THE FIRST TO STAY | PHILIP PEARSON ≪ON HOLD≫

I.

PROTOCOL FIVE: IN THE ABSENCE OF DIRECTION,
MAINTAIN YOUR HOST'S LIFE

philip pearson was a sad and lonely boy. while his team was living their protocol fives, the boy sat behind his computer, the silent presence of his turtle, poppy, barely giving him a sense of companionship.

it seemed that everyone had their twenty-first century counterparts except for him. marcy had david. grant had kathryn. carly had jeff. trevor had his parents, and at one point, rene and grace.

all philip had was a dumb addict of a lawyer, who used him for his knowledge, and an ex-girlfriend who had used him for her personal gain.

he wanted someone.

he wanted a friend.

someone who would listen to him, make him feel valid. someone who would be there for him when he needed a shoulder. someone who wouldn't push him to the side once they were done with him.

being alone let his mind race with thoughts. the blonde-haired boy waited for the day he'd no longer be of use to his team. it never seemed like he was more than the historian. he waited for the one day the changes in the future became so prominent that his knowledge would be useless.

dispensable, he'd think.

he stared at poppy's enclosure, trevor's voice suddenly ringing through his mind s he watched his pet walk around her space, "go on a walk, phil. do something."

so he did. he got up from his seat behind the computer; he put on a light jacket and left the garage in the webbed feet of his pet, who philip felt had been staring him down.

he took a deep breath, his mind still racing, but now with other concerns. he hesitated to move forward, hastily turning around and re-entering the garage.

"i'm sorry, poppy. i don't mean to leave this burden on you, but i need to meet new people. i'm going insane here -not that you're not enough, you just can't reply to me- i need to do this for me. for us!" he talked animatedly to his turtle, knowingly stalling his walk and chance to make friends.

he looked down at the cold-blooded animal, dejected. he felt like poppy was judging him as every second passed, "fine! i won't procrastinate," he made his way back out the garage, peeking his head back in to say a final, "i'm not happy about this!" before making his way to the local coffee shop he had seen.

philip observed the people he walked by. some seemed like they were on a date. others seemed like they were in a meeting. some were with friends while others were alone. his insides felt heavy when he'd hear the passionate exchanges of i love you's into the phones of those who were alone. even those who were physically alone had someone. just not phil.

he entered the coffee shop, his mood dampened further than when he had left his base. he ordered a black coffee and sat down in a booth, watching the people enter and exit the coffee shop.

it wasn't until someone slid into his booth that he realized he had spaced out. his eyes made their way over to the girl who had slid in across from him in curiosity. she gave him an innocent smile before pointing out a fact, "your coffee's cold."

philip looked at the coffee cup in his hands and noticed how the heat he had felt around the cup was no longer there. he stared at his coffee for a few more seconds before looking back up at the brown-haired girl. he tilted his head slightly, still confused.

the girl shook her head, "i'm so sorry for sitting here, you're probably waiting for someone." she began to sputter out as she noticed his gaze, "it's just that you seemed so alone and tired, i wanted to change that." she began to get up, "i'm terribly sorry, really."

philip watched her as she spoke, his mind preoccupied again. maybe this was a sign. maybe she would be his friend. he, again, didn't realize he had zoned out until the girl got up from her spot and made her move to leave him alone.

"no!" philip seemed surprised to hear his voice hold so much panic and urgency. the girl quickly spun around, philip's voice getting quieter, "you can stay."