facilis descensus averno.

max couldn’t help but laugh at her words, head shaking a bit at the absurdity of their situation. it was already bad enough to deal with, but hearing her say it made it all the more obvious of just how preposterous it truly was. never once did he think he would live through something like this, and yet, there they were. ❝ it wasn’t this bad when i first arrived. perhaps i didn’t realize that... shit was hitting the fan, as people like to say. ❞

❝ pawns, not people. ❞ he repeated her words, as a reminder to himself if nothing else. it was the only thing that made sense. resurrection was tricky, and although he didn’t doubt that leo would go that far ( or even be able to do so ), these people didn’t exactly seem... alive. it was a wonder some of them were even standing on their feet in the first place, given the injuries they sustained. still, they were very much pawns, and like she said, out for blood. ❝ do you think there’s any other way to get rid of them instead of... ❞ killing them was what he wanted to say, but it almost didn’t seem appropriate. ❝ y’know. sending them back to wherever they came from. ❞

he grew silent, contemplating whether or not he should tell her that yes, he did recognize some of the undead people that were roaming the streets. he didn’t know if he could trust her. then again, he’d been the one to approach her and start a conversation in the first place. after a moment, a sigh escaped his lips. ❝ yeah, i do. ❞ he admitted lowly. ❝ but they’re not ─ whatever they are, they’re not the people they’re supposed to be. ❞

max appreciated anna’s effort to try to calm down, to simply take a moment to breathe. it couldn’t be easy for her to do so, especially with everything that had been going on as of lately, but he knew that she would do whatever it took for the safety and well-being of their little ones. ❝ you’d still be the incredible, lovely woman that you are. ❞ his tone was soft, his love for her pouring from each word. it was crazy to think that just a while ago, he didn’t even think he would ever be capable of such softness, let alone of a love like this ─ all consuming, the kind that left him breathless and craving for more after each moment. and yet, he could no longer imagine a life without her. when she moved to hold his free hand, max squeezed her own lightly in a way he hoped would be somewhat reassuring. ❝ i promise, my love. ❞ being careful was new for the shadowhunter, but he would try his hardest to keep himself safe. he had something to lose now. they had something to lose. ❝ you have to trust me on this, okay? ❞ with a pause, he brought their linked hands up to place a gentle kiss to hers. ❝ trust that i will take care of him this time. trust that i will not let that bastard come near you or our babies. trust that i will come home to you every night, no matter how hard the day was. trust me as i trust you. ❞

he couldn’t help but scoff at her response, the slightest hint of amusement on his features. ❝ perhaps next time. ❞ max said jokingly, almost as if he was disappointed. of course, he didn’t plan on there being a next time at all. ❝ yeah, one or two i recognize. guess that’s the newest brand of crazy we have to deal with. ❞

it was too much to be just a coincidence. the not-quite-alive people that were roaming the streets couldn’t be a random, isolated thing. he knew that it had something to do with leo and the war on the horizon, but he didn’t know what exactly was the point, and that only aggravated him more. ❝ we shouldn’t trust it. ❞ he stated, gaze ahead on the group of undead. ❝ are any of them... familiar, to you? ❞ it might seem like a weird question, but considering he was sure he’d seen at least a couple of familiar faces that were supposed to be dead, he had to ask.

❝ i’d agree with that, but i think it actually depends on who’s around. ❞ max stated, head turning in her direction. not everyone approved of his relationship with anna. he couldn’t exactly blame them for it, but he wasn’t going anywhere, so he’d gotten used to simply ignoring the occasional glares that he got. ❝ i’m not sure i am that welcome here, to be honest. your brother has pulled quite a number. ❞

❝ probably. ❞ the shadowhunter admitted with a sheepish smile. although he had gotten good at recognizing werewolves by now ( mostly the ones that were part of the pack ), he wasn’t above making mistakes. besides, it’s not like he had enhanced senses to help him with that. he could rely on mannerisms, but even that wasn’t infallible. however, at this point, that had been the last thing on his mind. he just wanted to know if anna was okay. ❝ uh, i’m max. ❞ he stopped as if waiting for some kind of response, be it a positive or negative one. ❝ i haven’t been able to reach anna in a few hours. have you seen her around? ❞

it hadn’t been too long since it started ─ the headaches, the visions, almost as if the world around him stopped for a few seconds as his mind was filled by memories he didn’t remember, like they were from someone else, or from another life. except his gut told him that wasn’t the case. he’d tried to ignore it, but that only lead to overthinking, which was precisely the reason why he’d been distracted and couldn’t stop himself from colliding with someone’s figure. ❝ bloody fuck. ❞ he mumbled, british mixing with american as a result of his surprise. when his eyes landed on the stranger, he squinted slightly. ❝ that’s ─ that’s fine. i’m sorry, do i know you? ❞

his own body relaxed a bit as he felt the werewolf relax, taking a moment to simply be relieved that she was alive and well. that was what was most important to him, anything else could be dealt with later on. ❝ yes, i did. ❞ the shadowhunter confirmed quietly, eyes finding hers as she pulled back a bit. when she grimaced and pressed her hand on her bump, his eyes widened as he too reached out, hand softly resting on top of hers. ❝ anna, anna, love, look at me. ❞ his free hand cupped her cheek, thumb lightly caressing her skin as he squeezed her hand lightly. ❝ just focus on me, alright? breathe. ❞ his words were slow, chest rising and falling in a deep beath as if waiting for her to repeat the action. ❝ we will find a way. nothing will happen to me, or you, or our babies. i promise. ❞ and he knew that he would stop at nothing to ensure that promise. ❝ come on, love. we’ll be okay. you just focus on our little ones, hm? they need their mama more than anything. ❞

❝ surprisingly, yeah. i know what you mean. ❞ the shadowhunter mused, nodding his head. however, he couldn’t relate to her statement ─ not anymore, at least. it had been a good while since he had last felt that way, and he knew exactly why. a small smile spread across his lips at the thought, but it was gone quickly as he remembered he wasn’t alone. ❝ usually, i just drink until it goes away, or until i’m too drunk to care. ❞ he couldn’t recall a time where the first option happened. of course, it was usually the latter that proved itself to be effective.