A/N:

Where have all my readers gone?

Hopefully they won't be long.

They disappeared into thin air,
And now they are no longer there.

Was it really that dull and sad?
It definitely wasn't that bad.

It was only just getting good,
After the chapter with the mud.

I appreciate what I've got,
Even though it's not a lot,

It's just a mystery where the rest all went.

*Bows* thank you very much.
-Whisker

"Wh- what's there to say… really?" Phil stuttered, awkwardly.

His fidgeting didn't give off a very good impression, either. Who was going to believe there was nothing to worry about if he was acting so weirdly about it?

Certainly not Dan.

"I heard you talking to her yesterday," Dan coughed, raising an eyebrow, "Don't think I didn't."

Phil's breath staggered and he took a step back, wringing his hands out,

"And?" He swallowed, "What's wrong?"

Dan changed his expression to one more puzzled, rather than irritated. He couldn't tell whether Phil was acting odd anyway or whether he was pressuring him too much.

"I just wondered why you'd accept her… offer… of going out on Sunday," he explained.

"Oh, that?" Phil replied, very quietly.

"Did you forget about it or something?"

"No, no. I only… didn't know why you'd be concerned about it so much."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Dan asked.

Phil lifted his gaze again to make eye contact and heaved a sigh.

"Well, it's just coffee, isn't it?"

"With Summer. Alone," Dan pointed out, but Phil shook his head.

"Eliza's coming, too," he said, "You can come, too, if you like, but I know you're not too keen on Summer… and I don't think she's too keen on you, either."

"I'm not coming," Dan said, softly, shaking his head, "Don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. After all, they never invited me."

"I invited you," Phil argued, "Just now: five seconds ago."

"Sorry," Dan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I didn't mean to make this a big deal…"

Phil swallowed the lump forming in his throat and rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands. He was glad that this hadn't escalated into a repeat of 'last time', but he still felt that 'this time' hadn't worked out quite how he'd hoped.

"I thought this was supposed to be a good week…" he mumbled, under his breath, but when Dan confusedly asked him to repeat what he'd said, he replied only with, "Nothing. I don't know if I'll even be going on Sunday."

"Why not?" Dan enquired.

"Truthfully, I don't know if I'll be up to it, Dan," Phil told him with a shrug, the room starting to blur, "I'm probably just tired, but… Ah, I don't know," he huffed, shaking his head again to try to right his vision.

"Maybe you need some fresh air," Dan suggested, nodding towards the back door, "Get dressed and sit outside for a bit if you like."

It was a good suggestion. Maybe it was because it was early, or because the house was warm, but Phil could definitely tell that something was off. He shrugged it off, though, brushing the dizziness aside in favour of trying to fix up what was supposed to be a good week.

All through that day, Phil would hear constant enquiries about his well-being. It started to get annoying around the 5th time it was asked.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his friend's concern, but frequently repeating it just reminded him that it was there, when he'd rather forget about it.

The Howlters would be back the next morning and so Phil had taken it upon himself to make sure the house was spotless, and that meant cleaning the oven, of course.

Dan had offered to do it for him, but of course Phil had refused and told him to go and clean the bathroom instead, even though it was already clean.

Dan agreed nonetheless, and left Phil to do his own thing.

He was still slightly worried about Sunday, but remembering that Eliza would be there calmed him down.

As aforementioned, he was just rather over-protective.

Another thing happening today was the return of Dab, who should be walking through the door any second around about-

Ding-dong!

Dan smiled, placed the bleach bottle back down on the tiled floor and stood up, his legs shaky from kneeling too long.

The time was around 12 and Dan supposed he'd have to start making dinner for the kid in a minute, too.

As he walked into the main room, he noticed his friend sat on the floor in front of the oven, rubbing his eyes and drearily gazing up to the door.

Clearly, he'd dropped off.

Dan asked him if he was alright one last time, received a nod of assurance, and unlocked the door.

"Hey, Dab!" He grinned, "Did you have a nice time?"

"It was great!" Dab nodded, enthusiastically, stepping inside and throwing his rucksack on the armchair, "Evan's really fun. He says he wants to come and stay over here sometime, too!"

Phil stood up, then, leaning his hands on the breakfast bar and frowning slightly. He wasn't keen much on the idea of having yet another child to care for.

"That's a great idea," Dan smiled, and Dab's face lit up and Phil rolled his eyes. Of course Dan would agree to that.

He supposed the only thing he could do was roll with it at this point.