Midnight Eyes ✵ Phan

*15*

A/N Finally a happy chapter (even though its main purpose is to break up the angst so it is worse when it comes XD)

Dan woke up to the searing light of the morning sun flooding through the open curtains. It seemed, lately, he was forgetting to shut them and with the fast approaching sun and heat, he knew that this was most likely going to become routine. He groaned softly and stretched out his arms, clicking his joints and sighing at the relaxation that came to his muscles- he still relished in the feeling of waking up in a bed rather than a dark, dusty alleyway floor.

'Dan?' I faint voice called, no doubt from the kitchen. Dan hummed and before realising that his answer was in no way loud enough to be heard, Phil had entered his room, smiling gently- a flash of something else behind his eyes. Something Dan hadn't quite seen before. Something familiar and altogether foreign. 'Oh, glad you're awake.' He smiled, that hint of something contradictory fading away gently. 'You'll need to cover up today. It's still cold outside and it's my day off so I thought we could go out to the park.' Dan looked at him with wide-eyes but nodded, he had the knowledge of how to hide his ears away from people, although his tail was much easier.

Phil hastily left the room, leaving Dan to get ready, with a frown on his face as soon as he was no longer visible to Dan. The paranoia was already eating him up from the inside out but he knew nothing would happen when he left, not in broad daylight with others around. He hoped. His logical mind knew that there was no way he, although rather stealthy, would attack him in a public area, especially when there was no chance of money when he did it. But, Phil was often known to be irrational, his fear becoming more important than his logic and he couldn't help but shake at the flashing images of the man in his eyes. He was petrified...but he had to get over it. If only just to shake off the sense of cabin fever he was getting from being either locked up in the house or the office.

'Morning, Phil!' Dan smiled, in an unusually good mood, a beanie already covering his ears and his tail tucked artfully into his jeans. 'Morning.' Phil replied cautiously but let a smile flood onto his face as he watched Dan prance around as if he were a child. 'Where's this come from?' He teased, leaning on the kitchen counter, contemplating whether he should give both of them small portions or just skip breakfast again.

Dan shrugged, humming quietly as he pushed himself up onto one of the breakfast bar's stools and staring spinning slowly, the smile growing on his face. Phil just laughed and set his mind, he could skip breakfast again, especially if they were going to eat out for a lunch. Although, it would most likely be a fast-food place; Phil was in no place to pay for anything else.

Dan ate breakfast fast whilst Phil searched for his shoes that had gotten misplaced in what was now the mess of home that he owned. When he finally found the simple trainers buried far beneath his bed, Dan was completely finished and washing his dish. He turned and smiled back at Phil. 'We going now or later?' He asked, placing the dish to the side to dry.

'Now, I don't want to go out when it's too busy.' Phil smiled, motioning for Dan to come out.

'Is anyone else coming? We haven't seen the others in a while.' The silence not until they found me didn't go unnoticed but Phil didn't bother to bring it up- it would only hurt both of them.

'Nope, just us for today.' Dan almost felt relieved at the statement. It wasn't that he didn't like Phil's friends and they were some of the few that knew who he was and hadn't turned him in and he was glad for that but he tended to avoid crowds and simply bringing a few people more would only make Dan feel overcrowded. Not perfect for going outside for the first time in a long time.

Dan realised this would be the first time he ever went into a public area- well, at least in the daytime. He had lived in the woods, and then in the...the shed and then in alleyways. Never, in the years he had lived, had he gone to the park and suddenly his already bright mood shone brighter. And going with Phil, and Phil alone, was just the cherry on the top of the cake.

They left in no hurry, it was still before ten in the morning and the pair were still quite groggy but the cool air and the rushing wind through the trees did brighten them enough to be aware of what was going on. In the mess that had been their lives recently, they deserved a break and although both of their moods were fluctuating constantly, they had the wallow in the happiness whenever they found it. It just so happened that they had found it now.

When Dan saw the park, his eyes glowed. It was a small place, not much more than a children's playpark but it was the nearest thing to Phil's house that was within walkable distance and not too crowded. Dan ran to the nearest swing with glee on his face, just like a child in a candy store. He pushed himself on and began to swing back and forth. 'I haven't been on one of these since I was young. My dad tied a rope to a tree with a wooden plank at the bottom that we would sit on and I would swing on it for hours. I've never seen one like this before!' Dan's innocence in that moment almost sent Phil to tears. It was like raising a child for himself. Dan had lost so many experiences in his life and for most of his life had only seen the brutality of humanity.

Now, Phil could see, Dan was beginning to accept that there was another side- even if tomorrow his mind would return to its old state. Even the mention of his father hadn't been enough to bring Dan down. He was exuberant swinging back and forth, Phil soon joining him just one swing over and pushing back and forth much more lazily than Dan was, who looked almost ready to do a full loop on that thing.

Phil knew that tomorrow would always be a different story but today was nice, calm and peaceful. He wanted every day to be like this even if he knew it couldn't be. Or else, they wouldn't be what they were. They would become normal. Phil was never one for normal. So, a day like this was a dream. Unfamiliar but fun- something Phil hadn't felt in years. And, somehow, having Dan right there next to him was the reason for it being so.

word count: 1183

published: 18.05.17