the quiet ° phan

xiii. frighten

October was drawing to a close. Halloween was in a few days, though Dan wasn't sure whether to be excited or scared. He knew from movies that Halloween was different in secondary school than it was at home. There was already talk of parties with people he didn't want to see, however, Dan was waiting to see what Phil would do.

They were currently at Dan's house in his bedroom working. Dan was laying on his bed and highlighting a text whilst Phil sat on a chair almost a meter in front of him reviewing flashcards. Phil was playing "Spooky Scary Skeletons" on his phone.

"I hate geography," Phil said.

Dan smiled. Phil was cute when he got all flustered.

Dan needed to ask him something, so he snapped his fingers to get Phil's attention. Immediately, Phil's head jerked up like a puppy being offered a treat.

What are you doing for Halloween? Dan signed.

Phil sighed. "I dunno. Parties aren't very fun and I'm too old to trick-or-treat."

Do you want to help me pass out candy?

"Do I have to dress up?"

Dan nodded with a smile on his face.

"Fine. But only because your dimples are so cute."

Dan's face turned as red as a tomato. Phil looked pleased with himself for getting that reaction from the other boy. It was becoming common for him to tease Dan. Some might call it flirting, but Dan hesitated to use that word.

It was time for Phil to go home, so Dan led him downstairs and bid him goodbye. Ever since his accident, Dan savored every moment with Phil. He didn't want to spend time with anyone else.

• • •

Wednesday. The middle of the week. Two days until Halloween.

Dan sat in English completely and utterly bored. Occasionally, Phil would tap him just to sign something absurd or crude. It helped make the time pass a little faster.

After what seemed like an eternity, English ended. Dan and Phil walked outside together, their footsteps synced perfectly. As they walked down the hall towards their next class, a familiar blonde head of hair approached them.

"Dan! Phil!" Louise said to grab their attention.

Dan waved to her whilst Phil stood next to him with no sign of emotion on his face.

"So, there's this party on Halloween, and since I have to go, I thought maybe you two could come along with?"

"Will Zoe be there?" Phil questioned.

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then we won't."

Louise pouted. She gave Dan a pleading look in hopes of persuading him to change Phil's mind, but all Dan did was shrug his shoulders. It's not like he wanted to see the girl and her friends either.

"This is my stop," Louise said once they reached her class. "Let me know if you change your minds."

"We definitely won't need to," Phil said.

"If you say so."

• • •

Halloween finally came. Dan sat right by the door waiting for Phil to arrive. At exactly 18:30, Dan heard 3 knocks on the door. Dan opened the door to Phil's smiling face.

"Oh, wow," Phil said upon observing Dan's costume. Dan wore a wig and tracksuit to resemble his favorite anime character. Every detail was exactly the same as it was drawn in the show, from the shape of his eyebrows to the way his hair was parted.

I could say the same about you.

"But for a different reason," Phil retorted whilst inspecting his lint-covered, severely worn Hogwarts robe, scratchy yellow and black scarf, and branch being used as a wand.

Dan rolled his eyes. Phil didn't need him to sign to know what that meant.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Dan opened the door quickly. Two kids stood in front of the door dressed as the Wicked Witch and Toto from The Wizard of Oz.

"Trick or treat!" the kids said in unison. They stuck out their baskets and shoved each other in order to be the first to get candy from Dan.

Dan handed candy to the girl in the witch costume first.

"I wouldn't want to be Dorothy either," Phil commented.

The girl gave him a toothy grin after that. Her dentist wouldn't appreciate seeing that grin after all the candy she'd devour that night.

The little boy came next to get his candy. He was at least 3 years younger than his sister and still had a cute, chubby baby face. Dan gave him an extra piece of candy for good measure. His parents or sister would likely steal some anyway.

"It's good to see some teens keeping the Halloween spirit alive," the mom said to her husband as they walked away from the house.

At that, Dan smiled. This was so much better than a stupid party with stupid kids making stupid decisions.

• • •

Ding dong.

"Can you get it?" Phil asked whilst rubbing his temples. "I'm gonna take some Aspirin real quick. Or whatever painkiller you have to cure this bloody headache."

Dan nodded and hopped up to the door. He felt lighter than air with his half-full bucket and joyous spirit.

When he opened the door, he almost dropped the bucket in surprise. It wasn't due to any of the kids; it was due to the boy standing in the middle of them.

Joe.

Dan gulped and crouched down to pass out candy but also to avoid looking into Joe's eyes. He fumbled with the Dip Dab packet he was giving to the second kid in the group and dropped it. He tried to grab it from the floor but his hands were too sweaty. A few of the kids chuckled and Joe cracked a wicked smile.

At that precise moment, Dan heard Phil's voice.

"Dan? Is everything all right?" he said whilst walking outside.

He then saw the familiar face and instantly knew everything was not all right.

"Here, I'll take that for you," Phil said and tried to pry the bucket from Dan's hands. Dan shook his head and kept a tight grip on the bucket. Phil shot him a look. Dan couldn't resist the softness in his blue eyes, so he gave up.

Phil finished passing out the candy. The kids all told him, "Happy Halloween!" and Phil reciprocated the phrase before the children skipped away with their candy. They inspected it and made quick, dirty trades.

"Aren't you gonna wish me a Happy Halloween?" Joe said.

"I hope you have a horrible Halloween, Joe."

Joe scoffed. "I'm the one making bank by taking these kids around town before I head out to my party whilst you have to babysit your idiot boyfriend."

"Get the hell off this property, Joe, and don't speak a word about Dan again or I'll do to you what Alfie did to him. But to your neck."

"Try me," Joe said whilst swaggering away. He shot one last dirty look at Phil to which Phil shot him one back.

As soon as Joe was out of sight, Phil slammed the door. He turned back around to face a very shocked Dan.

What the—

"I think you're the one who needs to explain. Why did Joe make you so nervous you couldn't pass out some goddamn candy? And since when has he been calling you names?"

It's nothing. That's just how he is, throwing that stuff around.

"Right."

But Phil wasn't satisfied, and he quite literally wouldn't rest until he knew why newfound animosity had brewed between Dan and Joe. He didn't want the boy to get hurt by a Sugg again.