Rick Was At The Wheel, Aaron In The Front Passenger Seat, And You Found Yourself Sitting In The Back

Rick was at the wheel, Aaron in the front passenger seat, and you found yourself sitting in the back next to a concerned Daryl. He kept glancing sideways at you as if he was expecting you to pass out again.

“I’m okay,” you reassured him. “Just exhausted now. Really,” you said in an undertone.

He looked skeptical. “Yer pretty beat up… we’ll have Denise look ya over when we get back.”

You couldn’t help yawning and you scooted over closer to him in the back seat and rested your head on his shoulder. Your eyes closed.

Daryl found himself frozen. “I ain’t a damn pillow, ya know,” he drawled softly in your ear, but you could hear a smile in his voice, and he didn’t move an inch.

“Mmm,” you sighed, settling in more securely against him. “Sure you are…”

“Well, if it helps ya get some rest, I guess I can allow it for a little while.” There was a beat of silence. “Ya scared me, ya know…”

Your eyes opened and you glanced up at him, your cheek still resting against his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Ain’t yer fault. Just—I dun want anything to happen to ya.”

You looped your arm through his and closed your eyes again. “It won’t. Not with you around.”

Prompt: “I’m not a damn pillow.” / “Mmm, sure you are.”

✩ ABC's

𝐬𝐟𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐢𝐤 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐟𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬!

—‘A’ IS FOR AFFECTION (how affectionate are they?)

rafe is not perfect. it took him a while to give himself over to you and let himself be loved. when he’s comfortable, he will give you his all. he’s let you rest your head in his lap, he’ll play with your hair, he’ll shower with you and help you wash yourself, holding you to his chest for a few minutes as he revels in your company. rafe never knew how good it would feel to let someone in, and when he finally does, he never wants to let go. it’s constant kisses and cuddles and hugs, especially when you’re in the privacy of your home or bedroom. he’s not good with words, so he’ll try to show his love through physical acts like gifts, acts of service, or affection. his favorite way to prove his love to you is in the bedroom, because that’s what he’s good at, and what he’s used to. he’s comfortable with his abilities, so he knows how to best show you how much you mean to him when you’re sprawled beneath him, your beautiful features scrunched in pleasure.

—‘B’ IS FOR BESTFRIEND (what are they like as a bestie?)

out of everybody that he knows, he tells you the most secrets and facts about himself. in his eyes you’re his girlfriend and best friend. you guys watch your favorite movies together, you eat breakfast and dinner together, you laugh and joke around together. everything you do is with each other, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. why in the world would he need a ‘best friend’ if he already has you? eventually when you move in with him, he feels all giddy like a little boy, like he’s having a forever sleepover with his closest friend in the world.

—‘C’ IS FOR CUDDLES (how do they like to cuddle?)

before meeting you, rafe never saw the allure of cuddling - why would you want to be stuck to someone’s side all night, sweaty and uncomfortable? but now if you so much as even try to readjust yourself in his hold he’s gripping you tighter and pulling you towards him, muttering a “where’re you going?” he really can’t sleep without you by his side, and will almost always wake up if you get out of bed in the middle of the night to go pee. you’ll sometimes see him sitting up against the headboard, waiting for you to return (that is when he’s not following you to the bathroom to wait outside). he’s clingy when he’s sleepy, so cuddles are a constant must. his favorite is when you’re practically on top of him, legs intertwined and his arms wrapped safely around you. a close second is his head laying on your stomach with his body in between your legs and his grip around your waist secure and strong.

—‘D’ IS FOR DOMESTIC (settling down? how will they be helping out around?)

rafe is obviously the main breadwinner of the household. he has absolutely no problem if you want to work too, but he loves the idea of you not having to worry about money or finding a job. if you do work, though, you and him find a way to schedule cleaning days together. whenever you have days off on the weekends, you’re splitting up the chores between you two so that you can have a fresh restart for the week. he’s not a great chef so he always lets you make the food, but he’ll get up and clean the dishes and any mess left behind from your cooking. he also always makes the bed when you go get ready in the morning. as for settling down, ever since meeting you, rafe knows he definitely eventually wants to. but he’s in no rush because he’s so certain that you’re the one for him, so in his mind there’s no reason to speed it up because you guys have all the time in the world to be together.

