||The Secrets We Keep|| - Salvis

Chapter XXXI

       Sal doesn't give a reaction except a stare with wide eyes, clearly not expecting his words.       "Really?" He asks.
        "Yeah. Of course. All of it does, the flowers, the birdsong. Even when it was night, the stars, the peacefulness." Travis mutters, embarrassed he is even saying these words to someone, especially Sal.
         Sal moves a bit closer to him, taking Travis's hands away from his face. "That's very kind of you, thank you a lot." He says, squeezing his hands gently before resting them in Travis's lap.
         He glances at the blonde and finally saying fuck it, taking off his prosthetic and wiping at his forehead and heavily scarred face. Travis nods finally, to respond to Sal, staring at his hands in his lap. "We should do this more often," Sal sighs lightly, laying back down right next to Travis.
       "Agreed." Travis murmurs, avoiding eye contact and trying to calm his face, the sun not helping.
       His phone suddenly buzzes, and he rushes to pick up his phone and check the notification. He checks the time and puts his phone on do not disturb, quickly answering yet another question in his messages. Sal doesn't question him, his eyes scanning the field. "What are you looking at?" Travis asks, putting his phone face down in the grass.
       "Nothing, just around." Sal answers, looking at him right when he realizes Travis was staring at him.
        He adjusts where the sweater he had taken off is positioned, setting it beside them both. Suddenly, he feels everything go silent. The birdsong, rustling, even the wind, everything. Silent. His eyes dart around, the silence and being in a slight forest environment reminding him of something just out of reach, and it is painfully quiet as his ears ring with the sudden change of volume. "You okay?" Travis asks as Sal subconsciously scoots a bit closer.
        No response comes, Sal not hearing nor seeing anything around them except the field. The birds from earlier and even cars from the road in the far right are gone. "Sal?" Travis asks again, and this time Sal looks at him.
"Yes?"
       "Are you alright?"
      " Yeah. Just fine. I'm just thinking." Sal lies, nodding and starting to look off again before he is stopped by Travis.
      "Quit lying to me. I just want to know if you're ok." Travis says, seeing right through him.
       Sal groans, mumbling as he speaks. "Just trying to remember something, it's just really quiet and it reminds me of something." he says, glancing at a patch of flowers next to him, an unsettling feeling climbing in his chest.
      Travis presses his hand on Sal's back gently, and Sal shivers before loosening up, feeling the breeze come back. "A bit more calm?" Travis asks, and Sal leans a bit into his hand.
      "Yeah, actually. When do you wanna head back?" he responds, veering the conversation away.
      "I don't mind."
      "Well, it depends on how much time we have left until your tutoring sesh." Sal smiles, the sky starting to darken from how it's slowly getting late.
      Before Travis could answer, Sal feels the air go frigid, the sun not seeming to make the atmosphere as bright or warm anymore. He looks up at the sky, the clouds enveloping not only the sun, but it all to him. "You okay?" Travis mutters instead of initially answering him, looking up with him but seeing nothing wrong.
     "I don't know, it's odd." Sal responds, still staring up, the clouds everywhere.
      "Do you want to head home then?" he hears Travis's voice through the slight high pitched noise running through his ears.
      Travis waits for an answer, unsure of what Sal is seeing but all in his own vision being the clear skies. "Yeah, sure." Sal murmurs, the freezing air taking the warmth from his body as he stands up and sees the slightly darker area due to the absent sun, and he grabs his sweater and puts it on with a quiver.
      Travis stands up with him, taking his hand and lending Sal his prosthetic. He takes note of his freezing hands, watching Sal struggle to clasp on his prosthetic before helping him and walking them out of the field as the sun shines against them. Sal tugs his sweater closer against his skin, shivering and bringing Travis closer. "Sal you're freezing.'' Travis mutters, walking back to the edge of nockfell with him at a brisk pace.
      "Well yeah it's a bit colder out now." Sal deadpans, blinking up at the sky and leaning into him, the taller boy much warmer than him.
      "I guess it is..."

       Sal eventually sees the apartments in the distance, the clouds seeming to darken almost as if it'll storm. Travis leads them along until they get into the entrance of the apartment complex, half dragging him into the elevator. Sal presses the button for floor 4, the doors closing. "You alright?" he asks Travis, finally taking a glimpse of him. 
      "Yeah, are you?" Travis shoots back, concern clear in his words.
     "Mhm? It's just cold out now, it looks like it'll storm soon is all." Sal retorts, confused as the elevator dings, Travis taking him out of the elevator and in the direction of 402.
      Sal unlocks the door for them, seeing gizmo on the couch when he opens it and observing as the ginger cat jumps off the couch to the doorway. "Hi gizzz!" he hums, and Travis debates on whether or not to tell Sal the truth before deciding against it.
     Sal pets Gizmo before picking him up, not paying attention to Travis until the door is shut and he is hugged from behind. Sal peers up at him, pausing the attention he is giving to gizmo. "When are you going to do your tutoring thing later?"
     Travis checks the time on the oven before groaning quietly to himself. "Around an hour and a half." he mumbles, obviously not thrilled about his 'tutoring' meeting.
     Sal wriggles out of the hug, instead taking one of Travis's hands and bringing him to the room, laying gizmo on the bed before sitting next to the cat. Travis trails behind, laying on the bed and putting his phone on the nightstand, his face buried into the pillow. Sal chuckles at him, continuing to pet gizmo before facing Travis. "Make sure you set an alarm if you're sleeping," he reminds, laying next to him and naturally moving closer to him, still really cold.
      Travis grabs his phone, doing as he is told before falling asleep and subconsciously resting a hand in Sal's hair. Sal leans into him, hugging him and bringing himself to go to sleep as well.

Word count: 1116 words