A/N: this chapter is long

"Tired" wasn't enough to describe the way Dan felt as the sun crept over the horizon.

Drained.

Exhausted.

Hopeless.

The energy drink he had purchased could have easily just been a plain soda. It left him just as tired as before, but now with a funny taste in his mouth.

It was his second morning sitting alone under this damned bridge. The owner of the nearby pile of belongings was yet to show up. Dan briefly wondered if the person even existed. Maybe the clothes had been abandoned here for weeks, left to slowly deteriorate from the elements.

This proved to be false; around eight o'clock, an elderly man shuffled around the corner. His movements were slow and jerky, like a machine that hadn't been greased in a while. Grey tufts of hair poked out from under his newsboy cap and just fell short of reaching his jawline. Though he was facing Dan, his eyes were vacant as if his mind were somewhere else. It wasn't until Dan cleared his throat that the man's head snapped up, and he focused on the sight before him.

"Hello?" His voice was gruff, but he didn't seem hostile.

"H-Hi…" Dan muttered back.

"I'm Morris."

"Dan."

There was a silence, and Dan squirmed uncomfortably as Morris' gaze traveled from his face to his bag then back to his face again.

"You have anywhere to stay, Dan?"

"No, sir."

"You slept here?"

"Kinda."

The man nodded. Then thought for a moment. "You up for a coffee?"

"…A coffee?"

"Mhm. There's a nearby café that sells the best cups of black coffee for one pound."

"Oh… Okay."

The man nodded, turned, and began walking off. It didn't seem to matter to him whether Dan followed or not—he didn't give as much as a glance over his shoulder to check. Regardless, Dan picked up his suitcase and hurried to catch up.

…

Morris, Dan learned, had been living on the streets for over a decade. He never gave much of a backstory and Dan got the hint he shouldn't ask.

The elderly man took a long sip of his coffee, sighing contentedly. "This is one of my favorite places to come. I can't afford a cup every day, but I try to stop by at least a few times a month. It helps keep me going."

Dan smiled politely in response, taking another sip. If he was being honest, the coffee was mediocre. But it was warm and comforting and Morris insisted on paying so how could he complain?

The two sat in silence for a while longer. Dan watched as Morris' eyes wandered around the café, a small smile tugging at his lips. "So, Dan," he began, "what happened to you?"

Dan looked down at his reflection in the dark surface of the drink and swallowed. "I got evicted." Morris said nothing, so he continued, "I wanted to be a writer. But I wasn't good enough. My only other source of income was selling books in a run-down old shop. I knew this was going to happen eventually, I just…" he trailed off, unsure of the point he was making.

Morris nodded, absentmindedly stirring his coffee. "Don't you have anywhere to stay? No family? Friends?"

"I can't go back to my Mum. She's nearly as poor as I am. I can't expect her to care for me when she can barely care for herself. Most of my friends aren't close enough for me to feel comfortable asking that of them." Dan hesitated, "My boyfriend… he offered me a place to stay but, I don't know. He certainly has enough money to take care of us both and then some, but I don't want to impose. I don't want him to think I'm incapable of caring for myself."

Morris nodded, stroking his beard. "I may just be an old fool, but I want to give you some advice. Unless you want to end up like me, take any help you can get. You might feel silly or pathetic, but if it means you can have a hot meal and a roof over your head, I think it's worth it." He smiled sadly, "God knows I wish I had made that choice."

Dan averted his gaze, suddenly feeling ashamed. "I guess you're right…"

"Don't stress over it, kid. Just do what's right."

"Thanks." Dan smiled, drinking some more of his coffee.

Morris kept his gaze fixed on Dan, an odd look on his face. "Huh."

"Is something wrong?"

"No… no. You just remind me of my son is all."

…

Morris was gone most of the day. He left quite frequently, but Dan never asked where he went.

He considered walking around town to pass the time, but he was too tired and dirty. So instead he settled on reading one of the books he hadn't stored away. It wasn't very good, but it kept him entertained and before he knew it, Morris had returned.

"You still here?" he grunted, taking a seat next to his belongings.

Dan looked up in surprise. "Oh. Uh, yes, sir."

He nodded, his mouth pulling into a frown. He turned and rummaged through his things until he found what he was looking for and stood back up. "I just wanted to drop by and check on you. I'm going to be gone for a while longer. Have some stuff to attend to." He took off his cap and readjusted it. "Dan?

