polarize // phan

-two-

trigger warning: homophobia

reminder: very VERY few religious ppl r homophobes and i am 900% aware of that!! purely for story purposes have i added this factor. 99.99% of religious people r lovely and cool (also pls bear in mind this is set 20+ years ago and attitudes have changed v dramatically since!)

call it magic, call it true
call it magic, when i'm with you

yes, yes, that should be splendid, vicar. philip is so very eager to finally meet with you. see you there, goodbye now." her thin voice echoed just far enough up the stairs for philip to catch it. he could also feel the force of the phone being viciously slammed down, despite it being an entire floor beneath him.

philip's mother had been anticipating a meeting with their vicar for months now, and while it would be particularly unusual to stop her from talking otherwise, this only made matters far worse. if he hadn't received an earful about his future before this meeting, there was absolutely no doubt that he would afterwards.

the following forceful footsteps were practically deafening in comparison to the phone call before them. philip rushed to sit upwards as his door was heaved open, revealing once again his mother's presumably permanent scowl.

"put your church clothes back on, we are going to be meeting the vicar."

-
as they slowly approached the door of the almost animated restaurant, philip immediately recognised the familiar face and frame that was lazily slumped against the wall, eyeing him up and down. with a cigarette glued to his left hand, ablaze like the curiosity in his eyes, and his chaotic hazel curls swept to the side, he was unmistakable. philip found himself unable to look away.

"philip!" his mother snapped, cutting his unbreakable gaze short, "get inside, now!"

the boy rolled his eyes, shook his head in disbelief and raised his cigarette to his mouth, sarcasm lingering in his every movement. philip sheepishly shuffled inside, his mother close behind.

-

trying his hardest to keep himself sat neatly upright, (and his mother off of his case) philip drew every breath with caution. this seemed to be working, as the vicar - who looked as though he had lived about three lives, his pale face sagging and his eyes practically crawling back into their sockets - had not given him any second glance. philip soon realised that this was perhaps because he had not placed his tiny, rather battered looking spectacles on his drooping nose yet.

to his satisfaction, the cheerful chattering of the surrounding people in the restaurant almost drowned out the obnoxious waffling of the conversation directly in front of him, however soon philip was forcefully lured in.

"so, philip," the vicar begun, his monotonous voice trembling with each word, "your mother here has been in contact with me, informing me that you would like to become a preacher in our church? you have finished your studies, is that so?"

philip glanced over at his mother, her flailing hands and angry glare urging him to speak. what could he say? he was almost certain that this was not the case, yet how could he fathom any reasonable excuse, especially with his mother sat directly opposite him?

"well, sir, i..." phil begun, before being interrupted, which he had oddly become accustomed to.

"my goodness. vicar, look! two men sharing a table, how vile!" his mother shrieked, her voice and entire face dripping with disgust.

the vicar shook his head in agreement, vindictively tutting whilst his array of chins wobbled in unison.

"and look! goodness! they're holding hands! good thing you have been raised properly son, eh? men with men, imagine! it's just not natural."

phil was unsure how to respond, so nodded uncomfortably, before allowing himself focus on the floor again, desperately hoping of no invitation into the conversation again.

-

after five or ten minutes, and little speech input from any members of the table, a server had finally rushed to their table, a rather ripped and torn notepad clenched in his left fist. philip couldn't help but notice the undeniable stench of nicotine, and raised his head to confirm his thoughts.

the boy quickly noticed that philip's eyes were fixated on him. he could just about hear his mother drone on about his lateness, but wasn't particularly interested in listening, as he kept his gaze in philip's direction also. he rather smugly flashed him a wink, before speaking (or rather, sighing) up.

"apologies, my name is dan, i'll be your server tonight. may i take your order?"

philip had to try his very hardest to keep his mouth from falling completely open, and his cheeks from being painted entirely blush-pink.

-

when the meal had finally reached it's end, philip was more than overjoyed. apart from the occasional exchange of glances between himself and dan, (which he was not prepared to admit, made his stomach flip uncontrollably) the past two hours had consisted of boredom and silence. he could now return home; he could finally internalise his thoughts without fear of being interrogated.

as he wearily pushed himself up from his seat, he awkwardly shook hands with the vicar, and watched as he hobbled away, preparing himself for his mother to open her mouth.

however, this time, she did not, she instead strutted towards the counter to pay. philip assumed that she was saving her anger towards his silence for outside of the restaurant, and lifelessly dragged himself towards the door. he grasped the handle, ready to step outside, before hearing the almost melodic voice.

"come back, tomorrow."

you guessed it lads, i'm thankin my buddy @ivvatobi yet again ! i will keep this short w/o gettin all cheesy and just say a massive, massive thank u, from ideas to editing. you are truly a great help, and i really do appreciate it. (also check out her fic wow it's p amazing)

chapter song:
magic // coldplay