Butterfly Kisses||Phan Oneshots

2: Family Of Three

Title: Family Of Three
Genre: Parent!Phan, Single Parent!Dan, Punk!Phil, Angst/Fluff

Summary: When Phil moves in with Dan and his son Eddie, they expect him to warm up to the tattooed man pretty quickly. However, when months pass with the boy only retreating further into his shell, Phil has to deal with the challenges of looking after a kid who'd rather ignore his presence.

Author: Darling-Phil on Tumblr
All rights to Author

Warnings: Mentions of Divorce, Homophobia, and Bullying
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Dan and Phil had been together for 2 years before they decided it was time that they moved in together. They knew they loved each other and it was getting increasingly harder for them to arrange time to visit each other between work and Dan's parental responsibilities. In the end, they decided that Phil would move into Dan's house with the explanation that Dan didn't want to suddenly move when Eddie was only four years old and the house he already lived in was big enough for the three of them.
The main problem? Eddie was mainly unfamiliar with Phil considering that Dan would usually leave Eddie with his parents in order to go see Phil alone at his flat. With the current situation of Phil moving in, Dan expressed that he felt guilty for keeping Eddie in the dark for the most part but Phil had only hushed him and told him that he'd get used to him eventually.
However, when they did tell him, things didn't exactly go to plan. With him being so young he found it difficult to understand, the confusion on his face breaking into terror with screams of don't take my daddy away.
Although Dan was comforting him and reassuring him that it won't happen, Phil wasn't listening anymore. It intimidated him, he hadn't expected such a bad reaction and the breeding thoughts that this could potentially call off any future Phil had with Dan was paralysing. Only small phrases from the conversation were registering in Phil's mind, nothing is going to change, Phil will just be around a lot more. What if Eddie didn't want that, what happens then?
Typically, for a child so young, Eddie was quick to get flustered, tears marking his small cheeks. One second there was crying in his ear, the next it had become muffled as Dan took the small boy out of the room to talk to him alone. Phil had never felt so confined before, not daring to move from his place in the kitchen. Nerves had overtaken his body, he just wanted Eddie to like him and he was more than willing to try his hardest. Despite his prior determination, Phil was no longer sure that he'd ever have the chance.
Phil had never been so in love with somebody before, he was so desperate to be with Dan and join his little family. The past 2 years had been his brightest with the pastel loving boy in his life, he couldn't deal with the prospect that he could possibly lose him. Having Eddie warm up to him was a key aspect to making this work, but he feared that his heavily tattooed body and unfamiliarity with the child would display him as far too intimidating.
When Dan returned, Phil noticed that the house had gone silent. After crying so much, Eddie had apparently worn himself out and Dan had left him in his room so that he could sleep. He'll be fine, it's a big change, I love you. He could hear Dan's voice but his mind was still so far away, turning poisonous thoughts around in his mind.
In the end, the pair found themselves cuddled together on the sofa. One of Phil's hands brushed smoothly through Dan's hair, revelling in the comfort of his boyfriend after the hectic events of earlier. What had happened was playing on repeat in Phil's mind, the angry words that the boy had screamed scorched into his memory. He was afraid.

It had been 2 months since Phil moved in and he was still having very little luck when it came to Eddie. Stubbornly, the boy barely spoke to Phil, only ever answering questions with short replies or mumbling that he was hungry. After talking with Dan though, Phil came to realise that he wasn't alone in his fears towards their relationship.
One night, Dan had broken down, spilling his insecurities that Phil would leave because of Eddie's refusal to accept him into their home. Although it hurt him to see Dan cry like that, Phil couldn't help but be relieved that they were on the same page. It made them stronger.
Now, Phil takes to reassuring Dan to be patient with the child and that one day the initial shock will wear off. Sometimes, he's not sure if he's really reassuring Dan or himself.
He was running out of ideas when it came to bonding with the kid. Constantly, Phil would spoil him maybe a little too much whenever Dan wasn't looking and always offered to keep him entertained when Dan was too busy to play with him. Nothing seemed to work though, Phil could only figure that children were more complex than just a few ice creams and piggyback rides.
So, when Dan told Phil that his work hours were changing meaning that every school day Phil would be alone with Eddie for a couple hours, he was terrified. Sure, he'd been alone with Eddie before but the sudden routine responsibility caused reality to strike him. He wasn't sure if he really knew how to look after a kid, especially one that would rather not acknowledge his presence in the house.
I'll have the car so my mother will drop him home every day at 3:30. You'll be fine, I trust you.
Which lead to the present day, Phil sat in the lounge glaring so hard at the clock that he feared that the glass might break. Desperately he tried to think of ideas, he needed to figure out what he was doing with the kid, how he was supposed to keep him safe and entertained until Dan came home. Suddenly, he regrets not talking to Dan about this, he would've calmed him down and gave him advice but instead he insisted that they would be fine. He wasn't fine, this could potentially be a disaster.
When the door finally opened signalling Eddie's arrival along with Dan's mother, Phil was pulled out of his spiralling thoughts. He was quick to get up and meet them, smiling and greeting Dan's mother before crouching down so that he was at Eddie's level. The way the boy cringed away a little and stepped closer to his grandmother hurt more than Phil could admit.
'Hey Ed, did you have a good day at school?' Keeping his tone light, Phil attempted to start a conversation. He'd seen how passionately the boy would explain the day's events to Dan, so Phil clung onto the small shred of hope that he'd be met with the same response.
He wasn't.
The boy simply hummed, eyes flickering uncomfortably around the hallway. Sighing in defeat, Phil stood back up to thank Dan's mother and say goodbye before promptly shutting the door and turning his attention back to the boy. He squirmed awkwardly, evidently wanting to out of Phil's gaze.
'You hungry at all, I could make you a snack?' Phil wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, his and Dan's prior arrangement meant that Dan would get off work in time to take the boy home from school. It was lucky that Phil worked late shifts meaning that he would be at home in Dan's place but the idea of leaving him with Dan's parents was becoming an increasingly better option. He wasn't even sure how Dan trusted him more than a daycare.
'No thank you, Phil.' Formality always seemed to lace the child's tone when he addressed Phil, a certain politeness that was usually saved for unfamiliar faces. It was a mannerism Phil had noticed pretty early on, the way Eddie never spoke to him casually as he did with Dan and other family members he saw often. Phil had lived with them for 2 months, the child even aware of his existence for 2 years prior to that, yet he still spoke to him like a guest.
Although he knows not to take it personally, Phil finds it difficult. He was desperate for Eddie to like him, not only for the sake of his relationship with Dan but for so much more. Phil wanted Eddie to like him because he'd known the kid since he was 2, had seen the way he grew from a toddler to a small child and he loved him. Phil was the one Dan screamed to down the phone whenever Eddie had reached another milestone, who'd comforted Dan on his first day of nursery because he wasn't used to the separation. He loved Eddie like he was his own son and he wanted nothing more than for Eddie to view him as another father figure. Even if that would never be achievable, Phil at least wanted his acceptance.
'Anything special you want for dinner?' Phil tried to keep himself out of his mind and in reality, addressing the young boy who was fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
Instead of replying, he shook his head and ran past Phil to his room. He heard the door creak shut, officially shutting Phil out of the kid's life as he played in peace without the permanent intruder who'd encroached upon his home.
Sighing, Phil turned and made a start on dinner.