Rainbow Heart

Chapter 7

For a week, Red wouldn't tell Barney what happened. But eventually, he sat down with Barney, taking in a shaky breath and began to tell him everything. The whole story of his past and why he was out on the streets, why he didn't know basic life skills, and why he was homeless before Barney met him.

Barney was quiet and attentive, the perfect listener. But Red noticed that any time Red talked about being beat, Barney would tense up.

After a while, Barney asked his first question. His voice shaky and full of heavy emotion. "Why did your mother never help you?"

"She didn't want to. Helping me would've meant looking at my face." Barney's hands clenched down on Red's when he said that.

"And they're dead?" Barney asked.

"Yes." Red replied.

"Good." Barney growled. "If your father was still alive, I'd kill him myself."

Red stayed silent, he knew that he should probably tell Barney no. But deep down inside, he wanted his father to pay for what he had done.

Red felt a thumb brush away tears on his face, making him realize he had been crying. He met Barney's gaze, looking into his serious eyes. "I promise that you'll never have to go through that again." Barney told him. "As long as I'm alive, no man or woman will ever lay a hand on you ever again."

Red threw his arms around Barney, crying silently. Barney held him. He was almost like a lost child. Broken on the inside. Now the timid, shy, confused behavior all made sense. Everything made sense. A painful, shocking amount of sense. How had he not seen it before? He had been a fool. Sitting by idly while Red had to deal with the painful memories of his past. Struggling through a world he didn't know. Red was so brave. Going out in a world unfamiliar without any education or idea what he was doing, trying to live his own life. It was a miracle he had managed to sort out his financial affairs alone.

"Red, I'm going to teach you. Math, science, English... English! Do you know how to read?" Barney asked.

Red nodded. "We taught ourselves."

Barney was impressed. That was quite a feat considering the circumstances Red was raised under. But it also made his job much easier. "Well, that's a start. But an education, even if it's taught by an amateur like me, is going to be valuable in functioning properly in society."

Red nodded, eager now to learn. "Thank you so much!"

He smiled. "No problem. Any good friend would do it. Now, what do you want to learn first?"

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Short and sweet. Next chapter will Ray Be longer, I swear.

-💕 Bubblegum 💕