It had been a month. A whole month.
Dan had finished the chemotherapy but he was still required to take the pills to sustain his body while he wasn't in chemotherapy. Just to make sure the illness didn't come creeping back.
On his first day back to school after being cancer-free, people clapped him on the back, hugged him, and congratulated him. He didn't even know any of them, though he still appreciated the sentiment.
Dan daydreamed through all his boring classes and talked to Phil or passed notes with him when they were together.
Everything was back to normal.
"Hey, Phil," Dan said during lunch.
"Yeah?" Phil said, putting another cracker in his mouth.
"Wanna go for smoothies after school?" Dan asked, blushing. He realized it sounded like he was asking Phil on a date, but that should be normal right? They were already together, after all.
"Sure, sounds like fun," Phil said with a smile.
***
Dan ordered a mango-orange smoothie and Phil ordered a strawberry kiwi one. They took sips from each other's cups whenever they pleased.
They walked around and ended up in the park where they first kissed. Butterflies erupted in Dan's stomach at the memory and the thought of being here with Phil again.
They made their way to the tree where they sat before they danced and drank their smoothies, Dan laying his head on Phil's chest and Phil stroking Dan's hair.
They were sitting in comfortable silence when Dan decided he needed to get something off his chest.
"Phil?" Dan asked hesitantly, sitting up.
"Yes, Dan?" Phil pulled his arms away. "What is it? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just," Dan smiled so broadly he was sure two more dimples had appeared next to the ones currently there. He was so happy to be telling Phil. "I love you."
Phil's eyes twinkled with happiness as he kissed Dan, tasting the smoothie flavor on him. "I love you, too, bear."
When they finished their smoothies and were ready to go, Phil walked Dan home for dinner with his family.
Dan offered to have him stay for dinner but Phil declined. "Thanks, but my mum's expecting me home for dinner."
Dan sat in his seat at the dining room table and began eating the meal before him immediately.
When everyone had finished, Adrian gathered all the plates and silverware. As Adrian pulled Dan's plate away, Dan pitched forward involuntarily and fell to the floor. He could barely hear anything because all the noise he was listening to just seconds before had turned to a high ringing, muffling every other noise. Dan screamed as his body convulsed while his mother rushed over to him and yelled at Adrian to call an ambulance. Dan vaguely heard the sound of the dishes being dropped onto the table and him shouting into the phone. Dan curled up in the ground, sobbing in pain. He had never felt anything like it. It was as if all the muscles and organs and intestines in his body had suddenly decided to stop working for him and begin working against him. It felt as if his body was trying to kill him.
The last thing Dan remembered before he blacked out was the wailing of sirens, the wretched stench of sweat, and the remnants of the chair he had broken during his fall.
Word count: 564
Ooooh how about that tiny bit of symbolism at the end? I know this was a relatively short chapter compared to the others but the next one will be longer :)
