Chapter Text
Petulance shone in his gaze as he attempted to strengthen his hold on the pendant. He made a grand show of tightening his grasp on the chain as you try to tug it out of his hands unsuccessfully.
Sigh what a mean little fishy you are Y/N.
"Raaaaaaaafayel!!. You glare at the man in question- A pouting grown man. "You better let go of the darned chain at the count of three or else—" You attempt to threaten him, intentionally stretching out the syllables of his name in a manner, that you're well aware, would irk him to no extent.
As expected he scowled at your attempt to deliberately butcher up his name.
"Or else what? You'll ditch me for the next art gallery event? Again?" He retorts.
Trying your level best to keep your guilt regarding that particular situation at bay, you give him a not-so-amused look, eyes narrowed and lips set in a thin line.
"That’s a mean card. I apologized for that! A mission came up… and I seriously don't have time for your games today. YOU'RE the one who convinced me to scout through N1O9 zone to look into the whole 'aether core' thing and now YOU'RE the one ruining a potential lead to discover more about this....this-Whatever this is supposed to be!" You groan in exasperation, giving another harsh tug to the pendant.
"Cmooooooon!" You place the crow's carving between your middle and forefinger, effectively securing the major part of the brooch-turned-pendant in a semi-closed fist, ignoring the numbness spreading through your fingers as he continued exerting just enough pressure to nullify your own attempt at prying the chain from his hands. Nothing more, nothing less.
Hah so that's how it's gonna be? Well two can play this game Y/N.
Rafayel stuck out his tongue at you childishly. "No can do. I specially took an off from my overly busy schedule, just to spend time with you today. Can't you spare me just a few hours of your precious time and pity this lonely employer of yours, Miss bodyguard?" He gives you a half pleading-half teasing look.
You glare at him in return. "First let go of the pendant, and then I'll give it a thought. Maybe." You stare at his eyes as they slowly transmogrify from a deep violet, with the lightest bit of red lining the corners, to a lighter indigo hue; knowing all too well that you won't follow up with those words.
But damn, his eyes sure are convincing...—An all too familiar voice whispered in your mind.
You tell your brain to shut up. It refuses to shut up.
Prettyeyesprettyeyesprettyeyesprettyey—
I don't like you, brain.
:(
Rafayel could easily make out the visible tension in your stance as you genuinely tried your best to pry the pendant from his hands, making him wonder what exact purpose it was serving besides being your supposed 'key' to the Onychinus leader's support in your quest for figuring out the aether core. And frankly, that irked him. A lot. Plus why did you have to carry it around? Can’t you just leave it at your house for safekeeping? He thought back to your excuse of keeping it handy because apparently that guy would message you about your meeting locations just minutes prior and this brooch was literally your permit card of sorts to ensure you could access N109 zone at all times.
How absurd.
Putting those thoughts aside, he focused back at the matter at hand-or rather, the chain. He wouldn't lie, he had been pretty intrigued by the brooch you had been wearing as a pendant for the last couple of days, and after much pestering, you finally told him the whole thing about getting the brooch being the key to getting Sylus—The infamous Onychinus tycoon to assist you, albeit reluctantly, So needless to say he was pretty bothered by it all. And for a damn good reason! After all... that man is the running sensation in the zone. The ..danger zone. Not to mention that this Sylus could really mess up his plans regarding the aether core…and that was bound to get messy.
But all that was besides the point.
The main issue arose when you started getting lost in your thoughts, fidgeting with that darned brooch of yours, running your hands over the crow's figure again and again and basically zoning out during Rafayel's seriously-serious discussion about the how hard it was to find good quality paints today, not to mention how half-hearted your replies were!
So yeah, it was SO NOT his fault that you both ended up in this tug-of-war situation.
….not entirely at the very least!
“Rafayel pl—”
“Let’s make a deal Miss bodyguard “ He suggests, a bemused look in his eyes although he maintains his grip on the chain.
You sigh, knowing pretty well that your options were limited. ..”Go ahead” You finally relent, after a minute of consideration giving him a wary look before eyeing the chain again.
Hmm…what if?—Okay. Time to start a truce with your brain for a bit. Think in sync maybe.
Just Awesome.
Not really.
Shut up brain.
Rafayel had the audacity to smile smugly as you tried readjusting your grip on the brooch's rough lining, your clammy, reddened hands barely holding onto the pendant's clasp.
Technically it would've required almost minimal to zero effort on his behalf to give one harsh tug and snag the pendant away from you but frankly, that was no fun. Plus this childish game of tug gave him the excuse to sit in close proximity of you for a while longer so how could he ever consider cutting it short on his account?
Eh, plus seeing you all vexed and grouchy was the icing on the cake.
“We’re going to hold a small competition. A fair one mind you. Hmm..remember the place where we-Well I caught that tiny Flammula?” He questions, excitement visible in his tone.
