#rafael casal imagine

[layla4567]

First of all. Loved your Mr. Tophat fic. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but with how you wrote him having a little tantrum and throwing his tophat on the ground, I could visualize that perfectly in my head. It made me laugh. Kudos to you. With that being said, whenever you get the chance, can I get Mr. Tophat x fem!reader who visits the carnival of doom and they’re a student journalist? They have a camera and walk around taking photos of the carnival to write of news review about it. Reader decided on making a story about the carnival since they’ve always loved the carnival and circus aesthetic and overall environment. Obviously mr. Tophat takes notice of this and as much as he is honored they love his carnival enough to make a news story about it, no one is supposed to remember it. So what is he to do about this situation? I’ll leave that up to you! Thank you again! And I’ll understand if you can’t write this! Sorry for rambling, I just love this character sm.

First of all: Your message made my day! You don't know how gratifying it is for me to know that you imagined the scene just as I thought of it, thank you very much. Second: Sorry for taking so long to answer this request 😭, your idea was very good and I loved it but when I wanted to write the story I had a little creative block lol (well besides I was writing other things) that said I hope you enjoy this story :)

ARE YOU LOST?

Mr. Tophat x Female reader

Summary: Your work as a journalist is not all joy and honey, when you come across the Carnival of Doom you will regret having visited it… or not?

Warnings: not proofread, mention of dagger wound, a tiny bit of blood mention nothing too serious, the reader is of legal age, maybe a dark/angst ending(?

WC: 3k

As a journalism student you are almost always outside your house taking photographs or taking notes about everything you see. In your room there were newspaper clippings that you took as inspiration and some of your own work that you had proudly framed on the wall. But your passion was not only journalism and getting juicy news but also carnivals and circuses. All that themes had always caught your attention since you were a child, you always thought that circuses, no matter how happy and fun they were on the outside, on the inside seemed mysterious and gloomy, hiding dark secrets and that fascinated you. That's why you didn't hesitate to visit the Carnival of Doom when you saw a poster days ago hanging on a street pole, it looked interesting and you hoped it wouldn't disappoint you.

Now you were lying on your bed with one leg bent over the other, sighing and holding up in front of your eyes the circus pamphlet that you had torn from the pole. You weren't sure whether to go or not, you had heard wonders about the circus (at least wonders for you) that it was mysterious and intriguing and was unlike any other. And where there is a mystery you always have to keep your nose in the matter, but… what if everything was a failure? It wouldn't be the first time you've been disappointed by news that seems incredible and then isn't even half of what they said. That's what you were doing when your mother knocked on the door before entering.

"Come in"

Your mother brought a tray with a sandwich and a glass of orange juice.

"Hi honey, sorry, I thought you were studying, I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Don't worry mum, I was taking a little break"

You left the bed and reached out to grab the tray that your mother lovingly handed you.

"It's ok love, don't stress too much and if you need anything else call me, alright?"

She caressed your cheek and you nodded, smiling. After she left your room, you sat at your desk and ate a little despite not being that hungry. Your head couldn't stop thinking about that damn circus. Ready to finish that once and for all, you grabbed your bag and put everything you needed: A notepad, your camera that you had bought with your savings and a small recorder just in case. You left your room and went down to the kitchen where your mother was still cooking, it seemed like she never got tired but that was her love language: making food.

She turned around when she felt your steps down the stairs.

"Oh Y/n, did you finish eating so quickly, daughter? Do you want something else, my love?"

You smiled sweetly "No mom, I'm fine. I just wanted to say that I'm going out for a while to photograph something and get some good news."

Your mother shook her head smiling as she looked back at the boiling pot on the stove. "Fine but please don't come back late, okay?"

You ran to put your arms around his shoulders and give him a soft kiss on his cheek. "I promise. You're the best, love ya!"

With your backpack on your shoulder you headed towards the famous circus. The sun fell over the horizon and dyed the sky soft lilacs and blues while the clouds contrasted in warmer colors such as oranges, pinks and yellows. When you arrived you noticed something different in the place, as if a cloudy and heavy atmosphere had settled in the air, but that wouldn't stop you, you were a girl who was difficult to scare. The circus was surrounded by all kinds of people: Contortionist women arching their backs and putting their heads between their legs while they couldn't stop staring at you, sword swallowers or men spitting fire like dragons. Although everything seemed threatening, you simply smiled sideways and took several photos. The closer you got to the entrance you saw clowns with sad makeup and ridiculous big shoes.

"Oh look at that"

You took a photo again and the clown seemed to frown, there was another one with a big made-up smile, you pointed the lens at his face and zoomed in but when you were going to take the photo you noticed something strange. Despite the cheerful makeup you could see deep anguish in his eyes, behind that false smile the clown seemed to ask for help with his pupils. Suddenly a tear seemed to roll down her cheek. You frowned and lowered the camera.

"Okay that was weird.."

You decided to spend that awkward moment and entered the tent where excited and anxious people were waiting for you sitting in the seats. In the center there was an empty round beach. You sat near the front with your camera ready, hoping to photograph the great presenter and hoping that they wouldn't take your camera away. They said that the ringleader was a fascinating man. Suddenly the lights went out and only two turned on pointing towards the center, the people's voices became a murmur until silence reigned. A tall figure wearing a black top hat slowly approached the platform from the darkness. You couldn't see almost anything but you heard a noise like something hitting the wood, when you realized it the distinguished man was already in the center with a cane in his hands. He carried it forward by his legs and stood tall, he was wearing a blood red jacket, black gloves and white pants with black stripes, it reminded you a little of Bettlejuice.

His hat was so big that it covered much of his features except his smile. A sinister smile with its corners stretched up to the ears. Suddenly he raised his head and you saw his eyes, green and just as hypnotic as his smile, everyone said that the circus presenter was mesmerazing but they had never said that he was so... attractive.

He cleared his throat and with a solemn gesture said "Ladies and gentlemen, human beings and creatures from the other side, I am your humble host Mr. Tophat and today I will be your guide that will take you to a totally new experience."

Mr. Tophat looked at the entire audience, but when you gave a small giggle upon hearing his stage name, he shifted his gaze until he met your eyes, and pierced them as if he wanted to enter your soul.

"I hope you like all of this and remember no matter how weird things get, it's all part of the show."

He said winking without taking his eyes off you, he bowed slightly and smiled again with that wide and macabre smile. The lights went out and when they came back on Mr. Tphat had disappeared from the platform. Everyone applauded but you felt a chill on the back of your neck, it was the first time you felt uncomfortable in a circus, you had always loved it when you were a child but you had to admit that this one truly was unique and not in a positive way. You shook your head remembering why you were there and prepared your camera, taking out the flash so as not to alert anyone. The first presentation was a man throwing knives at a target. At first it was quite boring, the target wasn't that far away and the man didn't even have his eyes closed. As if they had read your mind, the man took out a blindfold and covered his eyes, ok this was getting interesting. He aimed perfectly and hit all the knives. Suddenly Mr. Tophat appeared and asked for a volunteer to please come on stage. A 12-year-old girl raised her hand and walked up to the stage. The swordsman accompanied her to the target and you saw that they tied her wrists and ankles with a strap. You frowned and tilted your head, the entire audience seemed equally confused so the ringleader raised a hand to calm the atmosphere.

"Please don't be scared, everything is under control"

Mr. Tophat nodded to the man for permission and then began throwing the knives at the target. Everyone held their breath expecting the worst, but luckily no knife hurt the girl even though they passed close to her body. The audience applauded in relief while the presenter smiled satisfied. You raised the camera to your eyes and took a couple of photos without realizing that Mr. Tophat noticed.

"See? I told you so. But now how about we up the ante?"

People didn't understand what that meant but it couldn't be anything good. The ringleader grabbed the blindfold and covered the man's eyes. The audience felt their blood freeze and not even the flying of a fly could be heard, even the girl seemed to tremble with fear. The man stood tall and threw the first knife that hit the target over the little girl's head. The audience gasped and the girl screamed in fear while the presenter watched everything in amusement. The next knives stabbed near his arm, his stomach, and his inner thighs in that order while Mr. Tophat uttered enthusiastic, Machiavellian laughter. A dagger had grazed the girl's skin a little, causing her to bleed slightly, but despite that the girl was unharmed. The audience was horrified and seemed glued to their seats, unable to move or blink. This was definitely something new for you.

The following acts were not as disturbing as the previous one but they were still strange. You took as many photos as you could until you noticed that Mmr. Tophat looked at you suspiciously. At the end of the performance Mr. Tophat bowed, taking off his hat and saying goodbye laughing. After that strange performance, people didn't know whether to applaud or run. Without much applause, the people slowly left the tent in silence as if they were leaving a funeral. You sat there a little longer trying to process what had just happened. Was it all real or a vile trick? Mr. Tophat had said it was all part of the shor but… was it really all planned? You didn't even want to imagine what would have happened to that poor girl if the man missed with the daggers.

You got up determined to photograph the place and maybe you could even sneak into the dressing rooms and find out what everything was like backstage. You had a hunch that not everything was as it seemed, and if you could get the scoop on some dark secret of the circus you would be very successful. ! You could already imagine the covers: "Excentrio circus hides a macabre mystery about its shows."

Stealthy and silent as a mouse you slipped behind the curtain to photograph something, anything would do. Behind it were messy ropes and cables as well as wooden crates. You opened one trying not to make noise and looking everywhere nervous. You expected to discover human parts, rotten tentacles or something much worse but when you opened it you only found circus clothes. You searched the background a little but there was nothing suspicious, disappointed you walked further finding a dark door in a hallway. It was the only one and it was a little ajar, you hesitated whether to go in or not since that would be an invasion of privacy and you didn't want to be too disrespectful. But you wanted to get to the bottom of it so you grabbed the knob and sighed.

"It's all for my work"

Upon entering you noticed a mirror with bright, blinding lights that belonged to a white dresser. To your right was a large mahogany closet. You approached to see it closer and noticed a beautiful carving of roses on its edges. You did a 180 degree turn trying to find something interesting but damn there was nothing, where had all the people gone?

You walked over to the dresser and looked at the table trying to find something. There was a lot of makeup powder and some books. You picked one up and read on the cover "Dark magic and its secrets." Finally something interesting. You took a few photos, you were so focused on it that you didn't realize that someone was behind you.

"Didn't they teach you that it's rude to go through other people's belongings?"

You jumped and screamed as you turned around. Standing there with his cane on his shoulders was Mr. Tophat looking at you seriously. He placed the tip of the cane on the floor and approached slowly, without rushing, as if he knew you had no escape. And in fact it was

With every step he took you moved further away and stuck your body to the edge of the dresser, leaning your back back trying in vain to keep the distance between him and you. When the man was close enough, he raised the brim of his hat slightly with his index finger to look at you better. God, he was even more intimidating in person. His cologne flooded your nostrils and intoxicated you like the most powerful old wine. You had to close your eyes tightly to avoid his green-eyed gaze on yours.

"So you're the camera girl who was in the audience."

You opened your eyes in surprise and your eyebrows raised somewhat fearfully which caused Tophat's Cheshire smile as a soft guttural laugh left his lips.

"Oh please dear, you don't think I didn't notice do you?"

You swallowed loudly as you felt him get even closer to you and his gaze scanned you. He went from your eyes to slowly travel to your body, his almost predatory gaze made you nervous. His eyes finally stopped at your backpack that you were carrying over your shoulder.

"Mmh, what do we have here little one?

He quickly put his hand in your bag and took out your notebook.

"No! Give me that, it's mine!"

He laughed amused and held the notebook up while with his other hand on your shoulder he moved your body away from him, preventing you from reaching your notebook.

"Let's see what we have here, shall we?"

With his thumb he opened the notebook to a random page and his eyes quickly scanned your messy handwriting. When he read something his eyes widened slightly and his corners stretched up a little.

"Oh my my, but what is this I read here?" He quickly gave you a mischievous and surprised look as he returned his eyes to the paper "It's the first time that I have visited this circus and I find myself with the first pleasant surprise: The ringleader is not only magnetic and hypnotizing as many said, but he is also quite handsome."

You screamed in annoyance and embarrassment as you pathetically tried to squirm to escape his grasp and reach for his hand but he was stronger and just laughed loudly at your efforts. Then he threw the notebook aside and looked at you funny.

"You flatter me deeply, darling" He said, placing his hand over his heart. "They have called me many things, but this is the first time that a girl as pretty as you calls me handsome."

He smiled at you and gave a small bow without taking his eyes off yours just like he did when you were in the seats. Then he stood up and became a little more serious.

"Now let's talk seriously. Why did you really come to my circus? Are you a photographer?"

"Jo-journalism student"

Why did you have to tell him what you did? Stupid. You could have lied to him and that's it, he didn't have to know the truth. But shit, he was so intimidating and those almost neon green eyes made you dizzy if you looked at them for too long. His penetrating gaze made you feel naked, vulnerable before him, as if he could see through your skin, beyond your flesh.

"Ah I see.."

Mr. Tophat with his cane made slow circles around you like a vulture hungry for carrion. He looked you up and down, studying you, and was delighted when you turned your head nervously so as not to lose sight of him. Suddenly he stood next to you almost face to face and grabbed your chin tightly, making you turn your face so you could look at him, you moaned in pain.

