Chapter Text
Philip was quiet the whole car ride with Helen and Gabe as they drove the two and a half hours to New York City. He stared at the window, not really listening to the conversations Helen and Gabe were trying to start. They gave up after about forty-five minutes and started talking about Kamilah.
Philip really didn't want to do this. He wanted to go back to his home. It was where his mother always was, where he always found her. She was never going to be there again. So, Philip never wanted to be there again.
But Philip knew he had to do this. It was what his mom would've wanted. She wouldn't have wanted the bank or some person the bank hired to take her stuff and then decide what would go to Philip. She would want him to decide what he wanted and to be the one that handled all of this, and Philip was going to do it for her.
Philip sighed as they got close to his old house. He didn't notice he was shaking until he reached to get his phone. No new messages, but Philip wasn't surprised, since Lukas was really the only person who texted him. Philip kinda wished that Lukas was there to help him, to hold his hand. But Philip didn't know how Helen and Gabe would feel about that, probably not happy, so that was why Lukas wasn't here with him.
Helen parked the car before turning around the Philip. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah,” Philip said quickly, pushing open the door. He knew if he hesitated he wouldn't get out of the car.
Helen gave Gabe a concerned look. “Do you think he's alright?”
“No, of course not,” Gabe said.
“What do we do?” Helen asked.
“Whatever he needs us to do,” Gabe answered, opening the door. “Let's go catch up with him. I'll grab the boxes from the back.”
Philip was already standing there, fiddling with the key he was given from the bank. He lost the spare key after he and Lukas were kidnapped, and no one knew where Anne had left the other one. So, the bank made this one and had it mailed to Philip a week ago.
Philip stared at the plant by the door. It had been dying for as long as Philip could remember. Now that his mom was gone, the plant was dead. Just like her.
When Helen and Gabe turned into view, Philip went and unlocked the door. He didn't want to listen to them try to give him a pep talk before he went in. He didn't need that. All he needed was to get his and his mom's things and get out.
However, when Philip opened the door, he froze. This was his home, but it felt so different. It didn't feel like his home anymore. Not without his mom.
Gabe placed a hand on Philip's shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Philip quickly pushed his emotions away. “Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just do this.”
There weren't many things to pack. Philip and Anne didn't own much, and the majority of Philip's things were at Helen and Gabe's. Packing his room wasn't that hard since there wasn't much stuff and the room at Helen and Gabe's was beginning to feel more like him. It was leaving that room knowing it would be the last time he stepped foot in his bedroom that made him emotional before he pushed the tears back.
It was packing the rest of the stuff that was more difficult. Obviously, Philip couldn't take everything. It wasn't rational to take a vacuum or the barely functioning tv because Helen and Gabe had much better ones. It was hard though because Philip had vices memories of his mom with everything in the house. The hardest thing for Philip was deciding what he should take and what he should leave.
Pictures were an obvious yes. He also grabbed some small knick-knacks he knew his mom loved. He took some of the cups and plates that had some meaning, like the ones he made for his mom in school for Mother's Day. Lastly, he took some things that reminded him of her that he couldn't just leave, like the necklace she wore on what she considered to be special occasions, which were the days where she was sober and had a fun day with Philip.
While Philip was packing the last of the things in his mom's room, he felt his phone vibrate. Grateful for the distraction, Philip took it out and saw that it was a text from Lukas.
From Lukas: I know what we're gonna do tonight
To Lukas: What?
From Lukas: It's a surprise
To Lukas: You know I don't like surprises.
From Lukas: It's a good surprise I promise
From Lukas: Just look cute
From Lukas: Which isn't that hard for you because you look cute in whatever you wear
From Lukas: And when you're wearing nothing ;)
Philip laughed at Lukas’ multiple texts, his face beating up slightly because Helen was just down the hall. He needed that. He needed to laugh as he was about to walk out of his mom's room for the last time. It was like Lukas somehow knew that.
Helen popped her head into the door. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything okay,” Philip replied. “Just getting the last of it. I'll be down
“Take your time. We're not in any rush.” Helen gave Philip a gentle smile before leaving him alone.
To Lukas: Thank you
Philip shoved his phone back into his pocket and lifted up the box. He took one final moment to stare at the room, his mom's room.
“Love you, Mom,” he whispered before closing the door.
+
Lukas was sitting on his couch, earbuds in and music blaring. A grin was plastered on his face. He had a plan. A plan that would make Philip happy and lift a huge weight off of his shoulders.
Lukas was going to come out to everyone at the party in Red Hook.
He had the idea as he sat there trying to think of what would make Philip feel better. Once he had the idea, he texted Rose and asked what she thought. She loved the idea and figured that it would be easier to do at a party than at school. Lukas agreed and texted Philip that they were going somewhere that night.
Philip didn't sound all too there in his texts. Lukas figured he was still at his old house, so he texted him a joke to hopefully get his mind off things. It apparently did, because Philip thanked him.
