Yin and Yang [A Superhero AU] - Book Three

Chapter Nineteen - Home

Phil stays right beside Dan, nodding on and off until the villain wakes up. When he's awake, the hero is playing gently with Dan's hair or indulging in the feeling of his warm breath against his skin. Sometimes the villain flinches in his sleep or his heart rate speeds up, soft, quiet whines escaping his lips, and Phil holds him just a little closer and peppers his skin with gentle kisses. His flesh is still littered with bruises, and as much as Phil wants to heal them he won't. Not yet. If he uses his power to the extent he's been using it every day, he'll burn out and could very likely die.

He falls asleep again, and when he wakes up Dan is sitting at the keyboard, the volume on low as he plays. Phil watches him for a minute, a smile tugging at his lips, before getting out of bed quietly and walking over to where he is. Dan glances back just as Phil wraps his arms around his waist from the back, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder.

"Morning," Phil murmurs.

Dan's laugh is more of a breath than an actual sound. "Barely. It's eleven o'clock."

"Still morning!"

The villain lifts his hands from the keyboard and looks up, taking Phil by the chin and catching his lips in a short, gentle kiss. The hero smiles and straightens up, one hand staying on Dan's shoulder.

"I'm going to make tea. Do you want some?"

Dan nods and Phil leaves the room, the piano starting up again at a louder volume as he goes. He starts the water boiling and then stands in the kitchen, listening to the music streaming from the bedroom and smiling stupidly to himself. They've only known each other for a few months and they're already so domestic it hurts. It's not hard to imagine that years from now, they could be the same as they are now, but maybe it will be peaceful by then. Dan would still play piano and Phil would still make tea, and they'd enjoy their days together. They can go for walks and hold hands and live together without their individual institutes and teammates breathing down their necks.

The piano music slows to a stop and a few moments later, Dan rounds the corner and steps into the kitchen. The soft pink sweater and the cotton shorts he wears are Phil's, and the hero can't help the grin that tugs at his lips. It's more colour than he's ever seen the villain wear, and he honestly looks so soft and huggable that Phil wants to cuddle him. The bruises are the only thing really stopping him. His legs are still littered with them, and dark splotches poke out from beneath his collar. One of Dan's fists rests bashfully at his mouth, covered by the soft pink sleeve, while his other arm is curled around his waist. His eyes, haunted and timid, flit from Phil to the kettle and then back to his feet. The hero gestures him over and Dan moves to his side, smiling lightly when Phil puts his arm around his waist.

"What's up?" the hero asks. Dan shrugs a bit and watches the kettle, his brown eyes distant. Phil runs his thumb back and forth across the villain's hip, getting more and more worried as the silence drags on. "Dan? Are you okay?"

"I have to go back," Dan replies, his voice soft and even a little bit scared. "I can't stay here for much longer."

Phil's face falls. "You can't go back right now. You're covered in bruises and you need to let yourself recover."

"If I don't leave, it'll be worse for Steph and Matthew. The boss..." Dan shakes his head, returning his covered fist to his lips.

"Dan, please. Please just stay for today. Stay until this evening. I don't care. Just please, please don't go."

The villain's eyes flick over to him and then away as quickly as they came. However, in that split second where they locked eyes, Phil could see every shred of pain Dan carries with him in that deep brown. So much that Phil feels like crumbling, like staggering back, like holding Dan close until that hurt melts away. He doesn't do any of those things, even as his heart clenches and a weight settles on his chest that he can't seem to get rid of.