it starts with rafe standing by the car, keys in hand, jaw tight. his patience is already wearing thin, and you can tell by the way his fingers flex around the key fob, by the sharp breath he exhales.
"get in the car, baby," he says, voice firm but not yet sharp.
you stand your ground, arms crossed over your chest, lips pressed into a pout. "i don't wanna go."
"not asking, sweetheart." his tone is a little harsher now, clipped. "get in."
you shake your head. you don’t care about the plans he made, about the fact that he’s clearly not in the mood for your brattiness. you don’t want to go, so you won’t.
rafe exhales, long and slow, like he’s trying to hold back his irritation. but then, his patience snaps.
"get in the fucking car!"
his voice is sharp, cutting through the warm summer air.
your stomach drops. your heart stutters. it’s rare that he speaks to you like that, rare that he’s actually mad.
you don’t move. don’t speak. just stand there, staring at him, eyes growing glossy.
then, the silence stretches. ten seconds. maybe more.
notices the way your lips quiver just a little, the way your hands clutch the hem of your oversized sweater. notices the way your eyes shine, threatening to spill over.
his expression crumbles instantly.
"oh, baby," his voice drops, all the frustration melting away, replaced with nothing but regret.
he takes a slow step toward you, but you don’t move. don’t even blink.
"c'mere," his voice cracks, softer this time. "c'mere, baby. m’ so sorry."
he steps closer, hands reaching for you, desperate now. "c'mere, sweetheart," he pleads, voice thick. "fuck, i didn't mean that. didn't mean to yell at you."
his arms wrap around you before you can process it, pulling you tight against his chest, lips pressing to the top of your head, then down to your temple, then lower, warm kisses trailing along your cheek.
"m’ sorry, angel," he whispers against your skin, his arms holding you like he’s afraid you’ll slip away. "so, so sorry."
his hand moves to cradle the back of your head, pressing you closer, his breath fanning over your ear.
"didn’t mean to scare you, baby," he murmurs. "hate seeing you like this."
you sniffle, and he sways you slightly, trying to soothe you, to make up for the sharpness in his voice earlier.
"didn't like that," you mumble against his chest.
"i know, baby," he whispers, pressing another soft kiss to your cheek. "promise i won’t do it again, okay? swear it."
you nod, still quiet, still curled into him.
his lips find your temple again, lingering there before he tilts your chin up.
"let me make it up to you, yeah?" his voice is coaxing, warm, dripping with guilt. "we’ll stop and get you something sweet before we go."
you pout slightly, still reluctant.
"whatever you want, angel," he promises. "ice cream, candy, you name it. just wanna see my pretty girl smile again."
you mumble something, barely audible, but he catches it.
"what was that, baby?" he asks, tilting his head.
his lips twitch, finally, a small, relieved smile forming. "yeah? okay, baby. ice cream first, then we go."
and maybe, just maybe, you’ll let him take you where he wants.
