Magnus looks up sharply when he hears the familiar (beloved) voice in his doorway, going still with surprise and no small amount of shock. Is that??… but How…. A split second later, the Warlock drops the spellbook in his hand and swings around the corner of his office entrance to stare at—-
“— Raphael!?” Bane breathes, eyes darting from the boy’s smiling face to the patchwork of sunlight filling up his loft’s living room. On instinct, Magnus throws up a hand to magically yank the curtains closed, his mind racing over how Santiago even got here in broad daylight—
But (Oh Edom) it’s too late. Raphael has already stepped right into a square of sunshine like a fool, and…. and he’s… “…You…” The Warlock gapes stares, because Santiago is lit up with light and he’s still smiling.
“…Are… Are you human??” Magnus gasps incredulously, leaping forward grab to at Raphael, but gently, his palms bracketing the boy’s slim shoulders so he can look him up and down. Uninjured, the Warlock marvels, Rafe’s entirely unharmed! And despite knowing how his son feels about physical displays of affection, Bane cannot suppress the urge to pull the younger man into an embrace.
“…I’m…” Magnus huffs a laugh, still reeling. He leans away to cup a palm against Raphael’s cheek. “.. yes, you silly boy, I’m back. And apparently I missed a few things while I was gone…”
Magnus seems to be having some trouble with forming full sentences, but - Raphael really can’t blame him for it. He’d be surprised too if their roles were reversed so he doesn’t make a snide comment about it.
He still doesn’t comment even when Magnus drags him into a hug despite it coming nearly reflexively. No, he swallows the remark and instead wraps his own arms around the Warlock’s waist to hold on tight. He rests his head against the other’s shoulder and just… breaths for a second, just enjoys the proximity with the one person who’s most important to him.
“No, not human.” That much is still out of his reach, but at least he can see the sun again. He can finally see the sun rise and set every day, he can enjoy the warmth of it on his skin, he doesn’t have to risk dying for staying out too late. “It’s a bit of complicated story, but I’m a Daylighter now.”
( Just like Simon, but Raphael wasn’t going to dwell on him right now. This moment was a good moment and he wouldn’t let the thought of Simon Lewis ruin it. )
“What were you doing in Edom? Are you alright?” The Warlock had been in literal hell and while Raphael had never doubted the existence of heaven and hell… it was still difficult to accept that they could just walk in there. “Tell me what happened.”
