Phil grabs the boys hand and begins to lead him down the corridor. "What?" Dan cries, "I'm not bunking off school if you're just going to mess me around. I won't let you use me!" And Phil stops, turning around with a strange glint in his eyes.
"Dan," he breathes, "I'll admit I have used you. I was too stupid to see what we could be, what you meant to me. We were just messing, but now it can be serious, if you want it to be," Phil hesitates, and the brown haired boy gulps, before nodding eagerly, his flower crown tipping to one side. Phil rights it and grins, before continuing, "I promise I won't fuck around with anyone else. We're a thing now ok? I'm serious about this. Are you gonna come with me now or not?"
Dan nods weakly, and all he can do is follow.
The school doors clang hollowly behind them. Phil continues to pull Dan across the empty playground, and the crisp autumn air blows dried leaves in their faces. As Phil helps him over the school fence, Dan begins to laugh, a small, fluttery sound escaping from his lips, brighter than the morning sun. Phil's laugh is deeper, more dangerous, and they harmonise perfectly. As they run down the empty streets, their beautiful laughter bounces off the houses, like a million teenage couples are laughing with them.
"My house, your house or the park?" Phil asks suddenly, as they near their street. Dan falters for a moment before murmuring softly, "your house,"
The blue eyed boy grins, and their turn onto their street, slowing from a run, to a jog to a walk. They stop outside Phil's house, and he pulls out a key, slotting it into the door. "Everyone's at work or school, so we don't have to worry," he comments, looking at Dan for approval. Dan laughs once more, and Phil pushes the door open, helping Dan inside before locking it behind him.
"We've got five hours," Dan whispers solemnly, staring at his watch before looking up at Phil. "We gotta make good use of it then," Phil whispers back. He starts to climb the stairs and Dan follows. As they plonk themselves down on Phil's bed Dan falls back, and breathes a sigh of contentment.
"I've never bunked off before," Dan remarks quietly, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. Phil pushes his shoulder teasingly, not even bothering to respond with how many times he'd skipped school. He'd lost count anyways.
"I meant what I said before, ok Danny?" Phil starts, "I'm yours now, totally and completely, and you are mine," he has the dark, possessive look around him, and Dan blushes like a primary school kid. He takes Phil's hand and pulls him down on the bed next to him, before pecking him on the cheek. Phil smiles, and begins to reach over for more, but Dan stops him. "We gotta take this slow. I want to savour every moment," he says sternly, and Phil giggles and responds with a playful, "Yes sir!". He sits back up, "you wanna play some video games?" He asks, and Dan grins, "you got it!"
As Phil begins to set up the tv and slide in a game, he hears a quiet "I'll beat you at Mario cart you know," behind him. He turns around to see that Dan had wrapped himself up in his duvet, and looked remarkably like a little blob of icing on a cupcake. Phil crawls across the bed, kissing Dan on the end of the nose and pushing a remote his way. He watches as one, two thin arms stick out of the duvet, clasping the controller. The tattoos peek out from under his white jumper sleeves, and Phil smiles softly.
"I fucking love those tattoos you know," he says in his sing-song voice, and Dan blushes once more. He inwardly curses himself for letting the older boy have this much control over him, reducing him to jelly with a few whispered words and a kiss. He guesses he's still a little hurt over the other night, but he tries to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, telling himself to enjoy the day off.
After thrashing Phil 13 games to 7, Dan hurls his controller onto the bed. The thoughts from earlier are beginning to get to him. They develop, insisting that he's weak, worthless, naïve, stupid for letting Phil manipulate him like this. Dan starts to believe his doubt, telling himself the black haired boy is only toying with his heart. Phil turns around, about to say something witty about him letting Dan win, but he notices that the brown haired boy has tears in his eyes.
"What's up baby?" He asks delicately, pausing the screen and wrapping his strong arms around Dan. Dan snuffles into the duvet for a moment, and Phil gives him a gentle tug, so the boy resigns his body to Phil, letting him pull him fully into his lap. Dan buries his head in Phil's shoulder, beginning to cry openly now, and Phil strokes his back, looking at him worriedly
After a few moments Dan looks up, and whispers tearfully, "Phil, I've honestly enjoyed today so much. I want you to be my boyfriend and not just my best friend. I need you like this in my life," so quietly Phil hardly catches it. He hears though, and nods for Dan to carry on. "If we are a thing now, I need you to promise me you won't just leave me once you get what you want from me," he finishes.
Dan buries his head in Phil's neck again, not wanting a reaction but praying he gets one. He looks up, to see Phil has tears in his eyes too. "Oh... Phil, what's up?"
Phil blinks, and quickly mumbles something about needing the bathroom, before pushing Dan off his lap and running out of the room.
Dan isn't stupid, he instantly realises what he said had hurt Phil, and at that moment decides he's gone and ruined it. Crawling across the bed to the window, he silently tugs the latch, pushes open the window and slides into his own room, throwing himself onto his bed and crying the tears of emotion he'd been trying to hold in all day. It felt good to let them out, but his doubt begin to close in. He closed his eyes instead. Ready fir the release of sleep.
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*authors note* no my poor babies!! Please forgive me for all the angst in this chapter, I promise you it gets better soon.
