phil recognized him. he had seen him around at his school, slinking in the corners of hallways, brown eyes trained on the tile floor... he had seen his lips moving as he counted the marble squares as they passed. his lips always seemed to be moving, in fact. he always seemed to have some kind of hood over his hair as well, but now, in the strong breeze that was hitting the bridge, his hood sat against his back and his curls blew around his face. he looked a bit like a statue, something that wasn't meant for earth.

the boy didn't seem to recognize him back, but phil didn't mind. he liked it that way.

"what's your name?" the boy said finally, mumbling so quietly that he almost wasn't audible over the whistle of the wind. phil had to look up to see his face, as he was still standing on the railing, seeming almost reluctant to come down.

"phil," he replied. he ran his fingers over the icy metal that held the bridge together. "you?"

"dan..." dan seemed almost wary, his voice was slow and phil could hear a hint of fear hidden in his words. he glanced at him.

"you scared of me, dan?" he reached into his pocket for his lighter and a cigarette, even though he doubted it would stay lit with the wind like it was.

"no," dan answered, sounding almost defensive. "fuck off, i'm not scared."

phil raised his eyebrows, the flame of his lighter flicking on with a slight movement of his finger. "you sure?" his voice was strung with malicious teasing. dan frowned at him, some hair getting stuck in his thick eyelashes, and he reached up to brush it away.

"i'm sure."

phil just hummed in response, balancing the cigarette between his lips and lighting the tip, breathing in heavily before it could have a chance to go out. he could feel the boy's eyes on him.

"so, dan," phil said, nonchalant, smoke spilling out of his mouth as he spoke. "why are you killing yourself?"

the boy huffed, blowing some hair out of his eyes. his fingers shifted on the metal pole, gripping it tighter. pussy.

"because there's no point to being here anymore."

"typical."

dan's eyes flashed at the word and he scowled at phil. he was rather pretty when he was angry. phil decided he liked riling this kid up, as it seemed to happen incredibly easily.

"what do you mean, typical?"

phil shrugged, filling his lungs with smoke again. "i mean that's typical. let me guess, you're bored with life? not enough excitement, in the closet, parents hate you, what is it?"

dan stared at him with an incredulous look on his face. "what the fuck? who are you?"

phil laughed, shaking his head. he looked the boy over. his appearance seemed rather messy. he was wearing a black sweatshirt that hardly concealed his curvy form, black jeans that seemed a bit too tight for him, and dark sneakers. although his outfit was dark in color he gave off a warm feeling. his expression was angry, but his lips looked soft and his cheeks were pink from the cold. he looked... well, fuckable.

"let me guess," phil muttered, humming. "rich parents?"

dan's annoyed expression faltered and his eyelashes fluttered in surprise, his lips parting. "w-what?"

"s' that a yes?"

dan blinked. "y-yeah, but... how'd you know that?"

phil shrugged, his collarbones showing from under his shirt when his skinny shoulders shifted. he was good at reading people. "and they don't pay enough attention to you?"

dan paused, his cheeks going even more red, looking away. "not exactly..."

"oh." phil hadn't expected that. clearly dan had some bad experiences with his family. maybe phil couldn't read everyone.

he looked up when dan hopped down, his feet clanging when they hit the metal bridge. he seemed less shocked and more annoyed and cold at this point.

"i'm not typical," he mumbled, glaring at him. phil chuckled, blowing smoke in his face.

"prove it, sweetheart."