All he did was run. In that moment that's all he could do. His mind wasn't making any sense to him. His brain just telling his legs to keep going. Keep moving. Keep moving until he was away from there. He needed to get home. To see Phil, or anyone for that matter. Being alone with his thoughts was driving him crazy and he needed someone.

His footsteps thumped loudly on the pavement as his breaths came out in rough pants. He'd like to think he was staying calm but he could tell this was the furthest thing from clam. He couldn't breathe. The world around him blurred as tears stung his eyes. He could do it. He needed to get home.

He was so close now. He could see the house. He could see-

"Dan?"

No, not now. He didn't want to face Phil while he was like this. He was hysterical and knew he wouldn't be able to talk. Why couldn't he just be like a normal person and not get so upset by things?

"Dan, are you okay-"

"Y-Yes" came his quiet reply as he tried to keep his head down and walk towards the house. Phil approached him, looking concerned as he gently placed his hand on Dan's back .

Normally Dan would think something of this and try shrug his hand off, but just now he was way too busy trying to keep his sobs and breathing under control to even question anything. He was about to head upstairs to his room when he felt Phil's hand move from his back, finger tips gently trailing down his arm until they landed on his wrist in a light grip.

"Dan…talk to me, please"

"There's nothing to talk about. I…I have to go t-to my room"

Dan was about to move when he heard Phil sigh deeply. Before he knew what was happening he was being brought into a tight comforting hug. It was really weird to Dan how somehow Phil's hugs were comforting rather than unnerving now. Maybe it was because he had a lot more trust in Phil than anyone else he'd ever met.

"Please Dan. I know when something's up with you, Just tell me about it, please?"

That was when the tears started. Dan wasn't even sure why he was crying but that tight feeling in his chest was slowly reducing as he let out his loud sobs into Phil's shoulder. He clung onto the back of older boy's shirt as his tears began to create a small wet patch on Phil's shoulder.

"Dan…oh Dan please don't cry" Phil whispered softly in Dan's ear as he pulled the slightly shorter boy closer. He tightened his grip around Dan's body, his right hand slowly slipping into Dan's hair as he rubbed softly making small hushing noises. "Come on you, let's sit down and talk about this"

Dan just nodded, his tears continuing to drip down his cheeks slowly as he pulled away from Phil. Phil just smiled, keeping his arm around Dan as he lead them through to the lounge. Dan sat down as Phil did, letting a small yelp of surprise be heard as Phil pulled him back into a hug. He then carefully lay down, bringing Dan with him so that Dan's face as tucked securely into his neck as the brown haired boy continued to sob softly.

They lay there for what felt like forever. Phil's right arm wrapped securely around Dan's torso as his left hand played with the soft curls which were now forming in Dan's hair.

Eventually the tears stopped and Dan actually started to feel a little more normal. He felt so stupid and embarrassed for crying like he did. He shouldn't get upset so easily, yet he did. What kind of lame person cries for so long and to that extent over something so trivial. He knew it was probably thanks to seeing his mum again that he was this upset. Seeing her always added to that sinking feeling in his chest. And now that he had found out that he was lied to yet again by his dad. He just couldn't take it.

Dan looked up shyly, biting his lip as he realised Phil was staring down at him. He had a look on his face that Dan didn't quite understand. Something between concern and sadness. It was then that Dan wondered if seeing him like this actually affected Phil.

"You okay?" Phil asked in a voice barely above a whisper as he gently traced his thumb across Dan's cheek, wiping away the stray tears which hung there.

"Yeah" Dan mumbled in response, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again to see Phil now had a small smile on his face.

"Good, I'm glad" he paused, moving his hand to push Dan's fringe out of his face so Phil could look into the younger's eyes properly "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Dan wasn't actually sure what to say to that. It was such a stupid reason to be upset really. Everyone else could handle being told lies but yet Dan just had to be the stupid cry baby who would cry over everything. "I…Yeah, I guess" he paused, shuffling back a bit. It was only as he moved back that he realised he was on the very edge of the couch and was sure to fall if he moved anymore.

Phil tightened his grip around Dan as he felt the younger boy slip lightly "Try not to fall off, yeah?" he said as he sat up, moving so his back was now against the back of the couch. Dan moved to sit beside him, looking down nervously as fidgeted with his hands.

This was so stupid, it really was. How was he supposed to tell Phil all this crap about being lied to and-

Phil must have known. That's why Phil had been so shocked to find out that Dan didn't know. That's why, fuck. Of course, it all made sense now.

"…You knew, didn't you?"

"Knew what?" Phil replied, gently tracing small shapes and patterns on the skin of Dan's arm sub consciously.

Dan caught Phil's eye, giving him what he hoped was a serious look "Why dad did this. He explain it to you didn't he?"

"Of course he did. But he already explained it to you too-"

"No, he really didn't. I just-fuck. How could I have been so stupid…"

Phil just looked as confused as ever now. He stopped his hands movements, looking into Dan's eyes properly as he tried to work out what Dan was telling him. "What do you mean?"

"He lied to me, okay?" He groaned, closing his eyes as he tried to collect his thoughts "He didn't tell me about mum. Why did he have to make up some stupid lie?"

"Wait, he didn't tell you the money was for your mums care? I thought after what happened last time you knew"

"Well obviously not"

"Dan.."

