monochrome brushstrokes // phan

chapter 7

Dan fidgeted in the diner's cushioned booth. He kept anxiously folding and unfolding his hands, paranoidly whipping his head around every time the bell rang to signal someone entering the diner. The brunet wiped his clammy palms on his jeans, glancing at the raven-haired man sitting across from him.

"This would be an interesting article title, 'Famous Vocalist, Phil Lester, Seen Eating Breakfast with an Unsuccessful Paranoid Artist with Serious Daddy Issues'," Dan joked weakly, as if trying to lighten the mood. 

"The pooparazzi can say whatever they want for all I care. What matters to me is your wellbeing." Phil replied. He had brought Dan out to a diner with intentions to get his mind off of the recent events. Unfortunately, it only seemed to do the opposite.

"I-I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess, I should probably just go. You're in a successful band and doing well in life, you don't need a mess like me to drag you down." Dan suddenly blurted before standing up and slipping on his thin sweatshirt. 

Phil's hand shot out to grip his wrist, "Dan, please.."

"Goodbye Phil, maybe we'll see each other when everything settles out," the other man forced a reassuring smile before tearing his arm out of Phil's strong hold and walking out of the small diner.

"I can't let you go through this alone..." Phil answered, his voice coming out less like the shout he was aiming for and more like a whisper. He knew he should chase after Dan, that's what they always did in movies, right? Although, he knew needed to keep his reputation. What he had said earlier wasn't exactly a lie, as he did care immensely for the brunet, although his career depended on reputation. 

Phil's manager had called a few hours after he had returned home from the museum adventure with Dan. Let's just say, she wasn't very happy to hear about him prancing around London with an unknown boy. How much the paparazzi had seen was questionable, as Phil discovered some photos of him tying the blindfold around Dan's head in a magazine. He had tried to ignore the titles and photo captions, as Dan's problem was a much bigger deal than whether or not he'd make the cover or not, but he just couldn't. Caring about what people say about you is practically rooted in your system, and the fact that Phil was a celebrity just made it worse. 

The ebony-haired man sighed, whipping out his phone. The one he brought today was the one that Phil usually made fan calls on and such, as it wasn't his personal phone and untrackable. He took a deep breath before punching down the number he had seen on Dan's screen before. Phil needed to do this, whether Dan wanted help or not.

"Hello? Who is this?" the familiar gruff voice made Phil's skin crawl.

"Why would you do such a thing to your son?" Phil's spat, his words laced with venom.

"Who is this?" Dan's father repeated, firmer than before.

"Your son's boyfriend who may I say, is very gay," Phil spat out, a little shocked at his own words but his voice didn't falter.

"Don't call this number again." the voice replied, dangerously quiet, before hanging up.

Phil nearly threw his phone across the diner, though decided that putting it down was a better idea. He ran his fingers through his hair before he stood up and walked back to his apartment.

Phil walked in long and brisk strides, though he seemed to notice the laughing couples more than usual. How can they be so happy when the world is so horrible?

As he entered his apartment, Phil was met by his band members sitting on his couch, exchanging quiet whispers. They quieted almost immediately when they noticed him standing in the doorway.