—‘E’ IS FOR ENDING (how would breakups work out?)

you are not getting rid of this man. he’s in it for the long run. once he’s committed, breaking up is never even a thought in his mind - he will always try to find a solution to whatever problem you guys have, no matter how big or small. on the off chance that a separation does happen, he would be absolutely devastated. i think he would take it harder than you would, and he would definitely be the type to text you and say how much he misses you whenever he’s drunk. that’s why he would have to begrudgingly block you and cut off contact forever, for the sake of his sanity.

—‘F’ IS FOR FIANCÉE (how do they feel about commitment?)

again, before meeting you he didn’t see himself getting married and settling down. when your relationship gets serious, he finds himself deciding what type of ring you’d like, and sneakily trying to find your ring size. he doesn’t know when the shift happened but he knows it was because of you. because of you he finally sees a happy future for himself, full of laughter and peace. rafe never has to pretend to be someone he’s not around you. you know him inside and out (after a long while of dragging him out of the depths of his own mind), and he wouldn’t have it any other way. you saved him, and he couldn’t be more grateful that you came to him at the perfect moment in his life. he can’t imagine himself being with anyone else in the future. it’s you or nothing.

—‘G’ IS FOR GENTLE (how gentle are they?)

with you, rafe acts like you’re made of glass. he’s used to the roughness of his day-to-day life, so when he meets you and gets this sudden urge to treat you like a fragile antiquity, he gets a little confused. the first time he brushed your hair out of your face, his fingertips brushing against your skin softly, he felt as if he was possessed - where did rafe go and what happened to him? he finds himself needing to protect you. his arms are constantly around you or on you, his kisses are feather light when he’s feeling particularly soft and loving, and his mumbles of sweet nothings in your ear feel like a calming breeze washing over you. he never wants to subject you to the aggressive and angry demeanor that he’s used to portraying. rafe is gentle when he’s in love and i’ll stand by this.

—‘H’ IS FOR HUGS (do they like hugs?)

it took rafe a long time to get used to having someone be so gentle with him. he does enjoy hugs, but at the beginning it felt awkward, like he didn’t deserve the comfort he was receiving. it was almost as if he didn’t know what to do with himself. once he started hugging back, he began to get used to the feeling. the way your chest pressed up against his, the smell of your shampoo that wafted up to his nose, that feeling of safety and security that he had longed for all his life. now he never leaves without a kiss and hug goodbye. he doesn’t care who’s watching, or that his intimidating demeanor is at risk of crumbling - if he leaves without them he’ll genuinely start overthinking that you want to break up with him.

—‘I’ IS FOR I LOVE YOU (how long does it take them to say the ‘l word?’)

oh lord. this man didn’t even want to admit to himself that he was in love with you, let alone you. there was a never-ending battle in his head whenever you were around. why was he so obsessed with your perfume, and smile, and the way you walked? surely it wasn’t normal to be so enthralled with someone, maybe something was wrong with him, maybe he was getting a severe fever. when he finally caught on that he loved you he didn’t say it out loud for fear of rejection. rafe wished he could spoil you with affection like you deserved, and he so badly wanted to be the first one to say it, but ultimately you had waited long enough and you told him on your 6 month anniversary. he was over the moon, but he couldn’t say it back. as always you were patient and understanding, but he could see the disappointment in your face. that night he spent hours in between your legs, spelling out the words with his tongue over and over again as a way to make it up to you. when he was sure you were sound asleep, he whispered it into your hair ever so quietly, and unbeknownst to him, you heard it.

