Lost Souls ~ Phan

Chapter Seventeen

A/N Potential trigger warning...

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Silence. That's all Max had be hearing for the amount of time he was awake, laying in his small bed with his lion held tight to his chest. It was Saturday morning and normal for the apartment to be silent until at least 11; Dan wasn't a morning person.

Max quietly got out of bed and patted over to the window, pulling open the blinds. The bright sun flooded the blue painted room and Max squinted into the sun.

"Good morning, tree. Good morning, backyard. Good morning, London." Max whispered like he did almost every morning.

He then turned and headed for his bedroom door. He poked his head out first and made sure no one was around. Dan's bedroom door was open a crack and the room was dark. Max put on his brave face and started to tell himself that he needed to say sorry. He knew he hurt Dan with what he had said and he was scared he made things worse. So Max tiptoed into the bedroom across the hall and let his eyes land on the bed.

Dan was curled up under the sheets with his back to the door. Max climbed up on the bed and poked his bare shoulder.

"Daddy?" Max whispered. "Wake up."

Dan didn't move.

"Daddy." Max shook him a little.

Dan only sighed.

"I'm sorry for last night. I'm sorry for getting angry with you." Max pouted. Dan didn't answer. "Can you make breakfast?" Max shook him again. "Daddy?"

Max paused a moment and when there was still no reply he got up and walked out. For the rest of the day Dan never left his room. Max busied himself with the tv and his toys and ate cookies and grapes but he wasn't allowed to use the stove so he couldn't eat a lot. He was hungry and bored and kept standing in the doorway of Dan's room and kept trying to call him but every time there was no answer.

Dan didn't want to acknowledge anything. He wanted to fall asleep and never wake up. He basically lost all chance of every seeing Phil again just because he was angry and jealous. Jealous that Phil was spending time with his own kid.

Phil was the reason how Dan pushed through his depression in his late teenage years. Phil was Dan's first friend, his first love, his first person he could confide in. Of course he had to ruin it and now Phil was never coming back. Dan hated himself and he knew he was just hurting everyone. Max was scared of him and Phil was done with him and his own mother hadn't called him in over two months.

Dan was alone and he just wanted to isolate himself from the world. Every time Max tried to wake him up Dan just shut himself down more. He knew Max just wanted him to get up to make him food and he really didn't want to face the boy's hurt eyes. So Dan stayed in his room. For the entire weekend.

•

On Monday around noon, Dan's phone buzzed on the living room table. Max was sitting on the couch watching tv and trying to ignore his rumbling stomach and dirty hair. He leaned over to look at the screen of the phone. Not being able to read, Max just picked it up and answered with a small hello.

"Max? Is that you?" his teacher said from the other end of the line.

"It's me." Max answered.

"Why aren't you at school today, Max? Are you sick?"

"My Daddy is sick and I'm not allowed to take the train alone." Max told her innocently.

"He's sick?"