salvation [rafe x barry]

religious devotion

And the Lord said, "Do you do well to be angry?"
Jonah 4:4

Country Club
📍Live Location

Rafe had sent Barry a location, nothing more. No explanation, no plea, no request or demand, just that, a location and he didn't even know if it would reach Barry. After a while, he even forgot he sent a message at all, sitting on the beach and sipping on the case of orange juice he'd poured vodka into, regretting he didn't just take the bottle with him.

The waves crushing at the shore put him into a weird melancholy the alcohol only intensified and goddamn it felt so fucking good to be sad again, to feel miserable instead of empty. His thoughts jumping from Barry to Ward, to Peterkin and he wanted neither of them in his head. Rafe thought it was unfair like that, how he lost his Father and boyfriend all at once, then he thought, it wasn't unfair at all, it was exactly what he deserved.

Rafe heard Barry's bike but pretended he didn't, staring out onto the ocean, but then he didn't show up for a good few minutes after the sound died down. Because Barry was checking the beach for booby traps like he'd learned in the army, although he doubted Rafe possessed the skill or knowledge to actually set one up.

Now, if he didn't know the man was dead, Barry would've suspected Ward laying in the bushes with a sniper pointed at his head, but he certainly was and although Barry didn't know how much of the family's crazy genes Wheezie had inherited, he seriously doubted she'd help Rafe ambush him. As far as he was concerned, Rafe was entirely alone on this beach, aswell as off it.

He had throughouly checked the area and came to the conclusion that either Rafe planned to take him on his own, which was ridiculous to say the least, or, although Barry couldn't make any sense of it, Rafe didn't plan to retaliate at all.

He cautiously walked up to Rafe and lowered himself into the sand next to him. Trying hard to hide his sheer nervousness, he said: "Miss me that much, huh, Babyboy?"

Rafe wanted to hit him, instead, he grimaced as if it was his face his fist had painfully met and crushed a handful of sand between his fingers. It was kind of ridiculous, the moon shining down onto the beach, covering everything in a romantic light. He turned to look at Barry.

„I forgive you", he said and he looked so damn serious, yet Barry laughed. "What?"

Rafe didn't reply just nodded slowly while biting the inside of his cheek.

„Shit, dog", Barry said. „Not that you were particularly sane before, bro, but now you've officially lost your mind"

Rafe didn't look at Barry anymore, his eyes back on the ocean and he took another swig from the orange juice, before he spoke again.
„I forgive you. Amen. Take it or leave it, alright"

This time, Barry didn't laugh, just stared at Rafe and couldn't process what the fuck was happening. He had prepared for quite literally anything when he drove down to meet Rafe, the boy beating the shit out of him again, coming at him with a gun, shit, maybe, yeah, maybe pulling him into a passionate kiss, but this? He didn't know how to deal with it.

„What the fucks gotten into you, Rafe", Barry asked now, wanted to grab the boy, shake him and knew it was better not to.

„What changed me, you mean? What happened, huh?", Rafe said and he tried to laugh but it just sounded awfully sad. Barry knew the answer and for a while, all you could hear was the waves washing up on the shore.