"Yes?"

"When I get back, I want you to be gone. Call your boyfriend. Get your life together when you still have the chance. Alright?"

Dan opened and closed his mouth a few times before uttering a shaky, "Alright…" He wanted to say something to the old man, thank him for his kindness or wish him well in life, but no words came out. Instead, he just watched as he shuffled away, abandoning Dan and his belongings once again.

…

It was evening. The sky was completely overcast with dark, billowing clouds ready to pour at any moment.

Dan bit his lip, looking back down at his phone. Morris was right, he needed to use the resources he had. Besides, it wasn't like he could keep this a secret from Phil forever. What was he even thinking in the first place? He knew there was no way he would have found a solution that wouldn't cause more issues. This had been his best option from the start.

Dan sighed, dialing Phil's number and raising the phone to his ear. It had begun to rain.

"Hello!"

"Phil?" Dan was struggling to keep his voice normal.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I um…" Dan paused, closing his eyes as a tear rolled down his cheek. His voice came out choked. "There is no Tod."

A pause. "What?"

"I—I lied. I don't have anywhere to stay."

Phil was silent for a moment. "Where are you?"

"Under the bridge by the river. Near the bar."

"I'm coming to get you. Don't move, okay?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be right there."

The call ended.

Dan closed his eyes tightly, trying to fight back tears. It was stupid of him to cry. Things were going to be alright, he had somewhere to stay now. Despite this, he sobbed.

The sky seemed to cry with him, its rain coming down hard and fast in cool sheets. The loud downpour helped muffle his cries as he sunk to his knees, the material of his pants soaking in the water puddling beneath him. He wanted to scream—let out all the emotions that he had been repressing as he lied to Phil's face that he was fine on his own. But he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to make any noise other than the choking whines that forced their way up as he wiped the tears off his cheeks.

…

Dan made an effort to wipe away his tears as he saw Phil's car pull up. He was suddenly aware of how disgusting he must look. Three-day-old clothes, mated and greasy hair, puffy red eyes. He struggled to straighten out his wrinkled clothes, knowing perfectly well that his attempts were futile. He heard a car door slam and made out the shape of Phil as he hurried towards him.

"I'm sorry," Dan choked, looking helplessly at Phil as he stepped under the bridge.

Phil pulled him into a tight hug, stroking back his hair.

"Phil, no…" Dan pushed him away. "I haven't showered and I'm sweaty and gross."

The man brushed off his comment, looking at Dan with concern. "How long have you been out here?"

"Two days…" Dan averted his gaze.

"You've been living on the street for two days?"

Dan nodded weakly.

"Oh my gosh…" Phil pulled him into another hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Come on, we're going home."

…

As they drove in silence, Phil could feel himself getting more and more frustrated. What was Dan thinking? Did he not trust him enough to ask for help? What would living on the street help? It wasn't like he had been looking for a job. Was he just going to admit defeat and spend the rest of his life like that?

Phil clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

Dan looked up in surprise. "I…um…" his voice was feeble.

"What were you planning? To just live out there forever? How did you think you could hide this from me?"

"I'm sorry…" Dan sniffed.

He sighed irritably but said nothing.

"I was ashamed."

Phil kept his gaze straight ahead.

"I…I didn't want to burden you."

Phil sighed, hastily pulling over and parking on the side of the road.

"What are you—"

"Dan, look at me." Dan met Phil's gaze, resisting the urge to look away. "You said you would call me if you needed anything. I asked you to call if you needed anything. I wouldn't have said that if I didn't mean it." The man's gaze softened. "When will you stop thinking of yourself as a burden? It's okay to need help, Dan. That's what I'm here for. I want to know I can trust you to take care of yourself, even when it means asking for help. Okay?" Phil cupped Dan's face, wiping the tears off his cheeks. "I'm sorry if I sound angry. I'm not mad at you, I promise. I'm just upset that you were put in such a bad position."

Dan nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry."

"Shh," Phil pressed a kiss to Dan's forehead. "that's enough of that, just promise me you'll let me help you from now on, okay?"

"Okay," Dan nodded, wiping his eyes.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Good," Phil smiled warmly, pulling the car back in drive, "Let's get going."

A/N: I'm getting a lot done this weekend nice