𝕋𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕤 𝕎𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤
Pairing: Rafayel x Fem!Reader
Prompt: “You left me to drown.”
Words: ~2.2k
Genre: Light Angst, Comfort, Suggestive (mild)
The sky was awash with streaks of crimson and gold bleeding into the indigo expanse, signaling the impending dusk.
You stopped beside the colossal sea stack, admiring the breathtaking view. Waves crashed against the weathered rocks with gentle tranquility, a stark contrast to the turmoil within your heart.
“Are you done running?” a whispered voice carried away by the salty breeze.
Voice that you hadn’t heard for almost a year.
You couldn’t help the wry chuckle escaping your lips. “Last time I remember, I was the one waking up to an empty bed after a night of giving myself to you.”
Your skin involuntarily tingled with the residual sensation of his touch. His lips, warm and insistent, had traced a map of pleasure across your skin, exploring every curve and contour with a thoroughness that left you breathless and wanting more.
Months-long restrained emotion bubbled up to the surface. "Thomas couldn't find you, your aunt couldn't find you, even your bodyguard couldn't find you. So pray tell Rafayel, are you done running?"
Even in the fading light, you could see him taken aback by the hostility dripping from your words.
“I thought you would be happy to see me after all of this time.”
Exasperatedly you turned towards him, finding him standing several steps away from you.
He looked the same, if not even more handsome, and you hated that it made the fury inside your heart momentarily dim.
All-white button-up and trousers hugged his figure, one he knew that you loved as if it was a tactic to unravel you. He was a blank canvas in the explosion of colours surrounding you both.
“No notes, no messages, all I'm left with is a ridiculously priced ring adorning my finger." You rubbed the now empty ring finger, still feeling the phantom weight of the gemstone.
He didn’t miss the gesture. “Did you not like the ring? Is that why you threw it away to the depth of the sea?”
“Is that all you can say after walking out of my life?” Your voice rising, annoyed at his nonchalance.
Annoyed at the absurdity of this situation like you hadn’t seen each other for months.
His brows furrowed at the accusation. “I did not walk out of your life, didn’t you receive the stuff I sent you?”
If he was referring to the plethora of stuff stacked inside a box under your bed collecting dust, then yes you did receive them.
You had attempted to decipher the meaning behind the items he sent each month, desperately trying to connect them with his whereabouts, but to no avail.
Even with the resources and connections Thomas had, Rafayel seemed to be always one step ahead, not leaving any breadcrumbs of where he might have gone next.
“You are present in all of my paintings; you remain a constant in my thoughts,” he continued when you remained silent.
Since his departure, new paintings arrived biweekly or monthly at Mo Art Studio, each delivery serving as a soothing balm for Thomas's weary soul.
It wasn't until his manager pointed out certain colour choices and what you had always considered random lines and patterns that you began to notice elements of yourself in his paintings; the shade of your irises, the main lines on your palms, the arch of your eyebrows watching his antics.
You gritted your teeth. “Provide a reasonable explanation for your lack of verbal communication.”
He tore away from your gaze, suddenly looking timid, hand rubbing the back of his neck. It was a habit of his whenever he felt nervous. “I embark on a self-discovery,” he began.
“I needed some time for internal reflection. It allows me to really dive deep into my thoughts and emotions without any external distractions—just let me explain first,” he said rapidly before you could chide him on thinking that you were a distraction.
Honestly, you couldn’t even voice out any response as that wasn’t the answer you were expecting.
“I've been overly reliant on you, and limiting our communication forced me to depend on my own. I want to be someone you can rely on instead; someone you can lean and depend on.”
“What about that woman, then?” you blurted out, the question heavy on the tip of your tongue ever since you had first come across the article.
It had been seven months and two weeks since his absence when you stumbled upon the article.
Normally, you weren't particularly tuned into the fashion industry, but somehow the news from Nexusburg had found its way onto your daily curated feed.
You had vaguely recognised the designer’s striking face and figure. Your attention, however, zoomed in on those unmistakable tendrils of dusky purple hair, despite most of his head being obscured by the dark tint of the limousine’s window.
“I commissioned her to create… something of great significance.” You sensed ambiguity lacing his words. “You know how reporters constantly fabricate stories that lack truth."
“Do they, really? Lack of truth?”
Rafayel approached you with hesitant steps, fearing you might slip away from his advance.
“You left me to drown, Rafayel." The words pierced through him like shards of glass. “Drowning in ‘what if’s’, drowning in my insecurity.”
As he drew near, he took in the multitude of emotions playing across your face: hurt, confusion, anger.
“You were gone for eight months. Eight months! Did you believe that merely slipping a ring onto my finger would make me feel better for your absence?”
The anger drained your body of energy as you sank onto the rock behind. Jagged edges kept you painfully aware that this was reality, not a mere figment of your imagination.
“I'm sorry,” he pleaded.
"You're selfish, Rafayel," your voice trembled with a mixture of anger and hurt. "You know my insecurity gets the best of me at times, and yet you didn't even stop to think for once on how I would feel…this is not the first time."
You could see the moment realisation began to flicker in his bluish-pink eyes.
When Rafayel hired a new female bodyguard and began spending a significant amount of time with her, it left you feeling uneasy.
It wasn’t until his own bodyguard confronted him in front of you, chastising him for neglecting your feelings and the lack of communication as she noticed your distress, that you finally felt at ease with their relationship. You understood their brother-sister dynamics.
But this time, days turn to weeks, and weeks turn to months since you last saw him. Doubts began to plague your mind.
“It was nothing like that,” he protested. “Nexusburg was my last stop. I had thought of returning as soon as the designer finished her work.”
