His Secret Little Blonde

Hangout

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Travis sighed before he knocked on the wooden door to Larry's apartment, Sal standing right next to him. Sal insisted they all hang out together because 'Larry needs to get used to you, Travis', as Sal had said. Travis didn't blame Larry for not talking to him, he was a huge dick to him for years. He was surprised when Sal accepted his apology. The others were reluctant but accepted his apology, too.

Larry opened the door and glared at Travis, moving back to let the two in. When they got in, Sal went to the couch and flopped down on it, Larry following behind. Travis stood next to the couch. Lisa walked in and waved to Sal and Larry before looking at Travis.

"Who's this, honey? I've never seen him here before," she said, letting out a breathy laugh.

"Oh him? That's just Travis," Larry said, "We're all hanging out together." Travis walked towards Lisa and held out his hand. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Johnson." Travis said, shaking Lisa's hand firmly.

"You can call me Lisa, dear. No need to be so formal!" She said softly, giggling to herself. Travis smiled sheepishly, putting his hand to his side.

"Yes ma'am." Travis nodded. He went back to where he was standing next to the couch.

"Well, does anyone want anything to eat? We have pizza, chicken nuggets, or I can make spaghetti!" She exclaimed. Travis looked over to Sal and Larry, who were quietly discussing about what they wanted.

Travis stayed quiet. He always found it easier to stay quiet in these situations.

"Pizza?" Sal said, and Lisa nodded. She looked at Travis with a warm smile, and he smiled back.

"Is that alright with you, dear?" She said softly. He nodded. He hated pizza, he thought the texture was horrific but he didn't want to trouble Lisa with making something else just because he didn't like something, it was rude, he'll just have to deal with it.

Lisa walked to the kitchen and got a pizza out of the freezer after pre-heating the oven. She placed the wrapped pizza on the counter, waiting for the ding of the oven. Sal and Larry continued to talk on the couch while Travis stood next to the couch, listening to their conversation.

Larry and Sal were talking about a band they listened to, Sanity Falls. Travis heard it once, he kind of liked it but it wasn't his favorite. He stared at his hands as he picked at the scabs on his knuckles. He heard the oven ding, still staring at his hands. He heard Lisa open the packaging on the pizza, then opening the oven door and placing it in. He heard the ice on the bottom of the pizza that hadn't melted yet sizzle in the oven. The oven door closed.

Lisa walked over to the three boys and announced that the pizza was in the oven and that she'll be back in a few minutes to check on it. She walked over to what Travis assumed was her room and closed the door.

Travis hadn't looked up from his hands, listening to everything around him. A tap on his arm startled him, making him jump. He looked over to the two boys on the couch and saw them staring back at him. He made a noise of acknowledgement.

"Dude, are you alright? You're, like, all zoned out over there." Sal said with a nervous giggle and Travis nodded.

"I'm fine. I'm not zoned out, I'm still listening to you guys." Travis smiled nervously. Larry waved his hand and went back to talking to Sal. Travis slid down onto the floor next to the couch, pulling his legs up to his chest. He always felt safer in small spaces.

Travis flapped his hands slightly, he felt overwhelmed and sick. He was nauseous and his palms were clammy. He laid his head down onto his knees, his hands resting on his chest.

Travis wished he was at home, quietly reading a book enjoying the quiet time waiting for his father to get home like he usually did. He looked up to see Lisa crouching down in front of him. She looked worried.

"Hey, you alright, sweetheart? You look kind of overwhelmed." Her voice was soft and gentle, he liked her voice and he nodded and cleared his throat.

"Alright then. If you need anything, don't be afraid to tell me, alright?" Lisa got up and started for the kitchen. He's never been told that in such a genuine, soft tone. He smiled, holding his cross in one of his hands and rubbing over the indentations on the small necklace.

He heard Lisa open the oven door and place something on the counter. He heard the pizza being cut and Lisa getting plates from the cupboard. Her small footsteps grew louder, presumably heading into the living room. The clink of glass hitting the small coffee table in front of the couch made Travis crawl out from his hiding place next to the couch.

Sal and Larry were laughing and talking together, eating their pizza and drinking whatever was in their cups. Travis stared at his own slice in disgust. He never liked pizza, the texture was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. It was disgusting and slimy, it made his stomach turn and bile rise in his throat. The smell alone made him nauseous. He wanted to flap his hands and leave the room but he knew that was inappropriate with other people in the room, so he pushed the feeling down and stared at the slice of pizza in front of him.

"Yo Trav, you alright?" Sal still had food in his mouth and Travis could hear the food move in his mouth as he talked. He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. Sal swallowed then gasped.

"Oh, Trav I'm sorry! I forgot you didn't like pizza, shit, do you want Lisa to make something else for you? I'm sure she'd do it," Sal's voice was soft, it was smooth and quiet. It was something Travis loved about him, but right now anyone's voice was too loud or too aggravating.

"Why can't he just eat it? It's just pizza, everyone likes pizza man!" Larry said, his voice was too loud. Travis opened his eyes and whimpered, pushing the plate away. His stomach turned and the bright lights and Larry's loud voice wasn't making it any better. Travis' breathing was uneven and ragged and everything felt wrong.

Sal slapped Larry's arm, which made him let out a loud 'ow!'. He placed his piece of pizza down and wiped his hands on a napkin Lisa laid next to his plate. He crawled to Travis, clipping the bottom part of his mask back together.

"Hey Trav, can I touch you?" Travis nodded, picking his head up to look at Sal. Sal held Travis' hands, rubbing his thumb along the back of his hand. Travis' breathing slowed down and he backed up against the couch. Sal smiled behind his mask and he let go of Travis' hand since he had calmed down a bit. He picked up Travis' plate with the slice of pizza on it and placed it in the kitchen. He walked over to Travis and sat next to him.

"Feel any better?" Sal asked, still keeping his voice at a low volume. Travis shook his head. Sal nodded, getting up and going to the other side of the apartment.

Larry picked up his and Sal's plate and walked to the kitchen to put their plates in the kitchen, soon after Sal emerged from a random room with Lisa in tow. She crouched in front of Travis.

"Hey, I heard you were pretty overwhelmed. What was wrong?" Her voice calmed Travis down a bit more, and be shrugged. Lisa nodded.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to act out." Travis mumbled, Lisa frowned.

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Sorry this came out so late, I've been pretty busy and I feel like this is still kind of rushed. If you have any advice or constructive criticism I'll take it!! The next chapter might not come out for a while, but I'm hoping I'll be able to post at least once a week but I'm not certain I'll be able to, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!