MERMAID MOTEL | PHAN

! four !

1991
4/6

the motel they arrived at had pink neon lights that immediately reminded dan of the stage back at the bar, but everything returned to being as sweet as lemonade as phil went around to opened the door for him. he lead dan inside with a hand on the small of his back like dan had been praying for him to do again, and went to the front desk to speak to an elderly lady with a sweet smile.

a sweet smile that dissolved when she saw dan, whose revealing outfit that he knew labelled him "whore" under phil's jacket had caught her eye.

"there'll be none of that kind of business here,
my love," she said, sugar-coated to the point of being sickening, "my love" rotten on her tongue. "this isn't the place for that kind of work. you ought to try three or so miles down."

"ma'am," phil replied, his voice calming the raging blush of embarrassment flowering on dan's cheeks as the woman's eyes stamped whore, whore, whore all over his exposed skin. "i think you must have mistaken my husband for someone else."

"husband?" dan repeated, in quiet confusion.

"husband?" the woman's jaw dropped, and her open mouth started to open and shut without any sound coming out like a fish. "i-i'm so sorry, sir, i didn't....i-i didn't mean...forgive me, love," she directed at dan now, "i thought - "

"you thought wrong," phil cut her off as swiftly and cleanly and a knife through a cake, with a sharp smile to match. "we just want a room for the night, please."

"r-right," the old woman stammered, adjusting her glasses before making the arrangements and finding them a key. "room 28."

"you're too kind," phil said, the hand that had remains on dan's back squeezing his hip gently.

"pleasure's all mine," the woman gushed, still clearly embarrassed and eager for them to leave. "have a g-good night, sir."

"we will," phil replied coolly, "now what have we learned from this?"

"l-learned?" the woman stammered. "what - "

"we've learnt to be polite, haven't we?"

dan looked from phil to the woman behind the reception desk with his eyes as wide as saucers; he was talking to her as if she were a little child, with a firm undertone that dan could read as: "fuck with me, i dare you."

"y-yes," she managed with a nod, giving dan a glance; from where he stood, it looked a little like she was shaking.

"now apologise to him."

"i-i - "

"apologise to my boy, please."

"i-i'm..." she stared, turning to dan and flushing scarlet. "sorry. i'm sorry."

"that's fine," dan murmured, and phil kissed the top of his head.

"right," the woman said, "right...s-sorry - "

"no more apologies necessary," phil smiled briskly. "have a good night, ma'am. come on now, baby."

he lead dan (gently as ever) down the hall, and dan was smiling now, smiling like he hadn't done in years and years.

"you're gonna have me falling love with you if you carry on," he laughed in disbelief, and something, if even for just a moment, changed in phil's eyes.

"careful," he replied, "or that might be true."

dan thought it must've just been the lights lining the hallway ceiling, because phil seemed just the same by the time they reached room 28. as soon as the door was unlocked, phil set down the bag he'd brought with him from out of the car boot on the bed, and turned to watch dan looking around as if he'd just fallen down the rabbit hole.