Gentle Love (Sal x Travis Angst/Fluff Fanfiction)

the aftermath

Travis woke up inside of a dry bathtub. The lights were on and he was curled into a very uncomfortable position. He blinked away the last bit of sleep and the pain the light in his eyes were giving him. Omce he could see again he recognized the bathroom across the hall from his bedroom. He looked at his bloody purple sweatshirt and the small slashed that tore the fabric apart. He remembered everything in those twenty seconds he had been staring.

*~~~*
(Quick warning this paragraph describes physical and verbal abuse. If that makes you uncomfortable you can skip it. I will put a note at the end) -Adi
"Of course you were with those shitty brats at the Addison Apartments. I told you not to go near those fucking faggots. I told you those shitty little flamers were nothing but bad news!" Kenneth screamed knife in hand. He was going to chop up his own dinner since he claimed mother never did it right. He pointed it at travis, the blade was clean and sharp having not been used yet. Travis wimpered out a simple apology when his fathers hand met his cheek. He bit at the inside of his cheeks praying silently for this to end quickly. Travis looked at hia father tears in his eyes. He saw the blade swiping towards him so he threw his arms infront of his face. He let out a pained cry when his arm was slit. It wasnt deep enough to stop hurting but it was deep enough for him to need stiches. His mother would do those after the beating was over. Kenneth plaved the knife inbetween his teeth and grabbed travis' wrists. He closed his eyes and let kenneth do what ever. His wrists were hurting from the tight grip. Kenneth threw Travis down and stepped on his hands. Travis' fingers went numb quickly so he wasn't in much pain until Kenneth took the knife and slashed up the rest of the sweatshirt and Travis.

(If you skipped all that welcome back ♡ I hope you enjoy the rest of this chapter <3) -Adi

As soon as Kenneth let him go he ran to his grandmother who was staying with them due to illness. She looked at him and started freaking out. She didnt know how to fix him up. She snuck the two to the hospital and said she went into his room and found him like this. Travis hated covering for Kenneth but he knew he had to for him and his grandmothers sake. They gave him stitches and brought him home. He had put the sweartshirt back on purely because it still smelled like the lavender scent that plagued Sal's appartment. He locked himself in the bathroom and ended up falling asleep in there.

*~~~*

Sal woke up in his room. He had stitches everywhere. Larry had cought him. Larry's anger had gone away but he would get Sal back when Sal escaped the dark pit he had fallen into. Larry didnt mention what had happened until Sal started to apologize for it during the walk to school. "Dude, I would rather have found you then let you die. I'm sorry I made you feel so upset. I shouldn't have been so harsh." Larry patted Sal's head right between his pigtails. Sal smiled agenst his prothsetic. Larry smiled too. "You're smile is great man." Larry said. Sal was used to a comment about his smile everytime he smiled around Larry. He could see it in Sals eyes. Larry, Lisa, and Henry were the only people who could do that. Or atleast sal thought. They got to school Sal now on Larry's shoulders. "Put me down!" Sal said laughing. Larry chuckled. "Hell no!" He said. "Mr. Johnson, my office." Larry froze. "Damn Larebear, looks like you're fucked." Sal said as Larry sat him down. "What did they find our about!?" Larry said in a hushed voice. "Everything." Sal was kidding but Larry was terrified. Ashley looked at him with a sympathetic look. "Sorry Larry." And with that Larry walked off to the office. Sal walked over to where travis stood. He was digging in his locker. Instead of a purple sweatshirt of some form he wore a blue long-sleeved tee-shirt. He had a large bruise covered poorly with foundation and his black eye looked more fresh than the day before, there was also visible stitches stretching out of his shirt collar. "You alright? Looks like you got murdered last night." Sal said joking. "Might as well have. I uh- fell through a window, shredded my shirt up." Travis said with a sheepish chuckle. "So we're we cool?" Sal asked. "Yeah, i guess. Just dont expect me to be nice to you at school." Travis said shoving Sal playfully. "Well thats fine by me. If you ever decide you dont want to sit alone theres a spot at my lunch table." Sal smiled. Travis noticed the change in his eye shape. "I wish i could see that smile." Travis said looking back into his locker. Sal's face flushed under the prothsetic. Travis could tell? Sal poked Travis' side. "How could you tell?" Sal said. Travis inhaled sharply as he poked a large bruise that hadn't healed yet. "Your eyes. The left one has this certain shine in it and both of your eyes shrink." Travis didnt skip a beat. He always looked into Sal's eyes when he got the chance. He loved their pretty blue color. His super dark brown almost black eyes couldn't compete with Sals amazing blue eyes. "Also why is your right eye green sometimes?" Sal paused then said. "Another prothsetic. I have a glass eye." Travis smiled. Sal loved that smile. It was rare but golden. "Thats kind of cool." Travis grabbed stopped digging in his locker and looked down at Sal. "Is that Travis' new boyfriend?" Travis heard this. His smile faded into his usual scowl. He mumbled sorry so quiet Sal didn't head him. He read his lips. He closed his eyes and waited for a punch. Travis definitely delivered. He punched Sal in the stomach and shived him into the closed lockers. He closed his locker and left for his first class. Sal didn't expect the shove so when he hit the lockers he yelped in suprise. "Sal!" Ashley said, her, Todd, Chug, and Maple rushing toward the blue haired boy. "I'm fine-" sal stood up. He thought he busted a stitch and shoved all the hands away. "I'll see you guys in class. Im going to the restroom." They looked at Sally Face as he walked away. He lifted his black shirt and checked on his stitches. He sighed in relief as none of them had ripped or torn. He released his shirt and walked to his class.

