K I D N A P P E D - P H A N A U

Chapter Ten

Dan was confused, and also terrified. What did Phil plan on asking?

What if he doesn't like me anymore? What if he doesn't want to help me? He's just going to abandon me... I know it!

He waited for the voices to taunt him, but nothing came. And then he remembered how hard he had been working to get over his panic attacks. And then he remembered that Phil was the only reason he was in this cafe.

And that was how he calmed down.

"Yeah, sure," he said, smiling.

Phil took a deep breath and returned Dan's smile.

"Okay, listen, this isn't bad," he said gently. "I just... Do you want to live with me once they let you out? I think it would be the safest place for you know and my dad's a police officers and he can watch you and make sure nothing happens and-" Phil was rambling on and on about Dan's safety, but all Dan could think about was the fact that he was going to be living with Phil.

"Phil, I get it. You want me to be safe," Dan said, rolling his eyes slightly at Phil. "And of course I want to live with you? But how long is it going to take for them to let me out?"

"I'm not sure. But, I bet you can do it. You've gotten this far, and I'm sure you can get to the mental state you need to be at to at for them to let you out. It's not like they can keep you there forever," Phil said, smiling at Dan and taking his hand in his.

"I love you," Dan murmured, smiling wide.

"I love you too." Phil grinned.

Little did the two boys know, Jamie was around the corner with their food, listening to their conversation in confusion. She decided she wouldn't comment on it or anything, so she walked out to their table with their food. She saw their intertwined hands and smirked. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, giggling.

Dan turned bright red. Phil giggled at how much he was blushing.

"No, you didn't interrupt at all. Thanks Jamie," Phil said, oblivious to the fact that she had heard everything.

"Good. Anyway, here's your food. Enjoy!" Jamie said somewhat hurriedly, rushing away back to her corner.

Phil seemed confused and he looked at Dan, but shrugged it off. He picked up his fork and poked it into the eggs, taking a bite. Dan looked at it tentatively.

"Come one Dan, it's not bad. I promise. It's really yummy," Phil said, taking another bite.

Dan looked up at him, then back down at the eggs, and picked up his fork. He took a piece and bit it, tentatively chewing it.

He's right, this isn't bad! Dan said, taking another bite hungrily. He never really ate much of anything at the hospital, so even the smallest amount of food made him realize just how hungry he constantly was. Phil seemed to notice this.

"Do you eat at the hospital?" he asked, concern growing on his face. Dan looked up at him.

"I mean, I occasionally do. But not often," he replied, not realizing that this was a problem.

"Dan, you need to eat. You're not going to have enough energy to do, like, anything," Phil said.

"I've never eaten much, it's not a big deal," Dan said, shrugging and taking a bite.

"Yes, it is a big deal. Listen, you're going to start eating properly once you get out. I will force feed you if I have to," Phil said, crossing his arms.

Dan sighed. "Fine," he said, taking another bite. He took a sip of his hot chocolate, realizing that it was now lukewarm and almost empty. He put the mug down and yawned. He looked up at Phil with a small smile.

"Are you all done?" Phil asked, taking his last bite of the eggs and putting his fork down. Dan nodded. Phil smiled. "Alright, let me just pay Jamie, and we'll be on our-"

"Oh, that won't be necessary. It's on the house," Jamie said, running around the corner and grinning. Once again, she had been listening to the two boys, and she was starting to piece together the situation. Phil opened his mouth to argue, but Jamie interrupted him. "Nope, no arguments." She crossed her arms, making it final.

Phil frowned. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden, and-"

"Phil, listen, it's on the house. You haven't been here in a while, you brought your new boyfriend, so I figured it's the least I could do," Jamie interrupted, smirking down at him. Phil seemed to know better than to argue more.

Dan looked at the two of them in confusion. What does "on the house" mean? Why is Phil upset with this?

"Alright Dan, let's get going," Phil said, glaring ever so slightly at Jamie, who stuck her tongue out and made Phil giggle.

"Wait, but don't we have to pay?" Dan asked, looking at Phil with even more confusion. Jamie looked at Dan over Phil's shoulder, mirroring Dan's expression. Phil giggled.

"No, Dan, that's what on the house means. It means that Jamie is paying for us," Phil explained, smiling. Dan's face immediately showed that he understood. He intertwined their hands and guided him out of the restaurant, shouting goodbye to Jamie, who returned it.

As they entered the bustling streets of London again, Dan shivered, even though he was wearing Phil's jacket. He looked at Dan. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, just a little ch-chilly," Dan said, shivering. Phil took off his own jacket and place it over Dan's shoulders, leaving his arms exposed. "N-No, Phil, I'm fine! You keep your jacket." He took off the jacket and tried giving it back to Phil, but he refused to take it back.

"No, keep it. I'll be fine. I don't want you to get sick; you're not used to this weather."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm used to this," Phil said, giggling at Dan and kissing him on the cheek.

Someone behind them scoffed. "Faggots," a male voice said under his breath.

Dan froze and stood rigidly, biting his lip. He was constantly called that while he was with the kidnappers. He stared at the ground and started shaking.

"Dan, what's wrong?" Phil asked quietly, squeezing his hand gently. Dan shook his head, closing his eyes.

His mind was suddenly flooded with memories.

"You little faggot. You enjoy this, don't you?" Derrick sneered as he was doing unspeakable acts to 6-year old Daniel, who was blindfolded and crying.

"N-No!" He screeched. Derrick yanked at his hair.

"We said no talking! Kevin, shut him up."

Something was inserted into Dan's mouth and began thrusting, hitting the back of his throat periodically and choking him.

"See, he does enjoy it! He's not even fighting back!"

Suddenly, Dan's eyes flew open and he was back in the streets of London with people staring at him as tears raced down his cheeks. Phil was holding his hands and staring into his eyes, murmuring in an attempt to coax him and calm him down. Dan couldn't hear him, though. Instead, all he could hear was the distant voices of his kidnappers and the voice from earlier laughing at him.

"Dan, we're going back. We can fix this when we get back, alright?" Phil's voice rang out in Dan's ears. He nodded as much as he could, a new wave of tears threatening to spill.

Phil let go of one of Dan's hands, guiding him down the street. Dan stared at the ground, still suffering from a major panic attack.

Suddenly, Dan looked up to take in his surroundings and try to calm down. And that's when he regretted it greatly.

Because, standing across the street, were four men.

Four men that had completely ruined Dan's life.

And he collapsed in the middle of the sidewalk.