.
"Max."
His eyes are green, so impossibly green. He is a little shorter than Max and a little more dressed and so beautiful. There is a line of kohl under his emerald eyes and they are looking right back at him.
"Par- argwh- par- party." Max's eyes widen at the slip up but Charles is still staring at him intrigued, just like that, like that wasn't the stupidest thing he ever heard, he must see people stumble over themselves all the time. Fuck! His face is split into a smile he cannot control and Charles keeps looking!
"We should uh, we should probably get-"
A spark of realisation dawns on Charles' face but he doesn't look away, he is right there, right here, two steps away.
"Right. We should join the party."
Look away, look away.
"Yeah!"
Shit! He was only supposed to look away! He fucking walked away!
His eyes scrunch up, he can feel his face burning up, hands tight on the bow. Hopefully Kimi doesn't see him now. He wouldn't let him hear the end of it.
There is a moment, a beat before he can hear footsteps behind him- oh thank fuck, at least the guy doesn't think he is an idiot.
_
A slight prick, it doesn't sting, not in a way that registers anyway.
The droplet sticks to the arrowhead before the tension ceases and red streaks through his palm.
"Fucking hell, Max!"
The voice startles him but he is careful not to show it. It's only Carlos anyway. Most days that would be fine, most days that'd just be his Parabatai barging in as he usually does. Today, he knows that Carlos wants to talk.
He presses his fingers into the flesh of his palm, more blood oozes out before he quickly wipes it off with his other hand.
"What?"
There's a shove against his shoulder, before he can react to that, the same hand pulls his arm closer, "What are you doing to yourself?"
Max pushes Carlos' chest, the blood swatching against his grey shirt.
"Why are you here, Carlos?"
"What the fuck was that? Back at Charles'?"
Max bites the wall of his cheek, forcing it to fold between his teeth.
"What was what?"
Non answers. Max is build to be the perfect diplomat, whatever the clave needs. He knows he won't answer Carlos, he knows Carlos will leave.
"Your hand-"
"It is nothing."
The memory flashes in his head, the circle, his hand in Carlos', his hand in Charles'. Everyone saw it- everyone saw what he is.
The demon went to Kimi first, Kimi loves Max the most. He shouldn't but he does. It's okay, Kimi is young and naive and Max's little brother. He is allowed to make mistakes.
Then it went to Lando. Max was hoping it'd go to Charles first and then Max would learn that he loves someone, that Max was a pretty sight for sore eyes and it'd sting for a second but it'd free him too because Max Emilian Verstappen cannot hope for something like this, not, not whatever this could be.
It should have gone to Carlos. Max deserved to see it. He deserved to see Lando's face in the demon's fog. He wanted to see it with his own eyes. He needed to see what he knows.
Carlos is in love.
The demon touched Max first. Charles said, it'd take one memory of the one they loved the most. He wanted to spare none. He needed to keep them in his heart, he needed- he needed Carlos to not know.
At the end of the day, he was right. Carlos doesn't get to know what Kimi suspects, what Charles looks down at him for.
Max is ashamed. He is scared and pathetic and not half the man people think him to be.
"Max."
The voice is soft now, barely above a whisper.
He didn't realise how close Carlos is now, his finger caressed over the red spot on Max's palm.
"Is this about the mortal cup? about Lan-"
"Carlos, I am sorry."
He pulls his hand back slowly, "At Charles', for the demon- I-"
Carlos frowns, "What? That you love me?"
Something lodges deep inside Max's throat. He wants to shake Carlos, how can you say it like that? Just like that?
"I love you too, Max! We are Parabatais! We have known each other our whole lives!"
Oh.
Right.
"Right."
"Whatever, you think too much, man."
Yeah, right.
_
Hi, Charles! This Kimi, I am sending you Max's number.
Is he not in love with the tall, dark sunshine?
Not in love, no. Call Max.
I appreciate your interference very much.
_
"About the drink."
Max's eyes dart up, Charles is towering over him. Max would usually find that strange but he quiet likes it. Charles is using their positions all too well to make Max feel things and Max would find that annoying if not for the fact that he finds it hot. He needs to be blessed by an angel.
"Uh."
"Very eloquent, Maximilian."
Max's mouth snaps shut, colour spreading over his cheek. "It is Max Emilian. Verstappen."
Charles hums, his warmth making it's presence known to Max, "That's a piece of work."
Max slows down, wringing the cloth in his hand into the bucket, "My name?"
"You."
His head moves before he could command against it, eyes darting to Charles' face.
The Warlock smiles, "You know that you do not have to clean it, yes?"