Lukas was in the middle of texting Rose about how he should go about tonight when his father walked in. Bo stopped at the doorway and stared at his son. Conversations hadn't been easy for them. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. Bo wanted to talk to Lukas in private, but Lukas was always clung to Philip.
“Lukas,” No said, but Lukas couldn't hear him over his music. “Lukas. Lukas!”
Lukas jumped, ripping out an earbud. “What?”
“I wanted to talk to you for a minute,” Bo started, taking a seat beside his son.
“About what?” Lukas asked.
“About you and Philip,” Bo replied
“There's nothing to talk about,” Lukas muttered.
Bo sighed. “Lukas-”
“I'm gay, okay, Dad?” Lukas exploded. “I'm gay and there's nothing you can do to change that! You're just gonna have to accept it!”
“I'm trying!”
Lukas shrank back down. “What?”
“I'm trying, son,” Bo repeated. “I understand that this is how you feel. But this was a shock to me. You had a great girlfriend that I really thought you liked. Then, all of a sudden you're in a coma after being shot and I see Philip kiss you. I felt like a real shitty dad then.”
“You're not a shitty dad,” Lukas said quickly.
Bo smiled weakly. “Thanks, son, but I am. The reason you and Philip were in that mess was because you were too scared to tell me that you liked him.”
“No one's to blame,” Lukas told. “No one handled this right. We can't all start blaming each other and ourselves.”
“I guess you're right,” Bo said. “But I am sorry. I'm sorry you felt that you couldn't trust me. I'm gonna work on that. I do love you. And if being with Philip makes you happy, then I'm happy.”
Lukas was so overwhelmed with emotions that the only thing he could do was hug his father. Bo held his son tight. Were things perfect between them? No. But they were making progress, and progress was always a step in the right direction.
+
Lukas and Philip pushed the bike up to the house where Jamie Scott’s was throwing a party. They were both sweaty and tired from pushing the bike there. Philip complained the entire time, asking Lukas why he even brought his bike in the first place. Lukas retorted that he didn't know this would happen, prompting Philip to say they should've just left it at Helen and Gabe’s and gotten a ride.
“Finally,” Philip sighed when they arrived.
“Um, excuse me, I was doing most of the pushing,” Lukas said, kicking the kickstand.
Philip raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”
“Who cares? We're here now,” Lukas quickly said, leading Philip towards the house.
“Can we at least Uber back?” Philip asked.
“Philip, there aren't any Ubers around here,” Lukas replied.
Philip rolled his eyes. “I hate small towns.”
“You wouldn't have met me if you never came to this small town,” Lukas pointed out.
“Yeah, I guess you're right.” Philip turned to the house, slightly nervous. “Are you sure about this?”
Lukas nodded confidently, more for himself than Philip. “Of course. I said I was and I am.”
“I don't want you to feel pressured to do it,” Philip said.
“I’m not pressured,” Lukas said. “Let's go in.”
The party was packed with what felt like everyone who went to their high school and then some. The music was so loud that it felt like the room was vibrating. Or, maybe that was the everyone dancing in the cramped environment.
“Hey, you made it!” Riley, who was clearly intoxicated, came stumbling over, wrapping an arm around both Lukas and Philip.
Behind him were Oliver, Sean, and Rose. Oliver and Sean were also quite intoxicated, but not as much as Riley. Rose didn't look like she had drunk anything. She gave Lukas a questioning look. Lukas nodded, making Rose grin.
“Do you guys want a drink?” Riley slurred.
“Yeah, we’ll be right back,” Lukas said, unwrapping himself from Riley and tugging Philip along by the elbow.
Lukas went to where the drinks were and took a beer. When he turned around, Philip was drinking from a solo cup. “What's that?”
“Jungle juice,” Philip replied.
Lukas’ eyes widened. “Really?”
“Lukas, I've had much stronger than this,” Philip said, taking another drink.
“C’mon, let's go dance,” Lukas insisted, pulling Philip onto the cramped dance floor.
Lukas and Philip danced together, but no one could really tell. It was so tight that everyone was pretty much dancing with each other.
As they danced, Philip kept glancing at Lukas. He kept wondering if Lukas was serious. Would Lukas actually kiss him? As time went on, Philip began to doubt it. Lukas wasn't making any move to kiss him, or even look at his lips.
Lukas was so nervous that he could barely look at Philip, especially at his lips. He had every intention of kissing Philip. He just didn't know how. Philip had finished his drink and was now slightly intoxicated. Lukas also felt a bit buzzed from just finishing his second beer, but he wasn't as bad as Philip. Philip was a bit sloppy, grabbing onto Lukas for support. Lukas didn't know if he wanted to now that neither he or Philip were sober.
Then Philip locked eyes with Lukas and beamed.
Lukas placed his hand on Philip’s cheek, causing Philip’s eyes to go wide. Before Philip could say anything, Lukas pressed their lips together. It was a little sloppy because they were intoxicated, but it was deep and passionate.
