Sal hated gym. it was the worst class. dodge ball was the worst. everyone on the other team always went after him. they wanted to knock his mask off. his friends usually protected him and did a good job, but today a ball slipped through. it his Sal so hard that his mask flew off and he was knocked backwards. he landed on his side on the hard wood covered concrete gym floor and groaned. blood from his more sensitive scars and his mouth poured onto the ground.

"Sally!" Larry shouted running over quickly. Ashley was quick to go after the mask. the gym teacher was already yelling at Travis and the others for throwing the ball too hard. Larry knelt beside Sal quickly and pulled his hoodie off. "hold on love." Larry murmured softly. Sal's chin was trembling, his eye's clenched shut, but it didn't stop the tears running down his face. everyone could him. they could see everything. he knew it. Larry put his hoodie on Sal quickly, the hood casting a dark black shadow on Sal's face. "it's okay. no one saw anything. you know I move too fast. I'd never let them see what you didn't want them to see." Larry murmured softly. "I didn't let anyone see anything." Larry assured him.

"I didn't move fast enough. I let my guard down. they broke my mask didn't they?" Sal ask with a shaky voice.

"no Sal, you're mask is fine." Ashley said running over. she held it out to them, it wasn't entirely true it was a little broken. Larry took it from her and scooped Sal up.

"c'mon Sally." Larry murmured, leaving quickly. he carried Sal off quickly to the locker room. he sat Sal down gently and kissed his forehead. he gently wiped at the blood and tears on Sal's cheek wanting to sooth him, but the damage was done. Sal was exposed, bleeding, and terrified. he gave Larry a tearfilled glance and Larry sighed, pulling Sal to his chest. "don't cry. it's okay Sal, no one saw and look, your mask is still in one piece." Larry soothed. "well technically two but one if you fix the tape." Larry corrected himself.

"thats not funny. it's fucking not. don't even laugh!" Sal shouted. Larry froze.

"hey I was just trying to make you laugh. I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you cry." Larry sighed. he gently used his thumb to brush away tears and kissed his forehead gently. Sal flinched away.

"stop i'm a monster. don't even look." Sal muttered tugging the hood over his face again.

"don't be like that Sally." Larry murmured. "hey I've seen you, the real you. beneath the scars and I love all you. those aren't you and neither is that mask. it's okay." Larry murmured softly, pushing the hood off gently, he kissed Sal's forehead gently. "and I love you no matter what." Larry murmured.

"is he alright Johnson?" the gym teacher ask walking in.

"no. I don't think so. he's gonna need a little bit." Larry sighed, holding him tighter.

"let's see that face, that was a lot of blood." the teacher said walking over.

"no. he doesn't like people to look at his face." Larry said, pulling Sal to his chest protectively. Sal clung to him tearfully, face buried in his shirt.

"alright... take him home. he's had enough trouble today. I'll talk to the principal and get you boys excused." he sighed. Larry put Sal's mask on the smaller boy gently. he scooped him up and gave the gym teacher a dirty look.

"he always begs you not to make him play. he hates dodge ball. everyone always tries to do this. six kids complaining they didn't want to play didn't make you change your mind either. I hope this changes your mind." Larry hissed carrying Sal out. he carried his boyfriend the three miles home.

~~

as he walked into the building his mother caught sight of them. she went to say something but paused catching sight of their condition. she took in the way they looked, from the blood drying on Larry's shirt and the angry look in Larry's eye's to the way Sal clung to him and buried his face in his shirt. she could see Sal's mask was unstrapped and appeared broken.

"Larry, what happened?" Lisa ask walking over quickly.

"some asshole beamed him in the face with a fucking dodge ball. they knocked his mask off mom and it's broken." Larry sighed, pulling Sal closer. Lisa pulled the mask away gently and held it. Sal just heaved a sigh, clearly not having the motivation to fight. "they wouldn't even let me stay and beat the hell out of the kids who did it either." Larry growled lowly.

"I'll fix it." Lisa said walking off. Larry nodded and carried Sal to his room in the basement, where there wasn't a chance of anyone seeing him without his mask.