—‘J’ IS FOR JEALOUSY (how do they get jealous?)

he doesn’t necessarily get jealous, per se. he’s more mad at other guys for looking at his girlfriend. while rafe does get insecure that you’ll leave him for someone better at the beginning, after you’re in a long term relationship this fear will disappear quite quickly. for the most part he gets kind of pissed off if someone tries to flirt with you, but he has no problem telling them to get lost. i feel like he doesn’t get jealous often, but when he does he feels the need to be overly touchy and possessive. he’ll snake his arm around your waist and squeeze you to his side, he’ll grab you by the side of the neck and pull you in for a deep kiss. when you get home he’d make you feel good as many times as he felt was necessary, until he was sure you were satisfied and you both forgot what or who he was even jealous about in the first place.

—‘K’ IS FOR KISSES (what's their kissing schedule?)

anytime he wants and anywhere he wants (and you ofc). he’s not too fussy with where you decide to make out, as long as you’re comfortable with it. he really couldn’t care less if it’s in front of a thousand people or two, if he wants to show you some love, he will. the only thing he absolutely needs is a hug and kiss before he leaves to go somewhere, as i said before. other than that it’s whatever the moment calls for. sometimes he’ll pull you into a corner while you’re at dinner with his parents just to press kisses all over your face and neck. you’d warn him not to leave marks, to which he’d respond “missed you. jus’ wanna show everyone you’re mine”. he’s a little possessive when it comes to you, so a lot of the time when he blatantly makes out with you in the open it’s to show everyone that you’re both taken.

—‘L’ IS FOR LITTLE ONES (how are they around kids?)

rafe was never too good with kids, but he wasn’t bad, either. he remembers taking care of wheezie when she was a kid, but besides that he doesn’t have much experience. he definitely knows he wants to have kids eventually, especially when he sees you interacting with any younger relatives that you have. it’s so endearing to him, and it makes him feel like everything will be okay - that you’ll be a great mother, and he’ll grow up to be a good dad, nothing like his father. most of the time he likes to talk to kids as if they’re adults, as in he doesn’t really use a baby voice or dumb down his language for them. if you have younger siblings though, he’ll always bring them sweets and desserts when he comes over because he wants them to like him. rafe has this nagging feeling in the back of his head that he’ll end up like his dad, so he tries his hardest to be the complete opposite, and never ignores or neglects a child when they want his attention.

—‘M’ IS FOR MORNINGS (how will your mornings go?)

listen, rafe is no better than any other man. he’ll usually wake up with morning wood, and on days that you’re rushing and can’t do anything in the morning, he gets really tense and pent up. it usually makes up for a fun night though. besides that, you like to make breakfast together. after being with him for about a year he discovered that he loved the domesticity of it. one of you will make a coffee and the other will stay over the pan and cook something simple. other days he likes to order breakfast in and eat with you in the garden. whatever you guys do in the morning, it’s always together. you need a shower? rafe is joining, even if he already showered last night. you’re running errands? rafe is getting dressing and joining you as soon as possible. he just likes spending as much time with you as he can before he gets called into work later in the day.

—‘N’ IS FOR NIGHTS (how will your nights go?)

usually you’ll put on a movie, which is probably long forgotten in the background within 10 ish minutes (wink wink) and then rafe will put on a shower and help you get cleaned up. he’ll put your hair up for you and watch you do your skincare routine. on one occasion he let you put on a face mask for him, but he got too annoyed at it slipping down his face that he threw it in the bin and said “i’m never doing this shit again”. however he does like seeing how you do yours. it’s relaxing to him, the way the silence envelopes you both as you rub various serums and creams into your skin. on a good night, you’re in bed by 10 or 11pm.

—‘O’ IS FOR OPEN (when will they tell you about themselves?)

in all honesty if you were a stranger when he first met you, he would probably be somewhat open with you. you wouldn’t get the full story obviously - but he would allude to his family and problems occasionally. he found it easier to open up to someone who had little to no notions about him. if you were someone from the cut or figure eight, he would be pretty closed off. you would be struggling to find scraps of information that he would give you about himself. on one hand he felt bad, but on the other, he had to protect himself and his emotions. he was quite fragile when it came to letting people in, and his fear of rejection and abandonment is so huge that he wouldn’t be an open book with you until he was sure that you were there for good, and that you weren’t gonna leave him at any moment. i’d say he would start to tell you more about himself at least a few months in, but only if you were open with him, too.

