A/N: I've been wanting to write some Salarry since I finally caught up on the chapters that have been released so far, but then I listened to "Those Nights" by Skillet and got major feels about both them and me and one of my best friends since kindergarten. So then I couldn't decide whether to continue with the plan of writing something shippy or just adorable BFFs glued together forever. At this point I'm still leaning towards shippy, but either way, they are incredibly touchy-feely friends.
This will be a collection of ficlets, but I'll warn everyone now that I don't have any set update schedule in mind. It will just get updated whenever an idea for a new scene pops into my head.
When Larry turns on the boombox to show Sal the new Sanity's Fall album and his friend doesn't immediately start headbanging, he knows something's wrong. He shuts it off again, ears ringing in the sudden silence. "What's up, Sally Face?"
"Nothing, Larry Face," Sal teases back automatically. He nods towards the stereo. "Turn it back on, I wanna hear the rest of that song."
Larry hesitates with his hand hovering over the power button, but pulls it back after a few seconds. "Not until I'm sure you're okay, dude."
Sal sighs and walks over to Larry's bed, falling onto it face-first and sprawling out like a starfish. "It's nothing, really, just… Dad's been having a rough time again lately," he answers, but his tone says there's more to the story.
"And… what? Is he taking it out on you?" Larry asks, the first hints of anger creeping into his tone.
"No, no! Nothing like that!" Sal rushes to reassure him. He turns his head to watch the other boy out of the corner of his eye. "Well… maybe. But he's not, like, hurting me or anything. And he's not taking it out on me on purpose. He's just… stressed, and it makes him irritable. We've been getting into a lot of pointless arguments."
"Oh," Larry answers. He takes a seat on the edge of the bed and rests a comforting hand on Sal's calf. "I'm sorry, dude. I know stupid fights with your parents suck. Anything I can do?"
Sal closes his eyes for a minute, enjoying the soothing circles Larry's rubbing into his leg. He doesn't even seem to realize he's doing it. When he opens them again, he says quietly, "Can we just… listen to the radio? I don't really wanna think about it all right now."
Larry watches him worriedly for a long moment, but eventually nods. "'Course," he says, standing to turn it back on. He sits on the floor when he returns, leaning back against the bed. It's weird for the atmosphere to be so subdued while they're listening to Sanity's Fall. A few songs in, he turns to ask Sal's opinion, but the boy has somehow fallen fast asleep to the roaring metal, one pigtail falling over his mask. Larry chuckles and carefully pulls the hair bands out, knowing that his friend will be irritated if he wakes up with his hair crimped. Sal continues to sleep soundly, not even twitching as he runs his fingers through his hair a few times to straighten it and pushes it out of his face. He almost never seems to have nightmares when he stays with the Johnsons, and Larry wishes he could hide Sal away in his room forever just for that.
"Sweet dreams, Sally Face," he says quietly, slouching down to rest his head on the bed and get a bit more comfortable.