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it’s been a few weeks, hell maybe a month or two since the “bathroom incident”, at least that’s what Travis calls it. He never really thought about actually giving in and talking to Sal about his problems, much more actually hanging out with him, but…
Yeah no, he’s lying to himself, Travis so did think about it. Actually, the thought fully consumed his mind for at least 4 days straight. He knew he had a crush on Sal for a long time, a big one at that, but the way the blue haired boy talked to him while Travis was crying like a newborn baby in that bathroom stall made Travis really think about everything.
Everything he’s done wrong to Sal, every way he’s hurt him and his friends, every way he betrayed god and his family by being such a disgrace, by having a stupid crush on a stupid boy. Travis felt especially guilty for treating Sal like that, but he’d never admit it. Maybe one day he’ll say sorry, but no, he will never tell him that he feels guilty.
It made him think about the fact that he’d actually love to be Sal’s friend. He’d love to hang out, to escape from his dad, but something inside him wouldn’t let him.
He knew that maybe, just maybe, being gay wasn’t that bad. Deep inside, subconsciously, he thought that it shouldn’t matter. Love is love, right?
But the way he was raised, the ways he was taught always interfered with that thought. It’s been buried so deep that Travis doesn’t know if he can still dig it back up alive. Did it stop breathing a while ago? Is it digging itself out? he doesn’t know.
All he knows at the moment is the path to that stupid bathroom near the science department in the old school of Nockfell. He still uses it to cry once in a while. Yes, he can probably cry, silently, at night in his house, but he never finds himself feeling safe enough to. It’s like he has eyes watching him from everywhere, his father’s eyes. He feels them staring at him lying in that bed from every direction. From that right corner of the room, through the window that illuminates the room in a light blue colour of the moon, from under the bed, piercing the bed frame with that disgusted glare.
He hears his father’s voice echoing through the room.
“ You don’t deserve to cry, sinner!”
“ How dare you ever think that way!”
“ It’s not right, god will never forgive you, I will never forgive you!”
So all Travis could do is use that stupid bathroom whenever he could. It was usually on fridays that he left halfway through his period before lunch, spending the rest of it there, then quickly eating the food from the cafeteria and heading straight back.
So now, per the usual, he opened the squeaky, heavy door of the bathroom, it’s tiles stained with dirt and the walls written up in multiple handwritings from whoever decided to visit this hellhole too. It was usually empty, but not today.
Travis heard muffled sobs coming from the last stall, which were abruptly held back as whoever was in there realised that they weren’t alone anymore.
He rolled his eyes, about to leave and find another bathroom, when he realised that the shoes he could barely see under the stall previously were weirdly familiar.
Those blue, worn out shoes could only belong to one person, Sal fisher. The blonde boy sighed, making his way back to the front of the stall. He couldn’t walk away and pretend like he didn’t feel the need to return the favor to Sal for once doing what Travis is about to do now.
“ Sally Face? “
Travis asked flatly.
“ Phelps? ”, Sal answered quietly, and a bit confused, voice strained from all the crying.
“ Yeah, yeah, it’s me. The bully that won’t leave you alone.”, Travis mumbled, sighing once again after he got no answer to that, no snarky remark coming from Sal.
“ Listen, are you okay? “
Travis tried not to sound overly worried, never liking to be soft and trusting with anyone, putting just enough emotion and effort into it for the phrase not to seem attacking.
Sal huffed at that, sniffling.
“ What do you think ? “,
He replied sarcastically.
Travis could pretty much feel the boy rolling his eyes with a slight smirk.
“Wha- ugh look i don’t know, okay? i’m uh, i’m coming in. “ Said the blonde boy, a bit frustrated, but never angry, never at Sal.
He heard the blue boy quietly protest about something, but it was too late. Travis opened the stall door that Sal, dumbly, forgot to lock. Now he realised why the boy protested.
Sal had his mask off, it lying peacefully on the floor, face down. He looked down, trying to discreetly cover his face using his hair, trying not to make it too obvious, which was now out of his ponytails, flowing shaggily over his neck and shoulders.
“ Oh shit - my bad , uh.. do you want me to like turn around or something? “
This was probably the nicest thing Travis has ever said to Sal, actually respecting his privacy, which kind of shocked the now maskless boy.
“ No, it’s okay. Was bound to happen one day anyways” Sal looked up at Travis, shrugging his shoulders.
Now the other boy had a proper look at Sal’s face. The right side of his face is heavily scarred, looking a bit more pink in some places than others, and even deformed in some places like his jaw. There are visible places where the doctors probably put some kind of skin grafts to reconstruct his face. His lip extended up to the hollow of his nose, showing some teeth and gums, while on the side half the lip was missing . The eye was easily noticed to be fake now, his lashes are sparse on that eyelid, scarring heavy around it, the prosthetic glassy and its pupil a bit different in size from the other eye.
The left side of his face had some kind of burn scars, mostly faded to be a light pink or white colour, texture stretchy against it.
“ Uhh.. Travis? “
The boy didn’t realise he was staring, awkwardly snapping out of his trance.
“ Oh yeah, sorry. “, He mumbled under his breath, sitting down on the opposite side from the blue haired boy.
