Burn and Bloom - Phan

CHAPTER THREE

It was almost pitch black beneath the thick layer of trees, and yet with the small amount of moonlight filtering through, Phil could see Dan. He was curled up against the side of the cage Phil had made, and it seemed like he was shivering slightly. Phil could understand, his own clothes doing little to block out the chill of the night. He couldn't help but wonder what he would do when the nights started getting even colder.

Phil couldn't sleep. In the matter of one night, his life had been completely flipped upside down. Just like when his father was taken away. His thoughts whirred constantly without his consent, and his mind refused to settle down and fall asleep.

He ended up continuing to watch Dan, figuring it was better to keep an eye on him anyway. He wasn't sure how powerful a firebender would need to be in order to melt rock, but he wasn't really willing to chance it. Dan flinched in his sleep, and then he curled into an even tighter ball.

Phil sighed. He didn't know what to do. Without Dan he could probably sneak into another city, lie low and blend in there. With Dan, however, he didn't have that option. Dan would just blab the moment they were around other people. Phil couldn't simply release him either for the same reason.

Phil wished that none of this had happened. Or that it had, and Dan just wasn't with him. It felt so good to freely use his ability again, and he never wanted it to be restricted again. He felt happier than he had in a long while, and that's with the added stress of the fact that he was now a kidnapper.

Dan gasped, and he jolted upward, his eyes darting back and forth. His forehead was covered with a sheen of sweat, and he was panting. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal, and he let himself sit back against the wall of the cage again. He was shaking fiercely as he hugged his knees to his chest in an attempt to retain warmth.

"Why don't you start a fire?" Phil suggested, and Dan jerked in surprise. He squinted in Phil's direction, unable to actually see him.

"I'm not gonna do anything that would benefit you," he responded harshly, before tucking his head back into his knees and trembling silently.

Phil glowered at him. He would have to intimidate Dan more. He'd have to make himself scarier and harsher, so that Dan wouldn't think that there was a possibility of opposing him. Phil felt sick even thinking about purposefully being scary and mean, but it didn't seem like there was any other option.

Or maybe he could just try to be nice, try to be as kind to Dan as he could be, considering the circumstances.

Stifling a groan, Phil let his thoughts lull him to sleep as he tried to figure out how he should act around Dan.

—

Dan and Phil were walking in silence, a nice reprieve from all the arguing they'd been doing. It seemed that every other minute, Dan had something scathing to say to Phil. He'd called him all sorts of names and taunted him on just about anything, and Phil had returned as well as he got.

In all honesty, though, Phil was tired of being mean. He longed to just leave Dan behind and let him fend for himself. Then, at least, he'd be able to move faster and have peace of mind. Instead he was forced to listen to Dan's constant whining as well as his own conscious telling him what an asshole he was.

There was a loud rumble of thunder in the distance, which made Phil annoyed more than anything else. He did not want to put up with a storm along with everything else that'd been going on. He despised the thought of being wet and cold and uncomfortable. And who knew how long it would take for their clothes to actually dry? He didn't know what they'd do if they were wet when the sun went down, plus he was afraid one of them might get sick. If Dan was sick, morally he'd have to do something to help. But if he got sick himself, Dan would have an advantage and a much easier time getting away.