Those Who Trust (Phan)

Part 32

OOOh, is it time for a new chapter? It is. :) But before, I just want to say that last month I found that someone had taken the story and reuploaded it. Actually that happened three times now. Please don't do that. It takes away from the fun of writing. I hope you like the next chapter. :) x

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When Dan returned home the next morning, Phil immediately noticed that something was still wrong. His boyfriend's hair was messy, he wore the same clothes from last night and his eyes were hollow. He greeted Phil with a mumbled "Good morning" before walking into his room and shutting the door behind himself. Hard.

Phil, a cup of coffee in his hands that was almost empty already, didn't really know what to make of that situation. He had no idea what exactly had happened last night for Dan to want to leave so fast and had assumed that it had been a panic attack. The way he had looked just now though, not skittish or anxious but simply subdued, didn't match the way Dan usually acted after panic attacks. And the way he had slammed the door let Phil assume that his boyfriend was not up for company right now. So Phil finished his coffee and texted PJ, hoping that their friend could tell him what was going on. PJ let him down though. He didn't pick up his phone and an hour later Phil just decided to see for himself what was going on.

He knocked on Dan's door and opened it slowly after he didn't receive an answer.

"Are you alright?"

Phil couldn't see him at first, but then he spotted the lump under the blanket on Dan's bed, only a foot sticking out, because Dan was simply too tall to hide away completely.

"Hey, what's going on? Can I come in?"

There was no answer, and Phil was at a loss for what to do. He knew that Dan still didn't like when Phil entered his room without permission, but right now he felt the right thing to do was to ignore that. So he stepped in with a cautious "I'm coming in now" as a warning as to not startle Dan, and sat down at the edge of the mattress, placing his palm on what he guessed to be Dan's shoulder under the blanket.

"What's wrong, love?"

The lump moved, and Phil guessed that Dan was shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Another shrug and Phil wanted to sigh, but he kept it in.

"You know I can't help you if you don't talk to me. Won't you tell me what's troubling you?"

"Was it all just a joke to you?"

The words were muffled, and Phil wasn't sure if he had understood them correctly. What was Dan on about?

"Just taking in a broken guy and trying to fix him up, see how fast he can fall in love again - was that what it was all about? Because if yes, then congratulations, you won."

"Dan?"

Dan sat up, his hair a ruffled mess, his eyes red and blotchy from crying and a flush on his neck. He snivelled and Phil thought to himself that he had never seen Dan this sad before, a look of heartbreak written all over his face. So many thoughts were racing through his head all at once. Someone had died. Someone was horribly sick. Something really bad must have happened, and Phil was already trying to find the right words to say without even knowing what was wrong.

"Why are you even with me?"

What?

"What?"

And Phil knew that that had been the wrong answer judging by how Dan's face now resembled thunderclouds, and he knew that lightning would strike soon.