"And I suppose the journalist wanted to reveal the secrets of this carnival, am I wrong?"

Faced with your silence, he lifted your chin so he could see you well.

"Come on, let me see those pretty eyes of yours and use your words, my dear."

It was the first time you felt afraid, really afraid. You didn't consider yourself a scary person at all, you laughed at horror movies and you loved supernatural things. But this was different, a feeling of danger oppressed your chest. Even so, you drew strength and courage from your gut to answer.

"Maybe"

At your outburst of bravery, Mr. Tophat let out a syrupy and poisonous laugh at the same time. He let go of your chin abruptly and walked away a few steps, caressing the end of his cane between his fingers.

"Oh darling, I'm afraid that won't be possible." He feigned sadness. "Maybe I'll have to keep you here for a while so you can reconsider."

All your alerts sounded inside you like the sirens of the purge. Stay locked up here? forever? No, you couldn't allow it. You quickly directed your gaze towards your notebook and towards the door behind Tophat. If he noticed he pretended not to, so you ran to pick up your notepad and then you rushed towards the door but he was faster and grabbed you by the arms firmly.

"Where are you going so fast huh? Please stay a little longer, the best hasn't started yet"

You turned your head everywhere in terror, trying to find a way out, until your gaze met the black magic book that you had photographed. Had this guy made a deal with the devil or something and that's why he behaved that way? If so you were screwed. The man noticed that you were looking at the book and put his arms around you, hugging you and brought his mouth close to your ear, his breath tickling you.

"I see you found my book, I can teach you some tricks if you want" He whispered, smiling

Those insinuations, his macabre smile, his strong grip and notorious superior power over you were too much. You fell to your knees to the ground dejected, tormented by the possible nightmare you were about to live. Mr. Tophat's evil laugh accompanied you for a long time as you felt your eyes water.

.........

You didn't come home that night, nor the next day or the day after that. Your mother desperately searched everywhere without giving up, hoping that one day you would return, in the streets and newspapers you can see wanted posters with your face on it. Y/n L/n's whereabouts were never found again, it seems that you were just another child of those disappeared by the demonic ringleader of the Carnival of Doom

#fem reader #female #female reader #one shot #imagine #mr. tophat x fem reader #mr. tophat x female reader #mr. tophat x reader #mr. tophat #are you afraid of the dark 2019 #request #are you afraid of the dark #ayaotd 2019 #ayaotd #rafael casal #nickelodeon #marcus cochran #marcus cochran x reader #marcus cochran x fem reader #circuscore #circus aesthetic

[thirstnotes]

| Imagine Being Quiet and Nerdy and in Love with Daveed and Rafa Since Childhood and Not Realizing Rafa Liked You All That Time |

1998

"Ey, man, leave that girl alone. Give it back, f'real."

Those were the words that made your soul leave your 8th grade body. Sure he was laughing when he said it, so it was a soft demand, but the fact that Rafael Casal was defending you to any capacity made your brain leave orbit. Which is not where you needed it to be right now.

Because you didn't know what to say when his friend gave you your novel back. He didn't seem to expect a response, however, completely overlooking you to defend himself to Rafa. "What? I just wanna know what be so damn interesting in them books she always reading."

"Bitch, spell 'interesting',” Daveed joked, getting a spirited shove from behind as they all left you alone. You bit your lip to keep from laughing at the jab. The last thing you needed was to draw attention back to yourself.

They all roasted each other as they continued up the sidewalk, all shoving each other and completely forgetting about you. Thankfully. With a final "Man fuck you!" they all disappeared around the corner. Still talking shit. You exhaled. Your skin was cool with the feeling of sweat that broke out when they’d approached. Your pulse was pounding in your eardrums. You swallowed, your throat cracking a bit from the moisture finally returning to it. You were ashamed of the way you choked whenever they were around.

You were the epitome of a "good girl". Straight A's, well-read, well-behaved, stayed out of trouble. It always pleased your parents, but your social life was sorely lacking. Plus, anxiety was a bitch and it made you an easy target for teasing. Particularly from the neighborhood boys--them included. Your Grandma claimed it was because they thought you were cute and just did it because they didn't have anything better to do.

A thought you wanted to entertain.

But nah, you knew it was because you were funny to watch squirm and fumble for a good comeback. Today, however, Rafa and Dav--as they so affectionately called each other--seemed to exercise a small bit of restraint when their third homie went in on you.

Possibly because your Grandma used to be their music teacher and looked out for them. Maybe because she paid them to do odd jobs around her house to keep them out of trouble. Or maybe it was because she always fed them whenever they came over after school. Which wasn't anything novel; she fed everybody that came through. So you legit couldn't think of any other reason they'd take it easy on you. Sure, you interacted occasionally--often being in the same room and all--but you'd hardly call yourselves "friends that hang out".

You were--as Rafa put it--"so fuckin weird", although said in a lighthearted way that made your heart flutter. In a way, it did make you feel like you were closer than your other schoolmates, if only temporary.

Which was why you were so ashamed of yourself for choking up so much. They were just dumb boys doin' dumb boy shit. Clownin' around. Any cool bitch would’ve snatched her book back and cut them all off at the knees with something sharp and/or flirty.

But you were nothing like that. You were a nervous laugher, pretending to be a good sport, not wanting to offend, but also desperately wanting them to leave you alone type of girl. No matter how fine you thought they were. Especially how fine you thought they were.

They were on a whole other level. Cute, charismatic, talented, funny, down-to-earth…and right across the street. You would listen from your window all the time, doing your homework, blinds just barely open, the window cracked to hear them joking and taking turns freestyling bars about people they saw or stuff they liked. Which you enjoyed.

At least until you heard them jokingly rap:

See shawty 'cross the street always playing hide-and-seek-er/peepin all up in the blinds like can't nobody see her

You couldn't look them in the eye for a week-

"Amber Brown," your bestie laughed aloud, interrupting your story with a smirk that suggested she was holding onto a juicy secret. You frowned at her expectantly.

"What?"

"You know that song was about you, right?" she purred deviously, waggling her perfectly contoured brows at you. You rolled your eyes with a sheepish smile, the familiar feeling of embarrassment creeping up your spine.

"Anyway-"

"No, no for real!" she pleaded apologetically, "That's how I found out Rafa had a crush on you."

Your jaw went slack. "What?"

F/N gave you an obnoxiously beaming smirk. "Mmhmmmm."

Then she took a long sip of her drink, which made you practically foam at the mouth for more information.

"Okay, so???" you urged, motioning for her to go on. She seemed to revel in your anxiety.

She smacked her lips for a moment then relented. "Okay okay. For real tho. Who did you think Amber Brown was about?"

She paused to let you add two and two together. You decided to give her the wrong answer. “Somebody at school.”

You truly earned the look she gave you. “Yeah. You, silly ass.”

You laughed and shrugged, your chest fluttering and sparkling with the revelation that maybe your best friend was actually right. “I’m just sayin. There were a lot of Ambers floatin’ ‘round that school.”

“You are way too bright for me to dignify that with an answer.”

You took a smirky sip and she rolled her eyes.

“Amber brown is about your eyes, smartass.”

She looked pleased at the cough that pulled from you.

“Amber Brown in my town always got me feenin’, honey brown lookin 'round like shawty always schemin’? He was talkin about how shy you were and how he though it was cute. Which like. I ain’t gon lie. That was fuckin adorable.”

You wanted poke fun at how she remembered that freestyle from so long ago, but you did too. It was one of your favorites. But not once did you think it was about you. You truly thought it was about some chick named Amber.

“My eyes ain’t honey brown,” was all your flustered brain could manage.

“Remember in music class when we were talking about Jasmine’s contacts and the sun hit your eyes at just the right angle and we started talking about how brown eyes hit different in the sun?”

How could you forget? Rafa was the one that started it all in the first place. Everybody started laughing then Andre joked about you being his new boo. You were petrified.

“Rafa said ‘damn’ or something…whatever it was, it about how pretty your eyes were when the sun hit them. Everybody started laughing, but he was for real. I thought he was legit gon’ smack the shit outta Dre’.”

“He laughed too,” you pressed, hanging on every word, hoping she’d supply more. As if she’d sensed it, she continued.

“Because he was a dumbass boy back then. But he was straight up serious then. Anyway, after school, when Daveed and him did their usual freestyle stuff, he started spitting that shit and I was convinced homeboy was sprung."

(Part 2)

#bay boys #thirstnotes #rpf #imagine #Rafael Casal x Black Reader #Daveed Diggs x Bff #Just a thought in my head #Rafael #Daveed #friends to lovers #reader insert #cute imagine

[atombombbibunny]

Daveed Diggs - Rafael Casal

* For Smut - under 18 DNI! I Know Series

Part 1

Part 2*

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

I Knew Series (Unfinished)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Blurbs & Shorts & Prompts

Promise - Rafael x Reader

Always - Rafael x Reader

The Proposition - Rafael x Reader

#I knew series #i know series #my writing #daveed diggs #rafael casal #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #daveed diggs fanfiction #daveed imagine #daveed #daveed x reader #rafael casal fanfiction #rafael casal x reader #rafael x reader #rafa #rafael #jasmine cephas jones #bunny's writing

[ramp-it-up]

So guys…

For the next part of Again…

How do y’all feel about Tessa Thomson in the mix?

🤔

#ask dj #chris evans #chris evans smut #chris evans x black reader #chris evans imagine #chris evans x female reader #rafael casal #chris evans x reader #tessa thompson #Tessa Thompson x reader #Tessa Thompson x f! reader #Chris Evans x actress! reader x Tessa Thompson

[villxinmiixx]

“Ten Rounds” part i.

Daveed Diggs x female! reader 

♡ reader is a well known singer, rafael invited forced daveed to come with him to a concert of hers and he's enamored of reader.

♡ warnings; all characters are 21+. rpf ( real person fiction ). sexual tension?? idk

♡ wc; 1.7k 

♡ notes; also i have a new writing format soo yeahhdeuf. the female named “imani” is intended to be black. feel free to change some things with your imagination. the song performed was sativa sung by jhené aiko ( you sang her parts ) and swae lee ( imani sang his parts ). 

ㅤTODAY WAS THE DAY OF YOUR COLLABORATION PERFORMANCE with you and your friend, imani (ee-mah-knee) her stage name being destiny. she is a great singer, but not as well known as you. you figured you can help her popularity and make people realize she’s a great singer by collaborating with her. imani was ecstatic when you invited her to a collab. soon enough the song “sativa” you both made went viral, and today was the performance for that song ( and the other songs you and she made. )

ㅤ“girl you do not know how excited i am for this shit!” imani was excitedly jumping around, her teal-green outfit making some ruffling noises, as you put your manicured hand in front of your lips as you laughed at her enthusiasm. “oh right! i heard that THE gOD FUCKING DAMN rafael casal will be in the vip section” imani grabbed your shoulders and shook you “isn’t he that actor? from blindspotting?” you asked your friend. “yeah, bitch!” she waved her hands around in excitement. “ didn’t he have a friend acting with him in blindspotting?” “yeah, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh daveed diggs!” imani snapped her fingers when she recalled his name. 

ㅤ“YO, RAFA WHAT’S UP?” daveed greeted his best friend that just busted open his door as he was splayed out on his own couch glancing at rafael and went back to his phone. “YO I GOT US SOME VIP TICKETS TO [STAGE NAME]’(S) PERFORMANCE TONIGHT.” rafael shouted at the top of his lungs. “huh” daveed looked up from his phone as he raised an eyebrow. “you don’t have a say in it, diggs. we goin’.” rafael smirked while waving around the gold tickets “get’cho ass ready, man!” he laughed and threw himself on the couch next to daveed. “man when does it even start” daveed inquired looking at his phone’s clock which showed 5:28 pm “thirty minutes.” rafael responded “..and how far is this concert?” daveed slowly looked at his friend as he questioned once more, squinting his eyes. “twenty minutes.” his best friend smiled. “this motherfucker..” daveed got up from his spot and quickly went to his closet grabbing a few clothes before rushing to the bathroom. 

ㅤ“so why’d you even get the tickets, man?” daveed asked, his hands on the steering wheel of the car. “dunno, heard [stage name] was cute so i wanted to check the real deal.” rafa huffed with laughter “you didn’t even search her up? the fuck, you didn’t even look who was on the website when you bought the tickets?” the dark skinned best friend deadpanned at the guy on the passenger seat. “hell nah! i wanted it to be a surprise and you better not look at the billboards!” daveed rolled his eyes before he chuckled. “alright fine. this better be good though, rafa.” “oh i know it’s good, at least that’s what i heard on tik tok.”

ㅤthe two arrived at the arena where the concert would be taking place, daveed parked the car, both men getting out of the vehicle and going to the VIP usher. where they got a stamp and went inside. they were escorted to their VIP seats. it was only a few minutes before the performance, a countdown on the large screen in front of everyone.

ㅤ“THERE’S SO MANY PEOPLE!” imani peeked out the curtain. “you’ll be the first one out there since the first verses are you, make sure to give it your all!” you smiled at imani, adjusting your costume. “yeah, i will! again, thank you so much for this opportunity, girl. i love you so much!” your friend hugged you tightly and you did as well. “girls, the show will start in one!” your manager called out. “just like we practiced, okay? i’m so proud of you!” imani nodded, before running to the elevating platform. the large screen counted down from five, the fans were screaming. “THREE! TWO! ONE!” 

