Gentle Love (Sal x Travis Angst/Fluff Fanfiction)

Staring at the cieling.

Travis felt his heart stop. his blood seemed to shoot away from his inner body and to his fingers and feet. His body felt so cold all the sudden. He knew that voice all to well. As the man behind him walked closer and recognized the sound of the foot fall. He recognized the slur in the words. he recognized the smell of alchohol. His whole body shook. Fuck. It was him.

Kenneth was home.

A familiar cold hand gripped his soulder and he felt the chocolate ice cream swirl and squirm in his gut. He tensed preparing to be hit, or thrown, or his head randomly grabbed from the top and bottom and twisted until his kneck snapped clean in half killing him instantaniously, but it never came. Instead what happened was far worse.

*~~~*

Sal was sitting in Todds room. Todd was in his desk chair turned towards his friends. Larry was laying sprawled out on the floor with a joint Mr. Morrison had given him when he entered. Todd had his door cracked so the smell wouldn't be trapped in his room. Todd wasn't agenst weed butbhe wasnt a fan of the smell. He hated that his parents smoked it enough, but now they've been selling to Larry and he didnt know how to feel. Sal wasn't active in the convo. He had texted Travis twice an hour ago and he didn't respond. He was worried to say the least. He had even texted Lisa to see if he'd texted for a ride back home, but alas: nothing. 

"Sal! I'm sure he's fine. can you please stop focusing on your boyfriend and hang out with us?" Larry said getting fed up. Todd looked at Sal mirroring Larry's frustration.

"Larry's right. I know you love him and all but he's replacing us! I don't replace you guys witn Niel and I still spend plenty of time with him." Todd said less aggressive than Larry.

"What- I am- I do- do I really?" Todd and Larry nodded. "Todd it's not the same though! We don't have tabs im his dad, his dad could have gottten him back ans could be hurting him and we'd never know! If Niel didn't have perfect parents and a perfect life then you would be concerend in this situation too!" Sal now had some form of tears welling in his eyes. Todd looked upset for a moment before generally ticked.

"Niel does not have a perfect life! No one does! His parents don't even tey and make him feel loved since he came out to them! They hate that he's gay! And now thier marriage is falling apart!" Todd was fumming in defense of his lover. Larry mumbled a admiration of Todds point.

"But they don't beat him for it! His dad didn't kill his mom! His dad didn't beat him and abuse him in so many ways for years! Niel has it good." And with that Sal had stood up and left. Todd was still fuming and Larry could sense he wasn't wanted. He knew his friends needed space. Ofcourse Larry had truely thought Sal was being a bit over the top. Surely Travis in that much danger. Right?

Travis' entire body burned and ached. He was throbbing all over. His eye hurt the worst. The black eye that had seemed to never heal had returned. Oh how it must've missed him, and oh how Travis didn't miss it. He was inevitably fucked. There was no going back to Sal's in the night due to the bars being applied to his window as he sat in his room. He was on his bend hunched over praying almost silently. He wanted to throw up, or cry, or double over and die in a swift moment. Travis couldn't breathe. Thick blood was dripping onto the hardwood floor at an alarming rate. At this point Travis hoped his father would kill him. Anything to stop this feeling. this ache. Mental and Physical. God he hurt. He really really hurt. His stomatch was hurting him so badly. He wanted sal to save him, he wanted his father dead, he just wanted everything to be fine. Nothing was fine to say the least. His breath was painful and cold in his throat. Travis was shaking. The Air was sharp little knives. That beating was the worst so far. His nose was broken, his wrists were most likely in a similar state, and his jaw had been slammed in and out of place multiple times with back and forth punches. God he was in bad shape. And here he was, praying, but not for himself, no, but for his father. He was praying for his father. 

He knew his father was burying himself in a world of sin. His father was killing, stealing people away from their loved ones to end them; gone forever. Selling their souls to demons and devils the same. Beating his child. Fucking a 17 year old girl as if Travis didn't know. Travis knew. He could hear them now. They were in the living room. His door had been removed leaving a hole in the doorway. The stairs were just afew feet from his room. He. Heard. Everything. It made everything worse. It had only been a year. His mother died just 11 and a half months before. She would have been dead for a year may 6th. It was april 30th. 6 more days! he couldn't atleast wait 6 days. Travis wasn't shocked a minor was willing to get with Kenneth. Travis's family was decently wealthy and generally well known. Although his father was disgusting visually and personality wise some girls just wanted to get eith him for his money. Some girls would beat Travis along side him if it meant they got to be in the will. 

Travis didn't want to care as much as he did. He reached shakily for his phone and opened Sal's contact.

:✝️

Hey Sal, when you were a kid would you ever look at the clouds in the sky as the sunlight bounced off them? And something that simple would make you feel a part of everythin and alone at the same time and that feeling is not something you can ever put into words, so you spent your whole life chasing it, making music, taking pictures, painting whatever in the hope that other people will understand that sense or feeling. As creative entities we look for signs of life outside ourselves for a connection to alleviate the sense of solitude thats why we all do what we do whether we know of ourselves or not.

💙:

What? what's all this about? where are you? Is something wrong? are you ok? Travis if you need help I'll come and save you.

:✝️

No. I don't need saving. I was just being rediculous. Ignore me. I'll be back home somtime. If you're sleeping i'll wake you.

💙:

ok. I love you.

Travis clicked his phone off. His face was blank. He just took a short breath and layed down looking up at the ceiling. He just stared until his eyes burned. He eventually fell asleep once the screaming from downstairs stopped.

*~~~*

Sal was alone. Larry hadn't visted him since his outburst with Todd and Todd had completely blocked Sal. Sal felt like this was a dumb reason for him to lose his friends, but it was happening anyways. He was falling apart already. Travis sent him a long and random paragraph with no context and it terrified him. He didn't know where he was or when he would be back. Sal didn't know if Travis would be back. His mask was sitting at the foot of his bed wrapped around a bed post. He felt ill. He felt really fucking sick. He was sure he would throw up pretty soon. He could feel the spoon of dread swishing and flipping his stomatch content. He always got sick when he got upset. It's how Lisa and Larry found out about his... habits. Lisa had managed to scrunge up enough money for some basic therapy. Sal still went once a month. He knew if he got sick Lisa would find a way to make sure he went more often. Sal was simply staring at the cieling. 

"Please come back Travis. We- I need you."