Max coughs, regaining his composure, getting back to the hand at task. He needs to get all of Nando's blood out of whatever century old couch Charles looked so fond of.
"No, you already did so much. You should rest."
Charles' head tilts, his shadow playing underneath Max's hands.
"I am a rich man, Maximilian." A hand touches his shoulder, sliding down to the small of his back, a shiver runs down alongside Charles' hand, "I can afford it."
Max shakes his head vigorously, as if it'd shake off the effect of Charles Leclerc from him, "It's almost done." he wrings out the cloth one last time before spreading it open for Charles to see, "Look."
The Warlock stares at him, swallows something before turning his back at Max.
Weird.
Max finally stands up, his knees screaming at him. Maybe he should not have been so stubborn.
"Drink?"
Max peers at the glass in Charles' hand, it looks scary,. It's fucking blue and yellow and right before Max could take it, Charles lights it alive.
"I uh, love, alcohol." Max grins at him foolishly,
What the fuck, Verstappen?
Charles grins, a step closer, "Me too. Every hour is an happy hour!"
The top of his lips stretches with the smile but the bow doesn't go away, it elongates and Max wants to trace it with his tongue at least once.
What the fuck, Verstappen?
"Cheers?"
Max smashes his glass against Charles' and downs it in once.
It burns down his throat, the bitterness clinging to his teeth. How the fuck do people drink this shit?
"Hmm, not a fan?"
Max suppresses his grimace, trying to pull up the corners of his mouth, "No uh, it's very, um, it's pretty."
Charles giggles, downing his own cup before slipping his hand into Max's. His palm trails against Max's, slowly taking the glass back.
"We'll just have to keep trying till we find your thing, yeah?"
A grin bubbles up, this situation, long time since everyone's been safe, Nando is alive, Carlos is with Lando, Kimi is back at the clave.
Max is with Charles.
Charles blows a raspberry at him, "You are very lightweight, Maximilian."
Max laughs, "We will simply have to work on it then?"
The Warlock raises an eyebrow, pressing another glass into Max's chest, "You are on, Shadowhunter."
_
Max is high off it, high off Charles' company, his smile, his laugh, those god awful drinks- Charles, Charles, Charles who is a centuries old warlock, Charles who likes him, Charles who calls him pretty. Max cannot remember the last time someone called him pretty over Carlos.
"Virgin Shadowhunter Energy"
Max scoffs, what an asshole, he could have just called for Max without that stupid reason and Max would have gone moth to flame.
"Max."
Max suppresses the face splitting grin on his face, goddamnit, he is supposed to become the consul. He cannot fraternise with Downworlders. Especially- like that. Like, how Charles wants to.
"Max!"
"Kimi." He pulls his jacket off, sliding it on the rack. Kimi is silent for long enough that it prompts him to look up.
Kimi inhales, bracing himself for impact, as if Max would hit him for whatever he is about to say.
"Where were you?"
"Uh." The back of his neck starts burning, "At Charles'."
Kimi's eyes widen, "What were you doing-"
"I was drained." Max interrupts, willing the blush to dampen out, "We slept. On separate couches."
Kimi raised an eyebrow, kid thinks he grew a few inches and now he knows everything.
"What do you want, Kimi?"
His face fell down, eyes darting all over Max's face, "Mom and Dad called. They want us arranged."
Max frowns, "Arranged?"
"Wed. They want to divert everyone's attention from-"
"Their mistakes? To distract everyone from their alliance with the fucking maniac?"
Kimi purses his lips, "They already talked to the Piquets, for you."
What the fuck? His, his marriage, his life. They promised him this, this one thing against everything else.
"No."
"Max-"
"No, Kimi, no. We have given enough." There's a searing ache at the back of his head, "What are they- for you?"
"I- you remember Oliver?"
"The seelie? Are you fucking kidding me, Kimi?"
Kimi's jaw snaps shut, as if he has any right to be angry. "I will be the medium-"
"I am the diplomat, Kimi." Max growls, "They want to throw away everything we have been working-"
"I have the connections, Max."
"Is that what we are calling that now?" Max snaps, "No. I am talking to them."
Max knows he hit a nerve. He knows Kimi isn't onboard either. He likes this fucking seelie, if their parents prop him up as the diplomat, all their relations will cease to exist.
_
"Max." His eyes dart up, his father's face covering better half of the plain wall, "I see you heard the news-"
"News-"
"We have already finalised the dates."
Anger bubbles underneath his skin, who does he think he is?
"This is, of course, the best course for the family. Our image will be cleared, you will become a stable candidate for the consul, Kimi's deviant-"
Max's hand tightens, the bow cracking under his fingers.