ㅤ“yeah, oh, oh, yeah” the both of you sang, not showing up on the stage yet. the platform where imani was standing, started to rise up onto the main.  “why you make it so complicated? off the drink, we concentratin” your friend sang on the stage, her glittery green costume shimmering from the light focused on her.

ㅤ“IS THAT [STAGE NAME]?” daveed asked his friend next to him, rafael was about to shrug before a fan screamed “GO DESTINY!” “ah, it’s a collaboration performance.” daveed was getting into the beat, shifting around his seat and moving his body. it was really catchy, he had to admit. rafael followed suit. “is it hot in here or is it just me?” you came out from the red curtain in the middle of the stage, you sang in a rather sultry voice. people started screaming your stage name including imani’s. 

ㅤdaveed’s eyes widened pleasently, his eyes focused on you. “i said , now go and take a shot on me.” oh hell yeah, he was definitely going to do that ( sooner or later but not today ). “but i lasted ten rounds like a fre~ak like a g” you and imani started dancing along with the backup dancers. the way your body moved so swiftly, and your flirty attitude on stage just captivated the curly haired man. as you and imani sang there was a moment you looked into the crowd and saw daveed, you winked at him before you resumed looking at the other fans. 

ㅤ“holy shit, rafa did you see that?” “oh hell yeah, man. i saw that clearer than daylight!” rafa hyped his best friend up “we better go backstage later to meet her, dude!” “bruh, we can’t do that-” “trust me, she’ll be okay with it!” “alright fine.” daveed grinned as he shook his head gently. 

ㅤTHE SONG ENDED AND THE CROWD WENT WILD, screaming ‘i love you’ and stuff similar to that. “i’d like to thank [stage name] for this, if it wasn’t for her i really would’ve never been up here!” imani wrapped an arm around your shoulders before hugging you completely. “she’s the best, really!” “destiny, you absolute sweetheart! i just wanted people to see how much of a great singer you are!” you smiled at her. the people aww’ed at your friendship ( some even saying “they look cute together” something like that ) 

ㅤ“we’ll be taking a twenty minute intermission! feel free to leave your seats, get some snacks and drinks or take a look around the merchandise. make sure to not push anyone when leaving, and please be careful with the food! you might spill it!” you said before waving and walking backstage with imani. ”holy fucking shit, girl! at first i was so nervous but excited and when i finally got on the stage, OOOOOH girl, my confidence went up!” you giggled along with imani as she explained her first time singing live on stage. the knocking on your door hushed both of you.

ㅤ “[name], imani, two people wanna see both of ‘ya and i’m sure you wanna see these guys.” you can practically see the smile on your manager’s face despite not seeing her yourself. you looked at imani silently asking her if she wants to. “i mean- why not y’know?” she grinned. you raised a brow as you smirked before nudging her with your elbow. “alright, i’ll escort them here.” you removed an uncomfortable piece of your costume while imani was moving around and humming your guys’ song. after a minute or two you heard your door being knocked on again.

ㅤ”the door’s unlocked.” you call out. the door was opened by your manager and two ( hot ) men stepped inside. you were applying lipgloss and glanced at the two before smacking your lips “ oh, it’s you two.” you smiled up at them as you closed the container.  “daveed diggs and rafael casal, correct?” imani’s eyes shot up when she heard the two names being mentioned looking at the two men. she screamed “HOLY SHIT” before grabbing onto your arm “oh uhm! you can sit down on that couch over there!” and ran into a corner where they couldn’t see in their spot. your friend grabbed onto your shoulder blades and shook you. “what are they doing here?! let’s get their autographs! how old are they again? holy mother of- they’re so hot” imani was rambling.

ㅤyou giggled at her, telling her to calm down and breathe so she did. “seriously though, why are they here, girly?” “weren’t you the one that said you heard rafael casal will be coming?” “WELL I DIDN’T KNOW THEY’D ACTUALLY COME TO US PERSONALLY!” “let’s get to know them more, it wouldn’t hurt!” “alright, let’s go.” she grinned and you chuckled before the both of you leaving the corner to greet your two guests.

ㅤ”sorry for the wait, do you guys need anything? why’re you visiting us?” you questioned them, pouring water in two glasses and giving it to them. “ah, no nothing in particular. we just wanted to see the singers personally!” rafael exclaimed, nudging daveed’s upper arm. “uhhhh we wanted to ask if y’all wanna hang out after this or maybe sometime. both of ‘ya seem nice.” daveed said, smiling. “i’m down, how about you, destiny?” you asked your friend behind you that was reapplying some highlighter. 

ㅤ“hell yeah, i’m down!”  imani grinned at you, the two guys snickered from the couch. “uh yeah, girl, this ain’t gon’ work. it ain’t fair if ‘ya know our names but we don’t yours.” daveed smirked. “I'm not sure if i should be surprised or not that you guys don’t know. usually people would search it up themselves.” you said, placing a hand on your hip and smiled smugly. “i’m [name, last name]. she’s imani moore.” you pointed to your friend with your thumb. 

ㅤ”heyyo!” she smiled and posed a peace sign. “now we all know each other!” you beamed, and clasped your hands together. you looked at your phone’s clock and realized you and imani had two minutes to get on stage for your next song. “we gotta get ready for the upcoming track. let’s get some drinks after, yeah?” you said putting your hands behind your lower back “hell yeah, girl! we’ll come back here after the show or the next intermission.” rafael smiled at you and stood up to leave along with daveed and left.

ㅤbefore daveed could fully leave the room he glanced at you and you winked at him. he smirked and left the area. ‘he’s cute’ you thought and looked at your friend who was smugly looking at you. “i saw that.” “how-” “there's a mirror next to the door y’know.” “please shut up.”

ㅤ©𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗶𝗶𝘅𝘅 - 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱. 𝗡𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱, 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁; 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

#⟨ villxinmiixx .ᐟ mixx #⟨ ooh .ᐟ mixx's fics #⟨ ooh .ᐟ mixx's creations #mixx #daveed diggs x reader #daveed diggs #rafael casal #daveed diggs x female! reader #blindspotting #fic series

[alyceinwonderland777]

How I imagine a hypothetical Ravonna Renslayer movie:

The poster (I tried 🤣) :

The main cast:

Gugu Mbatha Raw as Ravonna Renslayer

Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie Laufeydottir

Tom Hiddleston as President Loki

Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius

Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror

The secondary cast:

Sasha Lane as Hunter C-20

Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15

Rafael Casal as X-5/Brad Wolfe

Neil Ellice as Hunter D-90

Ke Huy Quan as Ouroboros

Eugene Cordero as Casey

The director: Kenneth Branagh

The plot:

After being pruned Ravonna is rescued by President Loki who, just like Sylvie, has the ability to enchant people and gives her back her suppressed memories. The two go to another timeline and attempt to start a peaceful life together, but soon find themselves having to deal with an old acquaintance who will force Ravonna to face her past and her mistakes.

What do you think about it? Would you like a movie about Ravonna? How do you think it could be? 🧡

#Ravonna Renslayer #Gugu Mbatha Raw #Ravonna Renslayer movie #Sylvie Laufeydottir #Sophia Di Martino #Jonathan Majors #Kang The Conqueror #Tom Hiddleston #President Loki #Loki Laufeyson #Mobius M. Mobius #Owen Wilson #Hunter B-15 #Wunmi Mosaku #Sasha Lane #Hunter C-20 #Neil Ellice #Hunter D-90 #Eugene Cordero #Casey #Ke Huy Quan #Ouroboros #O.B. #TVA #Time Variance Authority #marvel #mcu #headcanons #my headcanons

[intoxicatingimmediacy]

'Blindspotting' Co-Creator Rafael Casal on Pushing Boundaries in Season 2 and the Show's Future

[...] Have you always known that this is a show where you really can just throw in things that would be completely unexpected, but they also just work?

CASAL: I think we figured it out, along the way. We knew that with the movie, the verse at the end was the big earn, and we got there. Every time you make a show a little bit less traditional, you lose some people. That’s just the nature of TV. Some people like their art down the middle. And if you want to appeal to just those people, there’s that show. But there are also a lot of shows like that. I’m really excited to make one of those shows. I would love to make a big mass hit show that goes on for 10 seasons and does all that. But some of the most impactful shows that have stuck with me the longest are not those shows. We knew, going into it, that Blindspotting was the type of thing where, if someone was gonna let us do a weird, artsy show, we wanted to take full advantage of the fact, and that’s what they’re letting us do. We actually are being afforded the creative freedom. As long as it’s always grounded in the point of the show, and it has to do with the prison industrial complex and the effects that it has on a parent, and we can always tie it back to that in an intuitive way, it totally works.

The Western episode works because it’s about a child’s imagination, freeing his father who’s been absent. Fizzly, just symbolically, is there because Sean doesn’t have a protector. He’s pulling away from his mother, and he also thinks he’s grown, but he’s not. He’s still a kid. So, a monster is perfect, and a sweet monster at that. In the third episode, movement is used to explain the history of the N word to a kid from a biracial Black and white parent. We can’t do it with words. We just can’t. We don’t have the time. That’d be a five-hour special, and we still wouldn’t get into all of it. Dance can get us there because it’s about an emotion being evoked. Whether or not people, 20 years from now, go back and watch any part of this show, there are pieces of it that I’m excited to see in other people’s work. I’m excited because our show feels like it’s in conversation with a lot of my contemporary TV artist friends. It’s always exciting to me when they’re like, “You did this, in this episode. I wish I could do something like that in this show that I’m working on.” And I’m like, “You can.”

That whole dance segment really was truly beautiful and emotional to watch.

CASAL: What’s really tricky about our show is that it’s not like we had something to reference for that piece. The only dancers that we know who’ve done anything close to it are our choreographers. We saw them do something along the lines of trying to capture something as complicated as that in their dance show. There’s Misty Copeland doing it with contemporary ballet. There are people in the hip-hop theater world that have tried to not only do this subject, but have tried to tackle complicated things through movement. That’s what dance is, since the beginning of time. People who know the world of dance, know that movement is about expressing the thing that we can’t articulate, that can only be expressed through the body. It’s another element of the show that’s divisive with the audience. Some people are like, “Why the fuck are they dancing?” For other people, movement has played a huge part in their lives and they’re like, “Oh, my God, no one’s ever given me this in a show before,” and that’s really exciting.

Art presents people with a thing that they have to contend with, and it invites a new audience into a space that they’re not used to. Between Season 1 and Season 2, what we really had to do was just tune out the minority of people who were like, “I don’t get the dance thing,” and be like, “That’s okay. You’ll get there.” If you take a kid to a dance performance and they don’t get it the first time, and then you take them too a dance class, they’ll wanna go back to that show and they’ll idolize the dancers, and they’ll wanna go to school for dance. There’s not a lot of dance on television, and we have a deep love for movement, so for us, it was great. The prison industrial complex is reflected through movement on this show. When language fails, that’s our convention. We’re gonna use it when we think it’s important. So for us, that episode had no other way to end. They had to tell him, but he wasn’t gonna understand it. But the writers’ room doesn’t have the words. There were parents in the room that didn’t have the words. It had to be a movement thing because we don’t know how else to do it.

I love that this is a show where you can offset a moment like that by doing scenes in a strip club.

CASAL: Pole dancers aren’t sex workers, in that way. We wanted to actually hire people who dance in those clubs because they know how to do it. We’re not mimicking it. It’s not the bougie gentrified version. These are professional stage dancers, who dance in these venues for these audiences, and these are the moves that happen. Seeing it in its authenticity was really important to us. We hired a lot of the dancers that dance at the club we shot it. We were like, “This is your home turf. Why would we bring people into your house? You do it, and we’ll shoot it as beautifully as possible.” And they were so great about it. When you’re on your fifth take and you’re like, “We need you to get back up there,” and they’re like, “Sure, no problem,” these are tremendous athletes. The skill and strength it takes to be as good as they are, for as long as they are, I was completely floored.

[...] Is there a plan for how many seasons you want to do this?

CASAL: I think every season is the last season, to us. We like to close the door, but keep a window open. That feels like what you should do with every piece of art. If you make a movie, end it and complete the story, but also make people want more. If the timing is right and we have a great idea and the network wants it, and all those things line up, we’ll do more. Or that’s it, and it’s beautiful and contained. I’ve loved shows that go for 10 seasons, and Fleabag was great with two seasons. Could I have watched another season of Fleabag? Yes. It was genius. But also, it was genius to stop. I’m always torn about it. You make art when everything lines up well, and you’re excited and everyone’s excited to do it. The only way I’ll ever know if that’s right, is when that time comes or doesn’t come. But for now, we tried to bring a nice resolution to the end of Season 2 that felt satisfying for the audience, and also, there’s a nice little window at the end, that brings it back to the film and brings it back to the larger world. Should we want to come back, there’s a great place to start.

