A/N: Whoops the title photo isn't Dan but there's no photos on like of Dan beat up which is probably a good time so whatevah

Your POV

"Why-how are..." I can only get a few syllables out of my gaping mouth, my eyes bulging in shock and fear.

He raises his brows in amusement, his belittling smile sending horrid shivers through me. "You may have blocked me, but I still had your number. It wasn't that hard to trace you."

I stand in awe, my mind filling with fuzz. James then says, "Well, are you gonna let me in, or what?" He doesn't wait for my answer, and shoves me out of the way with his shoulder, walking into the foyer and closing the door behind him. As soon as he does, Dan walks into the foyer, and every bone in my body lights up with the urge to scream and tell him to leave, and hide, and never come out. I'm not able to say anything, however, and James immediately spots him.

"Oh, is this the little bitch you've been fucking while I was gone?" He asks casually, his eyes digging into Dan like an x-ray.

"James, what are you doing here?" The words are able to escape my mouth like vomit, and I'm proud at how strong they sound. However, as he turns and looks down at me, like Godzilla leaning over a frail human, I want nothing more than to shrink into a ball and disappear. My chest is heaving as silent, deep breaths escape my nose and tears gather in my eyes.

"Is that really how you're gonna treat me, even after all the shit you've already done? Stop acting like a bitch, or I'll give you a reason to cry," he snarled, taking a threatening step toward me.

"Get the fuck away from her," someone snarls behind me. James and I both turn our heads to Dan. The hatred masking his face sends unfamiliar fear through me.

James stands silent for a second, then gives a maniacal laugh. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" He asks, only looking entertained by the situation. When Dan doesn't reply, James takes the initiative.

"C'mon, we're going," James turns to me and makes a violent grab for my arm, making me yelp and jump out of his reach at the last second.

"Hey!" Dan shouts, and storms in front of James. As big as James has made himself compared to me, I think for a second how weird it is to see Dan nearly towering over him, as he's at least four inches taller.

"Touch her again, and I swear, you'll wish all I did was hit you," Dan growls. The smug look slips from James' face, replaced with hatred. I push myself against the wall nearest me, frozen to the spot.

"Dan? (Y/n)?" I hear Dodie's muffled voice from the living room, and my heart drops even further, basically landing on the floorboards beneath me.

James turns toward the doorway to the lounge, then looks back at me, an almost murderous look on his face. He pushes Dan out of his face, and strides into the lounge. Dan glances at me, then runs after James. It takes about thirty seconds for me to un-paralyze myself, and rush after them.

"Who the fuck are you two shitheads?" James asks, leaning casually against the doorframe, obviously trying to look threatening.

"Who the hell are you?" Dodie instantly counters, her brows creased with hatred, her jaw clenched.

James laughs. "You don't need to know. I'm just here to take back this girl, and bring her back to where she belongs." The way he snarls 'girl' makes me want to scream.

"If you think I'd ever go anywhere with you, then you really are a fucking moron!" I yell at him, my voice coming back as anger overpowers my anxiety.

"Oh, well, it's not really your choice, is it?" He sneers.

"I ran away from that town because of you! Because of what you did to me, how you ruined my fucking life," I say, revolt rushing through my voice. "You treated me like shit. You would do all this shit, and make me feel crazy for not trusting you, or gross because I wouldn't want to be around you. You tore apart my life then, but I'm not gonna let you have an effect on me now."

He rolls his eyes like a parent arguing with an annoying toddler. "You're so full of it. You always had to make everything difficult, always play the victim. You would always run away, hoping I would chase after you, but when I didn't, you always came running back, like the pathetic, needy little bitch you are." He laughs, and shakes his head, as if he's in disbelief. "We all know you couldn't leave me, not for real. You couldn't live without me."

"Oh, yeah?" I retort, pleased with the courage filling my veins and allowing me to finally say the things I've been holding in for a long, long time. "Because everything's been just fucking peachy since I left, and you went to prison."

