One-Shots

Therapy {P}

"Chill out mum!" Dan called. "He'll be here soon!"

Mrs. Howell was a therapist. Her newest patient, who she had seen only five times, who was suicidal, was late. She automatically assumed the worst.

Minutes ticked by like hours until finally the doorbell rang. Dan's mum let out a sigh and stood up.

"10 minutes late." Dan heard her mutter.

He saw her plaster on a fake smile and gave him a glance. Dan knew he was supposed to leave, but something about this situation intrigued him. His mother was still staring at him until he started making his way up the stairs. Dan saw his hair from the top of the stairs. A deep, beautiful black.

"Hello Philip!" Mrs. Howell said cheerfully.

"Philip. Such a pretty name," Dan found himself thinking.

"Hi Mrs. Howell," Philip said quietly.

He obviously wanted to be anywhere but here.

They walked back to Dan's Mum's office and shut the door. Dan walked down the stairs and sat himself right outside of her door. He knew it wasn't allowed, but what his mum didn't know couldn't hurt her. 

"So, Philip -"

"Phil." Dan heard Phil intervene. 

"Right," Mrs. Howell cleared her throat. "So, Phil. Has there been any progress?"

"With me? Or my music? Because there's no word on My Chem getting back together."

Dan had to bite his finger from crying and laughing at Phil's snarky response. Even the long sigh after it.

"No, Phil," Dan's mum sighed. "With you." 

"Dunno." 

"Are you still feeling the same?" 

Dan rested his head on the door, waiting for his answer.

"Yeah," Phil spoke quietly. 

"Tell me about it." Mrs. Howell suggested. 

Dan slouched over and listen to Phil ramble on about everything that was wrong with him. His depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, self-harm of all sorts, all of it. Dan found himself wiping away tear after tear.

"And yeah," Phil finished.

"Well," Dan's mum paused. "At least you're willing to talk now. I'm running short on time, so if you don't mind, I'd like to wrap up here."

Dan quickly moved to his feet and ran quietly up to his room. He heard the front door shut about five minutes after. He sighed and went downstairs. 

"Who was that?" Dan asked nonchalantly.

"Phil," His mom said. 

"Oh." Dan opened his mouth to say something, but shut it. 

Dan dreamed of that dark haired boy that night.

Week after week, Dan would sit outside his mums office door, listening to their conversations. Dan quickly fell in love with Phil's personality. He would crack jokes about music or bands Dan liked too, but he knew when to talk and when to shut up. 

Every week, Dan looked forward to 6:00 in the afternoon to hear Phil speak. 

"One time, my mum accidentally dropped me. She'll never admit it, but that's why my head is slightly lopsided," Phil laughed.

Dan was, again, biting on his finger tying not to laugh. Everything about that boy was perfect to him. He had only been listening for eight weeks, but he felt he knew Phil so well. He loved black, music, drawing, writing. Everything Dan liked. 

Dan sometimes found himself drifting off into a daydream while listening to Phil. Always thinking about what it would be like to be his friend, to live with him, to marry him. 

~***~

Dan walked down the stairs on a regular Wednesday, to find his mum sitting on the sofa. Dan held his breath. She had tears in her eyes. He looked at the clock and suddenly found himself fighting back tears himself. 

It was 6:45.

"M-mum?" Dan said carefully.

Mrs. Howell turned all her attention to her son and stood up. She quickly swallowed him in a hug.

"Oh, Danny," She cried.

"What's wrong mum?" Dan knew the answer, but he asked anyway.

"I've-" She pulled a sharp inhale. "I've lost a c-client. T-that new boy. P-Phil." 

Dan pulled out of the hug and ran to his room. His mother could hear screams of anger from upstairs. 

~two weeks after~

"Hey mum. Can we talk?" Dan said through his Mum's office door. 

"Yeah! Come in, Danny." 

He shut the door behind him and sat in a chair.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Dan hesitated. "P-Phil." He muttered. 

And Dan took the suicidal boy's time slot.