I absolutely adore all of your work! I have been especially obsessing over FWB Raphael and Tav though. And giggling to death over him accompanying Tav to the reunion.
How funny it would be if he’s suddenly always acting like they’re together (an ‘item,’ as you described), and Tav’s confused like…I thought we were just fucking? Did I miss something? Lmao
I could see it happening where, after so long, Raphael just… gets it in his head that she’s his possession, and his work at the reunion solidifies it.
How I envision the next time they meet going, after the reunion (Tav stormed home first chance she got when it initially ended):
Tav calmly walks in the Devil’s Den.
“Well, Raphael, I hope you’re happy. You achieved all that you wanted to - which seems to have been: make most of my friends despise me.” She smiles sarcastically. “I’m not sure why that was your goal, but congratulations.”
Raphael smiles, too. It’s less sarcastic and ever-so-smug as he pretends to be invested in his cuticles. “Come now, Little Mouse - they would have inquired after me, the devil who wields the Crown of Karsus thanks to their fearless leader, and I figured I would save you the trouble of lying to your friends.”
“I wouldn’t have lied to them.”
“Oh?” He raises a brow and looks at her. “Then indulge me with what would you have told them when asked ‘have you seen Raphael since our adventure concluded’?”
She haughtily crosses her arms. “I’d have answered with, ‘I’ve seen him a few times here and there, but let’s talk about you.’”
Moderately offended, Raphael sneers. “It’s been more than ‘a few times here and there’.”
“And it should be less,” Tav says, her voice gradually becoming louder. “After you practically announced to everyone that we are fucking!”
His sneer becomes a smirk. “Pertaining to our fucking, it soothes me to hear your use of present tense rather than past tense, meaning you do not wish for our arrangement to end, for all of your bluster. Being the pair that we are, we both know I did you a favor in shedding light on what was your latest kept secret. The sort of secret that would inevitably eat a mortal like you from the inside out - and we wouldn’t want that, would we?”
Tav processes. “Wait - when did we become ‘a pair’?”
“Tsk tsk, have you not been paying attention?” Raphael replies, dramatically stating the obvious.
Time slows as it dawns on her what’s happened in the span of a single night: they’ve gone from being (somewhat unhealthy) fuck buddies to being a (somewhat unhealthy) couple.
