I'll tenderly love even the parts of you that you learned to hide [Rafayel x MC] [+ follow-up “Loving all of you”]
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ🐟*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧: *✧: *✧
She tried not to think about it.
But she failed.
Miserably so.
She didn't know exactly why, but in the back of her mind, memories of light blue scales shining like scattered diamonds on flush, feverish skin were tormenting her.
The first time she had caught Rafayel in distress for Ebb Day, she was so concerned and wary about everything that she barely took notice.
The second time, though? Rafayel had trusted her in taking care of him, letting himself rest comfortably against her chest and sleep through the Lemurian fever until the morning. She had stayed awake the whole night, too busy checking his temperature to sleep… and that gave her the chance to look closely at his scales.
They were so pretty, reflecting the moonlight that peeked through the curtains, and sensitive too. Every time her fingertips had carefully brushed over them, a quiet, vulnerable sound escaped from his lips and made her heart squeeze inside her chest.
She scolded herself too many times to count.
What kind of person admired beauty born from someone else’s pain?
Also, Rafayel seemed very reserved and shy about the Lemurian features he always kept hidden... so she didn't even try to ask about them.
But those small patches of rough, cool skin that was so different from human skin were so fascinating to her that-
“Cutie?”
Blinking out of her daze, she sat up straight on the couch and her cheeks flushed red from the embarrassment when Rafayel chuckled, amused.
“You got your pretty head in the clouds for this whole time...” he teased her affectionately as he reached out to ruffle her hair and then a small pout tugged at his pink lips.
“What were you thinking of?”
She bit the inner of her cheek and looked away from his indigo eyes for a moment. If she made up an excuse, Rafayel would figure it out and give her hell until she gave in...
So was this the chance she was waiting for?
“Can you sit down, please?” Reaching out, her fingers curled around his wrist and gently tugged him closer.
Rafayel gave her a quizzical expression but indulged her without hesitation, taking a seat next to her.
“What is it, cutie?”
“I was thinking about Ebb Day...” she confessed and paused briefly to come up with a way to approach the topic with caution. Because she saw the way his shoulders instinctively squared at the mention of it, and his silence spoke louder than words.
“I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but... your scales. They were so pretty and I'd like to- of course, if you want to... I'd like to see them again.”
Blabbering her thoughts out loud was more embarrassing than she could ever imagine, and she wasn’t even sure if her quiet, flustered tone made anything comprehensible for Rafayel since his face remained blank.
The silence stretched between them in such an unfamiliar way that the fear of having crossed a boundary made her scramble for an apology.
“I didn’t mean to- I’m so sorry, Raf… It wasn’t my intention to-”
It took him a minute to register her request and make sense of it.
Rafayel hadn’t expected any of this.
Since his feet had touched the wet sand of the shore and shaking from weakness, they had made him mourn his tail, he had believed that he was bound to keep his Lemurian features hidden for the rest of his life.
He learned the hard way that humans found them weird and disgusting, proof of belonging to an inferior race, something that could be fascinating only in a taxidermic shrine.
But in her eyes he saw genuine curiosity, he found the same affection that always greeted him whenever their eyes met.
“I didn’t expect a cutie like you could be into these kinds of things.”
He huffed a joke but the way the tips of his ears burned a bright red gave away how flustered he felt in appearing vulnerable like that again.
Before she could bolt away from utter embarrassment, Rafayel took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers together.
She understood what he meant to convey through the sweet gesture, and she let out a long sigh.
This time the silence was useful for both of them to recover from the awkwardness.
Rafayel mulled over her request while he stared at their hands clasped together, resting between their thighs.
This time would be different from what happened when Ebb Day arrived.
He wouldn’t lose control but willingly let himself be seen.
And their bond -their sincere and reciprocal love- gave him the strength to allow it.
He was hers completely, after all.
She didn’t even realise what was happening, because she barely managed to calm her racing heart.
When she raised her head to look at Rafayel and tell him that it was alright, that he didn’t need to indulge her if it made him uncomfortable… she saw them.
Light blue scales contrasted beautifully against his pale complexion. They were scattered over his high cheekbones, along the tendons of his neck and a few shone under the opened neckline of his shirt.
Unconsciously, she leaned forward and before her mind could catch up with her instinct, her lips kissed the patches of rough, Lemurian skin on his cheek.
No flinching.
No hesitation.
Just warmth that spread through his chest like fire from that small contact.
“Ah… never wasting the chance to take advantage of me...” Rafayel complained, his voice low and rough, trembling with emotion.
His arms latched around her waist to keep her close, and he couldn’t resist leaning against her when she chuckled softly and continued kissing his scales with gentle, reverent pecks.
“Can’t help myself… my boyfriend is truly handsome,” she whispered sweet praises to thank Rafayel for the trust.
“Of course I am… and also kind and generous-”
“Mh mh…” humming in agreement, she hugged him back and threaded her fingers through the short hair on his nape, her thumb brushing against the scales on the side of his neck.
They fell back onto the couch’s cushions.
But she didn’t mind getting pinned by his body weight.
Holding Rafayel close to her, she spent the whole evening spoiling him with kisses and loving caresses just to hear his quiet, contented sighs.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ🐟*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧: *✧: *✧
As I wrote in the comments below @vixenofthemist's post, I recently played Rafayel's “Rising Tides” memory card and I absolutely adored it!
It was a perfect continuation of “Ebb and Flow” and evolution of his and MC's relationship during this particular period in which Rafayel is the most vulnerable. The tenderness and trust in letting himself be taken care of was heartwarming, and I was planning to write a review about the memory card... when I found her post!
She gave me the inspiration to write this small oneshot for you. I hope that this realises the idea you were struggling to formulate into a fic, and that you can enjoy it. 🥰
[If you're interested in reading more of my works, you can go check my masterlist!]
[This oneshot is also published on AO3]
[28/05/26 UPDATE: This oneshot has a follow-up → “Loving all of you”]
© All works listed here are written by me.│Please do not repost, translate, or adapt my writing without asking first.│Reblogs and comments are always appreciated.│Thank you for reading. 💙 🔖 [If you'd like to be added to a taglist for future updates, just let me know!!]