For Your Love // Rafe Cameron X Reader

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

The night is still young when you leave the restaurant, arm in arm chatting away with your dad. It was nice to actually have time to catch up for once. Rafe was walking his sisters to Ward's car and was going to meet you at his after so the two of you could make the most of such a beautiful night.

The sky was clear, a wealth of stars glittering above you and the moon blanketing the Earth in a soft glow. 

"Hey, mind if I steal her away for a moment?" Ward chuckles as he catches up to you and apprehension blooms in your gut over what he could want. Your dad stop and you do too, begrudgingly. It's not that you don't necessarily like Ward... - Okay, fine, you don't like him. But he just always seemed so phony and put up this perfect husband and father act when in reality he was neither. That didn't sit right with you.

Still, you offer a polite-ish smile, too tired from socialising to be able to plaster anything better on. "Sure thing." Your dad says, patting your hand before dropping it from his arm. "See you later, sweetheart. Don't be home too late." 

Ward steps in front of you once your dad is gone, his intense gaze searching your features for a moment, though long enough to make you uncomfortable enough to speak up to break him out of it. "Uh, you wanted to talk to me?"

He pauses, shaking his head and laughing as if he'd been unaware he'd been gawking this whole time. "Right. Sorry, you'll have to forgive me, I'm still a little in shock."

"In.. shock?" The fuck?

"I've never..." He casts a quick glance over your shoulder to where you can hear Rafe laughing with Wheezy. Ward looks back at you, swallowing. "I've never seen him look the way he did tonight. My Rafe he's always been so... I don't know. Angry. Emotionally reserved. Like he just despises the entire universe and only bothers with people to make the time pass."

Funny he should mention that when you could hazard a guess that Ward was mostly the reason, if not entirely the reason, Rafe was the way he was. Some form of defensiveness begins to swell in your chest, the urge to stand up for the man Rafe really was, how good and kind he could really be. But you remain silent for now as Ward continues on.

"Tonight was the first time since he was just a kid that I remember him actually looking... Well, happy. Happier than I've ever seen him in fact." He smiles to himself and you can't explain why it pisses you off more. For how he's treated Rafe, Ward, in your mind, didn't deserve to see his happiness. "I have you to thank for that."

"Okay. Go ahead." You say, your smile turning a little sardonic. He flinches as if he'd not been expecting you to actually want him to do it. Men like Ward were like that - The kind to beg forgiveness without even uttering the words I'm sorry, or eluding to praise without actually saying the word thank you, or good job. It was why Rafe had tried for so goddamn long to win his dad's approval. Because he never actually gave it. He only gave him crumbs of love to keep him attached and dutiful. 

"Oh." He clears his throat, stepping closer and masking any unsurety that might have been on his expression with a grin that you think is supposed to be charming. His flattens his palm to his chest over his heart, gaze capturing your own and for a brief second you think you see genuine gratitude there. "Thank you. For making my son happy. If it could have been anyone, I'm absolutely overjoyed that it could have been you. Gives me an excuse to hang out with your old man more." He laughs. You don't.

"You're welcome, Ward, but you don't need to thank me, honestly. I didn't make Rafe happy, I just treated him how he deserved to be treated. With respect and love. That's oddly enough all it takes to make him smile like that." Your veiled barb isn't quite as hidden as you'd wanted it to be, but fuck it. It was something Ward should hear so he could maybe do the same for his son.