Together is enough // phanfiction

Part 1

*TRIGGER WARNING*: This story (not specifically this part) contains domestic violence, homophobic slurs, bullying.

Phil

"Really?" Phil's dad asks full disbelieve and doubt. "Yep, coach said that they were one guy short since last month so he could really use me. Of course I will be benched for the first games, until I'm good enough." Phil says while nodding. 

"Are you hearing this Helen?" shouted his dad to his mother in the kitchen. "Our son, on the basketball team." Phil couldn't tell if he was mocking him or if he was actually surprised.

"That sounds great dear." His mom walked in while carrying a tray of tea. "Maybe you'll make some friends!" she said smiling. 

"Maybe even some guy friends for a change!" His dad laughed at his own joke. Phil just nodded, pretending not to hear him. "Yeah, I got my first training tomorrow! I'll even get my own sports jacket!"

"Well," his dad grabbed a cup of tea and took a sip. "maybe that'll make a man out of you."

Phil looked down at his hands in his lap. Beaten down by his dads comment he no longer felt excited or proud. His mom, as usual, did and said absolutely nothing. She has never stood up for me and she never will, Phil thinks to himself.

"Thanks for the tea, mom." He says, while he hasn't taken a single sip, and he gets out of his chair to go upstairs. "I got homework to do." His mom just nods at him with a smile, his dad doesn't even give him a glance.

Phil closes his bedroom door and he leans against it. He feels tears in his eyes but he fights them back. No, not right now. C'mon, don't be weak. One single tear rolls over his cheek. He looks up and sees his reflection in his mirror. "FUCK" he yells and trows his head backwards into the wall. It's the little remarks of his dad that stab him like a knife. It hurts because Phil knows his dad means it. He knows that he is right. He is not a real man, he is a loser, a failure. Phil pushes back his tears. Man up. Real men don't cry. Or at least, that's what he was taught.

Phil starts on his school work and doesn't leave his room for the rest of the day. He skips his dinner most days, so he knows his mother won't come get him. Dinner usually means listening to his dad talk about his work, sports and other things Phil is not interested in. To avoid questions and awkward conversations he stopped eating dinner a few months ago. His mother didn't seem to care so Phil decided to only eat dinner when his dad was out of town. So far this method has worked out for him, so he didn't see a reason to stop.

*The next morning*

Dan

While keeping his eyes closed Dan slides his hand over his nightstand, trying to find the off button on his alarm clock. After the room turns silent he sits up in his bed, feeling a migraine coming up. "Shit." he sighs while rubbing his face with his hands. The migraines came more frequently and more intense over the past couple of months. Doctors say it's stress and they're probably right.

Dan gets up and makes his way to the bathroom. In the mirror he sees the dark circles under his eyes. He has extreme bed hair, curly locks all over the place. He just to straighten and style his hair but he gave up somewhere along the way. He was never satisfied with his looks so he just stopped giving a shit all together.

When Dan comes downstairs he smells the fresh baked eggs, his mom was probably already up for an hour or so. "Hi sweetie." says his mom, greeting him with a big smile and a table set for two, filled with delicious food. His mom was a chef in an Italian restaurant and she was one of the bests. At least that was what Dan thought. Since he was quite a small eater his mom usually ended up eating most of the prepared food, which was visible in her figure. She is what people call a big lady, but it never bothered Dan. His mom was the nicest person he knew and how she looked had no influence on that.

"I made you eggs, bacon and some fresh baked bread." She proudly presented the table. "Also fresh fruits and some orange juice. Very healthy!" She giggled while she sat down. Dan sat across her, nodding gratefully. His mom grabbed a few pieces of bread and bacon and laid the eggs on top. Dan just grabbed some fruits.

"I've got a migraine again." he said quietly. "Oh honey, really?" she asked worried. Dan just nodded. "Well you know what the doctor said, you should take it easy, drink enough water, don't forget to..." She started listing all the doctors advice. Dan zoned out, he had heard it a million times. He tried it all, but the pain didn't stop, probably because the stress didn't stop.

"...and you can of course take one of the pain killers he prescribed you, right honey?" Dan wasn't listening. "Dan?" she asked a bit louder. Dan looked up, confused. "Er, right yeah, I will." He took a small bite of his breakfast.

"Dan..." her voice got quiet and serious. "Yeah?" "Your english teacher called yesterday after school." Dan felt his heartbeat starting to raise. Ohno... "He said some of the kids in class said some things to you... Things that are.." she paused, trying to make eye contact with Dan. "not very kind." Dan kept looking at his plate, he knew the face his mom was making and it broke his heart. "When the teacher confronted them about it, they said it was just a joke, that you were in on it?" She put her hand on the table, trying to hold his, but Dan retracted his hand out of an automatic response.

Lie! went through his head. He looked up, trying to look as cheerful as he possibly could. "Yeah totally, they're just jokes mom! The guys like me now remember? The bullying stopped last year after the guys got detention." Dan tried to sound convincing with every bone in his body. His mom looked skeptical and worried. "Mom trust me," Dan now grabbed her hand on the table. "everything is fine. If they were still bothering me I would tell you." His mom squeezed his hand. "Promise?" Dan smiled. "I promise." he lied.

AN: Hey guys, if you guys like this story give it a vote and go check out my other story! Thanks for reading <3