Title: G – Goodbye
Series: Alphabet Soup Series
Warning: AU
A/N: So, I have been contemplating something like this, although not really an airplane crash or airplane-related accidents because that will just make my phobia worse. But then, this terrible incident happened over a week, and I guess, I felt like I need to write it. (I was just getting over my phobia of flying after the MH370 incident in March, and now, the MH17 tragedy happened). Some families were returning to Malaysia to celebrate Eid al-Fitr but instead… /sigh Anyways, my condolences to all families that lost their loved ones in MH17 tragedy. Also, Happy Eid al-Fitr to everyone who celebrates it
Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Instruments.
Thank you Paperflowers101, yarnbag, FantysmalAdorations, and Guest for the reviews on Chapter 6 :D I just got home from visiting my relatives house for Eid al-Fitr~ So, I'll reply to all reviews personally tomorrow :) Also, so happy for the review in Chapter 6...one of the longest review I ever received *give lots of hearts*
Present time
Magnus was asleep when the airplane shook, as if it was hit by something. He was awake when the other passengers let out panicked cries, the children wailing, and some of the passengers, who weren't wearing their seatbelts, and the crews who were walking along the aisle hit the ceiling of the airplane. He was panicking when the oxygen mask dropped from the ceiling, and the pilot announcing that the plane is crashing, and requested all passengers to put on their seatbelts, as if that would help them. He noticed the scared looks on the other passengers' faces when they noticed some of the passengers were already dead, and heard them saying their prayers as the plane plummeted. He was scared because he knew that there was no way to avoid the crash, he was going to die, and he was leaving behind the one person he loved the most.
12 hours earlier
Magnus, the twenty-five years old fashion designer, sighed once more as he dropped onto the comfortable looking armchair near the corner of the café; his favorite Starbucks drink in one hand, and his carry-on bag in the other. It was almost twelve in the afternoon, and he has to wait for another five hours or so at the airport. He had woken up late that day, and missed his morning flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thank the heaven above that his fashion show to introduce his new line of clothing in Malaysia was not till the day after.
He stared at his phone for a while, before deciding to just go with it. After pressing speed dial #1, he heard the dial tone, and moments later, the call was answered. He knew international calls were expensive, but if he can't see Alec face-to-face, then he's willing to pay anything to hear Alec's voice.
"Hello?" a voice said tiredly.
"Good morning, darling." Magnus knew Alec wouldn't be able to see him, but he couldn't help but grin. "You sound like you haven't been sleeping."
"I had the night shift last night," Alec informed him. "Apparently, the doctors really like to work the interns to death." He let out a tired chuckle.
"I shouldn't keep you awake then. You need your sleep."
"No, it's okay. I can sleep later," Alec, insisted. "I really missed you," he added softly.
"I missed you too, sweetheart."
Alec laughed. "I told you never to call me that ever again."
"I know, but I can't help it." Magnus grinned.
"Hey," Alec said, as if realizing something. "I thought you should be on the plane by now."
Magnus let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, you see…I missed my original flight."
"You went partying last night, didn't you?"
From Alec's tone, Magnus knew his boyfriend disapproved his late night activity. "Well, I couldn't not go to my own after-party," he explained.
Alec made some disapproving noises before asking, "So, what time is your flight to Kuala Lumpur?"
"Five-fifteen," Magnus answered. "Till then, I'll have to waste my time at the airport."
Alec could practically see Magnus pouting over that statement. He chuckled. "If you brought your laptop like I told you to, we could have Skype while you waited."
"Skype!" Magnus all but shouted. "I forgot about that. Alexander, turn on your laptop. I'll call you on Skype using my phone instead."
Alec laughed, his tiredness forgotten, and said 'okay' before hanging up.
A moment later, Magnus video-called Alec on Skype, his Apple earpods in his ears. When Alec answered, his face appeared on the screen of Magnus's phone, he smiled. His boyfriend was beautiful as always, despite the obvious dark circles under his eyes.
"God, I love you so much, Alexander," he whispered.
Alec smiled at him lovingly, before replying, "I love you too, Magnus."
Magnus grinned, and he began asking about what Alec had been up to that week while he was in Amsterdam, and after that, he began telling Alec about his 'adventures' in Amsterdam. "Darling, we should totally come here as soon as you get your vacation time. It's a truly beautiful country."
"What makes you think I want to go with you? I might probably go with Jace," Alec teased. "Or maybe even Clary."
"Oh, you wound my heart, darling," Magnus gasped dramatically.
Alec laughed. "God, I can't believe I have to endure another week without you." Alec pouted. "The bed is cold without you here."
"Admit it, you love cuddling with me in bed," Magnus teased.
"Of course I do, you're warmer than our comforter," Alec said, his eyes twinkling.