—‘P’ IS FOR PATIENCE (how patient are they with you?)

rafe doesn’t consider himself a patient man. he gets what he wants when he wants it, and God help anyone who gets in his way. but when he looks at you, your perfect, glassy eyes staring up at him, he can never find it in himself to be mad. if you need “5 more minutes” to get ready, then so be it. if you’re nagging him about wanting something to eat, or wanting his attention when he’s busy, he’s immediately dropping everything to take you out or cuddle on the couch. if you’re getting on his last nerve in an argument, he’ll almost never yell. he’ll have an attitude and be petty, but he could never find in himself to get genuinely angry. you’re his baby, and when he thinks about how much you do for him and how patient you were at the beginning of the relationship when he was still closed off and moody, he immediately backs down and tries to calm down. everything he does is for you.

—‘Q’ IS FOR QUIZZES (how much do they remember about you?)

rafe’s memory isn’t too good sometimes, the result of years of drug and alcohol abuse. if you tell him you’re going out for dinner with your friends, he’ll most likely forget the next morning and ask you where you’re going. he doesn’t do it to be mean, it just actually slips his mind. he’s forgetful with smaller things like that, but if you were to ask him anything about you, he could recite it off the top of his head in under a minute. your favorite food, your most worn tops and skirts, the color of your nails that week, the shampoo scent that you always buy, your childhood pet. everything there is to know about you, he knows. rafe knows you more than you know yourself, and it feels like he’s a mind reader at times. he can read you when you’re uncomfortable, to which he would excuse you two and drive you home without you having to even ask. he knows when you’re upset, even if you lie and say you’re not. so to answer the question, rafe remembers everything important that there is to remember.

—‘R’ IS FOR REMEMBER (what is his favorite moment in your relationship?)

his favorite memory of you two is actually your first kiss. he remembers it like it was yesterday. you were sitting next to him on the beach, the party around you having died down ages ago. something about the way he spoke to you was entrancing. the way the flames danced across his features made him look all the more handsome to you. this was probably a week after your first date, and rafe felt nervous for the first time ever. he felt your knee brush against his as you sat on the sand next to him, and he thought his heart was going to give out - you were just so perfect. you made a joke that you thought was the funniest thing in the world, and you threw your head back as you laughed at yourself, the sound reverberating through rafe’s chest. he remembered thinking that if he didn’t kiss you now, he would explode. after a moment, silence fell, and he caught himself staring at your plush lips, the ghost of a smile still on them. his hands were in autopilot, fingers involuntarily brushing across your cold cheeks. he was so scared that he almost pulled away, but your desperate hands found the collar of his shirt and pulled him into you. as cliché as it is, when his mouth met your soft, warm lips, it felt as if he was finally coming home after years of being away.

—‘S’ IS FOR SECURITY (how protective are they of you?)

is this even a question that must be answered? you guys already know. rafe never wants to be over-bearing, but he can’t help it. ever since losing his mother and now father, he’s had this subconscious fear of people leaving or those he cares about getting hurt. he will always drive you wherever you need to be and pick you up when you call, even if you have your own car. don’t even think about letting anyone else take you home, because rafe will have absolutely none of it. it’s his job to take care of you and he takes it very seriously. at parties he’ll always make sure your drink is safe if you’re not paying attention, his mind wandering to the fear of someone spiking or drugging you. if someone is making you uncomfortable he will be next to you in the blink of an eye, staring daggers at them and yelling at them to fuck off. if he needs to he won’t shy away from a fight, but he’s been trying to cool off for you - he wants to be the mature and collected boyfriend that you need. all of that resolve crumbles if someone were to ever dare touch you (not that they would, knowing you and rafe were together); but on the off chance that a guy did try some shit like that, he’d be crumpled up on the floor in seconds.

