"Dan, it's not abuse." Phil informed him firmly. Dan's mouth was in a thin, tight line while his face went steadily redder. Wordlessly, Dan stood up, sat next to Phil, gently grabbed Phil's arm and pulled down Phil's sleeve. Revealing purple and yellowed, finger shaped bruises running down his wrist.
"There is no other reason for these bruises to exist, Phil. They aren't from a fall or a counter top or some other clumsy excuse you've come up with for him." Phil started to pull his arm away, but Dan held it.
"Dan, let go." Phil requested. Tears started forming in his eyes. Dan could feel the panic attack rising in Phil's chest so he let go. As Phil was pulling his sleeve back over the bruises, Dan uttered the thought Phil had been dreading and Dan had been avoiding.
"Phil, he's hurting you. This is an abusive relationship." Phil's lip started to quiver and Dan went to hug Phil but Phil shrank away like Dan was going to hit Phil. "See! I'd never ever hurt you and yet you're pulling away as if I could! Phil, it's time to wake up." Dan placed a hand on Phil's shoulder and this time Phil did not shudder at Dan's touch.
"I know Dan. I'm just scared..." Phil whispered.
"Like, he'll kill you?" Dan wondered fearfully.
"I don't know anymore." Dan looked at Phil with terror as Phil's tears rolled down his cheeks but his face remained calm. Calm as a captain on a sinking ship, even as the water is licking at his heels and the sea is swallowing his crew in it's hungry, open mouth. Calm, knowing acceptance for the future that was to come.
Dan shook his head vigorously as he turned and hugged Phil tightly. Phil gasped but hugged Dan back with the same urgency.
"I won't let him hurt you." Dan promised. "If he hurts you again, I'll hurt him." Dan whispered.
"Dan..." Phil muttered. They both pulled away to look at each other. "I can handle getting hurt myself. But if you ever got hurt, I..." Phil shook his head as Dan waited with his breathe held. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Phil smiled sadly as a hint of a blush played on his cheeks. Dan had heard enough.
After nearly a year of knowing Phil, Dan couldn't contain himself any longer. Dan pushed himself forwards and kissed Phil deeply. Phil thought he would fight the kiss and scold Dan, since Phil was cheating on his, albeit abusive, but still, boyfriend. But Phil didn't fight it, in fact he pulled Dan closer. Dan obliged and crept forwards, they lost their balance and fell onto Phil's bed. Dan kissed everywhere he found bare skin. Phil moaned in happiness then twisted until he was on top of Dan.
"What are you doing?" Dan asked, he had never been on bottom before and he was afraid as well as unsure.
"I'm taking control." Phil purred in Dan's ear. Dan blushed and suddenly felt hot. Maybe being the bottom wasn't so bad? Dan thought as Phil pinned Dan down and bite at Dan's neck hungrily. Dan pulled at Phil's shirt which slid off with ease. Phil paused in his biting to grab and rip off Dan's shirt. They were both speechless at the marble chests before themselves. Phil's more marble-like and paler than Dan's, but still as breathtaking.
"I want you." Phil stated in whisper, still sitting on Dan's stomach, studying Dan's chest.
"I've always want you." Dan smiled back, tracing the middle of Phil's chest with a single finger. Dan moved up then glided down from Phil's Adam's apple, down the esophagus, between his pectorals, down his abs and ending at Phil's belly button, unable to go on because Phil was shaking with pleasure too badly. When Dan stopped, Phil stopped shuddering then looked at Dan with a pout.
"Why did you stop?" Phil demanded.
"You're not mine." Dan sighed.
"Damn straight he's not." An angry voice growled from the doorway. They both looked up in shock to see the looming, muscular, enraged silhouette of Phil's abusive boyfriend: Darren.
Phil jumped from the bed and ran to him, explaining himself all the way, while Dan found his shirt among the unmade bed sheets.
"Darren, honey, I can explain! We were ju-" Without warning Darren slapped Phil across the face with the back of his right hand.
"Don't 'honey' me, you fucking man whore." Darren growled.
"Phil!" Dan cried, collapsing next to Phil on the floor where Phil curled in on himself. Phil muffled his cries by biting his fist, but tears still eked out.
"Don't touch him, you wanker!" Darren yelled, kicking at Dan. Dan dodged the brunt of the blow, but his shin collided with Darren's foot on the recoil. Dan gritted his teeth in pain then glared at Darren.
"I'M not allowed to touch him?" Dan's voice was quiet and venomous.
Dan slowly rose to his feet and stood tall, which caused him to almost touch the ceiling in the cramp apartment. Darren was a good three feet shorter than Dan and tried to buff out his chest to compensate, but it was no match compared to the rage that was bubbling over in Dan's chest.
