Phil doesn't relax at all for the rest of the morning. Dan, exhausted from experiencing a trauma so early in the morning and his own fear, sleeps with his head on Phil's leg, his body curled up in fetal position. Phil runs his fingers through Dan's hair and watches the cell door, every muscle tense as he awaits their fate.

When Dan eventually wakes up, he sits with his body pressed against Phil's, never saying a word. Several times Phil tries to get him to talk, but he's met with silence. At one point Dan buries his face in his knees and cries, and Phil doesn't ask him why. He already knows. He simply holds him close until Dan's sobs subside and he grows silent once again.

After what feels like hours, a guard approaches their cell and unlocks the door. Dan and Phil watch him with big eyes and don't move a muscle as the stranger steps inside and approaches them. Behind him, another guard stands in the doorway and blocks their only exit.

The man approaching them leans down and grabs Dan, and Phil immediately shoves his hand away and covers Dan's body with his own. The guard raises an eyebrow, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

"I see how it is, witch," he says. "I'll just have to take you first."

Phil struggles, but the soldier is significantly stronger than him and Phil just isn't violent enough. The man drags him to his feet and pulls him towards the cell exit, the guardian fighting against him the whole time. Dan gets to his feet and tries to grab Phil, but the other guard stops him and holds his wrists behind his back.

The men drag Dan and Phil down the hall and into a small room, where they're tied to chairs. Dan's fingers tremble noticeably, dark eyes flickering to Phil and then to the floor. The soldiers back up and lean against the wall in front of them, silent and attentive as the captain of the guard enters. His uniform, crisp and stiff, as well as the expression on his face as cold as stone, distinguishes him from the other guards and makes his status obvious. He glances at Dan and Phil briefly before turning up his nose and looking at the two soldiers.

"The mayor has ordered for an interrogation. Confirm their statuses as witches or others and report back with your findings. Do what you must to get the information out of them," he says, his voice perfectly mechanical and commanding.

"Yes sir," the soldiers say in unison.

Dan and Phil look at each other, their panic obvious. The captain of the guard leaves and the two soldiers turn to them, eyes shining with the violent nature of boys trained to kill.

"So, who are you two? What the hell are you doing living in the woods like witches?" one guard asks, approaching Dan and taking a handful of his hair. He squeaks, his eyes shutting, and Phil jerks against his restraints. "Are you witches? You must be, right?"

"Stop it," Phil demands, his voice shaking. "We aren't witches."

"Sure, sure. Anyone could say that. We want truth here," the other guard says.

The guard holding a fistful of Dan's hair grips it a little tighter and yanks his head to the side. "So, are you a witch then? Some kind of devil?"

Dan shakes his head, his hands fidgeting. He shifts in his chair, eyes darting around frantically, and Phil tugs against his restraints.

"Leave him alone!"

The soldier chuckles a bit. "Your little witch friend is worried about you, huh? Who is he, anyway? What kind of witch is he?"

Dan bites his lip and tries to back away into his chair, his entire body twitching and shifting. He breathes solely through his nose, his inhales and exhales panicky. The soldier leans in and Dan writhes in his chair, his desperation to escape obvious despite his lack of words.

"Why won't you answer me? Are you afraid, demon boy?"

"Please stop," Phil pleads. "He won't answer y-you. He won't t-talk!"

"Shut your mouth, witch. I will get through to him."

"You won't!"

Dan grips the arms of his chair, fighting against the ropes that bind him. The soldier continues to press, and Phil watches in horror as Dan starts to shut down. The fear fades from his eyes, only to be replaced by a dull, vacant gaze that scares Phil so much he nearly screams. The space boy lets his body go limp, and that's when the soldier finally steps back. The other solider, who had been watching from the sidelines, steps forward, and the two converse quietly for a moment before turning back to their two captives. Phil sobs and tries to reach out for Dan, but he can't due to the ropes around his wrists and ankles.

"We'll take them back to their cell and deal with them again tomorrow," one soldier mutters to the other.

The second soldier nods and pulls out his knife, using the blade to slice away the ropes around Dan and Phil's wrists and ankles.  Together, the soldiers hoist them both to their feet.  Dan lets himself be dragged back to their cells, all while Phil sobs and struggles against the soldiers in his desperation to get to him. One of them unlocks their cell and they get tossed in, and the moment he's free Phil is rushing towards Dan and pulling him into his arms. The soldiers leave and Phil sobs harder, pressing kisses to Dan's head. The space boy lets Phil move him around, his eyes still empty.

"Come back to me, Dan. Please, please come back to me," he pleads. "I love you, Dan. I love you. Please come back."

Phil hugs him a little harder and continues to press kisses to Dan's face and head, and slowly but surely light starts returning to Dan's eyes. He blinks a few times, and a moment later he's bolting upright and scurrying into the far corner of the cell. Tears pour down his face in painful waves and he chokes on a sob, wrapping his arms around himself to protect him from men who are no longer there. He shakes like the Earth during an earthquake, and it breaks Phil's heart. The guardian stays where he is and keeps his hands where Dan can see them, trying to force his own pain back for a moment.

"Dan? Hey, it's me. It's Phil. I'm not going to hurt you," he whispers.

Dan stares at him like a frightened animal, silent cries heaving his chest. Phil inches closer and Dan flinches, a whimper escaping past his lips. He grips the straw beneath him and backs as far against the corner as he can, his nearly silent cries cutting deep into Phil's soul.

"They're gone, Dan. You're going to be okay. We're going to get out of here," Phil says, trying to convince himself as much as Dan. When the space boy doesn't make any move towards or away from him, Phil stays still as well. "I'm going to lie down right here, and when you feel okay you can come over here, alright? You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Dan stares at him, his dark eyes still riddled with fear. Phil bites his bottom lip and lies down on the straw, his hands resting on his stomach and his eyes trained on the ceiling. The orange glow of torchlight permeates the cell, illuminating the space just enough so Phil can make out the patterns of the wooden ceiling beams. Hot tears trickle from the corners of his eyes and to his ears, but he doesn't wipe them away. He doesn't want to make a move that could potentially send Dan back into a panic.

After what feels like ages, the straw rustles with movement. Phil's heart leaps, but he does his best to stay still and not look over as Dan carefully pads over to Phil and tentatively lies down. Their arms are barely brushing, and after a few moments Dan turns and buries his face in Phil's neck. Phil exhales and hugs him close, shuddering when he feels Dan's sob against his skin.

"It's going to be okay," Phil whispers.

Dan doesn't respond, and slowly but surely he relaxes into Phil's arms. Eventually he drifts off, and only when he's asleep does Phil let himself break down. He cries as silently as possible, the painful weight of their reality crashing down on him.

He wants to go home, but he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to again.

A/N: This has taken absolutely ages to come out.  I really appreciate the patience :)