—‘T’ IS FOR TRY (how much effort do they put into dates? special occasions?)

rafe pulls the whole nine yards. he likes to surprise you by planning intricate dates a few days in advance. whether it be a candlelit dinner on the yacht, or a picnic on the hood of his car, he always has something in mind. while he enjoys sitting at home and watching movies, he really likes spoiling you with gifts and trips to wherever you want to go. for your one year anniversary he brought you overseas to the place you had been rambling on about for months, saying how much you want to visit with him so that you could be tourists together. he likes thinking about someone else for once, and being with you gives him a purpose. rafe never really thought about using his money for luxuries and fancy clothes and restaurants, but ever since you two got together he has this incessant need to spend all of his cash on the best, most quality places for you. he not only wants, but he needs you to be satisfied and happy. if he’s not providing for you, then what is he even doing with his life (his words not mine😋).

— 'U' IS FOR UGLY (what's a bad habit of theirs?)

his temper. before it was his addictions, but with time and help from you, he was able to kick them. he wanted to be better for you, and he tried his hardest to become who you needed. but his anger is something that has always been a part of him. it’s never directed at you, although sometimes he will snap at you by accident, he apologizes not even a few minutes later. this is something he’s consistently working on, but when there’s people who think it’s fun to push his buttons, it’s hard to keep those emotions at bay. he grew up thinking anger and violence was the best way to deal with strong feelings, so now, as an adult, it feels impossible to think any other way. once you taught him that crying wasn’t a weakness, he’s felt slightly calmer - but he rarely lets the waterworks go, and if he does it’s only in the privacy of your bedroom where he can bury his face in your shirt and silently let it all out. every other time his stress is dealt with by yelling or swearing at everyone’s “incompetence”.

—‘V’ IS FOR VANITY (how insecure are they?)

in the looks department he’s pretty confident. he knows he’s attractive and he’s aware that other people know it too. he is, however, a really insecure person inside. he’s constantly thinking that he’s not good enough for you and that you’ll find someone nicer, better, calmer. rafe acknowledges that he’s not a saint, and he’s well aware of what people used to say about him behind his back - psycho, evil, crazy, you name it. sometimes he’ll lay awake at night and wonder what he did to deserve your kindness and love - but as soon as you come running into his arms, your face all happy and smiley to see him, his worries subside. you reassure him constantly, and you’ll continue to do so until he believes you.

—‘W’ IS FOR WHOLE (would they feel incomplete without you?)

again, this is not even a question. similar to how he is when he’s sleeping without you, he couldn’t imagine living without you either. if there’s an event or party he’s always bringing you as his plus one. if his friends want to go out on an all guys trip you will have to convince him over and over to not bring you, that you’ll be okay on your own for a while. but the truth is he knows you can handle being alone, it’s that he can’t. more times than not he won’t even ask the guys and just invite you along because “if i’m coming, so is she.” top and kelce would say they’re annoyed, but truthfully they’re just happy that rafe has someone else to deal with his antics so that they can sit back and relax every once in a while.

—‘X’ IS FOR XTRA (a random headcanon about them?)

he really wants you to teach him how to braid your hair. he doesn’t know what it is about playing with your hair that calms him down, he just knows that he loves it. rafe tried his best to watch tutorials, but when it came to actually trying on yours, he failed. so he asked you to teach him how, and he spent almost an entire night braiding and unbraiding your hair as practice. now, every time you go to bed, he offers to braid your hair for you so that it doesn’t get in the way of your skincare routine. you can never find it in yourself to say no, not that you want to.

—‘Y’ IS FOR YUCK (what are some things they dislike?)

i don’t know why but i have this headcanon that rafe is actually kind of picky with food. he eats most things, but there are certain foods that if he sees on his plate he’ll be put off. i think he’d hate mushrooms and carrots. it feels childish to him that he can’t eat some simple vegetables, but he can’t help the fact that he hates the consistency of them in his mouth. he also really hates when the tags of his clothes touch his skin, it irritates him and puts him in a bad mood if he can’t cut them off.

