Dan and Phil spend a sleepy morning tangled together, murmuring to one another and pressing kisses intermittently to each other's skin. Phil's thumb ghosts over Dan's ear and he meets the villain's eyes, brows furrowing ever so slightly.

"I know this is a dumb question, but I feel the need to ask it anyway. Did you... use last night as a way to distract yourself from what happened yesterday with the CEOs?"

Dan clenches his hand into a loose fist against Phil's chest and watches his fingers, shaking his head. "Of course not. At first I was kind of desperate to just think of anything but that, but as soon as I got my hands on you my only thought was you. I wasn't even thinking about it."

Phil nods and catches his lips in a kiss. "That's good to hear."

"When you saw that footage, you didn't... think of me as a murderer, did you?"

Dan finally looks at him with eyes so filled with pain that the hero can't help but plant a kiss on his forehead. "Not for a second. You looked terrified the whole time. So did the others. Jack looked like he was about to throw up."

"Jack." The villain smiles a bit. "He's truly a gentle soul. I don't think he would have ever hurt a soul if he hadn't been forced."

"Mark really loves him. I've seen his face whenever someone talks about him."

"I'm not surprised. He really is loveable."

"So are you. You're incredibly loveable."

Dan turns bright red and tucks his head under Phil's chin. "I don't know why you think that, to be completely honest."

The hero grins and presses his lips to his hair. "I could name a million reasons, Dan."

Dan huffs a small laugh and kisses the tip of Phil's nose. "You're too kind."

Phil scrunches his nose up and shuts his eyes, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Dan kisses both cheeks, a ridiculous, giddy smile on his face, before sitting up and stretching.

"Come back," Phil whines, unable to mask his grin as he makes grabby hands towards Dan. "You were so warm."

"I'm always warm," Dan replies. He catches one of Phil's hands in his and laces their fingers together. "I need a shower. Are you coming?"

Phil nods, and after sharing a short, warm shower they head back to their room. Dan changes into his clothes from the day before and ruffles his drying hair, and Phil's face falls when he realizes that the villain has to leave. Without really thinking about it, he catches Dan's wrist in his hand and urges him to look over.

"Phil..." Dan starts.

"You're leaving."

"I have to."

"I wish you could stay."

Dan exhales and pulls Phil into a hug, hiding his face in the hero's neck. "I do too. I promise, I'll be back tonight."

"You'd better keep that promise, Howell."

The villain smiles and pecks his lips. "I promise."

With that, the pair head to the front door and share one final goodbye before Dan grabs his things and heads back to the institute. The city is windy today, which Dan didn't expect. Since the creation of the wall, wind actually blowing with any sort of strength is scarce. He wants to go the long way home and enjoy it, but decides against it. There are groups out right now that want nothing more than a dead villain. Staying outside for extended periods of time is a bad idea.

He reaches the NAI building and slips inside. Normally he would head for his room, but this time he doesn't. That room doesn't feel like his room anymore. Instead, he walks down the hall to the living and dining room, where the other villains are scattered. Dark bags are smudged beneath Jack's eyes, the Irishman looking paler than usual as he nurses a mug of black coffee. Cry's masked gaze is trained on the wall, new bruises poking out from beneath his collar. Matthew leans over to give Stephanie a quick kiss on the lips before resting his head on top of hers. All of them look equally tired or bruised, which makes Dan bite his lip.

"Where have you been?" Jack asks, glancing up from his mug.

"Out," Dan replies simply.

"All night?"

"Yeah."

Jack raises an eyebrow, but doesn't ask anymore questions concerning Dan's whereabouts. The Brit moves towards the fridge and rummages around, and upon finding nothing that interests him decides to make hot chocolate instead. Jack watches him, and Dan suspects that it's because he has nothing else to look at.

"You're all looking a bit rough around the edges," Dan comments, brown eyes flickering over to Jack.

"The boss... he's... drinking. Something got him into a sour mood, and you know how he is when he's drunk."

Dan grimaces and sits on the stool beside Jack. "Is that why Cry's covered in new bruises?"

The masked villain glances over for a moment and sighs shakily, pulling his shirt collar up just a little bit higher as he looks away. Dan's eyes linger before turning back to the drink in front of him. He wouldn't be at all surprised if he got called down to the boss' office just so he can get beaten. At this point, bruises are so normal to him that he barely sees them at all. He can tolerate just a little bit more pain.

Sure enough, the intercom beeps and the boss' slurred voice fills the room. "Daniel, see me in my office. Now!"

The villains, sympathy obvious on their countenances, watch as Dan pulls himself to his feet and sets his hot chocolate aside. He looks to Jack and touches his shoulder fleetingly. "Watch my hot chocolate. I'll be coming back for it."

Jack nods, his face solemn. "You got it. I'll also prepare the icepacks and painkillers while you're gone."

The Brit flashes him a thumbs up and heads down the hallway, reaching the boss' office in a matter of moments. He wraps his fingers around the door handle and hesitates before opening it, trying to harden his heart and numb his nerves to what's about to happen. It may be manageable. It may be so bad that he can't move for the rest of the day. Whatever it is, he has to steel himself entirely if he wants to make it through.

Dan pushes open the door and steps inside, letting the exit fall closed behind him. The boss glares at him, grey eyes like cold metal, and points at him with a bottle of brandy clenched in his fist.

"Where were you this morning, Daniel?" the boss demands, his words tinged by an alcohol-induced slur.

The villain watches him, his jaw clenched. "Nowhere, sir."

"Bullshit. I called all the villains together and little Daniel was nowhere to be seen."

"I slept in."

The boss straightens up and lands a punch to Dan's collarbone. The Brit gasps as pain flares from the spot and stumbles back, cowering beneath the man's glare. He may be taller and healthier, but when it comes to the man in front of him he can't do anything. It's been ingrained in his mind since he was nine years old that the boss is his master and that he's not allowed to defend himself. When he was a little kid he didn't have the strength to fight back anyway. It seems that now, as an adult, he's still locked in that child's mindset. 

So, he takes it. Like the child he once was, he shrinks against the wall and submits to the punches and kicks and drunken swear words being yelled at him. Tears stream down his cheeks, but he doesn't make a sound besides the gasps and whimpers that are punched out of him. The boss' sharp knuckles connect with his jaw and he reels, his head spinning and causing the world to spin with it.

"Don't assume I'm an idiot, Daniel. You know the consequences. At this point, you should know better," the man spits, taking Dan's jaw between calloused fingers.

The Brit nods and the boss lets him go, watching as he scrambles to his feet and rushes out of his office.