#something about how first we get to live... Dan Howell please save me...

[alexhasalotofthoughts]

The world might be ending but at least I got to talk to my film studies teacher about fan fiction so actually everything is okay. She reads fan fiction and holds strong opinions about it so that's nice.

Everything is fine. The only Donald I know is the duck. Quack quack. 𓅭.

[phanburnhamizzard]

New Year’s Eve

This is my story for the @Phandomreversebang!  It was beta’d by @deferredmomentum and based on artwork by @catzoomies!  

Isn’t that beautiful????!!!! What great art! 

Type:  One shot, established relationship, humor

Words:  4897

Triggers:  Getting lost

Summary:  New Year’s Eve is a time of reflection for Dan and Phil, who sneak out of their hotel to watch the ball drop in Time’s Square in New York City.  

A/N:  Special thanks to my amazing amazing beta @deferredmomentum for shaping this story and helping to keep me on track.  I hope you enjoy it!

-----------------------

“Phil, you’re standing on my foot, you clod!” Daniel Howell yelped as the Interactive Introverts tour bus turned down the corner of 42nd street in New York City.

“Sorry!” Phil Lester replied as he quickly shifted his weight off of Dan’s foot and onto the second bus step.

Both young men peered excitedly out the front window at the bright lights of Broadway as the bus driver warned them for the dozenth time to stand back of the white line. Although they immediately apologized, neither one moved from their spot as their eyes took in the glitter and glamour of the blinking lights and neon signs of the historic district.

“I wish we had enough time to watch a Broadway show,” Dan pined.  As a theater kid and aspiring actor, seeing a Broadway play had always been high on his bucket list.

“We’ll come back,” Phil assured Dan, “We’ll make it happen.”

Dan sighed,  “Yeah.  One day.”

Forty minutes later, the bus finally made it to the Plaza Hotel where Marianne had secured them reservations for a suite of rooms for New Year’s Eve.  Phil was first off the bus and was immediately surrounded by screaming fans.  

“Hi!” Phil said warmly, waving to the crowd. Dan jumped off the bus theatrically with jazz hands and Phil rolled his eyes as everyone else laughed.  

“Hello everyone!”  Dan exclaimed, his “Danisnotonfire” character surfacing and hiding his trepidation at being surrounded by dozens of hyperventilating fans.

Marianne stepped into action and announced that they young men simply could not stop to take pictures with everyone and must get into the hotel.  Dan and Phil shrugged and apologized, waving and making a point to high-five everyone they could as they transitioned from the freezing curbside to the toasty hotel lobby.

“Holy titballs,” Dan said as they took in the beauty of the vast lobby of the Plaza Hotel.  

“This is amazing!” Phil exclaimed as he noted the vaulted ceilings above and expensive carpet beneath their feet.

Marianne took the lead and led them to the front desk to check in.

“That will be the suite with a view of Time Square for the gentlemen,” the clerk said formally.

“Thank you,” Dan and Phil said in unison, then looked at each other and inwardly moaned.  Could they be any more in sync?  Phil smirked and Dan stifled a laugh.

They took the special elevator up to their room.  The elevator had a glass bottom center, and Dan dared Phil to jump.  Phil hugged the side and refused to even place a foot on the glass.  Dan stood squarely in the center and jumped, causing the elevator to lurch and Phil to scream, “Oh my God!  Dan, you’re going to kill us all!”  Dan just laughed and looked down at the scenic mezzanines whizzing by below them.  “Look at all the plant life!” he said, “Phil, you would kill all of those in about a week.”

“I would not!  It would be two weeks!” Phil retorted with a laugh.  

“Yeah, I’ll give you two,” Dan said, giggling.  

The elevator came to a soft stop and the doors opened to reveal the door to their personal suite right in front of them.  

Phil swiped the card in the door and opened it into a vast suite with three bed rooms, a living area, and a kitchenette.  

“This is bigger than our flat!” Phil enthused as he ran around the room touching everything and opening all the doors.

“Phil, that’s expensive!  Don’t touch it!” Dan exclaimed as Phil picked up a miniature abstract sculpture.  “It’s probably by Banksy or something, put it down!”

Marianne crossed the room and opened the curtains onto their sprawling view of where the New Year’s Eve ball would drop later that evening.

“Oh my God!” Dan exclaimed as he jogged to the window.  “We’re never leaving. This is amazing!”

Phil nearly dropped the sculpture as he took in the fantastic scene below.  “This is perfect!  We can see everything!”  

“And,” Marianne interjected, “you’ll be safe and warm instead of standing out in the middle of the murderous streets of New York City!”

Dan and Phil gave each other a quick look then said, “Yes!  It’s perfect!”

Marianne, not one to miss out on anything said, “And what was that glance about?”

“What glance?” Phil said, innocently.

“You are not going downstairs and into the streets by yourselves.  It’s not happening.”

“Of course not!”  Dan re-assured Marianne.  

There was a long pause as Marianne eyed them up and down.  “Do I have to bring up the incident in Paris when you both wandered off and I couldn’t find you for hours?

“No,” they answered in unison.

___________

Two years prior, during The Amazing Tour is Not On Fire:  

“Now, promise me you won’t get lost.” Marianne was wagging a finger at them, her 5’1” figure doing its best to fill the doorframe of their hotel room. She wasn’t very keen on the idea of her charges going out alone in a country whose language they didn’t speak.

Phil laughed. “Dear god, Marianne. We aren’t twelve years old, you know! And I do speak French: ‘J’aime manger les petits enfants.’” He stuck his chin out proudly.

Marianne rolled her eyes. “You like to eat small children, huh?”

Phil rolled his eyes, though the two tall men made no move to force their way past the tiny woman blocking their way. Their personal assistant was the scariest person they knew.

Continuing in the same vein, Phil protested “But we can’t leave Paris without sightseeing and shopping! We have to home tomorrow.”

Dan decided to take a different tactic. “Please, Marianne? We promise we’ll be back in plenty of time for the show. Paris is laid out in perfect grids, and it’s not like we won’t have our phones. We made sure to upgrade to a better international plan and we need to get our money’s worth.”

Dan could see the gears start to turn in Marianne’s head at the thought of saving money. “Well, in that case. . .” She stepped out of the doorway a little. “But you’d better not be late!” she called at their backs. The glamourous streets of Paris drew them deeper and deeper into the city as the hours flew by.  Tiny shops filled with trinkets lured them in and soon, Phil was holding three bags of souvenirs that they did not have room for in their luggage.  

“We could always mail them home I guess,” Dan laughed as he took one of the bags from Phil.  

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Phil said excitedly, “I’ve been holding back!  Let’s go find that board game PJ showed us and buy it!”

“It’s getting close to the meet and greet time,” Dan said, “We should probably start to head back to the hotel.”

“Oh, alright,” Phil said.  “Let’s get going.”

Dan started walking and Phil called out, “Hey!  That’s the wrong way!”

“No it isn’t!” Dan said.

“Yes it is,” Phil argued, “we came from the other direction.”

Dan held his ground and pulled out his phone, “Look, I’ll load up google maps and show you.”

Phil jogged over to Dan and peered over his shoulder at the phone.  

Dan held the phone up towards the darkening sky to try to get a signal.

“You have no bars,” Phil said with some concern.  

“It’s fine!” Dan said, “Let’s just walk a bit until we get a signal.  Um, let’s go towards that big building.  There is probably a cell tower there.”

The two young men walked briskly towards the highest building three blocks away, each feeling a sense of urgency as the sky started to fade from blue to pink and purple.

When they arrived at the building, Dan pulled out his phone and tried to load Google Maps.  

“Dammit,” he said under his breath.

Phil tried his phone and tried as well, but there was no use.  There were no bars and the app would not load. “The tall buildings and narrow streets must be blocking the signal.”

“What are we going to do?” Phil said in a panic, “We can’t miss the show!”

“We’re not going to miss the show, just calm down,” Dan said, trying to project an air of calm and control that he did not feel.   “Let’s just head back to where we were and retrace our steps.  I remember the shops we visited, so we’ll just use them as landmarks.”

“Alright,” Phil said, and they started back towards the shops.  

They navigated their way away from the building and back towards the shops.  As the minutes ticked past, the shops grew farther and farther apart, and the roads got more and more narrow.  

Ten minutes later, Dan admitted what Phil was trying to pretend wasn’t happening.  

“We’re lost.”

“Jesus!” Phil said, now in a full panic, “What are we going to do?”

“Okay, I don’t recognize any of these shops, do you?”

“No!”

“And I can’t see the tall building any more,” Dan said, scanning the horizon.

“Neither can I!”

“How long until the meet and greet?”

“Thirty minutes!” Phil said, nervously pacing.

“Okay, we’re going to ask for directions.”

“How? We don’t speak French!” Phil said.

“People here speak English, Phil.  Some of them do.  We can mime if we have to.”

“Oh, God!”  Phil said.  “Maybe in the city they do, but we’ve wandered out of the city and into a whatever this place is.”

“Settle down, I’ll take care of it!”  Dan soothed, though inside, he was not at all calm.  

They picked a small restaurant at random and walked in.  Dan stepped right up to the hostess, “Hello, do you speak English?”

“Non,” the hostess said, shaking her head.  

“Okay, merci beaucoup,” Dan said with disappointment.

They walked across the street and into a store that appeared to sell only dolls.

“Hello,” Dan smiled, “Do you speak English?”

“Je ne parle pas anglais,” came the quick reply.  

“Does anyone here speak English?”

The kind woman tilted her head, obviously not understanding, and repeated with a soft smile, “Je ne parle pas anglais.”

“Oh!  Ask if we can use her phone!”  Phil suggested.

Dan held up his iPhone and pointed to the landline on the counter, and then back to himself.

“Oui!” the woman said, and turned the phone to face Dan.  

Dan dialed Marianne’s iPhone and it rang until it went to voicemail.  

“Uh, Hi.  We are at a store and we’re lost.  We, um, we can’t use our cell phones because we can’t get any reception.”

“And I have to pee!”  Phil yelled into the phone.

“Phil!” Dan said sternly, then turned back to the phone, “I, um, I don’t know the number here and I don’t know the address.  So, um, I wish you would have picked up.  I guess I’ll just keep calling you until you do? Okay, bye.”

“We’ve got to get the phone number here, or the address,” Phil prompted, “so we can tell Marianne how to find us.”

“How do you suggest we do that?” Dan said, becoming exasperated.

“Bonjour.  Je suis Phillipe.”  

The woman nodded and said, “Bonjour, Phillipe!”

Phil mimed a pencil and paper and the woman quickly obliged.  He then drew a phone with blanks underneath and ended the blanks with a question mark.   He handed the drawing back to her and pointed at her landline.  

She smiled brightly with recognition, took the pencil from Phil, and wrote down the digits to the shops landline.  

“Phil!  You’re a genius!” Dan said, clapping him on the back.  

Just then, the landline began to ring.   The kind woman answered the phone and said, “Bonjour, voici Clair, comment puis-je vous aider?”   

Her nose crinkled and she said, “Non, Je ne parle pas anglais.”  

Dan’s eyes widened.  “Oh my God!”

“Uh, merci beaucoup, s'il vous plaît?” Dan said and gestured for her to pass him the phone.  She obliged and Dan heard Marianne’s voice on the line saying, “Two men, tall, are they there?”

“Yes!”  Dan screamed.  “Marianne!  How did you find us?”

“Caller ID,” she said, flatly.

“Oh,” Dan said as he mouthed, “caller ID” to Phil, who slapped his forehead.

“Now,” Marianne said, “You’ve missed the meet and greet and we’ll have to do it after the show. I am going to send a car for you.  Put me back on the line with the woman who answered.  I’ve got google translate open and I’m going to get the address.”

“Okay,” Dan said, and handed the phone back to Clair.   

“Quelle est l'adresse de l'heure, s'il vous plaît?” Marianne asked.

Clair slowly gave the street name and building number and then handed the phone back to Dan.

“The car will be on it’s way shortly.  It will take you directly to the venue.  We will talk about this later.”

“Okay.  Thank you!” Dan answered, genuinely relieved.

Marianne hung up.

“She’s mad,” Dan said as he swiped to end the call.

“Is she sending someone to get us?”

“Oh, yes, that too,” Dan said, laughing.  

The sky was dark by the time the car pulled up in front of the little shop.  Dan and Phil thanked Clair with a dozen Merci beaucoups and then climbed into the car.  

Marianne met them with a cold look.  

Dan took the lead as the car sped off toward the venue, “Look, we’re sorry. We didn’t get lost on purpose.  We just got confused and ….”

“And had me worried sick, “ Marianne finished.    “Do you know that you could have gotten robbed or even worse?  Not to mention you  missed your own meet up!”

“You’re right,” Dan said.  “We should have kept better track of time and--”

“--and stayed closer to the hotel!  I had no idea where you were, your phones went straight to voicemail,  and they needed you to do a technical run through hours ago.“

“Look,” said Marianne, cooling down a bit, “I know you are grown men, but you have to understand that people are counting on you and that your safety is my responsibility.  If something happened to you, it would be my job to call your families. “

“You’re right,” Phil said. “It’s my fault.  I got to shopping and we wandered away from the hotel and I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright now,” Marianne said, patting Phil on the leg.  “Just promise me that you’ll never sneak out again, okay?”

“Absolutely,” they said in unison.

They had behaved for months afterwards, always notifying her of where they were going and what time they would be back.  When they sat down and discussed going out for the ball drop, Marianne had put her foot down.  It was “too risky” and they “would get mobbed” and “we don’t have enough security”.     

After the meeting, Dan and Phil simply looked at each other.  Then they smiled.  

_________

Times Square, New Year’s Eve:  

Dan claimed the bedroom to the left of the living area, and Phil and Marianne took the two rooms to the right.  Phil ordered room service for everyone, with champagne for the big moment at midnight.  

“Waffles, sir?” the polite yet slightly indignant man on the other end of the line asked Phil.

“Yes, please.  Waffles with maple syrup and lots of butter.”  

“We typically only serve waffles during breakfast, sir, but we will be happy to make an exception...for you,” the man said, clearly looking at the phone to see that the call was coming from an expensive room.

“Thank you!” Phil said as he hung up.

“You spork.  You ordered waffles at 10pm?” Dan giggled as he punched Phil in the shoulder.

“I’m hungry and there isn’t an IHOP nearby!” Phil said, laughing.  

Dan rolled his eyes.  

They met back in the living area and moved the couch so they could sit on it and take in their view.  

They could see the set ups from the major networks below them, and could make out Anderson Cooper’s crisp white hair on the CNN platform below.

“What channel should we watch?” Marianne asked as she came out of her room.

“Um, I don’t know,” Dan said.  “I guess CNN since we can see them from here anyway?”

Marianne picked up the channel guide and quickly sorted the television, which was just to the side of the window.  

Soon after, the room service came and Dan and Marianne had pizza while Phil devoured his waffles and maple syrup.  

Marianne was exhausted and decided that even though the view was spectacular, she was going to turn in early.  They popped the champagne early and toasted the 11 o’clock hour with her, then wished her a good night as she closed her bedroom door.

Dan and Phil stole a glance at each other and silently grabbed their coats and headed out to their private elevator.

The plan all along had been to sneak out and see the ball drop live.  Marianne going to bed early was the last hurdle between them and the magical streets of New York.  

As they crossed the hotel lobby, Dan whipped out his phone and got walking directions to the ball drop site.

“We’re not going to be able to get close,” Dan said, “but we can get close enough to see it.”

“That’s fine,” Phil said, “I just want to say I’ve been here and stood in Time Square!”

They made their way down the street and found themselves in the midst of what the television told them was hundreds of thousands of people.  Phil tucked himself closer to Dan.  Dan reached out and put a hand on Phil’s space coat so they wouldn’t get seperated.  

Together, they gently made their way through the throngs of half-drunk, half-freezing tourists and got closer to the drop site.  When they could no longer make any progress forward, they stopped and glanced up at the Plaza, which, surprisingly, was still in plain view after twenty minutes of walking.

“We made it all of 100 yards!” Dan laughed.

“Well, at least we’re that much closer!” Phil yelled to be heard above the crowd.

Dan glanced down at his iPhone, “It’s 11:38!  Perfect timing!”

The crowd was growing excited, jumping up and down, and beginning to let out yelps of joy.

“Yeet!” Phil joined in.

“Yeet?” Dan asked, rolling his eyes.

“Come on!” Phil urged.  .

“Oh, alright,” Dan gave in, “Yeet!”

Phil laughed loudly and patted Dan on the back.   “There you go! That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Dan laughed and turned towards their room above to take a picture of it from the street.  “Which one is ours?”

“The one with the light on?”  Phil suggested.

“Phil,” Dan began patiently, “most of them have their lights on…”

“I’m joking!  It’s that one, there!” Phil said, pointing, “I left my suitcase in the window so we could find it!”

“Oh, yeah!” Dan said, snapping a picture with his phone.  “Wow, it’s so cold, my phone didn’t want to recognize my fingerprint!”

“Put your gloves back on before I have to amputate a finger or something,” Phil joked.

“Alright, Mum,” Dan laughed as he slipped his iPhone into his jacket pocket, then reached back in to pull out his glove.  

“Oh look, I can see the ball!” Dan said excitedly.

“Where?!” Phil asked.

Dan pointed to a point about 100 yards behind the CNN setup. “Oh yeah!  I see it, I see it!” Phil said, taking out his camera and using the volume button to capture the picture.  

“Let’s see if we can get closer!”  Dan suggested, and the two started taking tiny steps towards the twinkling ball ahead of them.  

A few moments later, they were just even with the CNN podium and it was clear they would not be able to advance any farther forward.   

“This seems like a good spot,” Phil said as they met up with the tightly packed crowd ahead.

“Looks great to me!” Dan enthused.  

“Four more minutes!” Phil yelled as the voices around them suddenly increased in volume.

“What’s happening?!” Dan yelled at Phil.  

They watched the crowd and saw that Kathy Griffin was raining dollar bills down on the crowd wearing nothing but a bikini top and shorts in the biting wind.  Anderson Cooper looked nonplussed, but everyone else was laughing hysterically and grabbing for the money.

A bill floated down in an air current above them, and Dan jumped and grabbed it.

“A souvenir!”  he mouthed to Phil.

Phil rolled his eyes and laughed.  

Suddenly, the crowd turned in unison and faced the ball, which had started to drop.

“Fifty-nine!  Fifty-eight!  Fifty-seven!” the crowd chanted loudly in unison.

Dan and Phil were beaming as they joined in, yelling along as loudly as they could.

Phil slipped his right hand into Dan’s left and Dan gave him firm squeeze and did not let go.

It had been quite a year for the two of them, touring across not just England or America, but the entire world.  They had met thousands of people, performed for tens of thousands of fans, and had had countless experiences that they never could have imagined having even a few years ago.   

The tour had had its taxing moments as well, with Phil’s illness and brief hospitalization from the flu and exhaustion, and Dan’s constant struggle with his depression.  For two introverts, having to be “on” all the time in front of the crew had been fun, yet also exhausting.  Most importantly, they had also missed their alone time together.  Slipping away had been difficult, especially while keeping up the “we are just best friends” ruse in front of the any fans who might be around.  

Phil squeezed Dan’s hand back and continued counting down.

“Thirty-four!  Thirty-three!  Thirty-two!”  

The rehearsals had bonded them even closer than they had already been, and that was something neither had thought was possible.  As perfectionists, they had rehearsed past the point of exhaustion day after day for weeks at a time.  Downtime between shows was spent rehearsing small bits from the show and tweaking them to make them better.  They were looking forward to their final shows, and yet, at the same time, yearned for the day when it was all over, and it was just the two of them sitting on the sofa and browsing the internet in silence.

“Fourteen!  Thirteen!  Twelve!”

Neither let go of the other’s hand to grab their phone. They wanted to live the moment in real time.  They stole a glance at each other and smiled, then turned back and counted down the final seconds with the rest of the crowd, all joined together for this precious moment of reflection, unity, and hope.

“Three!  Two!  One!”

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”  Dan and Phil shouted, and then, without a thought, Phil turned to Dan and kissed him on the lips.  

Dan returned the kiss and then pulled back and smiled.  

“Are you crying?”  Phil mouthed.

“Yeah,” Dan mouthed, laughing and wiping the tear from his cheek.  

“We did it!” Phil yelled into Dan’s ear.

“We did it!” Dan returned, but softly, to himself, and as if he could not believe it.  

The year behind them had been an adventure, but also a challenge, especially for Dan.  Going for months without therapy had been difficult.  He still had episodes of depression and without the therapist to help talk him through them, he had had to rely on Phil to be his confidant when he felt down.  

They had shared long talks in the gameroom in the back of the bus, with Dan pouring out his feelings and sharing his fears.  Phil listened and empathized, stroking Dan’s back and offering words of encouragement.  Other than situational depressive episodes, Phil had never experienced full blown clinical depression, and it was hard for him to know what to say. Nevertheless, he did his best and Dan was grateful to him for his kindness and comfort.

The journey had not been an easy one for Phil either.  With the carsickness, headaches, and stage fright, he was often exhausted and nauseous.  The meet and greets, though he enjoyed them, took a lot out of him.  For an introvert, having to act like an extrovert drained much of his resources.  Fortunately, Dan was always there beside him to energize him with jokes and good-natured ribbing.   They were each other’s support system, and even though Dan did not believe in soulmates, he believed Phil was a gift to him from the universe.

Phil was jumping up and down to see the ball and Dan looked at him and smiled.  This six-foot, two-inch tall man in this thirties was acting like a young child on Christmas morning and Dan just leaned back a bit and took in every moment of it with a warm grin.

It was then that Dan reached into his pocket for his phone to capture the moment and found it was not there.

“Shit!’  he mumbled.  He let go of Phil’s hand and reached into his other pockets and found nothing.  “Shit, shit, shit!”  

Phil turned around and saw the look of concern on Dan’s face.

“What?” he mouthed.

“My phone!”  Dan mouthed back, holding his hand up to his face to mimic the missing device.

“Oh, no!”  Phil said.  “Don’t move!”

Phil somehow squeezed down and made space to kneel and began searching the confetti filled street near Dan’s feet for the missing iPhone.  

Suddenly, Dan remembered putting the phone in his pocket and then removing the glove. It must have fallen out then.  There.  There back a hundred yards and a hundred thousand people away.

Dan pulled Phil up by the hood of his coat and leaned over to shout in his ear, “I dropped it back there!” he yelled, indicating the direction of the hotel.

Phil’s mouth dropped open.  

Dan just stared.

This was bad.  

“Maybe the confetti is cushioning it?” Phil suggested, hopefully into Dan’s left ear.  

Dan got quiet and very still.  Phil knew from experience that his best friend’s mood was dropping quickly and that he had to act fast.

“I'll find it!” Phil said, grabbing Dan’s hand and pulling him roughly through the throng towards the hotel.

Dan followed along numbly, both emotionally and physically as he bumped into celebrating people.

“What a way to begin the new year,” Dan said to himself.  “I deserve this.  This is just what should have happened.”

