SUPER RICH KIDS | PHAN

five

dan

dan was so mad he couldn't see straight. once they were around the corner and he was positive that asshole couldn't see them anymore, his expression melted into that of fury and his footsteps became heavy and angry. he didn't realize until earl squeaked his name that he had been squeezing his hand, and he let go.

"that was really mean," earl said softly, staring at his toy rocket that dan had found at good will. dan nodded stiffly.

"yeah," he muttered coldly. "you okay, kid?"

earl nodded, looking up at him. "yes."

"some people are just bad, and-"

"i know, dan."

dan sighed, searching his face and touching his shoulder. he felt skinnier than usually, it scared him. "i kind of wish you didn't."

earl nodded, taking his hand again and leaning into his side. "me too."

dan sighed and ruffled his hair.

➹

the moment dan got within ten feet of the alley, he knew something was off. it was too quiet. he stiffened, squeezing earl's hand and gripping his guitar until his knuckles went white.

"dan?" earl whispered, looking up at him. dan shook his head, peering around the corner into the alley. he couldn't see anything; their current living situation was behind the dumpster so it couldn't be seen from the street. there was still no sound.

they started down the narrow corridor, dan's skin still prickling with anxiety.

when they were closer there was a rustling, and katrina's auburn ponytail popped up as she stood and stepped out from behind the blue dumpster. her eyes were red and terror instantly set in, sinking in dan's stomach like rocks, making him want to let gravity take control and collapse on the ground like a child. she met dan's eyes and shook her head, which certainly didn't help disprove his fears.

it had happened. it had to have happened... nina had passed away and dan hadn't even been there to say goodbye. that had to be what had happened, and it made despair flow through dan's veins like poison. he felt like screaming and crying and throwing a tantrum, giving up and letting someone else deal with him for once. he opened his mouth and closed it again, frozen.

"no one's hurt," she said when she finally spoke, her voice shaky, making dan stop. "but they took everything. all our food, blankets, everything. it was so scary, it happened so fast."

dan felt himself subconsciously let out a heavy breath of relief despite himself- they all knew it was inevitable and would probably happen soon, but dan wasn't ready to lose nina after watching her fight so hard to stay. losing their home again he might be able to handle, losing her... that might kill him.

"everything?" he breathed. she nodded, tugging at her ponytail.

"y-yeah... everything." she bit her lip hard. "what are we gonna do, dan?"

sometimes dan wished he wasn't the one they looked to when something went wrong, it felt like a lot of responsibility to not fuck their lives up farther than they already had been, but he knew they needed him.

dan swallowed and began pacing. he watched earl rush behind the dumpster, and dan's heart panged. he and earl had been collecting books, toys, anything reminiscent of childhood, and keeping it in a wooden box that dan had made with some borrowed tools and pieces of plywood. it wasn't great, dan was no craftsman, but he knew earl cherished it. and the look on katrina's face told dan he wasn't going to find it.

dan's stomach burned with a rush of adrenaline and anger- and a little bile. he was so sick of this, sick of watching his family try and fail to make a happy living. he didn't care how optimistic they acted, he knew all of them were miserable with this situation.

dan walked forward and pulled kat into his arms, sighing against her shoulder. she nearly instantly crumbled, crying against his chest, her tears soaking through his t-shirt. jesus, it was his favorite t-shirt, and it still had about ten thousand holes in it. something had to change.

"it's gonna be okay," dan mumbled, and for once he meant it with every ounce of life in him.

he was going to make that stupid asshole let them into his stupid fake shelter, and they were all going to sleep in a bed that night. and if he had a single bad dream, dan was going to whine like a bitch about the pillow being stiff and blame someone else for something for once in his life.

he was going to keep them alive, no matter what it took. the world owed him one. dan knew that much.