Dan heard a horrible pained yelp and his eyelids flew open again, landing on the dark damp grass beneath him. He wasn't dead; why wasn't he dead? There was no way Newman would miss a second time, he was a still target and no more than ten feet away. There wasn't a new scratch on him. He heard a loud thud; he looked up to see what had happened and, in that moment, he would've given anything to have been hit by that bullet.

"Phil…" Dan got to his feet as quickly as he could and rushed on his hands and knees to the young man lying limp on the ground. He reached out with violently trembling hands as tears streamed down his face. He tried to hold back but he couldn't; his whole world was crumbling around him. Space was a black hole engulfing him, and at the very center was the man he loved, on the ground and bleeding through his shirt. The bullet had been fired into his chest, near the lower center of his torso.

"It was a warning shot, I… I swear!" And with that said, Bret ran back into his house with the gun, closing and locking the door behind him.

Dan suddenly felt a rush of real panic flood over him. "You can't just leave him here!"

"Dan…" Phil's voice cracked as he was struggling to breathe, air coming in and out in short gasps and pants. He wasn't in pain, really; there was no time for his brain to register that. He was numb, nerves dead as he lay fighting to stay alive, battling for every second of his life now. He stared up at Dan through the tears in his eyes. "Don't… Don't cry, Danny…"

Dan tentatively pulled him closer, laying Phil's head in his lap where he sat cross-legged on the ground. He stroked his boyfriend's hair back over and over with one hand as he pulled his phone out with the other, ready to call for an ambulance.

"Don't…"

Dan looked at him dumbfounded. "Baby, I need to call for help. You're-" He swallowed hard, another rush of tears coming on. "You're gonna die if I don't."

"It's okay, Danny. I…" Phil had to take a moment before he continued, breathing only growing more and more difficult and blood still pulsating from the wound in his chest. He could feel time slipping away like sand between his fingers, and all that was left to do now was to make sure Dan would be okay. "I love you. I always will, please… please remember that."

Dan nodded quickly, leaning down to kiss Phil's forehead, hard and desperate for his touch. "I will, and you'll be able to remind me tomorrow and the next day and every day after that, because you're gonna be okay. I-I swear it, Phil, you're gonna be alright." He was trying to convince his boyfriend and himself before he broke down in sobs. This couldn't be happening; this couldn't be happening…

Even in the darkness of the night, Dan could see the light fading from Phil's eyes. He knew he didn't have much time unless he got him help that second. He hastily pulled his t-shirt up over his head and carefully tugged Phil's up enough to reveal the bullet wound. It looked so unimpressive, so small and clean that it was really difficult to believe it was killing the young man from the inside out. Dan wanted to vomit at the thought, but he persisted, pressing his shirt down to block the blood loss and pulling his phone back out of his pocket. Phil was too weak to protest by this point.

Ten minutes, they'd said. Dan looked down at Phil –face deathly pale and tiny puffs of air slipping in and out of his lips, eyes dull and soft as heavy lids drooped over them. Try as he might, he couldn't convince himself that the love of his life would last that long.

Dan decided all he could do now was try to enjoy these last few minutes. He lay down next to his lover in the grass. The air was warm but they both felt cold as ice. Dan reached out a trembling hand to stroke the pale face. "I could look at you forever and never want to look away," he mumbled between quiet sobs. He listened intently for sirens, but all was quiet.

Phil spared him a small smile; fresh blood leaked between his teeth. "This is… what I'd be so afraid of…"

"Don't be scared, baby," Dan urged softly. He was barely hanging on himself, watching his best friend and so much more, bleeding out on the pristine lawn of the enemy who'd already hurt him so much before. Dan silently hoped the blood would never leave this ground, stay as a constant reminder that Bret Newman was nothing less than a murderer.

"I'm not scared to die, Dan… Ever… Ever since I met you, I was so w-worried I would ruin things between us, somehow… And now that- that we fell in love, I don't… I don't want to live to ruin a perfect thing."

Dan let out another sobbed and cautiously wrapped his arms around Phil's shoulders, pulling him in close. Blood seeped into his own shirt. "It could have stayed perfect."

Phil shook his head with what little energy he had left. "No, Dan, we… we've always been s-soul mates, but I-I guess never like this… God wouldn't have taken it away so quickly-"

"There is no God," Dan spat bitterly, holding him tighter, closer. He didn't want Phil to see just how many teardrops were making their way down his face, but they kept dripping into his hair.

Phil didn't comment on that; he had no strength left to. A sudden spark went off in his mind and he managed a small, sick smile. "I… I can die happy here now, Danny," he breathed out, voice weak and barely above a whisper into Dan's chest. "I… I only ever wanted to- to be your hero. Ever since that day we met on the playground… I only wanted to protect you. And- And now I… I have."

Dan was shaking terribly now. "The ambulance will be here soon, baby. Please, please don't- don't let go yet. Please hang on…"

He felt Phil smile against him and heard him mumble what sounded much like an "I love you." One more breath rattled from his lungs, and he went still in Dan's arms.

Dan's heart clenched painfully in his chest, and arms instinctively squeezed the lifeless body and holding on for dear life. He pressed his lips to the top of his head. "H-Hero…" he sobbed quietly. He heard sirens approaching and tried not to shake too terribly. "My hero…"

Phil had kept his promise; he'd lived –and died- for Dan. And Dan would soon return the favor.

A/N: And that's the end. Thank you all so much for reading, hopes it's been a good ride! Don't forget to review! Expect my next work soon. xx