"- desires will be put an end to."
Kimi shouldn't have to throw this away, he is barely 21, he is barely living. It maybe a fucking seelie but he deserves to have that too.
"Max."
Max forces himself to breathe, closing his eyes. He can live with Kelly, he can do- he can run for the consul. The Verstappen name will be cleared enough for Carlos to marry Lando and Kimi to follow Oliver. He will be the head of the institute, the clave will tolerate Carlos with a mundane, Kimi with a man.
He opens his eyes, Jos' shadow staring him down.
"I hear you are hanging around a Downworlder. Leclerc, is it?"
Max stiffens.
"I don't have to remind you-"
"No, Sir."
"Good."
_
Charles swings the portal open. These Shadowhunters and their recklessness. Well, their loss, his gain.
The New York institute is in shambles, he greets the head and beelines to where he know Max's quarters are.
What? He will start with the repairs in the most important part of the place. It just happens to Maximilian's room.
"Charles?"
The hope in his voice hits Charles like a really good shot of cocaine, a silly smile- definitely not suitable to someone as old as him- takes over his face.
"Maximilian!" Charles strolls in, eyes studying the room. It's bare, as if he has just moved in, "Fancy seeing you here!"
A boyish smile and blush later, Max mumbles out, "In my room?"
"What did you, move in yesterday?"
Max shrugs, settling down on his bed.
Oh, the things Charles would give to push him against it. He'd look so pretty, pale skin against the navy blue.
"Here for the repairs?"
"Yeah," Charles forces himself to look away, assessing the room for damage, "You reckless barbarians-"
A noise of protest interrupts him, "We were attacked!"
"Aren't you warriors blessed by the angel?"
Max rolls his eyes, "What, so we can't be caught offguard?"
"Yeah, where's your spider tingle?" Charles asks distractedly, Max's room has mostly sustained damage on the walls. That'd be a quick fix.
"What?" There is some rustling behind him, "What is that?"
Charles averts his gaze from the wall to stare back at Max, who is making it harder not press him into the mattress with the way he is spread on it, imagine him back home, on rosso corsa, in Charles' bed- he needs to stop thinking,
"Do not tell me that you do not know what Spider- Man is."
Max shifts himself on one arm, supporting his head on his right hand palm, "I totally know who that is, the Clave is famous for their movie nights."
"Oh, don't you dare." Charles chastises him, walking towards the bed, "Don't blame this one the Clave. I know Carlos knows what Marvel is."
Max frowns, sitting up slightly, "What are you, fraternising with all the Verstappens?"
Charles raises an eyebrow at him, is he jealous?, He rests his hands on Max's bed, seeing him eye to eye.
"Carlos is a Sainz."
Max's frown deepens, pout growing stronger, "What are you playing at, Leclerc?"
Charles grins, sliding his knees on the bed, "You want to know-"
"What?"
He cups Max's face, lightly. Giving Max time to understand what's going on.
"Charles." A hand falls on the top of his knee, "Charles, I-"
He traces the bottom lip that Max keeps jutting out, it's plump, soft and Charles would so not mind feeling that somewhere else.
Max gulps his words, swallowing back whatever protests he had down his throat.
"Charles."
He hums, content holding Max like this. Content being held by him.
"I am getting married."
What.
His hands fly back, leaving Max unmoored on the bed.
"Charles, I am marrying Kelly-"
A Piquet? Max wishes to marry as an alliance? He stumbles back, his feet tripping as they find the floor.
"Charles-"
"What do you want, Max?" He snaps, his eyes finally meeting Max's.
"To marry-"
Charles rolls his eyes, "You love her?"
Max's face hardens, jaw tight, "I don't love you."
"Yeah," Charles feels hysterical, mad, "You wouldn't fucking dare to."
"I can." Max mutters defiantly, "I can but I know what's more important, the institute-"
"The Clave," Charles rolls, "Would leave you to die the minute you aren't useful."
"You will not understand, what it means, the duty-"
"I do not wish to." Charles snaps, "Have you ever been in love, Max?"
Max's jaw slackens, "I- I, I-"
"And how could you have?" His voice colours with pity. That's what he feels. Pity. "Have you ever felt breathless when Kelly speaks?"
Max gulps, his eyes are glassy now, Charles should stop now, he should stop. "Has the world sung a harmony only you understand? Have you felt the thrill of magic in your heart?"
"I don't need to."
Charles exhales, he cannot do this, he cannot fix someone, he cannot help someone who does not wishes for it, "I hope you find happiness, Verstappen."
_
"You are uh, you" Kimi stumbles in, out of breath, right when Max finally fell asleep, "You are marrying Kelly?"