“Uh huh” You comment, not really listening to him, focusing solely on how his grip was going lax on the chain as he started describing the schematics of the competition.
Juuuust a bit more…
Shush brain..
Unaware of this bizarre internal conflict Y/N was going through, Rafayel continues “Yea well, they’re holding a similar competition for the week, how about we go there right now and— Hey Y/N are you even listening to me?” He asks, narrowing his eyes as he catches your eyes straying from his face to the chain.
Welp, it’s now or never.
Okay brain. I’ll count till 3 and then you MUST act.
How about I count and you attack?
You mean Act?
Attack.
Oh no .
2 3 1 go!
You react immediately and give the brooch a harsh pull, unfortunately it’s not enough to free the chain from his grasp, although as luck would have it, the chain broke from the sudden pressure, sending you sprawling unceremoniously on the floor.
That was dumb
...?!!
There’s a chuckle covered up by a cough before Rafayel’s concerned face is suddenly looming on top of you. You glare at him as he offers you his hand, wincing a bit at the stinging pain in your palm comes into your focus.
“That was a silly move” he comments, trying to keep his tone nonchalant as he eyed the brooch you were clutching tightly in your palm with his gaze narrowed. He crouched down and before you could ask, he gingerly grabs hold of your hand, staring at the blood that was starting to ooze out from a slight cut you had gotten because of the sharp edges of the brooch.
“You…” He starts before sighing and helping you up, you’re too physically drained to demand otherwise, not to mention the stinging sensation in your palm because of how sweaty your hand had been prior to the cut, was genuinely irksome. So you comply and allow him to lead you over to the couch.
He silently leaves the room, returning a few minutes layer with a small medical kit in hand, a disgruntled look still set on his face. The silence felt heavy as he wordless started putting ointment on the cut, not even bothering to glance at the brooch.
A part of you wanted to accuse him because honestly, it was his childishness that led to this but then…. You couldn’t bring yourself to lash out at him, especially when he was the one taking care of you, although he was yet to apologize..
“Aren’t you going to say something…?” He asked sullenly, eyes glued to your hand.
“….” You do not respond, choosing to simply stare at the back of his head, awaiting the apology that should’ve been delivered by now.
….”Y/N”?
Hah, Suffah.
Shut up brain.
20 minutes later
“Okay c’mon! I’ve given you enough time to sulk, now will you at least tell me how I should redeem myself?” Rafayel pleads, yet again giving you that puppy eye look, and effortlessly manoeuvring you away from the door as you attempted to leave for the umpteenth time.
You ignore his gaze, choosing to stare at the window, clenching and unclenching your meticulously bandaged hand.
“Y/N-“ he starts, before sighing and walking over to you and offering you his hand. You look at his face. Before begrudgingly grabbing hold of his extended palm and letting him lead you over to the windowsill.
Regardless of your current anger towards your purple haired employer, you couldn’t help but admire the view he had brought you to see.
The clouds were hanging low, a storm was definitely fast approaching, the way the tides slammed upon the shoreline was breathtakingly beautiful, especially with the few stray rays of the setting sun gracing the horizon with the faintest hints of amber.
See your awestruck look, Rafayel himself turned his gaze towards the shoreline.
After a few minutes of utter silence, he turns towards you.
“Hey…” He said suddenly, voice soft. “Remember that story I told you about the Lemurians and the last sea god along with his human devotee?… “ he paused, as if waiting for you to respond. You just stare at him, refusing to answer. “….hm…loved..?” He mumbles something under his breath, a small scowl etched on his forehead. Suddenly his calm demeanour is gone, he starts fidgeting with the cuff of his white button-down. You were a bit amused by how random this topic was but seeing him look so disoriented out of nowhere, almost as if he’s questioning something very serious while staring at the tiled floor, had you concerned.
You sigh before taking hold of his hand and placing it flat against the windowsill, tracing words on his upturned palm. Still feeling grumpy and yet unable to bear seeing him look this lost. The corners of his lips lifted up slightly. “Really Miss bodyguard? You’d rather play ‘guess the letter’ instead of talking? How mean of you” he teased, his previous despondence discarded almost immediately.
Scowling at him, you huff and turn away as he chuckles. “Okay okay I have a proposal. I’ll tell you…a new story. Well a follow-up to the one I told you before, to be more precise.” He adds. “Maybe that’ll convince you to start talking to this pitiful albeit lovely artist of yours” He exclaims dramatically, pointing at a miniscule, half-healed cut along his index finger for emphasis.
“……” You sigh, burying your behind your palms, not able to decide who you should pity more, Rafayel or yourself (//for having read this- :P )
Regardless of Rafayel’s theatrics, you couldn’t deny that you were indeed intrigued. So you turn back and give him a questioning look as he grins and takes seat on the windowsill, motioning for you to do the same.