"Sal, are you alright?" Larry ask, setting Sal on his bed. Sal sighed slightly and curled up on Larry's bed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough to stop the ball. I tried but... it didn't work. I'm sorry." Larry said, looking at him. his brown eye's were pools of guilt.

"it's not your fault. I let my guard down. I shouldn't have." Sal sighed.

"it wasn't your fault, you shouldn't have to be afraid to play a freaking game. the gym teacher he wouldn't listen." Larry sighed. he pushed the hood off Sal's head gently. he sighed.

"how bad is it?" Sal ask. Larry cupped his cheeks, gently rubbing his thumb over his cheek bone.

"your eye. it's black and swollen. your face is swelling too." Larry sighed. Sal sighed and put his head in his hands.

"my mask isn't going to fit right." Sal sighed.

"you're not going to need it." Larry murmured. Sal stiffened and swallowed.

"wh-what?" Sal ask nervously. he was paling.

"easy. easy. shhh. I just meant you're not going to school for a while." Larry murmured. "babe, your face. those bruises are awful." Larry added. "you can't even open your eye. you're not going anywhere." Larry murmured.

"I told him I didn't wanna play. he wouldn't listen to me. stupid gym teacher." Sal sighed. Larry kissed his forehead.

"it's okay. I won't let him make you play again. okay? this will never happen again okay?" Larry ask. Sal nodded and cuddled to him.

~~

Sal had hidden in Larry's room for two months before Larry managed to get him to go back to school. they made it through he day, up until gym. Sal was nervous. it was dodge ball day. he didn't want to go into the gym, until they were approached by the gym teacher.

"so after talking it over with your dad and the principal we've decided gym is unsafe for you and your mask, but didn't want you to miss out on anything and have come up with a solution." the gym teacher said.

"no more dodge ball?" Sal ask with hope in his voice.

"unfortunately I couldn't get the principal to agree to that, I tried. spent three hours trying, but he agreed to an alternate method." the gym teacher said.

"now I'm scared." Sal said. a helmet was plopped onto his head. "what the hell is this is it's ruining my pigtails." Sal huffed.

"this is the alternative method." the gym teacher replied.

"this is stupid." Sal said.

"I dunno looks cute. you look like a little football player." Larry grinned. Sal glared at him and Larry snickered. "sorry not helping." Larry chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"you're damn right you aren't!" Sal hissed. "I am not wearing this!" Sal glared, pulling the helmet off and tossing it to Larry.

"helmet hair." Larry laughed. Sal silenced him with another glare. "heh." Larry muttered.

"you have to, you can't step foot into the gym without it." he said.

"then I'll sit out here." Sal replied.

"you have to come in." the teacher said.

"I don't know how else I can say it. maybe the mask is muffling my voice." Sal said, lifting his mask just enough for his lips to be visible. "I. AM. NOT. WEARING. THAT. HELMET!" Sal hissed. he pulled his mask back down and glared at the gym teacher.

"oh this is not going to end well." Larry muttered stepping back.

~~

Sal had to wear the helmet, which only cause the bullying in gym to get worse. he was pissed. people were knocking on the helmet and laughing, until Sal used to it to his advantage. Travis bent over to look into his eye's and Sal smirked under his mask, head butting him hard. the sickening crack caused the gym to get quiet as Travis' nose dripped blood.

"get out of my face bitch." Sal hissed. his friends were trying as hard as they could not to laugh.

"I would punish you, but he kinda deserved that." the gym teacher muttered, grabbing Travis' arm and pulled him out to the nurse.

"think I like this thing." Sal said, looking at Larry. his boyfriend simply chuckled and smacked he helmet.

"don't get used to that. it's a one time thing that he's going to let you hurt Travis." Larry warned.

"how do you know?" Sal hissed. Larry shrugged.

"my first day back from staying with you, I beat him up in the locker room. gym teacher let me get away with it, but said it was a one time thing." Larry chuckled.

"oh, my hero." Sal said sarcastically.

"always. gotta protect you." Larry winked. Sal chuckled and shook his head as they turned back to continue gym.