✧ STORMY WORDS✧
pairings: RAFAYEL QI x reader synopsis: rafayel's overthinking has literal storms brewing in linkon. wc: 2.8k cw: none, this is pure fluff, raf is silly in this, oblivious reader
RAFAYEL who before he confesses his love for you is a nervous, overthinking mess.
It's so bad that his sea god powers make the weather act all funny the week leading up to his confession.
On Monday it's drizzling as he's pacing his living room, mumbling the little script he made up the previous night. He had invited you to one of his exhibitions and nearly spilled out all his feelings to you when you stepped out in that dazzling dress that made you look like a goddess.
It didn't help that you clung to his arm like an octopus, the crowded venue seemingly working in Rafayel's favor since he always got giddy whenever you were close to him.
He didn't know why he was suddenly tongue tied, or why his face felt like it was on fire. His speech was jumbled and he couldn't look at you for more than two seconds before looking away.
Well, he knew the reason-that being you who he yearned for openly and dreamed about you each night-but he hadn't told you yet.
All his feelings had been brewing the past couple months he had known you into a storm that was waiting to burst out any moment now.
"Are you okay, Raf?" You asked, concerned. The two of you had found solace in a quiet corner of the venue where Rafayel was wiping his sweaty palms behind him, cursing how hot he felt right now.
"I'm fine, cutie," He laughed shakily, glancing at you before his heart betrayed him once more, doing a weird stutter. You frowned, knowing he was lying, but decided not to pry any further.
What's even worse was that you were completely oblivious to the effect you had on him, chalking it up to Rafayel just being his normal, silly self.
Oh boy, you were dead wrong.
Tuesday afternoon when you were walking home from work, it started raining like crazy, going from a gentle drizzle to large drops that had you drenched in seconds.
Rafayel, of course, was the culprit, and was currently sitting on the floor contemplating his situation. His canvas and paint brush lay forgotten in some corner, as he was tangled up in a myriad of scenarios.
His mind went back and forth about confessing to you. An hour prior, he was just a tad bit nervous before it spiraled to utter overcomplication. What if you didn't like him back? What if you rejected him and you didn't want to be friends anymore? What if you laugh in his face? He'll have to move...yeah, he'll have to move from Linkon...wait...WHAT IF YOU WERE IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE ALREADY-
You, on the other hand, jumped at the sudden clap of thunder that made you drop your phone on your foot.
Wednesday was even worse. The moment you woke up, rain pelted your window, the drumming of rain against your apartment building only intensifying as you made your way out, an umbrella clenched tightly in your fist.
"The weather is being silly," Tara commented, leaning against your desk, her brows knitted with worry. You agreed, and wondered aloud what was going on. It wasn't rain season, and the weather channel had nothing to say about it. In fact, all of Linkon was buzzing online about why it was suddenly raining all the time.
There were conspiracy theories about EVER coming up with some weather controlling technology, issues with Skyhaven and that it was affecting Linkon's weather, etc.
Then there was Rafayel who was sulking on the couch, muttering 'she loves me, she loves me not' dejectedly, unaware of the crazy conspiracy theories he had started on the internet.
He had awoken suddenly from a nightmare-one which where you had rejected him. The dream felt so real that it had put in him a bad mood, the storm forming quickly before he could stop it.
Rafayel was usually good about not starting, you know, severe storms, but when it came to you all control was lost.
He cursed at how strong the storm was, but his mind was such a swirl of emotions that he couldn't calm it down. He needed you to calm down, but at the same time if he saw you, he would spiral even more.
In fact, he's been avoiding your texts all day, something that made you increasingly worried as the day went on. Rafayel never ignored your texts. Never.
Rafayel felt guilty, but he felt like he needed to sort out his thoughts first before he could function properly around you again.
Thursday morning it's eerily calm. When you woke up, you expected to hear rain again, but was greeted with a disturbing silence that only came before a massive storm.
You went to work as usual and anticipated the storm, your umbrella packed just in case, but it never came. You said goodbye to Tara, Xavier, Nero, and your other coworkers before heading out.
You texted Rafayel once more, asking if he was okay. Something deep inside of you felt like the storms were connected to Rafayel, but that was silly! Right..?
"Tomorrow..." Rafayel mumbled incoherently, pacing his living room again, his hair a ruffled mess as a kept running a hand through it. He hadn't slept at all and his brain was running a million thoughts per second. He was going to do it tomorrow. He was going to tell you how he felt.
His stomach twisted-from excitement or anxiety he honestly couldn't tell-and he had to grab onto the back of the couch to steady himself. Why did he feel so nauseous?! It was you...it was just you...why was he so nervous?
Because she's perfect.
Because I don't want to fuck it all up.
Because I love her too much.
