Bar Red's Redemption ✔

c h a p t e r. 33

"One day you will kiss a man you can't breathe without, and find that breath is of little consequence."
― Karen Marie Moning

chapter 33

The sound of crying woke Bar up-- his arms empty.

The brute sleepily blinked his eyes open, a frown on his lips as he turned his body towards the sound, finding Clementine in a fetal position, muttering in her sleep and sobbing.

His poor little goddess was having a nightmare.

Instantly, Bar shook off his drowsiness and sat up, reaching over to Clementine.

Her skin was ice against Bar's constant warmth and his frown deepened with worry.

She hated the cold.

He gently eased Clementine over to his body, her sobs decreasing as Bar pulled her onto his lap.

"Babygirl," Bar spoke softly as he tried to get her awake, wrapping their blankets around them both, trying to get her warm again. "Wake up, sweetheart."

Clementine muttered something incoherent, her tears sliding down the brute's neck as he leaned against his headboard and rested her against his chest, one body shaking and the other tense, both damaged by the same malignant pain.

"Wake up, sweetness, it's a nightmare," Bar ran his hands through Clementine's hair, each sob tugging at his heart. "My little babygirl, you need to wake up."

Bar shook her shoulders lightly and the little goddess jolted, her watery eyes flashing open and staring up at Bar in blatant fear.

"You're safe, baby, I'm here," He reassured, kissing her nose. "I'm here."

"Oly," Clementine cries. "I-I was there and, and he had me tied up all over again-- he had me locked in a r-room and you were there, you were were there and... and he was h-hurting you. I don't wa-want him to, I don't want him to hurt you!"

"Hey, hey, baby," Bar rocked her gently, shifting them to a more comfortable position. "He can't hurt me, he can't hurt anyone anymore, okay? We're safe from him, I promise."

The little goddess held onto Bar tighter, her shaky breath hitting his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I-I was so scared," She sniffled out. "It was so much worse-- so much worse when h-he hurt you. You don't deserve any pain and he just--"

Clementine cut herself off as she wiped her tears, leaning her body closer to Bar's for comfort-- even if her brain understood that what happened in the nightmare wasn't real, the brute knew that her body didn't quite believe that terror to be false yet.

The body cannot be as easily tricked as the mind-- it knows when it's in pain.

The mind, however, has a way of turning hell into home after a while, it adjusts, it learns to numb itself from everything and anyone who shows potential of pain.

Life's cruel like that.

"Babygirl, I know you're scared and I know nightmares are a horrible thing to wake up to," Bar gently stroked her hair and moved his hand down her arm, gripping her hand when she caught his and threaded their fingers together. "But you also know that I wouldn't let anything hurt you. You're safe, you're more than safe."

"I know," Clementine kissed his neck in thanks. "I love you, Oly."

"I love you too," Bar kissed her forehead. "Now lets try to go back to sleep and wake up in a better way, okay, baby?"