Phil kept pulling as Dan sluggishly followed along, half-heartedly shrugging apologies at those who gave him dirty looks.  

Dan stopped at the approximate spot where the they had stood to look up at the hotel room and refused to be pulled further forward.  Phil stopped and turned around, looked at Dan’s face, and then dropped to his knees to search the filthy street.  

Dan looked around and then knelt down, feeling hopeless and depressed.

He saw Phil whip out his phone and make a call.  

“Phil,” Dan yelled, we won’t be able to hear it.  It’s gone.  Just forget about it.”

Suddenly, a light appeared about three feet to the right of Dan’s left foot.  His jaw dropped and he swooped down and brushed the confetti and trash off his intact iPhone.  

“Oh my God!” he said, standing up too quickly and getting dizzy. “Oh my God!  Phil Lester!  You found it!  In New York!”

Phil grabbed Dan by the shoulders and shook him as he jumped up and down with joy.  “Yeet!”

“Yeet!” Dan joined in as he jumped up and down in sync with Phil.

Phil dragged Dan back to the hotel, hand in hand, and they took their private elevator back to their suite.  When the silently opened the door, Marianne was sitting on the sofa looking out the window.

They boys froze.

“So,” she said, speaking to their reflection in the window, “You decided it would be a good idea to sneak out anyway.”

Dan and Phil glanced at each other.  

“Uh, yeah, we just went downstairs for a, uh, for …”

“To watch the ball drop in the middle of New York City,” Marianne finished for Dan.  

“Yes,” Phil said.  “Look, we’re sorry if we worried you, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and everything was fine!”

“It was Phil’s idea,” Dan said, pushing Phil forward towards the sofa.

“What?! No!” Phil exclaimed.

Marianne laughed.   “Oh boys,” she sighed, “I’m just glad you’re alright.  You could have been mobbed or trampled or robbed out there and,” she said as she stood and looked around, “and you’re soaked!  Get out of those wet clothes and into a warm shower!  You’ll catch your death of cold!”

Happy to have dodged the lecture they deserved, they bolted to their separate rooms and shed their snow and confetti-covered clothes.  Dan stepped into his shower and let the whole room steam up as the hot water trickled down his chest.  Suddenly, he felt a cool breeze and before he could turn, he felt two arms embrace him.  

“Mmm,” Dan said, turning around to return the embrace.

“Happy New Year’s Day, Bear!” Phil said as he kissed Dan on the cheek.

“Happy New Year, Philly!” Dan replied as he snuggled his head down on Phil’s shoulder.  

The steam rose around them as they shared another, deep, romantic kiss.

It would be a wonderful new year as long as they were together.  

They both just knew it.

[auroraphilealis]

just a small list of fic recs

Earlier this morning my friends asked for some fake dating phan AU fics and I realized that making a fic rec list might be a good way to show some appreciation for fanfic author appreciation day!

I don’t have all day free like I wish, so I asked my friends for a few smaller catagories that I could shift through and find a few fics to rec from, that way I can get a good mix of fics for people to enjoy, and find as many authors as possible to thank! 

Of course, I can’t possibly have read every fic out there ever, so if you aren’t on here that’s no like, disrespect to you or anything. Every single person whose ever written and posted a fanfic deserves to be recognized and loved for what they’ve produce for us, so just know that I appreciate every single one of you, on or off this list!

To add to this, I tired to pick some older, or smaller works that people may have not seen before to give the authors a little lift if possible :)

Without further ado, below you’ll find some fic recs and author appreciation below !

Fake Relationship:

Our Threadbare Lies - @ramonaspeaks -  Dan is eighteen years old and newly single. He's ready to come out to his family but he thinks it would be a hell of a lot easier if he had a boyfriend to help him through it.

This is like one of my all time favorite fake relationship fics of all time. Honestly it was so well done and really realistic and the writing is just superb. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve re-read this fic, (as well as most of the authors other works) because it was just so well done, so thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to the author for all the hard work they put into it! On top of that, it holds really, really close to 2009 timeline (as we know it) and manages to make things work that might not have worked in their AU if they weren’t so smart about it

Maybe, Possibly - @cafephan -  Phil’s mother is adamant that he should be settling down, so invites one of his turbulent exes to an annual family get-together the following day. In a moment of panic, he tells her he’s already dating someone. With no other options, he turns to Dan.

aldjflkas I fucking love this fic so freaking much. I’ve read it like ten million times. Everytime it shows up on my dash I open it to read it again. It’s just really funny and sweet in a strange way, and captures an essence of dnp that I really enjoy. I like how easy it is for dnp to pretend to be together in this fic, and how easy it is for them to then transition to ACTUALLY being together. It’s the perfect kind of non-dramatic get together fake relationship AU ever and I really, really do love it. Again, massive thank you to the author!

friends dont treat me like you do - @internetakeover (i think i got your @ right) -  Why had Dan agreed to this? Pretending to be Phil’s boyfriend at his ex’s wedding had seemed like a nice idea at first, a way to meet some of Phil’s old university friends while helping him avoid humiliation, but already Dan’s on edge. If Dan allows himself to relax for a day, lets himself watch Phil as much as he wants, touch Phil as much as he wants, carry on their flirtatious banter when normally he’d laugh it off... he’s worried about what Phil might see.

I ended up re-reading this after I stumbled across it again just now hahaha I really love this fic. It’s super cute and a little sappy cause WEDDING FIC but that’s what makes it so worth the read. I love that both Dan and Phil realize how easy their relationship is, and the fact that they’ve technically been dating for a long time and that they love each other. I love that they realize this the way that they do, and it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so thank you so much to the author <3

Asexuality

Between Us - @winteredspark who doesnt appear to have a tumblr :( - "I think I'm asexual," Dan breathes against the crook of Phil's neck, blinking back tears.There's a pause, then -"Nice to meet you, asexual. I'm Phil," says Phil.

This is the asexual fic that helped me to realize that I’m asexual and that asexuality is a spectrum that isn’t limited to one version or another. I remember leaving a really long thoughtout comment to the author but I can’t not rec it here as well. It’s just such an amazing asexuality fic and it’s a little bit of a different take not it considering the character exists on a different part of the spectrum than most ace fics portray. I will always be grateful to this author for this fic!

let’s save up for something new - @deletablebird -  Phil wakes up shivering the morning of October 19th, 2009. Today is the day he meets Dan. Fluff, 3.5k

I love this author with my whole heart and I’ve read everything they’ve written lol. This is just a really, really cute and lovely take on 2009 with the asexual aspect included and it really made my heart happy, so thank you so so much for this fic!

Theater

Disguises - @ramonaspeaks -  Phil auditions for a play at a local theater and meets Dan, who spends most of his time acting whether he’s on stage or off.

Again, another fic from one of my favorite authors of all time. This is like my actual favorite theater au of all time. I am completely in love with the whole thing. It feels so real, and their characters are so well fleshed out, and each scene is just actually fantastic. I solidly recommend this one and I am soooo thankful to the author for bringing it into existence!

just touched down in london town - @phanetixs - "Hamilton is actually really nice and the plot is very interesting and okay, well, there’s this guy."In which, London is not as bad in the summer, a cute guy dies considerably in Act III and Phil has actually lucked out for once.

Look not only do I stalk all of this authors fics, but this is one of my all time favorites of theirs. They managed to take an idea that almost seems ludicrous and make it into something not only super hot, but super realistic and really, really, really fun. I absolutely adore this fic and I give you all the kudos my wonderful author. Thank you for writing such a wonderful au!

Which as they kiss, consume - @irrevocablys which for some reason it wont tag you :( -  Dan’s an aspiring actor, and Phil’s so over studying Romeo and Juliet.

This was one of my first theater au’s and I truly adore it. its just like got this super cute undertone to it thats incredibly wonderful? I just love the way the characters interact and the ease and flow of the writing <3 thank you for giving us something so beautful

Supernatural Elements

Ride with the moon in the dead of night - @mooksie01 -Phil seriously needs to buy some allergy medicine or something. Or at least open a window next time he performs a demonic ritual. He wouldn't have thought that one little sneeze could've messed up a spell so bad, but now he has a demon on his hands and only six days to get rid of it before he's stuck with it forever....And maybe the demon is acting like a total cinnamon roll, but Phil is positive that it's all just an elaborate ruse.

ajdlsfkjasdlkjfls omfg I love this fic so much. I actually adore fics with supernatural elements in them and this is one of those fics that always stands out to me. It’s just really hilarious and well written and is just overall a fun take on witch phil. I just, i really love it, and I’m so grateful it exists. Thank you wonderful author <3

Reflections of the Heart - @butterflyphil - “Being told to dress up in a dinosaur onesie and have cereal catapulted at your face is a little odd. Waking up to find that you and your best friend have switched bodies? That’s fucking bizarre.”(Or, the multi-chaptered, slightly smutty bodyswap fic that no one asked for. Featuring whiny/annoying!Dan, sassy/beguiling!Phil, unintentional innuendos, intentional innuendos, unnecessary kitchen supplies, and just a pinch of magic).

UHM, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVE FICS? Lol. I just really freaking love body swap fic and you did such a good job with this fic. it’s honestly just super fun and a little hot and really cute and beautiful overall. I really just, really cant thank you enough for this fic and rec it really really highly!

Vampires & Werewolfs

High - @icandigelvis -  Just the ordinary story of Dan and Phil, except one little detail. Phil isn't human in this one. Expect biting, bickering, playlist live, blood, bad jokes and sex.

ajdslfkjasl listen I love vampire fic and this one is just so good. it’s so true to dnp’s personalities and just like, accurate to who they’d be tbh. And like, the fact that it sticks so close to reality aside from the vampire difference is what makes it even better so thank you so much to the lovely author for writing it. It’s everything I ever needed and more from a vampire fic

Taking Every Chance I’ve Got All - @nagirci - Dan wanted was to get drunk, really. Have a good time, meet a few new people. He didn’t really think about getting involved with someone as dangerous as Phil Lester (someone as cold, as pale and, well, as not alive), and he definitely didn’t think that one trip out to a bar would change his life forever.

This is like a really older fic that’s from one of the first phandom big bangs but it’s one of my first favorite vampire fics of all time as well and it’s just. really good and really well thought and the collaboration work on it is incredibly flawless. I honeslty would tell anyone to read it at any time because it comes together so well

Sharp Teeth - @theshyauthor -  AmazingPhil is a Youtuber and a vampire and according to Dan Howell, he is the nicest person to exist. From their first meeting in 2009 all the way to that one incident in the elevator at the BBC, this is their story.

Again this is just such a good take on 2009 and the reality of dnp with added vampirism tossed in. Plus the author is a beautiful wonderful person and I really enjoy their writing so its a total please go read this kind of fic x3 Thank you darling for writing something so wonderful <3

be sure to ring the doorbell - @frostbittencheeks -  Dan’s a tired sports reporter, Phil’s a friendly vampire with no real sense of boundaries and a propensity for bad Dracula jokes as well as leaving his unconscious victims in Dan’s kitchen. This isn’t how Dan thought courtship goes, but he’ll take it.

Can you tell I love vampire fics? This one is so well done, I literally re-read it constantly. I love the whole idea behind it, specifically the fact that Phil’s version of courtship is literally ridiculous and he doesn’t even think that they need to talk about it hahahaha I just love how funny and adorable it is and it’s just totally worth a few minutes of your time

a puppy sort of love - @symmetricdnp -  Dan's supposedly a werewolf. Phil has doubts.

I honestly want to beg this person to write me more of this fic cause the permise is just that good. There are so few werewolf fics in the phandom, and especially ones that are this cute, thoughout , and well written. I absolutely adore this fic and I totally rec it to all of you. The author is wonderful, thank you so much for writing this fic <3

Blind

It’s the blue of your eyes, and the way you’re scared, love - @glitteraccent Soulmate (Color)! & Blind!Phil  au 

Okay but like this story always sticks out in my memory and I think on it often. It’s one of my all time favorite soulmate au’s and blind au’s, because it was just structured so well and the characters make your heart fall for them really, really fast. I love this author and tumblr wont tag them, but reblog their fic and give them all the love in the world!

[elleberquist6]

Play Upon Me Like This Piano - chapter twenty-nine

Summary: In many ways, Phil’s life is perfect: he loves his life in London, he has a wonderful brother and parents, and he has a great job as a radio DJ for BBC Radio One. There’s only one thing missing in his life… A rumor reaches an executive at the BBC about a talented local piano player named Daniel. The executive decides that Daniel would be the perfect guest on Phil’s radio show, so she sends Phil to speak with the evasive and mysterious piano player.

When they finally meet, Phil starts to think that he has found the person who will make his life complete. Unfortunately, Dan has a secret that will make getting close to him difficult.

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1703

Warnings: Smut

—

Siren fact: Pearl Weepers - Popular myth of mermaids who can weep tears that instantly transform into the most beautiful pearls. Some believe that they are made when a mermaid walks on her newly formed legs on the shore, with each new step being more painful than the last. [http://www.realmermaids.net/mermaid-facts/mermaid-types/]

“Ummm…” As Phil took a closer look into the shadows under the blanket, he saw that the tears rolling down Dan’s cheeks were forming solid white beads – they looked liked minuscule pearls, and Phil didn’t know how to process this information. There was no time for this right now, so he just nodded and thought of a plan. Phil declared, “Well, if you can’t walk without feeling pain, I should just carry you.”

Dan’s shimmering eyes widened, but he didn’t protest as Phil wrapped an arm around his side and swept the other around his bare legs. Dan continued to grip the blanket under his chin with one hand, but he looped his other hand around the back of Phil’s neck to help as Phil lifted him up. His breath tickled Phil’s neck as he whispered, “Hmmm, you’re strong.”

Dan sounded impressed and a bit aroused despite the situation, which made Phil laugh as he started to walk in the direction of Martyn and Cornelia, taking an indirect route to avoid the EMT who was still fighting to reach them. Phil teased, “Keep it in your pants, Howell. This isn’t the time.”

“How can I do that?” Dan quipped. “I’m only wearing boxer-briefs, no pants. I left my pants on the pier yesterday. This is all your fault, you know. You’re far too skilled at getting me out of my pants.”

Phil’s jeans were feeling a bit tighter as his body started to respond – there was something about talking like this, having Dan in his arms, and feeling so protective of him as his body coursed with adrenaline. This time he said to both Dan and himself, “This really isn’t the time for this…”

“Phil Lester!” a man shouted. “Phil Lester, is that you?”

Phil stopped walking and turned his head at the sound of his name. He was looking for someone familiar, but instead a young man with glasses and a hipster fashion sense jogged over. A camera bounced from a strap around his neck, and Phil knew that this was one of the men who he had mentally labeled ‘reporter’ earlier. As the reporter stopped to stand before Phil, he bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly.

Phil really didn’t want to stop for anything right now when he needed to get out of here, but the man wasn’t rudely shoving his camera into his face and he was reminding Phil of a hyper puppy, so Phil asked, “Do you know me? I heard my name.”

“I don’t know you. I just know who you are. You work for the BBC, right? You host a radio show.” The young reporter pulled a recording device out of his pocket and held it hopefully before him. “Mr. Lester, could I interview you? That must have been quite an interesting experience that you just lived through.”

Phil frowned, seeing the other reporters nearby perk up in interest. One of them turned on his camera, the red light of it flashing as he trained it on Phil and the hipster reporter. It seemed like they had just gathered here to get a local human interest story for their newspapers, news shows, and blogs, but now that this one reporter had recognized Phil and was treating him like a minor celebrity, the news story had just gotten more interesting for them all. As his arms were starting to feel the strain of Dan’s weight, Phil shifted to try to get a better grip on Dan, whose arm tightened around Phil’s neck as he tried to be less of a burden. Phil said to the young reporter, “I’m sorry, no interview.”

The hipster took a step closer, hope still shining in eyes made large by his glasses. “Please, Mr. Lester? I mean, we both work in media. You must see how important getting a cool story like this is for my career. Just give me a good comment to work with.”

“No comment,” Phil said, getting a bit annoyed that this kid was only thinking of himself, while Phil was literally carrying someone who obviously wasn’t alright – perhaps Phil’s first thought upon seeing the reporters had been correct: these people were vultures. “Look, I’m done talking to you. My boyfriend needs help.” “Come with me, sir,” said a voice behind him.

Phil turned to see that the EMT whom he had been avoiding had finally caught up with him. Her dark skin was glistening with sweat on her temples and she looked annoyed with him, but then she focused as she shifted her attention to Dan. Phil knew that he had no choice but to follow her as she used her authority to cut a path through the crowd, and he followed without protest. Luckily, she was headed for the ambulance where Phil knew Martyn was, and a moment later he saw him.

Martyn and Cornelia were sitting at the open end of an ambulance – a towel was wrapped around his shoulders and a blood pressure cuff was wrapped around his bicep, which was being pumped by the male EMT standing at his side. There was a smile on his face put there by Cornelia’s presence, but when he turned his head and saw Phil approaching, the smile faltered at the sight of Dan in his arms.

Just as Martyn opened his mouth to say something, the female EMT who had led Phil here stepped forward to examine Dan, blocking Martyn’s view. She said, “Bring him over here, you can lay him down on the gurney.”

Dan stiffened at the words and tightened his grip around Phil’s neck. His voice emerged muffled by the blanket that was still across his face, “No. I’m fine.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She tugged at the blanket, exposing his face. Dan gasped and blinked at her, and his eyes flicked between her face and Phil’s. Phil knew why Dan was panicking, but Dan wasn’t crying anymore and he looked normal – the few strange tears that he had wept earlier had been brushed away by the blanket. The EMT just gave him a patient smile as she asked, “What’s your name, sir?”

“Dan Howell,” he grumbled, still looking anxious as his face was exposed. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Well, Mr. Howell, I’m going to be the judge of that.” She grabbed his wrist to start taking his pulse. “This will go much easier if you lie on the gurney.

“Hey! Get out of here!” shouted the male EMT who had been tending to Martyn. He was glaring at someone standing to Phil’s left.

Phil was so tired of all of this – his heart hadn’t stopped racing since he stepped off the boat and he just wanted to calm down. Turning in the direction the EMT was glaring, he saw that the hipster reporter had followed them, and his camera was now raised. Phil blinked as it clicked, snapping a series of photos of him holding Dan. Then the person he wanted most in this moment stepped between him and the camera, her arms outstretched protectively. He sighed in relief, “Mum!”

She smiled over her shoulder at him, looking exhausted but happy. “Hello, sweetie. I think it’s time to get out of here, don’t you?”

Phil nodded in agreement, and Martyn also stood up, dropping the towel that the EMT had draped across his shoulders. He insisted to the man, “I’m okay, really.”

The female EMT had dropped Dan’s wrist, and she seemed too annoyed to protest as Phil walked away holding her patient. Kath stayed protectively at Phil’s side as the family pressed through the last of the crowd that had gathered to witness the return of the rescue mission. Cornelia stepped to the edge of the road, waving to hail a cab.

“Hey, it’s you.”

Once more, Phil’s heart leapt into his throat as an unfamiliar person snuck up on him. He was so tired of this… His arms were trembling, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold Dan like this. Holding his breath, he turned to see who was trying to get his attention now. He was surprised to see a man wearing a reflective vest that marked him as a member of the Lifeboat crew that had saved them.

The man was staring at Dan, not him. Dan cringed into Phil’s shoulder as the man pointed at him and asked, “I saw you get off the boat. How did you get there? You were at our station… How did you—”

Just then a cab pulled up, and Phil gave the man a polite smile as he said, “I’m sorry, we have to go.”

Cornelia and Martyn piled into the front seat, while Kath got into the backseat, leaving the door open for Phil to follow her. Phil paused, unsure how to get Dan into the cab without letting his feet touch the ground. The man from the Lifeboat Station put a hand on Phil’s shoulder, halting his escape. He said in a hard voice, “Hey, wait a second. I have to know – how did he get on that boat? This is impossible.”

Phil swallowed heavily and stepped out from under the man’s hand. He hastily half-dropped Dan on the seat of the cab in his eagerness to escape. Once more, he just said to the man, “I’m sorry.” Then he clambered into the cab and slammed the door shut.

For a long moment, all he heard was the roar of the engine, his panting breaths and the sound of Dan also breathing heavily beside him. He turned his head, and their eyes met – it looked like Dan was feeling the same sense of relief, the budding realization that they might have gotten through this day.

Then Kath said slowly, “You know… that man was asking a good question. Daniel, how did you get on that boat?”

[liv-delano97]

Get To Know your friends!

This is the most unique one I’ve seen, please yes. 1) Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up. 1) Jump The Gun - Adore Delano 2) Mama Don't Make Me Put on the Dress Again - Trixie Mattel 3) Dynamite - Adore Delano 4) You Want My Sister - 1 Hour Band feat. Joe Sugg 5) My Address is Hollywood - Adore Delano 6) Read You Wrote You - RuPaul feat. Alaska, Katya, Roxxxy, Detox 2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? Adore Delano or Katya 3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17. I don't have access to a book right now :( 4) What do you think about most? Cancer, what I'm going to do after I'm cured, alcohol, RuPaul's Drag Race 5) Ever had a poem or song written about you? Nope. Not yet 6) Do you have any strange phobias? Spiders? Is that weird I don’t think so anyway 7) What’s your religion? I have an infesting realationshop with god 8) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing? Swimming or Reading 9) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band? Oh shit! Do I have to pick just one? Umm One Direction or Green Day 10) What was the last lie you told? I'm Fine 11) Do you believe in karma? Depends 12) What does your URL mean? Uhm? It is for Loki from Marvel 13) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength? I constantly think I’m not good enough. Though I think i'm not good enough, I feel I spread postivity to others the best 14) Who is your celebrity crush? Adore Delano and Tom Hiddleston 15) How do you vent your anger? Music, art, something creative 16) Do you have a collection of anything? Movies? 17) Are you happy with the person you’ve become? At this moment yes but I have some more growing up to do as well 18) What’s a sound you hate; sound you love? Screeching, music 19) What’s your biggest “what if”? What if I actually make it as a singer. 20) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens? Ghost; yes aliens; no 21) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm. A pillow and a stranger things poster 22) Smell the air. What do you smell? My sea shore candle 23) What’s the worst place you have ever been to? Hospital 24) Most attractive singer/s of your opposite gender? Adore Delano, Alaska Thunderfuck 25) To you, what is the meaning of life? To love and be loved 26) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed? Yes and one 27) What was the last movie you saw? To All the Boys I've Loved Before 28) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? I broke my wrist playing kickball 29) Do you have any obsessions right now? Drag Race, Adore Delano, Bianca Del Rio, Katya and Trixie, Spiderman, Loki 30) Ever had a rumor spread about you?yep 31) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong? Nope 32) What is your astrological sign? Cancer 33) What’s the last thing you purchased? A shot of whiskey 34) Love or lust? Love 35) In a relationship? I wish 36) How many relationships have you had?1 37) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you? Just being myself and I hope and pray it works 38) Where is your best friend? At college in a different state :( 39) What were you doing last night at 12 AM? Dancing and drinking 40) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend? I hope so 41) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do? Save the dog and say Fuck off to the boss 42) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? No b) What do you do with your remaining days? Live it up c) Would you be afraid? No being afraid takes up to much time 43) What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it? Moments - One Direction and I Adore You - Adore Delano 44) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship? Trust 45) How can I win your heart? Be yourself 46) Can insanity bring on more creativity? Hell yes if we were sane Tumblr wouldn’t exist 47) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far? To be myself and to watch Drag Race 48) What would you want to be written on your tombstone? Don't cry that I'm gone, celebrate that I was even there. or Party! 49) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “heart.” Break 50) Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors? Purple 51) What is your current desktop picture? Adore Delano 52) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be? Jake Paul 53) What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on? When was your first kiss? 54) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power? To Defeat Thanos 55) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again? Any time with my best friend. 56) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? My brother passing away 57) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be? You guessed it - Adore Delano 58) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? Brighton 59) Ever been on a plane?no 60) Give me your top 5 hottest celebrities. Adore Delano, Alaska Thunderfuck, Katya Zamolodchikova, Dan Howell, Tom Holland Please do it!

