"Take Me To Church" - Hosier

Chapter Five

TIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF SH AND ABUSE

It was late. Travis didn't know how late. he was
shaking. The pain from the past beating was stinging through his entire body. He knew he was bleeding. He didn't want to move. Every moment made him hurt more.

What time is it?

Travis checked his phone. 1:47 am. It was later than he thought. He noticed a Notification he hadn't check.

Sinner: hey Trav you awake?

Travis :): ywa

Travis :): yea*

Travis :): why are you awake?

Sinner: nightmare

Sinner: why are you

Travis :): uh my dad woke me up

Sinner: oh :(

Sinner: are you okay? Can I ask what happened?

Travis read over the messages. Why did he tell Sal that? Why didn't he just lie?

Sinner: do you wanna call

Sinner: would that be easier

Sinner: you don't have to ofc!!!

Travis :): yea

Travis wanted to hears Sal's voice. It was stupid and it was sinful but it's all he wanted.

The sound of his phone ringing made him jump. "Hello." He said shyly.

"Hey." Sal's voice ran through the phone. His voice was calm and thick with sleep. "Are you okay?"

Travis sat down onto his bed. "um. I think." His voice was shaky.

Travis could hear movement on the other end of the phone. "What happened?" Sal asked, his voice weary.

"Well um." His voice creaked. "My dad came into my room and woke me up." He shook his head carefully lying down onto his bed. "I just. I think I didn't do the dishes or something I don't know. He just. Fuck it hurts." His voice was shaking even more. "And I know I deserve this. Sinners get punished."

Sal sighed. "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Sal ran a hand through his messy hair. "Ephesians 6:4."

"Sal." Travis said, the tears in his eyes daring to spill out.

"There's nothing Godly about beating your son." Sal said.

Travis choked on a sob. "Some of the things in the Bible is just. I don't understand it." Sal was caught off guard. "Why is it all so contradicting why is it all so confusing?" Stop. Travis needed to stop. Don't question God. That's how he was raised. Why was he spilling his guts to some queer in the middle of the night.

"Travis." Sal said. "I wish I could tell you." Sal could hear Travis' crying over the phone. "How bad is it?" He asked.

Travis cleared his throat. "What?"

"Your body. How bad is it?" Sal clarified.

Travis wiped away the tears. "I mean- I'm bleeding. That's all I know."

Travis heard more movement on Sal's end. "Okay." Sal said. "Is your dad home?"

"No? Why?" Travis questioned. "He's at the church, doing something." This always happened. Kenneth would beat Travis and then disappear to the chruch for hours. God knew why.

"What's your address?" Sal asked. You could hear the sound of a door closing.

"Sall why?" Travis said, concern growing in his voice.

"I'm coming over. I'll be in and out. I just really want to make sure you're okay." Sal said. "Your dad won't find out."

"I-" Travis began to protest. "I'll text it to you." He didn't want to be alone. He wanted Sal. He needed someone. He needed Sal.

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Travis had to admit. The tapping on his window scared the shit out of him. "You could have came through the front door." He said as he opened the window.

Sal laughed. "I didn't want your neighbors seeing me." He jumped down from the windowsill which resting decently high. Sal looked at Travis and sighed. "Trav." He said quietly. You could see the blood coming from side and his lip even in the darkness of his room. "Turn the light on." He instructions.

Travis does. He didn't turn the light now before because he didn't want to see. He didn't want to see how awful his body looked or just how much pain he was in. Sal whined at the sight. "It's not that bad." Travis bit.

Sal breathed out a laugh. "Sure." Sal had his hair down. Clearly he was in a rush to leave. He was still in his pajamas. A black t shirt and a pair of gym shorts. "Sit on the bed." He told Travis. Travis nodded and did as he was told.

Sal came prepared. He brought some stuff to help Travis' wound's. He didn't expect Travis' dad to have anything and judging by his still bleeding face, sal was right. "Where's your bathroom?" Sal asked.

"Um over there." Travis pointed. Sal nodded and disappeared in the bathroom for a moment before returning with a damp rag.

Sal looked at Travis and moved closer. "Okay this may hurt." Travis nodded and gripped the bed bracing himself. Sal carefully pressed the rag onto Travis' still bleeding lip, making Travis hiss in pain. "Shit sorry." Sal said, jerking his arm away. That's when Travis got a glimpse of something he wish he didn't.

A series of cuts, that looked healed over along his wrist. "Sal what-" Travis started. Sal followed Travis' eyes and froze.

"Um." He started. "They're old." He rushed out. "Really it's nothing." He attempted to go back to Travis' lip.

"Sal that's not nothing." Travis said latching onto to Sal's forearm pulling it away from his face. "Just-"

Sal laughed dryly. "It's okay really." He looked away. "Seriously like Larry doesn't even know." He pulled his arm away.

He went back to Travis' bleeding lip. After he successfully got it to stop bleeding he looked at his side. "Um so you're gonna have to take your shirt off." Travis bit his lip. 

Travis hated the way his body looked. It was so ugly to him, so the thought of Sal Fisher seeing him shirtless made him want to die in a hole. Regradless he carefully took off his shirt. Wincing when he hit his side. There was blood on his shirt.

Sal sighed. Travis' body was riddled with bruises and cuts and scars. It made Sal frustrated. Who could do that to their own son? Sal quickly went to the bathroom and got another wet rag. He needed to clean up the blood before he could bandage the wound.

"Okay take a deep breath. This is gonna hurt." Sal warned Travis. Travis nodded and Sal pressed the rang into the still bleeding cut on his side. Travis winced hard. "I know I'm sorry." The wound itself wasn't bleeding much now however there was a lot of dried blood. He did his best to clean the injury without hurting Travis more but it didn't really work.

After he finally got the wound cleaned he quickly bandaged the wound. "I'm sorry. I know that hurt." Sal said as he sat down next to Travis.

Travis shrugged. "It's fine. I've been through worse." He motioned over his still shirtless body. "Obviously." Sal let out another breathless laugh. Travis looked down at Sal's wrist again. "Can we talk about it?"

Sal sighed and covered his wrist with his hand. "Why?"

Travis bit his lip. "Because, when we talk it's usually about me and I just- I want to make sure you're okay." Sal swatted at Travis to get him to stop biting his lip.

"I told you I stopped." Sal said.

Travis shook his head. "You still did it though."

"Can we table it?" Sal asked. "I mean just. It's like and I'm tired can we talk about it some other day?"

Travis sighed. "Fine."