It's You

Answers

* Phil's POV *

Dan wouldn't talk about yesterday. I didn't want to push him, but I was extremely worried. Why did he have a panic attack? Was it something I did? Did something else happen?

Instead of talking to him again about it, I decided to take him out with me to run some errands.

I waited until he was done playing the "1812 Overture" before asking him.

"Hey, Dan?" His back stiffened. "I have that YouTube conference later tonight, so I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day in town?"

I waited for his response, standing on my toes and biting my lip. Finally he turned around and smiled, "only if we can get bubble tea."

"Deal."

~~~

While walking across Trafalgar Square we met a subscriber. Her name was Monica; we started talking about my videos when I noticed Dan tapping his side.

"It was nice to meet you Monica, but we have to go now." She gave me one last hug, then Dan a hug - which made him really obviously uncomfortable - and waved goodbye.

"Wow," Dan said. "I didn't realize..."

"What?" I nudged him, "didn't realize that you are dating a famous man?"

"Shut up," he laughed.

~~~

We entered our flat and sorted through our mail laughing about me tripping up the stairs.

"Dan!" I laugh, "y-what's wrong?"

Crap crap crap crap I think, what's wrong?

He was holding an envelope in his hands, and he started to breath heavily.

"Dan, Dan." I try to keep my voice steady, but his breaths changed from panicky to slow and deep. He was trying to calm himself down.

I close the distance between us, "yes, Dan, yes. It's okay. Tell me what's wrong."

He held up a finger, motioning for me to give him a minute. After his breathing was under control, he got up and sat on the couch. "Can we make tea?"

"Yes, I will." I got up and grabbed his favorite mug - the hello kitty one.

I handed him his tea. "Thank you, Phil?"

"Yes?"

"I want to tell you everything."

"Dan, you don't have to if you don't-"

"No. I need to tell someone. I need you to know."

I sit down adjacent to him, and take his hand. "Whenever you're ready."

He breathed out and started tapping his thigh. "Okay... I... I don't know how to start."

"You don't have to-"

"No. Phil. I will tell you everything." He gazed into the distance for ten minutes, tears forming in his ideas. "Okay," his voice cracked.

"When I was a kid, um, when I was a kid my father, my - um..."

I squeeze his hand, "Dan..."

"He hit me." Shit.

"Dan-"

"Phil let me do this." I nodded. "It wasn't a big deal. It was only where people wouldn't see: my back, my stomach, my legs." He blinked back tears and turned around on the couch, lifting up his shirt.

"Oh God... Dan." I reached out my hand and placed it on his back, tracing the lines of scars.

He turns back around, "Phil, I'm okay now, stop crying."

"Dan..." I put my head in my hands.

"Phil, please. I'm alright. Even back then, I was use to it."

I shake my head, looking up at him. "You shouldn't be though."

"Let me continue." I nod my head, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"To get away from the house, I joined as many clubs as I could. Just to stay after school. On Thursdays and Fridays, no clubs met. So I went down to the music room and started learning piano. I was okay at it, and one day the music teacher, Mr. Mac, heard me and decided to teach me. He was amazing. I could play any song with my eyes closed. I started playing for musicals and concerts. It was so much fun.

"But then, on the last day of school, he wasn't there. I assumed he was sick, and even went to the office to ask, but there was no sign of him. I went home, bummed out that I would have to stay at home until the start of the next school year, but when I got home... They, my parents, were gone. I haven't seen them since."

"Oh, Dan..."

"Yeah, I thought living there was bad..."

"What? What happened?"

"I was moved to a foster home. A very crowded foster home. We all shared beds, and shared, well, everything. The boys there, they hated me. I don't know why, maybe because I was new, but they were awful. Mean. They wrestled me, and beat me, and it hurt. It hurt more than my father did it, this was actual hate behind it. They jumped me all the time. They never let me sleep. I barely went to school. When they weren't beating me, I played piano. It was my escape. The reason why I'm still here."

I couldn't process all this information. "Dan, I-"

"When I was 18, I was able to leave the home. I auditioned for an orchestra, the one you heard me play in. It payed. I was able to move into the flat I was in before I moved in here. Then...then I met you."

"Dan, so, yesterday...?"

"I was afraid that one of the boys from the foster home was... It sounds daft now..."

"No, go on."

"I thought one of the boys was beating you up, and I didn't want that because, well, because I didn't want you to feel that pain."

"Dan..." I rubbed his hand, "I'm okay. It was just Peej."

"I know that now."

"And the letter?"

"Oh, yeah, how could I forget." He snatched up the letter. "It's from my father."

"What?!"

"He just said "hi," but he knows where I live. Phil, he knows where we live."

"Calm down Dan. It's okay. How do you know it's him?"

"It says it's from him, no one else would say that. Who else knows? Phil!"

"Okay slow down. Dan, it's going to be okay."

"Phil..."

"Dan, trust me. I'll protect you."

He relaxed a bit and settle down into his sofa crease.

"Look, I have an hour until the YouTube meeting, do you want to watch Sword Art Online? It might calm you down."

"Hmmm..yeah. That sounds good."

He put his head in my lap and curled up into a ball.

* Dan's POV *

I woke up to Phil standing up. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay" I said while getting up, "are you leaving?"

"Yeah, once I get my stuff."

I nod then lazily walk over to the piano and start practicing. Phil kisses me goodbye and walks out the door with his laptop charger dangling behind him.

A minute later, I hear the door open. Without turning around I call: "Phil, what did you forg-" I stop as a strong hand grabs the back of my head and shoves me forward into the piano keys leaving my world dark.