#fullplaidghostslime

Rafael looks you up and down. His brown eyes linger on your waist. You feel a tingle at the end of your spine as he licks his lips, and then he's stepping forward.

With the hood over his head, Rafael's curls are hidden. As is the top half of his face, giving him a mysterious air when he stalks closer. Boots crossing in front of him, like a snake to a mouse, the Bastard closes you in.

You feel your back hit the wall, and realize you've involuntarily stepped back. Your eyes glance up at him, and there he is again. Staring at your waist. You flush. "Where are you looking at, bastard?" you ask him, but your words have no bite. No real heat and by the look he gives you, he knows it too.

Rafael leans in. He smells of smoke. "That a full pouch, idiot?" he asks you, dark eyes shining and when you stare back, you understand.

That excited glint is not of lust. But of greed.

Your lips curl into a snarl and you push him back, roughly shoving his shoulders. "Get away from me!" you almost shout and hate the way your voice wavers. Hate the way your heart hammers against your ribs.

And that taste in your tongue feels awfully close to bitter disappointment.

You walk furiously away, hands clench at your side, and at your back, Rafael blinks slowly. He stares after you with a perplexed expression.

Guess ya skipped breakfast.

- - - 

Turbulent. Dorlas is very controlling and manipulative. He’d try to direct the MC’s every move, what they say, what they feel, what they eat, everything.

He’d also try to cut them off from all their friends so they’d have no one but him.

But he’s also kind of a coward, so if the MC stood up for themselves, he wouldn’t fight back outwardly but would use emotional manipulation, lying and gaslighting to break them to his will.

So yeah... If you don’t mind being basically a thing he owns and likes to boink, go for it...

Rafael leans in, squinting his eyes at you. "Fluff?" he scoffs and bumps his shoulder with yours. "I don't have fur on me ya-"

He stops suddenly, steps halting on the cobblestones, and you turn back to see his cheeks redden. "Wait," he says, fingers brushing over his mouth. His lips curl and you don't fail to notice how he uses his palm to hide his tooth gap. "Are you makin' fun of my mustache!?"

You put your palms up as he glares at you, already pulling his hood over his head. "No, Raf! I meant-"

But he's spinning around. "See ya later."

Rafael squeezes his eyes closed and leans back on the bench, his fingers pinching his nose in a long-suffering way. “What?” he asks dryly, dark brown eyes reopening to narrow at you.

You grin and tap your cheek twice. “A kiss.”

His lips twitch. “I ain’t that desperate.”

You shrug. “Then no drink for you. Go steal from someone else.”

You’re not looking at him, but you can see him from the corner of your eye as he stands perfectly still. His eyes dart around, and you resist the urge to roll yours. Once a bastard, always a-

Quickly, swiftly, Rafael leans forward and there’s a butterfly kiss on your cheek. You feel his lips, and then his mustache on your skin but before you can so much as blink, Rafael has thrown himself back. As far away from you as the bench allows.

“There,” he says in a higher-pitched voice than normal. His cheeks are so red, he looks like a tomato. Rafael is stubbornly avoiding your eyes as he crosses his arms tightly. “That better get me a gallon.”

You smile slowly. Your cheek tingles. “A tankard for my friend, please,” you signal the servant, and then turn to him. You wait until he glances at you before you wink. “If you want a gallon, Raf,” you tell him, leaning in. He holds his breath. “I’ll need a bit more than that.”

Rafael pulls the hood tighter around his head. His face is half-hidden in shadows, but you can clearly see the quiver of his lips. “You’re back again.”

You smile. “Yes.”

He crosses his arms and slumps back in his chair, scowl in place. Cheeks reddening. “Well, leave.”

“No,” you say simply and sit beside him.

Rafael looks away, eyes still shielded, and falls into a stubborn silence. But when his drink arrives, he wordlessly passes it to you and pays the maid for another. Your smile widens as you bring it to your lips.

“Don’t be smilin’ like that,” he sneers, head snapping at you. You peek under his hood and see how his eyes widen. “You’ll have to pay me later.”

He was walking quietly down the hallway. It was pitch dark, but Rafael knew these halls like the back of his hand so his step was sure as he neared your door. He stopped, not even breathing, as he listened at the threshold. And from inside, the soft, faint sound of your breathing reached his ears.

Rafael smirked. And smoothly slipped inside.

Your window was wide open, and light from the pale, blue moon coated your bedroom. His smirk widened. Perfect. He spared you a glance, lying soundly on your bed, and quickly tiptoed to your satchel. Rafael had his hand deep inside the bag when you first whimpered.

He spun around, eyes wide alert, heart leaping in his chest. But you still slept, your eyebrows crunched together, your lips pouting. His eyes lingered on your mouth briefly, but then Rafael shook his head and sneered.  Even in your sleep, you bothered him. He was scowling as he turned back around, hoping to find your coin purse as soon as possible when another sound left your lips. A sound that froze him to the spot.

You moaned. "Hmm, y-yes."

And so the gold was forgotten. Very slowly, Rafael turned to you. You were mouthing silent words, your skin flushed, your eyes moving frantically behind closed eyelids. He stepped closer, not really thinking as his mouth was suddenly extremely dry. Were you- could it be?

A voice screamed inside his head for him to leave, but his body disobeyed him as you spun in your sleep, and the bedsheet lowered, and Rafael lost the ability to breathe. God, but you were a sight. Damned you and your stupid -

"Rafael," you whimpered in your infuriating, perfect voice. "Moreee."

He paused. Blinked.

And ran.

If there is one thing I can say about you, Ghost, is that you are persistent in your devotion 😆.

It's certainly worth admiring.

Rafael doesn't quite know what to do with you. You fluster and annoy and unsettle him, but damn if your words don't stick around his head. Surfacing uninvited when he least expects them, bringing a heat to his cheeks and a tightness to his chest.

Rafael takes one look at it, sneers and pushes it back to you. "Don't want it," he snarls.

He turns his back then, as he always does, and as always you never fail to notice how his pace is too hushed not be called running away, and his cheeks too red not to be blushing.