[sodalester]

kamikaze - 2

summary: For most pirates, the Isle of Riches would sound very appealing. Not for Dan, who got too close to it and witnessed its secrets. Months later, he gets himself taken prisoner aboard Phil’s ship. He’s obnoxious, flirty, and generally a pain in the ass to all on board. But when he gets injured and is forced to let his guard down, Phil finds that Dan isn’t all that he makes himself out to be.

word count: 5168k/?

tw: minor sickness, alcohol

made for @phandomreversebang!

ART LINK

AO3 LINK

PART 1 LINK

His own head throbbing brought woke him up. He slowly opened his eyes, groaning in pain. His throat burned and felt as dry as a desert.

“Dan?”

Dan weakly looked around, searching for the source of the voice. He found Phil standing at the end of the bed.

It was strange. Dan didn’t remember having a bed, only Phil did.

He tried to sit up, to find out exactly where he was, however the moment he tried to move his head protested and he was hit with nausea. Phil moved forward and gently laid him back, his head propped up by some pillows.

“Don’t move, you’ll worsen it,” Phil whispered.

Dan blinked slowly. It was hard to think, hard to focus on the words. He could see Phil’s mouth moving, but the words sounded gibberish to him.

“Huh?”

Phil sighed and sat down next to Dan’s body. “You have a concussion,” he spoke slowly, “from falling on the deck.”

Dan frowned. “How long was I out?”

“An hour or so. You threw up before you passed out as well. You really scared me, Dan.”

Dan stared at Phil. He felt guilty and embarrassed, doing something so reckless for Phil’s attention.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” Dan whispered.

Phil was shocked, to say the least. He’d never heard Dan apologize before, let alone admit that he was wrong. Yet now he had done both of those things. It must have been the concussion.

“It’s alright, just please, don’t do that again.”

Dan hummed, letting his eyes fall shut. It hurt to simply think and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep.

“Here, drink some water. Your throat must feel awful.” Phil brought a cup to Dan’s lips. Dan drank it eagerly, the coolness relieving the burning sensation in his pain. He ended up drinking the entire cup of water. When he was finished, Phil set the cup aside.

“Where am I?” Dan mumbled.

“My cabin. I brought you here so I could make sure you were okay.”

Dan suddenly panicked. He was in Phil’s bed, invading Phil’s private space. He struggled to sit up and barely managed. The nausea was back in full force. All Dan could do was breath heavily as he struggled to keep the water down.

“Dan, you need to lay down. You’ll only hurt yourself more.”

Dan turned to look at Phil. He was looking at Dan with such concern that it physically hurt, driving a knife into Dan’s chest.

“I don’t want you hurt more than you already are.”

Dan could feel his wall, the barrier built after months of mourning silently while trying to survive, chipping away. It hurt to breathe, to look at Phil and see the genuine care. After all that Dan had done, Phil had gone out of his way to care for him.

“Why?” Dan choked out, a lump in his throat distorting his words. “Why are you caring for me, why are you sacrificing your own space for me?”

Phil stared at Dan as if Dan had said that the sky was blue. “Because even if you annoy me, you still deserve to be treated with kindness. You’re more than bad pick up lines and a scavenger.”

Dan blamed the concussion for the tears beginning to form in his eyes. No, no this was bad. He was Dan Howell, the pirate who had ran away from his crew rather than warning them what was to come. The pirate who lied to his captain that final night, lied about protecting the map when instead he stole it. He didn’t deserve kindness, not after what he had done to his past crew, the crew that was his family.

“Dan,” Phil gasped, seeing the tears slipping out of Dan’s eyes. Before Dan could fight him off, Phil had pulled Dan into a hug. He cradled Dan to his chest, gripping onto him to keep him from breaking.

Everything that Dan had been fighting against came crashing down. For the first time since that fateful night, Dan cried. He cried loudly and heavily, months of misery and regret suffocating him.

Dan had never felt so much pain. His head pounded with each sob, his chest ached from the emotional weight, and his body felt so weak and pathetic. He let himself be held by Phil, giving up on any barriers.

Phil rubbed his back, letting Dan cry on him. He could feel Dan shaking from the force of it, making his own heart break. He could have never expected this from Dan, the same man who had been tormenting him for weeks. Where was all this coming from?

Dan cried until no more tears would come. He was left hiccuping and exhausted even more than before.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, curling further into Phil’s chest, desperate for comfort.

“It’s okay, Dan,” Phil said, desperate to comfort him, “whatever it is, it’s okay.”

Dan sniffed and hiccuped. “It’s not, it’s really not.”

Phil sighed. “I know it feels like that. But whatever the reason, it’s in the pass now. There’s nothing you can do but move forward.”

Dan whimpered, his eyes forcing themselves closed. His mind had become quiet, drained from the concussion and emotional breakdown. All he could focus on was Phil. He could hear him breathing, feel his hands warm against his back. It was his stabilizer, calming him down.

Phil could feel Dan slowly falling asleep against him, yet he didn’t mind. He didn’t have the heart to move; Dan crying had shown Phil how little he actually knew about Dan. Whatever it was that had caused Dan to break down so harshly, Phil wanted to help Dan with it.

Once Phil knew Dan was asleep, his breathing slow and steady in contrast to earlier, he carefully laid Dan down. He tucked Dan back in and stared at the sleeping man. It was the most peaceful Phil had ever seen from Dan.

Phil left Dan to rest with a heavy heart and a multitude of questions about who Dan really was.

-

Dan spent the rest of the day slipping in and out of sleep, the concussion preventing him from doing much other than lying in bed in pain. He was a bit embarrassed over his breakdown and maybe a bit guilty.

All in all, he felt awful.

When night came around, Phil returned to the cabin with a plate of food for Dan. He silently helped Dan sit up then sat on the other side of the bed.

Dan nibbled at the food, his appetite struggling due to the nausea. It had gotten slightly better with sleep, but Dan didn’t want to risk it.

“Still feeling nauseous?”

“A bit.” He ate another small bite before he gave up, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Phil took his plate and put it on the bedside table, hoping Dan would eat more later.

Phil looked over at Dan. He looked so much different than what Phil had previously seen him as. Before, Dan looked like a cold hearted thief, his eyes cold and face coiling into a smirk whenever Phil yelled at him.

Now, he was laying in Phil’s bed, weak and in pain. Phil had seen him crying and even held him. It was such a dramatic change; Phil didn’t know how to react.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Phil started, the memories of Dan breaking down haunting him.

Dan didn’t want to talk about it. He’d repressed everything for so long, he didn’t know how to talk about it. Where would he even begin?

“I don’t know,” he settled with, not bothering to open his eyes.

Phil sighed. “Did something happen? Something really bad?”

Dan could feel the memories resurfacing, but this time, he didn’t shove them away. “Yes.”

“And you feel responsible for it.”

Dan opened his eyes, looking over at Phil. Phil stared back at him, his eyes soft and caring.

“It is,” Dan whispered. “I left them, wanting to preserve my own self. I knew that they were sailing to their deaths, yet I didn’t try to save them. I only thought about myself. I only wanted to save myself.”

He sighed, rolling his head away from Phil. He didn’t want to see the pity in Phil’s eyes. “I’m not a good person, Phil. I spent months living on the streets, the fear of death being the only thing keeping me alive. I stole for myself, never for anyone else on the streets. And my crew, they were my family, but I spent months trying to forget them cause I was too cowardly to face the truth.” Dan could hear his voice break and he let out a shaky breath, not wanting to breakdown on Phil all over again.

Phil softly touched Dan’s shoulder, making him turn to Phil. “I don’t think you’re a bad person. You were only trying to live. And there’s nothing you can do now but to learn from what you did. It doesn’t have to be who you are anymore.”

For the first time since Phil had met him, Dan smiled. It was small, but it was progress.

“Thank you.” Dan felt lighter, the pain being replaced with a fuzzy happiness he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Phil smiled back. “If you ever need to talk, I’m here. I know we didn’t exactly get off to a good start, but to be fair you were stealing our food supplies.”

Dan snorted, his smile growing wider. “Okay, you have a point.”

Phil felt giddy, seeing Dan smile. It was contagious and adorable. And the dimples, they were dangerous for the heart. “Let’s try this again, but as friends. No imprisonment, no bargaining for freedom.”

Dan couldn’t have come up with a better idea. “So, friends now?”

Phil nodded. “Friends.”

-

It really was like they had started over.

Dan remained in Phil’s cabin as he recovered, bedridden by the concussion. It quickly got boring; staring at the ceiling wasn’t exactly a thrilling pastime but more of a form of punishment.

Thankfully, there was Phil.

He sacrificed time with his crew to hang out with Dan and exchange stories about their adventures out on the seas. It helped, Dan found, with moving on from the past. Remembering all the things he did with his old crew was bittersweet and if he needed to cry, he knew Phil wouldn’t judge him.

And he did cry twice. Both times, Phil held him close.

The first time he saw Phil cry was when he told Dan about the day he left to become a pirate. He had to leave; he had an arranged marriage with a girl and a boring job that made him miserable. The seas called for him and he finally listened to their call.

Even if it meant leaving his mother and older brother behind. There wasn’t a day that went by that Phil didn’t think of them.

Of course, all of this happened without the rest of the crew’s knowledge.

Dan slowly but surely recovered and quickly volunteered to help Phil out around the ship, motivated by a new desire to spend all his time with Phil.

It was the shock of everyone when they saw Dan and Phil laughing together. Last that they remembered, Phil spent most of his time yelling at Dan. Not laughing.

Some even started speculating about whether or not they had hooked up. They never let these rumors reach Dan or Phil.

Dan leaned against the railing, standing at the front of the ship with Phil. The sun was setting in front of them, turning the ocean a mixture of orange and yellows. The rest of the crew had gone beneath deck for dinner, but Dan had gotten lost in the view with Phil.

“I’ll never get over the view when the sun sets,” Dan stated, staring wishfully at the colors that blend together in a beautiful display.

Phil hummed in agreement. “I used to watch it everyday when I first became a pirate.”

Dan smiled, glancing over at Phil. He was glowing in the sunset light, his skin soft in the light and hair windblown from the ocean breeze. His chest gave a funny squeeze, but Dan ignored it and continued to stare at Phil.

They stood there in silence, Phil staring at the sunset and Dan staring at Phil. The memory of the map had been nagging at the back of Dan’s mind for a while now. He cared for Phil and didn’t want him to suffer the fate that awaited.

“Phil?” Dan whispered, suddenly overcome with the need to tell him.

Phil turned to him, his blue eyes intense and making Dan’s heart speed up. “What is it?”

Dan sighed and looked down at the deck. “Promise you won’t get mad at me.”

Phil frowned, suddenly concerned. “Why would I be mad?”

Dan shifted nervously. “I, well, I haven’t been completely honest.”

“What is it?”

Dan looked back up at Phil. “The map, the Isle of Riches. I’ve tried sailing there before. I almost made it.” He paused, hesitant to bring it up. There was no going back now, however. “But the isle, it’s not meant to be reached by a whole crew. A ship like this would be torn up from how shallow the water is and how unstable the tides are. I would know; my old crew tried to make it through, but I knew we couldn’t do it. I left before they went in and they never returned.”

Dan watched as Phil thought this through, his face neutral. He opened his mouth to apologize, however Phil beat him to speaking.

“We’ll send a couple small boats in, then. We can stop by a port and buy some. It’s an easy solution.” Phil smiled at Dan. “That’s not too bad, why would I be angry over that?”

Dan shrugged. “I could have told you sooner.”

“You could have, but there wouldn’t have been much of a difference. There’s still a week’s worth of sailing left before we hit the last port outside of the Isle. We have plenty of time still.”

Dan practically melted with relief, tension rolling off his shoulders. “Okay, good.”

Phil giggled. “You’re such a worrier, Dan.”

Dan didn’t argue with that; he did have a tendency to overthink things.

They slipped back into silence, Dan staring back out at the horizon. Phil moved so he was closer to Dan.

“Is it weird that I’m kind of glad you got that concussion?” Phil breathed, barely loud enough for Dan to hear.

The confession rang loudly in Dan’s head, echoing throughout every part of him. “Why?”

Phil turned to him. “I would have never gotten to known you if you hadn’t gotten injured.”

Dan stared, Phil’s eyes so close to his own. And suddenly Dan was drowning, the blue flooding his lungs and suffocating his heartbeat. He let out a shaky breath. The distance between them was too close yet at the same time, too far.

“So am I.”

The world turned fuzzy around them, the sun burning Dan’s skin almost as much as Phil’s gaze. Dan couldn’t move, hypnotized by the waves in Phil’s eyes.

He could move forward and listen to his heart; he could listen to what it wanted.

But he wasn’t sure if he even wanted that yet.

Luckily, it seemed Phil was in the same position. “We should head down for dinner before all the food is gone.”

Dan nodded, a bit too stiff to be normal. “Y-yeah, we should.” He gulped, the intensity of Phil’s eyes having frozen him in place. “I’ll be down there soon, once the sun goes down. Save some food for me?”

Phil smiled softly. “Of course.”

Dan listened to Phil walk away, the sound of his footsteps growing fainter until they were lost beneath the crashing waves. Dan closed his eyes, letting his head hang.

It seemed like yesterday that they were fighting and now they were inseparable. There was only one thing that hadn’t changed.

The blue of Phil’s eyes had always been there whenever he closed his eyes.

-

The week past within the blink of the eye like most of time tended to do.

Dan could feel the nerves building up, anxious about revisiting the area that held so many traumatic memories for him. He found himself back on the deck at the sunset, letting himself get lost in thought. Sometimes Phil would join him, standing quietly next to him. His presence was enough to relax Dan.

Soon, land was spotted, and the crew was preparing to land. Dan’s hands were shaking from the excitement, yet he knew that this was the last stop. The last place before they would be departing in small groups towards the island, battling against impossible waters.

“You doing okay?” Phil asked him as they were approaching the land.

Dan sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know, honestly.”

Phil nodded in understanding. “Tonight the crew is going down to the bar to unwind in typical pirate fashion. Do you want to come with?”

Dan grinned, knowing what exactly Phil meant. “Of course.”

Phil gathered the crew around and gave out the tasks, the promise of drinks at the end of the day motivating everyone. Dan volunteered to help Phil find some smaller boats to borrow or purchase.

They boarded easily at the port, which was relatively empty. The port was a bit more north than most pirates or sailors sailed. It was in rather good condition, the boards of the deck looking clean instead of rotting. They didn’t creak under Dan’s footsteps.

The port town was nestled in between two green mountains that loomed over them. It wasn’t a very busy town but well kept, lacking any signs of age or damage from weather.

The crew mingled in with the small crowd that was out on the street, Dan staying close to Phil’s side. The people of the town were friendly, though that was most likely because they didn’t get much traffic. They didn’t know the stress of a street pressed shoulder to shoulder with people.

They managed to find someone who was almost suspiciously eager to let them borrow some small boats to find the Isle of Riches.

“Ah yes, the Isle of Riches,” the man murmured, bringing the two down to where his boats were held at. “It’s been months since we’ve seen someone attempt to rich it.”

Dan stiffened.

“No one has thought of taking small boats up there. It’s a good idea, however, I will commemorate you for that.”

The man showed them the boats. They were the perfect size to fit the crew and sail through shallow, rough waters. They paid the man, who gave them an odd look before leaving.

“You really think we can do it?” Dan whispered, more to himself than to Phil.

Phil still heard him anyway. He reached out and squeezed Dan’s hand, sending butterflies through Dan’s stomach. “I know we can.”

Dan smiled at him. He loved the feeling of Phil’s hand against his own, the warmth reassuring and caring.

As the sun set that day, the two found themselves at the local tavern. Other members of the crew were already wasted, having finished up early and headed directly to the bar.

Dan and Phil sat together in a small booth, trying to distance themselves away from the loud buzz of the crowd. They originally had been planning to sit near other crew members, however Phil had saw someone who used to be apart of the crew three years ago and insisted that they moved.

The two sat in relative silence, at least as silent as it gets in a tavern. Dan watched in amusement as people began to dance, putting on their best tipsy dance moves which looked like a cat trying to walk on its hind legs. Thankfully, no one got on top of any tables.

Though that would have been entertaining to see, Dan mused.

Their first round of drinks came, Phil having ordered a couple for the evening.

“It’s to help unwind,” Phil explained, “also, I think they’re gonna have their hands full with the rest of the crew anyways.”

Dan picked up the first drink, a beer presumably. He wasn’t the biggest fan of it, but it would do.

“To finding the Isles of the Riches,” Phil toasted.

Dan rolled his eyes, reluctantly joining in on the toast before bursting into giggles. “That was so cheesy, you’re such a dork.” He tipped the cup of beer back, letting the alcohol enter his system. It had been a long time since he had had alcohol. Would it be so bad if he got wasted?

Phil laughed and took his own drink of his beer. He winced a bit at the taste, but overall it wasn’t bad.

They made their way through the first round of drinks before ordering a second, both a little tipsy and laughing at the way the room was spinning. At some point, Dan had gotten up and moved to Phil’s side of the booth, crowding him against the wall.

“Hi,” Dan greeted, grabbing a shot.

Phil giggled. “Why are you- why are you over here?”

Dan downed the shot and shrugged. “Wanted to be closer to you.”

This only made Phil giggle more, then hiccup loudly. He covered his mouth, cheeks turning red.

Dan gasped, then broke into a fit of laughter. “That was-that was so adorable.”

Phil turned even more read, leaning forward and hiding his face in Dan’s shoulder.

Dan grabbed another drink, sipping it without really tasting it. Everything was feeling fuzzy, the buzz of the rest of the bar making his head spin and the smell of Phil next to him filling his stomach with butterflies.

Phil downed another shot, the collapsed against the wall of the booth. His cheeks were a permanent pink, a lazy smile on his face. Dan couldn’t get his eyes off of him, suddenly overwhelmed. Phil stared back, the smile staying on his face, watching Dan slowly move closer.

In a blink of an eye, Dan had leaned forward and pressed his lips against Phil’s. Everything was on fire. Phil’s hands gripped onto Dan’s hair, kissing him harder with desperation and repressed urges. Dan was pressed fully against Phil.

They were drunkenly making out like every cheesy bar hookup movie. Except they had known each other for months.

They parted for a second, both out of breath, pupils wide with lust. Dan’s hands had moved so they were placed along the hem of his shirt, waiting impatiently to slip under and feel Phil’s skin.

Dan moved forward once again, biting Phil’s bottom lip, enjoying the whine Phil made. He let it go then kissed it as if it to heal it. Phil’s grip on his hair tightened and Dan knew he was fucked.

The waiter walked towards their table, though he quickly changed his mind when he saw the two glued together.

Dan didn’t know when, but his hands had slipped up Phil’s shirts and were roaming excitedly across the warm skin.

Phil shuddered both from the feeling of Dan’s hands on him good and how cold they were. “Dan.”

Dan paused, his lips hovering barely above Phil’s. “Yeah?”

“Let’s go back to the cabin.”

Dan grinned, grabbing Phil’s hand and pulling him eagerly out of the booth. They left without a word (or paying), other members of the crew observing them and gossiping about what was about to happen.

They stumbled down the streets, their coordination tainted with alcohol in them both. It took them much longer than it should have, but eventually they made it to the cabin. Phil slammed the door closed, then turned to Dan.

Dan wasted no time pressing Phil against the door, clumsily attacking Phil’s lips once more. The noises Phil made were worth the slight pain from their teeth clashing.

Dan’s hands moved fast, pulling Phil’s shirt off to gain access without the fabric in the way. Phil repeated the same action with Dan before returning to making out. Phil grabbed Dan’s hips and pushed him backwards, moving him towards the bed.

Phil pushed Dan down, staring at him with blind desire. They shared a silent conversation, both knowing what they wanted.

Dan knew where this going and his drunk brain wanted it, badly. Occasionally his sober brain had wanted it as well, but that was only when he was alone with his thoughts and his hormones.

His body, however, had felt that he had had enough for the day. So while Phil was pulling off his pants, his own brain eager for what was to come, Dan fell asleep. When Phil saw him asleep, mouth wide open and snoring almost comically, he merely pouted.

“Dan,” he whined, but received nothing more than another snore. He giggled. “Sleepy boy.”

Phil laid down next to him, cuddling him as well as his drunk brain would let him. Within seconds, he too had fallen asleep.

-

With morning came regret.

Dan’s stomach felt like he’d gone on one too many roller coasters and his head was violently protesting against the drinks he had the previous night. There was a crick in his neck from sleeping on it wrong. Overall, Dan wanted death.

Dan groaned, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. He tried to move his body, only to end up hitting someone else.

His eyes flew open and he twisted his head, much to the dismay of his neck, to come face to face with Phil’s sleeping face.

Dan was frozen, his cheeks heating up. To make matters worse, they were both shirtless. Fuzzy memories of Phil’s lips made Dan groan once more, embarrassed by how indecent he had acted while drunk.

His groaning caused Phil to stir, his eyelids fluttering open to reveal clouded blue eyes. The squinted in pain, the hangover hitting him just as hard.

Their limbs were bent at awkward angles, the result of a drunk attempt at cuddling. Dan felt sore, sick, and thoroughly embarrassed. He had ruined everything.

“Dan?”

Dan laughed nervously, quietly freaking out. “H-hi.”

Phil stared at him oddly, then rolled away, freeing Dan from his prison. “I don’t feel good.”

Dan could sympathize with that, especially his rolling stomach. “I think we drank too much.”

Phil grunted in reply. “Cuddle me,” he whined, desperate for affection to help soothe the hangover.

Dan stayed quiet, heart pounding too loudly for his own liking. While drunk, he hadn’t been scared about his feelings or worried what they could lead to. However, he wasn’t drunk. He was painfully sober and stuck with thoughts that were overwhelming.

“Actually, I-I think I’m gonna go,” Dan stammered, rising from the bed. His whole body protested, yearning to be cuddled up next to Phil, but his head was too stubborn for it, “I need to, uh, finish preparing for the trip.”