#rafael casal #blindspotting

[therafanatics]

Rafael Casal - "Wendy"

Recorded this straight into the computer mic years ago and never released it. Mixed it down, added a few new lines and now it's all yours. Lyrics below, if you like it, play it for someone and tell them why.

www.twitter.com/rafaelcasal

LYRICS

She was mine, on the low, didn't want her pop to know... I'd wait till they went out then hit the window with a little crow She chased after my shadow, wondered how it could have gotten free (He and I planned the whole thing.) I needed an excuse to get a girl like you to talk to me

It's you I'm wantin' give you a kiss uncommon but there's a twist I'm not from your kinda world Your papa will hate me there is no good way to paint me but I know you can save me come with me girl

Please don't tell your daddy 'bout me Don't tell your daddy 'bout me I'm trouble... Don't tell your daddy 'bout me 'cuz he'll be the first one to see I'm trouble... He knows I'll take you to Neverland, baby

She tags along with the boys they all want her love and care but just one happy thought with her and we're alone up in the air Her daddy thinks she's (a)sleep at home When he finds out he'll be a mess... He doesn't want her near a boy who won't ever grow up I guess.

When were together seems like we've got forever follow a star, remember I will be waiting No one believes in fairytale love but we ain't trying' to give up just use your imagination

Please don't tell your daddy 'bout me Don't tell your daddy 'bout me I'm trouble... Don't tell your daddy 'bout me 'cuz he'll be the last one to see I love you... Love you more than Neverland, baby

Oh Wendy you make me want to crow, Wendy let's grow old wendy... you make me want to crow, Wendy grow old wendy...

Oh Wendy you make me want to crow, Wendy let's grow old wendy... I want you more than Neverland, baby...

Written by Rafael Casal

Produced by Raul "Oolie" Perales, Daniel "Frijoles" Perales and Josh Hari

#rafael casal #wendy #old song #Youtube

[circus-scorpion]

(OOC): So I found some pictures of Rafael Casal looking a lot like Marcus Cochran and made a self ship couple collage moodboard thing out of a period of actively crushing hard on the character...

(Please note that this is in the context of imagining the pictures to be the fictional character Marcus Cochran/Mr. Tophat from Are You Afraid of The Dark: Carnival of Doom)

(I don't exactly remember all of the sources of the pictures, I try my best to only use pictures that are free and okay to use but if there are any issues, I'm fully willing to remove this post and/or remake this.)

#marcus cochran #are you afraid of the dark mr tophat #self ship #self shipping #selfship #romantic f/o #F/O collage

[layla4567]

Scars // Brad Wolfe x Fem reader

Summary: Hunter X-5 has always had peculiar scars on his arms, they seem deep and have an "X" shape. You've always wondered how he did it. Warnings: Maybe a lil of angst but mostly fluff WC: 3k A/N: I feel like this would be a continuation of the Too Close fic but you don't need to read that one to understand this one, you can imagine it as separate stories.

————— ୨୧ —————

Sitting in a chair in front of your desk you looked at the photos of variants in your report, with a highlighter you marked the most relevant information and with a pencil you made notes to the side. Mobius at the next desk moved his fingers rapidly on the typewriter keys, seeming concentrated. Proud and sighing, you picked up the report and tapped it on the table to organize the papers. Out of the corner of your eye you saw your friend and called him whispering

"Psst! Mobius!"

Mobius didn't seem to notice (or decided to ignore you) so you grabbed an orange post-it note and crumpled it into a ball and threw it at him. The ball landed right on his head and bounced until it landed on the floor, he shrugged his shoulders upon receiving the impact and looked at you confused.

"What the shit?"

Mobius opened his arms and put his palms up in a clear gesture of intrigue, you laughed at his reaction.

"I'm sorry, you weren't listening to me."

He sighed long and stopped writing to take the paper out of the typewriter and put in a new one.

"Well I'm listening to you now, what do you want?"

"I wanted to know if you finished the paperwork, and besides, I'm bored."-you said innocently smiling as you placed a hand under your chin and rested your elbow on the table.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't please you with the answer, because I still have several papers to write."

You groaned and placed your head between your arms resting on the table, hiding your face as if you were sleeping. Mobius took pity on your situation and approached with his chair to rub your shoulder patiently.

"If it makes you feel better, I only need to finish one page, why don't you give me your report and I'll deliver it to Casey myself?"

You raised your head with a shy smile and affectionate dimples adorning your cheeks, you handed your work to Mobius and to kill time you began to doodle on your post-its and paper cranes with them. Minutes and almost hours passed and your desk was full of colored paper cranes and post-its with stars, hearts and a caricature of Mobius's head with his funny mustache, it was disproportionate and exaggeratedly larger than normal. Out of boredom, you had fallen asleep on the desk and were about to start drooling over the pencils and markers that you had near your face if it weren't for your friend who came over and gently hit you several times with his finger on your head.

“Hey Y/N, are you awake?”

You started and raised your head abruptly, narrowing your eyes, your heavy eyelids still wanting to close. Your friend had his hands on his hips like he always used to do. You closed your eyes and ran a hand over your face, rubbing it lightly, trying to shake off the sleep.

"What did I miss?"

"Oh, not much, don't worry, I already gave the reports to Casey and he said they were good, especially yours. The notes you made on the side of the paper were useful, and I think I'm jealous about that."

Mobius started to laugh and you followed him, but then his smile faded to a frown when he saw your happy, mocking caricature of him on a post-it note resting next to you. You followed his gaze to the small paper that was on your table and you blushed embarrassed, lowering your head to avoid eye contact.

"What is that? Is it me?"-He said pointing his finger

"Well, what did you want me to do? I was bored and decided to draw you"-You said, shrugging your shoulders and brushing it off.

"Let me see it"

"Hey no!"

Mobius grabbed the post-it before you could stop him. He stayed for a while looking at it as if he wanted to analyze its molecular particles. Then he handed it to you with a frown but a small corner of his mouth wanting to rise and transform into a smile.

"I don't have a big head, and neither does my mustache."

"Are you sure 'bout that?"-you said smiling funny

"Hey! What are you implying?"

"I was kidding, chill out"-you laughed

You stood up to stretch your legs, patting your friend's shoulder, who stood with his head slightly down.

"Or not..."

You said mischievously and walked away without saying anything else while he turned around and watched you leave before he could form a single sentence, leaving him more confused than before. B-15 approached him and Mobius asked her

"Do you think my head and mustache are too big?"

"Uhh..."

You walked with sure steps to have a coffee and then go visit O.B, the poor guy almost never received visitors and you thought that your presence would cheer him up a little. You headed to the machine at the end of the hallway to drink your coffee, when you got it you brought it up to your nose to inhale the sweet and bitter aroma of the drink. You were drinking it while walking towards the TVA basement when you found X-5 walking in the opposite direction, that is, he was coming towards you. He had his pruning stick activated and he seemed upset.

"Hi, everything okay?"

When he heard you and saw you, he stopped, sighing and raising his eyebrows.

"Well, since you mention it, not really. A variant escaped me and I couldn't prune it"

You were surprised because he never missed anyone. He was the best hunter in the entire TVA, intelligent, cunning and tough enough to be a hunter. In addition to knowing all the interrogation tactics. You simply smiled at him sadly, understanding his frustration. Suddenly your gaze fell on his strong bare arms. They had some unique scars, before you had not paid so much attention to them but now you remembered having seen them before and wondering what happened to him. He noticed your eyes on his arms and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.

"How much do you look at, huh?"

You quickly looked up and looked him in the eyes, feeling caught red-handed, you tried to hide it by clearing your throat.

"Sorry, I just never knew how you got those scars-"

"And you don't have to know"

He interrupted you abruptly without leaving his frown or stopping crossing his arms over his chest, making his biceps stand out. You were surprised by his reaction, he wasn't the nicest person in the TVA but he almost always seemed more patient with you. You thought his rude attitude was due to his anger at the variation but you knew there was something more. You stayed silent trying to say something but he broke the silence for you.

"I would love to continue talking but I have things to do, excuse me."

He said with a sarcasm that hurt you and stepped aside to continue on his way. You watched him leave with your heart sinking a little. What happened to him? He had never been like that with you before, usually he was funny in his own way and would go around provoking you and teasing you just to see how angry you would get, sometimes he was sarcastic but in a more pleasant way. A little sad, you went to the basement to see O.B without the good mood you had before, it seemed that now the one who needed to cheer up was you and not him.

I knew you Hand under my sweatshirt Baby, kiss it better, I And when I felt like I was an old cardigan Under someone's bed You put me on and said I was your favorite

When you went down the spiral stairs and finished walking the circular hallway you found the round entrance like a tunnel but O.B was nowhere to be seen. Instead of him being behind that structure that said "Repairs & Advancement" it was all empty. You slowly approached calling his name, a little voice answered you didn't know where.

"O.B? where are you?"

"Y/N!! I'm down here"

You still didn't know where exactly "here" was but when you peeked your head over his round desk you saw him sitting with his back leaning against the structure, he was fixing something you didn't know what it was.

"O.B?"

He raised his head to look at you and gave you a warm smile.

"Oh hello there! How is everything going Y/N?”

He stood up, leaving his work aside and looked at you attentively, you didn't know where to start.

"Well… my initial plan was to visit you and brighten your day a little, I know you're always working here alone, but… I think now I'm the one who needs to brighten up…"

"Oh why is that?"

You explained your encounter with Hunter X-5 and his curt reaction to your question about his scars. O.B seemed to reflect before answering.

"Well it seems that this is a delicate topic for him, maybe you should give him time before asking him again"

"What if he doesn't want to talk about it again? Or worse, what if he doesn't talk to me again?!"

"Calm down Y/N, don't panic! I know Hunter X-5 can be difficult to deal with but you are the kindest person I know, you'll see how you find a way to make him talk"

"Thanks O.B"

You smiled at him not very convinced and turned to leave when his high-pitched voice spoke to you again.

"And remember, if he refuses to talk after all your efforts, leave him alone, don't force him or it will be worse."

You nodded at his wise words and said goodbye, leaving the basement. You were nervous and confused, you needed a pie. You headed to the key lime pie room without thinking twice and realized that you were not alone, Mobius was there apparently to receive a little comfort too. You silently grabbed a pie and sat in front of him sighing.

"It seems like someone also needed the comfort of a pie"

You nodded without looking at him as you moved your spoon playing with the dessert "Would you like to tell me why you are here?"

"Only if you tell me first"

"It's a fair deal"

You told him about your whole affair with X-5 and how you were worried about his attitude at the mention of his scars. Mobius listened to you attentively without interrupting you. When you finished speaking he sighed.

"Can I give you an advice?"

"It's what I need most now"

"Be close to him, I have realized that he is less of an idiot with you than with others, maybe your kindness will help him open up and heal"

"Thank you Mobius, you always know what to say"

"Oh and another thing, if he doesn't want to talk, let him. We all deal with our own burden."

You laughed softly "How curious, that's what O.B said."

"Wait, you talked to O.B first instead of me?" He looked at you offended and you laughed again this time harder.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional. But don't change the subject and now tell me what's bothering you."

Mobius remained silent for a few seconds that seemed like hours until he finally opened his mouth "It's Ravonna."

"Ravonna? What's wrong with her?"

"It's… Her attitude confuses me, I thought we were friends and look what she did, she lied about C-20, she didn't care about the whole thing about variants and time keepers and to make matters worse she abandoned us all"

It made you sad to see Mobius so downcast and even more so for a person he thought he knew. But you had never liked Ravonna so you didn't wait to take off your friend's blindfold.

"Well maybe… she was never a good friend to you."

He looked at you intrigued, waiting for you to continue talking, you swallowed.

"I mean… look I know you liked her and I don't want to be mean but Ravonna only cares about herself, all those times she helped you were only because they benefited her and saved her position"

He looked at you with wide eyes and you immediately regretted what you had said "I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay. Maybe I didn't even appreciate her but so many years together working side by side, you get used to it, you know?"

You nodded looking at your plate. "Can I give you some advice? Like you gave me one?"

He nodded "Keep going. I know it seems like shitty advice but it's the best, if she did it you can do it too. "Don't cling to the past and stay with the people who do care about you."

He smiled, nodding at your words. "And I thought I was the wise one here."

Laughing and feeling the atmosphere loosening, they finished eating and got up from their seats. When they were about to leave, B-15 called them and told them that Judge Dox needed them in the war room. You and Mobius looked at each other intrigued and followed the hunter. When you arrived at the living room you saw Dox sitting in one of the three corners of the triangular table with his stern gaze and stoic attitude. Standing next to you was X-5 looking at the two of you. To say that the judge scared you was an understatement, Mobius took the seat for you, letting all the pressure fall on him.

"I think you already know why I summoned you here, since Ravonna Renslayer left, the TVA has been a mess. We need to do something with those variants and the best thing would be to prune them"

You jumped and Mobius shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"With all due respect, I'm afraid that won't be possible Judge Dox."

The woman tensed her jaw when she heard Mobius's voice. "I hope you understand that if we can't control the variants, the branches will continue to grow."

"Believe I'm aware of that but we can't take away people's free will"

"But that's what we've been doing and that's what we do best, Agent Mobius."

"Besides, I think I know that you do not have enough rank to make these decisions" Dox counterattacked.

You clenched your fists in anger at Dox's sharp voice, you were not going to allow them to talk like that about your friend.

"Excuse me, Judge Dox, but every worker here has the right to their opinion, whether they have a high rank or not."

X-5 and Dox looked at you surprised at your outburst of bravery, you usually used to keep quiet during these debates. Dox narrowed his eyes analyzing you.

