Better Than I'd Thought | Sally Face x Travis Phelps

one

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   While it was true that Sal had virtually offered Travis refuge from his strict father, he hadn't expected him to take the offer for verbatim.

Needless to say, Sal was a bit surprised when the boy showed up at his door.

It must've been midnight or early the next morning. Sal had been trying to fall asleep on the couch after watching a new chic-flick, and he was just about asleep when he heard the doorbell buzz.

Startled to his feet, Sal grabbed his prosthetic from the coffee table and lazily strapped it behind his head. He yawned, groggily making his way to the door.

"Hello?" He mumbled, swinging it open. His eyes widened. "Travis?"

"Don't..." Travis stared at the floor. "Don't act surprised. You're the one that said I could come to you if my dad, " he paused, "got overwhelming."

"Well, yeah, " Sal admitted, scratching the back of his head, "I just didn't think you'd actually take me up on that offer."

A moment of silence passed by as Sal stared down at the floor, fighting the urge to rub his tired eyes.

"So," Travis mumbled, "are you gonna turn me away, or?"

Sal glanced behind him and sighed, shaking his head, "Come in."

"Thanks." He muttered, stepping past him.

Sal grimaced. Tonight was surely turning out to be interesting. He closed the door to the hallways and turned back to Travis, tilting his head. "So, what happened?"

"What do you mean?" Travis grumbled, standing rigidly in the middle of the living room.

"Did something happen with your dad?" Sal asked gently, stepping forward. Sure, Travis was a jerk, but no one deserved living under Kenneth Phelps' roof. "Did you get thrown out or something?"

He nodded wordlessly and avoided eye contact.

"Did he-"

"I don't want to talk about it, freak," Travis interjected sternly. He winced. He hadn't intended to add that extra part.

"Sure." Sal nodded hesitantly. "For tonight, you can sleep on the couch, alright? I'll think of a long-term plan in the morning."

His eyes landed on a fleece blanket on the arm of the couch. He rolled it up in his arms gently and handed it to Travis. "I'll get you something, " he mumbled, "for your eye."

Before Travis could object, Sal was making his way into the kitchen. There wasn't much he could realistically say. His eye was swollen and it hurt more than he could describe. At this point, any sort of care would help.

"Here," Sal said upon returning. He handed Travis a plastic bag. Inside of it was a handful of ice wrapped in a paper towel. "This way, It won't uh, it won't seep through the paper and make your hands freeze."

Travis raised an eyebrow, "Thanks. That's... Smart." He admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"No problem." Sal smiled solemnly. "I've had a fair amount of facial injuries myself." He pointed to his mask.

"R-Right."

"Let me know if you need anything." He stretched his arms out. "My room is over there, to the left." Sal pointed down the hallway.

Travis nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning." Sal turned to leave.

"Hey, " Travis clenched his jaw.