Phil looked at him, his expression unreadable. Dan could feel his own heart aching, but he knew this was for the best. Actually, he didn’t. He didn’t know anything; that was the real reason he was leaving.

The fear of the unknown, of them, was enough to drive Dan away, to make him return to his same cowardly ways.

So before Phil could stop him, Dan had grabbed his shirt and was out the door.

-

Dan walked all the way through town. He walked past the vendors and stores, ignoring any odd looks he received. He was aware that he looked as bad as he felt; greasy curls all over the place, sweaty shirt on his back, and eyes squinting against a migraine.

The town road slowly turned from rock to dirt, leading Dan out into the farmlands that rested beyond the town. The mountains appeared to have grown closer in a way that made Dan feel trapped, and not in a good way.

Somewhere along the road, he stopped, his legs shaking from the adrenaline that had been flowing through him ever since he left. He stumbled to the ground, becoming more and more aware of his body panicking. His heart was pounding in his ears like a drum and his breaths were shortened to where he could hear himself breathing.

It was eerily quiet out in the fields, the only noise coming from the town laughter that echoed off the valley walls. everything had shattered overnight and dan was back to where he started, running off to preserve himself.

Except this time, there was no physical danger threatening him; only his mind. That wasn’t something he could run from and it terrified him more than anything.

His breathing slowed down eventually, though not before his eyes stung in allusion to tears.

He looked back at the town, his whole body aching. If he was to continue on this path of running, this repeating cycle of abuse to his own self, he couldn’t turn back no longer. He needed to get away.

The sun burned his back all day as he walked along the dirt road, his heart sinking more and more with each step. The sun merely served as a reminder of the ship and of the captain who lead it. The same captain who had captured his attention with ocean eyes and a soft heart.

The pain from the thoughts steadily grew unbearable and Dan had to bite his lip multiple times to keep the sobs from ringing out. The walking helped, however, and soon he found himself with a clearer head than he had started the day out with.

For the second time that day, he was hit with regret.

It was too late to turn back now, however, with the sun creeping low in the sky. Instead, he needed to find a place to rest for the evening. Walking off the path, he found a sagging willow tree. The area around its roots was nothing more than dirt that was surprisingly soft under Dan’s feet as if it were a plant that had been well-watered.

Dan leaned against the trunk of the tree and sighed, closing his eyes. His stomach growled with a hunger he hadn’t known for what felt to be a lifetime. He ignored it, instead pulling his legs to his chest and crying for his own stupidity.

-

“Dan? Dan!”

Dan slowly opened his eyes, confused. The sun was hovering below the horizon, dawn’s light kissing everything with a soft glow.

And there was Phil, running up to him.

Dan gasped before Phil collided with him, grabbing his body and holding him close. He smelled of sweat and salt, but Dan didn’t mind. Instead, he felt the tears returning once more as he realized that he hadn’t lost everything, that he hadn’t lost the most important person in his life.

Phil leaned back, his own eyes puffy and swollen. “I thought I had lost you,” Phil whispered, almost as if too much noise would shatter Dan.

“I’m sorry,” Dan croaked, his throat dry and sore, “I’m sorry, I should have stayed, I was going to come back. I ran away from you, I abandoned you.”

Phil pulled him closer, resting his forehead against Dan’s. “You don’t need to runaway, Dan. I want you to stay, I want you to be with me.”

Dan stared at Phil’s eyes. He stared at the blue that had always drowned him, always made his stomach twist with nerves.

“Phil?”

“Yeah?”

Dan swallowed, still staring at the blue. Then he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and let his lips softly brush against Phil’s. It said everything he couldn’t say, with the timidness and gentle way he moved, scared that any moment Phil would pull away and break his heart.

Phil kissed back, more confident, yet nothing of the drunk passion of the previous night. He tasted of the ocean and Dan felt like someone had dropped a warm blanket over him.

Dan broke the kiss, though he didn’t go far. “I want to stay this time. I want to stay with you. I’m tired of running.”

Phil smiled softly. “You don’t need to run from me.” He reconnected their lips, his hands rubbing circles on Dan’s back in a lazy, comforting fashion. Then he gently cradled Dan’s head with his head and pulled him to his chest, almost as to protect Dan or keep him close in fear of losing him again.

They sat in silence, the cool morning breeze chilling them slightly and the birds chirping as they announced their hunt.

“We were supposed to leave for the Isle of Riches yesterday,” Dan recalled.

Phil stroked his hair like a cat, not seeming too concerned about it. “I told the crew to go ahead without me. I had something more important than money to find.”

Dan felt his heart swell and he smiled. “Thank you, for finding me again.”

“Of course.”

Dan knew that it was time to start facing things, instead of running from them in hopes that they’d go away. “Can I ask you favor?”

“Anything.”

“Don’t let me run away ever again.”

Phil laughed, the sound heavenly to Dan. “I know you aren’t going to run away again.”

“But how?”

Phil shrugged. “You said it yourself; you’re done running away from things. And I believe you.”

Dan lifted his head, looking into Phil’s eyes. Beyond their puffiness, there a soft glow, and Dan knew that he was going to be okay. Maybe not now, but one day.

The blue was the last thing he saw before he kissed Phil once again. But they no longer drowned him. They welcomed him home.

[doomedhowell]

Up Close And Personal

Summary: Dan is a famous dinosaur expert who has been studying dinosaurs his whole life, and gets the opportunity to work at Jurassic World (he works exclusively with the raptors). Phil is a very smart guy, like a genius, and he’s close friends with Louise who works at Jurassic World so he gets to go to Jurassic World and gets behind the scenes VIP treatment. There, he meets Dan. Unfortunately for Phil, things go wrong while feeding the raptors and an accident happens.

Genre: AU, Fluff

Word Count: 4,532

Trigger Warnings: swearing, blood

A/N: This is not beta’d so I apologize for any mistakes. Also, this isn’t as dramatic as I hoped it would be but I’m still pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I’ve been wanting to write a Jurassic Park/World au ever since I started watching them a little while ago (and the new movie got me hyped so).

Phil’s been excited about this trip for months. He’s been saving up for years, spending most of his summers doing different random jobs so he could earn money to go to Jurassic World. It’s only been a couple of years since the park’s been opened but ever since Phil heard about it, he knew he had to go.

Phil is a genius kid. He’s very smart, and knows facts about things you don’t need to know facts about, which can be quite annoying for the other students in his classes. He’s one of those students that reminds the teacher about giving out homework. But, he just can’t help it. He loves learning.

Which is why Jurassic World is the perfect place for him to go to. There’s so many different types of dinosaur species, some that even he doesn't know about. Why not go to a place where you can learn and have fun at the same time all while getting a close up experience with real life dinosaurs?

“Phil, please be on your best behavior,”

Phil sighs as he looks up at his mom. “Mum, I’m going to be fine. It’s not like anything’s going to happen,”

“Sweetheart, you’re going to an island filled with hundreds of dinosaurs. Something’s bound to go wrong,”

Phil huffs. “Well, I’m confident that nothing’s going to go wrong,” he mumbles. “Louise even told me that there’s not been one accident since the park opened. They’ve got it down to a science now.”

Kathryn scoffs and shakes her head. “I find that hard to believe,” she mumbles. “Anyways. Still, have fun. Just, take care of yourself, okay Philly? I know that you’re not a little kid anymore but you’re still my baby. I’d hate for anything terrible to happen to you. I know how long you’ve been looking forward to this.”

“Yes, two years, to be exact,” Phil smiles. “I’ll see you in a couple weeks, okay mum? I have to go now. The plane is leaving soon and I don’t want to miss my flight to America.

“Alright, alright. Have fun, and be careful-” Kathryn hugs Phil one last time, squeezing him extra tightly. “And I can’t wait to hear all about your trip when you come back!”

Phil smiles as he pulls away from his mom, and hugs the rest of his family.

“And Phil,” Martyn begins. “If you do happen to come face-to-face with a dinosaur. Run.” He smirks.

Phil rolls his eyes, while his mother gasps and whacks Martyn on the shoulder.

“Whatever. Bye guys! I’ll make sure to text you guys when I get there. Lord knows that It’s going to take a long time to get there-” He chuckles and then he bends down and grabs his bag. Phil starts walking away from his family. He takes a deep breath and looks back once last time, waving at them.

While Phil is excited about going to Jurassic World, he can’t help but be a little nervous. His mom is right. He’s going to an island where hundreds of dinosaurs live. Anything could happen.

Phil just hopes that nothing happens, and that everything goes smoothly.

After a long flight, and then a long boat ride, Phil finally makes it to the Jurassic World island. He’s planning on staying with his friend Louise for two weeks. Louise works at Jurassic World and is giving Phil all the VIP access to everything. Phil couldn’t wait to see all the behind the scenes of the park.

“Phil! It’s so good to see you again!” Louise greets as Phil walks into the hotel he’s staying at.

“Lou, it’s been so long!” Phil smiles and wraps his arms around her, hugging her tightly. “This place is absolutely crazy.” He pulls away from the hug and looks up at Louise. “I haven’t even been to the park yet but I’m already obsessed with this place. You’re so lucky you get to work here and live here.”

Louise chuckles. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” She grins. “Just wait until you see the park.”

“Oh, I’m so excited,” Phil bounces on his feet excitedly. “I’ve been planning this trip for months.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Louise giggles. “I mean, you’ve been texting me all week!”

“Hey!” Phil pouts and crosses his arms against his chest. “I’m just excited, okay? Nothing else like this exists in the world. This is like… a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“You are right. This place is remarkable,” Louise smiles. “Should we take you up to your room?”

“Yes! You lead the way,” Phil says as he starts following Louise.

Louise gets Phil checked into the hotel, and then she leads him all the way up to his hotel room.

“Wow. What a view,” Phil whispers as he walks into his room.

“One of the best. You’re lucky. This room is usually booked by someone else,” Louise tells him.

Phil drops his bag and walks over to the window, his eyes wide and jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe that he actually gets to stay in a place like this. It was super expensive, but totally worth it in the end.

“So, do you think you’ll be okay by yourself until tomorrow?” Louise asks, breaking the silence.

“As long as you promise that I won’t be surprised by a dinosaur in my room?” Phil asks, looking at Louise.

Louise laughs and rolls her eyes playfully. “Yes, Phil. I promise that no dinosaur will be coming to visit you. We have the dinosaurs kept safely in their homes,” she says.

Phil grins. “Okay then, I’ll be fine,” he says.

Luckily for Phil, he had a wonderful first night at the hotel with no dinosaur disturbances. He even slept like a baby, surprisingly. Who could blame him? The hotel is literally right next to the park. What if a dinosaur escaped and attacked the hotel. Of course, it was highly unlike with how secure the dinosaurs are. But, Phil still had his worried. Good thing he had more excitement than worries.

“Phil, you’re up early. I shouldn’t be surprised though,” Louise chuckles as she meets Phil in the lobby, early the next morning. Phil got up as early as possible, and got himself ready for the day. He’s proudly wearing one of the new Jurassic World t-shirts they sold on their website (that was insanely expensive for a t-shirt, but Phil had to get it) with some nice fitted jeans. Phil’s also going to be walking around the park all day so of course he had to bring a pair of comfortable tennis shoes.

Phil smiles. “I want to spend the whole day at the park,” he says.

“Even spending a whole day at the park won’t get you to see everything. I guess it’s a good thing that you’ll be spending two weeks here. Unfortunately I’m super busy and won’t be able to walk around with you. But-” Louise turns and smiles when she sees a brunette haired girl walking up to them. “I know you were hoping for me to show you around but my schedule is unfortunately very busy at the moment so, my friend Zoe will be showing you around. She knows the park just as well as I do.”

“Hi, Phil. Nice to finally meet you-” Zoe walks up to Phil and shakes hands with him. “Louise has told me so much about you. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Wow. Good things I hope?” Phil chuckles nervously, glancing over at Louise.

“Of course. I could never say a bad thing about you,” Louise assures him.

“Yeah. She’s told me how brilliant and smart you are, she also told me that I should prepare myself for all the dinosaur facts you’ll be telling me while we’re here,” Zoe says.

“Sorry in advanced,” Phil blushes and looks down at his hands.

“That’s okay. At least dinosaur facts are fun!” Zoe grins, and then she looks down at time on her phone. “Shall we get going then? We don’t want to miss any of the fun.”

“You’re correct. Will we see you later, Lou?” Phil asks, looking up at the blonde.

“Possibly, if it’s not a busy day. Though most days, I’m pretty busy. Especially when we have new visitors at the park. I’ll text Zoe later and let her know my schedule,” Louise smiles. “I just want you to have fun.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I will. Now, let’s go! There’s only so many hours in a day!” Phil reaches over and grabs Zoe’s hand and starts running out of the hotel.

Zoe laughs as she lets Phil lead the way.

Today is definitely going to be an interesting day, that much Zoe knew.

The morning of Phil’s first time at the Jurassic Park was pretty calm. He walked around the park for a bit, had some breakfast with Zoe, and then went around to some attractions of the park. Now he’s finally getting to see some more of the behind the scenes stuff which is what he’s really excited for.

“We’re going to see the raptors, here is where you’ll meet Dan Howell,” Zoe explains.

Phil gasps and looks over at Zoe with wide eyes. “Dan Howell? Like, the Dan Howell? World famous dinosaur expert, Dan Howell? Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m actually meeting him!” He squeals.

Zoe laughs at Phil’s sudden burst of excitement. “Yes, that Dan Howell,” she confirms.

“I’ve read all about him, of course I’ve done my research on him. He has one of the best jobs in the world!” Phil exclaims. “I mean… how freaking cool would it be to just work up close and personal with the raptors? Not only that, but also have a personal connection with them.”

“Yes, but it also can be a very dangerous job,” Zoe adds.

“Way to ruin the fun,” Phil mumbles, though Zoe can tell he’s joking by the tone of his voice.

“Hey, I’m just being real-” Zoe giggles. “There’s been many people injured because they weren’t careful.”

“And, has Dan Howell ever been injured?” Phil asks curiously. “I mean… he works with them the most.”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Zoe asks, nodding forward. “Good afternoon, Dan.”

Phil looks up and then his eyes widen when he sees Dan Howell standing there. Phil has been so excited to meet him and ask him all about working with the raptors, but now that Dan’s literally right in front of him, he has no clue what he’s supposed to say, and Phil doesn't want to make a fool of himself.

Dan looks over and smiles when he recognizes Zoe. “Oh hey Zoe,” he greets, and gives her a hug.

“Hey, Dan. I’ve brought a visitor,” Zoe says as she points to Phil.

“Yes, I can see that,” Dan glances over at Phil. “And, who might you be?”

“I-I-I-” Phil stares at Dan with his mouth open and wide eyes, clearly starstruck.

Dan blinks a few times as he looks over at Zoe. “Is there something wrong with him?” He asks quietly.

“Phil is a… a big dinosaur nerd. I’m just going to assume that he’s a really big fan of yours,” Zoe shrugs. She reaches over and shoves Phil gently to snap him out of his starstruck phase. “Phil!”

Phil gasps and looks up at Dan. “I’m Phil!” He holds his hand out, and his eyes widen even more when Dan shakes it. “Dan Howell just shook my hand. You… You’re Dan Howell. The Dan Howell?”

“Yes, it appears that I am,” Dan chuckles and raises his eyebrows. “So, you like dinosaurs, huh?”

Phil blushes and nods his head. “Y-Yes, Sir. Been studying them since I was a little kid,” he mumbles.

“Hm, I see. Interesting,” Dan couldn’t help but be impressed with Phil and his interest of dinosaurs. Normally he doesn’t meet people who are actually interested in the dinosaurs themselves.

“Oh, by the way… Phil is a friend of Louise’s. He’s visiting for a little while, and she’s giving him access to behind the scenes stuff. So, I was thinking maybe he could hang out with you for a little bit while I go get some work done. Then, I’ll come back at lunch?” Zoe suggests, looking at Dan.

Dan shrugs. “Whatever. He can hang around, as long as he doesn't go near my raptors,” Dan warns.

“Yes, Sir. I-I won’t go near them. Wouldn’t want to go near them anyways,” Phil mumbles. He glances over and sees the five dinosaurs in the cage. “Cool…” He walks closer to the cage.

Dan looks over at Zoe, frowning. “Are you serious?” He hisses. “Zoe, I’ve got work to do as well.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure he won’t be any trouble. Just, let him hang around. He’s really smart, and he’ll most likely ask a lot of questions. He knows a lot of dinosaur facts,” Zoe says. “It won’t be as bad as you think.”

Dan rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Go do your bloody work,”

Zoe giggles. “Thanks Dan. See you later, Phil!” She shouts before taking off.

“Alright… listen up, mate…” Dan sighs, and then he walks over to Phil and he pushes him back a little. “I’ve got a job to do and dinosaurs to take care of. You can hang around all you want but don’t bother me while I’m working, got it? It’s my job to keep these raptors in check.”

“Okay,” Phil blinks a few times. “But… Louise says I get to see behind the scenes stuff?”

“And, you can. From a distance,” Dan tells him.

Phil sighs. “I guess that’s better than nothing,” he mumbles.

“Right, because most park-goers don’t get to be this close to dinosaurs, so, no complaining about this,” Dan warns before he starts walking back over to the raptors, and Phil follows him.

“Do they have names?” Phil asks curiously, causing Dan to stop walking and letting out a sigh.

“Yes, of course they have names. That’s Charlie, that’s Delta, that’s Blue, and that’s Echo,” Dan tells him as he points to each one. He looks over at Phil with raised eyebrows.

Phil looks at each of them, and his eyebrows furrow slightly. “How do you tell them apart?” He asks.

“I’ve been around them long enough that I’ve been able to tell them apart,” Dan replies with a shrug.

“They’re so cool,” Phil whispers. “Have you ever been bitten by one?” He asks. “Or, like… attacked?”

“No,” Dan scoffs and shakes his head. “I’ve never been attacked by any dinosaur and I don’t plan to now. I’m not an amateur . I’ve been studying dinosaurs and handling them for years so I know what I’m doing. Most people these days only take up these gigs because they wanna show off how tough they are and don’t actually care about the dinosaurs like I do. It pisses me off, really. These dinosaurs are actual creatures with feelings, believe it or not. They’re real. They aren’t animatronics.”

Phil blinks a few times, surprised at Dan’s rant. “It’s good that someone cares about them,” he says.

“Whatever,” Dan sighs and looks back at the raptors.

“How old are they?” Phil asks, looking up at Dan.

Dan closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, already getting annoyed with Phil’s questions. “Alright, listen kid, I’ve got a job to do. I don’t have time to answer all of your bloody questions, got it?”

“Dan?”

Dan looks over and sighs in relief when he sees that it’s his coworker, PJ. “Hey, Peej. What’s up?”

“Who’s this?” The man asks as he walks closer to Dan and Phil.

Dan sighs. “Phil. He’s a… a friend of Louise’s,” he says.

“Oh. Okay. Well, what is he doing back here?” PJ asks curiously, raising his eyebrows.

“Louise is giving him VIP special treatment I guess,” Dan shrugs. “Whatever. Is it feeding time?”

“Yeah, they’ve already started,” PJ tells him, glancing over at Phil. He and Dan immediately looks over when they hear shouting. “Shit, somebody fell in the cage! It’s the new guy!”

“God dammit,” Dan sighs and shakes his head. He runs over and opens the gate, and slides into the gate, as well as PJ. “I’ve got the raptors. Get him out of here. Now.”

PJ runs over to the boy and grabs him, dragging him out of the cage since he couldn’t walk.

Phil’s eyes widen as he watches the scene in front of him, though he’s not surprised that Dan immediately stepped up and went to help save the boy who got stuck in the cage.

Phil stands still, but his eyes are wide and his heart is pounding against his chest.

“Blue,” Dan says, his arms out as he’s in front of him as he looks at all the dinosaurs. “Stand down.”

“Dan,” PJ hisses as he watches his friend closely. “Hurry the fuck up before you get yourself killed.”

“Shh. You know I have to do this slowly. One wrong move and then I fuck everything up,” Dan glares at PJ before look back at the raptors, and takes a deep breath. “Stand down. Now.” Blue nips at Dan and growls. Dan hears the gate slowly opening. Dan slowly starts backing up, but then Delta quickly passes him and runs out of the gate. Luckily Dan makes it out of the cage and the gate is shut before any of the other raptors get out of the cage. “Shit! PJ, get as many people as you can! Delta escaped!”

Dan looks over to where Phil is and his eyes widen when he sees Delta running in his direction. “Oh no,” he starts running towards Phil as fast as his feet can take him. “Phil, run!”

Phil looks up and his eyes widen when he sees a raptor heading straight towards him.

“Run!” Dan yells, panic in his voice. “Delta, you better listen to me!”

Phil quickly starts backing up. He turns around and then trips, falling onto the ground. He looks up over and whimpers when he sees the raptor is inches away from his face. Of course Phil wanted an up close and personal experience with some of the dinosaurs on this trip to Jurassic World. But, not this close.

Phil holds up his arm to cover his face, and lets out a scream of pain when the raptor bites into his arm, blood immediately pouring out of his arm. Phil hasn’t felt anything like this before, and he’s terrified. Luckily, the raptor is captured before anymore damage can be done.

PJ runs over to Phil with medical immediately.

There are tears pouring out of Phil’s eyes, and he suddenly finds it hard to breathe.

“Stay with us, Phil. We’re going to get you help immediately,” PJ tells him, though Phil can hear the panic in PJ’s voice which doesn’t help the situation at all. Phil looks up at PJ as his vision starts blurring, and then he passes out seconds afterwards. PJ’s eyes widen. “Oh, shit. Shit, shit! Is he going to be okay?”

“Yes. Your friend should be just fine. We just have to stop the bleeding and get him to the hospital as quick as possible so he has lesser chance of losing his arm completely,” the doctor tells him.

Luckily, an ambulance arrives within’ seconds and they’re able to get Phil straight to the hospital.

PJ runs back to Dan, who’s just getting Delta back into the cage with the other raptors. “Dan?”

Dan looks over at PJ with wide eyes. “I thought that I had everything under control. I knew I should have been more careful otherwise no one would have gotten hurt. Where is Phil? Is he alright?” He asks.

PJ takes a deep breath. “He was bit,” he tells Dan sadly. “They say he should be fine…”

“Shit,” Dan curses, clenching his fists angrily. “How bad is the injury?”

“Not too bad. Luckily the ambulance got here quickly, and the doctor said they should be able to fix him before anything gets worse,” PJ tells him. “As long as he doesn’t lose too much blood, he’ll be fine.”

“Fuck, Louise is going to kill me. I was supposed to look after him,” Dan mumbles.

“Stop blaming yourself, okay? It wasn’t your fault, Dan. You had nothing to do with Delta getting loose, and it’s not your fault that she escaped either. You did everything you could to the best of your ability,” PJ reaches over and gently squeezing Dan’s shoulder comfortingly. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

Dan jumps slightly when his phone starts ringing, earning a chuckle from PJ. He pulls his phone out from his pocket and frowns when he sees that it’s Louise who’s calling him. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he mumbles before answering the call. “H-Hey, Louise.”

