"Take Me To Church" - Hosier

Chapter Nine

TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE

Sal couldn't sleep. They anxiety he had about the conversation he had with his friends last weekend still bubbling up. His dying hatred for thunderstorms and the uncomfortable knot in his stomach telling him to stay up.

He was sitting on the couch with T.V. blaring. He couldn't sleep if he wanted to at this point. His mind was going a mile a minute.

The sudden knock on his door made his entire body jolt. He grabbed his mask and strapped it on only using the top strap. He opened the door slightly giving himself room to slam it closes if need be. "Hell- Travis!" He swung the door opened.

"Uh hey." Travis said awkwardly. "So I'm sorry if this is sudden I just- my dad being ya know- so I just-"

Sal threw his hands up. "No no. It's fine. I told you to come over. I wasn't sleeping anyway." Sal pulled Travis into his apartment and closed the door. He flipped the light on wincing at the sudden change in lighting. "Come on let me see that damage."

"Um it's not like as bad as last time." Travis said.

Sal shook his head. "Getting beat your father is still getting beat by your father regradless of how 'bad' it seems." Travis was shaking. His eyes were watery and his face was red. "Here sit down." Sal looked at his face. At his bruised eye. It looked worse than before.

"Um." Sal looked at him. Travis took a shaky breath. He carefully lifted his shirt flashing the new bruise that ran across his abdomen. He threw his shirt on to the coffee table. "Yea it's kind of hard to breathe."

Sal nodded and jumped up and rummaged through his freezing. He came back holding ice pack. "Here sit back." Travis did as instructed and sat back, resting his back against the couch. Sal carefully placed the ice pack against the bruises watching for sighs of discomfort in Travis' face. "Is there anyway else?"

"Uh." Travis sighed. "My dad he made me like throw up and I just- I hate the taste-"

Sal stopped him. "I have an extra toothbrush, it's underneath the sink in the bathroom. Go ahead I'll finish icing your bruise when you get back." Travis nodded and walked into what he assumed to be the bathroom.

Travis shut the door and turned on the light. He saw a his bruised and tattered body in the thin mirror. He looked like shit. He rummaged through the underneath of the sink to find the toothbrush Sal mentioned.

He found it and quickly brushed his teeth. He wanted to get away from the mirror as fast as possible. He made his way back to the living room. He sat on the couch next to Sal. "Hey." He said.

"Hey Trav." Sal said. He carefully placed the ice pack back onto Travis' stomach. "Better?"

Travis nodded. "Yea."

"I got you some soda." Sal pointed to the cup sitting on table. "I know it's not very refreshing but it's all I got." Travis smiled and chugged the drink none the less.

He just wanted to taste something other than puke. "Thanks." Sal nodded.

Sal carefully rested his chin on Travis' forearm as he iced his stomach. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Sal asked looking up at him.

"Uh not really." Travis was being honest.

"Okay i respect that." Sal said yawning. He flipped on the T.V. putting on some distant unimportant show.

For a while they just laid there. Sal resting on Travis' arm. Travis who was slightly leaning against Sal. They had discarded the ice pack mainly bc it was melted. Travis had somehow made his why underneath the blanket. Sal kept dosing off and then waking up which Travis assumed was discomfort.

"Hey uh Sal?" Travis said. Sal looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "You know you can like take your prosthetic off. I know that's got to be uncomfortable." Sal's eyes panicked. "And I'm not gonna look I swear. I completely understand if you don't trust me though."

"I-" Sal started. He stood up and Travis felt panic rise in his throat. Sal flicked off the light and sat back down. "I- I do trust you- so- please Travis just don't look." Travis nodded and turned his head forward. He heard the sound of the clipping and then felt the rough feeling of Sal's face against his arm.

Sal's breaths was heavy. You could tell he was nervous. Travis felt a since of content knowing Sal trusted him enough to do this.

There was a buzzing noise in the back of his head that was telling him he shouldn't be doing this. Cuddling with a boy. On his coach. Without a shirt on. It was wrong. But God Travis wasn't gonna move. He wasn't gonna stop.

It was the first time he felt comfortable in years. He wasn't gonna risk losing it because something he might not even believe in anymore.