“ I know it’s bad, you don’t have to pretend”
Sal said tiredly, looking down into his lap, where he was fidgeting with his fingers, again.
“ I must admit that it isn’t the prettiest of sights, but you know um… I don’t think it matters much. Not everything has to be pretty to be unique. And you are very unique in your own ways, Sal. And i think that beats attractiveness.”, Travis spoke in a soft voice, one hand rubbing behind his neck, feeling a bit awkward for actually being nice to Sal.
He feels like he shouldn’t be nice, Sal is a sinner. He hangs out with sinners, they’re all “ dirty “.
But Travis couldn’t be mean right now. He can’t look at someone who’s always been nice to him like this, crying in a bathroom stall, and be mean.
Sal looked into his eyes, shifting a bit forward and chuckling .
“ Wow, did someone poison your bologna or something? Is Travis Phelps being nice for once or am i hallucinating?“ , Sal smirked to the best of his ability, teasing Travis.
At which the boy just rolled his eyes and started saying something about taking it back, when Sal leaned forward , ruffling Travis’ hair, causing him to cut off and huff, glaring at sal like he just ruined his life.
“ Oh come on, i just gelled it down this morning! “, Travis exclaimed annoyedly.
“ Fine, fine, lemme fix it.” Was the only warning he got before Sal stood up a little, more on his knees now, leaned in even closer, their legs slotting between each other, and started to try and comb Travis’ hair back down with his fingers.
While doing so, Sal found himself looking down at Travis, who stilled completely, looking back up at the Fisher boy. Sal’s hands stopped slowly, instead one of them snaking down to the blonde’s jaw, gently rubbing his thumb on his cheek. Their faces were mere inches away now. He looked down at Travis’ lips, then back up, as if asking for permission.
Travis’ head was so full of thoughts and so completely empty at the same time. He didn’t know how to manage that, contemplating if he should completely betray God and kiss that stupid boy senseless, or to regain control over himself and push the said boy away and run as far away as possible.
As if reading his thoughts, Sal slowly took the cross necklace Travis had on into his hand, completely closing it in, mouthing “ Don’t worry “. He leaned even closer now, ghosting his breath over the blonde’s lips.
Travis couldn’t resist it anymore, looking down at Sal’s lips and pulling him close by the waist, who met him halfway. The kiss was clumsy, filled with passion, but still gentle. It was hard to kiss Sal, with the whole “face” situation going on, but the Phelps boy figured it out in a moment. Travis couldn’t help but try and go deeper and hungrier into the kiss, biting the other boy’s lip and drawing a bit of blood, at which Sal started gently shushing him and slowing him down, which honestly made Travis even more desperate. Their hands explored each other’s bodies, Sal now practically sitting on Travis’ lap, pulling slightly on his necklace to try and pull him closer, the other hand ending up somewhere beneath Travis’ shirt, ghosting light touches and practically making Travis whine.
Their lips met steadily for another minute, Sal’s bitten, a bit bloody lips against the soft ones Travis had. Eventually, they broke apart, breathing heavily, at which Travis wanted to complain, as if the make out sesh wasn’t enough.
When all of the sudden, Sal’s lips traveled south, kissing down his jaw and nipping at his skin, at which the other boy whimpered, quickly slapping a hand on his mouth to not make any unnecessary noise for other people to hear.
Sal’ hand that was previously pulling at the other’s necklace, now slowly let go and traveled up into his hair, grabbing at the roots and gently giving it a little tug, trying to get more access to Travis’ neck.
Sal couldn’t help but smile when he heard a muffled moan escape Travis’ lips, at which the latter boy flushed and muttered something along the lines of “ shut up.”
“ Sal, I, uh really don’t want to interrupt but i think our class started like 3 minutes ago..”
Travis somehow made the sentence out as best as he could, trying not to completely fall apart at the way Sal’s hands ghosted over his abs and nipped at that sweet spot where his shoulder and neck met.
“ Ughhh, remind me why did I choose that elective?..”, Sal slumped down, burying his face into the crook of Travis’ neck.
“ I have no idea Sally Face, but i think we better go before miss Packerton whoops my ass. At least you have a nice teacher..”
“ Yeah, you’re right. Come on, get up!”
They both got up, stumbling slightly from the strain the tiny bathroom stall put on their legs. Sal Clipped his mask back on, took his backpack and made sure both his and Travis’ hair looked okay -ish, and not like they just made out in a school bathroom .
Travis looked to his neck in the mirror while fixing his sweater, trying to see if there is any evidence left except a few irritated skin patches. Sal noticed that.
“ Don’t worry, I didn’t leave any marks. I’ve heard enough about your dad to make you go through him seeing those on you.”
“ Thanks. “, Travis said awkwardly, flustered at how easily Sal was talking about leaving marks on Travis.
They both made it out of the bathroom, hurriedly heading for the direction of their classes, but eventually reached a point where they had to split up.
“ Same time next week?”, Sal asked, teasingly, with a smug look beneath his mask that Travis could practically hear.
“ Ughhh whatever man, i’ll think about it.”
Travis mumbled as he ran a hand down his face from embarrassment.
“ Please do”, Sal said quietly into his ear as he passed him to go and get to his own class.
Now Travis will DEFINITELY think about it.