His face contorts in anger, his fist clenching, and a familiar dread that I haven't felt in awhile fills me, the same dread I would get any time he did this, because I knew what was coming. However, this situation is different. He's not the one with all the power now, and as I realize this, the dread slowly starts draining from me.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" He replies, his eyes narrowed to slits."You entitled little bitch. You're lucky I'm on probation, or i swear, no one in this room would be able to recognize your pretty little face."

Dan lurches toward him, shooting daggers at him. "You need to get the fuck out of here, and never come back. She doesn't want to see you ever again. This is my place, and I'm telling you you need to get the fuck out."

"If I don't, what are you gonna do about it?" James counters, but takes a small step back, probably so he doesn't have to look up in order to hold eye contact with Dan. "You really think I can't tell you're too much of a pussy to lay a hand on me?"

Dan's chest is rises up and down with anger as he clenches his jaw, slightly catching me off guard at the alluring aura from his frustration. I suddenly remember it's not just the three of us in here. I turn to see Dodie standing next to Phil, who's still lying with his leg propped up on the ottoman, both like silent statues with their mouths agape in shock. I finally register how uncomfortably weird and frightening this probably is for them.

I turn back to Dan, his expression telling me how incredulously tempted he is to just rip James to shreds, and I gulp nervously. I realize that no matter how much I hate it, there's a very heavy chance that violence is gonna end up being the most probable way out of this situation, knowing that's James' only line of defense, and Dan wouldn't go down without a fight.

"(Y/n)," James says, making another attempt to grab my arm, and this time, succeeding, digging his strong fingers into my bicep and making me wince. "Just come with me. You know if you try to fight back, I'm gonna win, right? And I'm sure you don't want me hurting any of your pretty little friends, right?" I look up at him, my eyes stinging. I try not to show any sign of weakness, but I can't help but let out a light whimper while a tear streaks down my face.

However, before I can oblige, Dan intervenes.

"Let go if her!" Dan pushes his palms harshly against James' chest, making him stumble backwards. "And get the bloody hell out of my apartment, before I have to do something I'll regret."

James chuckles. "Ah, now you're trying to make threats? If you're gonna do something, try me, mate."

"Dan, don't-" I start to plead, but James interrupts me.

"Oh, shut up, you stupid bitch!" He snarls, and that's when Dan clocks him in the mouth, causing Dodie to scream and Phil to gasp, me not being able to make a single noise at all.

However, from plenty of experience, James knows how to fight. Without a second's hesitation, he hits right by Dan's liver, causing his breath to escape him, and his eyes lose focus for a split second. James takes advantage of this and pushes Dan's chest hard enough that his back smacks into the wall. Dan may be strong enough to get in a good punch or two, but James is obviously superior.

Dan is somehow able to instantly rebound, and slams him into the hallway wardrobe, causing the wooden door to crack off one of the hinges. James attempts a swing at Dan, but due to not giving himself a second to steady himself, It's easy for Dan to duck out of the way. Dan grasps the front of his shirt, and throws James back away from him. The blood gushing from the corner of James' mouth flies through the air.

James realizes the coffee table beside him, and I realize a second before it happens what he's planning to do. He picks up one of the plants sitting on the glass tabletop and pummels it right near Dan's left temple and eye. The air in my lungs evaporates as I see the stars form in his vision, and incidentally catch James' eyes.

"Are you gonna come with me, or are you gonna let me kill your little fuck buddy?" My mouth forms an 'o' as I attempt to find something, anything, to say, to get James to leave without him hurting Dan any further. However, with his attention on me, Dan takes his chance to whip his fist into James' temple, causing him to fly backward, trip over the loveseat, and fall to the floor. Not waiting a second, Dan hops on top of him, and I look away, the crunch of James' nose making me let out a squeak of pain, my eyes squeezing shut, grasping the corner of the doorway.

