||The Secrets We Keep|| - Salvis

Chapter XXVII

Travis ignores the fear bubbling up and churning inside of his stomach, standing up slowly and placing Sal's hands in his lap for the time being. He walks to Sal's closet briskly, getting a sweatshirt with sleeves that'll go over Sal's wrists from one of the hangers, and walking back to where Sal sits on the edge of the bed. He helps Sal put it on, seeing a quick flicker of calm show in his eyes along with the obvious waves of worry, the marks seeming a bit worse and deepened. He retakes Sal's hands, intertwining them and watching him giving him a nervous and strained smile as his eyes soften. "Thank you.." Sal whispers, nodding to ensure he is alright.
        "Of course, it's fine. Everything is okay for now." Travis consoles him, making sure to keep the hold on their now interlocked hands loose enough for Sal to get out of, but firm enough to stop him from scratching.
        "You're acting like this is the most normal thing to happen, I don't understand why." Sal mumbles quietly as his blue hair brushes against his ears and chin, staring down at their hands, his own fingertips black against Travis's skin.
      Travis follows his eyes before relaxing his own shoulders, slowly and reluctantly pulling Sal closer. "I just don't want to worry you about this. I don't want you to panic and it potentially getting worse." he responds, Sal looking back up at Travis with a questioning look.
      "Are you scared?"
      Sal watches Travis's face twist in surprise, it not having been his question for him but not wanting to ask his other one, his own hands shaking slightly from the itchiness seeming to be inside of his skin as deep as his bones. "Of course I am. This is happening so fast, and to you of all people." (I wonder what he means by that :0) Travis responds in a whisper, Sal's hands burning against his palms.
       "What if it keeps getting worse? What if Todd can't figure it out?" Sal rambles quickly, it starting to become clear that he is beginning to spiral.
        "There is no point in beating ourselves up with the What Ifs. we will try to fix it, and if it doesn't work out we will deal with it. I can promise you that, at the very least."
        Sal doesn't answer Travis's words, not believing him but so badly wanting to, keeping his eyes down at their hands. He puts some of his weight onto Travis, his head going into his shoulder, and he pulls away his hands to hug him. Travis goes still, noticing Sal quietly sniffling. "Are you okay?" he asks, Sal's quiet cries just barely being heard as the hold on him gets a bit tighter.
        Sal shrugs, the question left unanswered hanging in the air until it dissolves, the only sound being their uneven breaths as they hold each other until Sal calms down. Sal pulls away, wiping at his eyes and scarred cheeks to rid them of his tears, a lot calmer now that he had cried it out. "A bit better now?" Travis asks him, to which he finally responds with a meek 'mhm'.
       Sal just catches Travis's phone lighting up on his nightstand, a silent message. "You have a message." he says before catching the contact name, which read, 'Kenneth', knowing it all too well.
      Travis grabs his phone quickly, giving a reassuring smile to Sal before responding to the message and acting as if nothing happened after. Sal stares at the phone for a moment longer, which was now FACE DOWN on the nightstand, before looking back at Travis knowing it isn't his place to ask.  He spots Gizmo on the floor by his bed, picking him up and holding him, the orange cat right between Sal and Travis. "Hi Gizmooooo..." Sal hums, pretending to not notice Travis pick back up his phone a couple minutes later.
       He hears typing, subtly looking over and seeing Travis's phone tilted enough for him to see the conversation.

2:39 PM –Travis Phelps: Yes, I've already agreed on the time and place to be at your meeting. Leave me alone, Father.

       Sal looks at Travis, just as Travis looks up from his phone. "I have to study tonight, think you'll be okay for an hour or two without all of this getting worse..?" he asks, his eyes showing his web of lies as he avoids eye contact with him.
       "Yeah, of course, be safe and if I need anything I can just text you or Larry." Sal hums, getting rid of the worry in his voice.
        Travis nods in agreement, Sal giving a small smile as thoughts spin in his mind.    "When is Todd coming?" Sal changes the subject, hiding his anxiety with a laugh, putting gizmo in front of him to sneak an itch off his wrist.
      "Prolly around an hour or so, Todd messaged me saying around 3:30" Travis answers, mistaking Sal's nervous nature for the meetup with Todd.
        Sal agrees, another message going from Travis's phone but stopping him from picking up the phone this time. "Is there something wrong..?" Travis questions.
         "Stop answering him, Travis. It's obviously destroying you right now and he isn't a good person to be talking to. Especially not at the point we are at right now." Sal swiftly states, seeing how Travis fumbles to come up with an answer.
         Eventually, Travis breaks and sighs, looking away. "I'm sorry. He is still, uhm, trying to get me to join him in the cult meetings." he gives a half-truth, not willing to tell him everything.
       "Who are you guys even after during those meetings? What or who do you guys talk about?" Sal inquires, trying to get some more information about the stuff thst is going on.
       "The prophecy boy...." Travis mutters, attempting to point him in the direction he needs to go, just in case, giving only that snippet of information as he doesnt elaborate.

Word count: 1008 words