He groaned into his hands, his chest heaving as he tried to calm himself down. He had it all planned out. He would catch you on your walk home from work, lead you to that romantic spot on the bridge overlooking the river and ask you out. Yes, he had it all meticulously planned down to his outfit and speech and-
Beep!
He gasped at the sudden noise, his eyes finding the lit up screen of his phone tossed carelessly on the couch cushions. He reached for it hesitantly, knowing that it was most likely going to be from you, his beloved cutie.
cutie: RAFAYEL ARE YOY OK??? cutie: its weird to not hear from you... cutie: why are you ignoring meee
His heart ached at the messages, his fingers hovering over the keypad before swiping away. He didn't trust himself to reply to you right now. He was scared that he would say something stupid, or worse, outright text 'i really like you and i cant get you out of my head' like a desperate loser...what would you think of him?
He needed to say the right thing.
He needed to come up with the right words.
He turned his phone over and sighed, his heart hammering wildly at the thought of tomorrow. All he had to do was stay calm until tomorrow. He could do that. Totally.
He had this in the bag!!
The following Friday morning, your phone issued a severe thunderstorm watch, a hurricane watch, flood watch, and a strong winds warning. You blinked blearily at the notification since you just woke up, and curled back into bed before your phone exploded with more weather advisories.
"What the hell," You muttered, finally swinging your legs over the bed and slipping into your fluffy slippers. You stumbled into the kitchen, still scrolling through the weather reports before receiving a text from Rafayel.
fish: i think you should stay home from work today fish: or not
You blinked. The ominous text only made you more curious. That was the first text he sent you all week!!
you: where the hell have you been you: what do you mean? you: are you ok?????
You waited a beat or two before rolling your eyes and went to get ready as usual. Whatever Rafayel meant would come to light anyways.
You pulled on your hunters uniform and watch and laced up your boots before heading out. You caught up to your neighbor, Xavier, and the two of you walked to work together.
The winds were strong, but there was no sign of rain yet.
Yet.
It was like the entire sky was holding it's breath.
"Did you see all those warnings?!" Tara exclaimed, greeting you with a cup of coffee. You mumbled 'thanks' and took a quick sip.
"Mm, stupid weather," You yawned, padding over to your desk. Xavier followed behind you, rubbing his eyes.
As you worked on reports, the building increasingly got darker, the clouds outside turning into an angry, dark gray.
When you clocked out, the sky was so dark that it covered the entire city in a looming shadow. The streets were nearly empty as you and Xavier walked home from the Association's building, umbrellas hand in hand anticipating the first raindrop.
The two of you made small talk before a tall figure blocked your path. Your eyebrows shot up at a very red Rafayel, his purple locks swaying from the wind. He was wearing a simple linen button up and dress pants, a typical Rafayel outfit, but there was something off about his expression.
His usual teasing smile was replaced with a very nervous one-something you've grown used to in the recent weeks, but he looked absolutely wrecked.
"Rafayel! Where have you been?!" You shot forward and grabbed his hands, unsure whether to feel angry or relieved. Rafayel's face turned an even darker shade of red, his mouth parting to say something but no words came out. His sunset eyes landed on you and then found Xavier who watched sleepily behind you.
"I'll explain everything," He managed to say, choosing each word carefully before he blurted out his feelings in front of your coworker. "I just-let's go somewhere else."
You blinked, absorbing his face and the way his eyes rapidly blinked. His ears were beet red and his lips trembled slightly. Whatever it was, it was serious.
"I-uh, okay?" You shrugged and looked over your shoulder. "Have a safe walk home, Xav."
"You too," Xavier replied, giving Rafayel a long look before walking off. You sighed, grabbing Rafayel's hand and nudging him forward.
"Well? Where are we going? You better hurry up-the storm will start any time now!"
"Okay, okay, just-" Rafayel inhaled sharply, the warmth of your hand in his was too much. How many times has he fantasized about being the only person you held hands with?
He could already feel himself losing the little control he had left.
"Rafayel..." You started slowly. The wind started to pick up. "Are you really okay? Were you sick?"
"I...something like that," Rafayel murmured, avoiding eye contact with you. He started to pull you towards the direction of the river bridge, his grip on your hand becoming slightly firmer.
"Why didn't you tell me?" You looked up at him, concerned. Rafayel didn't say anything, he couldn't say anything without breaking down like a fool in front of you. "Raf..."
The two of you now stood in the middle of the little river bridge that you had gushed about being 'super duper cute' in the first weeks of being his friend. The moment you had commented that, Rafayel was already formulating his confession at this very spot, and now it was really happening.
He wanted to giggle and laugh and scream and throw up.