“Dan! Is everything alright. I heard there was an accident with the raptors!” Louise exclaims.

Dan takes a deep breath. “Yeah. Th-There was an accident. Um, Phil…”

“Phil?” Louise gasps. “Oh, God. Please tell me he’s okay. Dan, please.”

“One of the raptors, uh… Delta, sh-she escaped after an accident with the feeding. She attacked Phil and bit his arm, but it was nothing serious, okay? He’s going to be just fine. The doctors are looking out for him right now as we speak and he’s on his way to the hospital,” Dan explains.

“Oh, thank the lord. I don’t know what I would have done…”

“Hey, everything’s going to be fine. Don’t think about that,” Dan says softly.

“Y-Yeah. I gotta go. I wanna be there for Phil when he wakes up,” Louise says.

“Yeah. I’m going to try to visit him when I get the chance. I gotta make sure the raptors are tame,”

“Thanks, Dan,” Louise lets out a sigh. “I’ll talk to you later, and give you an update on Phil.”

“Thanks. Stay safe,” Dan says before hanging up on Louise. He looks over at PJ with a frown.

“That could have gone a lot worse, I’m just saying,” PJ says with a shrug.

Dan laughs and shoves PJ playfully. “Literally, shut up. Help me with the raptors,” he says.

After a few hours, Dan finally is able to arrive at the hospital. He couldn’t stop thinking about Phil all day, even though PJ told him that it wasn’t his fault Phil got bit… Dan still felt guilty about the whole situation. He just couldn’t stop thinking about how he could have done something to stop this all from happening. Dan’s never once had an accident since he started working at Jurassic World.

“Dan!” Louise exclaims, running up to him and hugging him, once she sees him.

“Lou,” Dan chuckles lightly as he hugs her back. “I know you’ve been worrying, and I’m fine. How’s Phil?”

“He didn't lose his arm,” Louise says as she pulls away from the hug. “Which is the most important thing.”

Dan sighs in relief, and nods. “Yeah, that is the most important thing,” he says before looking up at her. “Louise, I’m so fucking sorry. I know I should have been able to stop Delta from getting to him but I couldn’t get to him in time. You know how fast those raptors can be.”

“It’s okay, Dan…” Louise gives him a reassuring smile. “No one is blaming you. It was an accident.”

“But, Phil could have seriously gotten injured today, Louise. He could have died!” Dan exclaims.

“But, he didn’t,” Louise says softly. “And that’s all that matters. Phil’s alive, and safe.”

“Is… he awake?” Dan asks nervously, biting his lip.

“I think so. You can go see if you can visit him. I’m not sure how awake he is though,” Louise tells him. “But, I’m sure he would love some company. It’s been a long day for him.”

Dan chuckles. “Yeah,” he says. “Thanks, Lou. Are you sure you don’t want to see him?”

“I saw him earlier, it’s okay,” Louise smiles. “He wasn’t awake, but I know that he’s okay. You see him.”

Dan smiles, and then he walks up to one of the nurses. “Excuse me. Am I allowed to visit Phil Lester?”

The nurse looks over at him and stands straight when she realizes that it’s Dan. “Dan Howell! Oh, um… Yes, of course. We just finished checking up on Phil. It looks like he’ll have a nice recovery.”

Dan smiles, feeling relieved and much better than he did earlier. “That’s great. Can I see him?”

“Yes, follow me,” the nurse says before she starts leading the way to Phil’s room. “Oh, by the way, Phil might be a little out of it, as we just had to do surgery on his arm, but other than that… he should be fine.”

“Thank you,” Dan says, giving her a smile before walking into the room. He takes a deep breath when he sees that Phil is awake. “Phil?” He nervously walks closer to him.

Phil instantly looks up at the sound of the sudden voice, and is relieved when he sees Dan. “D-Dan?”

“Hey,” Dan smiles softly. “How are you feeling? I hear you get to keep your arm.”

“Yeah,” Phil chuckles and looks down at his arm. “I do. I’m feeling better, thanks for asking.”

“Look, I’m sorry… about earlier. And, not just the whole raptor attacking you thing. I know I was a bit of a dick to you. You’re just someone who really likes dinosaurs and I shouln’t have been so harsh,” Dan says.

“It’s okay,” Phil tells him. “I’m not mad or anything. I know I can be quite annoying. My brother’s told me on numerous occasions. You were just doing your job and I was still starstruck about meeting Dan Howell.”

Dan chuckles. “Are you still starstruck about meeting Dan Howell even after he almost cost you on arm?”

“Yes, because it wasn’t his fault that I got bit by that raptor,” Phil smiles at him reassuringly.

“How about, when you get out of here… I will personally take you around Jurassic World and get you all the VIP treatment that you deserve. I’ll pay for everything,” Dan says.

“Dan, you don’t have to do that, really. Besides, I’m honestly not sure I want to go back to Jurassic World after everything that happened today. I’m kind of terrified after seeing a dinosaur that close,” Phil frowns.

“No, come on, now. I mean, I understand why you would be scared but, I know how excited you were about your Jurassic World experience. There’s so much more to see. You have to give it another chance. I’ll make sure we have high security and everything so that you won’t get hurt again,” Dan says.

Phil looks up at Dan and smiles. “So, would this be like… a date?” He asks.

“If you wanted it to be,” Dan grins. “I wouldn’t mind if it was a date.”

“So, I meet Dan Howell, then I get bitten by a raptor, and now I get to go on a date with Dan Howell?”

Dan laughs. “Well, at least you have a story to tell when you get back home,” he says.

[cy4658-writes]

27. Rollercoaster

°Your POV°

My alarm started ringing announcing the beginning of one hell of a week.

With my eyes still closed, I patted the left side of the bed. Dan was not there anymore.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a tad sad that he decided to leave before I woke up.

Jumped off bed and went to the bathroom to have a quick shower and start my morning routine before making myself some breakfast.

As I was rinsing my hair, the smell of melting butter and sugar invaded my nostrils.

Was it possible it came from the coffee shop below my apartment building? Wherever it was coming from, it made my stomach growl.

Wrapped my wet hair on a towel and put on my robe; as I opened the bathroom door, the scent was more intense.

No way! I thought to myself.

I poked my head over the counter and there he was Dan on his flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt. Humming AND cooking.

He didn’t hear me come out of the shower; maybe he didn’t even notice I was awake yet.

-Excuse me. I cleared my throat. What are you….?

-Pancakes! Didn’t you say yesterday you much rather be waken up with this over music? He said without even facing me, fully focused on the stove.

-I remember saying something about a kiss too. I giggled.

-Well I’m kind of busy at the moment. He turned his head towards me shooting me a smile.

I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning my head on his back.

-This smells delicious. I don’t recall ever having pancakes before.

-I know! You didn’t have anything I could have used to make them. I had to go to my flat and ransack our fridge.

-Sorry! I’m pretty basic when it comes to breakfast. Coffee, toast and I’m on my way.

-I can tell. Why don’t you go get dress before you get sick again? Not that I mind the robe at all. He said with a wink.

I cupped his cheeks on my hands and planted a small kiss before heading to my room.

It didn’t take me that long to get dressed as I already knew what I was going to wear so I used the few extra minutes to put on some light makeup. There wasn’t much time to do a full face so I limited it to some foundation, concealer, and loose powder to set it all; A hint of blush and mascara.

I made it back to the kitchen and found Dan already seated in one of the stools.

Our food was served, a few pancakes for each of us, a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee.

-Oh my god, this smells delicious. Thank you.

-Don’t thank me until you’ve tried them. He smiled.

We ate our breakfast as we talk a little. I’m telling you, it was the best breakfast I had in a long while and the fact that Dan made it for me, made it taste even better.

I caught myself staring at him a few times; he probably noticed but was too focused on his food to even say something to me.

I liked the view almost as much as the way that he made me feel. I liked him, I really did. It was bizarre, as I don’t tend to grow attached to people I barely know but there was something about Dan that would make you love him even at first glance. Well…technically, at second in my case.

-I really have to get going. I announced as I was taking our dishes to the sink.

-Yeah I know, unfortunately I can’t persuade you stay in, can I?

-I’d love to stay and hang out but I have an office to run, a dress to pick and…

-A dress? Like in…

-The dress I’ll be wearing to your gala.

­-Oh! Will you show me?

-No way in hell! It’ll be a surprise.

-I normally don’t like surprises but I guess I can live with it for just a few days. Can you at least give me a hint? He said as he put his hands together as he was praying.

-It’s purple.

I grabbed my stuff and before leaving, I put on some perfume.

-I love the smell of it. He said grabbing the bottle

-Thanks. It’s my signature scent. I’ve been wearing the same perfume for 10 years now.

He vowed down and brushed his nose through my neck so as to fill his lungs with my perfume and leaving goose bumps all over my body.

-It definitely suits you.

-Stop it, Dan! I said as felt my cheeks turn bright red.

He wrapped his arm around my neck as we walked towards the door.

I locked the door behind me as I turned back to face him. We got lost on each other’s eyes before kissing softly.

-Text me later?

-Pinky promise.

I planted one more peck before the elevator doors shut in front of me.

 ~Time Lapse~

 I was drafting a presentation for Russel as my chat lit up.

Laura:

When are we getting the hell out of here? We have a dress to pick!

You:

Ugh! I haven’t forgotten about that!!! Russel needs some stats for a meeting. I’m half way through it

Laura:

This is more important! Let’s go.

Plus my stomach is growling already

You:

I know, mine too. I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.

Laura:

Oh yeah….the pancakes <3

Bloody hell, you are lucky.

You:

Oh shut up! Last thing I need right now is to get lost in my thoughts.

Give me 30 and we’ll be on our way.

Laura:

Just 30. Not a minute more.

You:

Yes mom!

I typed as fast as I could. I don’t know if it was because of how nervous I was due to the dress or the fact that I was actually famished.

Saved and sent I said to myself as I clicked the send button on my email.

Grabbed my purse and sprinted over Laura’s spot at the front desk.

-Shall we, madam? I said as I extended my hand

-I thought you would never ask.

We got out of the office and into the tube.

I briefly told her about what happened yesterday after she left during a short coffee break, to say that she was shocked it’s an understatement, so she took it upon herself to interrogate me the entire ride.

A few minutes later, we got off on Covent Garden and walked the few blocks that separated us from the store.

I didn’t realize it was a vintage store which made me extremely happy. I love vintage clothes and thrift shopping.

The place was packed with sequins gowns, long, short, anything you can think of and it was divided by color, which I really appreciated, otherwise, I’d have felt extremely overwhelmed.

I was distracted by a text from my boss for, kid you not, a split second and when I raised my head from my phone, Laura was already diving into the hangers on the purple section.

-FOUND IT!!!! She yelled at me with the dress in hand and a huge smile on her face like if she just won a trophy.

As she approached me, I stared at the size. That’s not even going to fit me I thought to myself.

-Maybe we should contemplate others; I don’t think I will look good on that.

-Oh come on, Y/N! It’s perfect. C’mon, let’s go try it on. She said as she dragged me to the fitting room.

I never met a woman that doesn’t dread a fitting room. I was no exception. I’m mostly happy with my curves, but there is always an icky feeling when I try on clothes.

I peeled off my clothes as I stared myself in the mirror with only my underwear. Took a deep breath and put the dress over my head, making sure I wouldn’t stain it with my makeup.

It fitted and I didn’t look half as bad as I thought I would.

I put on my glasses to have a better look at it and the moment I gazed onto the reflection on the mirror, it downed upon me: I looked nice and I felt pretty.

-C’mon, mate! What’s taking you so long?

I shoved the curtain to a side and stepped out.

Laura just stared at me for a moment.

­-Mate, you look bloody gorgeous!

I smiled as kept on staring at my reflection.

-Ok, I’m taking it! Now, let’s just go and eat before I go all Hannibal Lecter on you.

I got into the small cubicle again so as to get back into my clothes.

-Y/N, your phone is ringing.

-Ugh! I bet is Russel! I bet he still doesn’t understand what I sent him. Can you please pick up for me and tell him I’ll call him right back?

What is it with bosses calling at the worst possible time? I sigh.

-Y/N’s phone, Laura speaking. I heard her as I was struggling to get back into blouse.

-Oh, Hi Daniel! Y/N is in the middle of trying on dresses, would you like to leave her a message?

I immediately poked my head through the curtain, still in my underwear the second I heard Dan’s name.

I started waving my hands and making gestures so she wouldn’t tell him anything about the dress if he asked which he did.

-I’m afraid I can’t tell you, she’ll kill me if I do but I can say one thing for certain…She will look absolutely breath taking.

-SH-SH-SHUT UP, LAURA! I shouted as she started giggling.

-You shut up, it’s the truth! She hissed. I will tell her to text you as soon as she can manage to put on her trousers again. She now burst out laughing.

-Asshole!

She stuck her tongue out.

-Pleasure to talk to you, Dan. By the way, BIG FAN of your videos! Ciao

She proceeded to hung up.

Stepped out and Laura still had my phone on her hands.

-Did I just spoke with THE Daniel Howell?

-You sure did!

-Oh girl! You are so lucky and he is even luckier! You will look amazing that night.

-For the millionth time, shut the fuck up and let’s go eat.

After paying for the dress, we headed out.

Took my phone to check my messages, Dan texted me shortly after Laura ended the call.

Ok, I know I’ve said I could wait but I can’t I want to see you in the dress.

Patience you must have, my young padawan

See you tonight?

I’m going to try. I have rehearsals

Boo! K…text ya later! :*

 As I put down my phone over the table I had a bit of a bitter feeling suddenly. Little did I know that was about to be the last time I spoke to Dan in a while.

[queenofallcorgis]

Screw It

Summary: Wedding planning was completely overwhelming. The right color flowers, the right number of forks, the right order of the ceremony. Was it even worth it? They just wanted to be married, all that other stuff didn’t matter.

Warnings: Very, very, very slight mention of suicidal thoughts in the past

It was almost depressing how often this happened. Phil shut the door behind him and paused, listening for either the sobs or the shouting. The sound of sniffles and heavy breaths made him sigh and he placed his keys in the tiny bowl on the nearby table. “Dan?” He called out. “You okay?” “It’s all going to shit!” He flinched at the angry snarl and turned the corner to walk into the living room. Dan looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes and his hair a frizzy mess. His clothes were wrinkled and he had obviously slept in them. Their wedding binders and samples were spread all across the tables and couches and. “I’m sure it’s just-“ “Apparently the DJ had to quit because it is his niece’s baptism on the same day. Does a baptism need a DJ? Isn’t that a morning kind of thing anyway?” Dan ranted, waving his hands wildly as he spoke. “Then, the bakery calls and apparently strawberries are out of season so they have to charge more than they originally quoted. Can you believe this shit?” “The wedding is three months away. We can figure something out,” Phil stepped forward and Dan wrapped his arms around himself. “This is supposed to be perfect! In the time since we’ve started planning we have had to talk to multiple tux places because they wanted to uncharge us a ridiculous amount for tall sizes. Your cousin threw a fit because we didn’t have any vegan options on the menu and then someone else got upset because they wanted to special order something to eat. Then, the venue double booked and we had to scramble!” Tears flashed in Dan’s eyes. “It’s three months away but how much more can go wrong?” Tears started to trickle down his cheeks and Phil stepped forward to wrap him in a long hug. He let the younger man cry into his shoulder for a few moments before pressing a kiss to his temple. “It’ll be all right.” “But what if it isn’t Phil!” Dan choked out. “What if everything goes wrong and we just…” “What? Don’t get married?” Phil laughed and got a watery chuckle in response. “Because in three months we’ll be married. We’ll be husbands and all this crap will be behind us.” A few moments passed before Dan pulled back with a sigh. “Is all this crap even worth it then?” “No.” The look on Dan’s face would have made him laugh if it didn’t look like he might have been killed in response. “I mean, all of this is secondary. In twenty years we aren’t going to care what our colors were or what flavor of mint we put in those stupid little boxes. We’ll just remember that we promised to be each other’s everything,” Phil smiled and got a kiss in response. “Then…fuck it.” “What?” Phil laughed, his smile fading when Dan looked beyond serious. “Fuck it! Forget flowers or steak and all that. Let’s just go to the god damned courthouse!” Dan finally looked excited for the first time in forever. “You’re serious?” It was impossible not to get swept up in Dan’s enthusiasm. “Yes! Let’s go to the courtroom right now!” He bounced on the balls of his feet. “We already have the application. We can get married today.” The excitement melted into a soft warmness as Dan wrapped his arms around Phil’s neck. “We can get married today.” “Then why wait! Let’s get married!” Phil kissed him again and pushed on his shoulders. “What the hell do you wear to a spur of the moment wedding?” “Whatever we want! None of your cosplaying stuff,” Dan warned. “Go get changed.” He felt almost giddy as he walked into their bedroom. They still kept the other bedroom as Dan’s, mainly just to store his stuff. As soon as he got in front of his closet his mind went blank. What was he going to wear to his own wedding? They had planned on matching tuxes but obviously those weren’t going to be ready for another two months. His hands flipped through his clothes quickly before he settled on something, a grin spreading across his face. The golden suit jacket from the BONCAS slid over his shoulders, settling nicely as he smoothed out the fabric. It was such a beautiful night. It was the night that all their hard work was recognized. It was the night Phil proposed in their living room, still in their suits and still buzzing from the thrill and champagne. He stepped back into the living room and burst out laughing. Dan was wearing his own dazzling disco ball suit jacket, looking so much like he had that night except for his soft curls now. “You dork,” he giggled, kissing him deeply again. They swayed together for a long moment before walking out to meet the taxi Dan had called hand in hand. “Where to boys?” The driver asked, glancing back at them with a kind smile. “To the courthouse please,” Phil smiled back and squeezed Dan’s hand. “We’re on our way to get married.” “Well congratulations to you both,” the driver chuckled and started the drive. They remained quiet most of the time, smiling at each other and squeezing each other’s hands. In almost no time they found themselves outside of the courthouse. They thanked the driver and then walked up the stairs hand in hand. Phil knew they must have looked ridiculous in their sparkling suits at three in the afternoon but he couldn’t care less. He didn’t care about the bare walls or disinterested staff. He didn’t care that they spend almost an hour filling our paperwork and waiting. He didn’t care that they were actually given a number and had to wait for the judge to call them back. He didn’t care because they were getting married today. “Number thirty-four?” A woman called and they jumped to their feet. Phil surged forward, tugging Dan behind them as they stepped into the judge’s office. “Hello!” The judge was an older kind looking man. “You must be Philip and Daniel. My name is Judge Marcus Lewis.” “So nice to meet you,” Phil enthused and shook his hand, followed by Dan. “I understand you are here to apply for a marriage license?” Judge Lewis glanced up. “Oh, we’ve already done that. We’re here to get married today,” Dan gave Phil an adoring look and butterflies fluttered in his stomach, feeling so similar to how he felt when they spent hours talking over Skype all those years ago. “Fantastic,” the judge beamed. “I love weddings! So, this is how this works. You can choose to make this quick and I’ll just say the words or you can say a few words yourself.” “I’d like to say something I guess?” Phil turned to him, taking his hands. “Do I go now?” “If you’d like,” the judge nodded. The silliness and joking faded the moment Phil met Dan’s eyes. He had never though that just responding to a twitter DM would have him standing across from the love of his life. Any thought he might have had in his mind faded away and tears flooded his eyes. “You haven’t even said anything! Don’t start crying now,” Dan laughed, sounding choked himself. “It all just hit me,” Phil wanted to wipe at his eyes but couldn’t bring himself to pull his hands away. “So…the day I met you was the best day of my life. You inspired me to follow every dream I had. You stood by me and fought for me. When things were dark you were my light. When I was scared you were there to comfort me. When I…questioned myself you were sure. Everything good in my life is because of you.” Tears streamed down Dan’s face and his eyes were overly bright. “You son of a bitch. How can I follow that?” “Shut up,” Phil rolled his eyes but shrugged his shoulder to wipe his eyes against his jacket. “I meant every word.” “Okay, let me try now…I was scared and alone when I met you. You gave me the courage to try and…you saved me Phil. I don’t know if you knew how many times you pulled me away from that ledge but you did,” Dan’s voice cracked. “You make me so happy, every day I’m happy because of you. I want to spend the rest of my life being happy with you.” Phil didn’t even care that he was openly crying now. “Do you two have the rings?” The judge asked after a moment, breaking them from their moment. “Oh…no,” Dan paused, knowing that their rings were supposed to come in two weeks before the wedding. He frowned before shrugging slightly. “But do we need them?” “Not necessarily,” Judge Lewis smiled. “We can just continue with the vows.” “Let’s do that,” Phil took his hands again. “Do you, Philip Michael Lester, take Daniel James Howell to be your lawfully wedding husband?” He looked at Phil and a sudden gravity hit him. This was the moment they would make this official. This was the moment their lives changed forever. “Of course I do,” he paused, knowing this was the moment he should slide the ring on. Instead he lifted Dan’s left hand up and kissed over his left ring finger. “And do you, Daniel James Howell, take Philip Michael Lester to be your lawfully wedded husband?” He turned to Dan who nodded frantically. “Oh, sorry. I do, absolutely,” he repeated the kiss to Phil’s finger. “Then I proclaim you husband and husband. You may kiss your groom,” he laughed as Dan surged forward and kissed his new husband deeply. They grinned into the kiss and Dan shrieked as Phil dipped him back. Hours later they sat on the couch, legs intertwined, with a box of pizza open in front of them and a glass of wine in each hand. “Hey, open up,” Phil held a piece of the pizza in front of him. “I didn’t get to feed you a piece of cake.” “If you smash the in my face I swear to God I’ll divorce you,” Dan glared. “I would never do that to my new husband,” Phil teased, drawing the word out. He hoped that Dan’s eyes never stopped lighting up at his new title.  

[plantbased-elise]

One secret less to keep

This was requested by @stayinyourlehane​, who messaged me asking for this sequel to Secrets are the best when they no longer exist (aka Elise learns how to spell secret)

WC:2409

Warnings: Swearing, homophobia

“Dad!? Papa!? Is there anyone home? No, okay, I’ll finish the chocolate cake Louise gave me by myself.” Michael Howell-Lester entered the house he’d called home since he was 8 years old.

“Don’t you dare! I was planning on doing that before Dan gets home.” Phil, or papa to Mike, appeared in the doorway leading to the lounge. He was smiling, but something about the smile was off.

“Papa, are you okay? You look a bit off? Are you ill?” Mike knew he sounded like his dad, but couldn’t help it. His dad raised him this way. He approached Phil, who looked down at the 15 year old, and soon to be 16. The boy was tall for his age, but was still no match for his dads, only reaching 6’0.

“Oh, Little Bear you sound like your dad. I’m find, just read a sad article online about bees. Oh Dan texted me saying that he’d be home soon. Apparently he ‘gave up on doing any more work for those little monsters during spring break’. So I told him that it was his choice to start teaching Year twelve. How was your day? I thought Kennedy was coming today?”

