"Larry?"

the soft voice surrounded by static was nothing knew to 18 year old Larry to hear in the middle of the night. it was his 16 year old boyfriend just a few floors above him.

"Larry face? you up?"

Larry yawned and grabbed his walkie talkie.

"Sally face? it's like two am. what are you doing up?"

it was quiet a moment.

"my dad's drunk."

Larry flinched hearing a shout in the background.

"he's yelling at that new girlfriend of his."

Sal's voice was getting quieter. Larry sat up quickly.

"can you get out?/i"

Larry lowered his voice to a soft whisper.

"I don't think I can this time. I'm watching him from he living room, he's hitting her, h-he see's me! I'm going to try and get to my room..."

Sal sounded terrified and the yelling was getting louder.

"I want you to know I love you and I'm sorry I-"

"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO!?/i/u"

Larry jumped out of bed, walkie talkie in hand.

"MOM!" Larry screamed.

"dad wait! i-it's just Larry!"

"MOM! CALL THE POLICE!" Larry screamed, banging on her bedroom door. Lisa opened the door confusedly.

"Larry?" Lisa ask.

"DAD! STOP!"

Sal screamed loudly.

"call the police he's drunk again!" Larry shouted, racing up to Sal's apartment. the walkie talkie got quiet.

"Sal? Sal are you still there?/i"

Larry could feel his hands shaking when it stayed quiet.

"I know you have your head phones in. I know you can hear me. click your tongue once for yes, twice for no. do you understand?/i"

Larry grew nervous as he waited for a response, but eventually he heard a soft click. he let out a breath.

"I'm in the elevator, I'm almost there. is your dad still there?/i"

one click.

"is he in the same room? are you in danger?"

two then one.

"are you in your bedroom?/i"

one click.

"are you hiding?/i"

one click.

"are you in your closet?/i"

two clicks.

"under your bed is the worst place to hide!/i"

Larry ran out of the elevator.

"I... I think he's gone. I heard the door shut."

"I'm coming in./i"

Larry walked into the apartment slowly. he could hear shouting in the apartment next door and locked the door quickly.

"Sal? Sally you're safe." Larry murmured. he walked into to Sal's room and looked under his head. "Sal?" Larry ask panicking. suddenly the door opened on Sal's tv stand. Larry relaxed and smiled slightly. Sal waived at him and climbed out of his hiding spot. Larry ran over and hugged him tightly.

"sorry. you were the only person I could call. i-if I called anyone else, my dad probably would've killed me." Sal muttered tearfully. he clung to Larry, jumping slightly as his dad screamed next door. "he couldn't find me. she turned the lights off and slammed a couple doors while I hid in my room. I guess he found her." Sal muttered.

"I won't let him hurt you Sal." Larry murmured. Sal looked away slightly. "what did he do?" Larry growled.

"nothing it's fine. he just hit me with a bottle it's fine." Sal muttered quietly. Larry frowned when Sal pulled back and Larry realized there was something dripping on their closed. he reached forward and uncliped the bottom strap of Sal's mask and lifting it up. Sal closed his eye's quickly, wincing. "how bad is it?" Sal ask quietly.

"it's not bad." Larry murmured, running his thumb over it gently. Sal winced and Larry kissed his forehead. Larry took his sleeve and pressed it quickly against the wound. "you might need a stitch or two." Larry added. Sal sighs.

"I just wanted to keep him from hitting her." Sal sighed. Larry hugged him tightly as Sal's dad came into the apartment.

"what the hell are you doing here?" Henry growled, wobbling on the spot.

"piss off Henry. don't make me hurt you old man." Larry warned, pushing Sal behind him protectively.

"Larry wait, don't." Sal said, pointing to his fathers hand. Larry followed his finger then moved his gaze to meet Henry's eye's. a knife dripping with blood was clutched in his hand.

"you don't scare me and I won't let you hurt Sal." Larry growled. "did you kill her? she was a nice girl. shame she had to fall for you." Larry added. Henry growled and charged at Larry, who shoved Sal into the closet and slammed the door shut.