"I don't know how much longer I can take this. I'm just so fed up with all this constant shit I-" he sniffed, wiping his eyes again as he felt a fresh wave of tears threatening to fall "…I just want to be happy, Is that so hard to understand?"

Silence fell upon the room. The only silence Dan knew way too well and hated. A silence that indeed meant that he'd said something he wasn't supposed. Well, not exactly anything wrong but more something which had caused Phil to pause. Phil abnormally had an answer to everything. So when Dan spoke and he was answered with silence, he always began to worry. More sorry about the fact he'd made Phil angry or upset than anything else. Because no matter how much Dan tried to tell himself he didn't care about Phil, he really did.

"…I know exactly how you feel" Phil murmured softly. "Do you not think I want to be happy as well? You know how I feel, of course you do"

"Phil, I. I didn't mean-"

"No. No, I got what you meant. You're annoyed at everyone, I know what your like"

Dan desperately searched for the words to try explain what he was feeling and what he meant. He knew what he wanted to say yet the words wouldn't come out.

He opened his mouth, about to try voice something- when there was a knock at the door. They both looked at each other, giving each other a look as if to ask if they knew who it would be. Dam wasn't quite sure how it had gotten to this stage but somehow he just knew what the looks Phil gave him meant. He knew his confused look, his happy one. Somehow he'd learned that and he didn't even know how.

"I'll get it" Phil said gently, placing his hand firmly on Dan's arm in a sort of comforting pat before standing up and softly tracing his fingertips down Dan's arm as he moved away.

All Dan could do was sit there as he heard Phil's soft footsteps make their way down the hall. He listened carefully as he heard the door being opened, trying to figure out who it was. However, as hard as he tried he couldn't hear anything. Only small murmurs that he couldn't make out. Normally Dan would just stay put and not investigate, but now he felt he should do see who it was. It might have been one of those pushy salesmen people again. And if Dan knew anything about Phil it was definitely that Phil was absolutely terrible at saying no to people.

He made his way towards the front door, wiping his face in some sort of an attempt to look at least decent. As he approached the door he realised that he recognised that voice. He didn't want to think about who's face he'd see when he got there now.

"You- you shouldn't be here just now"

"…Why not? What's going on Phil?"

Dan took their pause in conversation as cue to step into view. A small smile appeared as John saw his son. He went to step forward into the house but Phil held his arm out to block his way. John looked confused, his smile fading as he realised both Dan and Phil had the same uneasy look on their faces.

"…What's going on?"

"I think you and Dan better have a talk" Phil said clearly before lowering his arm and turning to walk away. He stopped as he passed Dan, carefully leaning forward and placing a single short kiss to Dan's forehead "I'm here if you need me, okay?"

"Yeah, okay" Dan answered, looking from Phil to John before stepping towards his father.

"Come on, we need to talk"

John nodded in replying, stepping into the house and trying to look Dan in the eye. Dan averted his gaze before starting to move back through to lounge where he sat down, watching his dad sit carefully across from him.

"Dan, what's this about?"

Dan sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked up and locked eyes with his father. He didn't even know what to say now. It seemed only five minutes he was sitting in their nice calm house and now this. The way he saw it, there was only really one way too approach this. He had to just go straight in and say it.

"Why didn't you tell me about mum?"

"Dan…"

"No, tell me. You could have just told me the truth instead of lying to me again"

John kept his head down, biting his lip as Dan desperately studied him in some sort of attempt to understand what his father was thinking.

"I…It's complicated" he sighed "I know how upset you get when we talk about her, never mind if we were to talk about something like that-"

"That doesn't give you any excuse to lie!"

John opened his mouth as if he was about to reply but shut it again as he met Dan's eye. He knew himself that he shouldn't have lied to Dan but it was for his own good.

"I was only thinking about you Dan…please tell you understand that. I didn't want to worry you. I mean, you two were so close and I knew that you wouldn't take it well if she were to…"

"But-"

"She was my wife as well!"

Dan knew he must have looked shocked. His dad's outburst had startled him indeed. Maybe because normally his father was a man to sternly talk things out rather than shout. Or maybe it was simply because John was right. Sure his mum was his mum but she was also so much to so many other people.

"Do you not think…not think that maybe I'm a little upset about this as well? I tried to get the money anyway I could but no one would help. You and your mother are the only people who mean anything to me" John bowed his head again, a small chocked sob making its self heard as he kept his head down. "She would hate me for doing this. Hate me for forcing you into marriage because I'm too selfish. She would have wanted us both to be happy…yet look how miserable I've made you just because I wasn't ready to let her go"

Dan didn't know what to say. That was an understatement indeed. He literally had no idea what to do or say. All he could do was just stare at his father who now had his head in his hands as he sobbed.

"Dad?" Dan asked softly as he leaned forward from his place on the couch. John just looked up, seeing that look in Dan's eyes that he knew too well. He was about to speak when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him tightly.

"I'm sorry dad" Dan whispered as he tightened his grip around his father. It had been a long time since they'd last hugged like this. The last time -now that Dan thought about it- was probably on that night at the hospital. That night when they'd both cried for hours wrapped up in each others arms. They only had each other for comfort and that's how it should have been. Yet Dan constantly forgot about other people feelings and focused on his own. He never meant too, he just did. He was pretty selfish really and that was one thing he never meant to be.

"I miss her Dan. I miss her so damn much"

"I know, I miss her too…"