When Light Met Dark // Phan

Two

Dan twisted and turned in the now crumpled sheets, chasing the sleep he was never going to get. His limbs were a tangled mess, nearly indistinguishable from each other due to how quickly they were moving. Dan had tried desperately to fall into unconsciousness, but his efforts were futile, the sheep in his head not lulling him to sleep, instead running around in wild circles.

With a frustrated sigh, he threw the covers away from him, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, his bare feet hovering over the dark carpet. The events of the night had left him with very mixed feelings, but it wasn't until now when he realised how mixed; a few hours ago, he was ready to die, to simply stop existing, but here he was, in a stranger's house, very much not dead. It was careless of him to trust Phil only after a few minutes of talking, but honestly, he was all Dan had in this bleak world.

Dan turned his head to the stretch of wall behind the bed, as if he would be able to see the man in question through it. What did Phil think of him? Dan had seen what looked like genuine concern earlier, but there was a thin line between being genuinely helpful and pity. If there was one thing Dan hated, it was pity.

Dan had had friends before, if only a couple, but it all went south when he opened up about his mental condition. What used to be genuine compliments and easy conversations turned into worried looks and high pitched voices. Needless to say, Dan didn't stick around for too long after that. Ever since then, he's been in his own little personal bubble, avoiding potential friendships like the plague, only talking to people if absolutely necessary.

He reached for his phone on the mahogany bedside table, checking the time to see it had just gone three. If he wasn't asleep now, there was no point in even trying. He'd taken on that mindset for a while; if something didn't go quite right, he just gave up, coming to the conclusion that a person like him wouldn't ever be allowed to succeed.

His eyes ended up wandered around the room instead, noticing a small cardboard box he had somehow missed when he first arrived. He stood up suddenly, eager to learn more about his host without having to initiate a conversation. It may seem rude, but he honestly didn't care anymore. He clicked the bedside light on before walking towards the box, dropping to his knees to view it comfortably.

Glancing behind him as if scared Phil would check in on him at this ungodly hour of the morning, he pushed the flaps open. He didn't know what he expected, but he certainly didn't think he'd find an assortment of obnoxiously brightly coloured wigs. What was this? Phil wasn't a... Drag queen? Cosplayer? Avid disguiser?

Shaking his head in disbelief, chuckling quietly, he closed the lid again, deciding it was probably best not to ask. He did take him into his home, after all, so Dan wasn't really in a position to judge. Not that there was anything wrong with cross dressing, or whatever he did.

He was just about to go back to his bed, ready for another few hours of fidgeting, until he heard a light tapping at the door. Was Phil really still awake? Dan stood up clumsily and opened the door slowly, as if scared of the man on the other side, even though he quite obviously had no reason to be. Dan looked at the other man expectantly, taking into account his sleepy state. Maybe he hadn't been awake this whole time, after all. Admittedly, Phil looked quite cute in an odd way, his glasses balancing lopsidedly on his nose, his fringe worked into a small quiff on top of his head.

"I heard you walking around, so I thought I'd check on you." He said quietly, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Dan sighed, under the impression that Phil was one of those people who couldn't trust him on his own. Unfortunately for him, he'd met a few people like that in his time. He silenced himself quickly, aware that Phil may misinterpret this response as rude.

"I'm fine, thanks." There was a somewhat awkward silence, Phil's eyes darting around nervously. Dan found this quite endearing; it reminded him of himself, and oddly enough, this simple subconscious action caused Dan's guard to be lowered slightly.