salvation sequel [rafe x barry]

safe space

"What happens when he does?", Barry asked, once they'd reached the top of the staircase and Rafe turned to glare at Barry, offended by such an outrageous question.

"I don't know", he stated dryly.

"Well, you think it's safe for me to-", Barry started, but Rafe cut in sharply.

"The doctors said, if he wakes up he might not remember how to talk. He might be fucking retarded", he spat, the thought making him shudder. "So fuck me, but right now I'm fucking hoping he's right enough in the brain to beat the living shit out of you when he wakes up, and you should fucking too, bro"

"Alright", Barry sighed. "I'm hoping, bro"

—

It felt weird to be in bed before midnight, even weirder in someones arms. Usually around this time, Rafe was drunk on the floor somewhere, or sneaking past Rose to the fridge, or in the car, trying to clear his mind, thinking he should really buy a bike, the chance of surviving a crash in that box of steel just too high to make speeding feel fun.

"I haven't really slept-", Rafe started. Since he got here. It wasn't true, he slept, it just didn't feel like it, the hours of torture dragging on too deep into the nights. "..all too much lately" He felt liking telling Barry, so he wouldn't worry if Rafe laid awake a few more hours next to him, or got up to cry somewhere where he wouldn't wake him up.

"I think this is healthy", Barry commented, playing with Rafes hair.

"What?"

"You. Struggling", he said. It was only natural, that now that the stress was over, and the Camerons had settled into a safe, quiet space, the shock of the murder finally wore off, and left behind only raw, crippling guilt. So much had happened, every day since the murder, it had been desperately needed distraction, then, there, basically alone on this goddamn island, everything came crashing down. "I think it's healthy you beat yourself up over her, bro. Shows you're a normal person, you know"

"I don't", Rafe scoffed, twisting out of Barrys hand. "I don't even think about her. Not at all, okay? Not at all, bro."

"You don't?", Barry sighed.

"No. So stop acting like you know what the fuck is going on in my head, okay", Rafe said, stubbornly. "And stop saying her, like there is so obviously one her I would be thinking about, alright, cause I don't even fucking know who you're talking about, that's how fucking less I care"

Barry nodded, his eyebrows raised as he listened to Rafe, before he put on a light smile. "Oh, well, I'm talking about the sheriff you killed, bro, for clarification"

Rafes eyes narrowed down on Barry, staring him down grimly, before he impulsivly pushed himself up. "Why the fuck would say that"

"You kinda asked", Barry offered with an unimpressed grin and Rafe grabbed the pillow next to him, pressing it into the merciless smile, a half assed attempt to get him to shut up.

Playful and light only because Barry kicked him off right away, wrestling him in the mattress, Rafes bright smile enough to distract from the fact that he thought this was the appropriate way to handle what he didn't want to hear: to just shut Barry up with force, bury words he didn't like behind the pillow, a childish reaction, but far from innocence.