"I've got a mission for the both of you." Axel's voice was soft but it sent shivers down Phil's spine. There was an underlying hardness to his tone, a venom that was easily detectable despite the thin smile on his lips.
Phil despised it.
Dan crossed his arms, glaring down at Axel with a look equal to one of ice. He already had his mask on, hiding his identity to the world, and Phil slid his own on as well. The restraint on his finger was heavy against his skin, a reminder that Phil was no longer as powerful as he could be. "To what do we owe you this pleasure, your majesty?" Dan asked sarcastically, even bowing a little for show.
Axel didn't seem fazed in the slightest. He was already used to the way Dan was and he threw his head back and laughed, tapping his black fingers on the desk rhythmically. Tap, tap, tap. The sound was burned into Phil's brain. "Ryan Nelson, aged 24. Former student at the academy. It's been recently found that he's been smuggling weapons and agents posed as students into the academy in an attempt to bring us down. I expect you two to put an end to it."
Phil widened his eyes, swallowing back bile that was raising in his throat. "You mean-?"
"Phil." Dan cut him off with a stern, steady look. He turned back to Axel with a grimace on his face and a nod. "We'll do our best."
They left the room and Phil imagined that they were in a horror movie, Axel's (imaginary) cackles echoing down the corridor like the perfect antagonist he was. Oh, Phil couldn't wait to bring him down.
Once they were out of sight and walking towards the looming gates that trapped students inside of the academy, Dan reached out and took his hand. "Only a little bit longer," he breathed. He chanced a smile over at Phil, squeezing his hand. It made Phil's nerves diminish slightly. "I don't want you to do anything on this mission okay? Just leave it to me. I don't think I could handle if you killed someone for such a disgusting cause."
"But Dan! Your power-!"
Another stern look, one that was soft around the edges. The gates began to open and Dan let go of his hand. "The only thing that matters is your safety." He kissed him on the lips quickly and before anyone could see. "I'll protect you. I'll always protect you."
Phil's stomach was churning with butterflies but he frowned anyways. He was anxious, worried that today would be the day where Dan's power overtook him, burning straight through his heart and burning him down. He shook his head to clear those thought. No, he told himself, Dan isn't going anywhere. He's going to survive and he's going to be okay.
He could only hope it was true.
There was rain falling from the sky, drenching their clothes and making Dan shiver. Phil worried for a moment that it would affect Dan's ability, but realized quickly that would be a silly assumption. The water had the opposite effect on Phil, of course, who only became stronger the more submerged in water he was. His skin was glowing and his body was thriving in the raindrops, a human being who was practically algae.
That settles it then, Phil is algae.
He chuckled at his own ridiculous thoughts, ignoring the strange stare from Dan as he walked beside him. "I'm algae," he explained quietly, holding up his arm so Dan could see the water absorbing into his skin.
Dan scoffed, shaking his head. He was smiling. "Why am I dating someone so weird?"
Phil didn't answer, didn't really have to because the answer was obvious: Dan fell for him. He also didn't have to answer because they reached their destination, a small two bedroom house with brick walls and tall windows.
Phil took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was about to happen. It was only the third time he's done this so far and he had never once used his own power to do any harm. Dan had made sure of that, something about protection his innocence and his ability to continue smiling.
He really didn't see why it mattered though. Especially if he had to watch the whole thing as well as observe the aftermath of Dan's suffering.
It was much like the first time, except now, Phil used his ability to unlock the door. Water slithered from his fingertips and into the keyhole, freezing when he commanded it to and turning like a lock.
There was a click and the door swung open.
"Stay here," Dan murmured, giving Phil a tight lipped smile. He always got in a dry mood during the missions, most likely from the pain he was causing to others and to himself.
Phil just nodded, keeping his feet rooted to their spot. He watched as Dan retreated into the small house, quietly and with precise expertise. He watched as Dan turned on the gas stove, letting the gas run for longer than necessary.
The clicking noises of the stove were almost deafening and Phil could hear his heart pounding in his ears.
Dan turned around, a sly smile on his face. When he looked to Phil, his expression turned to one of alarm. "Phil, look out-!"
He barely had any time to register what was happening before he felt something hit the back of his head, knocking him to the floor. A burst of pain cascaded through his skull, a sea of red behind his vision. He could feel wetness matting his hair almost immediately and realized through his haze that he had been hit with a metal baseball bat.
"You bastard!" He heard Dan scream, a voice full of such fury and hatred that it made Phil's chest constrict painfully. He turned his head - his vision was blurring greatly and he had to squint to see - just as flames erupted around them.
There was screaming. Somebody was on fire. Phil couldn't tell if it was the man of interest or Dan. But perhaps it was both.
Phil felt arms wrap around him, hoisting him upwards and out of the burning house. His blurry vision revealed that it was indeed Dan. So he wasn't on fire, Phil thought, That's good then.
"Dan," Phil mumbled. Dan's eyes were wild when he looked at him. "Water bottle." Somehow understanding what he was saying, Dan nodded and starting walking in a different direction. Phil started nodding off but quickly came to when they came to a small creek, one with shining water and rocks breaking the peaceful waves.