Magnus laughed again, and Alec joined him after a moment. Before they knew it, they had been talking for an hour. Magnus noticed Alec trying hard to stay awake, so he took pity on his boyfriend, and told him to sleep.
"I guess, goodbye for now, darling," Magnus told him.
Alec shook his head. "Remember, I told you, no goodbyes. I hate goodbyes. A simple 'I love you' would suffice." He grinned.
"Of course." Magnus smiled. "I love you, Alexander, with all my heart," he exclaimed. "Only the heaven above knows how much I love you. My love for you runs—"
"Alright, I get it, stop," Alec laughed. "God, you're terrible."
Magnus grinned. "Alright, I'll be serious now." He kissed his phone's screen, right where Alec's mouth was supposed to be. "I love you."
"Love you too," Alec smiled, and then yawned. "I'll sleep now," he said, and after a nod from Magnus, he ended the call.
After finishing his drink, Magnus decided to head off to the duty free shops, and buy some presents for Alec. He knew Alec hated it when he spent money unnecessarily, but Magnus loved spoiling his boyfriend, and nothing Alec say can stop him from doing so.
He spent two hours shopping, and found a few items for Alec. Then, he spent another hour eating a late lunch. He glanced at his wristwatch, and knew he had some time left before he had to board the plane. He had an urge to call Alec again. Deep down, he felt like he had to talk to Alec before boarding the airplane, but he hesitated at first, fearing his boyfriend might still be asleep. But then again, knowing his boyfriend, the latter wouldn't sleep for more than a few hours during the day. So, he ended up calling Alec after all.
Unfortunately, Alec did not answer. Magnus tried a few more times, but still, Alec did not answer. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Maybe Alec was still too tired after all, and was still asleep. He made his way to the gate when an announcement was made, saying passengers for MH360 may now board the plane.
Present time
The last few minutes as the plane fell to its doom felt like hours. The only thing Magnus could think of was Alec. He knew he shouldn't but he felt jealous that some of the passengers onboard the flight was with their family and loved ones, and he was alone. And then, he felt guilty for thinking that, because that would mean condemning Alec to the same fate as his.
"I don't want to die," the teenage girl sitting next to him gasped between sobs. Her hands were pale white from gripping the armrest too tightly.
"Just close your eyes, this will be over soon," Magnus told her, his heart breaking for the girl next to him. They had talked after they boarded the plane. Magnus was curious on why she was alone. Apparently, she was returning home after spending the summer with her uncle in Netherlands. She was a university freshman, straight out of high school.
The girl did as Magnus instructed, still sobbing. Magnus reached out for her hand, to give her reassurance, although they both knew it was a lie; they both knew they would not make it out alive. Together, both of them slowly accepted their horrible fate, and once again, Magnus had a horrible thought in his head, wishing they were dead before the plane crashed so that they wouldn't have to think about the few seconds, minutes, before dying.
Tears began rolling down Magnus's cheeks as he closed his eyes. Now he would not be able to see Alec's beautiful face again, the brilliant blue eyes, the dimple when he smiled. He would not be able to hear Alec's voice again, his laughter. He regretted the fact that he could not talk to Alec one last time before boarding the plane. He regretted that they couldn't travel to Netherlands together. Regretted that he couldn't give Alec the presents he brought for him, presents he knew Alec would love and cherish. He regretted most of all that he couldn't kiss Alec one last time before he dies.
3 hours earlier
Alec cursed himself for forgetting to turn on his alarm before he slept. He cursed again when he saw the missed calls from Magnus. However, he couldn't call back since Magnus would still be onboard the airplane right now. Sighing, he mentally counted the Magnus's time of arrival to Kuala Lumpur, and made a note to call his boyfriend then.
Alec was frowning after he got out of the shower. He had been feeling uneasy since he woke up. He remembered someone saying that it usually meant something bad was going to happen. But, he only shoved the feeling away, he wasn't a superstitious person.
He shook his head, and started to get his things ready. He had another night shift that day. While walking towards the train station, his cell phone rang. It was his sister, Isabelle, better known as Izzy. She told him that she just picked up their adopted brother, Jace, and his wife, Clary, from the airport, and wondered if Alec wanted to have dinner together the next night. She said that everyone was so busy with his or her own life; she, Max, Jace and Alec barely spent any times together, without their significant others. Alec agreed, since he was free the next day.
Five hours later
Alec had just finished his rounds, and was taking the clipboards back to the nurses' in-charge. His uneasy feeling from earlier had become stronger as every hour passed, but he kept dismissing it. While walking down the hallway towards the reception desk, he heard his sister's frantic voice.
