„By the Angel", Max breathed and took Catarina the words out of her mouth.
Though, she wouldn't have used that expression, more like: "What the fuck?" or "What the hell?" or maybe even "Oh, my God.". But sometimes, if one looked closely enough, one could still notice that Max had grown up between Shadowhunters and had been raised by one even if this was years in the past, decades even.
Catarina sighed both at the situation in front of her and at the fact that Max had grown up too fast, more so, if he were a mortal he would be most likely dead. His brother was.
"Hello, Max. Long time no see", Tessa said and waved at him with her free hand. In the other hand she held a drink. Catarina envied her she could have used a drink too if she looked at the situation.
Max didn't bother to answer.
"How long has this been going on?", he asked horrified.
"About an hour", Tessa said and shrugged.
"Why haven't you called earlier?"
Catarina sighed. "He promised us that he had it under control today. Plus, we thought we could control him."
Max shook his head at them as if he couldn't believe how foolish they were. Catarina couldn't blame him.
"If I learned something in the last thirty years it is that you can never, never control Papa on the day of Dad's death", Max muttered.
"I can't believe it has been thirty years already", Catarina said.
Tessa sobbed quietly. Maybe she had just remembered that it would be twenty-five years next months since Jem's death.
They were silent for a moment all of them deep in their own thoughts and a bit crashed by the weight of immortality. And also a bit horrified by Magnus.
Catarina could honestly not recall when he had escaped her and Tessa's watchful eyes. Of course they had been watchful. They knew that it had been Alec's day of death and they knew that Magnus tended to... freak out a bit. Magnus had wanted to go get a drink and since the other option would've been listening to him weeping, Catarina and Tessa took him to a bar nearby, where he had drowned his sorrow in whiskey.
"I miss him so much", he had told her. "So much. I've never known you can miss somebody that much. I've loved many, you know that better than anyone, but there was no one quite as Alexander. And I don't think there will ever be one like him again."
Catarina had held him as he cried, then he had gotten himself another whiskey and slowly he had gotten drunk. And that was when things turned bad.
Now Catarina was not new to Magnus Bane and his terrible ideas when he was drunk. She had been in Peru with him after all. But he had never run through the streets of New York with nothing on but one glove while crying out: "Love will come to you all. But beware it is a poison". He had never gone naked into a shop in order to buy clothes only to tell the salesman how disgusting the taste of his dead husband had been and then to turn every piece in that shop in exactly that disgusting taste blue - "that was how his eyes looked". And he had never flown up in the sky (still naked), painted it in all the colors of the rainbow and looked down at them. That's where he still was. Naked in the rainbow-colored sky with just a glove on and a drink in his hands.
"Oh, hello, Maxi", he yelled as he spotted his son. "How are you? I haven't seen you in sooo long."
Magnus waved down from the sky and while doing it sent his glass of whatever alcohol, Catarina really didn't want to know what it was exactly, flying.
"Oops", Magnus said and giggled.
Max looked suddenly very exhausted and rubbed his face. "God, how I wish Rafael would be here. He had always been better at this."
He made a face at his brother's name as if reopening a barely healed wound. Catarina supposed it felt that way, it had not even been ten years since Rafael's death.
"All right, Papa, how about you come down now?", Max called up to Magnus.
But Magnus just chuckled. "But it's nice up here. So peaceful. I wish to stay here forever."
Max rolled his eyes. "At one point you'll run out of power and then you'll fall down."
Magnus looked startled for one second and looked down but then just shrugged.
"Do I really have to come get you?", Max asked.
"You'd have to catch me. And", Magnus added in a whisper with wide eyes as if telling a secret, "you won't because I can do magic."
"Me too, remember? You taught me", Max said. "Now come down."
Magnus hesitated but slowly to Catarina's utter astonishment flew down to the ground.
"Hello, Papa", Max said as he hit the ground with a sad expression. "It's been a while. How about I get you some clothes?"
Max snapped his fingers and green sparks appeared over Magnus which formed to a pink suit. Catarina was surprised how well he had caught Magnus' style, she was surprised anyone could catch Magnus' style.
Magnus said nothing, he just looked very tired suddenly.
"Come on, let's get you home, all right? It's been a long night, I'm sure", Max said.
"Thirty years, Maxi. How can it be thirty years already?", Magnus whispered astonished.
"I know", Max answered and Catarina saw tears in his eyes. "I miss him too."