Travis' POV
Sal and I became friends slowly after the bathroom incident at first, I just avoided him, but I found that the little freak was- well, he wasn't all that bad. We'd been talking for a few months even texting after he gave me his number which felt so horribly good and now he'd invited me over.
"Hey Travis, want to come over after school today?" He looked over at me blue pigtails swinging when he turned his head.
"Come over? Like to the apartments?" The thought of being at Sal's house terrified me but I couldn't say no not now and it'd be hopefully, without Larry. Just the thought of hanging out with him in his house knocked my heart off balance till I was pulled back to reality by Sal's voice.
"Yeah! We've been friends for a while now, but we only see each other in school I thought it'd be fun. We can walk over together too." I smiled at the invite quickly turning my expression into a confused more flustered face. I knew walking over meant Todd and Larry but maybe hanging out with Sal was worth it.
"Uh, yeah sure! If you promise to hold Larry back." I wanted to be nice because he was inviting me, but something almost pulled my fist to his face or maybe my own. Luckily I held my temper and accepted. Now I just have to find an excuse for my father.
-time skip-
Sal's POV
I waited by the front of the school standing in the doorway with Todd and Larry while Larry complained.
"Come onnn man I don't know why you invited him in the first place the dudes a dick." He said with a sigh. 'At least Todd can hold his tongue' I thought.
"Give him a chance Larry, we've been talking I know there's something good here." I pleaded hoping he'd leave Travis alone for both their sake.
"Alright sally dude ill trust you this time but if he pulls anythin-" Travis walked up cutting off Larry mid threat.
"Hey, thanks for waiting" He obviously heard what Larry had said but didn't bring it up.
"Yeah of course! I did say we'd all walk together." I say as happy sounding as possible to hopefully lift the tension Travis and Larry built. Things lightened up as we started walking me and Larry joking as usual while Todd texted away probably to Neil. Then as Larry finished talking about something I didn't quite catch my eyes drifted to the blonde walking slowly behind us. He was fidgeting and staring at his own feet while he walked seeming scared to join our conversation. "Hey Trav, you okay?"
Travis' POV
The nickname made my head lift immediately I couldn't help being full of hate but also yearning to hear it again it was all bubbling up in my chest almost slipping out this time in a mix of slurs and emotion, instead I bit my lip and panicked internally probably looking stupid with the flustered lip biting combo.
"huh? Yeah, I'm fine sorry I just didn't want to interrupt." The way I blurted it out was completely unconvincing and I could tell with how Sal asked me, he wanted me to talk with him and the others.
"You're not interrupting dude I invited you so you could talk with us y'know." Him and Larry both turned halfway to walk and still talk to me. It was a nice feeling, not walking alone I mean. Normally I just rode the bus with my earbuds in playing some shitty radio song. But now I felt I don't know seen? I think I felt, real.
-time skip-
We came upon the apartments Larry walking into the elevator first giving me a kind of look when I walked in behind Sal something that vaguely said 'watch yourself' something I was all too familiar within my own home and it filled me with fear. I tried to hide my shaky hands taking a deep but hopefully unnoticed breath when Larry got off the elevator then tensing up again when Todd got off to leave me alone with him, Sal Fisher.
"When we go in you may see my cat, he's a bit, well odd so id ignore him." Sal lets out an intoxicating laugh that makes my head fuzzy in a way I just can't shake when I stare into his blue eyes before looking away fast. "This is our stop!" I once again catch Sal's voice bringing me out of my trance before we step off the elevator onto the fourth floor him leading me over to 402. When we step in it smells of alcohol, something I knew had to be Sal's father's fault as Sal didn't drink which was something I picked up in one of our many late-night texts. "let's go to my room besides remember what you promised!" Then it hit me, why exactly he invited me over. I thought back to another one of our online exchanges when Sal talked about his love for makeup and like an idiot, I agreed to try it if I ever got the chance. I didn't really think at the time that I'd ever be able to but now that the opportunity was here I was full of shame. Till I remembered what makeup at Sal's house would imply, what if he put it on me? My face flushed and I prayed under my breath that he didn't notice.
"Yeah, yeah I didn't forget idiot, but this is a one-time thing got it?" My tone sounded like I hated being here even if there's nothing else I'd rather be doing but there was no fixing it now.
"Alright, you got it Trav!" That damn nickname again, my face heats up. The smaller boy takes me into his room sitting me on the bed and handing me a thing of eyeliner along with some glittery bright eyeshadow that I'd never even held till today. "you want to put it on yourself or do you want my help?" He asked and though I desperately wanted that, for him to hold my face and look into my eyes even just for some stupid makeup something entirely different came out.
"Back off freak, I got it!" It was much ruder than Intended and I could tell it hurt him, but he lights up again like normal when I opened the tube of eyeliner and tried to apply it to my face with my hands still shaking.
Sal's POV
I saw Travis struggle with the small brush trying to make some kind of outline, but his hands were shaking, and I could see he was getting nowhere.
"Here give it to me." I grab the eyeliner from his hands. "look forward! Can't apply on what I can't see." he looks up at me and I'm met with his face a deep red color lips pushed together like he was going to cry. "hey are you alright? We don't have to do this if you're not comfortable Travis-" He interrupted.
"Just hurry and put it on, please." He looked down still red but his please was so cute so I immediately grabbed his face cupping it softly on one side to start putting makeup on the other.
"You're doing good, just stay still while I get the other side then we can start with the glitter!" I smiled at him hoping he could tell even from just my eyes. He smiled too after I said it filling my chest with something warm which I quickly pushed back, this is Travis Phelps Sal. I finished with the eyeliner and started softly dabbing on the eyeshadow just deciding to use my finger while being especially careful with his black eye. "One sec I need a better angle." I knew exactly what I was doing when I shifted till I was sitting on his lap one leg on each side of him while I finished the makeup and he knew too. "And, all done!" I laughed sitting up while backing a bit away from his face admiring my work. While it was mostly used on me when I had spare time the blue glittery eyeshadow still looked amazing on him.
"How do I look? He asked me to look something along the lines of scared and excited like he couldn't quite understand the idea of himself in makeup.
"You look-" I unclipped the bottom of my mask as his eyes widened. "Pretty" I leaned in and kissed him, he kissed me back.
