Yin and Yang [A Superhero AU] - Book Three

Chapter Twenty-Nine - Heart to Heart

Dan stumbles into the dining room and instantly, Jack is on his feet and leading him to his bedroom. Sure enough, painkillers and icepacks wait on the side table, along with Dan's hot chocolate that gets progressively colder the longer it sits there. The Irishman sits Dan down on the bed, and as he's getting some pills from the bottle the Brit reaches over and takes his hot chocolate into his shaking hands. He chases the painkillers down with a sip of his lukewarm drink and exhales, scrubbing the tears from his cheeks with a free hand.

"Direct my hand to where you need these," Jack says, gesturing with the icepack.

The Brit reaches out and presses one to his collarbone and the other to his stomach. He struggles to meet Jack's concerned gaze, so he focuses instead on the light reflecting off the surface of his hot chocolate.

"Dan?"

The Brit finally meets Jack's eyes after a few attempts. The Irishman exhales and sits on the bed beside him, fingers tightening around his knees.

"Yeah?" Dan asks, his voice a mere whisper.

"Where do you keep going? You disappear for long periods of time and nobody knows where you are."

The truth sits on Dan's tongue, bitter and heavy and wanting desperately to come out. He can't. His tongue will tell but his lips will not. What comes out is only a partial truth. "I play piano. A-At the bookstore. Sometimes."

"During times like these? And for entire nights?"

"Well, no. Um, remember Cat? Our... kind of friend from school? I stay with her for some nights because I don't want to be here."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "I don't believe you."

"I know."

"Dan, why can't you just tell me?"

"I just can't. If we were in a different situation I could, and I really want to tell you, but I can't. I'm sorry. It's too dangerous."

Jack exhales and bites his lip. "I get it. It's okay."

Dan nods a bit, guilt eating away at his heart. He reaches up and takes Jack's wrist, the Irishman's blue eyes meeting his. "Jack... I'll tell you soon. Just give me some time."

Jack smiles and ruffles Dan's hair. "Of course. Take all the time you need."

The Brit bats his hand away and the Irishman laughs, his smile brightening his pale complexion. The bags under his eyes are still too dark and Dan already knows he's not sleeping, but at least he's smiling. Dan smiles back and adjusts the icepack on his chest, the cold spot it left behind slowly returning to room temperature with the help of his naturally high body heat. Jack screws the cap back onto the pill bottle and sets it back down on his bedside table before sighing and looking to the door.

"Are you going to leave again tonight?"

Dan shrugs despite the fact that he already knows he's going to be leaving. "Maybe."

Jack looks at him, blue eyes piercing. "Stay safe, okay?"

"I will."

"Good." The Irishman smiles faintly, the gesture forced, and places a hand on Dan's shoulder. "Get some rest."

Dan raises an eyebrow. "You too, Jack."

"No promises."

The Brit glares at him and Jack winks, that faint grin still pulling at the corners of his mouth. He gives a small wave and heads out of Dan's room, leaving the Brit alone.  With a sigh, Dan lies back on his bed and tries to will away the aches and pains that fill his body and the guilt that fills his mind.  He feels terrible for withholding the truth from Jack, but he's seen what can happen if the boss finds out. The scars on Jack's body are a testament to the treatment you'll get if your secrets are revealed. He closes his eyes for a moment, contemplating actually sleeping, before opening his eyes and pulling himself to his feet.  He puts on a fresh change of clothes and turns to his closet, his fingers falling on a spring jacket. After a moment of consideration, he pulls it off the hanger and puts it on, followed by a light scarf. It makes him look like a British icon, and simply imagining Phil's reaction puts a smile on his face.

With that, he heads to the door of his bedroom and peers out. There's nobody around to see him leave, so he flicks off his bedroom light and heads out into the windy city. His feet lead him down the same path he always takes to Phil's without Dan even needing to think about it, and before long he's arriving at the hero's flat. With one swift movement, he pulls the key from his pocket and unlocks the door, the entrance creaking a bit as he slips inside. A second later, Phil rounds the corner and his eyes widen, which makes Dan grin.

"Phil," he breathes, unable to help his grin. The hero's blue eyes wander all over Dan, his fingers twitching at his sides and his mouth hanging slightly agape. To Dan, it's the most precious expression in the world.

"Dan, come inside," the hero replies after a moment, reaching out and taking his hand.

The villain kicks off his shoes with haste and discards his coat and scarf before letting Phil lead him into the house, his warm hand clenched in the hero's. Phil's gaze flickers intermittently to Dan's outfit, and the villain can't help but grin like a child.

"I'm guessing they didn't see you leave again," Phil says.

"Yeah..." Dan shrugs a bit. "I was going to tell Jack, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I just want to enjoy you whenever I can and not worry about anything else." He smirks and Phil's grip on his hand tightens ever so slightly.

Dan pulls him down onto the couch, successfully making Phil's face turn bright red. In retaliation, the hero presses a kiss to Dan's neck and then the shell of his ear.

"You are not allowed to be this sexy. It's not fair," he murmurs.

The villain squirms. "I've never been one for rules."

Phil huffs a laugh and settles against his chest after pecking his lips one last time. They agree to watch Doctor Who, and as the show starts playing Dan wraps his arms around Phil's waist. There's something comforting about the hero's weight, and Dan finally starts to truly relax. That is, until Phil's finger starts tracing the bruises that line his collarbone. He flinches instinctively and bites his lip when he sees Phil's eyebrows furrow.

"There's more," he says, his voice hushed. "Was it the boss again?"

"Yeah..." Dan exhales and kisses the top of Phil's head, hoping that the touch will lessen the concern behind the hero's eyes. It doesn't. "It'll be better eventually. He just..." gets drunk sometimes and takes out his anger on us all the time, "...gets mad when we don't do everything he wants."

Phil sighs, his arms tightening around Dan's waist. "I'm sorry."

The villain catches his chin between his fingers and smiles a bit, brown eyes shimmering. "It's okay, Phil. Don't worry about me. When this is all over, we can spend all the time in the world together."

The hero nods a bit and rests his head back on Dan's chest. The villain rests his head on the pillow behind him, his own words feeling like a bitter lie on his tongue for reasons unknown to him. To distract himself, he shifts and tucks himself into the crook of Phil's arm, fingers intertwining with the hero's. And, by the light of the TV, he lets himself fall asleep.