"Larry!" Sal cried. Larry put himself in front of the closet door, glaring at Henry.

"I won't let you hurt Sal." Larry repeated, jumping at Henry. Sal pulled his knee's up to his chest covering his ears as Henry screamemd at Larry and Larry antagonized him. he clenched his eye's shut, waiting for it to stop. when it finally got quiet Sal waited a few minutes. he never heard his dad leave, but if Larry was okay he would've said something. Sal threw the closet door open. his room was a bloody mess. his dad was laying face down on the floor, covered in cuts and blood. Larry was leaned against the wall beside the closet door, holding his side. he was in better shape than Sal's dad, even if there was a knife in his shoulder.

"Larry!" Sal cried kneeling beside him.

"shhhh, don't worry Sally Face. I'm okay." Larry murmured. Sal looked at the knife.

"no you aren't." Sal said tearfully. Larry gave a shaky smile. "does your mom still have a walkie talkie?" Sal ask. Larry nodded slightly.

"channel 8." Larry muttered. Sal nodded and got up with his walkie talkie, heading to get something to cover Larry's wounds.

"Lisa!"

Sal searched through the bathroom.

"Sal? are you alright?/u/i"

"Larry's bleeding really bad. I don't know what to do. dad came in and... and there's a knife in his shoulder. Larry's bleeding and dad's bleeding."

Sal was panicking he couldn't find anything in the bathroom to help with Larry's wounds.

"I'm on my way up just relax okay? the police are on their way./i/u"

Sal run back to his bedroom, grabbing a shirt from his closet and tying it around Larry's shoulder and middle.

"my mom on her way up?" Larry ask. Sal nodded slightly, hugging Larry tightly.

"yeah. she said the police are on their way." Sal muttered. Larry gave a bloody smile.

Sal waited beside Larry's hospital bed. he'd required eight stitches in his cheek, but he was okay. Sal's dad had made it and been taken to the hospital where he was arrested. his girlfriend died at the scene. Larry had required 27 sitches, but had ended up okay.

"when can I do home?" Larry ask.

"whenever the doctors say you can." Lisa replied walking in. Sal didn't even bother to try and cover his face, Larry had seen it so many times and Lisa had seen it a few times. his mask kept rubbing against his stitches and he'd had to take it off. "your friends are here." Lisa said. Sal paled and searched for his mask quickly. when he couldn't find it he got up and hid in the bathroom. "Sal?" Lisa ask.

"he doesn't have his mask mom. he's hiding." Larry replied.

"oh I'm sorry... I forgot." Lisa said. Ashley, Todd, and Neil walked in.

"hey Larry. where's Sally? didn't even come to see his hero?" Neil teased.

"the doctors took his mask, it kept making his stitches bleed, so he's hiding." Larry murmured.

"hiding?" Todd ask.

"turn the lights out." Larry said. Ashley turned the lights out in the room and closed the door so the doctors wouldn't come in. "Sally. the lights are out." Larry said. the bathroom door opened slightly, but the lights where out in the bathroom so they couldn't see.

"hi guys." Sal muttered.

"hey Sal. sorry about your mask." Ashley said.

"no it's fine. mask or no mask, hiding it part of my life." Sal replied. the room got quiet.

"wow Sal, bring down the mood why don't you?" Todd snickered. Sal close the bathroom door again. "Sal, wait I was just joking." Todd said. Larry gave him a dirty look.

"Sal come on." Larry muttered, trying to get up. he winced slightly and Lisa made him lay down.

"Sal will be fine. lay down." Lisa asid.

four weeks after Larry was released they went into school. everyone stared at them. some gossiping about how Sal was abused and that the mask was probably from his dad hurting him. it went on for a minute before Sal turned to the group.

"shut the hell up about my dad you fucking sluts!" Sal screamed. everyone in the hall stared at him, the people gossping stared at him terrified. Larry shook his head and grabbed Sal's hand.

"come on Sally face." Larry muttered, pulling on Sal's hand.

"my dad was a dirt bag but hat doens't give them the right to say that!" Sal hissed. Larry nodded.

"I know Sally." Larry sighed.