Old friend, remember me

Thank you old friend

Raphael looked at the screen.
There was Alec. But he looked so... put together and clean.  His face was shaven, his hair shorter, his eyes brighter and he was wearing a nice button up shirt as he smiled widely at something behind the camera.
He just looked so genuinely happy.

And then, there he was.
Raphael's eyes widen as he got closer to the screen.

The boy in his dreams. In his past.

'Magnus'

"Old friend", he whispered.

He looks the same as 13 years ago.
Unlike in his memories , Magnus had a light stubble of hair on his chin, which makes him look older but just as handsome as before. Carrying the same relaxed and confident posture, Raphael had known of him.
Alec smile widened even more, as Magnus smirked and held out a hand, silently asking for a dance. His husband rolled his eyes fondly at him and slung his arms around Magnus' shoulder, while Magnus is holding Alec's waist tenderly.

'They look good together. And happy.' he thought.

A small boy appeared on the screen. Running towards the couple and hugging Alec's legs.
'This must be Max.'
His dad happily bent down and lifted him up, while Magnus made funny faces at his son and tried to fix his unruly curls, that were bouncing on his small head.

"That was on Max's 4th birthday party.",a voice said softly.

Raphael jumped a little out of surprise and went to shut off the tv. Sorry I didnt mean to. Jace told me I...I could.." ,he stammered.

But izzy just shook her head.
"Don't, it's fine." She wrapped her arms around herself and sat on the couch. She looked back up at the screen, where the couple continued to dance, now with their little boy carried between them.
A sad smile appeard on her beautiful face.

"Max was so happy. His dads finally got him the pirate costume, he had wished for so badly." ,she paused.
"One week after that was the accident.
And everything changed."
A silent tear ran down her cheek.
"Sometimes it feels like I haven't just lost my brother in law and my nephew on that day, but also Alec. His heart died with them."
Raphael listened as her voice turned quieter.
"He tried to take his life twice, you know. At both times Jace found him just in time.
He just wasn't able to bear it anymore. Until on one day, Jace and I dragged him to Therapy. The suicide attempts stopped. He found another way to cope with his family's death."
"Denial", Raphael finished for her.
Izzy nodded.
"He created this sacred place in his mind. A world where Magnus and Max still live. A life before the accident." she explained.

There was silence between them, both mourning the memory of the past.
Izzy, her family and the person her brother had been.
And Raphael, the memories of a friend. A friend he had forgotten about.

"What's up with his order."?, he asked, trying to ease the situation.

"Order ? Oh you mean his coffee order." Izzy let out a small laugh.
"As Magnus and Max were still alive, Alec had always messed up their coffee order because he simply couldn't remember it. But after their death, he always made sure he got it right.
It even lead to an outburst once, when Jace forgot to put extra sugar in Magnus Chai Latte.
It is kind of a routine for him, to keep his episodes at bay.

They both turned their head, as they heard a key in the lock and the door opened.
"Take off your shoes, darling. Alexander, take off your shoes, Alexander.", they heard Alec mutter to himself in the doorway.
Raphael turned to Izzy. "Another routine?", he asked.
She nodded. "Magnus couldn't stand people walking around his home with their dirty shoes. He'd even bought us all house shoes to prevent that."