loner!rafe x bimbo!reader
You’re So Hot When You’re Mean
she doesn’t even say hello when he picks up.
just a soft, airy “hi, rafe…” like she’s already halfway somewhere else, voice a little too slow, a little too sweet.
he pauses on the other end, immediately suspicious. “why do you sound like that.”
she hums, dragging it out, and he can practically hear the pout. “like what?”
he exhales sharply, annoyed already. he’s in the middle of something—notes spread out, laptop open, everything perfectly organized—and here she is, calling just to…be like this. distracting. always distracting.
“you’re doing it on purpose,” he says, sharper now. “what do you want?”
there’s a quiet beat. then a small sound—barely there, but enough to make his grip tighten around his phone.
“nothing,” she murmurs. “just wanted to talk to you.”
he doesn’t buy it for a second.
she starts asking him questions next—stupid ones. things she knows he’s explained before. mixing up terms, pretending not to understand, pushing him into correcting her. every time he tries to answer, she interrupts, all soft and breathy, like she’s not even listening.
it gets under his skin fast.
“can you just—” he cuts himself off, jaw tightening. “are you even paying attention right now?”
“…mhm,” she says, but it sounds distant. distracted
another pause. another quiet sound. and that’s when it clicks.
his expression hardens instantly.
“you’re not,” he says flatly.
she doesn’t answer.
“you’re seriously not listening to a word i’m saying,” he continues, voice dropping, controlled but edged. “you call me, interrupt my work, and then what—zone out? waste my time?”
that does it.
there’s a tiny shift on the other end—like she’s focusing now, like she’s waiting.
he leans back in his chair, irritation settling into something colder, more deliberate.
“if you’re going to act like this,” he goes on, tone sharper, meaner now, “at least be honest about it. don’t sit there pretending you need help when you clearly don’t care.”
silence.
then, quieter this time—almost pleased—“…i do care.”
he scoffs. “no, you don’t. you just like the attention.”
that lands exactly how she wants it to.
another soft breath, and this time it’s not even subtle.
his jaw tightens again, but he doesn’t hang up.
doesn’t tell her to stop.
instead, his voice lowers, steadier now, controlled in that way that makes it worse. “you’re unbelievable.”
she smiles into the phone, unseen.
“…keep talking,” she whispers.
he doesn’t even realize he’s leaning forward now, elbow pressed into the desk, phone tight against his ear like he’s trying to catch every little sound she makes.
there’s a shift in him—still irritated, still sharp, but focused now. locked in.
“you always do this,” he mutters, more controlled than before, but heavier. “you get bored, and suddenly i’m supposed to drop everything because you need attention.”
she lets out a soft, quiet hum—like she’s agreeing, like she’s not even offended.
it only makes him worse.
“say something useful,” he adds, tone biting. “or did you forget how?”
there’s a pause. then—
“…no,” she says softly. “i just like hearing you talk.”
his grip tightens again.
because that’s the problem. she says things like that so easily, like it doesn’t mean anything, while he’s sitting there trying not to read into every little shift in her voice.
“that’s not a good reason,” he shoots back, but it’s weaker now. thinner.
she exhales—slow, shaky this time—and he goes completely still.
he knows what she’s doing.
he just…doesn’t stop her.
“rafe,” she murmurs, his name softer than before, like it’s slipping out without thinking.
and something in his chest pulls tight.
“what,” he says, quick, almost automatic.
another pause.
“…you sound pretty when you’re mean.”
it hits harder than it should.
he sits back slightly, running a hand over his mouth, trying to reset—trying to get control of the situation again, because somewhere along the way, he lost it.
“you’re unbelievable,” he repeats, quieter now, but not any less intense. “you call me just to mess with me like this?”
she doesn’t deny it.
doesn’t even try.
“maybe,” she says lightly.
there’s a beat where neither of them speaks, but the line isn’t quiet—not really. he can still hear her, still pick up on the little shifts, and it keeps him right there, stuck.
thinking about it.
overthinking it.
“you should hang up,” he says finally, but there’s no real push behind it. no movement to actually end the call.
“…you want me to?” she asks.
and that’s the trap.
because he doesn’t.
he knows he doesn’t.
his jaw tightens, and when he speaks again, his voice drops—lower, steadier, like he’s forcing himself back into that sharp edge she likes so much.
“i think,” he says slowly, “you like seeing how far you can push me.”
a small pause.
then, softer—
“…and you don’t stop me.”
he exhales through his nose, something between frustration and something else entirely.
“that’s because someone has to tell you when you’re being ridiculous,” he replies, but it’s quieter now. closer.
there’s a faint shift on her end again, like she’s reacting to that, leaning into it.
and he doesn’t pull back.
doesn’t soften.
if anything, he leans into it too.
“next time you call me,” he adds, voice low, controlled in that way that makes her go still, “try actually using your brain for once.”
the words are sharp—but the way he says them isn’t dismissive.
and she hears it.
“…okay,” she whispers.
another pause.
neither of them hangs up.
neither of them moves.
and for a second, it feels like he’s the one waiting now.
tags: @amelialovesrafe @alyisdead @illumoria @blissfulbutterfliess @sydneysslove @matthewswifeyy @meetmeintheemeraldpool @lcversvoid @sabrina-carpenter-stan-account @cokewithcameron @drewrry @harubunnyy @lifeonawhim @usseraloo @tottassss @nessasmultiverseoflove @camerxnlove @mochibunnyyyy @starkeysfile @rosiecherie @dainted