—‘Z’ IS FOR ZZZ (some of their sleeping habits?)

he’s a blanket hogger. i said it. he will deny it to no end, but the proof is in the pudding. if you’re hugging him from behind at night, you’ll constantly wake up with only a sliver of the blanket on you. he tries not to, but he’s so used to not sharing a bed with anyone that it’s hard to remember that there’s another person in need of a blanket, too. though he always makes up for it by pulling you into his side to warm you up - “y’don’t need a blanket. you got me.” he also absolutely has to be touching you in some way. as i said before, if you’re not tucked next to him at night, he physically cannot fall asleep.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @rafesgiirl @lizzieolseniskinda @jenniferrvsesi @rubixgsworld @fals3-g0d @theoraekenslover @loveklimes @oneverytiredperson @onlyrealjoy @ihe4rttwd

©𝐜𝐫𝐯𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐟

“Hey—would ya wanna—” Daryl broke off as he crossed the threshold of your room. “Uhh—What’s goin’ on?” he asked.

You looked up at him from the flat of your back. “Oh. Uhh… Do you have ever moments where you’re struck by how terrible your upbringing was?”

He gave you a sympathetic but concerned look. “Mmm. Mhm. Is that why yer layin’ on the floor eatin’ expired peanut butter with a spoon?”

You sighed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. “Yeah…” you said softly.

Daryl knelt down beside you.

“What’re you doing?” you asked.

He continued until he was laying down beside you on his back. He glanced over at you. “Shouldn’t be doin’ this alone,” he said. “So, I’ll stay here with ya until yer ready to get up.”

You couldn’t help the tears in your eyes and you gave him a fond, grateful smile. “Thanks.”

“No need.”

Prompt: “Do you have ever moments where you’re struck by how terrible your upbringing was?”

touch starved rafe getting the hug he’s so desperately needed all his life <3 a rafe cameron x reader blurb <3 inspired by this bot by the one and only @pearlzier ! <3 cw: minimal swearing, mentions of blood, rafe being anxious, hurt/comfort, intentional use of lower case

“oh man…” rafe breathes out, his steps unstable with blood covering his hands and tear stains on his face as he practically stumbles inside your room.

“I’m… I’m so fucked man… so so fucked…” he mumbles, his words rushed and frantic. you rush to your feet after getting up from the bed, watching how he nervously paces in your room, his fingers slipping into his curtain bangs and pulling on the roots aggressively.

“somethin’s… somethin’s seriously wrong with me and…” he hiccups, his gaze fixed on the floor of your room as he continues to pace, and you watch him with bated breath, your hand gripping on the edge of your bed to keep yourself supported as you watched him with wide, nervous eyes, “and I don’t know what to fuckin’ do…”

you let out a shaky breath, a breath only audible to your ears as you continue to watch his nervous pacing. in your time of knowing rafe, you’ve never seen him so… fidget-y. you can see how he keeps on reaching for his nails to chew on them, his other hand nervously rolling a certain patch of the hem of his shirt over and over again between his index finger and his thumb.

almost suddenly, he quits with the pacing. he stands there still in the middle of your room, his back towards you. he quits with the fidgeting too, his both hands now resting on his sides, the blood on his knuckles now starting to dry up, and you can see how subtly he is flexing his fingers.

a moment of silence passes over you two. you take in a deep breath and it lodges in your throat as you start to take small, silent steps to him. you stand behind him, so close that with a soft nudge to the back of your head, your nose will press into his back. slowly, you bring your hand up, and as if he’s the most delicate porcelain doll on this planet, you place your hand on his back.

his back immediately flexes, and you hear him take a sharp intake of breath. your hand doesn’t move, your fingertips just gently pressing into the cotton of his shirt. a moment passes over you two in complete silence, and when rafe doesn’t say anything to you, you take it as a small sign and press your fingers firmer into his back.

you start to softly glide your fingertips over his back in an up and down periodic motion, and you hear rafe letting out a strangled exhale. your eyes flicker over his shoulders and you see them relax ever so subtly, the tense posture of them slowly withering away.

you continue with the soft motions of your fingers and rest your forehead against his shoulder blade, taking in a deep breath. your other hand curls around his fingers and you ever so carefully intertwine your fingers with his, not caring if any blood from his hand gets onto yours.

“rafe…” you whisper into the still air of your room. your voice reverberates in rafe’s ears, and he lets out a soft hum.

