Illicit (phan)

V - Past

((happy ten chapters :) dedicated to Lilacstories))

Time in the backwards town passed slower than usual for Phil, ever since his argument with Dan. He was in a bad mood most of the time now, probably because he wasn't as close with Dan as he used to be, and that turned a spike in his heart every time he thought about it.

Still, somehow another school year passed and they'd made it halfway through the summer before the next one. Phil had taken the summer as a chance to get closer to Dan once again. He spent most of the long days at the Howell household, where he and Dan slaved their way through long movie series together. Phil didn't have a single regret. Thankfully, Phil's dad wasn't around to comment on this. In fact, he'd been gone for around two weeks. Phil didn't exactly miss him. He wished his father could be gone forever.

When Phil woke up on the day that marked three weeks till school started again, he thought it'd be a summer's day like any other. His mum was passed out in her room and there wasn't a single crumb of food in the house. Phil knew Dan wouldn't be awake yet, so he made his way to the lounge where he smoked a cigarette and watched the news while he waited. Dan didn't know about the habit he'd picked up, and Phil knew how disappointed he would be if he found out, but he couldn't help it. The nicotine numbed his regret for the moment where he'd made Dan hide who he was. Not that his plan hadn't worked. Since that day, Dan dressed normally and spoke less, and Benny Malone and his friends stopped picking on him. Still, was the pained expression on Dan's face worth it? Phil had never wanted to be the one to hurt him.

Finally, after attempting to get rid of the scent of smoke covering his body, Phil spotted Dan gesturing to him through a window, so he made his way to Dan's house. When Dan opened the front door, Phil's mouth almost started watering. The scent of breakfast seemed powerful enough to make it all the way across the street.

Dan's eyes lit up and Phil's mind instantly made the comparison to honey. His hair was a fluffy mess, piled on top of his head and falling over his sleep filled eyes. He was wearing heavily creased plaid pyjamas. Phil wanted nothing more than to crush him into a hug. "Hey," he greeted, voice as smooth as honey to match his eyes. "Mum left early, so we only have bacon and cereal."

Phil didn't want to mention that anything would be better than what usually had in his own house. "Sounds fine," he said instead. Dan led him down the hall into the familiar kitchen, where he plopped himself down at the breakfast bar. Phil followed suit.

They ate in silence, Phil way too hungry to make conversation, and Dan seemingly lost in his thoughts. The television blared through the kitchen; another news alert for Cary Reynolds, some teenager who'd gone missing while on holiday. It had been all over the news for days, and Phil had ignored it every time.

It was then that Calvin sauntered into the kitchen. "Hey, Phil," he greeted, ruffling Phil's hair because he knew how much it annoyed him.

"Dick," Phil muttered back under his breath. Calvin simply grinned, before stealing Dan's orange juice and downing it in a few gulps.

"Hey," Dan whined. "I was so thirsty."

"When are you not?" Calvin answered, without a care in the world, popping a few grapes into his mouth. Dan rolled his eyes and reached for Phil's juice. "You guys should go outside today. I don't think it's healthy to have not left the house for an entire month."

"And do what? We don't have enough money for anything."

Calvin smiled, and reached into his wallet, pulling out two twenty-pound notes. He set them on the table in front of Phil's plate. "Don't spend it all at once."