"Very well Agent Y/N, since you seem to want to say something so badly, we listen to you" She stated venomously.

You knew you screwed up, nervously you looked from Mobius to X-5 who was looking at you attentively and a little tense about what you could say.

"W-well, we-we can't prune the variants because technically we are too, and who are we to decide about the lives of others? Literally no one. That would be hypocritical.."

X-5 looked at you surprised by your response while you looked down in shame and wishing that the earth would swallow you. Dox raised an annoyed eyebrow so Mobius quickly spoke for you.

"Sorry but Y/N is right, give us a couple of days at least to try to find another solution, could you?"

Judge Dox seemed to weigh the situation as she looked at the two of you. After a while she sighed

"Fine, you only have three days otherwise we will continue with the usual itinerary"

Mobius smiled in relief and the two of you were about to leave when Dox spoke again.

"And next time tell your friend that she should speak when they allow her to."

Dox stood up abruptly and left while Mobius also left the room. You and X-5 still stayed in the war room. An awkward silence settled between you and him until he was going to leave, passing by you, but you grabbed him by the wrist.

"No! wait…please"

He turned around confused to meet your pleading gaze, “I need to talk to you.”

He softened his face and sighed, tilting his head. "Okay, but make it quick, I have to get back to work."

You guided him to a chair and you sat in front of him near the table. You sighed a little nervously, not knowing how to bring up the topic. He saw that you were playing with your fingers nervously and ran a hand up your thigh, sending a sensation of electricity through your belly.

"C'mon what's happening? you can tell me anything"

You exalted, trying not to look at him. "Well, first of all, I wanted to apologize. That's not how I had thought this, but I think it's only fair to apologize for asking you about your scars."

When you mentioned his injuries he reflexively covered one arm while rubbing his hand up and down.

"I made you feel uncomfortable and it wasn't my intention" You felt your voice break "But you had never told me how you had gotten those injuries and I thought we had enough trust to tell each other everything"

You felt your eyes wet and you didn't want to cry in front of him so you stood up and threatened to leave but he took your hand "Wait, don't go."

You looked at him in amazement as he forced you to sit back down, he looked at his arm and sighed "I never talk about them because they remind me of a past failure…"

You looked at him attentively and let him speak, you felt that he was finally opening up to you. "When I was just a novice hunter, a variant attacked me from behind, causing several wounds and bruises, but the worst were in my arms." He closed his eyes. as if the memory caused him deep pain. "After that, Dox, I was demoted and had to start from scratch. I climbed until I got to where I am again and I promised myself that I would be the best at what I do and I would have no mercy on anyone."

You looked at him in shock at his story as he looked at his arms. You suddenly gently rested your hand on his scars. At first he was tempted to withdraw his arms but resisted.

To kiss in cars and downtown bars Was all we needed You drew stars around my scars But now I'm bleedin'

With all the delicacy and love in the world you began to touch his scars with the tips of your fingers, tracing them like a drawing. He shivered at your warm touch but let you continue. Your fingers went up and down and your gaze inspected the cuts. You took all the time in the world to caress his arms, making him understand that for you his scars were beautiful and it was what made him unique and special. They had never bothered you because you thought they framed his arms well, you were just curious. X-5 moaned softly, closing his eyes and feeling his body relax when he felt the heat of your fingers.

When you finished, he opened his eyes and met your sweet and soft gaze and it made him wrinkle his eyebrows upward, softening his gaze.

"…Thank you…"

You nodded, smiling and stood up while he did the same and followed you.

“Umh Y/N…”

You turned around to look at him. "Yes?"

"I think I owe you an apology too, you had no idea what I had been through"

It seemed like he was having a hard time pronouncing these words as if he were making an effort to swallow his pride. You smiled and walked over to stand on your tiptoes and grab the lapels of his uniform and plant a tender kiss on his lips. At first he wasn't expecting this but he made no effort to pull away and circled your waist to pull you closer and deepen the kiss.

And you'd be standin' in my front porch light And I knew you'd come back to me You'd come back to me And you'd come back to me And you'd come back

You quickly walked away somewhat embarrassed and with your pink cheeks burning "Apologies accepted" And you trotted back the way you had come while leaving a confused but smiling X-5 who was licking his lips, feeling the taste of yours again.

#marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #marvel mcu #one shot #imagine #female reader #x reader #loki series #brad wolfe x fem reader #brad wolfe #bradley wolfe #hunter x5 #x5 #loki season 2 #loki s2 #loki laufeyson #rafael casal

[thirstnotes]

| Imagine Being Quiet and Nerdy and in Love with Daveed and Rafa Since Childhood and Not Realizing Rafa Liked You All That Time (Part 2) |

(Part 1)

"Damn..." he said under his breath. You were cute back in the day, but he was in no way ready for the baddie that was standing across the street from him.

You were busy helping keep track of the booths for the block party, pretty brown eyes trained on your clipboard. Soft and sweet as ever. Even wearing a sundress that complemented your yummy curves. Yellow was becoming his favorite color.

"Ey, Y/N!" Daveed called from behind him. He couldn't decide if it was by accident or wholly on purpose. Knowing D, it was most likely on purpose, but he didn't have time to process the salt before you looked his way and smiled.

Shit, dude.

That fuckin smile could kill a man. Your eyes met his briefly before settling on Daveed, who had pulled you into a warm hug.

"Hey, thanks for coming. Seriously, we appreciate it.

"Of course, baby. You know we all about fundraising," he said suddenly, cutting off Daveed's response. Not to be rude or greedy. But honestly so you'd look at him again. He felt like a goofy ass pre-teen again, still gone over the quiet girl who lived across the street from his best friend. The Roxanne to his Max.

Daveed dipped his head, failing terribly at hiding his amusement. "What he said."

You laughed and brushed a braid from your face. "Well I do now."

Rafa shrugged with a smirk, intelligent conversation melting from his brain.

"Okay. I see you," you said with an amused laugh, turning and heading back across the street to handle business.

"I see you too," he called back, the intelligence in his brain gradually coming back, “I’m liking what I see too.”

You laughed, looking back at him before meeting up with another organizer. Then you were busy again.

"Smooooth bro,” Daveed facepalmed, shaking his head.

"Dude, I hate me so fuckin much right now," Rafa groaned, turning to regroup behind the popcorn booth.

"Dude I hate you so fuckin much right now," Daveed laughed, watching him wither a bit. "Will you chill out? I've literally never seen you like this with anybody else. Girlie likes you already. Just make ya move."

"I don't know, bro. She's different. I just. She's even better than a glow up, feel me? Like. A. I don't know. What's the word for an upgrade of an upgrade?" he joked, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know, I think 'upgrade' pretty much covers it."

Rafa groaned, watching you cross the street with F/N, completely unaware of how gone he was over you. Still.

He honestly didn't get it. Whenever you came into the room, every ounce of swag he thought he owned abandoned him. As cliche as it sounded, he just got tongue-tied.

Which was dumb. You still liked him. He could tell from the way you looked at him. Even then, you were stealing glances at him, quickly looking away when you saw him looking back. So fuckin cute.

He needed to tell you. Soon.

He just needed to find the words.

#thirstnotes #Bayboys #Rafael Casal #Rafa Casal #imagine #Rafa x Black Reader

[dxsturbia]

Yeah yeah yeah heal get that OK healing that inner child

So here’s the thing about a human body we only defense mechanism it has during the healing process is the pain signals you can medicate them you can sleep through them you can try your hardest to avoid it but eventually you’re gonna have to let that shit hurt

Let it scar Let it do damage the more you avoid the pain the harder you’re gonna have to work to get back to normal

So when I’m sitting down with my father and I’m trying to discuss these things and you know what you are the appropriate audience because you were an outside party as much as you want to be a parent you’re not

And I’m trying to let that shit hurt and your response is no it’s unfortunate that you had to go through that poor I can see where you’re coming from it’s what was your side of the street what the fuck

No no no no no no no no no no I was a 10 year old kid can you fucking imagine what that looks like for me I am again not trying to be judgmental it’s gonna come out that way I’m not getting the hell out of here on a track scholarship OK I am being airlifted out of my neighborhood into the suburbs and the cost of it is my mother and everything happened so fast and she went no contact that I am like so basically what your plan was I can help my mom back when I can take myself to the restroom well that’s not gonna happen not in this house

That door is 16 inches wide and you help me now completely dependent on this chair for movement it’s not gonna happen

And you know what Anissa it’s all your fault you’ve been like this since you were a little kid

And YOU know what Rebecca why did you even come back what was the point to slow me up more

I was never ask you would be that capable it took me like 8 years and it happened because I didn’t have a choice



#love notes to imaginary friends #Spotify

[techstartro]

#Dsiney+ #Loki #Sezonul2

[ramp-it-up]

Amnesia

Day 15 of #RampitUp1Kinktober

​​Pairing: Rafael Casal x Reader

Summary: Rafa helps you forget a terrible day.

1Kinktober Kink: Light BDSM

Word Count 1.3K

Warnings: 18+ Only, Minors DNI. RPF. SMUT! Read at your own risk, Bad day, drinking, safe words, flogging, binding, orgasm denial, spanking, requested anal, rough sex, creampie, fingering, crying. Not Beta’d. All errors my own. Dividers by @firefly-graphics.

A/N: This is for the 15 DAY of #rampitup1Kinktober! TYSM for following me! 🧡

I Do NOT Consent to my work being reposted, translated or presented on any other blog or site other than by myself.

You’d had a shitty day.

Rafa knew it by the way you didn’t answer any of his texts.

So when you got home at 6, he was waiting for you.

He handed you a glass of red wine and kissed you on your cheek. His blue eyes regarded you for a moment, gauging your exact mood, and after a few minutes of watching you drink, he finally spoke.

“Bedroom. 10 minutes.”

You nodded, and went to sit on the couch to collect yourself and get ready. You finished the wine and then closed your eyes for two minutes and meditated, then you got up from the couch and took off your shoes.

As you walked into the bedroom, the candles were lit and the tools were laid out on the dresser.

You smiled when you saw what was there, and then took off your clothes and knelt on the rug beside the bed, eyes downcast, hands on your thighs. You were beginning to let go.

After a minute, the bathroom door opened. You heard Rafa pad over to the dresser in bare feet and grab the first implements.

“I know you’ve had a bad day, but forget all that shit. Now is the time to give all that up. I will make you forget anything else but pain and pleasure. Are you down with that?”

You licked your lips, already excited.

“Yes, Sir.” you said quietly.

“I can’t hear you.”

Rafa could hear you, he was just testing command.

“Yes. Sir.”

You raised your head but kept your eyes downcast at his feet.

“Tell me your words.”

“Oakland for good, keep going. Vegas for stop. Sir.”

“Good job.”

Rafa stepped behind you and slipped a scarf over your eyes and tied your hands behind your back. Then, he tied your upper arms together, so that your breasts jutted out. So this was the move tonight. You fought to hide a smirk.

He leaned down to your ear. “Good?”

“Oakland, Sir.”

“Good girl.”

You could hear the smile in his voice. He was pleased.

You heard him whipping something around in the air and you tried to keep from squirming when you heard the flogger hit his hand.

Oh fuck yes.

“Up on your knees. Shoulder’s width apart.”

You eagerly complied, eager for what came next.

Rafa placed the woven leather tails on your neck and drew them around to the other ear. Then he trailed them down your arm to your elbow.

You lost contact as he drew it away and then brought it down, and not too softly, against one of your nipples.

You quickly drew in breath at the sensation, barely able to catch it when he brought it down on the other a little harder. He kept flogging them until you cried out, unable to be quiet any longer. You were already dripping and not thinking of anything else but where it would go next.

Your mouth was open and panting as he drew it down your torso to your belly button and to your pubis. You didn’t know what he would do next, so when he parted your folds and played with your clit, you were at the point of moving your pelvis against it to get more friction.

“Be still!”

The command made you stop wiggling and still your hips. The concentration required emptied your head of all other thought.

The flogger was making your clit swell and sing with musical vibration and you needed more.

Rafa toyed with your clit and you got oh so close. Your thighs were shaking with the effort not to move. You were on the verge of tumbling when he pulled it away just as you were about to cum.

He brought the flogger to your mouth.

“Open.”

You obeyed opening your mouth for the flogger, but got the tip of Rafa’s dick instead.

He grabbed the back of your head and slid his long cock to the back of your throat, not giving you a chance to breathe as he held you there, spluttering around his cock.

He pulled out and let you take two breaths before he plunged back in again. This time, you choked, and he pulled out again, wiping your chin of your saliva. Soon, you heard him fisitng his dick as he helped you stand and bent you over the bed.

“I’m not going to use the flogger now. I’m going to use my hand.”

He’d started rubbing your bottom and you answered him.

“Yes, Sir.”

“I want you to count. I think you deserve 20 tonight.”

You sighed a sigh of joy. “Yes, Sir.”

He rubbed for a bit longer and then drew his hand away. When he didn’t hit you immdeidatley, you were disappointed, until the slap came, off the beat you expected.

“Ah!”

You were surprised.

“You didn’t count. I’ll add one more.”

He hit you again, harder.

“One, Sir.”

The next one at the same intensity on the other cheek.

“Two, Sir.”

