Bar Red's Redemption (Edited)

18: A Punch For the Ages

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."
― Henri Nouwen

Hello my lovely little readers of mine, I appreciate every single one of you and am so thankful that you guys have stuck around this journey with me, reading this book even when the old one is already finished (and the extra book is a thing).
I love each and every single one of you (and these characters, oh my god, I didn't know how much I missed them)!

Chapter 18:
A Punch For the Ages

They're just sitting in silence, for a long time. Don't people who try to get along talk? Maybe they should do that?

"So..." Fuck. This is awkward. "She likes pillows?"

"Emy kind of took advantage of the fact we could have anything." Obsidian shrugged"

"That fact and she chose pillows?"

"Well, yeah." Her twin rolled his eyes. "She loves squishy pillows and large, fluffy blankets and stuffed animals. I don't think I've honestly ever seen her want to sleep alone, and the pillows help with that."

"Money can't make loneliness disappear," Bar grumbled, looking around the room again. His eyes locked onto the various stickers and he noticed that the ones he got her were already put up right next to her closet door. "I took her to a butterfly field on our date."

He didn't know why he said that but, thankfully, he didn't have to question it as Obsidian spoke.

"She told me about that date." He smiled, eyes glancing towards his sister. "She was so excited when she came home that she could barely speak past her stutters. They get worse with intense feelings or when she gets really enthusiastic about something, and I guess she was really happy then. She talked about this one butterfly that kept getting on your shoulder—not that I knew it was a bastard like you until now—and all the things you got her. I've never seen my sister so red before and I've never had so much fun teasing her about something else, either. Thanks, for making her first date memorable, even if you're a prick."

"Don't thank me," Bar said, looking at the little goddess. "I don't deserve it."

Obsidian doesn't say anything for a long time, then: "Can I punch you?"

The question caught him off guard and instantly made his dark eyes snap over to Obsidian. He raised an eyebrow, a little bewildered. "You have to ask to punch someone?"

"Erm," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I've always wanted to just get one good hit on you. Damn, I sound violent. I'm usually not but you're just—you?"

"Understandable," Bar says, standing. His father makes the same excuse. "Not in Clementine's room but yeah, you can punch me."\

Obsidian nods and looks quite sheepish. It was a little amusing.

Bar bends down, his hand still holding Clementine's, and places a whisper of a kiss on her nose and then her cheeks.

He squeezes her hand before letting go.

Taking one of the teddy bears from the side of the bed, he places it in Clementine's searching arms and the little goddess instantly stops moving.

"Okay," Bar straighten back up, content now that she was.