“turn around please…” you murmur, your thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of his hand. he obliges, slowly turning around and you lift your head up from his shoulder blade. he looks in your eyes through his own bloodshot ones, and at that moment you know you’ve never seen anything more heartbreaking than tears in rafe’s eyes.

you hook your arms around his neck and pull him into a warm embrace. for the first few seconds, rafe is stiff. really stiff. it’s almost like he doesn’t know what to do. but you know you’re supposed to give it time. you gave it time and he was okay with you softly rubbing his back, he’s going to be okay with this too.

and okay he is.

his arms wrap around your waist and his face buries into your neck. his grip tightens, as if he’s afraid he’ll let go and you will disappear into thin air. he lets out deep, shaky exhales against the skin of your neck, as if trying so desperately hard to keep himself in control.

“i’m here for you…” you whisper softly, your fingers playing gently with the soft hair on the nape of his neck.

those words… those simple words seem to set off something in him nothing ever has.

tears start streaming down his eyes, and this time, he doesn’t let them restrict in any way possible. he lets the tears fall, years and years of anxiety, the pain of not being enough, the tiredness of working too hard to prove himself all falling down to this exact moment; the moment where he lets his walls crumble down.

sobs erupt out from his dry throat and he slowly slides down on his knees in front of you, his arms wrapped tightly around your hips as he nuzzles his face into your stomach, crying his eyes out into the fabric of your shirt.

you feel your heart ache at the sight, him hanging onto you so desperately, and you try to comfort him by threading your fingers through the silky strands of his hair.

it’s as if you can see the remains of his crumbled walls around his knees. you can see how he’s completely let himself go, how he’s letting his most vulnerable state come out, how he’s trusting you deeply.

now it’s up to you and only you to help him clear the rubble of the old walls and build new ones, ones which allow him to trust and be trusted, ones which allow him to love and be loved, ones which allow him to appreciate and be appreciated.

— —

I’m trying my hardest to get back into a proper writing flow, so for now, I hope you enjoy this blurb <3 this is something I’ve been wanting to write for quite some time 💗

rafe cameron deserved soft love.

soft love meant peppering kisses on his face, and grazing his bangs out of his face, sometimes telling him how luck you were that he was here with you.

soft love meant getting him his favorite snacks, and letting him choose the movie. letting him into your heart, and cuddling up to him, as you slobbered all over his sweatshirt, his rough hands coddling your small body.

soft love. meant laughing at him, teasing him so much until that grumpy look on his face disappeared, and all that was left was a sparkle that you wanted to store in your ribcage before it all went away.

soft love meant wearing a little necklace that had a 'r,' on it, and letting your manicured hand touch upon it, and letting him kiss you so hard that you saw stars, telling him, swearing to him that you were all his.

soft love was telling rafe that he was your favorite, even as he told you to shut up at night, you would continue to whisper sweet things into his ear. his lean body would be soft in yours, as if the compliments did have an effect.

soft love meant making origami for him, little paper cranes that he would carry around everywhere he went. rafe's truck had a pink adorned crane, and stuffing his office with so many cranes that was the only thing he saw.

soft love meant letting him kiss the creases on your fingers after they were so sore from making the origami. it was pouting, and asking him to kiss away all of your paper cuts. it meant giggling as very serious tough rafe cameron complied to your every wish.

soft love meant talking to him in his worst, when his hands shook and he could barely hold himself together, his words slurring, and his body leaning into yours. it meant wiping away his tears, and telling him he was allowed to cry.

soft love meant you loved him through the bad and good. it meant letting him shatter in your hands, as you told him everything was going to be okay.

soft love meant buying him flowers, even as he told you to quit it. 'i'm a man, that's what men do,' and letting him know that he deserved flowers no matter the day, and that although he didn't agree-he was getting them.

soft love meant blabbering to him at night, as he listened to your yapping, your soft body molded into his as if that was the only way it was supposed to be. he was the thorn in your side, and your sun in the sky.

soft love meant bringing him lunch when he forgot, knowing that he was hungry while you danced up in a sundress, and telling him that no matter the time, the day, you would never forget him.

soft love was what rafe cameron deserved.

you see when you did a fic abt reader getting a lil clingy when she’s tired , can we pls have it w aaron instead. like they’re all on the jet and he just puts a hand on her knee or keeps on giving her forehead kisses every second, or even he gets so tired to the point he falls asleep w his head on her shoulder

sleep deprived

clingy aaron my beloved cw; bau!reader, fluff <3

After many years of practice, Aaron's rather proud of his resilience to remain awake and alert despite extreme fatigue.