He increased each round until five, when he could hear the sniffles in your voice as you counted.

By the time you reached 10, pain turned to pleasure at you were loving it.

At 21, you were dripping sheets of wetness down your thighs and when he finished, Rafa stepped back to admire your red ass and dripping cunt.

“You did so, so well Baby Girl. You look so beautiful.”

Rafa was tracing the welts on you lightly now and rubbing down your legs.

“Do we need the spreader bar, or can you keep your legs open?”

His hoarse whisper on your ear told yo he was enjoying this a lot.

“Spreader bar, Sir. Can you fuck my ass?”

There was a moment of silence while Rafa collected himself. You were trying to top him.

“I normally don’t take requests, but since you’ve had a bad day…”

Rafa went and got the lube and you couldn’t wait for the sensations. You needed it all.

You felt the cold, slippery lube shoot down from the bottle, you jumped a little until you felt Rafa’s thumb warming it up against your hole. Then it roughly delved in, opening you up for him and giving you sensation like no other.

“You’re going to do me in. This ass, your requests. I’m in control here. And I’ve decided to deny your request.”

He grunted as he pushed his cock inside your cunt as he kept his thumb in your ass, without the spreader bar.

You got what you wanted however, fullness and mind numbing pleasure.

Rafa grabbed your bound hands and pounded into you, holding back moans himself. This was supposed to be about you, but he was losing himself.

“What is your word?”

Rafa felt that he was going so hard that you must be at your limit.

“Ohhhhh. Oakland, Sir. Fucking Oak. Land.”

“Fuck!”

He continued down the path of tearing that ass up and was rewarded by your cunt spasming around him before he shot his load inside you.

Your screams let him know that you released everything you needed to release, and not just down your legs.

He pulled out and let you breathe, rubbing your back and cooing at you as you came down.

Rafa untied your blindfold, your hands and arms, and helped you up, gathering you in his arms as he rocked you a bit.

“You did so good, Baby Girl. I love you. You were such a good girl.”

You were crying, another much needed thing that was happening.

Rafa led you into the bathroom to a warm tub of water filled with epsom salts and helped you as you gingerly sat down.

He sat beside the tub and rubbed your legs in the water as you soaked a bit, and then tenderly washed your body.

When he was done, he went to get a big fluffy towel from the dryer and you stepped into soft warmth.

He led you back into the bedroom and lay you down while he patted you dry and put lotion on your bottom and legs. He set you up in bed with pillows and water as he went to get the menus for you to order.

You chose Thai, and you watched mindless reality shows while he cleaned up himself and the bedroom, brought the food in when it arrived and settled in beside you to eat dinner in bed.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Rafa asked as he gathered you into his arms.

“Nothing to talk about. It’s all gone. It’s forgotten.”

You kissed his cheek.

“Thank you, Rafa. I love you.”

He kissed your forehead, and then your lips.

“It’s all good. I love you too. I will always take care of my Baby Girl. Never forget that.”

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#rampitup1kinktober #rafael casal #ask dj #rafael casal x reader #rafael casal smut #rafael casal imagine #rafael casal drabble #rpf

[delaber]

Coming Home

Note: The fic no one asked for but I still wrote because I had to. Pretty sure this will be my last Rafa fic. It’s been a ride. Thank you!

Words: 7.7K

It was one of those blisteringly hot days where all you wanted to do was to laze about in front of a fan with your feet up and eat popsicles in the hopes of cooling just a tiny bit down. The sun was scorching and there was little to no wind at all, making it close to unbearable to be out of the shade for more than two minutes at a time - but unfortunately, you found yourself stuck in the middle of a very sunny lawn at Nat's garden-themed birthday party. Several times during the day, you had caught yourself looking jealously towards the enticing pool area at the end of the lawn but unfortunately had to settle for self-administered time-outs in the shade under various palm trees that were lining the garden.

At one of said time-outs, the birthday girl Nat approached you with a huge smile and two drinks in hand, "oh, there you are!" She exclaimed happily as she reached the same tree as you and handed you one of the piña coladas she was holding, "I've been looking all over!"

"Sorry," you smiled at your best friend and accepted the cocktail she was offering you, "I needed to cool down for a bit," you said while fanning your hand in front of your face

"Ooh, great idea - make room for me," Nat too stepped under the shade of the palm tree and immediately started fanning her top, "Jesus Christ, it's hot today!"

"Well, you were the one to insist on not having gazebos for your party," you shot your best friend a small smile, "it ruins the aesthetic," you mimicked her words from a few days ago with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up!" Nat let out a chortle, "I clearly made a terrible decision."

"Yeah, you should always listen to me and Diggs," you chuckled while having a sip of your tropical drink, enjoying how it slowly seemed to lower your core temperature as soon as the cold liquid hit your oesophagus.

"Hey, speaking of; have you seen him?" Nat squinted her eyes while shooting her phone a glance, "he's not answering any of my texts."

"I talked to him over by the snacks a little over an hour ago," you pointed over your shoulder, "he said he had to take off for a bit."

"He had to take off?" Nat furrowed her eyebrows, looking directly at you with disbelief written all over her face. From her expression alone, you could tell what was going through her head; as Nat's long-term boyfriend, Diggs knew exactly how important her birthday was to her. "That's seems a bit out of character..." she mumbled sadly.

"Aww, don't worry - he'll be back in a bit."

"What was so important for him to do on today of all days?" Nat sounded crestfallen.

"Come on Nat, what kind of an errand could he possibly have to run on his girlfriend's birthday?" You rolled your eyes.

"...But he already got me a present," she fiddled with the shiny new bracelet around her wrist.

"Maybe he's getting you a surprise," you shrugged mysteriously.

"Really?" The sad look on Nat's face was quickly replaced by wide eyes accompanied by a broad smile, "A surprise?"

"Don't tell him I said anything!" you laughed.

"Well, did he tell you what it was?"

"Nope... He probably knew we'd end up having this conversation," you chuckled.

"Slick bastard," Nat muttered under her breath before her voice returned to normal, "well, I hope he gets back soon. Of course I'm excited about the surprise but I don't want him missing out on the party."

As if on cue, a loud clanking noise coming from the shrub-embedded gate at the other end of the lawn had both you and Nat whip your heads around; Diggs had stepped inside the closed-off garden with a huge smile plastered on his face, stopping as soon as his feet hit the soft grass. He scanned the area for the birthday girl, and when his gaze finally landed on Nat, you watched how his face immediately turned soft as their eyes met across the lawn.

"Ah, there he is," Nat sighed happily as she took in her handsome boyfriend.

"...yeah, but he's empty handed," you added with a sigh after a quick scan for a birthday present in his open palms.

"Oh, you're right. Must be something he can stow away in a pocket..."

"Or something that's too heavy for him to carry alone," you added.

"Either way I'm just glad he's back," Nat said dreamily and send Diggs a small wave to which he replied with a sappy smile and a wink.

"Ah, I'm third-wheeling so hard right now," you gagged and with a grin turned your back towards Diggs in the hopes of making it less awkward for yourself.

"Yeah, sorry babe," Nat was biting her lower lip, trying to contain herself as she gazed at her handsome boyfriend over your shoulder.

"You look terribly confused all of a sudden," you laughed as you took in Nat's furrowed eyebrows.

"Yeah, he's just... standing there - why is he not moving?"

"What? He's standing completely still?" you arched an eyebrow, looking at Nat who still wasn't sparing you a glance.

"No, he's... looking for something on the other side of the hedges. And he's talking to someone - I think?"

"On the phone?"

"No... - oh wait, looks like he brought someone along."

"He brought someone?" you repeated curiously, "who?"

"I don't know. I don't recognise him..." Nat looked confused as she squinted her eyes, trying to focus on what was happening at the other end of the lawn. Then suddenly, her face changed, "- hey, is that...? No - wait... - Oh my god! It is!" She finally whipped her head around, looking directly at you with huge eyes, "he's here."

"...Who is?" you looked at her confused.

Nat didn't have time to answer your question before a male voice that you didn't immediately recognise rang from behind you, "Ey yo, Nat!"

"I'm sorry..." Nat whispered, "- but I have to..." she shot you a pained look before she moved past you with a squeal as she briskly walked away from the shade under the palm tree.

Confused, you spun around and scanned the lawn for Diggs and his mystery companion. Diggs had put on one of his more colourful outfits, and your eyes were immediately drawn to him and the smug smile he was wearing as he took in Nat who was now running at full-speed towards a sharp-dressed man to his right.

"Rafa!" Nat exclaimed loudly as she fell into the well-dressed man's arms, "you're here! I can't believe it!" she squealed.

The mere sound of his name made the hairs on the back of your neck stand while the blood quickly drained from your face. You instantly felt your throat go dry and your head dizzying as Nat's words rang in your ears. Rafa was here? Rafa as in Rafael? No, it couldn't be...

You adjusted your gaze slightly but sure enough; there he was. In the middle of the lawn in a tight embrace with your best friend. None other than Rafael Casal.

That. Fucking. Prick.

"You're kidding me..." you mumbled under your breath.

What the fuck was he doing here?!

You immediately felt your heart rate increasing and your palms getting sweaty as you took him in. He had grown a beard and cut his hair short, making the area above his forehead strangely lonely without its familiar swoop of hair that he had been so fond of back when you had known him. Your eyes travelled across his face that was plastered with the toothy grin you had once loved, and down to the strong arms that you had once known every vein of. There weren't any tattoos on his arms that you didn't recognise but he had definitely built more muscle mass since the last time you'd seen him.

You had to admit that even though you were more than regularly annoyed with him, he looked good - he just didn't look like Rafa. Not your Rafa at least. He looked more man than jokester, a ghost of the boy you'd once called yours.

When the tight embrace in front of you finally ended, Rafa straightened up and looked over Nat's shoulder, his green eyes immediately piercing through you. He did a quick scan of you from the tip of your sneakers to the top of your head, and if it hadn't been for the fact that you knew that you looked good in your new dress, you might have grown flustered under his intense stare - but you didn't. He could stare all he wanted and meanwhile use the opportunity to think about what he had let go of - what he was missing out on!

He looked you up and down a few times and when his eyes reached yours, he sent you a tentative look and a careful smile that you didn't reciprocate. After all, pretending that Rafael Casal meant absolutely nothing to you was something you had perfected over the years.

When he finally realised that your face would remain stone cold and without the smallest trace of friendliness, he quickly looked back at Nat and sent her a broad smile as she began mumbling something to him about how he was the last person she'd expected to see today.

Meanwhile, you used the opportunity to march over to Diggs and pull him aside; "what the hell do you think you're doing?!" You hissed at him, your voice so low that only he could hear.

"Oh, I'm just watching my best friend and my girl reconcile after years apart," he smirked, his eyes still locked on the two friends talking excitedly in the middle of the lawn.

"Don't get smart with me, Diggs!" You said through gritted teeth, "why the fuck didn't you tell me that he was coming? You know how I feel about him! He's a snake!"

"Jesus Christ," Diggs rolled his eyes, "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you. If you'd known that I was picking him up at the airport, you would've ended up faking an excuse to leave before I'd returned."

"And with good reason! You know what he did! I don't want to talk to him!"

"You need to resolve this shit between the two of you," he shrugged, "You need to learn to be in the same room as him. It's been way too long already, and it cannot go on like this forever."

"Oh, watch me!" You huffed childishly, looking over at Rafa's dumb smile as he said something incoherent to Nat.

"Bruh..." Daveed cocked his head and sent you an unimpressed look, "He didn't come to mess with you. He came for Nat... He misses her."

"- but," you tried to interject but Diggs immediately cut you off: "- And before you say anything -" he continued, "- look at how happy she is!" he gestured to Nat who had now gone back to hugging Rafa tightly, "I know that her loyalty to you dictates that she has to hate him or whatever, but she has clearly missed him too. So if you can't do it for yourself, please just behave yourself for Nat."

A guilty pang hit your chest when you looked at Nat's happy smile, and you realised that she had cut off all contact with Rafa for your sake. "For the record; I never told her she couldn't talk to him," you mumbled.

"I know," Diggs nodded, "that's just how good of a friend she is."

"Alright... I'll behave for Nat," you sighed with a slight scowl before you quickly continued, "- but I'm not going to talk to him! No way!"

Diggs shot his hands in the air in a surrendering manner, "hey: normal, regular behaviour is all I'm asking for! You can ignore him for all I care - just be civil."

You didn't answer Diggs but instead continued to scowl as you watched Rafa and Nat having a giggle about something. The sound of Rafa's obnoxiously loud laugh swimming in your ear canals made your stomach go annoyingly warm, and for a millisecond you actually wished that he was laughing at something dumb alongside you instead of Nat - or at least you wished for it until you reminded yourself of what he had done, and the familiar anger towards him soon returned.

"Aw, come on," Diggs let out a laugh when he saw your angry face. He gave your shoulder a playful shove before he put his arm around you, "let's get you a drink - you look like you need it."

"Yes, I need it!" you groaned as he led you away from Nat and Rafa, "- and a big one too 'cause my dumb friends had my nemesis fly in from New York behind my back."

Diggs laughed a little at your miserable tone of voice, "cheer up," he chuckled, pulling you a little closer, "...and to be fair, I did the inviting. Nat had nothing to do with this."

