Phan One-Shots

Catch In The Dark

A/n: are u guys keeping track of this?? an ENTIRE month of being on schedule with my oneshot book?? bizarre 

Genre: Angst, Smut

Wordcount: 11,368

Summary: Dan and Phil keep falling back together, so how come they always stand up again on their own?

Warnings: alcohol consumption, general angst

Catch In The Dark - Passenger

*Third Person*

"Look at that one!" Phil smiles softly, watching as Mariah runs to press her face up against another one of the display cases in the pet store. It's nearing Christmas now, they've been talking about the possibility of her finding a puppy under the tree for quite some time, and her excitement is barely able to be contained now that there was finally snow on the ground.

As she attempts to clamber over the barricade and fall into the bin with the adoptable rabbits, her father steps forward just in time to catch her. She squeals loudly in protest, but Adam has a pretty secure hold on her thrashing frame. He kneels down beside her after he sets her down, carefully explaining to her why she needs to be gentle with the animals. Phil has given her many similar speeches, but she never really listens to him quite the same way.

Phil shakes his head softly, turning away to find a puppy energetically jumping up in hopes of receiving his attention. He bends over to give it a light pat on the head before feeling his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Figuring it was likely Louise messaging him with yet another invitation to her upcoming youtube Christmas party, he frowns and fumbles to check his texts.

He's wrong, it seems, when instead his gaze lands on the name he'd least expected to see lighting up his phone.

From: Daniel. Sent: 5:32pm

"Call me when you can."

Phil chuckles, low and bitter, while sinking his teeth into his bottom lip in hopes of grounding himself. His mind's already darting in a hundred different directions, the emotions he'd been so sure he would be able to keep under control this time suddenly rebelling against him. For every day he'd managed to go without thinking about Dan, it seemed there was a new hurt in his chest now that he finally was.

"Phil? Is something wrong?" Adam's voice is saturated with concern, eyes wide as he turns around and catches sight of Phil. He steps cautiously closer, settling a hand on Phil's shoulder and giving it a rather reassuring squeeze. "You look upset."

Phil debates lying, debates whether he should bite down on his own tongue hard enough to draw blood just to keep from saying that name again. He knows what will happen, it's happened so many times now that there isn't any room left for straying from the pattern. Phil knows all too well how quickly things can change when that name comes back into the picture.

Dan ruins things, whether he's there or not, whether he's been gone for a damn year without a word or not, his influence on Phil's life is still strong enough to reduce everything to rubble.

"It's Dan." He knows he shouldn't say it, knows they've talked about it way too many times for him to simply act oblivious to how much Adam doesn't want to hear it. Their relationship has been going so good for so long, he's opened up to Adam in ways he never has with anyone since everything fell apart that first time.

But his boyfriend is tired, so very tired of holding Phil as he breaks down late at night and tired of telling him all the reasons he's better off without Dan around. He's tired of repeating the same things time and time again and never once getting through to Phil enough to make him believe any of it.