Max groans, heel of his palms pressed into his eyes, "Yes."
Kimi folded his arms, like a defiant toddler in the candy aisle, "You said you won't let it happen- you said-"
"It's fine, Kimi." Max closed his eyes, sliding further down under his duvet, "I am the diplomat, you and Oli-"
"You think I care about that?" Max blinks up in surprise at the volume, "You think I care- Max."
His eyes are glazed in unshed tears now, Max suddenly has a flash of memory, the demon's fog showing a vivid image of Max when it took a memory of a loved one from Kimi.
"I am not, I am- I am who I am and you are who you are and I thought, I thought, you said it doesn't matter." Kimi sniffles, his fist bunched up on his own jacket, "Max, you said I get to be who I am!"
"You do." the words fall softly, "You do, Kimi, this is for-"
"Oh, fuck you! fuck you!"
"Hey, hey," Max slides off the bed, slowly pulling Kimi in his arms, "Hey, You are fine Kimi, you get to be you and nothing and no one will change that. I won't let them."
"But, I want, for you too."
"It's okay, Kimi. It's okay, alright? It's okay."
_
Kelly is beautiful. Her wedding dress is white, with blue accents for him. They talked once, before the wedding. She is nice, she is lovely. Max keeps thinking of Charles, he keeps thinking of Kimi crying to him.
Charles must be in his flat, on his bed, in the kitchen, in the living room. Maybe he has forgotten about Max, maybe he never cared all that much.
You wouldn't fucking dare to
Max winces, he needs to focus.
He is getting married today. A silent brother will perform the ceremony, Kelly will draw the rune, Max will finish the bond and then- then they will go home? home?
Charles' couch has these multi-coloured, multi- patterned knits, they aren't very soft but he liked the way they dug into his skin- Charles went to Mexico and picked them out himself.
How can they go home?
He will stay at the institute as long as he lives.
Max offers her a hand, her dress sweeps on the floor before she is standing in front of him.
His eyes dart to Kimi, he refuses to meet Max's eyes and offers Kelly the band, she puts it on Max's wrist.
Max turns around, Carlos has a pitiful smile he doesn't want to acknowledge so he pretends he doesn't see it.
The necklace is light, Kelly turns around, he hooks the pin.
Her stele burns bright in her hand, Max's fingers loosely strung with hers-
"Charles?"
Max's eyes snap to Kimi, he follows his eyeline and oh, Charles.
Charles, Charles, Charles
"What's that Warlock doing here?" Jos' voice booms across the hall,
Carlos makes a confused noise "How is-"
"I didn't think he'd show." Kimi responds, excited, happy, like it will change something, it cannot, it will not.
"You degenerate," Jos sneers, "Leave this wedding right now or-"
Charles angles his head towards this man, his father and rolls his eyes, "This is between me and your son. I'll leave," Charles looks right at him, "If he asks me to."
Have you ever felt breathless when Kelly speaks?
The air is knocked out of his lungs. The blood in his veins is thrumming beneath his skin.
"Maxie, you are okay?"
Max inhales sharply, he attempts a nod at Carlos but it ends up a slight shake, he doesn't know if that's a yes or no.
"Hey," His eyes snap at Kelly, she is smiling, so happy, so desperate, she needs him to marry her as much as his parents need him to marry her.
"I," Charles, Charles, Charles, "I can't breathe."
"It's okay," Kelly smiles at him, "Max-"
"I" his voice breaks, "I can't do this. I thought- I thought could but,"
"Max." Her smile warms, the desperation gone, she is- Max would never forgive him if her were her. "You need to do what is right for you."
Max nods, once, twice, breathing in, "I am sorry."
And he steps off the altar.
Charles is standing in the middle of the aisle, his black suit is ridiculously skewed, like he wore it with half a step outside his room, his hairs are all spiked up and his eyes... his eyes just look right back at Max.
Charles' eyes widen, Max has this indescribable urge to grin back at him.
"Max" Jos hisses,
"Enough."
And for once in his life, Jos Verstappen knows it is.
Charles breathes out, a tiny whisper, his name into the void, "Max."
Max grabs him by the lapels of his rumpled suit and finishes what Charles Leclerc started.
It's everything and nothing, Charles' hand are on his waist, his hair and Max is useless to do anything but go where Charles takes him, he can't breathe, his heart is so full it could blow up and Max wouldn't care.
Charles pulls him closer, he doesn't know how he is still standing with Max's weight all on him, he pulls away and Charles chases him with spit licked lips and dark eyes and Max now has a name to all his forbidden desires.