"God, you're the worst," you mumbled as you reached the self-service bar, "I cannot believe you'd spring this on me after what he did!"

"Come on. It's been three years," Daveed shrugged and smiled down at you before he pulled out two clean glasses.

"That's easy for you to say when you weren't implicated in it," you mumbled sourly without looking directly at him.

"I may not have been directly involved, but you know I still got caught up in the middle," Diggs sent you a short look before he poured both of you a drink, "- and I still am."

"How?" You said incredulously, "I literally never talk about him."

"Exactly," Diggs shot you a sideways glance as he screwed off the cap of a tonic water, "you never talk about him. It's forced."

"It's forced? Since when is not talking about your asshole of an ex-boyfriend forced?"

"I know you miss him," Diggs said softly and sent you a careful look.

You forced yourself to scoff as you accepted the gin tonic from him, "I have no idea what you're talking about! I literally could not care less about Rafael at all," you looked across the lawn and immediately caught Rafa's gaze that was aimed directly at you. His eyes were huge, his gaze soft and longing. You thought to yourself that he looked as if he was the one who'd been wronged all those years ago. As if you were the one who had disappeared off to New York before royally fucking everything up. Which you absolutely weren't!

-

Rafa had been annoying as hell all night! Whenever you were no more than a few milliseconds away from letting down your hair and forget about the fact that your nemesis was attending the same party as you, you could hear his annoying foghorn of a laugh in the group of people next to you. And although you were trying your absolute best to avoid him completely, he still seemed to be all over, somehow always within a ten-foot radius from you, his cutting-torch-like voice constantly poking at your eardrums.

You were successful in avoiding him up until around midnight when you unfortunately were careless enough to lay down your guard for a few seconds too long, not realising that he had approached you at the self-service bar while you had been looking around for a lime for your drink. "Hey," you heard a low growl behind you as you were cutting the citrus into wedges.

You didn't have to look up from the table to know who the voice belonged to. "Rafael," you said neutrally while screwing off the cap of the tequila bottle you were holding, pouring up a couple of ounces of liquid without sparing him a glance.

"Hmm... Ra-fa-el," he repeated slowly, dragging out the name and smacking his lips as if savouring how it rolled off his tongue, "you know what? I don't think I've ever heard you call me Ra-fa-el before."

With your gaze still firmly placed on the tequila-filled glass in front of you, you arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything as you continued working on the cocktail, desperate to not give in to his antics.

You could feel his gaze burning on your skin, his eyes following your every move as you poured Cointreau into the cocktail glass and quietly waited for him to leave you alone again. He didn't budge, however, and when he realised that you intended to keep your silence, he quietly asked, "...How are you doing?"

"Great," you said and pressed your lips firmly together.

"Good..." Out the corner of your eye, you could see his head bopping up and down as he took you in, "I - uhm - I always liked you in green, you know," he grinned cockily. You knew he was just acting this way to get your attention but annoyingly enough; it was working for him. His comment made you dart your eyes towards him, shooting him an unimpressed sigh that he reciprocated with a careful smile, anxious to see if his compliment had tugged at your heartstrings. But even though his words had made your head dizzy and your diaphragm contract considerably, you still managed to keep a straight face as you took him in. His gaze was soft and satisfied, and a strange feeling hit your guts when you looked into his green eyes for the first time in over three years. Seeing the familiarity of his overly confident gaze made you realise that he hadn't exactly turned into the destructive villain that you had made him out to be after he had moved to New York three years ago. Behind the masculine beard and the buzzcut, the jokester with the soft chin and the long quiff was still in there. Your Rafa was still in there, and for a tenth of a second it made your heart ache as you wished for a time that he had long ago ruined.

He had clearly realised that you were checking him out because slowly, yet surely, his smirk grew considerably while he maintained eye-contact. It made you furious! He. Did. Not. Have. The. Upper. Hand. Taking in your angry expression, he shifted the weight on his feet while giving out a low chuckle, "I guess what I mean to tell you is that you look good. Like really good! - even when you're fuming."

"You look old," you stated flatly to make him stop feeling so overly confident.

To your dismay, however, he wasn't the least bit hurt by your comment but instead spluttered happily and let out a loud laugh, making the crow's feet around his green irises dance around as his eyes squinted tightly together in amusement. He looked irritatingly handsome, and it made you even more annoyed with him; he wasn't supposed to be amused by your low blow, he was supposed to be devastated!

You chewed your bottom lip as he annoyingly confident ran a hand through his beard and took you in with his forever playful smile. The fairy lights surrounding the self-service bar caught something shiny around his wrist as he caressed his chin, and you recognised the piece of metal immediately. It made you scoff, "you really still have that?" You nodded towards the golden band around his arm that you had given him for his 25th birthday some years ago. Even though it had been quite expensive, you'd figured that he had thrown it out long ago.

"You're kidding me?" He said incredulously, furrowing his brows and fiddling with the shiny links around his arm, "of course I still have this! It means a lot to me, I wear it every day!" He sent you a tentative smile, once again checking to see if he was so lucky that his words had defrosted you.

He wasn't.

"What?" He asked with an amused twinkle in his eyes when he took in your unimpressed face, "I swear; It's one of my most treasured possessions."

"Rafael... Just..." You let out a small sigh and folded your arms across your chest, "- just drop the pleasantries and tell me why you're really here," you demanded, "I highly doubt you're here to small talk."

"Aw come on - I'm just here for Nat's party. I didn't come to stir shit up. I promise!" He looked at you with honest eyes, still with a trace of a smile on his lips.

"Then why are you attacking me at the drinks table?" You were surprised to hear how steady you managed to keep your voice when it felt as if your entire body was shaking.

"I just wanted to say hi," he shot you a careful look, taking in every movement of your facial muscles, "You've been avoiding me all day."

"Wonder why," you clicked your tongue against the roof of your mouth, looking away from him.

"I know it seems like an unnecessary question but are you still angry with me?" He asked, his smile still in place but suddenly a bit stiff.

"I was angry at first. Now I don't really care about you anymore," you smiled overly-sweetly.

"Yeah okay," Rafa's stiff smile faltered a bit and it looked as if you'd finally managed to knock him slightly off his course. This probably wasn't how he had imagined the conversation to go. It was a nice feeling to see him slightly panicked. "Ehm..." he smacked his lips, "would you like me to leave?"

"Yes," you breathed, but even you could hear the thickness of the lie in your throat. Even though you were keen on keeping your distance to him, you were still terribly curious as to why he had passed you up three years after your horrible break-up. After all, it had ended in lies and angry tears.

His smirk turned amused, and he could barely hold back a triumphant chuckle when he spoke, "I can tell you're not being serious," he tilted his head to the side.

"My God, you are insufferable!" you said through gritted teeth, "just tell me why you're here!"

"Well..." he licked his lips before he slowly stated, "Sofía's pregnant."

He had barely finished pronouncing the word pregnant before you felt the blood immediately drain from your face. "You're... having a baby?" You breathed and blinked a few times, bracing yourself for his answer. After everything that had happened, you couldn't believe that the mental image of Rafa with someone else was still able to make your stomach ache horribly, and you were immediately reminded of the fact that you hadn't left him because you had fallen out of love with him.

"Am I having a...-? Oh God no!" He laughed when he understood, "Sofía as in my sister! My sister is pregnant! I'm about to be an uncle. Tio Rafa."

You felt a wave of relief wash over you when his words finally settled, and the blood quickly returned to your cheeks making them unbearably hot. "Well, congratulations then, I guess," you mumbled, trying to conceal your flustered face.

"Thanks!" He smiled proudly and put on a goofy expression.

"I still fail to see what your sister's pregnancy has to do with me."

"Well, you see..." he licked his lips, "Sofía and her boyfriend are constantly talking about baby-stuff, and who in their lives are important to them, and insurances, and dying wills, and things like that - and I guess it kinda made me think about stuff in my life too," he gave out an awkward shrug, shooting you a careful look, "you know... Unresolved matters and so on..."

"...and then you thought about me?" You scoffed.

"Yeah," he nodded carefully, "I miss you."

"Rafael..." you closed your eyes and sighed in disbelief.

"Oof," he winced and it made you open your eyes and look at him. "- could you stop calling me that?" He looked pained, "It's - it's weird!"

"Well it is your name, isn't it?"

"I know, I know... Hearing it from you is just - it's just weird..." he mumbled while rubbing his neck, "only strangers call me by my first name."

"We're practically strangers."

"We are?" He looked taken aback.

You shot him a sideways glance, "yes, we are Rafael," you sighed and watched how his nostrils did an involuntary twitch at the sound of his given name.

He merely grunted while shooting you a weird look.

"What?" You asked incredulously, "you don't agree?"

"No. No, not at all," he shook his head, "I know you."

"Not anymore you don't," you turned back to your drink, stirring it a little just to give your shaking hands something to do.

"I know every freckle of your body..." he said quietly, his voice so full of emotion that it made your heart ache. "I know why you have a scar on your left knee," he continued, "I know all your guilty pleasures. What makes you tick. Your likes. Your dislikes. Of course I realise that we didn't end optimally but you can't pretend that we don't know each other," he ran a hand through his beard.

As soon as the words had escaped his mouth, you shot him an angry look, "we didn't end optimally?!" You hissed at him, "well, it was your fucking choice to end it that way, wasn't it?"

"Ah, so you are still mad at me," He stated flatly, taking in your expression.

You managed to turn off some of the fire you felt in your eyes before you spoke, "No I'm not, Rafael. As I said, I don't care about you at all," you said coldly, "Is that all? Can I go back to my best friend's birthday party now, or are you in the mood to ruin yet another one of my nights?" You shot him a deadpan look.

"I can't force you to talk to me," he said quietly, his eyes huge with disappointment.

"What do you even want to talk about?" Your voice was laced with frustration, "it's been three years! I've moved on - I don't need this, Rafa!" You wanted to smack yourself when you realised that you had let his pet name slip.

"I just want to apologise. Properly..." he said quietly while awkwardly rubbing his elbow, decent enough to let the use of his nickname slide.

"Apologising is not going to change what happened."

"I know... but you still deserve a proper apology from the guy who hurt you."

You gave out a scoff but didn't say anything.

"Look," Rafa continued, "can you please just give me ten minutes alone with you? Some place quiet. Ten minutes and I swear, I'll never talk to you again if you don't want me to. I just want to tell you how sorry I am. I think we both need it."

You weighed the pros and cons. Maybe it would actually be good for you to get some closure so you could finally forget about him? You decided that you might as well try. It'd be nice to stop thinking about him for good. "Fine! You have ten minutes and not a second more!" you said sternly, "but let me be very clear about one thing: I am not doing this for you!"

"I know," he nodded slowly, and followed you to a deserted bench a little away from the rest of the party.

He sat down next to you with a content sound, "Cig?" he asked while holding out a crumbled package.

"I quit," you pushed the package away, your fingers briefly brushing over his. It made him smile slightly but he quickly concealed it by clearing his throat.

"Good for you," Rafa nodded while lighting a cigarette for himself, taking a long drag while looking at you. "So..." he said quietly, "I hear that you finally landed that job you used to work so hard for."

"If you just wanted to smoke cigarettes and small talk, we didn't have to go all the way back here," you crossed your arms.

"Tough crowd," he laughed, "come on. Just humour me for a bit... I miss talking to you."

You scoffed, "you have nine minutes and fourty-five seconds left, Casal."

"Nine minutes and fourty-five seconds," he nodded in agreement, "so... that job of yours - congratulations! Your hard work finally paid off, huh?" He tried again.

"Have you been stalking my linked-in?" You said sourly.

"Nah, Diggs gives me little updates," Rafa chuckled awkwardly, "-or he did for a while at least. Up until about a year ago when he got real angry with me," Rafa clenched his teeth tightly together, looking uncomfortable.

"Diggs got angry?" You said in disbelief. Out of the two, Rafa was definitely the hot-headed one.

"Oh shit, yeah!" He nodded with a laugh, "I know it's hard to believe because it's such a rare occurrence but that just made it so much scarier! For a second, I thought he would punch me in the face!"

"Well, that should teach you to keep your abnormally large nose out of my business," you scoffed slightly.

"That's what he said too," Rafa chuckled, "-and that if I wanted to know how you were doing, I should give you a call myself," he sent you a small smile, "- but I knew you would have my balls in a wrench if I suddenly called you up out of the blue."

"Correct."

He smiled, "yet here we are. Talking quietly without screaming at each other. My balls free as ever."

"You're lucky I left my wrench at home today, Casal."

He let out an amused snort and took another drag of the cigarette, "yeah, I can't believe my luck this evening," he smiled without looking at you, "hey, while we're on the subject of updates; I - uhm - I also want to let you know that I heard about your dad. I was very sad to learn about his passing."

You felt a sharp pain in your chest, and you held your arms a little closer to your chest, "Diggs told you about that too, huh?" You mumbled, unable to look Rafa in the eye. Even though little over two years had passed since your dad had died, thinking about him still hurt.

You felt Rafa nod beside you, "Yeah. He called me right after it happened... I know your dad meant a great deal to you. Meant a great deal to me too to be honest..." he sighed.

"I know..." you thought of the special bond the two men had always shared. Even long before you and Rafa had fallen in love, your dad had hoped that you would end up together.

