Unexpected [Salvis]

7

Continuation of last actual chapter

[TW: use of the R slur]

There was a knock at the door. 

Both Sal and Travis immediately looked up to the front door. It couldn't be Henry, he has keys to the apartment. 

Sal got up from the couch and quickly looked back over to the blond haired boy. 

"Imma go get it, stay here." he commanded before walking over to the door and opening it just slightly to see who it was, as he was a tad too short to reach the peephole. 

"Larry? Why are you here? Y'know I said me and Travis would be fine." The bluenette slightly tilted his head in confusion. 

"I was jus checkin' up on you guys, got worried, y'know?" Larry opened up the door a bit more to see Travis, who he immediately locked eyes with in a death glare, making the blond look like a deer in headlights. 

Message was loud and clear. 

"We're fine, seriously. Ya don't have to worry about me all the time, I can handle my own. I'll obviously tell you if I have any problems. Okay?" Sal promised, looking up at Larry. 

"...okay." He sighed out, stepping a little bit back from the door. The brunette looked like he wanted to say more, but held back for the meantime. He just patted Sal's shoulder softly nodded. 

"See ya later, bud." 

"See ya, Lar." 

Sal shut the door and walked back over to the couch where Travis still sat quietly. 

"Sorry about that. He can get a bit overprotective." The shorter boy sat back down in his original spot, grabbing the pencil again. 

"Sounds annoying." Travis mumbled, looking down at the notebook. 

"I appreciate it. He's just looking out for me." Sal looked over to him, silently staring. 

"Anyways, we should really get on with this already." The bluenette changed the subject succinctly, looking down to his own notebook. 

Travis just quietly nodded. This was still such an odd way he was reacting. Quiet, much less argumentative, calm. Sal would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. Much better than getting slurs thrown at him. But it was slightly worrying. Made Sal want to know why he was acting like this. 

But that's for later. When he gets Travis to open up more. So, Sal starts to explain the basics of statistics and probability in math, the blond quietly following along and writing the key points down. 

After a bit of working they eventually took a break. Mainly because Travis kept getting aggravated when he got an answer wrong, which resulted in a snapped pencil. 

"I just don't fucking understand this." He ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated. Travis leaned back into the couch with a big sigh. 

"it's okay, we all have trouble with stuff sometimes. You'll get better at it with time." Sal reassured the blond in his sickeningly sweet and soft voice. The voice that always makes Travis guilty.

"Like hell...I'm just a fucking retard." Travis spat out, eyes clenched shut. 

Sal was about to argue back, he wanted Travis to know that he wasn't stupid, but he knew arguing didn't work all that well with people who genuinely believed that about themselves. But he still worried.