Intriguing (phan)

5 - eavesdropping

(dan)

the next day, phil seemed to have made a full recovery. after their usual uneventful breakfast, where phil had somehow managed to make dan laugh more than he probably had in an entire year of his life, phil had rushed away to his room to get ready for going out.

so when the doorbell finally rings, dan knows that it's phil's friend who is coming to pick him up. dan is too lazy to get up, so he uses his telekinesis to unlock the door, before yelling, "it's open!"

the door swings open, and in walks in a guy with the curliest hair dan has ever seen and curious green eyes. in the corner of his mind, dan registers that he's cute, but not dan's type.

he wonders if he is supposed to get up and greet the guy, but before he can make a decision, phil is rushing into the room, shirt only half buttoned. they hug and dan can easily tell that they haven't seen each other in a while.

"pj!" phil exclaims once he's pulled away. "i haven't seen you in ages!" phil continues as he does up his last few buttons. pj only laughs.

"have you met dan?" phil asks, and dan mentally rolls his eyes as he gets up to greet pj. they quickly shake hands, exchanging names.

when their short conversation dwindles to an end, dan makes a hasty escape, muttering about some work he has to do.

he turns around and wills his laptop into his hands, but it doesn't move. his stare intensifies, but the laptop stays put. he sighs, extending his hand to pick up the laptop, before speed walking into his room.

he closes his door, also using his hands, and somehow he ends up slamming it. he puts down the laptop and sits in front of the door, curled up in a ball of shame and awkwardness. pj definitely did not get a good first impression.

"--freak."

suddenly dan's ears perked up. he calmed his breathing so that he could hear what they were saying.

"pj, don't say that," dan hears phil scolding from outside.

"what? i'm just saying that's what it seems like. did you see how he was staring at me? it's like he hasn't seen a human being before."

"pj, stop making a big deal--"

"has he even gone outside since you got here? he's so pale." dan wishes pj would lower his voice, so he didn't have to hear this conversation.

"pj, i don't get why you care so much--"

"so that's a no." pj pauses. "i wonder why?"

"it's none of our business," phil argues, voice pleading.

"yes, it is. if he has no friends, there's obviously a reason why."

"pj, stop it! he's really nice, ok? i don't care if he doesn't have friends. that's his choice. why should i judge him for it, if he's completely fine with me?" dan feels a little relieved at hearing this, but is dreading pj's answer. why haven't they left yet?

"why are you getting so defensive?"

"because i'm his friend," phil answers defiantly. although this answer makes dan's heart warm, he knows he shouldn't have let it get this far. friends don't keep secrets from friends. especially major ones, like being telekinetic.

pj is silent for a second before saying, "you have a crush on him don't you?"

"no, i don't."

"you always did have a thing for brunettes." pj laughs bitterly. "i would know."

"i said i don't."

"do you even know anything about him? has he ever mentioned family? his childhood? school? anything?" dan knew this was a big mistake on his part. of course, he hadn't mentioned any of those things to phil. his family had made sure dan never left the house because they were so scared of someone finding out his secret. he had been home-schooled. he didn't talk to his family anymore.

"pj, i said i don't care. can we move on from this stupid conversation?"

"phil, it just seems suspicious. i feel like you should leave."

"but it's not suspicious. you're just overprotective."

pj laughs the tiniest bit. "do you blame me?"

"no, but i wish you'd tone it down a bit. i've moved around so much. i just want to stay here."

there is a long silence before pj finally answers. "alright, you can. just promise me one thing."

"what?"

"don't get close to him."

phil sighs, "i won't."

"good boy."

dan wonders how they could possibly be friends. phil is so gentle and caring, while pj is just rude and judgemental. it didn't take long for dan to hate him. they must've been together at some point as well, considering pj's comment about brunettes. so why are they still friends? pj doesn't deserve someone like phil to be friends with him.

dan sighs and shakes his head, trying to clear his mind. a few moments later, the flat door slams and he realises they're finally gone.

he gets up from the floor and collapses on his bed instead, desperately searching his mind for a solution to this problem.

he doesn't want phil to leave. he's enjoyed having someone to talk to every morning, and the house not feeling so cold and empty.

he wonders if phil really does have a crush on him. the thought makes him feel giddy. they hadn't talked about last night, when they fell asleep next to each other, and phil kissed dan's cheek. dan knew phil was tired and on painkillers so he'd probably forgotten. dan didn't mind ignoring it as well, as long as there was another chance of it happening. of course, if phil leaves, there won't be another chance.

dan sighs again. fine. pj needs him to have friends? dan has always been good at pretending.

**a/n i changed my bio and included a new update schedule.

this chapter was kinda lame i'll probably edit it later. but thoughts on where this is going? of course, vote if you enjoyed!**

🔮rachel