Just by Chance- Phan AU

Chapter 6- Dan's POV

I must have been imagining things. He must have gotten scratched by something. Maybe he dropped a glass and he fell onto it. Anything but what I thought it was. My inner voice was screaming at me. See what you do? This is your fault, Dan! You hurt him and he does this to himself.

Phil came out a couple minutes later wearing a different hoodie. "Sorry, I had, uh, forgotten that I left on a candle in my room. My mum doesn't let me have on a candle in my room unless I'm the room." I think he knew that I saw, but neither of us acknowledged what happened.

Phil nervously pulled at his sleeves. "Um, when you're done with your cereal, we'll go ahead and start working on English. Do you know when you're mum is getting back?"

I nodded. "Sounds good. And I think tomorrow some time. Why?"

"I just don't want you to go back home by yourself. Please don't be mad, Dan, but quite frankly, I don't trust you. I really don't want you to go and screw up your life."

I was completely taken aback. None of my friends had ever been concerned for me. They were the ones encouraging me to do the things I was doing. "Um, okay. I mean, uh, thank you for actually caring." Wait. Did that actually just come out my mouth?

A small smile crept over Phil's face. I noticed how cute it was, how his blue eyes crinkled at the corners. And this time, I didn't stop the thought.

"I'll don't have any of my school stuff, Phil. Do you maybe have a notebook I could use?"

Phil nodded. "Yeah, I'll go get one." Phil ran back to his room and came back with his English book and an extra notebook. We sat at his kitchen table, and worked for about an hour and a half when Phil's parents came in.

"Phil? We're home!" Phil's mum yelled. When they walked into the kitchen, Phil got up to hug them. "Mum, Dad, this is Dan." I got up to go and meet them. I saw Phil's dad glare at me, but Phil's mum was really nice.

"It's nice to meet you, Dan." She gave me a hug. "Are you doing alright?" I nodded. "Yes, thank you." Phil's dad grudgingly shook my hand, saying nothing. Phil gave him a look. "Well, we're going to continue studying. Dan's mum isn't coming back until tomorrow, so he's going to stay here another night."

Phil's parents said that was alright- well, his mum did- and they went to their room. I sat back down, playing with the pen I was using. "I think your dad hates me."

"Um, well," Phil said. "You have been a complete ass to me since middle school, and that would give anyone a pretty good reason not to like someone. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be mean."

I shook my head. "No, you're right. If it was the opposite, I think my mum would be the same way."

Phil looked at me with a empathetic look on his face. "Dan, c-can I ask? What happened to your dad? You never talk about him."

I hung my head low. "In seventh grade, he went on a business trip. He was only supposed to be gone for a week, but a month went by and we never heard from him. Then we got a letter from him. The letter was divorce papers. He had an affair with some Italian woman, and I haven't heard from him since. That's when everything went to hell. When I changed, when my mum and I stopped talking unless it was arguing or absolutely necessary, when I began screwing up my life. My dad and I, we were-" I began to choke on the words as tears streamed down my face. "We were really close. I didn't understand why he would leave us." I was full on sobbing now. I was so embarrassed- I don't cry in front of people.

Phil grabbed a tissue box and handed it to me. "I'm so sorry Dan. That should never have happened."

Why was he sorry for me? Why did he even care? I had treated him horribly for four years. If i was in his position, I wouldn't care at all. "It's okay. I mean, the other woman was probably better than us-"

"No, Dan. It's not okay. No father should do that. You shouldn't have to think that. What he did was wrong. There's no excuse for that." I looked into Phil's eyes, and for a moment I felt like I was swimming in his eyes. Swimming in a sea of compassion and actual concern.

I composed myself. "Let's just get back to whatever we were doing. So, as you were saying about the poem?"

We studied for a bit longer. Phil's parents took us to dinner, and we went to bed late that night after watching a horror movie. The next morning my mum texted me, letting me know that she would be back in an hour. I took a shower and changed into my clothes from Friday, which Phil's mum had so kindly washed for me.

I walked into the kitchen to be greeted by Phil pouring two bowls of cereal. He handed one to me. "My mum said that she would be home in a hour- I guess half an hour now." Phil nodded. "Okay, I'll take you home then when we finish breakfast." 

"Oh, wait!" I said, running back to the guest room I had been using. I came back out, handing Phil back his Attack on Titan shirt. "Here's your shirt back. Thanks for letting me wear it." Phil smiled. "Keep it. I have like three others. No, really. Keep it." I had tried to refuse, but he wouldn't let me. 

When we finished breakfast, Phil told his parents that he was taking me home, and I gave him directions to my house. When we pulled up, my mum came out of the house. "Oh, dear God. Daniel Howell! I was so scared when you weren't home! Where have you been? And who is this?" She was referring to Phil. 

Phil gave me a look; he had convinced me that I had to tell my mum what had happened. "Um, well, at the party I went to at Kai's, the cops showed up, and I, well, I was arrested. You were out of town, and Phil was the only person I knew to call. So he came and picked me up, and I stayed at his house over the weekend. So, mum, this is Phil, my tutor." 

My mum's eyes were huge. "Oh my God, Dan. I told you! I told you not to drink too much, but you didn't listen as usual!" She turned to Phil. "So you're Phil." She hugged him. "Thank you so much. Thank you for what you're doing, it really means a lot. Give your mum and dad my thanks." Phil smiled. "Of course. I couldn't just leave Dan alone at the police station."

"But, but I don't understand." My mum said. "Why would you do that after how Daniel has treated you? And don't think I don't know. I get called from the headmaster all the time." 

Phil looked from me to my mum. "It's just how I was raised. No matter how someone treats me, treat them kindly." He then turned around and drove away.