Illuminated // Phan (boyxboy)

Chapter 8

An// Thank you guys so much for 1.99k reads; it makes me so happy! I'm loving the feedback on this phanfiction and it puts a huge smile on my face to read your comments and the Tumblr messages you guys send me about it!

Dan didn't really know how on earth he managed to fall asleep that night. His mind was reeling with everything he had found out but he still felt uneasy. He couldn't stop the thought that this wasn't all the carehome and the social knew about Phil, they were hiding information out of the file. Almost as if they were expecting something to happen and for Phil to leave so they didn't delve too far into Phil's mystery.

He was confused when he'd woken up to no Phil cuddled up next to him. The raven haired boy would usually be tucked into a tiny ball, shielding his body away from harm even in sleep. It was painstakingly cute but the reasoning behind it was sinister and a constant reminder of Phil's past and what he had gone through. The younger boy would have his thumb tucked into his mouth, not sucking but biting as if to distract himself from the horror of his nightmares and his thoughts before sleeping. Phil was so childlike and innocent in his sleep it just made him wonder even further how and why anyone would want to hurt Phil in any way; he was precious and adorable.

He realized he had a goofy grin on his face when he'd been thinking of Phil. It gave him some comfort, if Phil could get through so much so far and could still put a smile on Dan's face then surely it wasn't too far gone for Phil to be fixed? He could see himself already growing old with Phil as his friend; the boys friendship was something that seemed permanent and sold like the rock Phil was for him. He'd calmed down Phil from multiple panic attacks and nightmares but their friendship certainly wasn't one sided. Phil kept him grounded, stopped him flaring up and losing his temper because he knew how delicate Phil was. And more than that it showed he wasn't entirely worthless; his own mother hadn't wanted him but Phil clearly did.

He pulled himself out of his temporary bed, that's all it was; temporary. He hated being away from Phil for such long periods of time whilst knowing that he was in so much emotional distress. He should have been there last night to comfort Phil, not Scott. Who cares if Phil was a possible risk to himself, that was no reason to put him in an environment that would trigger so many bad memories. They at least could of let Dan go in there with him, even if it was only to help him settle in to the silence and show him how he wasn't going to be stuck in there, that Scott would always come back and get him out. That Scott wouldn't ever do what Phil's father had done; that he'd never be locked into a claustrophobic room and denied food and water.

He rushed downstairs, almost tripping in his haste, forgetting about that damned loose step on the staircase that Scott had been meaning to tend to for ages now. He almost walked past Scott who was staring forlornly into the room that Dan and Phil had been sharing.

Dan stared at him inquisitively for a moment before coming to stand beside him, his hands subconsciously curling into tight fists.

"You didn't wake me up for school," he mused out loud when he saw the clock in their room flash out ten past eleven.

Scott barely even acknowledged his presence at first except from with a slight startle. He turned to Dan, offering up his signature smile and resting his hand around Dan's shoulders. "I need you to be there for Phil today after he speaks to his social worker, he's.... Had a rough night to say the least." Scott rubbed his eyes tiredly, using his fore finger to pinch the bridge of his nose in a typical display of stress.

Dan nodded sympathetically, but still couldn't help but feel a spark of anger at the words. He could have been there for Phil last night, he wouldn't care how long he'd have to stay up with him for. "How long was he up for?" He asked through gritted teeth.