*~~~*

The next time the gang saw Larry was at lunch. "They cought me smoking and im suspended fir the next three weeks. Atleast I wont have to go to this hell hole for a few weeks. Im just worried church boy will pick more fights when im never around." The gang had filled Larey in on what happened earlier this morning. Sal rolled his eye. "Guys he said sorry before he even did it. He doesn't like hurting me. I can see it in his eyes." "Dude, you are too kind for your own good. Not everyone has a silver lining." Larry said. "Said like a true artist." Sal said wantimg to avoid the subject. After a bit of silence Sal spoke again. "I know you're right. I just want to believe he has good in him." As he said that Travis walked uo to the table awkwardly. Sal smiled and patted to the empty seat beside him. Travis smiled back and sat down next to him. Todd looked at Sal alarmed. "Guys please try to be nice. I promise if he does anything rude or homophobic hes out." Everyone groaned or rolled their eyes. Travis seemed to shrink and stare at his shoes. He wrapped his arms around his stomach. He was so anxious he thought he would throw up. The colar of his shirt hung loosely down towards his knees. Larry who was sat across from him saw the look of stitches covering his chest. "Blonde Frankenstein, what with the stitches." Travis looked up quickly. "What?" Larry reached across the table and poked his chest hitting a stitch. Travis winced. "Its- i-" Travis didnt finish. Sal answered for him. "He fell through a window." Sal looked at travis almost asking him again if thats what really happened. "Yeah- that." Travis said quickly. "Well that was stupid of you." Todd said using a spork to fidget with the chunky mashed potatoes on his tray. Travis chuckled quietly. "Yeah- i guess so." "So why dont you have any friends?" "Larry!" Sal said in response to the question. "Sal, its fine. My father says they make you weak and are always a bad influence. Thats probably why mother never loved him." Travis shrugged. Larry laughed kind of shocked. He didn't know Travis hated his dad that much. He found how aggressive he talked about his dad. Sal found it confusing. He was so cautious about his dad. Why would he be so careless now but so anxious when he was just with Sal. "Never loved? Past tense? Why?" Todd said still poking at the potatoes. "Oh- yeah uhm.. mother is well- mother is in heaven living amongs god and the other angels." Travis almost cringed at his own sentice but he forced himself to truely believe what he was saying. "Damn. Thats upsetting. She went to heaven. How boring. Im going to hell for sure." Sal said with a shrug. Travis almost laughed at this but stopped himself. "Yeah well thats your fault." Larry then said, "ok but like, if god does send me to hell I just won't go- what will he do? Send me to hell? I'm already not going." The gang started laughing while Travis sat there staring in disappointment and disbelief. "What the fuck-?" Travis said laughing a little bit. "I made church boy laugh!" Larry then pumped his fist and faked a honk. This was the best lunch Travis had ever sat through and definitely one he wouldn't forget, and neither would the gang.

(Thank you so much for 50 reads on this fanfic! It means alot and im so glad i found a place to share one of my number one hobbies. Expect a lot of Larry and Travis banter along the line.) -Adi