Those Who Trust (Phan)

Part 34

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments, I really appreciate them a lot! There will be 4 chapters left after this one for this story. Hope you enjoy. :) x

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It had been a year since Dan had moved in with Phil now. It was late September, and Dan had returned to university once again for his third year. The leaves on the trees slowly shifted from dark green to golden, and the supermarkets had already started to sell pumpkins and Halloween decorations. At times a harsh wind whistled through the streets of London, ruffling hair and clothes. Summer was gone and autumn ruled the city with an iron fist.

The couple adapted to the change of season easily. Evenings were spent wrapped up in blankets with cups of hot chocolate or tea or decaffeinated coffee. While Dan was busy with studying, Phil would sit next to him and read, offering a sympathetic smile and a kiss on the cheek whenever Dan sighed in frustration. Dan still visited Ms. Naruse once a week, but they had stopped going to the self-defence class on Tuesdays. They've learned so much there, especially Dan, and they've made great friends there, but when the focus of the class had shifted from getting away from non-sexual attacks to sexual attacks, Dan hadn't been able to push himself enough to suppress the panic bubbling up in his chest at the idea of pretending Phil was sexually assaulting him. Phil had understood that, because Phil was a bloody patient angel, too good of a human being to be true.

Dan had a job now. Two days a week he would work in a coffee shop during the morning rush. The pay was shit and he still had to rely on his parents and the student loans for financial aid, but he now made his own money and that made him feel more independent. He'd had a job when he started at university for exactly two months, for September and October, working in a supermarket, but after the incident he hadn't been able to return, too scared to live in the real world and interact with people. Now, one and a half years later, he had a job and a boyfriend, and for the first time in a long while he was almost completely content with his life.

It was evening. Phil had come home late from work and Dan had cooked for him. That alone was another sign for just how much Dan and his life had changed over the past year. When he had first moved in with Phil, he had barely known how to cook. Twelve months and many hours spent sharing a kitchen with Phil had taught him how to not burn rice and now he could actually cook a few delicious meals. He was oddly proud of that.

They were almost finished with their meals, only a few bites left on both of their plates. There were enough leftovers for Dan to take to university for lunch the next day. Hopefully it wouldn't rain so he could sit outside during his lunch break, back against the trunk of one of the many trees on the campus and reading a book while eating, as that would make for a relaxing break.

Dan toyed around with the last rice grains on his plate, pushing them around with his fork. The conversation between them had come to a stop and the silence between them was comfortable, or at least Phil didn't seem all too bothered by it. He was obviously tired. While Dan had gotten dinner ready, he'd exchanged contact lenses for his black-rimmed glasses that sometimes slipped off his nose and changed into more comfortable clothes. Dan, however, wasn't quite as relaxed. There'd been something on his mind for a while now, a question that he was curious to hear the answer to. He'd never been brave enough to ask though. With every passing day his curiosity grew, and now during this lull in conversation he took a deep breath and decided that it was as good of a time as any to investigate.

"Can I ask you something?" he spoke up.

Phil cocked his head in question as answer and nodded as he was chewing. He looked more alert than seconds before and pushed his glasses back up his nose.