That struck a nerve. Mike flinched and the grin on his face faded. “We had a bit of a… falling out today. There’s this new kid in class, and he sat with us in lunch. He seemed cool, but then Peter and Colin, that couple I told you about that I’m friends with, walked by in the direction of the lunch line. David, the new kid, pretended to gag and stage-whispered to me and Kennedy: “can they not do it in public. It’s disgusting and shouldn’t be allowed. Can you believe gays are actually allowed to have children?” I was about to say something when Kennedy said something that I’d never thought she’d say. “Yeah, it’s so wrong.” At this point I just stood up and left to sit with Peter and Colin. Hey didn’t ask, but the majority of the lunch room had heard what had been said and they kind of just stared. Then after school I approached Kennedy to ask her what it was about, but I found her with Dave who was loudly talking about how ‘homos shouldn’t be allowed to have the same civil rights as the rest.’ And she just stood there smiling. I pulled her aside, and asked what was going on. And she answered “get away from me, you unnatural shit.” That’s why she not here right now.”

“Oh Bear.” Phil took the boy into his arms, hugging him tightly, as if to protect him from the world.

“Can we eat chocolate cake now?” Mike asked in a small voice.

“Yes, of course. Also we have birthday plans to discuss.”

They were about to start eating when a voice behind them rang out. “You weren’t going to start on that cake without me, were you?”

Dan looked at his son and husband, looking up from the cake guilty, Phil with a bit of chocolate icing on his upper lip. Dan couldn’t help but smile, then he was nearly knocked over by a Shiba Inu from behind. Daenerys wanted some attention (and food) and with the entire family in one room she knew those things were guaranteed.

“It’s not what it looks like. We were testing the cake for poison. Totally not eating it while you weren’t here.” Phil smiled, standing up and walking to his husband. “Do you forgive us, Bear?” he pouted for effect and Dan laughed. He kissed Phil’s pout away, and licked up the chocolate icing at the same time.

“Sure, only if I get a piece too. Oh Mike, can you get the green envelope from Papa’s desk. It has to do with your birthday.”

Mike left the room, and Phil faced Dan. “I thought she said she never wanted contact again. What changed?"

Dan sighed, contemplating for a few seconds before answering. “She was an only child, and in her family there’s this tradition that the first born inherits some old heirloom. She didn’t have any cousins either, so Mike is the only child in line for the inheritance. She has to give it to him.”

They stood in silence for a few seconds, until Mike returned with the envelope in his hand. He handed it to Dan, clearly curious as to what this letter contained.

“Mike, we… no I need to tell you something. I didn’t want to tell you until you are 18, because then I’ll have no legal authority over you anymore. I’ll explain it all I promise. But please, sit down.”

Mike, still curious took a seat and pulled his plate of cake towards himself, whilst Daenerys laid her head in his lap.

“I think you remember her, because you were 5 when she left, but your mother and I divorced then. It hadn’t been going well between us for a while, and she thought my job as teacher was too low to be married to a lawyer. She was having an affair with one of her co-workers, and she told me. We had to go to a judge to settle for the arrangement. She wanted to keep the house and you, but the judge decided that she got the house and I would get custody of you. She would pay child support every month. I couldn’t find a house on such short notice and with my salary, so Phil was my saving grace once more, and let us live with him. You probably remember the rest of that. We fell in love, got married and raised you. But before we got together, I was saving money to buy an apartment I had found. I was counting on the next child support deposit before I could pay the first rent. The child support didn’t come, and Phil called the office for me to ask what happened. They promised to call me when they had more information. So when I got the call I wasn’t prepared for what they were going to tell me. They told me that Kate, your mother, had moved to America and had given up her parental rights over you. She didn’t want anything to do with us. It also meant I would no longer receive child support and couldn’t afford to buy a house. Mainly, I had no idea how to tell a five year old that his mum wanted nothing to do with him without destroying him. So I kept it to myself. Phil knew and actually gave me the idea to tell you on your 18th birthday, when I’d no longer have authority over you, and you could choose for yourself if you wanted to do anything with the information.”

Dan paused. Mike sat in silence for a few minutes, until he opened his mouth. “Then why are you telling me now? I really do appreciate it, but what changed? Is she coming to my birthday? I don’t want that!” he seemed panicked now and Phil rushed to comfort him.

“No. I won’t allow her in here. She caused harm enough in this family. She was at our wedding, and she started telling Dan off for the way we were raising you. My brother had to escort her out. I’ve never seen Martyn so angry, not even when I told Caroline about his secret doll collection. So no, she won’t get in on your birthday if it’s up to me.”

“But she sent me a letter. It also contained letters for you. One was written by Kate but the other one looked really old. We didn’t open them, but Kate instructed me to give them to you a week before your 16th birthday, so here you are.”

Dan handed his son the letters. Mike read them both carefully, whilst Dan and Phil chatted, giving the boy some time to process it all. He was nearing the end of the second letter, with furrowed brows when the doorbell rang. Phil stood up and went to open the door. Mike was still looking down at the old letter.

TUQH HUBQJYLU,

YV OEK MUHU QRBU JE TUSETU JXYI OEK QHU JXU VYHIJ IYDSU Y IJQHJUT XQDTYDW TEMD JXYI YDXUHYJUT IUSHUJ. Y QC JXU VEKDTUH EV JXU ULUHIED DQJYEDQB RQDA. JETQO, Y MHYJU CO MYBB, UNQSJBO JMUDJO-VEKH XEKHI RUVEHU JXU TESJEHI MYBB UDT CO BYVU. WE JE JXU DUQHUIJ ULUHIED DQJYEDQB RQDA, QDT QIA VEH JXU XUQT EV JXU RQDA. IXEM JXUC JXYI BUJJUH, QDT JXUO MYBB ADEM MXQJ JE TE.

HUCUCRUH, ULUD JXEKWX YJ CYWXJ DEJ RU OEKH DQCU QDOCEHU, ULUHIED XEBTI FEMUH QCEDW ULUHOEDU. OEK XQLU WHUQJ FEJUDJYQB.

SEHDUBYKI MQBJ ULUHIED

It sounded like complete gibberish, but Mike already had an idea what it was. Something stirred in his mind, an article he’d found when he did an essay about Julius Caesar for history. He was about to take out his phone to test his theory when Phil came back to the kitchen. “Mike, Kennedy wants to talk to you.”

---

Later, Mike told his dads what had transpired between the once-best friends on their doorstep. Dan was enraged that is ‘little boy’ had had to go through that, but still praised him for not accepting her apology. She’d said that ‘she was just joking’ but Mike didn’t think he could ever look the girl in the eye again.

So now, on the night before his 16th birthday, he was sat at his desk, staring at the paper in front of him.

Dear relative,

If you were able to decode this you are the first since I started handing down this inherited secret. I am the founder of the Everson National Bank. Today, I write my will, exactly twenty-four hours before the doctors will end my life. Go to the nearest Everson National Bank, and ask for the head of the bank. Show them this letter, and they will know what to do.

Remember, even though it might not be your name anymore, Everson holds power among everyone. You have great potential.

Cornelius Walt Everson

He jumped up and sprinted down the stairs, to his dad, who was cooking dinner. It was an early dinner, but Phil had his radio show tonight, so this was a normal occurrence.

“Dad! How long do we have until dinner is ready?! And do you think Everson Bank is stilled opened?”

Dan looked utterly confused as he answered the questions. “About half an hour. And that bank is open till 7, why.”

But the teenager just thanked him and ran off to find Phil. He found the man in his office, gathering papers for his radio show. “Papa, can you drive me to the nearest Everson Bank? It has to do with the letter. Hurry, we have half an hour.”

Phil let himself be pulled to the car by his son, not really questioning it. He was used to it, the spontaneous actions. Dan did the same when he was excited for something.

They arrived at the bank, and Mike sprinted up the stairs, Phil following at a slower pace. The bank was nearing its closing moments, and there were no civilians except the people behind the desks.

Mike walked up to a desk where a fairly young man sat. He approached and started talking, not even letting the man talk.

“Hello, I need to speak to the head of this bank. The name is Everson.”

‘Brandon’ as his nametag read, looked him in the eyes, “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but if you call them and say ‘‘Everson’ they will let me in regardless.”

Brandon picked up the phone and dialled a number. Meanwhile Phil scolded Mike for being rude. “You could have asked instead of demand to see them.”

Brandon cleared his throat. “Ms. Vanderwaal will meet you here.”

Phil had to wait outside while Mike talked to Ms. Vanderwaal. Brandon was being a bit too friendly, so Phil took out his phone and started texting Dan to pass the time. Mike reappeared not too long after, and they returned home. It wasn’t until they were almost finished with their dinner that Mike spoke about it again.

“I have inherited the entire fortune of my family, which is safely kept on a special bank account my great-grandfather set up when he opened the bank.”

Dan nearly choked on his water, Phil dropped his fork, and Daenerys whined as if she knew what he’d just said. Mike continued,

“I want to put part of the money away for university, and keep a part for other things. But I also want to give you two a part of it. So I’ve decided to split the money in three parts. One part will go to you, one part will be put away for future, and I’ll see what I’ll do with the third part. And you can’t refuse a gift, so no protests.”

It ended the conversation effectively.

---

Just when Mike was opening the present from his grandparents, the doorbell rang. Phil looked around the room, counting the guests. Everyone who confirmed that they could come, was there. Who could possibly be there?

The answer became clear when he opened the door.

“What are you doing here?” the venom nearly dripped from his words.

“Can’t I visit my son on his sixteenth birthday?” Kate’s smile looked faker than her tan.

“He isn’t your son. You gave up that right when he was 5, remember. Because I do. I had to help Dan. I had to clean up the wreckage you left behind.”

Just as Kate was about to speak, Mike appeared in the hallway next to his papa.

“Papa, who is this?”

“This is the woman who gave birth to you, Mike.” Mike backed away from the door, almost frightened at the sight he was seeing.

“Michael, my son. I heard you managed to unravel the mystery of our family. I gave birth to you, don’t you think I deserve a bit of it?”

Mike’s fear turned to rage, and he stepped forward again. “The only thing I’d give you is some spare change to take the bus to ‘get the fuck away from me and my family’. You were never my mother and never will be. Have a terrible day, goodbye.”

He slammed the door in the woman’s face. He turned to Phil and smiled. “Want a piece of citrus cake?”

--------

Fin.

thanks for reading

AO3  Wattpad

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Christmas Eve Masterlist

A Christmas Fantasy - chocolatesaucelester

Summary: Phil finds a secret diary of Dan’s, and unlike the first time he found one, this one is considerably different.

A Toast to Now (ao3) - melapplesphan

Summary: It's Christmas Eve, 2016, and Phil Lester's plane home for the holidays has been delayed due to snow. In a fit of boredom, he finds himself taking an uncharacteristic leap and striking up a conversation with "DanielH."

Meanwhile, Dan Howell can't quite believe that AmazingPhil - the same guy who ignored his messages 7 years ago - just started chatting with him on Grindr.

Baby, It's Cold Outside (ao3) - TodayWe_Are_Infinite

Summary: Dan is freezing cold on Christmas Eve, and Phil is always warm.

Best Christmas Ever - dxnhowell

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve and Dan isn’t the happiest teenager, especially after learning that he couldn’t meet his online boyfriend who he had been dating for six months, this Christmas. Dan’s parents set up a plan and they surprise him on Christmas morning.

Bottled Truths - cactuslester

Summary: All it takes is a drunken Christmas Eve in 2014 and the truth comes spilling out.

Can't Help Falling In Love - im2weirdforu

Summary: It’s christmas eve. Dan has a surprise for Phil and tells him to come to the living room. Candles are lit. Fairylights are lighting the room. Dan is sitting behind the piano and tells Phil to come over to him. When Dan begins, Phil can barely believe the words he’s hearing.

Christmas And Coffee Shops - phanficanddil

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve. Dan is late for work. Phil needs to get gifts. It’s the rush hour. Dan and Phil run into each other, and Phil saves Dan’s job at Macy’s from the grumpy old manager. They go over to Starbucks and talk about their ambitions, but Phil feels like something is missing… He forgot to get his mom a gift! Will they find the gift in time?

Christmas At The Lesters' (ao3) - internetakeover (nymeriahale)

Summary: 7 years after Dan first spent a Christmas Eve with the Lesters he's finally returning, this time for the whole festive season.

Christmas Eve (ao3) - KaytheJay

Summary: Dan and Phil set up Santa for their daughter.

Christmas Eve in the Howell-Lester household - ultxmasunicornphanfics

Summary: Dan and Phil spend Christmas eve with their son, Jonathan, and end the evening with the one word story game.

Close To Me - paradisobound

Summary: Dan is a bartender at a local bar on Christmas Eve when a new customer walks in and asks for something strong. Hours later, he finds himself in the midst of a one night stand with the new customer that leaves him feeling something new the night before Christmas.

Happy Christmas - phinalphantasy7

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve 2009. Phil has had an amazing year, and the best part of it is sleeping on the sofa next to him.

How I Met Your Father - gorgeousdan

Summary:It’s Christmas Eve and Daphne Howell asks to hear the story of how her fathers met. Meanwhile, in 2015, Dan has been acting strange, and even he doesn’t know the cause.

Kindness (at the End) (ao3) - lovestillaround

Summary: A story about the Christmas Eve, a wooden chest left by Phil on the kitchen table, and a mission to get the key.

my wish come true (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Dan spends Christmas Eve with Phil in 2009.

No Time Like the Present (ao3) - brookwrites

Summary: It was Christmas morning in the Lester household. Well, really Christmas Eve morning, but Dan bumped it up so he could give Phil a very important gift before leaving for his own home.

The Last Roll Of The Wrapping Paper - auroraphilealis

Summary: It’s midnight on Christmas Eve, and Phil has just realized he has no wrapping paper.

The Night of Christmas Eve (ao3) - Full_Moon_Lover

Summary: “I know we hate each other but it’s Christmas Eve and your flight was cancelled, please come outside.”

two turtle doves (ao3) - ravels (orphan_account)

Summary: to say that christmas eve in the howell-lester household was a very busy event would be almost akin to saying, "the sun is rather warm."

or, a quick obligatory christmasfic featuring parent!phan, baking, and milo the corgi.

You Can Coax The Cold Right Out Of Me (ao3) - ashisnotmyname

Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Dan and Phil are at a Christmas party. How will a game of spin the bottle change their relationship?

[elleberquist6]

Believe in Me - chapter thirty-six

Summary: Dan Howell is living at home while he’s saving money for college, which isn’t easy since his parents don’t understand him. Unlike them, he loves dogs, is a vegetarian, has no interest in the family business, and he despises the supernatural. He struggles to accept things that are illogical, even though he is a kitsune. Kitsune are foxes whose powers involve the ability to cast illusions, but Dan just wants to be normal. Phil Lester has just moved to London, where he works as a dog walker. When his path crosses with Dan, Phil is eager to get to know him. Unfortunately, Phil soon finds that being friends with Dan is far more complicated than he could have imagined.

Rating: Mature Word Count: 2627 Warnings: Slow Burn, Eventual Smut

—

From My Girlfriend Is A Nine-Tailed Fox [Korean Drama]: Mi-ho: Think of all of this as a dream. From the time I appeared before you; think of it all as a dream. If you think these are all dreams, when you open your eyes, it won’t hurt you at all. Forget all the scary memories and just think of me as a really really really good dream… As we grow older together and as we continue to change with age, there is one thing that will never change. I will always keep on falling in love with you. [http://koreandsquotes.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-girlfriend-is-gumiho.html]

A realization was slowly creeping up on Phil as he lay on his back, staring up at his bedroom walls. This wasn’t the bedroom at home that he shared with Dan – this was his childhood bedroom. The wallpaper was patterned with green and blue stripes and there were posters of emo bands stuck to the walls.

Sighing, he accepted what was wrong with him. He hadn’t learned anything since he was the child who lived in this room. He was so foolish. Phil jumped in surprise when his bedroom door opened slightly. He saw his brother peek around the door.

“Can I come in?” Martyn asked

“Yeah,” Phil said, sitting up in bed. “What are you doing here?”

“Mum told me you were here,” Martyn said as he sat on the end of Phil’s bed. He tilted his head as he looked at Phil’s face. “That’s some bruise you’ve got there.”

“Oh, this,” Phil started to touch his cheek lightly, but dropped his hand when it stung. It wasn’t that bad though since his mum had made him hold a bag of frozen peas on it as soon as she saw his face when he arrived home. “It’s nothing.”

“I noticed Dan’s not here,” Martyn said slowly, inviting Phil to comment. When he didn’t, Martyn continued, “Did Dan have something to do with that?”

Phil shrugged and broke eye contact. He wasn’t sure how to explain this.

“Do I need to go kick his ass?”

Phil laughed and shook his head. “No, Martyn. Thank you. It wasn’t what you’re thinking.”

“Are you sure?” Martyn sighed. “My little brother shows up with a bruise on his face. Your boyfriend hit you. What am I supposed to think?”

Phil shook his head. “He’s not abusive. I swear. He’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met. We had a fight and he punched me, that’s it. He’s never hit me before.”

“Hmmm…” Martyn considered it for a moment, his eyes still on the bruise. Then he said, “Okay, I believe you, but I still don’t like it. What was the fight about?”

Phil bit his lip, since he couldn’t think of a way to explain it simply. “I don’t want to say. It’s personal. Please don’t pressure me?”

“Fine, whatever you say. You know me. I don’t pry.”

Phil nodded, since he knew this was true. He picked up a rubber band ball that was sitting on his nightstand. It was another relic of his childhood and some of the ancient rubber bands were starting to crumble, but it was still bouncy. He tossed it experimentally between his palms and smiled when he saw Martyn hold out his hands in invitation. They tossed the rubber band ball back and forth for a few minutes, and Phil knew that Martyn was going easy on him since Phil hadn’t fumbled any of the catches yet. Finally, as he threw the ball back to Martyn, he asked, “Mar, am I childish?”

Martyn dropped the ball in his surprise and it bounced on the bed between them before rolling towards Phil. Martyn asked, “Why? Did Dan call you childish?”

As he rolled the rubber band ball on the bed between his palms, Phil said, “No, not at all. He’s never insulted me. It’s just something I’ve been thinking about myself. Mar, tell me. Am I childish?”

Martyn shrugged. “There’s good and bad things about being childish. When I think about you in that way, I think about the fact that you’re playful and fun. You have the remarkable ability to have a good time, no matter the situation.”

Phil frowned. “Is that really remarkable?”

“Yeah, it is,” Martyn said with a smile. He held his palm open on the bed, and they rolled the ball across the bed between them. “I was reading a book the other day that reminded me of you. The book had a character who was interested in gems, which she believed had magical qualities. She had a black diamond that she said would allow her to see the joy in all things. There was a villain in the book, too. Once he stole the diamond he actually showed some redeemable qualities. He saved the life of a woman whom he believed was pregnant with his child, and he touched her stomach. For the first time in his life, he was able to see the joy in all things.”

“How did this book remind you of me?” Phil asked with a laugh.

“You don’t need a black diamond,” Martyn said. “You’ve always been able to see the joy in all things. It’s a special quality. It’s something that most people lose the ability to see when they’re no longer children. Like, you get excited when it snows. Most people moan, thinking about how they have to shovel their sidewalks. You’re childish, but it makes you special.”

Phil bit his lip as he considered it. He said, “It’s not always a good thing, though. I do stupid things. I don’t want to go into detail about what happened with Dan, but when he knew that something bad was going to happen to him, I told him it wouldn’t. I insisted again and again that he would be fine. He just kept giving me a sad look because he knew I was wrong. And then when it happened, I told him I’d help him. I asked him to believe in me.”

Martyn’s eyes widened as he tried to absorb this sudden influx of information. He grasped the last part as he said, “Phil, if you asked me to believe in you, I would. You’ve always been a good friend and brother to me. You’re fiercely loyal and protective. You’ve always been there for me when I needed you. I’m sure it’s the same for Dan.”

“I… I try. I’ve tried to help Dan. I will always try to help Dan, but this past time… I tried to stay positive, so much so that I was blind to everything reasonable Dan was saying. I’m such a fool. He must have known, but he didn’t say it. He’s never told me that I’m a fool, even when he should. And then we both got hurt because of me. I’m so embarrassed. That’s why I’m here. I can’t stand to face him right now. I even left my phone at home because I don’t know what to say to him.”

Martyn nodded and idly picked at some of the rubber bands that were flaking off the ball while he thought. As he did, Phil fully realized the situation he had left Dan in – oh God, Dan must be freaking out right now.

Finally, Martyn looked up as he said, “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. I don’t understand what happened between you and Dan, but from what you’ve told me it sounds like you don’t like the way you handled a situation that kept coming up. So, you’re here at Mum’s because you needed to take a step back and get some perspective on the situation, am I right?” When Phil nodded, Martyn continued, “See? You’re doing the right thing.”

Phil shook his head fervently. “I ran away from my problems like a child.”

“No, you’re sitting here thinking about ways that you want to handle your problems better in the future. You’re trying to grow and mature, which can only help. If you want to give it another shot with Dan, you’ll be going back into the relationship as a better person, and you won’t make the same mistakes.”

Phil bit his lip and looked away. He wasn’t even sure if Dan would still want him. He had kicked Dan out and then ran away from their home before Dan returned. They would have to see each other again so that he could return the hoshi no tama, but he wasn’t sure if Dan would still want him. Phil sighed, “I don’t know, Mar. I need to think.”

Martyn reached out to give Phil’s ankle a squeeze. “Okay, then. I’ll let you do some thinking. Talk to you later.”

“Bye, Mar. Thanks,” Phil said, giving his brother a small smile as Martyn climbed off the bed and walked to the door.

Phil’s parents had been staring at his eye since he showed up last night. While he had been able to avoid them and their questions by hiding in his room, it all became impossible when he sat down to have dinner with his mum and dad. Mum pointedly stared at him as she passed him a serving platter of mashed potatoes. “So…” Mum said slowly. “I spoke to your brother after he talked to you this afternoon.”

“Oh?” Phil said as he thought. He had known that Mum called Martyn over to fish for info. He had also known that Mum would grill Martyn when he left, but Phil had forgotten to tell Martyn what it was okay to share with her. If he had remembered, he would have said that the details of their conversation should stay between them, knowing that Martyn would keep his confidence. Now it looked like Mum might know everything, judging by her expression.

“Yes, so apparently Dan is the one who gave you that bruise. Would you tell me more about that?” she asked.

Phil shook his head, seeing how his response made her concern battle with frustration. He hated that she was worried, but he didn’t know what to say.

Meanwhile, his dad’s eyes widened at Mum’s words. Apparently she hadn’t told him that she learned who hit Phil. “Hey, son, do you want me to show you some defensive moves?” Dad held up his fists in demonstration of a fighter’s pose. “I could even show you how to get some good jabs in next time.”

Phil paled and shook his head harder.

Mum looked just as horrified. “Nigel! It’s not like some boy hit him on the playground. This is his boyfriend we’re talking about.”

“Thanks, Mum,” he mumbled, but then shrank under her heavy gaze.

“Phil… I’ll admit that I liked Dan when I met him, but now all I want is to hear you say it’s over. Tell me you’re not going back to him.”