Dan set him down by the side and he wasted no time in submerging his hand into it. Even if Phil was soaked from the rain, it still wasn't enough liquid to heal his injuries, so he was thankful they could find a creek this quickly. He watched through hazy eyes as the creek water flowed up his arm, swirling to the back of his neck and nestling in the bloody mess of hair on his head.
Immediately, the pain diminished and his vision became sharper.
He hummed. "Much better," Phil sighed. He then noticed how quiet Dan was beside him and turned, furrowing his eyebrows. "Dan?"
His eyes widened as he noticed the state Dan was in. He was breathing heavily, skin as pale as snow. His eyes were half closed and he was trembling, clenching at his chest with clawed fingers. A trail of blood slithered from his nose and down his chin.
"Dan?" Phil whimpered, scrambling over to him. He put a hand on Dan's cheek, wiping away the sliver of blood with his sleeve, not minding that it would stain the white of his uniform. "Dan, answer me!"
"'M fine," Dan muttered. The words caused what seemed to be a shock through him and he burst into a fit of coughing. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood and his head lulled backwards.
"Dan, you're not fine!" With gentle hands, Phil laid him on the ground, eyebrows furrowed when Dan's eyes slid shut. He was still breathing, thankfully, although a bit heavily. "Tell me what hurts."
"Chest," Dan said. "'M on fire."
Phil nodded. With his left hand, he dipped his fingers into the creek, shivering at the coldness. "I can't heal it because your body doesn't contain as much water as mine does, but I may be able to help with the pain. That way it doesn't burn as much."
Dan didn't respond as Phil put his hand on Dan's chest. He focused all of his energy on making Dan better, his fingers becoming cold and wet with moisture. He pursed his lips. Dan's shirt was causing a barrier and he would have to remove it if he wanted to make Dan in less pain.
He told Dan as much, who just nodded faintly and moved his torso slightly to help Phil shrug him out of the clothing. Phil didn't stop to marvel at the smoothness of his chest no matter how much he wanted to. He put his hand to Dan's skin, feeling his heartbeat, and pushed down.
Immediately, the water from Phil's hand absorbed into the skin and Dan visibly relaxed. Phil could feel Dan's body cooling down, becoming more like his normal temperature rather than the equivalent to lava. "Can you walk?" Phil asked, already knowing the answer.
At the shake of Dan's head, he hoisted him into his arms (after putting his shirt back on), thanking the lord that Dan wasn't as heavy as he looked. Dan nestled his head into the nape of Phil's neck, his breath tickling the tiny hairs there, but Phil didn't mind. He focused on walking as fast as he could to the academy, trying not to think about running away with Dan, and just making sure he could get him to safety.
The air was cold when he found himself back in the dangerous ability classroom. Dan had fallen asleep, his chest rising and falling while Phil made sure to continue cooling his body off. (He couldn't help but hope that his power was putting out the fire inside of Dan, killing the evil once and for all).
Axel seemed pleased when they returned, putting his fingertips together and tapping lightly. "Did you complete the mission?" He asked smoothly.
Phil nodded. "Dan used up too much of his power. I've subsided the pain for now, but I think he needs a bit of rest."
Axel nodded but his face hardened. It was obvious he wasn't happy, but Phil wasn't sure why. Didn't he know that Dan was dying? And why wouldn't he do something about it? "I see. Take him to his room. He has some pain medicine there, made by the technical students to diminish the pain of each episode. I suspect he will be out of it for a few days so I'll make sure to excuse him from class."
Phil tightened his grip on Dan, nudging him up further so he could feel his warmth seeping through his shirt. The way Axel was speaking was somewhat threatening but he found himself agreeing anyways, thanking him and backing out of the room.
His arms were dying by the time he reached Dan's dorm and he had to support Dan on the wall in order to scan his fingerprint. The door swung open and the scent of Dan's room (basically the smell of aftershave and mahogany) hit him in the face. As gently as he could, Phil set Dan on the bed before looking around for the pills.
He rifled around in a few drawers until he came across them, holding them up triumphantly. Just as he was about to shut the drawer, something blue caught his eye and he smiled warmly.
Dan had kept his ability stone in a drawer by his bed, set on a wad of tissue paper to keep it from getting scraped. Phil felt his heart swell and sat next to Dan on the bed, brushing his curling hair out of his face to press a kiss to Dan's forehead.
"Dan," he said softly. Dan blinked up at him blearily. "Take some medication, it'll help the pain."
When Dan had complied and swallowed the pill obediently, he tugged on Phil to lay down next to him. Dan wrapped his arms around Phil's stomach, bringing him close so he could rest his head in the crook of his next. Phil turned his head to kiss him softly, loving the way Dan sighed into his touch.
"You're the only medication I need," Dan joked weakly.
Phil chuckled and shook his head, pulling the brunet closer. He could feel Dan's heartbeat, beating in time with his own. He realized then that he never wanted to lose this, to give up such a wonderful feeling. He would do anything just to be happy with Dan, no worries ahead of them and no over looming threat of death.
He sighed. "Get some rest," he murmured. "We've got a big week ahead of us."
Sometimes happiness needs to be sought for first, Phil supposes.
-
A/N: I would just love to say thank you to @amazingphone for the wonderful fan art! Just a warning, the next chapter has smut so i will put a little warning before it just in case people aren't comfortable reading it c: Thanks for reading and i'll see you next friday! I'm getting a tattoo today haha!!