Some cases called for either little or no sleep at all. Was it his favorite thing to do? No - it knocked his body completely off schedule, worsened with time spent on the West Coast. Had he been exhausted? Absolutely. But he could ignore the feeling well, working just as diligently as if he had gotten a full night's rest.

Frequent helpings of caffeine also assisted.

But when a case resolved and the urgency was dismissed - it was like a switch flipped in his brain. His mind and body knew before he could fully process it, and he felt it. Sleep deprived brain fog, a newly significant heaviness to his body, more irritable if certain buttons were pushed.

He couldn't wait to be home. He couldn't wait to be in the comfort of bed. He couldn't wait for you to be at his side, secure and close in sleep.

Each one of those thoughts correlated to each heavy step as he trudged up the jet's stairs, his eyes latching onto you immediately upon entry.

You were stationed at the kitchenette, head down as you prepared your favorite soothing, nighttime tea.

A wave of affection rippled through him; simply seeing you made him long for you desperately, although you were near and already his. The love he felt for you was unfathomable already, but in a sleep deprived state, it was enhanced greatly. He wanted - no, had to be as close as possible, to be entirely consumed by you.

After storing his go-bag, he swiftly (and slightly clumsily) moved behind you, hands finding your waist easily.

"Hey," you greeted, steeping your tea. Your voice was soft, and he could hear the faint smile in your voice.

"Hey," Aaron echoed in a mumble, his hands sliding forward from your hips to your abdomen. "How are you."

You hummed gently, leaning back to lightly touch your head to his, closing the tiny gap that separated the two of you. "Better now that we're going home."

With your back to his chest, you felt his agreeable chuckle shake through him.

"You want a cup?"

"No, I'm okay." Truthfully, he was certain he would fall asleep before the rim of the mug touched his lips. His head turned, pressing a long kiss to your temple, speaking into it, "Thank you though."

His lips lingered while you finished prepping your tea, adding light honey and lemon. With you in his arms, matching your evenly distributed breaths, Aaron's hold wasn't only to hold you, but to keep him standing upright. The lights on the jet had already been dimmed, as everyone settled down for the red eye flight, so that wasn't helping his tiredness either. He was just as comfortable as if he were in his bed at home.

You felt him nodding off. His arms - unknown to him, as he thought otherwise - were loosening, his figure even swaying the smallest amount. You hurried, knowing he probably wouldn't claim his seat without you at his side. And when you made your way over, Aaron followed like a lost puppy, his fingers grasping onto the back of your shirt.

Your blanket was already at your seat; after setting your tea aside, you draped it over your lap, offering half to Aaron. You even managed to pry him out of his suit jacket and tie.

His hand started out in yours, before finding home on your thigh - enjoying the comfort of contact. His fingers were splayed across the width, keeping you as close as the seats could awkwardly offer. Part of him considered persuading Reid from his usual spot, allowing the two of you a turn to lie down.

But it was Spencer's favorite spot, the rest of the team would never let him live down visibly 'cuddling', and he was too tired to move, so the regular seats would have to do.

His thumb began brushing against the fabric of your pants, the lull bringing him closer to sleep. He placed a kiss on your shoulder, then your jaw, before nestling his head on your shoulder.

A faint blush trickled onto your face, feeling warm from both the tea and the open tenderness. "Aaron?"

A very drowsy, "Hm?" came from below your ear.

You simply leaned your head against his, a contentful sigh leaving you. Under the blanket, your hand rest atop his, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze.

Aaron's eyes remained closed, but a sleepy smile made its way onto his face. In the smallest of whispers, "I love you too."