Trust

Phil - Present/Phil - Past

"No! Dan! Don't do it!"

Phil jolted awake from his nightmare, breathing heavily from the sudden shock. He checked the time on his phone, groaning when the screen read in bright white numbers, the time: 5:15 am. He knew he wouldn't get any more sleep so he flung the covers off himself and yawned, stretching his arms.

Phil tried to push away the thoughts of the dream, but it kept returning. Marcus' screaming, Dan's unnerving and cold posterior, and his own fear of the situation. He'd never seen Dan take the soul from a person before. And now that he's seen it, he never wants to ever again. He shuddered, remembering the blood-red eyes, before he was snapped out of his daze by Cat, who stumbled into his room, rubbing her eyes.

"Phil? What's wrong?" she grumbled, though Phil knew it was because she was tired and not that she was annoyed with him.

"Sorry," he said, embarrassed. "Did I wake you?" She sighed.

"Yes, but I don't mind," she responded. Phil still felt guilty for disturbing her, but he decided to take her word.

"Okay. But I can't go back to sleep," he muttered, massaging his temples. Cat looked at him sympathetically before quietly asking,

"Bad dream?" Phil just nodded, letting out a long sigh. Cat sat down next to him, pursing her lips together before speaking.

"Phil, are you sure-" Phil's eyes darkened and he cut her off before he could finish.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm not going to therapy, Cat," he hissed, but then immediately felt bad when he saw Cat's eyes flash in hurt.

"I'm sorry," he said quieter. "But I don't want to go to therapy. I don't need therapy." He looked directly into her eyes, mirroring her sad expression.

"I need Dan."

--------------------------

"Did you get everything?" Phil asked hurriedly and Dan gave a curt nod.

"Go!" he ushered, following Dan out of their apartment into their car. They tossed their suitcases into the trunk, slamming it shut before making their way to their respective seats. Dan quickly turned the key once he'd sat down, letting out a breath as the engine revved. Phil got into the passenger seat and just managed to close the door before Dan floored the gas pedal. He gave a small yelp in protest, but didn't reprimand Dan for his less-than-safe driving habits. It was for good reason anyway.

Phil decided to just stay quiet for a few minutes of the trip, staring out the window and thinking.

"Dan, are you okay?" he finally asked, his voice dull and quieter than normal. Dan swallowed, his throat dry.

"I should be asking you that question," he tried to joke, but it came out tense and snappish. Phil shrugged.

"I know you've been through quite a bit is all," Phil replied. Dan huffed.

"And you haven't? I deserve whatever happens, you don't Phil," he snapped, breezing by on the highway. Phil glared at his boyfriend.

"Don't you dare say that, Howell. We've both suffered, it doesn't mean you need more than I do. It was a mistake, everyone makes mistakes," he argued, though he knew that he wasn't convincing. Dan gave him a sideways glance, letting a small smile play on his lips.

"I think I'm a bad influence on you," he mused. "Now you're the one getting upset and angry." Phil sighed, but his mood was already starting to lift.

"I can't believe you're actually making jokes," Phil shot back, only half seriously. Dan chuckled.

"I think we're both bad influences on each other." There was a comfortable silence.

"Hey Dan," Phil began uneasily. "Where are we going to stay?" Dan cursed under his breath.

"Call Louise, maybe she'll let us stay a few days," he suggested. Phil took out his phone, quickly dialing her number and placing it up to his ear. After a few quiet rings, her louder voice made him jump,

"Philip, what do you want?" He could help his smile, before he turned sober at the request he still needed to ask for.

"Louise, I'm so sorry, but do you think Dan and I could stay over for a week or two? I know this is really short notice, but it's kind of urgent." He bit his lip as he waited for her response. Dan kept half a mind on the road, but tried to listen in on the conversation.

"Okay?" it sounded like more like a question, but Phil sighed in relief.

"Thank you so much, Louise! You don't know how much we appreciate this. I'll explain everything when we get there," he promised. They had some small talk before Phil finally ended the call. He turned back to Dan, eyes bright.

"She said she'd let us stay," he informed, though he knew that Dan had probably overheard already. Dan gave a dimpled smile, glancing over at Phil. He readjusted his grip on the steering wheel.

"I love you," he said suddenly. Phil quirked an eyebrow at his confession, but responded with a smile,

"I love you too."

A/N - And that is the next chapter! I had to combine two parts because they were both fairly short. Thank you all so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Keep smiling :)