When they finally separated, almost every eye was on them. Most were shocked and confused. Some looked happy and impressed. Rose was squealing. And then there were the ones that looked angry, disgusted.
But Lukas and Philip didn't care. They were too happy to notice the reactions around them. They grinned at each other before making out again.
+
Getting home from the party was a struggle. Lukas had stopped after two drinks, but Philip had had two jungle juices. He wasn't stumbling and slurring, but he needed Lukas’ help to stand up straight.
Lukas knew he wasn't going to be able to bring both his bike and Philip home. Philip couldn't walk without Lukas helping him, and there was no way Lukas could push his bike home by himself while trying to keep Philip on his feet. So, Lukas found Jamie, who decided she was going to stay sober since everyone was at her parents' house, asked if he could leave his bike there and pick it up the next day. Thankfully, Jaime agreed, so Lukas dragged Philip out of the house and home.
How everyone felt was clear. There were quite a few people who came up to Philip and Lukas and told them that they were brave and that they were cute. Riley said that it was ‘freaking awesome’ that they were dating, but Lukas was sure that he probably wouldn't remember what happened. The ones that didn't support it avoided all contact with them, but Lukas and Philip didn't care. They were being kept busy with each other and the ones that supported them.
“Philip, we're almost home,” Lukas said.
Philip looked up at Lukas, grinning. “I wanna go home. I’m tired.”
Lukas rolled his eyes. “Don't worry about it. We’re almost home.”
“I had fun tonight,” Philip muttered, running his hand up and down Lukas’ arm.
Lukas grinned. “So did I.”
“I’m proud of you, baby,” Philip said, slurring slightly.
“Thanks. I’m proud of you too,” Lukas told him, looking up to see Helen and Gabe’s home. “Can you act a little less drunk?”
Philip stumbled slightly. “I’m not drunk, baby, I’m just happy.”
Lukas shook his head. “Okay, whatever you say.”
When they got to the door, Philip stood up a little straighter. Lukas was a little nervous to open the door. He had a good relationship with Helen and Gabe, but he had never brought their foster son home drunk. Philip was pretty good act acting sober, but it was clear in his face that he was intoxicated.
Helen and Gabe were sitting on the couch when they walked in. Lukas was surprised because it was a little past midnight. “Hey, sorry we’re late, but my bike-”
“Boys, can you sit down for a minute?” Helen asked.
Lukas and Philip shared a worried look before sitting on the couch. “Does Philip have a curfew?” Lukas asked, worried he did something wrong.
Helen shook her head. “No, no, you two are okay except for underage drinking, but-”
“I’m not drunk,” Philip interrupted. “Lukas said so.”
“Philip, please be quiet and listen to Helen right now. This is serious,” Gabe said.
Lukas whipped his head around to Helen, going from slightly buzzed to completely sober in an instant. “What's wrong?”
Helen picked up the remote. “This was on the news earlier. We were going to call you, but we decided not to ruin your night and just wait for you to come back.”
“Is it bad?” Lukas asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” Helen replied almost immediately. “Just watch.”
It was a clip from the news. A man was sitting behind the desk speaking, “There's been a huge development in the serial homicide case in small town Tivoli, New York. Here’s Monica Fuhr standing by in Tivoli with the story.”
The scene then cuts to a woman standing in front of a row of stores. “Thank you, Derrick. I’m here in Tivoli, New York, the home of one of the biggest homicide story this century. Seven dead, one of them the killer. Ryan Kane. But who is Ryan Kane? It turns out, Ryan Kane isn't his real name.”
“How do they know?” Philip asked before getting shushed.
“His real name is Joseph Campbell,” the reporter continued. “And how do I knew that? Joseph has a brother who was scrolling through social media and saw a video about his brother. And he's here now.”
The camera pans back slightly. What the camera revealed made Philip yelp and Lukas’ scream get caught in his throat. There was a man standing there, but he looked just like Ryan. For a moment, Lukas and Philip thought he was actually Ryan Kane. then they noticed that his hair was longer and it seemed like he was a bit taller, but he looked just like Ryan Kane.
“This is Joseph’s twin brother, Justin,” the reporter said. “Justin, you found out about everything that happened to your brother on social media. What exactly do you know about what Joseph did?”
Justin looked right into the camera, and it was like having Ryan Kane staring right at Philip and Lukas. “My brother was coerced into murdering everyone he did.”
The reporter was surprised. “Was he really?”
“Yes. My brother would never do any of that willingly.” Justin grabs the microphone and gets close to the camera. “My brother was murdered. And I plan on pressing charges on the woman that killed him.”
Everyone in the room was silent as the video cut to a commercial. Philip and Lukas stared at Helen. Helen looked like she wanted to puke. Gabe buried his head in his hands. Everyone was just shocked, and no one knew how to react.