Colors (Phan AU)

twelve

Everyone else had left the classroom but Dan, Phil, Louise, and mr. Larson. They silently stared at each other for a while before Dan finally said, "what did you want to speak with us about?"

Mr. Larson replied, "you think I know something about Pj's murder."

"Well, do you?" Louise asked. Mr. Larson stared right into Louise's eyes with his cold, black and white ones.

Then he spoke quickly and quietly, "Bay and Liguori have argument involving death threats. Bay finds a "friend" of Liguori's and pays them to commit murder. The "friend" commits the crime with Bay as a "witness". Then the "friend" is taken to court and Bay claims the friend is innocent. The police know Bay is somehow involved with the murder, so she is taken into custody."

"How do you know all of this?" Dan asked.

Mr. Larson laughed. "Because Bay is my ex wife. Now don't be late to your next class please."

"But," Phil said, "you know who killed him."

"You're smart enough to figure it out. Now get going to your next class." Mr. Larson motioned them towards the door and then sat down at his desk and began grading papers.

"But sir-" Louise began.

Mr. Larson interrupted, "get out."

"Sir," Louise said again. "We have a few questions."

Mr. Larson sighed and put down his pen. "Use your brain. Think. Who do you know that has been absent from school for a while?"

Everyone was silent for a few moments while they were thinking. Dan eventually began to suspect Caspar. Not all of the evidence lead them to Caspar, but why else would he have killed himself? Because he loved Dan? That couldn't be the only reason, and Dan knew that.

Then Dan realized that Chris had been absent a lot those last couple weeks. But Dan knew, no, he thought that Chris could never commit a crime such as murder. Chris just wasn't that type of person. But then again, did Dan ever really know Chris that well? Dan wasn't sure what to think about the possibility of Chris murdering Pj.

And then there was that possibility of Chris and Caspar teaming up to commit the murder. But Dan knew that couldn't be right, because of the time of Caspar's death. Casper was pronounced dead before Pj was even found, therefore Caspar couldn't have been involved with the murder.

Dan could feel his palms starting to sweat, and he knew he was thinking too hard about it all.

Phil interrupted Dan's thoughts, "so what do you guys think?"

They glanced at each other and knew they had all come to the same conclusion. Dan was trying to hold back tears when he said, "so it was Chris. That sick bastard!"

~

The following Sunday Dan noticed the front of the newspaper read:

Teen Accused of Murder Commits Suicide

Dan's stomach dropped to the floor when he continued reading the article.

Teenager Chris Kendall was accused of murdering his classmate, Pj Liguori, after all evidence lead to him. Kendall went to court and was found not guilty, even though police were still unsure as to whether he committed the crime or not. This past Thursday, Kendall was found dead due to overdose.

Dan couldn't read anymore without starting to cry, so he called Phil. He briefly explained to Phil what he had read in the newspaper.

"I can't believe it," Dan said.

"I know. It doesn't seem like Chris," Phil replied. "Hey do you want to come over in a bit?"

"Yeah sure." Dan was smiling to himself. "I'll be there in thirty."

So thirty minutes later Dan was in Phil's bedroom laying on the bed and crying. It seemed like a completely normal thing for them to cuddle when Dan was sad. Phil made Dan get under the blanket with him so they could cuddle.

"Why is this happening?" Dan sobbed into Phil's shoulder. Phil gently ran his fingers through Dan's hair and made a soft shushing noise until Dan was calm enough to speak clearly.

"Phil," Dan said, looking into Phil's eyes. "You know, I made a youtube channel."

"Really? What do you call yourself?" Phil asked, still stroking Dan's hair.

Dan sniffled. "Danisnotonfire."

"Well, Danisnotonfire, how about we have a little nap and then we can film a video together?"

"Alright." And Dan fell into a peaceful sleep.

Phil stayed awake and thought about everything that had happened since he first arrived at their school. He had met Shane first and discovered that Dan didn't like Shane at all. Then he sat with Louise and other populars at lunch and became part of a plan to get revenge on Tyler. Everything basically then went back to normal, as there was no more drama with Tyler. Then he and Dan started to get close, and that's when Pj went missing. Then Caspar died when he drove straight in the path of another car. Days after, Pj was found murdered. And eventually Chris, who was probably guilty about killing Pj, overdosed. Despite the large amount of crying Dan did, he was very strong throughout the whole situation.

And as Dan and Phil lay in bed together, Phil could finally see what Dan was talking about.

Color.