"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN LEAVING BRUISES ON HIM, YOU BASTARD!" Dan roared in Darren's face. On impulse, Darren pulled his fist back, aiming for Dan's face but Dan side stepped, causing Darren to fall on his face onto Phil's carpeted floor. Darren came up with carpet burn evident on his massive, bulldog face.
Darren turned a new shade of red as he asked "So this is how it's going to be then, is it?"
All the anger and hate for Darren that had been building up since Dan met Phil was finally about to be released upon the man Dan had loathed since Phil said he had a boyfriend.
"Yeah mate," Dan nodded, taking a step forward, "This is how it's going to be." Without warning Dan, pulled back the fist he had been clenching and threw everything he had into the blow.
Dan's fist hit Darren's nose harder than anything Dan had ever hit in his life. No stubbed toe or face plant could match the force Dan's rage threw into Darren's nose.
Darren went sprawling to the floor, hitting his head on the corner of Phil's desk as he did so. Darren's black eyes flew in the back of his skull and lulled back in time to see Dan charging at him. Before Dan could tear another piece off of Darren, Phil sprang up and put himself between the rage fueled Dan and the bleeding Darren.
"Dan, no." Phil pleaded softly.
"But Phil, he hurt you!" Dan argued.
"And you hurt him, so now everyone's even." Phil stated with a firm glare. Dan could have killed him; he truly could have in his blind rage, he even might have. But, thankfully, Phil's soft eyes and calming voice brought Dan back to reality. Phil helped Dan up. Phil stared, unkindly, at Darren on the floor; who was clenching his nose and glaring back up at them.
"It's over." Phil informed Darren. "And if you ever come near either of us again, I will kill you myself. That is a promise. Now get out before I call the police." Darren said nothing as he clutched his nose, staggered to his feet and left the room, glaring all the way. It wasn't until the front door slammed shut behind him did Dan and Phil take a breath.
Phil hugged Dan but had lost all his strength, mentally and physically, standing up to Darren, so Dan had to hold up both of their weights on his aching shin. Dan maneuvered them back to Phil's bed to sit and relax on.
"Are you okay?" Dan asked, seeing Phil's swollen cheek and wondering if they needed to go to a hospital.
"I'm fine, it looks worse than it feels." Phil promised as he lightly brushed the angered area with his fingertips. "How about you? He kicked you pretty hard." Phil noted, eyeing up Dan's leg.
"Nah, it's just going to be a wicked bruise." Dan reasoned, thinking back on his other minor, but seriously painful, injuries. The worst being when he was burned on the arm pulling cookies out of the oven at his grandma's. But here, there were no limitless amount of sympathy cookies or grandma kisses here to make the pain go away.
"You sure?" Phil asked, lightly touching Dan's leg.
"Y-Yes, I'm sure." Dan muttered. Phil's touch would be enough to distract Dan from his own death, he thought humorously.
"Good." Phil sighed and hugged Dan again. Only, this time, Phil didn't let go. Dan felt Phil's legs creep up then wrap around Dan's waist. Dan blushed but still embraced Phil back and moved his legs on either side of Phil's waist. After a minute of nonstop clinging, Dan cleared his throat.
"Would it be totally inappropriate if I kissed you right now?" Dan wondered. Phil pulled away and stared Dan in the face with love in his eyes.
"How would it be inappropriate?" Phil retorted back.
"Well, you just broke up with your long term boyfriend and-" Phil put a finger to Dan's lips. Phil smiled then laughed.
"Just kiss me." And if that wasn't invite enough, Phil added in a sensual whisper "I need it."
Dan blushed profusely. "Well, if you NEED it..." Dan smiled back nervously then kissed Phil the way Dan had been dreaming about for months.
As their kisses deepened, and the rest of their clothes were taken off, Dan came to a conclusion.
"I'm going to treat you like the person you are and how you deserve to be treated." Dan promised as he positioned himself above Phil.
"Really? Because..." Phil smiled as he pulled Dan down and placed himself on top. "I thought I could thank you for already doing just that." Confusion crossed Dan's face before Phil explained.
"I thought I could just settle for the first guy that showed interest in me and that pain was a side effect of love, but that's not love." Phil lowered himself onto Dan's chest. Phil felt their breathing matching in speed and tempo. "Now I know..." Phil used his fingertips to move a few wavy, brown locks of a hair away from Dan's beautiful brown eyes, so they could see each other better. "This is real love."
Dan kissed Phil deeply then pulled away. "I will never hurt you." Dan promised.
"I know." Phil smiled.