Barbara Dunkelman x Reader

Best Friends

-Your Pov-

" Okay," says Burnie. " Something that I wondered about is this. You and Barb say a lot that the two of you are best friends. Is that true?" You nod, and give your wife a kiss on the cheek, which makes her giggle and then hold your hand.

" Since elementary school," you tell Burnie. " And then we just kept becoming better and better friends. And, I'm really glad I got to marry my best friend. I think everyone should. And I don't say that lightly."

The podcast agrees with you, before Burnie asks another question. " So, when did you two start calling the other your best friend? Because I mean, in elementary school, your best friend is usually whoever you meet first. Like, when did it become a serious thing that you guys were best friends?"

-Flashback your pov-

I was at home, and just doing some homework. Barbara was studying for something else at her house, and I know that we couldn't have spent the day together. So, I was doing my homework while my sister and parents were just doing something else. I think Ally was just watching TV, and my parents were just reading something.

When I finished my homework, I checked my phone. I was looking for a text from Barbara, but there wasn't one. I had gotten an email from this one website I subscribed to that was dealing with some manga. I think it might have been that Ichigo was getting his new Bankai or something, and it made me really happy. It doesn't really matter what the series was, but all that you need to know is how happy about it I was.

I came out of that room, and sat down next to my sister. She asked me what it was, and I tried to keep it as just a sentence. I knew by this point that my parents hated it when I talked too much about things, so I tried my honest-to-god best to just not talk about it, or when I got too excited, just keep it to a sentence.

But one of the problems I had back then, and now is that I just get excited and it spills over. So, I was talking to my sister, super excited about it, and I just kept talking. There was a nagging doubt in my mind, but I was just so excited. And, that one went about how you might expect.

Something I always give my sister credit for is that she listens to me and is interested, even without understanding. But, my parents aren't as kind. I forget what exactly they told me, but it meant a lot to me. I think they had told me to shut up, or that no one cared, or that it was stupid. All I remember after that was being a weird mix of sad and pissed off.

I went to my room, and I looked at my books and stuff I had around the room. And all of it was the things they didn't care about. I got made fun of at school for liking this, so I was just angry. I started putting everything into boxes, and disassembling my models, and getting ready to go to the store and just sell everything. I was just done by this point. I was pissed, and crying and I was just going to get rid of everything.

Another thing I can never thank Ally enough for is this. I was taking apart one of my models, when the door opened. I didn't know what I expected. A half-assed apology from my mom, my dad making some excuse for her, my sister hugging me. But, when I turned around, Barbara was there.

She told me Ally had asked her to come over, and asked me what was wrong. I couldn't manage to answer, but then she saw me about to get rid of everything. I think that was when Barbara started to put it together, and then she pulled me into this really tight hug. I cried my eyes out, and she let go of me when I had finally finished.

I remember Barbara asking me why I was getting rid of all of this, and I did my best to tell her the story about how my parents yelled at me, and how no one cared about any of this anyways. And what she did next, just made me so happy. She reached into a bin, and pulled out a book. " I care," she had said. " Tell me what this one is about."

And so I did, and she just kept grabbing things and asking me to explain them. It made me so happy, and she genuinely listened. She asked questions, and it made me feel so special. I remember her telling me," If anything happens that you want to talk about, I'm only a call or text away."

-Present Day-

" So, that was when I started calling him my best friend," you tell the podcast, wiping something from your eye. Barbara squeezes your hand, and you smile at her. " And she meant it too. Every time I needed to talk, she was there for me."

" That's a really sweet story," says Burnie. He turns to Barbara. " So, when did you start calling (y/n) your best friend?"

-Flashback her pov-

I think it was in sixth grade. I was hanging out with (y/n), and this was when the both of us didn't understand the menstrual cycle. We had heard about it, but neither of us knew anything about it. I didn't have tampons, or anything like that with me. I was wearing a skirt, and then my period started. Blood started running down my legs, and me and (y/n) started freaking out, me more so than him.

He called his sister Ally, and then told me he had to go, but promised he would be right back. I was confused, and in more pain than ever, and I was freaking out. In maybe one or two minutes, (y/n) came back with some stuff in his hands.

" I talked with Ally, and she says this happens every month," he told me. " And here are some of the things that make her feel better. Some of her favorite chocolates. And she told me to give you these. She called them tampons? Ally said to call her if you needed to know how to use these. And she gave me this old pair of her underwear for you to change into right now."

-Present Day her pov-

" That meant so much to me," I say. " I don't know how to explain it, but that was just the world to me. I mean, it freaked me out, and I know he was panicked also. And not to play into stereotypes, but there are so many guys who just don't get the menstrual cycle, and that we can't help it."

I see (y/n) chuckle. " Oh, I still don't understand it," he admits. " But, I always make sure to carry tampons with me in case Barbara forgets hers, and I always know when she's on her cycle and take special care of her."

" I know," I tell him, resting my head on his shoulder. " And, I love you for it."