Heart In The Pipes // A Larisher Story

Chapter 4. Rain

((Another warning. This chapter includes themes of depression, negative feelings towards oneself etc, and existentialism. Please proceed with caution if any of this triggers or upsets you.

I will add a tl;dr at the end in bold so those who choose not to read the details will still be caught up on what happened in this chapter. I think I will do this for all the chapters that include triggering content from here on out, if that is something you guys would like. Let me know, please.

The song included above is the song Sal plays on his radio during the first segment. It also sets the tone well for this I believe.

Thank you.))

Sal lie in bed wide awake - looking over to the clock he propped up on his nightstand. It read a blue, blinking 2:09 am. He sighed and reached down to pet Gizmo, as the cat slept on his stomach curled up in a cozy little ball. The quilted blankets layered up on Sal - he got cold so easily.

It'd been about a week since the whole Travis thing - Lar hasn't said much, if anything, about it, other than the off chance he'll just say Travis was an asshat, or a dick, or a bitch lasagna or the like. He could never understand Larry's made-up curses, but they helped to lighten the mood more often then not.

He would've bothered Lar by now about being awake, but he didn't want to wake him up on the off chance he was actually sleeping for once. Sal eyed the walkie-talkie on his dresser for a moment before sighing and sitting up. He reached over and tapped the "Play" button on his portable radio that sat on a small wooden stool beside his bed. Maybe music would help, he hoped.

It did not. Out of all the things his CD could be on, it had to be the song that related to him all too well in this moment - not sleeping because of having a certain someone stuck in his head. He felt a tear sting his eye. Then another. And before he knew it, before he could brush them away, they fell down his face abundantly. He buried his hands into his face and kept his fingers pressed against his closed eyes, shuddering out a breath as the radio continued playing. Honestly, he liked the song - it was pretty, and it was really calm and mellow. It just always made him sad when he listened to it.

"What's the matter, honey?" Was the ring of the woman who started the tune, and Sal wished he could answer her with his own trials, with his own woes.

"I don't sleep cause when I do, all I dream are dreams of you.." Sal hummed along with the chorus, having to stop to prevent more tears. It wasn't like it worked, but oh well. Gizmo seemed to stir from Sal's sadness, moving to cuddle up to the boy and purr.

Gizmo had to be an angel, Sal thought. He lowered one of his hands to pet Gizmo's head, thumb rubbing against the back of the cat's ear - earning more purrs and even a small sandpaper lick on his palm. Sal sighed and lied back down, falling into the pillow with exhaustion. He hated the feeling of wanting to sleep and yet not being able to. He had a lot on his mind though - maybe that was what was keeping him awake.

He couldn't stop thinking about Larry. Not really about the Travis thing - he was patient with that. But just about the boy in general; he was so kind to him, even after he saw him without his mask. The way Lar looked when he was painting; that concentrated expression paired up with that gorgeous hair of his made him look so..ethereal. Was that the word? Yeah. Definitely.

Sal was overwhelmed - starting to cry again and pet Gizmo more to try and help himself calm down. The way Lar spoke to him. The way he would soothe him after a nightmare, holding him close and telling him it'd all be okay. He knew he loved Lar - loved him more than 'bros' did. But he wasn't sure if he could ever tell him. What of Lar didn't feel the same? What if they start to get awkward together? Sal didn't want to lose his best friend over this.