"Izzy?" he said, confused. He knew his sister had a date with Simon tonight; it was their five years anniversary as a couple. He also knew that Simon was planning on proposing during their dinner date, so he wondered why she was here, at the hospital.
Upon hearing her brother's voice, Isabelle immediately ran towards her brother and hugged him tightly. Alec had seen the tears on Isabelle's face, and he felt his chest tightened, fearing the worst.
"Oh Alec, I'm so sorry," Isabelle sobbed.
Alec could feel everyone was looking at them. Probably wanted to know what was wrong. Not that he blamed them, he would want to know what was wrong too. He asked, his voice quivering slightly, "Izzy, d-did something happened?"
He was not prepared for Isabelle's answer.
She sobbed harder, her hands tightening around Alec's neck. After what felt like hours, she pulled away, and looked at Alec, tears still running down her cheeks. "It—its Magnus. Alec, his plane to Malaysia crashed. It crashed when they were flying above Ukraine."
Alec's eyes widened, he was in shock. At that moment, the room became quiet. Some of the people; the doctors, nurses, and other interns, who were at reception area must have already seen the news, because they were looking at Alec with sympathy.
Alec didn't see it though. In his mind, he could only hear his sister's words.
"Alec?"
"No." Alec's voice was soft, he was in denial. "No. You're lying." Alec felt a lump in his throat, and tears swelling in his eyes. "No!" he cried. "I just talked to him earlier, he couldn't—He's not dead." His legs gave way beneath him, and he was on the floor, crying. Isabelle dropped to her knees, never letting go Alec's hands. "You're lying, he can't be dead!" Alec screamed, almost hysterical. Suddenly, he felt his chest constricted, and he couldn't breath. He barely heard Isabelle yell for someone to help him, before his vision went black.
One year or so later…
Alec was sitting in a café across the street from the hospital where he was doing his residency, a cup of herbal tea in front of him. He was supposed to meet his sister there, and as usual, she was late. He sighed as he took out his cell phone. But before he could call his sister, Isabelle entered the café.
She look at Alec apologetically before saying, "Sorry I'm late. There was some trouble at work."
Alec shook his head. "It's okay."
Isabelle bit her bottom lip, and stared at her brother. He was still thinner than he was over a year ago. Her brother had buried himself in his work after he finally accepted that Magnus died in the plane crash, and sometimes, he even forgot to eat. He was almost malnourished. Six months after the crash, he had a cardiac arrest when he was alone at home. Thank god Jace decided to visit at that time. If not, Isabelle shuddered to think about the outcome.
After ordering her drink and food, Isabelle looked at her brother. "So, how are you holding up? I haven't heard from you, or see you since Magnus's funeral last week."
It took almost a year for them to identify Magnus's body from the crash site, and about a week or so for the bodies of United States citizens to be shipped back.
Alec shrugged. "The hospital took most of my time. I meet up with my therapist once a week."
"You've been avoiding us though," Isabelle said. "You missed another one of our get together. Jace and Max are worried. Mom and dad are worried." After a pause, she added, "I'm worried too."
The short silence between them was so tense, it could be cut with a knife.
"I'm sorry," Alec whispered, breaking said silence. "It's just so hard, trying to cope with Magnus's death, and after a year, dealing with his funeral." Alec choked, "I love him so much, and…"
Isabelle reached for her brother's hand. "I know."
"I know I made everyone worried. Even Clary was worried." He smiled. "She even went by the apartment sometimes."
Isabelle seemed surprised. "She did?" Clary and Alec didn't have a good start, and Alec only started tolerating her when she and Jace started dating and eventually marrying her.
"Yeah," Alec nodded. "She and Magnus were close, and Magnus treated her like a younger sister. We…we bonded over that, I guess."
Isabelle nodded.
He looked at his sister straight in the eyes. "I can't promise you that I'll attend the weekly gathering you planned, not yet. But I promise I will take better care of myself."
"You better, or else I'll resurrect you just to kill you myself," she jokingly threatened him.
Alec laughed. He missed his sister's humor sometimes. "I know."
"Before you're done wallowing in your own self-pity alone, can we continue meeting up for lunch like this? That way, I could at least make sure you're eating properly."
Alec gave her a smile, a true smile, the smile that she missed, the smile that disappeared the day Magnus died. "That's a deal," he said, and Isabelle grinned, before rubbing her eyes.
If anyone asked, she would never admit that there was tears in her eyes that time. But she was glad that her brother was healing, albeit rather slowly, but he was healing.
A/N: Ugh, I'm not really satisfied with the ending. Darn, Alec's breakdown almost made me cry. I'm sorry if it's a bit uncharacteristic. Alec seemed like someone who has breakdowns quietly (Okay, that phrase is kind of awkward). Happy Eid al-Fitr, people~ Please leave some reviews :D
