the quiet ° phan

xiv. spill

Ever since the last Sugg incident, Phil had become increasingly skeptical of Dan. Dan was once again sheltering secrets, and Phil despised that. He knew that secrets killed. A/N: peep my halsey reference

Phil didn't want to confront Dan, but after Halloween, the brown-haired boy had become increasingly distant. Ever since the fire drill, he hadn't seemed like himself at school, and now Phil saw why. Every time Dan acted weirdly, Joe was just around the corner, and Halloween proved that.

At lunch, Phil finally decided to bring this up to Dan.

"We have to talk about this at some point, Dan."

Dan ignored him like he'd done countless times before.

"Dan."

Nothing.

"Dan! This is serious. Please don't make me blow this up into a scene like last time."

It pained Phil to even have to mention last time. The last time a Sugg hurt Dan. The last time Dan hid his pain from Phil. The last time Phil blew up in front of the cafeteria and confronted the Sugg. Phil wanted to make sure this time was truly the last one ever.

"Fine. Keep your secrets. But just know that secrets are killing you just like they're killing me." A/N: another reference whooo i'm on a roll (this one is taylor)

Secrets are secrets for a reason, Dan finally signed.

Best friends don't keep secrets, Phil signed back. He thought maybe conversing this way might help Dan open up. Plus, it would keep their conversation secret just like whatever Dan was hiding.

Okay, then here are my secrets. Joe verbally abused me. I hate that you won't talk to Louise because I just want friends. I haven't had friends before. Because I'm mute. Because I'm bisexual. Because I'm a nerd. Because I'm an introvert. Because I have depression. Because I don't wanna spill my secrets that end up isolating me.

Dan's hand movements were getting sloppier as he got more heated.

There? Happy now? Do you hate me yet?

"What?" Phil said in shock.

I'm sorry I'm not good enough.

"No. You're perfect, just—could you repeat those things again?"

So you can rub it in my face?

"No, uh, just..." Phil said, then signed, bisexual, not because anything was wrong with that or it should be talked about secretively, but because he was shocked Dan spilled so many personal secrets. Phil didn't feel the need to shout them to the whole cafeteria, not when Dan was barely comfortable with telling Phil them. Phil had only wished for an explanation of Dan's weird behavior, though what Dan revealed was actually making Phil happy for some reason.

I didn't mean to say that. Or the depression. Though I'm sure the latter wasn't as shocking.

"Huh," Phil said. He didn't speak, just took in all the new information. You're the only person I know who's gay.

Unknowingly, Dan lightly shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Phil asked.