Dan's POV

As I plummet my swollen fist angrily into his nose, I instantly hear (Y/n) let out a painful squeal. I look up at her, and my heart drops as I see her expression squeezed up, her fingers blood red as they clench onto the wall behind her. My grip on James instantly loosens, and he takes this as a chance to push me onto my back, and throws himself on top of me, sending shooting pain through where he hit me in the side.

The blood from his nose and mouth splatters onto my cheek as he digs his fist into the side of my face, filling my mouth with a metallic taste. He then hits me again, and again, and with every hit, his face becomes more and more blurry, and I can feel myself fading away.

My hearing becomes fuzzy, and each hit is just a thud, one after another. All my senses feel like they're blending together, like they were thrown into a blender and put on the highest speed, and I can't tell the difference between what I taste and what I smell, what I see and what I hear. Mingled voices ring in my ears, and my nose fills with the scent of sweat and blood.

Suddenly, I feel uncovered and exposed, and the thudding stops. I realize James has been ripped off me. I have no idea what's going on, and I close my eyes, letting myself drift away.

Your POV

"Get off him!" I scream, grabbing the back of James' shirt and pulling as hard as I can, until he's thrown to the side. "Get the fuck out!" I scream into his face, tears and sweat running down my cheeks. I start pounding my fists against his chest, unable to register the shrieking pain building in them. "Get out! Get out! Get out!" I shriek, my vision blurring, my head screaming, my thoughts entangling with each other.

"(Y/n), (y/n)! It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," I don't know what happened in the time in between, but somehow I ended up from attacking James to curled on the floor, someone holding onto me and cooing in my ear.

"He's gone, (y/n), it's okay, he's gone, he's not coming back," Dodie's soft voice breathes into my ear, stroking my hair tenderly. My senses start coming back, the taste of blood and sweat filling my mouth, my hands stinging ferociously. I look around the room, and see a limp body lying next to the love couch, with Phil sitting awkwardly in front of it, his phone held to his ear.

"No... no!" I screech, pulling myself away from Dodie. "Dan, Dan," I breathe, the words feeling like fire on my already sore vocal chords.

"(Y/n), you shouldn't see..." Phil starts, but I don't listen. I look at Dan's bloody face, and break into sobs.

His long curls are matted to his forehead, his face covered in blood, completely swollen up.

"(Y/n)..." he mutters, his eyes opening the smallest sliver. I just want to help him, or hold him, or comfort him, but I'm petrified to even touch him.

"I'm sorry..." I breathe, one of my tears dripping into his cheek. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

My memories blur together, and I start to depersonalize. Somehow I end up seated next to Dodie and Phil in a hospital waiting room, but I have no real vivid memories from then. I remember a nurse at some point coming out and talking to us, but I was zoned out the entire time. I do find out later that the entire right side of his face was going to be completely black and blue for awhile, and had a broken rib on his lower left side, but was incredibly lucky to not have much more damage than that.

Dan has to spend the night at the hospital, and I don't necessarily remember the reason, but none of us were allowed to stay the night. Phil, Dodie and I walk into the apartment late at night, and I walk into the lounge. However, as I enter, I see random splatters of blood, along with a larger pool where Dan had been lying, and bile fills my throat. I push past Dodie and Phil and rush into the bathroom, everything in my stomach coming up at once.

Once I'm done, I realize I've become an empty shell. In situations where most people would normally be incredibly emotional, all emotions tend to escape me. I stand up, brush my teeth, and mope into Dan's room. I undress, grab one of his sweatshirts from his dresser, and pull it over me, the bottom hem reaching only a couple inches above my knees. After plugging in my phone and turning off the light, I crawl under all of his blankets, and fall asleep, enveloped in his scent.

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Hey, just want to make a disclaimer that I know some of the injuries or whatever in this chapter may not be realistic, but I don't know much about those sort of things, and it was difficult finding very detailed answers online. However, even if it's not completely accurate, I still hope the story is being entertaining! If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote, comment, and follow! Love you all sooo much! 💜