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Max entered the Institute accompanied by one of his tutors. Everyone had been busy with Alec’s wedding the last time he had been there, and Max still didn’t understand why he had been sent back to Idris and hadn’t been allowed to stay. He would have liked to see his big brother get married.
Max followed his tutor through the many halls that led to his mother’s office, his attention wandering and following after various other shadowhunters that they passed on their way. Max fidgeted and looked overhead as they waited outside of a closed door to be granted entry. The sound of voices around the corner caught Max’s attention and he smiled when he saw Alec and another man rounding the corner, laughing and walking closely together.
“Alec!” Max exclaimed and darted down the hall toward his big brother.
Alec’s head turned up at the sound of Max’s exclamation and his face broke out into a full, genuine smile. He crouched down just in time to catch Max in his arms and was very nearly knocked backward by the force of it, but he somehow managed to keep his balance. “Hey you,” he said as he hugged Max close. “How come you’re here early? Your rune ceremony isn’t until tomorrow.”
“Lessons got over early,” Max shrugged, “but I think mostly because Eva wanted to talk to mom about something.”
“Did you get your runes confused again?” Alec asked, trying to look and sound more stern than he felt.
Max merely gave an exaggerated shrug in answer and Alec couldn’t help but laugh again and pull his little brother back in for another hug.
Magnus watched Alec and Max with amused affection. He often saw the brotherly side of Alec with Isabelle, but it was a different dynamic with them than it was between Alec and Max. Alec and Max were seemingly more playful, if only because of Max’s free spirit, though Magnus could sense that Alec was just as protective of Max as he was of Isabelle, if not more so since Max had not yet started his training.
Max released Alec from their hug only halfway, keeping one arm around Alec’s neck as he turned to face Magnus, taking in the slim fit slacks, the black and white patterned shirt, his dark cherry colored manicure, the rings and necklaces that adorned his fingers and neck, the dark kohl around his eyes and the way his hair was spiked up. Max thought he looked tough, thought he looked cool .
“I’m Max,” he introduced himself with an air of confidence that Magnus could appreciate, but wasn’t often found in a ten year old.
“Magnus,” he replied as he crouched down and extended his hand for Max to take.
It was as Max took Magnus’ extended hand that he noticed Magnus had no runes, and Magnus’ hand felt tingly, like something was living in his skin. Did marriage cause that? To make someone’s skin feel tingly and warm and alive?
Max turned his head to Alec. “Is Magnus your husband?”
“What?” Alec asked, obviously surprised, but Max’s look was quite serious and realization washed over Alec in waves. Max hadn’t attended the wedding, had obviously not been told what had happened and Alec shook his head then. “No, he’s not my husband.”
“You had a wedding though,” Max’s face contorted with his question as he tried to piece all of this new information together in his mind.
“But I didn’t get married,” Alec told him as he extended his arm to show Max his left wrist where the wedded union rune should have been but wasn’t.
“Oh,” Max nodded and turned back to Magnus. “Why does your hand feel tingly?”
“I’m a warlock,” Magnus started, “the tingly feeling is my magic.”
Magnus wasn’t sure how he had expected Max to react, but the look of pure awe and amazement on Max’s face, like he had just been handed the most precious and awesome piece of information, hadn’t been it.
Max turned to Alec, his arm still around Alec’s neck. “If you wanted him to be your husband, that would be okay. I wouldn’t mind.”
“Max!” a woman’s voice suddenly echoed sharply through the hallway, causing Max, Alec, and Magnus to all look up at Maryse’ rigid form, a look of complete displeasure over her face. Maryse took several swift steps over to where the three of them were huddled together.
Alec resisted the urge to rise to his feet and stand at attention like the dutiful soldier he was as he subtly pulled Max in closer to him. Magnus instantly recognized the protective reflex.
“I’ve just spoken with Eva, and you need to be studying your runes, not wandering the halls and wasting time with this warlock,” she scolded and stopped in front of the trio.
Alec stood then and put himself slightly in front of Magnus as he rested his hands on Max’s shoulders and kept him close.
Maryse looked at Magnus with cold eyes. “While you may have had an influence on my oldest children, you will not be permitted to have the same influence over my youngest.”
“Just stop,” Alec snapped, trying to keep his body from trembling as he narrowed his eyes at his mother and drew Max even closer to him. He felt Magnus’ hand on his lower back, hidden from his mother and inhaled a deep, calming breath. “I’ll help you with your runes, Max,” he said, more calmly as he looked down at Max and Max nodded up at him.
Alec narrowed his eyes at Maryse again as he stepped past her, his hand still on Max’s shoulders, Magnus following silently after them.
“Can we show Magnus our corner of the library?” Max asked as they reached the end of the hall.
Alec looked at Max and then up at Magnus and felt himself slowly smile. “Yeah, we can show him our corner of the library.”
The walk to the library was short and Max chatted away the whole time.
“It’s this way,” Max said to Magnus and gestured for Magnus to follow him up the stairs to a small loft-esque nook.
“I’ll be there in a minute, I just need to grab the books,” Alec grinned and shook his head, amused and somehow not at all surprised at how quickly Max had taken to Magnus.
The loft was small with just a couple of oversized chairs and a small reading table between them situated in front of a window with the sunlight pouring in.
Max climbed into one of the chairs and settled against the back, feet dangling over the edge. “I haven’t seen Alec laugh like that before. Maybe you will get married one day.”
Magnus smiled and laughed, surprised that it sounded nervous to his own ears, but perhaps Max wouldn’t know the difference. “What makes you say that?”
Max shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seems like you should marry someone that makes you laugh and makes you happy.”
Magnus sat in the other chair and crossed his legs, leaning toward Max. “Those are very good reasons to marry someone, yes.”
Alec couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could hear the sounds of laughter as he pulled books a few stacks down from the small nook and for good measure he plucked out a book about warlock runes. Something told him that Max would enjoy it. It could be their secret, just the three of them.
As he turned back into the nook he saw Magnus lean in closer to Max.
“Maybe one day,” he said with a wink and Max grinned.
“Maybe one day what?” Alec asked suspiciously.
“Nothing darling,” Magnus answered, feigning innocence as he conjured a third oversized chair out of thin air for Alec to sit in.