[ON HOLD] One Last Chance - Phan

Chapter 15

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE PLZ READ

Ok so Dan was supposed to realise he's bi in Chapter 13 but I forgot to add it in... it's in there now, you don't need to go back and read it, but just so you know otherwise it's a bit out of the blue in this chapter. If you're reading this after it was added in, then just ignore all of this lol.

Also thx for 500 reads! This is so awesome ily guys xx

-IntrovertedPhan

TW: Mention of self harm and suicide

Phil's POV

We had arrived at the house about 1 hour ago, I made sure that Dan had calmed down and was okay enough to talk if he wanted to.

I make my way over to the sofa where he was sat, two cups of tea in my hands. I hand one to Dan, who smiles in return and sips the drink before placing it on the coffee table in front of us. He wraps himself up in a blanket I fetched from our bedroom and leans against me slightly.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Dan hesitates before nodding. He shifts around a bit so he's sat up properly.

"I k-kinda died in front of t-them." He makes no hesitation in explaining everything that happened. "And I-I didn't tell t-them why. I guess m-my dad..." Pausing, he seems to think for a moment as to whether he can call him that anymore, so I tell him I know who he means. "h-he was quite mad a-about i-it, which I don't b-blame him for. But, o-obviously, h-he wasn't ever expecting to see m-me ever a-again. He was b-bound to have questions a-and, to be honest, I-I completely understand why he f-felt how he d-did. He just d-didn't know how to react. I m-mean, who would? And s-seeing my scars was n-never going t-to go down well."

"Christ, I'm so sorry Dan..." I don't mention the fact that his stutter is noticeably improving.

"Don't b-be. There w-was nothing that could h-have been done to c-change that s-situation."

"I could have got to you earlier." I mumble, my guilt clear.

"Did you k-know what was going on i-inside?" He smirks as I sigh in defeat and shake my head.

There's a few seconds of silence before I (stupidly) speak up again.

"Dan, if you don't mind me asking, why did you end your second life?" Dan seems to freeze after I speak, but he forces himself to relax and speak.

"I was... I w-was gay. I was b-bullied loads for i-it in a-all the schools I was i-in. I moved schools i-in year 7 a-and 8, but by y-year 9, it was t-too late to move again. Then college r-rolled around and t-there was no chance I-I could m-move once I g-got started. It was just s-so much, I c-couldn't handle it anymore."

"So you..." I trail off when he nods, confirming what I was thinking. "I'm gay." I don't think before I speak and suddenly I've outed myself to Dan.

"Really?" Dan looks over to me, clearly okay with it. I mean of course he would be, but how was my anxiety filled brain supposed to know that? "I t-think I'm bi." That shocked me. I've always known Dan to be straight, but then again, he would have thought the same about me beforehand.

"I don't know any other people in the lgbt+ community, so this is cool." We both smile at each other for a second. "We can both be awkward and into guys together!" Thankfully, Dan laughs at that. He ends up tossing the blanket away and leaning his head on my shoulder.

"Yeah." Dan's voice quietens to a whisper and his eyes fall shut. Gradually, I can feel his breathing slow down as he falls asleep. I whisper goodnight to him and I'm pretty sure he responds in his sleep. Not long after, I rest my head on his slightly and let myself slip into sleep.

* * *

Waverly's POV

I don't want to say anything to any of them, I'll probably make things awkward, but I'm noticing that Dan's improving so much. He's no longer this anxious boy that we first met, barely speaking a word to any of us and only speaking a small bit more to Phil. Not only has he broken out of that, but his stutter has also noticeably improved.

So much, in fact, that no one's noticing someone else slowly slipping away.

I've been so shut off from the rest of the group lately, so I guess that's why nobody's realised that I've constantly got my hood up or the days where I walk out of class without warning. I don't really talk that much anymore during break. Well, except for when it comes to Emma. I talk to her a lot. I get all hot and flustered when she talks to me and a blush always comes to my face. We've been friends for years, so why is this happening now?

Some people think she likes me, and some people think I like her but won't admit it. But that's not possible, right? I'm straight, so how would that work? At least I think I am...

PJ, Emma, Tyler and I sit at our table for lunch, Emma 'spilling the tea' as she calls it, before Dan and Phil sit down - Phil next to me and Dan opposite Phil. Emma then decides that she needs to restart her story so the toy boys can hear it too ("You can't just walk into the middle of a story and listen in, that's not how it works.") and, after only a few seconds, Phil turns to me.

"You okay, Wave? You seem quite down."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I mutter, looking down at my lap.

"Come on Wave, I know you. Is it about-"

"Don't say it out loud!" I kind of yell and I realise that everyone else has stopped talking and is quite shocked by my sudden outburst. 

"I-I'm sorry Wave, I just want to help." Phil's expression is clearly hurt, and I feel bad for shouting at him, but I can't contain it.

"But you can't help with this. You should know that by now." I grab my bag and start to walk off, but Phil stops me from leaving by holding onto my arm. He stands up and pulls my hood down so my eyes aren't hidden behind it. "Don't do that Phil! Leave me alone, you're just making things worse." Rapidly, I yank my hood back up and I can feel some hair that fell out.

"Making things worse? This isn't my fault, you know." Phil lets go of my arm.

"And it's not my fucking fault I have cancer either!" The realisation of what I just said comes rushing towards me all at once. Nervously, I glance over to everyone else, who are all on their feet, fear and concern covering their faces. "Yeah, that's fucking right, I have cancer. There. Now you know." My eyes return to Phil. "And why do you only care now? You haven't any other time. No one's noticed how quiet and cut off I've been, no one's noticed that I've been wearing my hood up no matter what. When I ran off before after talking about our previous lives, no one cared. No one but Emma comforted me and made sure I was okay. Granted, Dan was upset too and in that situation, he was more important, but I felt like nobody gave a shit about me! You don't know how that feels. To be neglected, ignored, unloved." I stop to blink back tears. "I'm sick and tired of this bullshit. I can't deal with this right now." I storm away, but as I do, I can feel a hand catch mine softly. I whip around to see Dan, his eyes tearing up and begging me not to do this. For a moment, guilt waves over me, but I push it back, pull my hand away and walk off without looking back.