“So….” He begins. You’re already well aware about the myth of the Lemurians right?” He waits for a second, looking towards you expectantly. You give a quick nod and so he proceeds. “Well…here’s the deal. As a child, The sea god-Or well I-, now that you know the truth, while is pretty cool right? I mean I was already cool enough but—”. You cough pointedly. “Uh yea okay okay” He says in a sullen tone. “Yea so as I was saying, I was a part of the sea. In the very literal sense. I’m pretty sure you must’ve gone through the details after we returned from Hat island right? I’m more than certain that your ardent curiosity wouldn’t have let you rest otherwise. But just for the sake of clarification, I was found years after my predecessor was long gone, bathed in the flames under the union of dusk and dawn. Later, when I came of age my ‘father’ revealed that my origins were actually unknown. But there had been a prophesy. A very dire one at that.” His tone turns a bit glum.
“The tale goes that the sea god protects whatever the briny sea breeze touches. His followers include not just denizens of the Ocean but also humans. As such, His most devout follower must gift Him a heart, so He has the strength to protect Lemuria and becomes the god recognized by the entire ocean. It's said that the Sea God of that generation was born in flames as dusk turned to dawn. Only He can use fire.” He pauses, trying to gauge your reaction.
You frown at the story before giving him a questioning look, ready to shoot an array of questions. It’s as if he senses your intentions as he proceeds to place his hand over your mouth and gave you a disapproving look. “Your patience sure is short-lived” he comments, reminiscing back to the day at the hospital before sighing and removing his hand from your mouth, pointed ignoring your glare.
Jeez, short-tempered too…
“Anyways, so the prophecy demanded that the god of the Sea was to gain a devout follower, one who’d willingly sacrifice their heart for His cause. And then he’d be able to keep the kingdom of Lemuria safe.”
Rafayel closes his eyes before using his evol to create a miniature fire, within the small flame, The darker, inner shade of the flame starts breaking apart into separate figures that start taking multiple form. Slowly the flame morphs into a whole scenery where the figures dance across his palm, it was evident from their movements that they were jovial. You watch this phenomena was your mouth agape, entranced by the beauty. In all your months of being Rafayel’s companion, he had never shown you just how skilful his artistic side could get with his Evol’s power. Rafayel smiles at your obvious bewilderment. “So after the strange ceremony, the girl—and before you ask, no. She was not the same as the one I met as a youngster. At least not physically. Although her soul…” He trails off. You’re tempted to break your silence and consolidate him but the petty part of your mind persists that you must keep going, plus technically he was always hesitant about letting you indulge into the tales from your shared past so this was technically a golden opportunity. Heaving a heavy sigh you nudge his arm gently before acting like you’re looking somewhere else while reaching out to grab hold of his free palm for comforting.
Rafayel stares in amusement as your hand grappled with the air in an attempt to find his palm without making you turn towards him. Finally, after a few aggressive pokes around his midriff and a very close miss from his bicep, he rolled his eyes before lifting his palm and grabbing your arm and pulling you close to him in a fluent motion, resting his head on your shoulder, with your body angled away from him. He then places his hand, with the flames still alit, in front and continues, blatantly ignoring your confused squeak and unnaturally crimson tinted cheeks.
“So….what was the last bit you were told about that particular tale?” He asks, a smug note audible in his tone as he tucks his face closer to the crook of your neck TOTALLY invading your personal space, with his voice being barely above a whisper. He knew perfectly well just how deep-set you curiosity was , there was no way you’d persist on with the silence treatment.
And he was right. He had you cornered for good. With a few mental curses thrown his way, you shrug him off your shoulder. Darn this man and his compelling charm. With a stricken voice you tell him. “The part where the human, along with the Sea god’s little fish companion were never seen again. Lemuria got its flame back and…that was it? There were no further mentions of the sea god—You….or your fleeting romance” You mumble in a brooding tone.
Rafayel snorts at that. “Okay, okay, calm down I’ll tell you more” he smugly states, Happy to see his plan succeed. Not to mention, sensing the hint of jealousy tug at your heart… he was certain that you were affected by the knowledge that he might be in love with someone else, he could sense it through the bond, albeit faintly. Extinguishing the fire-ball on his palm, he reaches out to just as you were about to get away from the windowsill. While securing his grip around your shoulders, he tries making you turn towards him, which you refuse to comply with. He merely chuckles as you tried to move away from him out of frustration yet again. “Hmm…so that’s all you heard huh” he muses. “Well, let’s see” He conjured up the same scene with his Evol’s skill, but this time, the figures were moving. The flames kept changing the outlines of the background as if angling themselves to match with someone’s field of vision. “It represents a memory” Rafayel explained, swiftly pulling you back into a semi embrace. “A very dear memory, if I may say so myself.