The Same, But Different (Phan) DISCONTINUED

Aching Bones and a Small Smile

Phil groaned in pain, curling in on himself.

He coughed, immediately regretting the decision. He whimpered as a pain as sharp as a knife struck his ribs.

What was he going to do? How pathetic he looked, scrunched up in the fetal position of the bathroom floor of the boy's loos. He sighed to himself (another move that made his ribs ache) and closed his eyes.

There was only one thing to do, wasn't there?

Looks like he's going to have to try and haul himself up. But how does he even go about it? He hurt so much that even wasting away on the dirty lavatory floor was better than trying (and most likely failing) to sit up. But he couldn't do that, so he was left with no other choice than to get up.

Pathetic.

Some people are starving, Phil, and you can't even get off your ass after being punched once or twice.

God forbid you ever get in a car accident and have to try and save the other person whilst you're wounded. They'd probably die, wouldn't they?

Phil squeezed closed his eyes and shook his head. No. No. No. No he was better than that, no matter his thoughts trying to tell him otherwise.

But you're not, are you, Phil?

Phil swore his inner voice laughed at him; swore that it cackled cruelly and coldly and without remorse or any consideration to his feeling because it knew it was correct.

He really was starting to lose it.

~o~

When Sebastian walked into the male toilets, he was greeted by the sight of a raven haired boy struggling to pick himself up, porcelain skin marred with a few purple bruises.

"Phil?"

The younger boy froze in fear, his breath hitching, before he realised who it was.

"Seb?"

The blonde ran over to Phil, placing a gentle hand on his arm and back and helping him to stand up. He moved Phil over to the wall, allowing the beaten boy to lean against it and a sink for support.

He looked Phil up and down, his brow creased in concern. "Phil, what happened?" He asked quietly.

Phil swallowed, his throat dry. "I got b-beaten up." He croaked painfully.

Sebastian didn't ask who had done such a thing, fearing that with the anger stirring in his stomach he may potentially on a wild and enraged rampage. Instead, he held his hand out.

"Give me your phone. I'll ring your mum and get her to pick you up."

Fear immediately brewed a storm in Phil's blue eyes and he shook his head, immediately stopping and wincing once he realised the discomfort it caused. "Y-You can't." He said.

"I can and I will. Phil, if she realises what's happened then something will be done to stop all of this! You won't get bullied anymore and it'll be better, trust me." Sebastian practically begged, honesty all over his features.

The raven-haired boy looked torn, and he raised and shaky hand to place over his face.

"I- I don't know, Seb..."

"Please, Phil. It's the best thing to do."

Phil groaned, anguished, before taking out his phone and handing it to Seb. Sebastian thanked Phil quietly before ringing his mother.

~o~

What happened after that was a blur. All Phil knew, was that there were lots of tears and pain and hospitals involved, and now he was lying in his bed at home, at quarter to eleven at night.

He could hear his mum crying downstairs, trying to muffle her tears but failing miserably. Probably not being able to believe that her baby had been going through so much horror, but hadn't said a word about it.

Phil stared at the familiar ceiling, worrying at his lip. He still aches all over, but nowhere near as bad as it had been when Sebastian had found him. He clutched his phone tightly, switching it on and off repeatedly as a sort of calming method and he heaved a great sigh, his breath shaky.

He felt a vibration in his hand and looked to his phone to see it ringing.

'Dan' it read.

Dan! Phil thought. In the midst of the whirlwind of panic he'd been swept up into, he'd forgotten that his partner must have been worrying himself to death. He quickly pressed answer.

"Phil!" Cried out a tinny version of Dan's voice. "Are you okay? Are you alright? Does it hurt? What happened?"

It took Phil's tired brain a few seconds to wrap around the questions that had been propelled at him. "I'm okay now, Dan," he reassured. "I'm pretty full of painkillers so it doesn't hurt too bad."

He heard Dan sigh a little in relief. "Thank god. I- I was so so worried! I thought you'd, like, died!" He whimpered.

"I'm alive, Dan. It's fine." Phil insisted, feeling a little flutter in his heart that Dan cared so much.

"But Phil. What happened?"

Phil took in a sharp breath. "I- I was beaten up." He whispered.

"What?" Came Dan's breathy, shaky reply.

"B-Beaten up." Phil said, a little louder.

"Th-that badly? I didn't... didn't think it was that bad... at school especially. I-I'm sorry. I would've watched you more or... something." Dan mumbled solemnly.

"It wasn't you, Dan. You couldn't have done anything. I love you."

Phil swore he could hear a small smile make its way onto Dan's face as the brunet replied, "I love you too."