#I should give them names cause tbh- I might wanna write about him introducing Rafe to this part of his life at some point

[rotteneldritchhorror]

I've created too many overly detailed headcanons about Barry's life outside of Rafe

Like full family history-- he has a huge family but it's mostly dudes, his dad and brothers and uncles are all cunts and super bigoted, when he came out as bi they called him a sissy and shipped him to the military to "man the fuck up", the enviroment was so fucking toxically masculine- his mom was just trying her best, teaching him and his older sister (who he loves) to take care of themselves, teaching them spanish so she could speak to them in private, etc. Literally the only people in his family he still actively chooses to speak to out of care rather than obligation is his mom, his older sister, and a pair of aunts.

He doesnt have many close friends, but his best friend is a queer sex worker who he met on the job, likes to take care of her, gives her a place to stay when she needs it, gives her money when she asks for it, gives her her drugs for free when she needs to wind down. They talk shit, she's the only person he gets to sufficiantly ramble to about Rafe, she gives him advice- its very sweet. (Rafe is so violently jealous of this woman, he needs to be kept at a 15 foot distance and Barry has to explain 20 times over that theyve never slept together and that they're just friends and that shes ABSOLUTELY not a threat cause hes not even close to her type lol. Also the three of them trip together once and Rafe takes his first hallucinagen with this random lady and his boyfriend lol, but after it he finally accepts that shes not a threat)

He has like... a deep need to take care of people? Which mostly funnels into taking care of Rafe, but he'll take any oppurtunity to take care of people he thinks deserves it (mostly... women- this man has such a soft spot for women, especially older women, he'll do anything to help em out, take care of em, whatever they need- can you tell he was a mamas boy?)

When he was younger (like early 20s) he dated a woman in her 40s and tbh- mightve been one of his best relationships before Rafe. A little boring for him, but he keeps in contact with her to check in at times (don't tell Rafe.)

He keeps in contact with a couple of the guys he was stationed with in the military, but he's only really close with one, unsurprisingly a gay guy who *ahem* was a regular for him when they were stationed together, and he gives him free weed and shrooms for the shit being in the army left him with.

This man's tiny friend group is just radicalised queers and his sister lol