"Do you want to blow this Popsicle stand and hang out?" Dan asked releasing Phil's hand after awhile. Phil nodded in agreement. They just walked around the London streets, talking, mostly done by Dan while Phil agreed or disagreed, until they reached a familiar park to Dan. Dan froze when he realized where they were.
"What's wrong?" Phil asked looking around the abandoned park for anything out of the ordinary.
"N-Nothing." Dan lied, fumbling for another cigarette. "Come on, let's go around." Dan urged walking back towards the gate.
"But, I like parks." Phil mumbled. Dan stopped and turned back to him. "Phil, please, can't we just go around?" Dan wrapped his arms around himself and shivered even though it wasn't that cold. Phil then realized what must have happened here or near here then followed Dan without compliant.
"Thanks for understanding." Dan mummer, relaxing and taking another hit from the cigarette with Phil's disapproval borrowing into him.
"Will you ever be able to go through that park again?" Phil asked softly as they walked around the encompassing gate of the park.
"Will you ever be able to go back to where you had your incident?" Dan replied back. The answer for both of them was as unclear as their future. "Hey," Dan asked trying to lighten the mood and change the subject. "Do you like video games?" He asked cautiously.
Phil nodded softly, "Yeah, but I'm pretty shit at them." He admitted which got a chuckle from Dan.
"It's okay," He put out his cigarette and withdrew keys from his pocket then leaned in and whispered into Phil's ear "I'm pretty shit too." A walked up the steps to his flat's door. Phil was still froze in place as Dan let the door swing open. "Ma casa es sue casa." He grinned proudly but it was replaced by worry as he looked at Phil's face. "Phil?" He asked coming back down the stairs and looking at Phil in the eyes.
The worried, brown eyes searched the light blue ones, but the blue eyes didn't see the brown.
Phil hadn't been near anyone as near as Dan had been just then in that moment since he had been raped. Phil was searching his feels database in his brain. He remembered Zachary whispering in his ear but now the memory seemed to lose its' clarity and was replaced by Dan's warm, cigarette-stained breathe hitting his face.
"Phil? You okay?" Dan asked again, reluctant to touch him but placing a hand on Phil's arm anyways. Phil was shocked by the touch and began to focus his eyes.
"What?" He asked, sounding as if he had just been splashed with cold water. Relief flooded Dan's face, he wanted to hug Phil but he resisted.
"Don't scare me like that, okay?" He asked Phil, pointing a finger in Phil's face.
"Okay." Phil nodded, "Sorry." He managed as they made their way up the steps and into the flat.
"It's fine," Dan mumbled even though it wasn't. He didn't like to be scared or surprised in anyway but that was far worse than he had experienced in sometime. "Just to warn you," he said breathlessly as they made their way up the stairs "My flatmate is a little new to this whole 'My friend had an incident' thing so if he says something inappropriate, don't be afraid to call him out on it."
"He seems nice." Phil nodded as Dan went to open the door.
"You're a funny guy, Phil... Sorry, what's your last name?" He asked, pausing to turn the key in the lock.
"Phil Lester." Phil offered, blushing at the intensity of Dan's gaze.
"You're a funny guy, Phil Lester." Dan smiled, returning to opening the door. "PJ, you home?" Dan hesitated as he walked in, unsure of PJ's reaction to him bringing a friend home without permission.
"Yeah Dan, I'm in the bathroom." PJ called from down the hall.
"Can I have a quick word?" Dan asked heading towards the voice but turning back to Phil to say "Stay here."
"I will." Phil promised as PJ called back.
"Now? Kind of in the middle of something important here, Dan." PJ grunted back in reply.
"Oh god PJ." Dan moaned as Phil felt color rising in his cheeks.
"When you're done then?" Dan asked softly as he reached the door.
"Wait, almost done." PJ called back then opened the door. Dan noticed PJ had been tightening a pipe under the sink. "What's up?" PJ asked, sweating a little at the extroversion.
"I have a friend here, so can you please be on your best behavior? Where are you going?" Dan yelled in whisper as PJ pushed past Dan and made his way down the hall.
"Hi, I'm PJ." PJ grinned, stretching a hand out to Phil when he saw him.
"Hi," Phil muttered taking PJ's hand. "I'm Phil." He said barely above a whisper.
"Why are you so quite Phil?" PJ asked concerned earning a groan from Dan who had just returned to the living room. "Is it something I said?" PJ looked worried but Phil just shook his head.
"Phil has problems talking to people since his incident." Dan blurted, holding his hands to his face in embarrassment.
"Oh..." PJ said softly as Phil nodded slightly. "Sorry..." PJ mumbled before retreating back towards his bedroom.
Dan and Phil were left in awkward silence until Phil said "You mentioned video games?" They played their favorite classic games on various consoles, even PJ joined in on the fun for a while until they put in Super Mario Kart and PJ refused to play, due to his competitiveness.
"It's getting late anyways, guys." PJ noted, stretching and heading to bed.
"Really, what time is it?" Dan asked as he swayed to and fro with the racers, trying to get ahead of Peach.
"It's nine." PJ informed with a yawn.
"Crap!" Phil said then hit pause and reached for his phone. "I forgot to text Louise! She's going to kill me for not calling sooner." He saw he had five texts and two voice mails all from Louise. "She's going to kill me." He concluded, rising and grabbing his coat at a dizzying sped.
"Oh well, um, would you like an escort?" Dan offered, setting down his own controller and rising to his own feet.
"No, no, it's fine really." Phil assured as he raced down the stairs. He opened the flat door and groaned. It was pouring and he had on a light jacket without a hood.
"Are you sure?" Dan asked beside Phil, an umbrella at the ready. They walked down the street without a word as they were huddling under the protective shield of the canopy above. The rain was loud and filled the quiet well, but it didn't hide the fact that they kept looking at and away from each other just as the another looked away or at the first.
"Well, we're here." Phil said finally stopping in front of his and Louise's flat. He turned to Dan who threw away his cigarette and popped in a tic tac before turning to face Phil.
"Listen, we don't need that shit support group. We could just hang out during it and maybe egg their cars when they talk about how Jesus can save their souls and shit." Phil felt his face do something that he had felt in a long time: smile. Dan felt a blush rise in his cheeks; he had never seen a more beautiful smile from anyone else on this planet.
"Sounds amazing." Phil grinned as Dan continued to stare.
"You're amazing, Phil." Dan whispered in reply.
"What?" Phil asked, to see if he had heard right.
"Oh, nothing." Dan bailed but never looked away from the blue intensity of Phil's gaze.
"Okay then, night." Phil waved as he went to duck from out of the canopy's protection and into the flat; but Dan grabbed his hand.
"Wait!" Dan urged loosening his grip the second he had Phil's attention. The rain seemed to slow as well as time when blue eyes faced into brown. Dan went to lean in as well as Phil but when Phil opened his eyes a crack to make sure that this was real; he saw Zachary leaning in, ready to tear Phil apart.
"NO!" Phil yelled and smacked Zachary across the face, only to see Dan taking the brunt of the impact. "Oh my god Dan, I'm so sorry! I saw Zachary and I thought it wasn't you-" Phil tried to explain but Dan held up a hand which stopped Phil instantly.
"I understand. I don't know what I was thinking; you and I. Stupid." He grumbled to himself before turning away.
"We can still be friends, right?" Phil asked as Dan left him in the misty rain.
"Of course we can." Dan turned back to affirm before going on his way as Phil marched up the stairs to his and Louise's flat.
But neither of them wanted to be just friends...
But how could they be anything else when their ghosts still haunted them?