His eyes got misty because even though he had doubts about his relationship, Phil hated the fact that she disliked Dan now. “Mum, you don’t understand what happened. It wasn’t like that. We had a fight, but he wasn’t abusive.”

“So, you’re going back to him?” She asked in a hard voice. He didn’t answer, but Mum saw something in his expression that made her shake her head. “Phil, since you started dating this guy, I’ve seen the effort that you’ve had to put into this relationship. The joke you two have about him ‘spending the majority of your relationship running’. How hard it was for you to get him to tell you that he loved you. And now he hit you? This relationship just seems so difficult. Are you sure it’s worth what you’re putting into it?”

“Yes,” he said as a sudden realization shot through him, making his heart pound. He returned his mum’s stare without flinching. “It’s worth it. Nothing worth having in life comes easy.”

“Phil, I’m not sure that…” Mum started to protest, but he wasn’t listening. All he could think about was the fact that this relationship was worth it. And he had walked away from it.

Phil stood from the table. “Um, Mum, I’m not very hungry… I’m sorry, but I’d like to go to my room.”

She might have made a sound of protest, but he wasn’t listening as he was already walking away. Phil went to his bedroom and closed the door. As he settled on his bed, his hands were shaking as the revelation he had downstairs was still sending thrills of adrenaline through his body. Dan was worth it. Phil knew it. But he had walked away from Dan.

Phil shut his eyes, and all he could see was Dan. Tears streamed down his face as words and images flashed through his mind.

The first time he saw Dan’s dimples as he smiled through the pain of a dislocated shoulder, and the sight had made Phil’s stomach flip.

“You’re not going to like me once you get to know me,” Dan had said the first time Phil tried to kiss him. Even then he had been trying to protect Phil.

Phil remembered the moment that Dan told him he liked him on the London Eye, “I fell out of a tree, and I feel like I’m still falling. I’ve never stopped. I’ve been falling for you since we met.” That moment had been perfect.

“It’s been years since I got to pet a dog. A friend of mine had a puppy that I used to play with. It would bite me sometimes, but I didn’t care. When the puppy grew up though, it didn’t like me anymore. This is so amazing.” Phil remembered Dan’s face in that moment, as it was lit with a childlike glee. Dan was stunning, inside and out.

He remembered how beautiful, shy, and flushed Dan looked lying beneath him right before the first time they had sex. “I never let anyone get close to me before you. I never wanted to be close to anyone before you.”

And he remembered when Dan told him that they might only have two weeks together. Dan believed that they would be the last two weeks of his life, and all he wanted was Phil. “I’ve been thinking about how I want to spend those days. I want to see you every day and I want to spend every night in your arms. Please?”

Then the first time Dan told him that he loved him in the snow, and Phil knew it was true. He saw it in the soft flush in Dan’s cheeks, the nervous way that he bit his bottom lip, and felt it in the way Dan’s foot kept ‘accidentally’ brushing his calf.

And then when he had tried to give Dan a perfect day, all Dan had wanted was to be with him. “Just let me be close to you. Hold me. Even closer than this. I need you.”

It took a while, but Dan finally felt comfortable saying how he felt about Phil out loud. “Always. I just didn’t want to say it when it might be over soon. I wanted to say it at the beginning of something, when we knew we had more time. Forever, even. Does that make sense?” It took time, but it had been worth the wait.

Then there was the moment that he had asked Dan to live with him. “I know you’re not just my boyfriend. You’re my best friend, too. Usually I love that we’re friends, but you just asked me to live with you like a friend would. And it bothered me.” Dan was his everything: best friend, boyfriend, lover, and soulmate.

Phil’s pillow was soaked with tears by now. In his exhaustion he fell asleep, crying for Dan.

[wildflowerhowell]

I Found, chapter 11

Dan Howell and Phil Lester hate each other, and everyone at the Ida Gatley school of dance knows it. So what happens when the two are paired together to choreograph and perform a duet at England’s most renowned contemporary dance competition?

word count (in total): 22,139

chapters: 12

genre: fluff and angst

tw: alcohol

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Phil put their blanket down on the sand and sat down while Dan set out all the food they’d brought: a baguette, goat cheese, some strawberries, and the cheapest champagne Phil could find. The younger boy wanted to get something more expensive but Phil agreed to buy the champagne and insisted on the cheapest bottle in the store.

“This is probably the fanciest thing I’ve eaten in years,” Dan said as he took a seat on the white blanket next to Phil.

“It’s not even that fancy,” replied Phil as he ripped off the end of the baguette.

“I know,” Dan laughed and reached over to grab a strawberry. He looked out at the water for a minute, watching the sun begin to set in an orange blur across the horizon. “Y’know,” He said as he took the glass of champagne that Phil was holding out to him, “I’m kinda really glad that Grasp is over.”

“I thought you really enjoyed it.”

“Oh, I loved it. But I guess the end of the competition almost signified a fresh start, you get what I mean? Before we started to prepare for the competition, we hated each other. Then, we became friends because of the competition. And now…. Well, now, we’re more than that, I guess.” Dan blushed a bit as he looked over at Phil, who chuckled nervously.

“We should probably uh… talk about that?”

“Yeah.” Dan looked down at his glass, unsure of what to say.

“So um,” Phil started talking, much to Dan’s relief, “I know this is really new but I wanna be completely honest. A little bit after I turned seventeen, I started to like you. And I couldn’t let anyone know, so I started being even more cruel towards you. I know that’s such an awful thing to do, but how could anyone guess that I liked you if I treated you like that, y’know?” When the older boy saw Dan nod in understanding, he continued. “So I went on like that for a whole year. It hurt me so much to act like that but I felt like if you found out, my life at the studio would be even more awful. But then we started working together on the dance and we became friends and that was one of the best things to happen to me in a while. I thought that if you knew I had feelings for you but didn’t feel the same way, you wouldn’t totally ruin my life. So when I finally mustered up the courage, I kissed you. And here we are now.”

Dan could see the relief all over Phil’s face, clearly thankful to have told him all of that, and the younger boy felt relieved to hear it.

“So,” Phil took a sip of Champagne, “What’s your story?”

“Well,” Dan sighed, looking out at the sloshing waves and disappearing sun, “To be honest, I didn’t realize I had feelings for you until you kissed me. But looking back on this past month, I’ve definitely liked you for at least a few weeks. When you started being nicer to me, it was like a switch flipped in my brain. I was always afraid that the next time we’d see each other, you’d just go back to acting the way you had before. I started to love spending time with you, and I looked forward to our choreography sessions more and more each day I’d see you. I guess I just thought my feelings for you were purely platonic because I’ve never felt this way towards anyone before. I’d obviously liked all of my other boyfriends a lot, but I like you so much more than I’ve ever liked anyone else.”

Dan looked back over to see a huge grin unfold onto Phil’s face.

“I’m really glad you feel that way about me,” Phil said, throwing the top of a strawberry into the bag they were using for trash. “It would have been really embarrassing for me if you didn’t like me.”

“No shit,” Dan snickered, leaning in to kiss Phil.

“Hey,” Phil pulled away, “Just now, you said you’d never felt this way for any of your other boyfriends.” He smirked, and a bright shade of red enveloped Dan’s face. “Does that mean you think of me as your boyfriend?”

“I mean,” Dan said, still blushing, “We both like each other a lot and we’ve kissed multiple times, so yeah, I’d say we’re boyfriends. If that’s good with you, of course.”

Phil smirked. “That’s perfect with me. Kinda been wanting that for a year.”

Dan gave Phil a sympathetic look. “That must’ve sucked.”

“Yeah, but it worked out in the end.”

“True,” Dan said, moving closer to Phil so that he could rest his head on the older boy’s shoulder.

The two boys looked out over the water, which had been turned a dark navy by the sun that was now below the horizon, leaving only a faded orange sky in its wake. They could see the moon and a few stars scattered around the atmosphere, becoming more and more visible as the sky darkened. It was peaceful. A type of peaceful that Dan and Phil rarely got to experience living with their ever-hectic schedules. Just sitting there on that blanket, feeling so small in comparison to the vast sea that was in front of them was comforting. With Phil by his side, Dan didn’t want to leave.

“So I’ve been wondering,” Phil broke Dan’s train of thought with a soft voice, “What made you act so hostile towards me in the first place?”

Dan chuckled, remembering his dumb nine year-old self. “Well, up until you came to the studio, I’d always been the best at everything I did. I got the best marks, I was the best at playing piano, I sucked at art but I was still the best in my year. When I started dancing, I was the best in my level. Being the best was what I was used to. And then you came along. It came as a shock to me, how good you were at dancing. So I did everything in my power to be better than you. I tried training harder, and when I saw you train as hard as I did, I just started being mean. Yeah, talking about my feelings with someone probably would have been the better choice but I was young and scared of losing my reputation.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Phil nodded, taking in the new information. “I’m just glad we got that whole thing sorted out.”

“Well duh,” Dan baited, leaning further into Phil.

“Wait, how did I not know that you play piano? I’m a little hurt,” Phil teased, although it was true that he didn’t know about Dan’s ability to play the instrument.

“I just… never told you?”

“Y’know, we haven’t actually had the chance to really get to know each other. We should probably do that if we’re gonna be boyfriends.”

“Yeah,” Dan laughed, sitting up again to look at Phil, “That sounds like a pretty good idea.”

“Okay, ask me anything you want.”

Dan pondered for a second, trying to come up with a good question to ask. “Ooh, got it. What’s your favorite thing to do besides dance?”

“Easy. I make art.”

“Art? Like paintings?”

“Yeah, mostly watercolour. Sometimes I do drawings. Most of my stuff is stylized but I’ll occasionally do some realistic art.”

“Dude, that’s so cool,” Dan said excitedly, “Do you have any pictures?”

“Yeah,” Phil replied as he grabbed his phone, which had been resting on the blanket next to him. The older boy unlocked it and went to his camera roll, opening up an album that contained pictures of his art, letting Dan scroll through them as he pleased.

Dan could quickly see that Phil mainly painted people. There was one painting of two girls, twins, with lilac hair and glittering crescent moons on their foreheads. One painting was of a girl with teal hair that had white line drawings of koi fish swimming around her head. Another piece was of a boy with huge flowers growing all around him. Phil’s art was beautiful. Every piece was amazingly detailed and all of the colors worked perfectly together. Dan stared at the photos in awe, wondering how Phil was not only so good at dancing, but incredibly talented at painting as well.

“These are so fucking good,” Dan marveled, “How do you have time for all this?”

“I manage to get a lot done in art class at school,” Phil said, “But I also paint at home whenever I get the chance.”

“Damn,” Dan said, handing the phone back to Phil.

“Okay. My turn to ask a question.” Phil sat in silence, coming up with something to ask. “So. If you suddenly won a million pounds, what’s the first thing you’d do with it?”

“Good question. I think I’d save most of it, donate to a few different charities, and buy a TV for my room. My best friend and I always have to watch stuff on my laptop if my older brother’s watching the TV in the lounge. It pisses us off.”

“Nice answer,” Phil nodded in approval. “Wait. haven’t I met your best friend?”

“I think he’s only seen you when he’s come to performances, but I don’t think you’ve talked to each other.”

“I could have sworn I’ve met him. Guess not, though”

“Oh wait, yes you have,” Dan said, suddenly remembering the encounter at the Hyde Park. “You two met at the rose garden.”

“Oh yeah! I was such a jackass that day, sorry about that.” Phil giggled. “I thought he was your boyfriend.”

The younger boy blushed. “Oh, God no. Anyways, I’ve got a question. What’s something on your bucket list?”

“Hmm. I really wanna travel.”

“Where?” Dan leaned back, putting his weight on his left hand and taking a sip of champagne with his left.

“All over Europe. Paris, Berlin, Milan, Vienna. I love Europe’s old architecture and culture. I also really wanna go to Tokyo someday. New York City, too. I just eventually wanna travel all over the world and see as much as I can.”

“Ugh, that sounds amazing. I really wanna travel, too. Alright, ask me something.”

Phil ripped off a piece of the baguette, thinking. “Do you believe in aliens?”

“Absolutely,” Dan said almost immediately, “How could I not? The universe is just so fucking big, there has to be life on other planets.”

Phil nodded. “I know right? I don’t know how there are people that don’t believe in them. Alright, ask me something.”

“Um, what do you like about your best friend?”

“Well,” Phil contemplated, “Her name is Ryan. I love how passionate she is about everything she does. She fully invests herself, y’know? She manages to keep her grades up while being an actress and artist at the same time. She dances a little bit, too. She’s there for me whenever I need her. You really need to meet her,” Phil said with a glimmer in his eyes, “I think you’d love her.”

Dan gave Phil a fond look. When the older boy was talking about Ryan, Dan had noticed how lovingly he was talking about his best friend. It was adorable. The younger boy set his now-empty glass down on the blanket and reached up to rest his hand on the side of Phil’s face. It was getting to be quite dark out, but Dan could see the creases around Phil’s eyes as he smiled, leaning in to kiss the brown haired boy. A breeze swept their hair into their faces and Dan giggled as Phil pulled away from the kiss to push the younger boy’s curls away from his forehead.

The lights from the Brighton Pier danced in the distance, illuminating its surroundings with a soft, colorful glow. Waves washed up onto the shore, and then receded back into the ocean. Dan hadn’t felt this happy in a while. He was sitting under the moon next to the boy that he could now call his boyfriend, the boy he’d won the Gold Award at a renowned contemporary dance competition with. Everything was perfect. Dan knew that he and Phil would have to go back to normal life the following day, but in this moment, he didn’t care. He was living life to the fullest until he had to go back to London, and that was all that mattered.

The two boys stayed at the beach for another 45 minutes, talking about everything from future careers to their favorite dog breeds. Once they both got bored of the ocean, which was now blanketed in darkness and therefore hard to even see, they packed up everything they’d brought with them. Phil called an Uber to take them back to their hotel, and they walked hand in hand away from the waves.

~

“Alright, what now?” Phil looked up at Dan, who was drying his hair off with a towel.

The boys got back at around 10 pm, and each took showers before deciding on what to do with the rest of the night. It kind of went unsaid that they’d be sharing a bed that night, as they both flung their jackets onto Dan’s bed when they arrived back at the Hotel. For Dan, it was exhilarating, knowing that he’d be spending the night snuggled up next to Phil. He was honestly up for whatever as long as it meant cuddling with the black haired boy.

“Movie?” Dan looked over at the older boy, who was sitting on his bed in pyjamas, hair slightly damp as well.

“Sure,” Phil said as he reached for the TV remote, “Do you have one in mind?”

“Not really, let’s just look through what movies we can watch.” Dan tossed his towel into the bathroom as Phil began to scroll through the options listed on the TV.

“Let’s see. There’s Ghostbusters, La La Land, Fantastic Beasts….” Phil listed out possible choices as Dan climbed into bed, leaning back against the pillows.

“Ooh, wait,” Dan butted in, “What about Arrival?”

Phil, who had been leaning forward, turned his head to look at the younger boy. “Yeah, I’ve heard it’s good.”

“Dude, I’ve seen it already, it’s good. No spoilers, but there’s this one point where everything you thought you knew completely changes and-”

“Calm down, let me actually watch the movie.”

“Oh, sorry,” Dan said bashfully.

“I hope the competition will pay for this,” Phil said as he bought the movie.

“Eh, paying for it yourself will be worth it. If not, I can always pay you back.”

“Oh, shut up,” Phil countered, getting up to turn all of the lights off, “You will not.”

“Not complaining,” Dan smirked and extended his left arm across the pillows as an invitation for Phil to lay back and cuddle up next to him.

Phil positioned himself next to Dan, resting his head in the crook of the younger boy’s neck, an arm reaching across his torso. Dan wrapped the arm that Phil was now leaning against around his shoulder, pulling him in closer.

This is so perfect, Dan thought to himself as the movie started to play. Just a month ago if anyone told me that this would be happening, I would have called them crazy. But look at me now. He looked down at Phil and kissed the top of his head, and the older boy squeezed Dan’s torso for a second in return. A huge grin unfurled on Dan’s slightly freckled face. Yeah, this is fucking amazing.

The movie played for a good hour or so until Dan realized that Phil had fallen asleep. God damn it, he didn’t even get to the mindfuck part, Dan sighed to himself as he reached for the remote and paused the movie. He gently removed his arm from around the older boy and moved two pillows out from under his head, leaving just one to sleep on. He then threw two of his own pillows to the ground and turned the TV off; it had been the only source of light in the room since they’d started the movie.

Dan curled up next to Phil, reminiscing on the day’s events. In just one day, he’d been kissed by the person he’d had a rivalry with for years, won the Gold Award at Grasp, and become boyfriends with the aforementioned boy. He didn’t have a list of the top weirdest days in his life, but if he did, this day would definitely be on it. Just as he was drifting off into sleep, his phone lit up on the bedside table next to him, the screen illuminating the room. He groggily rolled over and reached for the device. When he saw that Liam was calling, he shot up and answered the call immediately

“Shit,” Dan said apologetically, “I was supposed to tell you how it went.”

“You were,” Liam replied, “But it’s alright ‘cause you’re still awake.”

“Fuck, so much has happened today. You probably won’t believe a lot of it.”

“Doubt it. So what happened?”

“Okay,” Dan said quietly, trying not to wake Phil up. “We got to the theater, did our hair and makeup, got into costume. Y’know, all the stuff dancers usually do before a show. After that, we had time to spare, so we played a game of truth or dare which was hilarious, played around on our phones, and stretched. Then-”

“Dan, I appreciate how you’re going into detail, but I just wanna know how you placed, to be honest.”

“Shut up! Something happened before the performance that you need to know about.”

“Ugh, alright.”

“So this dude came into our dressing room and told us we were about to go on, and he lead us to this hallway just outside the theater and Phil was being all quiet but I just assumed it was because he’s nervous.”

“Okay….”

“And when I asked him about it… he kissed me.”

Silence. Dan had expected Liam to freak out and start asking a thousand questions, but instead, he just heard silence. He had to check to make sure Liam hadn’t accidentally hung up. He hadn’t.

“So,” Liam finally spoke, “You’re telling me that you’ve had a feud with this boy for, what, seven years now? And just before your duet together, he kisses you.”

“Yep.”

“Well, what did you do?”

“At first, I was just confused. But I didn’t really have time to think about my feelings because that same dude came back and told us it was our turn to perform.”

“And how was that?” Liam was obviously more interested in this story now that he knew that Phil had kissed Dan.

“It was fucking amazing, I’ve never heard an audience applaud that loudly for a piece I was in.”

“So you won Platinum?”

“I’ll get to that. So after we walk offstage and out into that hallway again, I kissed Phil. I guess I realized that the feelings I had when I was around him weren’t just platonic. It was amazing, I-”

“You really don’t need to go into detail about that.”

“Oh, right, sorry. Okay, so the award ceremony rolls around. Two dancers win Bronze, and two others win Silver. And we won Gold!”

“Dude, you totally deserved Platinum.”

“I mean, I guess this means we have to back next year with an even better dance, right?”

“Did they invite you back already?”

“No, but I assume they will. We did get second place. And Phil and I are the two best dancers at the studio so unless next year’s theme is solos, we’ll both be going back.”

“Damn, your day has been wild.”

“That’s not all!”

“There’s more?” Liam sighed through the phone, “I’m tired, Dan!”

“Yes, there’s more. But long story short, Phil and I went on a date to the beach and we’re officially together now. And that’s all.”

“I guess I’ve gotta properly meet him now, don’t I?”

“Duh. And he told me about his best friend, Ryan. He said I’d love her, so we should all hang out sometime.”

“Definitely. Well, congrats on your Gold Award and enemy-turned-boyfriend. I’m gonna sleep now.”

“Alright. G’night.”

“Night,” Liam ended the phone call.

Dan smiled and set his phone back down on the bedside table. It felt good to tell someone else about his relationship with Phil. He laid back down next to the older boy, who threw an arm around his torso.

“You awake?” Dan whispered, turning onto his side to face Phil.

“Yeah,” The black haired boy said faintly. “You’re so cute, you know that?”

Dan beamed. “Thank you,” He giggled. “You are too.”

Phil leaned in and kissed Dan. The younger boy couldn’t help but smile as he wrapped his arms around Phil’s neck, tangling his hands in his raven hair, kissing him back.

Phil pulled away and rested his head on the other dancer’s forehead. “I don’t wanna have to go back to London tomorrow.”

Dan stroked the older boy’s cheek. “Me neither. But we’ll be back next year.” He rolled onto his back, keeping one arm wrapped around Phil, who rested his head on Dan’s chest. “Good night, Phil.”

“Good night.”

[untrueusername]

The Witch in the Cottage in the Woods

 Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: minor mention of blood, swearing

Summary: After getting hurt while hiking, Dan is found by a friendly witch named Phil, who provides hospitality to him in his home while he heals him.

   Dan didn’t like hiking, but according to his friend Jane, a therapist, he “needed more nature” in his life. She said that spending his whole summer off from university in his bedroom wasn’t good for his health, mentally or physically, and suggested that a nice trek through the woods would help him. So there he was, sweating his tits off in the hot summer sun with a backpack full of trail mix and water going almost straight uphill.

It had been raining terribly for days on end earlier in the week (as per usual in England), but today the sun was out, brightly shining. At first, Dan had seen this as a good thing, but after hiking for an hour in the scorching heat, he was sure that god hated him.

The part he was hiking was supposedly the hardest part of the trail; according to the guide he had seen at the beginning of the trail, it started out flat and then rose to an incline about an hour in, before going downhill for a while and then mostly flat for the rest of it, save a few hills. It hadn’t looked too difficult on the map, but Dan soon realised that it was actual hell.

Because of the rain, parts of the hike had been a bit muddy, but nothing too bad. He had slipped on his bum once earlier on in the trail, but he had learned from his mistake quickly and figured out what to look for to avoid falling again. However, being the clumsy motherfucker that he is, Dan accidently put all of his weight onto a slick patch of mud he hadn’t noticed. He immediately slipped and began tumbling downhill, veering off of the path and hitting trees, bushes, and rocks all the way down.

When he reached the bottom of the hill, his barely conscious self could’ve sworn he saw a boy wearing a funny hat running towards him with a look of worry in his face before he passed out.

  As he woke up, the first sensation Dan was aware of was the aching and soreness all over his body, but more intensely so in his right leg. He opened his eyes, and without moving his bruised and battered body too much, he could see that he was lying down in an ugly wicker bed with a green and blue quilted blanket. The room around him had wooden walls, ceiling, and floors, and seemed as if it was not only a bedroom, but also a kitchen and living room all in one. It was decorated with books, plants, and… is that a crystal ball?

In the corner of the room seemingly dedicated to the kitchen, the boy Dan had seen just before he lost consciousness looked like he was making tea. He was wearing a blue shirt, black skinny jeans, and a rather out-of-place looking hat on his head, the kind that Dan had seen worn in Harry Potter.

Dan, against his better judgement, decided to try and sit up. He groaned as a sharp spark of pain ran down his leg and his head pounded. Hearing him, the mysterious boy quickly spun around and rushed across the room to help him.