"I was seconds away from flying home to see him off at the funeral, you know - but given how you and I ended things, I didn't think you should deal with me on top of losing your dad..." he shot you a sideways glance.

You decided not to tell Rafa about how you had woken up on the morning of the funeral, wishing that he had been there. Wishing that everything had magically gone back to normal overnight. Instead, you merely mumbled, "you should've come. My dad would've loved that... He always liked you."

"Yeah, I liked him too," Rafa nodded, "I still think about him every time I hear a terrible joke or see someone in a Laker's shirt."

"Oh god, all those fucking shirts," you groaned and thought of the hundreds of basketball shirts that your dad had had stacked neatly away in his closet. You couldn't believe that you had completely forgotten about them.

Rafa chuckled, "what did you end up doing with them? I imagine that you donated them in your dad's spirit."

"Naturally," you nodded and felt yourself uncross your arms for the first time since you'd sat down. "My mom kept one, and the orphanage got most but we auctioned off the rarest ones and gave the money to charity. That was what he wanted, you know."

"Ah, what an icon," Rafa sighed, "well, you should be proud of him and the work he did for the community. He was a great man. A proper role model for the bay."

You nodded in agreement while scanning Rafa. It was nice to talk about your dad with someone who knew him but who hadn't seen him fragile and sick. Someone who didn't think of him as his diagnosis, and you realised that for the first time since his passing, things actually seemed fairly back to normal. Sitting side by side with Rafa actually felt welcome and normal. Maybe you'd grant him a couple of minutes more of your time.

Rafa's eyes skirted away from you, and he nervously cleared his throat before he continued, "Uhm... not that it matters but did you - did you ever tell him about what happened between us?"

"My dad? No..." you shook your head with a sad sigh, "he loved you like his own son, and I didn't want to break his heart. So I just told him that we couldn't make the whole long distance-thing work."

"Oh, right... Thanks," Rafa nodded.

"I didn't do it for you."

"Still... I'm glad he didn't get to know that side of me. I'm not so sure he would've liked me if he'd known the truth about how I broke his daughter's heart."

"I'm not so sure either..."

"I - I hated myself after, you know," He looked over at you with a pained expression after a couple of seconds of silence, "I have never regretted anything more in my entire life."

"What? Not going to the funeral?"

"No. You know... What I did..." he said sheepishly.

"Oh..."

"The minute I woke up I - I wanted to undo everything," he looked at you pleadingly, "I felt so fucking terrible. Still do. I can't even think about it without wanting to stab myself. It is without a doubt the worst thing I have ever done, and I am so sorry for the pain it caused you," he said softly, "please understand that I didn't do it because I didn't love you. It wasn't because you weren't enough or something like that. You were perfect to me. I take full responsibility for the fuck-up, and I am so, so horribly fucking sorry!"

"Rafa, it's..." you gulped, the words somehow stuck in your throat. You were having a hard time acting as if his words meant nothing to you.

He carefully put his hand on top of yours before he continued, "do you think we would've been able to work around the long distance if I hadn't...?"

"Please don't..." you whispered and sent him a soft yet warning look, "I don't want to talk about what might've been."

"No, no of course not..." he nodded quietly, "I just - I can't believe it's been three years... Fuck baby I've missed you so bad," he carefully moved his thumb over the back of your hand and searched your face with furrowed eyebrows, "You have no idea of the relief I felt when I finally saw you today," he said quietly.

"Don't do this..." you closed your eyes and whispered.

Rafa continued as if he hadn't heard you, "I know we didn't work out the way neither of us pictured it but that doesn't mean you weren't the best thing that's ever happened to me..." he sounded desperate, and you couldn't look at him. The words he was saying was making you want to fall into his arms, "...I never should've let you go."

"Rafa," you sighed and summoned all your strength and looked into his glossy eyes, "you didn't let me go," your voice barely a whisper, "I broke up with you."

"I know, I know," his voice was oozing with pain, "but I hope you realise that I would've done everything to win you back. I would've come back to California if you'd only asked me to. Fuck the record deal."

"There was a reason why I didn't ask you to come back," you shot him a glance in warning, "you know that."

"Still, I should have done... something."

"You did exactly what I asked of you."

"Yeah... I stayed the fuck away from you," he mumbled. You could tell that he was replaying your last tearful conversation in his mind before he heaved a big gulp of air and glanced over at you with a valiant look in his eyes, "but I've come back to remind you who I really am."

"You don't have to remind me of anything... I remember who you were. What we had."

"Then let me be that guy for you again," he looked at you pleadingly.

"What's the point when you're still 3,000 miles away?" You sighed, "It's not as if we'll happen upon each other at the supermarket and go out for spontaneous coffees."

"Could be," he said with a small shrug, "I - uh - I'm moving back," he nervously ran his fingers through his short hair, "I want to be close to Sofía and the baby - and you."

"You're coming home?" You gulped. You couldn't believe him. Was this a good thing?

"Yes," he breathed, "And I want to try things out with you again. Please give me another chance..." his fingers moved from your hand to your knee. You briefly considered his words while you felt his thumb caress you through the green fabric of your dress. Right now, you were fighting hard to not give in to his embrace and the familiar set of lips in front of you, but you weren't sure how you'd feel about it come morning, so you remained poised.

He sensed your hesitation, however, and carefully put his forehead to yours "come on, baby," he said quietly and softly kissed your cheek, his lips warm against your skin.

"I don't know," you gulped as you involuntarily closed your eyes and breathed him in.

"It's okay," he said with whispered words, the stubble on his chin rough against your cheekbone, "you don't have to give me an answer right away," he gently kissed your jawline while his hand travelled from your kneecap to your fingertips, clearly desperate to remind you of what you could have back if you only agreed to let him in again.

"Rafa, I don't know," you said quietly although it was becoming harder and harder to remain steadfast and ignore his burning lips on your skin.

"Just consider it," he kissed the corner of your mouth, "I'll crawl. I'll beg," he whispered and pursed his lips against yours, "I'll do anything," he moved his body closer to yours, "just consider it," he whispered and placed a particularly gentle kiss to your already buzzing lips, "please baby."

You couldn't help yourself any longer and you involuntarily twitched your lips against his before you felt yourself being completely engulfed by him. The passionate kiss you shared was soft and bittersweet, reminding both of you of what had been.

His hands were caressing your neck and hairline and he hummed into your mouth as he savoured the feeling of finally having you kiss him back. "Fuck I've missed this," he gulped when he broke away and put his forehead to yours, his hand still on your cheek, "does this mean you'll at least consider it?"

"I'm still angry with you," you whispered without really answering his question.

"I know, love..." he caressed your cheek, "I was stupid," he searched your face, "it was a stupid mistake."

"Don't reduce it to a stupid mistake, Rafa," you whispered.

"Poor choice of words," he mumbled, "what I mean to say is that I hope you can forgive it," he placed a soft kiss to your jawline, "- forgive me."

"Even if I did forgive you, how do you expect me to ever trust you again?" You said quietly, and you knew that you couldn't dance around the elephant in the room any longer. "Rafa you had another girl's lips wrapped around your dick not even twenty-four hours after crying in my arms at the airport," you said with a heavy heart and watched him cringe his face at the harsh truth, "twenty-four after you'd sworn you'd do anything to make our relationship work despite the distance."

Rafa was still wincing when he spoke, "not that it's any excuse at all but I was exhausted and drunk and heartbroken," he croaked, "I had just left the love of my life behind in California... and this other girl was suddenly there and she got me high as balls and she-" he sighed without finishing his own sentence, "trust me when I say that it was the worst night of my life," he closed his eyes in a sad attempt at holding the tears at bay.

"Well at least you got a nice blowjob out of it." You smiled humourlessly, "I just wound up with all the lies you threw in my face."

"I never lied to you..." he mumbled, "I came clean as soon as you confronted me."

"How big of you!" you scoffed.

"Baby... I didn't tell you because I was so embarrassed," he gulped, the tears now evident under his green irises, "I wanted to throw myself off a cliff! I knew that if I told you, it would be the definite end of us," he looked at you with huge, bloodshot eyes, "I couldn't do that."

"I need you to understand that the worst part of it wasn't that you cheated on me. The worst part was that you pretended that nothing had happened at all," you couldn't tell whether the tears you felt in the corners of your eyes were from being angry or sad, "Imagine how dumb I felt when Diggs finally broke down and told me what you'd done," you said and Rafa suddenly couldn't hold back the tears any longer either.

"I wanted to tell you. Trust me, I wanted to," he sobbed.

"You had three weeks to say something to me for fuck's sake!"

"I'm so sorry," he whimpered.

"We facetimed every night for three weeks and you didn't say anything! You made a complete fool of me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" his eyes fixed at his own feet.

"Rafa, look at me!" you said in a harsh tone of voice.

Immediately, his red eyes found yours. He looked as ashamed of himself as he possibly could, "I was a coward," he whimpered, "-and I knew didn't deserve you."

"Then what makes you think you deserve me now?" You said coldly.

"I have spent the last three years trying to forget about you and what happened but no matter what I do, you still linger in the back of my mind. Even after all this time you're the only one I can ever see myself with. I always return to you. On sleepless nights, you're dancing on the back of my eyelids. I see you in other girls when I pass them by on the street. You're in all my poetry. All my songs. I think about you constantly. Maybe I don't deserve you but I at least had to try."

"Rafa you broke my heart," you looked him dead in the eye and he visibly gulped, "you betrayed my trust and you did it in the most despicable way I could ever imagine. It's been three years and I still cannot believe that you of all people would do that to me. You were my ride or die."

"I can still be that," he said desperately, clinging on to the last bit of hope he had in him, "I'm still that guy! The guy who cheated on you that wasn't me! I wasn't myself! I'm aware of the agony it caused, and trust me: I've learned from my mistakes," he looked at you resolutely before he whispered, "I'm still your ride or die."

His words made your stomach hurt and you felt the heat rise throughout your body as your throat clenched tightly together. You felt suffocated and stood up from the bench so fast that black spots distorted your vision. "I can't do this!" you said desperately, "it's too much!"

"Okay," he gulped, looking up at you with desperation written across his face.

"I have to go back to the party. Nat expects me to be there for her."

"Alright," he gulped. He was having a hard time concealing his obvious disappointment.

"Don't look at me like that!" you whimpered, "what did you expect? That you could shed a few tears and everything would be alright again?"

"No, of course not..."

"Then don't look so fucking disappointed! You're making me feel like the bad guy and I haven't even done anything!"

"I know," he gulped.

"Yet you still think a drunk conversation erases everything? That I will take you back just because you're feeling sorry? You obviously don't realise the damage you caused."

"Then tell me!" He too stood up from his seat, "I want to make things alright again," he pleaded.

"I don't need you to make things alright again! I was doing just fine before you showed up!"

"Okay, I'm sorry," he sheepishly picked at his own elbow, "I just thought that maybe you felt the same way about me."

"I don't want you back!" You said roughly.

As soon as the harsh words had escaped your lips, you could see the heartbreak on his face; his cheeks paled, his lips quivered, a single tear left his right eye as he looked away. He ran his hand over the corners of his mouth, unable to look directly at you, "right," he said as a fresh set of tears formed in his eyes, "I'm sorry... I - uh - I had to try,” he sobbed although he was fighting to hold his voice steady, “I - uhm - I don't know what to say…”

"Don't say anything..."

"...so this is it?" His eyes found yours, "...for good?"

You nodded slowly but didn't say anything.

You watched how he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly without any words escaping him. He looked flustered, panicked almost when you turned around and stepped away from him. You could hear him panic-shift around behind you but he still didn't talk. He had probably expected you to take him back with open arms - anything but this!

Good. He deserved to fry a little.

And maybe you'd call him tomorrow. Just maybe.

#Rafael Casal #rafael casal x reader #Daveed Diggs #blindspotting #rafael casal fanfiction #rafael casal imagine #Bay boys

[intoxicatingimmediacy]

Rafael Casal Jokes About ‘Allegedly’ Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Daveed Diggs Teases ‘Blindspotting’ Season 2 Themes

[...] “The thing we wanted to do when creating this show is try to tell the stories of people who have loved ones incarcerated, which is one of the things that people talk about often sets this show apart, but that is a common denominator for people in the U.S., right? The biggest prison population in the world, over two million incarcerated people, five million people infected by the carceral state, in general. Then you talk about all the family members connected to those people. It affects everybody in this country,” Diggs shared. “Trying to be honest about what it’s like to have a family member locked up is the guiding principle of the show. As long as we can do that, it allows us to be as funny and fun and flashy as we want to be. Because we know we’re honoring the real life experience of many, many people.”

[...] Casal is reportedly set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe next in a major role for Season 2 of Disney+’s “Loki.” Though, he played it pretty coy on the carpet when asked about his part. “I’m allegedly joining, but if I were joining, I would be proud to wear that banner, working with those people would be a blessing — a fantastic experience, I would imagine. I heard from him,” he said, referring to Diggs at his side. “I don’t necessarily have first hand experience… Tom Hiddleston, I hear is a joy — just a dream to work with. Fantastic, from what I’ve heard.”

#you know the drill by now BLACKLIST if you're not into them we're barely getting started #rafael casal #daveed diggs #blindspotting #fandoms collide #love how they were friends with zawe before that link in the chain was forged