Euphoric but Empty

Phil

It took less then a week for Dan to get confirmed to move in with Phil. They sent Dan's dad to prison for child abuse and drunk driving. Phil was happy Dan could finally be happy, even though the same couldn't be said for Phil, not yet. Though having Dan, Phil's ray of black sunshine, around more often was enough to make Phil giddy. It seemed to be having the same affect on Dan. He was beaming from ear to ear. His dimples were the most adorable thing ever to Phil. Hell, everything about Dan was the most adorable thing to Phil. Dan and Phil were in Dan's room packing.
"Dan do you really need all these pairs of black jeans? They are all exactly the same!" Phil says with a chuckle.
"Um. Excuse me. But they are not all the same." Dan says while picking up a pair of black jeans. "These are my casual jeans made of a stretchy material for ultimate comfort." He threw the casual jeans aside and picked up another identical pair. "These are my formal jeans, made to squeeze in all the wrong places and are clinically proven to improve my posture." He then discards that pair of jeans and reached to pick another when Phil stopped him.
"Ok. Ok. I get it. They are all different and special." Phil said with an eye roll. "Hey! That is a good metaphor for life!" Dan laughed and continued to pack. They were completely ready to go in 3 hours. They put Dan's stuff in the U-Haul that they had ordered. Dan and Phil turned to leave when they saw a feminine figure standing in front of them. Mrs. Howell. Phil thought. Dan immediately tensed up. Phil waited for him to do something but Dan appeared to be frozen in place. Phil grabs Dan's hand and tries to lead Dan around his mom but she moves to block their path.
"Please. I need to talk to my son. Alone." Dan's mom said, holding back tears. Phil looked up at Dan. Dan's chocolate brown eyes stared back at him, and Phil immediately knew that Dan did not want to talk to his mom alone. Phil turned back to face Mrs. Howell.
"You can talk to Dan, but I refuse to leave his side." Phil said, trying his best to look confident. Dan seemed to soften a little. Phil would be lying if he said that he wasn't happy to have this effect on Dan. Mrs. Howell seemed to realize that Phil wasn't going to budge.
"Ok fine. Dan, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For all of it. I wasn't thinking. I will always be here if you need a parent. We will always be family."
"I'm not interested." Dan mumbled.
"What did you say sweetie?" Mrs. Howell said.
"I said I'M NOT FUCKING INTERESTED. YOU DIDN'T SEEM TO THINK WE WERE FAMILY WHEN YOU WERE OFF WITH THAT RANDOM GUY. Dad's drinking? BECAUSE OF YOU. Him hurting me? ALSO YOUR FAULT. EVERYONE THINKS IT WAS DAD'S FAULT BUT YOU PUSHED HIM OVER THE EDGE. AND I'M DONE. WE ARE NOT A FAMILY. THE LESTER'S HAVE BEEN MORE OF A FAMILY TO ME IN THE LAST WEEK THAN YOU WERE MY WHOLE LIFE." Dan said and stormed off, dragging Phil behind him. Neither one of them bothered to look back and see Dan's mom sobbing. Phil's main concern was Dan. When they rounded the corner Dan finally broke down. He was sobbing as he sank to the ground. Phil sat next to him and wrapped his arm around him, trying his best to offer comfort.
"Dan. Dan, hey. Look at me." Phil said tilting Dan's chin up to face him. "You just stood up to your mom. That takes courage. I couldn't do that." Phil said and pulled Dan into a hug. Dan buried his face in Phil's chest. Phil felt more loved and important in that moment than he had ever felt in his whole life.