CHAPTER FIVE
"Phil?"
Phil glanced up, his tight expression turning softer as he noticed Dan's slightly timid face.
"Is everything alright?" Dan questioned.
"Yeah, sorry," muttered Phil, running his hands over his tired eyes. "I'm just...stressed."
Dan sent Phil a small smile and sat down next to the older boy, cuddling close to the older boy.
"Is this okay?" Dan asked, glancing up at Phil with wide eyes.
Phil nodded absentmindedly. Dan grinned and cuddled closer, his eyes fixed on the laptop in front of them.
"These are horrible," the brunette mumbled as his eyes flickered over the comments.
Phil quickly snapped the laptop shut.
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's fine. I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" Dan wondered.
"Yeah," Phil nodded. "Dan, you don't have to worry about me."
"I'm your best friend! It's basically law for me to worry about you," Dan argued, causing the older boy to giggle.
"Come on! Do you wanna play Mario Cart?" Phil grinned, jumping to his feet.
The corners of Dan's lips tugged downwards. "Phil, I really do want to help."
"Playing Mario Cart will help," Phil insisted. "It'll take my mind off of things."
Dan didn't necessarily believe him, but Phil seemed so desperate to get out of this conversation that Dan just sighed and announced that he hoped Phil was ready to get his ass whooped.
"You'll see!" cried Phil. "This time, I will beat you!"
"In your dreams!" Dan shouted, sticking out his tongue childishly.
However, twenty minutes later, Dan could tell that his friend was having trouble concentrating.
"Phil," sighed Dan, pausing the game and ignoring Phil's protest. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I told you, I'm fine," Phil stressed.
"You still seem upset," Dan frowned. "I just...I want to help you."
Phil sighed and pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees.
"It's just that everyone seems to hate me at the moment," Phil muttered. "And I know there are still people who don't hate me and that I shouldn't let the hate affect me. But it's hard to ignore it when it's just about half of my comments. Not to mention that I can recognize some of the accounts-people who used to be so supportive are now just so..." he trailed off, his eyes fixed on his sock covered feet.
Dan could nearly hear his heart shattering. And knowing that this was his fault made it worse. But he couldn't tell Phil that. That would only make it worse. So instead, Dan wrapped his arms tightly around the other boy.
"I could tell them this whole thing was just a joke?" Dan suggested, timidly.
"No!" exclaimed Phil. "No, no. You don't have to do that. You came out and I'm so, so proud of you because of it."
"But I have to do something!" Dan insisted. "I can't just sit here and watch you get undeserved hate! This is my fault and I should fix it!"
Dan silently cursed himself. He didn't to make things harder on Phil by needing him to console him.
"This is in no way you're fault," Phil insisted. "You did nothing wrong."
Dan silently stared down at the floor.
"There must be something I can do," he murmured.
"Well..." Phil shuffled awkwardly in his seat. "There was one thing I thought of..."
"What?" Dan asked, eager to help his friend.
"Well, it's not a very good plan-in fact it's pretty terrible-and I'm ashamed I even thought of it," Phil rambled. "But...I was thinking...and everyone's upset because I don't like you back...so we could fake a relationship?"