Misfit (Phan AU)

Chapter Forty-Three

Warnings: phil comes out before he feels entirely ready to, if that's something that'll bother you feel free to message me for more details but it's nothing bad and the overall reaction is accepting

*Phil's POV*

The dream started off pleasant enough, a mix of nonsensical misadventures and genuine memories that I'd harbored away in my subconscious over the years, some recent and others not. None of it was even close to realistic, there wasn't a single moment where I doubted the fact that I was dreaming it all up, yet when things took a dark turn I couldn't bring myself to wake up.

Familiar laughter spiraled into something treacherous and threatening, a soft dimpled smile shifted into sharp teeth exposed with a menacing glint, and the kind brown eyes I'd come to trust so much faded away in a tunnel of emotionless black. The line between friend and foe suddenly so thin, I ran. The remainder of the dream was spent running, desperately trying to get away despite knowing my legs couldn't carry me nearly as fast as they needed to. Safety seemed so far away, even with the distant knowledge that this was all a figment of my own imagination.

When I finally, finally, startled awake, it was to the sound of Dan softly mumbling in his sleep. I jerked away the moment I realized I was conscious again, breathing heavily as I shifted to the very edge of the mattress to put space between us. He stirred slightly at the rapid movement, but otherwise seemed pretty invested in his own dreams.

I brought my knees to my chest, tentatively looking around the dark room. It had to have been early morning, light was just barely starting to show through the bleak skies. And still, it wasn't quite enough to make out what inhabited the darkest corners of the room, what could have been staring back at me without my knowledge. A shiver wracked my frame and without thinking it through, my hand darted to Dan's shoulder to shake him awake.

"D-Dan?" My own voice sounded alien and unfamiliar, a hollow echo of what it usually was. I was parched, not to mention the toll my fear had taken on my vocal chords, making the single syllable come across as something shaky and forced.

Dan stirred slightly, rolling over and gripping my wrist. I jumped, yanking my hand free with little effort, my skin feeling all too hot where he'd touched me. I stared down at him with wide eyes, memories of my dream still dancing behind my eyes, now paired with entirely conscious memories of all the times that innocent face had morphed into something so devilish.

I groaned, scrubbing my hands across my face. This was Dan, for God's sake, I could trust him!

I reached out again, poking Dan in the face until his cheek scrunched up adorably. He furrowed his eyebrows together, trying to lean away from the touch in his sleep. I didn't give him much choice though, even facing him through my fears seemed better than sitting awake for hours on my own, eyes glued to the shadows in the room.

"Mmh." He grumbled, yanking the blankets over his head in one smooth movement. I sighed, sinking back against the pillows and resigning to the fact that maybe I was overreacting. He'd been stressed constantly lately, it was a bit cruel to wake him now that he was finally getting some good sleep. Still, I couldn't help the way my heart raced, the way the shapes of the shadows took on something far more fearful the longer I stared.

When the wind outside howled against the window and the rising sun shifted just enough to make the shadows shift and flicker against the far wall, I nearly yelped in my effort to grab Dan and shove him awake so harshly I heard the air leave his lungs.

"Dan!" I pleaded, continuing to shake him even as his eyes snapped open and he drew a deep startled breath. He sat up abruptly, shoving my hands away with heavy sleep-fuddled limbs.