Child’s Play
(read on AO3) (This week’s @ficletinstruments art prompt: Underwater Meeting)
It’s supposed to be a nice, relaxing day. Maryse and Luke rented a house by a lake for a week and invited the family to spend the weekend, and knowing Max might enjoy the company of someone else closer to his age Magnus brings Madzie along, too.
The air of calm is shattered the moment Max runs back up to the house from playing tag with Madzie. He’s drenched and alone.
“Mom! Alec! COME QUICK!” They don’t question the look of panic in the normally collected expression of the youngest Lightwood, trusting that if he’s this beside himself something must be truly wrong. Alec’s chest feels horribly tight at the realization that Madzie isn’t with him.
Max runs to the edge of the water and stops, pointing to a spot farther out where there’s an obvious disturbance beneath the water.
“She thought I didn’t see her, but she went under water while she was hiding and didn’t come back up. I tried to swim there but she’s too deep, I can’t hold my breath long enough.”
Maryse tenses and turns to Alec in immediate alarm only to be hit with a wave of confusion when Alec only shakes his head and Magnus comes up behind him laughing.
“She’s using her gills to breathe. She could stay down there for hours.”
“She-- that’s not fair ,” Max whines.
“You’re right, it absolutely isn’t. What do you say we beat her at her own game, eh Max?” Magnus offers.
“...how? I can’t reach her. There’s no rune for breathing underwater.” Max sighs.
“If you’re up for it - and if your mother allows it, of course - I know a bit of magic that could get you down there just long enough to tag her found.” Magnus pauses long enough to look over at Maryse, who appears hesitant.
“It isn’t dangerous, is it?” She questions.
“Of course not. I’ll have full control, I’d never let any harm come to Max,” Magnus swears, and only turns back to Max after Maryse finally nods.
“What do you say, Max?”
A few minutes later Max, entirely encircled in a sealed bubble of magic with enough air to last him 10 minutes, is dropped into the middle of the lake where Madzie’s breathing leaves a wake of ripples along the otherwise still lake water.
Max floats to the bottom, bumping the bubble against Madzie to catch her. “Found you!” He shouts victoriously before the bubble carries him back to the surface, with Madzie swimming behind.
“No more magic, that’s cheating!” Max insists.
“Fine. No more runes, either,” Madzie counters, looking at his recently activated stealth rune.
“Fine. But you have to count to 100 if I can’t use my speed rune!”
With that he’s off again.
Alec doesn’t say anything when Madzie wanders off when she gets to 50, and Magnus doesn’t comment when Max activates a balance rune before hiding in a tree the next round.
For now they let them be kids, while they still can.