Illuminated // Phan (boyxboy)

Chapter 15

AN// a tiny bit of smut in this chapter, again not Phan yet, so yeah if you don't like that then you probably shouldn't be reading a Phanfiction tagged with smut... but in all seriousness 5.3K WHO LET THAT HAPPEN???? Thank you guys for reading the thing that I write during my existential crisis' at 4am. The last chapter got 67 comments and I love replying to you guys - it makes me really happy so feel free to comment as many times you want too; break 67 if you wanna ☺️

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He was running. Legs speeding relentlessly down the asphalt, kicking up miscule pieces of gravel as he tore down the streets

He needed to get as far away as possible from anyone who could recognize him and tell the police or Scott of his whereabouts.

He didn't know where he was or where he was going to go, all he knew was that the care home wasn't safe anymore. No one was safe anymore - especially not for him. Never for him.

He bolted continuously through random streets and villages until he found a bus stop that was about an hour away from the care-home. His eyes drooped heavily with exhaustion at this time he was usually asleep and cuddled into Dan's protective embrace; he just really wanted to sleep. He wanted desperately to be laying next to Dan underneath his warm comforter with Totoro under his arm and Dan's arm wrapped firmly around him.

He paid the bus driver probably too much in his sleep addled state  and pointed to a random area of the map that seemed a good way away from where he was and let his eyes shut mercifully; grateful for the opportunity to sleep.
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"Sweetheart, you've missed your stop by an hour; do you want me to call someone for you?" The voice of the driver chimed through the haze of sleep that clouded his mind.

Immediately his body stilled as he felt her press a gentle hand to his forehead, "you sure don't look well sweetie; I think you're coming down with something. Come on, come with me into the depot and you can use a phone to ring your folks, can't have someone as sweet as you wandering the streets at this hour, what with that bruise and broken arm of yours. Say, how'd you get those, love? They look nasty." The lady was enquiringly softly but Phil's mind was on red alert. This was exactly like how it was when a social worker would come to his house, he'd have to be on red alert, careful to not distress any aspect of his life to them. Wary and waiting for them to pounce on him with a suspicious question or concerned eyes that would ultimately end with his father bringing his fists into the side of his head later that night because he didn't lie to them well enough. Phil couldn't lie very well - honesty was an extremely important part of his life since from the day he was born he'd been lied too constantly so he valued honesty. It was almost ironic considering the things he would do, the smiles he would fake, the laughter he wouldn't feel.

He didn't realise he was shaking until the woman pulled him into her warm embrace, holding onto him with just the right amount of strength but still giving him chance to push away from the contact if he needed. "It's alright, Phil, shhhh, you're okay, don't be scared - I won't hurt you." the lady soothed into his ear softly and sweetly as Phil felt his whole body still with fear. He brought his head up shakily to look at the woman in front of him; brown hair, dark eyes, average, wouldn't be noticed in a crowd - who did he know who was like that?

"Still shy, I see," the lady smiled down at him with obvious affection before she started to fumble around in her pockets, obviously searching for something. "There's got to be something in here somewhere," she muttered to herself as Phil sat there, frozen and unsure or what he was supposed to do. After a minute of continuously fumbling she finally pulled out some rolls of paper that she refilled the ticket machine with. "One moment, Phil," she laughed at her own slowness before dismissing herself to get a pen from the drivers cabin.