“You had a really nasty fall back there,” he said, helping Dan into a sitting position on the mattress. “You’re lucky I was out looking for blueberries when you fell.” He pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down next to Dan. “My name’s Phil.”

“I’m Dan. Dan Howell. And thank you so much for saving me.”

“Oh it’s no problem,” Phil said. “It’s not like I have much of anything else to do.” Phil looked down at Dan’s leg, which Dan then noticed seemed to have been wrapped in bandages. He was bleeding through them.

“I’m going to have to redress that soon,” Phil muttered under his breath. “You’ve been out for about an hour. It didn’t take too long to dress your wounds, but it took forever to carry you here. Next time you fall down a mountain, could you do it a little closer to your rescuer’s house?”

Dan chuckled. “Yeah, sure thing. I’ll try to aim a little better next time.”

Across the room, the kettle began to whistle, startling the two men. Phil jumped out of his seat and headed over to the stove. He grabbed some oven mitts and poured the tea into a black mug shaped like a cat before bringing it over to Dan. Nodding in thanks, Dan took a small sip of the tea and was surprised at how much he liked it. He could taste a number of herbs, but the only one he could easily identify was peppermint.

“This is incredible,” Dan said, taking another sip. “I’ve never had anything like this in my life.

Phil smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Peppermint and clove are good natural painkillers and I added a touch of goldenseal to increase your white blood cells to help you heal a bit quicker.” Phil paused a moment, before continuing. “Why were you out there, anyways? I assume you were hiking on the path up the mountain, but you don’t really seem like much of a hiker. No offense. It’s just, you’re wearing skinny jeans and converse, Dan.”

Dan looked a bit embarrassed. “Yeah. You’re absolutely right. My friend told me I needed to go outside more, and suggested I go hiking. I thought ‘wow this’ll be easy’ and decided to go on one of the more advanced trails. That was obviously a mistake.”

Phil tried not to laugh. “Yeah. I’ve got to admit, I’ve been out here for a very long time, and I’ve never seen someone like you around these parts.”

“And what about you? What are you doing all the way out here?”

“Well, that’s a long story. I, ummm… Well, to put it short, I really like plants and don’t much care for people.”

Dan laughed, nodding his head. “I can relate to that.” Dan took the last sip of his tea before setting it down onto the nightstand next to him. He tried to readjust himself in the small bed, and winced in pain.

“Yeah… I’m definitely going to have to redress that for you,” Phil said, and then hesitantly continued. “The first time I did this you were unconscious, so it was a lot easier, but this time, it’s going to be a little… strange.”

“What do you mean by ‘strange’?” Dan asked, suddenly a bit alarmed.

“Well… I guess you’ll see in a moment.”

Considering Dan didn’t have much choice (I mean, he couldn’t exactly run or anything), he nervously sat still and waited for Phil to go get some supplies. However, Phil did no such thing. Instead, he scooted his chair closer to Dan’s leg and put his hands just above it. Without touching him, Phil closed his eyes and began to whisper something that sounded like gibberish to Dan.

Suddenly, Phil’s hands began to glow a neon green color, Dan’s leg totally illuminated by it. Dan gasped, but stayed still, totally captivated by the light. His leg immediately felt much better, and Dan was shocked to see the blood that had gone through the bandages disappear before his eyes.

After about ten seconds of this, Phil stopped, and leaned back in his chair, panting, as if it had taken a lot of energy out of him. He blinked, before looking back over at Dan, waiting for his reaction.

“Um. Well. That was, um.” Dan looked shocked, his eyes wide and his mouth slack. Hesitantly, Dan went on. “Are… Are you like, a wizard or something? If you are, please don’t get offended or zap me or anything, I was just-”

Phil laughed. “I’m not a wizard.” A look of relief spread across Dan’s face. “That’s a common misconception. I’m a witch.”

Dan spluttered.

“Don’t worry! I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I’m just helping you out here. I’m not evil.”

“Oh. Well. That’s good, I guess,” Dan said, obviously on edge. He paused awkwardly for a second. “So… Do you, like, have a black cat or something?” Dan glanced over at the black cat-shaped mug that Phil had presented his tea in, which suddenly held a whole new meaning.

“I’m more of a dog person, really.” Phil looked at the mug too. “That was a gag gift I got from my ex.”

“Oh thank goodness. I hate cats.”

 “Me too.”

  After Dan and Phil woke up the next day, having shared Phil’s small bed all night, Dan had been healed enough by Phil that he could walk on his leg without too much discomfort. It had taken quite a few healing sessions to get that far, though; Phil said that performing powerful magic like healing spells took a lot of power and energy, and he couldn’t do a lot of healing in only one go. However, after a good nights sleep and one final spell, Dan was ready to go.

Phil packed Dan a small satchel of supplies with some water, a snack, and a map, making sure to tell him to be careful on the steep parts this time. Just as Dan was about to leave, however, Phil stopped him.

“Wait! One more thing before you go.” Phil handed Dan a small slip of paper with series of digits written on it. “It’s been really fun hanging out with you, and I was thinking if you’d like we could maybe… see each other again soon? Like on a date? Maybe?” Dan could hear how nervous Phil.

“I’d love that,” Dan replied, grinning. “Goodbye, my witch.” Dan leaned in and kissed Phil on the cheek. “I’ll see you again soon.”

[gay-gay-very-gay]

Masterlist

Other;

Dialogue(quote) Writing Prompts

Imagine Writing Prompts

Who do I write about?

Imagine making someone laugh  - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16

Brendon Urie:

Imagine talking with Brendon over Face-time

Imagine Brendon being on radio and has been saying some stuff about you and you call in and he realize you heard it all

Imagine dating Brendon and him playing around and being all cute and funny

Jack Wilder(NYSM):

Imagine playing video games with Jack

Brooklyn Nine-Nine ;

Amy Santiago:

Imagine Amy’s reaction to her asking you out and you saying yes

Jake Peralta:

Imagine always joking around with Jake

Doctor Who;

The 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston):

Imagine The 9th Doctor hearing you talk bad about yourself

The 10th Doctor (David Tennant):

25“Please, don’t leave.” 28 “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”

The 11th Doctor (Matt Smith):

Imagine telling you boyfriend, The Doctor, that you’re pregnant

Imagine inviting you boyfriend, The Doctor, to a dinner with your friends

Imagine the look on The Doctor’s face the first time he sees you

Imagine getting new glasses but you don’t think you look good in them so The Doctor helps you

Imagine trying to study and The Doctor encouraging you

53 & 17 with 11th Doctor x reader “I almost lost you.” “I will never apologize for saving your life, even if it costs me my own.”

Imagine dating The Doctor and getting mad when Amy kisses him

Gotham;

Jim Gordon:

Imagine Jim complimenting you

Grimm;

Nick Burkhardt:

Imagine cuddling with Nick on the sofa after a long day

Harry Potter;

Draco Malfoy:

Imagine being sassy to Draco and he likes it

Imagine Draco sending you notes in class

Drarry:

Drarry moments

Hermione Granger:

Imagine being jealous that Hermione is dating Ron because you like her

Imagine going on a date with Hermione

Justice League;

Wonder Woman (Diana Prince):

Imagine kissing Diana

Lucifer (fox);

Lucifer Morningstar:

Imagine Lucifer showing you his real eyes

Marvel;

Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier):

Imagine going to homecoming with Bucky

Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow):

Imagine training with Nat for the first time and she’s flirting with you

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)(Tom Holland):

Imagine finding out that Peter is Spider-Man

Tony Stark (Iron Man):

Imagine Tony telling you he’s Iron Man

Merlin;

Arthur:

Imagine Gwaine showing off to you and Arthur gets jealous

Imagine seeing Arthur kiss Gwen even though he’s dating you

Gwaine:

Imagine Gwaine asking you out and you say yes

Imagine Gwaine being jealous

Leon:

Imagine dating Leon and being sassy to Gwaine

Merlin:

Imagine Merlin knowing that you love when he raises his eyebrows so he does it all the time

Imagine Merlin hearing that you got hurt

Imagine Arthur figuring out that Merlin likes you

Once Upon A Time;

Emma Swan:

Imagine Emma throwing you a surprise birthday party at Granny’s

Killian Jones/Hook:

Imagine Hook coming to your rescue when you’ve been kidnapped

Peter Pan:

Imagine Peter checking you out

Regina Mills/Evil Queen:

Imagine telling Regina that you like her… a lot

One Day At A Time;

Elena Alvarez:

Imagine going with Elena to homecoming

Scorpion;

Toby Curtis:

Imagine introducing Toby to your friends

Shadowhunters(TMi);

Izzy Lightwood:

Imagine Izzy telling Simon and Jace that she got your number after she heard them arguing about who was gonna ask you out

Sherlock;

Sherlock Holmes:

Imagine John finding out that Sherlock and you are dating

Supernatural;

Castiel:

Imagine you and Cas fighting and Cas gets sad

Dean Winchester:

Imagine Dean teasing you about how you look when you fangirl

Imagine wanting go with Dean on a hunt but he says no

Imagine Demon Dean having a soft spot for you

Imagine Dean getting jealous when someone flirts with you

18 with Dean x reader “Don’t panic but I think we might have accidentally gotten married…”

Gabriel:

Imagine Gabriel listening to you complaining about how bored you are

Jensen Ackles:

Imagine Jensen and Jared on set trying to make you laugh

Imagine making Jensen laugh while he’s on set

Imagine making Jensen laugh while he’s on set #2

Imagine Jensen flirting with you while on set

Lucifer:

Imagine telling Sam and Dean that you are dating Lucifer

Imagine Lucifer meeting you for the first time and instantly falling in love

Sam Winchester:

Imagine telling stupid jokes to Sam while he’s doing research

Imagine Sam asking you out

Teen Wolf;

Derek Hale:

Imagine Derek trying to tell Stiles you’re dating

Imagine Scott talking to you about Derek

Imagine having a movie night with Derek

Imagine Derek’s reaction the first time he meets you

Imagine yours and Derek’s first time

Imagine making Derek laugh and Stiles is very confused

Scott McCall:

Imagine telling Scott jokes in class

Sterek:

A conversation between Stiles and Scott

Stiles Stilinski:

Imagine Stiles asking you out on a date and you say yes

Imagine Stiles always complementing you because he knows you have low self-esteem

Imagine walking home late at night and texting Stiles

Imagine asking Stiles out on a date

Theo Raeken:

Imagine Theo flirting with you while you’re trying to help him study for a test

The Flash;

Barry Allen:

Imagine Barry being really protective over you

Grant Gustin:

Imagine Grant sending you snapchats

The Kissing Booth;

Noah Flynn:

Imagine Noah checking you out while you’re in the library reading

The Vampire Diaries;

Damon Salvatore:

Imagine Damon finding out you have a crush on him

Imagine buying kittens and Damon starts to cuddle with them

Imagine Stefan meeting you(Damon’s girlfriend) for the first time

Imagine Damon trying to ask you out

Jeremy Gilbert:

Imagine Elena finding out you’re dating her brother Jeremy

Imagine your older brother Damon finding out you’re dating Jeremy

Imagine your older brother Stefan finding out you’re dating Jeremy

The Originals;

Klaus Mikaelson:

Imagine Klaus flirting with you

Imagine taking a stroll in the city with your boyfriend Klaus

Rebekah Mikaelson:

Imagine going on a date with Rebekah

YouTube;

Dan Howell(Danisnotonfire):

Imagine Phil walking in on you and Dan in the bedroom

Imagine being on your period and Dan coming in and seeing you cry

Imagine trying to get Dan and Phil to wear flower crowns and they finally agree

Imagine Phil confronting Dan about liking you and Dan just laughs it off but Phil knows

Imagine Phil teasing Dan about his face when he sees you

Imagine bumping in to your ex on the street while shopping with Dan and him flirting with you, making Dan very jealous

Imagine Dan doing a live stream and noticing that you’re watching #1

Imagine Dan doing a live stream and noticing that you’re watching #2

Imagine making Dan laugh while he’s filming

Imagine Dan and Phil being out in public and Dan is goofing around and then he sees you

Imagine Dan doing a live stream and he hears you singing “Kiss me” by Ed Sheeran

Imagine Dan having a nightmare about you two breaking up and realizing that it wasn’t a dream

Imagine Dan trying to get you to bed

Imagine Dan hearing you talk about hot you think Draco is and he gets jealous and tries to look like him

Imagine going on a road trip with Dan, Phil and some other Youtubers

Imagine Dan always playfully flirting with you (even though he’s being completely serious)

Imagine being mad at Dan for something and he tries to cute his way out of it

Imagine laughing at a really stupid joke and heart-eyes Howell appears

Imagine you coming in while Dan’s talking to someone

Imagine being with Dan at Joe’s house while they film Youtuber Whispers 4

Imagine being with Dan at an interview

Imagine Dan and Phil filming PINOF 6 and Dan trying to make you laugh

Imagine talking to Phil about what you and Dan did last night and almost sharing a bit too much

Imagine skyping with Dan and him doing stupid stuff to make you laugh

Imagine telling really bad puns and jokes just to make Dan laugh

Imagine having a staring contest with Dan and making him laugh so you’ll win

Imagine Dan finally admitting to you that he likes you

Imagine Dan trying to deny to Phil that he likes you

Imagine Dan doing a live stream and getting asked if he thinks you’re hot and then him seeing you are watching

Imagine playing “Hello Internet” for Dan just to mess with him

Dan Seeing you for the first time vs. when you’ve been dating for a while

Imagine your text conversation with your best friend

Imagine skyping with Dan and friends and he falls in love instantly.

Imagine your first kiss with Dan

Imagine falling asleep in a Skype call with dan and him hearing you snore

Imagine your text conversation with Dan when he’s sleeping and you’re not

Imagine vlogging your day with Dan

Imagine celebrating Christmas with Dan

Phan:

Imagine Dan and Phil’s texting conversations #1

Imagine Dan and Phil’s texting conversations #2

Imagine Dan and Phil baking in private

Imagine walking in on Dan and Phil kissing

Imagine Dan and Phil introducing you to their new dog

Phil Lester(Amazingphil):

Imagine the advice Phil gives you when you’re mad at your friends

Imagine you and Phil kissing for the first time

Imagine Phil trying to cheer you up when you’re sad

Imagine Dan being Phil’s wingman

Imagine Phil sending snapchats to you while he’s filming

Imagine skyping with Phil and roasting him

Imagine Phil doing a live stream and talking about how you two met

Ethan Nestor(Crankgameplays):

Imagine acting jealous whenever Mark or Tyler does something to Ethan

Imagine watching Ethan play a game and he keeps dying

Imagine giving Ethan a flower crown

Imagine Ethan getting flustered every time someone mentions you

Imagine telling Ethan jokes

Imagine Facetiming with Ethan

Jacksepticeye(Anti):

Imagine Jack trying to encourage you to do homework. But when you ask for help he has no idea how

Imagine being a YouTuber and being best friends with Mark, Séan and Felix

Imagine Anti flirting with you

Imagine telling Jack jokes

Imagine playing games with Jack and killing him

Incorrect Jacksepticeye #1

Joe Sugg(Thatcherjoe):

Imagine watching Joe fix his hair before a video

Markiplier(Dark):

Imagine talking with Markiplier on Skype (when it’s actually Darkiplier)

Imagine being a dancer and Mark is always trying to show you he can dance too(even though he can’t)

Imagine playing games with Markiplier

Signe(Wiishu):

Imagine going out on adventure with Signe

Thomas Sanders:

Imagine doing Thomas’ makeup

Smosh;

Anthony Padilla:

Imagine being on a date with Anthony

Ian Hecox:

Imagine skyping with Ian

Smosh Games;

Damien Haas:

Imagine dating Damien and playing ‘Human: Fall flat’ with Smosh Games

Smosh squad;

Shayne Topp:

Imagine Shayne introducing his girlfriend

[gleek-runner]

Class 1×1

Okay so since the first episode of Class aired yesterday, I scooped around and found my reaction when I first saw it (which was published on Wattpad. And yeah I decided to share it because why not?

1)Wtf is going on?

2)THE THEME SONG IS GREAT

3)WHY DID YOU PUSH THE SMOL BEAN?!

4)What do you mean,you pretend it doesn’t happen?PEOPLE MIGHT BE GETTING KILLED WTF?!

5)“I’m going to ask Charlie to the prom"Sweetheart he’s as straight as Dan Howell’s natural hair

6)WE KNOW YOU’RE GAY CHARLIE BOY BUT PLEASE LET HER DOWN MORE POLITELY.I want to hug her

7)If she had smashed MY phone,I would have killer her slowly and painfully

8)SO THE GIRL’S NAME IS APRIL AND I LIKE HER

9)I don’t like the blonde babysitter

10)Ram is a jerk

11)Also the teacher reminds me of Sue Sylvester

12)HEART EYES BETWEEN THE GAYS MOTHERFUCKER

13)I stand the statement number 8

14)No you don’t understand…I REALLY WANT TO HUG HER

15)#thatawkwardmomentwhentheboyyoulikeisgayyyyyaf

16)“It totally makes sense"And thus,April will hopefully get a gay best buddy ^_^

17)CREEPY SHADOW THINGY GET AWAYYYYY

18)I don’t remember this girl’s name but I like her.YOU HEARD ME SHADOW!

19)Tanya.Her name is Tanya.SHADOW THINGY STAY AWAY

20)WAIT WHAT THE FUCK?!MISS BITCHY TEACHER LIVES WITH CHARLIE?!

21)When British Sue Sylvester bites her chocolate is literally like watching her chopping off someone’s head…with her teeth

22)Okay I’m sure she’s bad and all but a murderer?Get your head out of the gutter,Charlie

23)I want to punch her

24)Okay I will not punch her.Maybe a small slap because she’s rude but I will not punch her.

25)Can I hug April now?

26)SHADOW THINGY STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER

27)Hold it.First of all…SHADOW THINGY THESE ARE MY GIRLS AND YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE. Secondly, are there two of them?Or is it just one big thing that breaks into two or is super fast?

28)Is April going to chop off her hand like that time in Aos when Coulson lost his?

29)TANYA!!!!!!APRIL!!!!!

30)I KNOW I SAID I HATE YOU BRITISH SUE SYLVESTER BUT YOU SAVED NY DAUGHTER AND I NOW LIKE YOU

31)TANYAAAAAAAA NOOOOOO.Ram,what the fuck are you doing?!Do something!

32)Something with a 3 in it.This is a moment of crisis and I should not be laughing

33)Erm I was expecting War to be a bit more…threatening.Not that BSS isn’t but “War itself” is an exaggeration

34)“Prince?The singer?“I love Tanya XD

35)Ram is soooo smart…not

36)CHARLIE WHAT THE FUCK?!

37)Tanya is okay!!!

38)Okay I know that if I’m correct about this everyone will be like super pissed because it took me that long to realise but…Since these are their shadows,if April killed it,she would die too,right?

39)King or not,he’s nassssttttyyyyy

40)Fuck.Fuckity.Fuck.

41)My daughter April can not die

42)I thought we were fine,BSS but now I think I’ll go back to disliking you.

43)CHARLIE DON’T YOU DARE

44)I just want everyone to know that from this moment and on I will be a slut for BROmance between Charlie and April.

45)"You ludicrous care bear"is this supposed to be an insult?

46)EXCUSE YOU for not remembering all the details after nearling losing her life and finding out that she now shares a heart with a shadow thingy!

47)"I am a prince just without a people"I teared up a little

48)I now again like BSS because this entire thing reminds me of Germany/Greece.YOU GO QUILLS!!!

49)WHAT THE FUCK?!This isn’t a punishment this is torture

50)No,she’s right.You become their slave.

51)You want a more civilised punishment?Prison

52)Honestly I have started to fear my own shadow

53)Nooooo poor  smol bean

54)Everyone must agree that BSS is badass af

55)I haven’t watched Doctor Who but I suppose this is a reference

56)Yes,April because everyone might die and you’re worried that you’ll have to cancel the prom!

57)"Die alone or die at a party” I think Where did the party go? would be very fitting

58)DAMN RIGHT NO ONE IS KILLING MY DAUGHTER

59)“LEAVE US!WE ARE DECORATING"This is the funniest line

60)This is the literal meaning of "You have my heart”

61)I just feel sad because I thought I was being original when I wrote my fanfic with Shadows as the bad people and now I feel as if my idea has been stolen :-p

62)I lowkey wouldn’t mind if Ram and Tanya began dating btw

63)April looks beautiful

64)Is that her mum? :-(

65) THAT fragiiiillleeee caaaapppprrriiiicccoooorrrrnnnn

66)What kind of language is that?

67)CHARLIE IS GOING TO ASK HIS CRUSH TO THE PROM

68)Ah he has religious parents

69)Charlie…that was sarcasm

70)Kiss!Kiss!Kiss

71)Okay I’m 100% happy about this because honestly I wanted more info but yeah I’m okay

72)Something bad is going to happen to Ram,right?Fuuucccckkk

73)“Do you not have a date?"DON’T YOU GO THERE TOL GUY

74)"For tonight we might die"Nooo he isn’t joking

75)Your dance moves are gr8

76)Tanya is also beautiful

77)APRIL NOOOOOOO

78)Okay April is okay but Ram’s girlfriend surely isn’t

79)I don’t remember how the tol guy is called-it was mentioned only once and his name is super difficult-but I just love his expression.Poor bean has no idea what is going on

80)I just love the teachers

81)Ram…why do you think fighting with the shadow thingy is a good idea?

82)"You’re all in great danger”

“From what?”

FROM THAT!

83)RAM LOST HIS LEG

84)BSS is so sassy

85)Wait I know that grey haired guy!He’s from Doctor Who,right?

86)“Who?"Doctor Who!

87)I like this guy.Next series I’m watching is definetly going to be Doctor Who.

88)"My future boyfriend is an alien” a novel written by Matteusz

89)I have no idea what is going on…just like Matteusz

90)Isn’t his name difficult?

91)The conversation between the Doctor and the shadow is priceless

92)Yes!Genocide is bad!

93)I want to hug Charlie :-(

94)Protect my son

95)This show has given more children that I planned to.

96)NOOO APRIL

97)YES SLAYYYY TANYA

98)*Shadow thing dies*THE WITCH IS DEAD

99)NO YOU SHALL NOT TAKE YOUR HEART WITH YOU!

100)GO RAM!

101)BSS has been upgraded to a SUPER babysitter of five

102)Poor Matteusz just wanted a date to the prom

103)I agree darts>Football

104)I understand Once Upon a Time but…The Vampire Diaries?Charlie nooo

105)So from now on I should call her Miss Quill?I sort of prefer BSS

106)The moment when Exams are compared to saving the world and are proved to be just as hard,is the moment I lost faith in the  educational system.

107)Okay Ram’s girlfriend’s name was Rachel so RIP Rachel

108)Charlie is like Blank Panther,so calm about the loss of his people…at least he’s like Black Panther at the end of Civil War

109)It wouldn’t stop YOU miss Quill because you’re cold hearted

110)WAIT SO CHARLIE LIED?!

111)SO.MUCH.BLOOD