The article's prominently highlighted phrase 'SECRET ROMANCE' had stirred your restless heart to its breaking point that day.
You recalled standing atop the very sea stack towering behind you, witnessing the light glinting off the ring as you cast it into the unforgiving waves below.
"You went on a journey of self-discovery, but it seems like you've forgotten why you needed it in the first place.”
Rafayel's heart constricted with guilt. “I never meant to make you feel that way, I—I thought you would understand.”
Then, he retrieved something from his pocket, causing your breath to catch in your throat.
“How…?!”
The marquise-cut lilac tanzanite glimmered with a captivating hue, casting a hypnotic light against the backdrop of twilight skies. Delicate accents of soft pink pearls surrounded the gemstone, lending a gentle touch to the intricate design.
It still managed to steal your breath away, its beauty as enchanting as ever.
"I specifically requested the bijoutier to blend my crushed scales into the band. It brings me comfort knowing that you’re safe, and knowing that you think of me whenever you touch it.”
He traced his finger along the smooth surface of the gemstone, the memory of him quietly placing the ring while you slept was as clear as yesterday in his mind.
The outline of your figure etched against the soft glow of dawn. Vivid shade of pinkish-red blemishes against your skin, evidence of the intense night shared between the two of you.
“It motivates me to finish my journey, so I can return to your embrace as soon as possible… Until you threw it away and I thought of the worst.”
You gazed at him in disbelief as he unveiled that the ring held far greater significance than you had ever imagined.
Who would have thought that he could charm the ring that way? Everything slowly made sense why he had immediately called you repeatedly moments after you threw the ring.
Then there was Aunt Talia rushing towards you, tousled and wide-eyed, far from her normally immaculate appearance as you made your way back down.
Barefooted, as if she had rushed out of her nearby house in a hurry.
He returned just two days after you had discarded the ring. When calls were left unanswered, he enlisted Thomas and his bodyguard.
You had threatened to call the police on Thomas when he couldn’t stop appearing in front of your front door. His bodyguard, the only one with a working mind it seemed, nodded in understanding and promptly ushered Thomas away from your doorstep.
“The ring reminds me of you,” longing laced your voice.
As you glanced down at the beauty, the sparkling gemstone and pearls seemed to reflect his hair and eye colour. Its elaborate design mirrored his complexity; intricate and beautiful yet multifaceted.
“And here I thought that you didn’t like the pearls I handpicked… I knew that it was too good to be true when the oysters were being friendlier than usual.”
Pale skin crimsoned as he snapped his mouth shut. His flow of thoughts always seemed to have a mind of their own, escaping from his mouth before he could rein them in.
It was frustrating how you still found it endearing, even at times like this. Perhaps the lover you knew hadn’t changed much after all.
A heavy sigh escaped your lips, "Rafayel, you can't just waltz into my life again as if nothing happened.”
"I know I messed up, Y/N," he admitted, his eyes pleading for understanding. “But I couldn’t stand away any longer."
Despite your anger towards his actions, you couldn't deny how much you had missed him too.
He inched closer, giving you plenty of time to move away, however, you remained rooted to the spot.
Familiar strands of dusky purple hair, the very ones you had passionately tangled your fingers in as he ravished you the last time, just within arm's reach now.
A hand reached out, moving away your salty-breeze ruffled hair from covering your face.
"Why did you choose to see me again at last?"
Aunt Talia had invited you for a high tea, weeks after Rafayel's persistent attempts to see you finally ceased. Deep down, you knew that this was another attempt made by him.
But you remembered how the older woman had opened her doors whenever the insecurity became too strong during his absence, and it felt disrespectful to sever ties just because you weren't ready to face her nephew.
“Rafayel is coming,” Aunt Talia calmly said moments earlier.
The clink of her cup meeting the saucer caused you to jerk, tea sloshing around your rose-adorned cup dangerously.
“You’re free to leave anytime, I’m not going to force you to meet him.”
Looking up, you found orchid-coloured eyes boring into yours.
“Just keep in mind that he will never stop searching for you. Yes, he’s selfish, but you know how us, Lemurians, are,” she sighed then, “ We're relentless when it comes to protecting what we cherish. And you, my dear, hold a special place in his heart.”
"I needed to understand why you did what you did, why you left without a word,” you finally admitted.
Regret flickered his eyes. "I should have been more considerate.”
As his long fingers traced the curve of your jaw, your breath hitched. It had been too long since you felt his caress against your skin, and you found yourself longing for more.
Laboured breaths and dilated pupils told you that his body had reacted similarly. Finding the mutual desire in your eyes, he closed the gap between you without any word.
Lips collided in a fervent kiss. Fueled by a mix of pent-up pain and yearning. Each brush of his lips against yours was a plea for forgiveness, a desperate attempt to mend the fractures in your relationship.
Bodies molded together, fitting like pieces of a puzzle long overdue for completion. There was an insatiable hunger for each other that needed to be satisfied.
"I will wait for you, whenever you're ready to accept me again in your life," he murmured gently as his lips parted from yours.
You met his gaze, seeing the sincerity in those bright orbs you loved so much, and felt a tug at your heart. Silently, he took your hand and slid the ring back onto your finger, to its rightful place.
The same lips that you had just kissed earlier were now on top of the lilac gemstone.
“Keep this so I know that you’re safe, and whenever you’re ready—” Artist's palms cradled your face, thumbs caressing your cheeks lovingly. “I’ll be waiting for you at the end of the aisle, witnessing your beauty wearing the veil I've designed just for you."
As the light faded on the horizon, you realised that perhaps this love was worth fighting for, even if it meant navigating through the perilous waters of forgiveness and redemption.
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