Rafayel sighed, looking up at the stormy clouds, wishing it was a clear blue for you, but no-his emotions had gotten the best of him and now he was confessing to you on the brink of a hurricane.
"Y/N, I..." He looked down at his shoes, cursing inwardly. He's heard about you rant countless times about how you wanted your first confession to be romantic-yet he couldn't provide that for you. Not when his heart was a stuttering mess and his hands were all sweaty and his face was lit on fire.
Did he already ruin everything already?
"Raf?" You said gently, squeezing his hand. He froze in place, his eyes locking onto your interlocked fingers.
He was nervous yes, but he had never been so sure about something in his life than how he felt about you.
He was scared of rejection, but he feared a life where he never told you his true feelings.
It was you, the woman he slowly fell in love with that he wanted to be with.
A sudden wave of courage washed over his fear, words bubbling in his throat as he tried to find the 'right' ones-but he realized there were no 'right' way to confess-he just had to tell you how he truly felt.
And that was easy.
"I'm in love with you," He choked out. You froze, your heart skipping a beat.
"I...what?" You breathed, your face heating up when he finally looked into your eyes. His face was still flushed, but a new determination overtook his features.
"I'm in love with you," Rafayel declared confidently. At his words you heard thunder rumble in the distance, the wind picking up speed. Your mouth hung open, your brain short-circuiting at his confession. You blinked rapidly, looking elsewhere but him.
"Rafayel-" You gasped. "I-you're seriously confessing to me right now?"
Right before a severe storm?! This guy-!
"Yes. I am." He answered firmly, though his lips trembled. "Look at me...please." He added softly. You gulped and looked back up at him, though it was difficult to focus.
"Okay," You whispered.
"Y/N, I am deeply and madly in love with you. I can't go a second without thinking about where you are, how you're feeling, if you're happy-it drives me crazy," He let out a genuine laugh, a smile forming on your face at the sound. "I have so many sketchbooks filled with you that it's embarrassing-well, not really-but you get my point, yeah? I am enamored by you-you are my muse. The only person I see spending the rest of my life with. So I-well, I would really like it if I could be your boyfriend."
His words had you shocked, your brain absorbing the sweet and heartfelt confession as you struggled you form words. You've never been confessed to before, albeit so sweetly. You wondered the countless nights Rafayel spent thinking about it and suddenly had the urge to giggle. You knew it was inappropriate, so you settled on saying something else to him-
Instead, a laugh rang out.
"Oh my god Raf, it sounds like you're proposing," You smiled up at him, his bright eyes mirroring yours. "You could've just asked me on a date and I'd say yes, you big idiot!"
Rafayel felt his chest loosen with relief.
"So, is that a 'yes I would love Rafayel to be my boyfriend" orrrr..." His voice trailed off, a smile on his face because from the way you were grinning at him, he knew the answer.
"Are you kidding me?! It's a yes!! I would love to be your girlfriend!" You exclaimed giddily and lurched forward to envelope him in a warm hug. He sighed with relief, resting his head on your shoulder before allowing himself to slowly wrap his arms around you.
"Really? Oh, I'm so-" He couldn't even finish his sentence because you had leaned backwards to give him a quick kiss on the lips. His eyes widened into saucers and he was unable to say anything when you looped your arm with his.
"Wellll we really should get going home," You said teasingly. "Y'know, before we get swept away in a flood or something." Rafayel laughed, pressing a finger to his lips before glancing up at the sky. The darkened clouds were already starting to fade away, and you didn't even notice that the wind was no longer blowing.
"Orrr we could go on that date you were talking about," Rafayel said smugly, regaining his typical attitude fueled by happiness and the proximity of being close to you again.
"Really?! But-the storm-"
"I don't think we need to worry about that, cutie," Rafayel chuckled, his mood a stark contrast to how he felt when he woke up, all feelings of uncertainty replaced with the image of your smile, the warmth of your arms around him.
He didn't know why he worried so much in the first place!
"Let's just go home first," You pressed to which Rafayel did not disagree with. He also was bombarded with storm warnings when he woke up and did not blame you in the slightest of wanting to go home.
The two of you walked home together, the words of confession still fresh in your mind, continuing to bring a blush on your face. Rafayel, back to his usual antics, was quick to tease you again, a newfound joy in his heart now that you had accepted his confession.
He could nearly squeal at the new found relationship and was already planning an itinerary of dates and places he wanted to take you-though that could wait another day.
For now, he focused on the present, the you who was with him in this very moment.
Outside your apartment, while you and Rafayel were giggling together on your sofa, the storm clouds had completely disappeared, leaving a clear, certain blue.
a/n: Inspired by the onslaught of storms I've been facing LMAOO I love rafayel so much...i miss him... dividers by: @bbyg4rlhelps
