frat!rafe picking up lovebug!reader and her friends from a night out and while dropping her friends off at their place they tease him but he lowkey likes it cus he sees them as sisters and lovebug!reader is so happy that her friends love rafe and vice versa
they’re the ultimate cuties😩☺️
drunk dials & car rides home
pairing: frat!rafe x lovebug!reader
summary: when lovebug!reader calls rafe at 1am to pick her and her friends up from a night out, he can’t even pretend to be annoyed.
genre: soft fluff, established relationship, college au
warnings: alcohol mention, protective!rafe, sleepy!reader, wholesome chaos
lovebug!reader masterlist
it was a saturday night — the kind where campus felt too alive to say no.
the streets were buzzing, laughter echoing from every open window, music pulsing faintly in the air.
normally, you’d be in your dorm.
book in hand, hoodie on, curled under your blanket while rafe teased you over facetime for being “a grandma.”
but tonight, after an hour of convincing from your friends audrey and claire (and a very persuasive rafe), you found yourself out for drinks.
“come on, bug,” rafe had said earlier, voice soft through the phone. “go out, have fun. i’ll be here when you get back.”
and honestly? you had fun.
which is how, at exactly 1:07am, your contact name lit up on rafe’s phone:
he was still awake, of course.
he never really slept until he knew you were safe — either tucked into your dorm or tangled up in his sheets, mumbling sleepy goodnights.
“hey, bug,” he answered, voice already gentle. “you good?”
there was a pause, followed by your very tipsy whisper: “rafeeee… can you come get us? pleaaase?”
he chuckled, already grabbing his keys. “where are you?”
“outside that bar on fifth— the one with the neon flamingo.”
fifteen minutes later, rafe pulled up to the curb, headlights cutting through the streetlight haze.
and there you were — standing between audrey and claire, all of you clearly drunk.
audrey was giggling into her phone.
you were trying to keep your balance.
and claire… claire was attempting to flirt with a guy who clearly just wanted to smoke his cigarette in peace.
rafe couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him.
the second you spotted him, your face lit up.
“rafe!” you half-yelled, stumbling a little as you rushed toward him.
he was out of the car before you could trip, catching you with both hands.
“hey, hey, slow down,” he murmured, his voice low and warm.
you smiled up at him, all sleepy eyes and rosy cheeks. “you came.”
“’course i did,” he said, brushing a strand of hair off your face. “couldn’t leave my girl stranded, could i?”
behind you, audrey called out, “aww, look at him being all protective! that’s so cute, cameron.”
rafe just rolled his eyes, though a small grin tugged at his mouth. “get in the car, audrey.”
audrey saluted dramatically before climbing into the backseat.
rafe helped you into the passenger seat — buckling your seatbelt for good measure — then turned just in time to stop claire from embarrassing herself further. he gently took her elbow, muttering a quiet apology to the man she’d been bothering.
“sorry, man. she’s harmless.”
the guy laughed, waving him off. “been there.”
once everyone was in, rafe started driving, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on your knee.
the car was loud in the best way — audrey and claire singing off-key, teasing rafe about everything from his hair to the way he said “y’all.”
“you know,” audrey said between laughs, “she doesn’t shut up about you, dude. like, ever.”
rafe glanced at her through the rearview mirror, smirking. “that right?”
claire nodded enthusiastically. “uh-huh. ‘rafe made me breakfast,’ ‘rafe helped me study,’ ‘rafe looks really good in gray sweatpants’—”
“okay, that’s enough,” you mumbled, face buried in your hands as rafe’s grin only grew wider.
normally, that kind of teasing would’ve made him roll his eyes. but tonight, it didn’t bother him at all.
he liked your friends. they made you laugh — made you happy.
and he couldn’t help but feel a weird, quiet affection for them too.
they were like your little sisterhood of chaos, and somehow, he’d been adopted into it.
by the time he dropped them off, audrey was still giggling as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
“you’re the best, frat boy,” she said, giving him a playful pat on the shoulder before stumbling out.
rafe watched as both girls got inside safely, waiting until the porch light flicked on before heading back to the car.
when he slid back into the driver’s seat, the car was quiet.
you were curled up against the window, eyes half-closed, shoes kicked off somewhere on the floor.
“hey,” he whispered, brushing your hair back gently. “still with me, bug?”
you hummed softly, not quite awake. “mhmm. i like your car.”
he chuckled. “you like everything when you’re drunk.”
“not everything,” you mumbled. “just you.”
his chest ached a little at that — that soft, sleepy honesty.
the drive back to campus was peaceful.
you dozed off halfway there, cheek pressed against the window, your lips parted just slightly. every few seconds, your head would tilt, and he’d reach over at a red light to steady you so you wouldn’t bump the glass.
by the time he parked outside your dorm, he didn’t have the heart to wake you.
instead, he got out quietly, came around to your side, and unbuckled your seatbelt. you stirred just a little as he lifted you — arms looping instinctively around his neck.
“yeah, baby,” he murmured. “it’s just me.”
you nuzzled into him, whispering something that sounded a lot like “missed you,” and his chest went soft all over again.
he carried you up the dorm stairs, careful not to bump your head against the doorframe. once inside, he set you down on the bed, slipping off your shoes and pulling the blanket over you.
he was about to leave — to give you space to sleep it off — when your fingers found his wrist.
“stay,” you whispered, voice heavy with sleep.
he froze for a second, then smiled softly, tugging off his hoodie before climbing in beside you.
you sighed contently, curling up against him like you always did, and within minutes, you were out completely.
rafe watched you for a moment, brushing his thumb over your cheek.
“you’re trouble, you know that?” he whispered, but there was no bite in it. just warmth.
then he pressed a kiss to your forehead, his arm tightening around you.
and for the first time all night, he felt like he could finally breathe.
