#his voice is fantastic. it's so soft and creepy!!! oh and the way he tuts? i'm insane 🙈💖

[starleska]

shout-out to Dr Fry for having one of the most deliciously unsettling animated villain entrances i've seen in a while 😳💖

[danfanciesphil]

A spooky prompt where one of them ends up possessed? I leave the rest to you babe

this excites me!!

I'm gonna do the Supernatural version of possession as im a massive spn nerd fan hope that’s cool!

xx

Prompts are temporarily closed for the time being! Thank you all for your submissions, I’ll be posting the ones I have in my inbox asap!

If it were anyone but Phil, Dan might never have noticed a difference. 

Dan can be a little self-involved at the best of times, so if one of his other friends changed their manner of speaking, or began dressing in an unusual way, or stopped eating as much, or did anything that even slightly deviated from their normal routine, Dan’s not sure he would pick up on it. 

But he spends every day with Phil. He knows every little thing about the guy, from the side of his mouth he starts brushing with the toothbrush first, to what theme song he’s most likely to be humming when he first wakes up. 

It’s honestly a little creepy, how well he knows Phil Lester. He finds himself having to play it down in front of other people, because they would undoubtedly find it more than a little odd. After all, it’s not like he and Phil are married. They’re just close friends. 

So when Phil doesn’t come back for almost three hours after he told Dan he would one evening, after a meet up with his brother in town, it’s not all that surprising that Dan begins to worry. 

He texts Phil three times. He calls him. He leaves two voicemails. 

It does nothing to quell Dan’s anxiety that Phil doesn’t respond to any of them. 

Eventually, when Phil does roll in at around nine in the evening, he expects a fantastical story and a long, detailed explanation of how Phil had been roped into a weird drama with some stranger or other, or how he’d clumsily dropped his phone into the Thames. 

Instead, Phil just gives some vague answers to Dan’s questions, rolls his eyes at Dan’s ‘dramatic overreaction’ and slinks off to his room. He doesn’t re-emerge for the whole night, even though they’d made plans to watch the next episode of Bake Off together. 

After that, it only gets stranger. 

Phil begins leaving the house for unexplained, prolonged periods, never bothering to tell Dan where he’s going. He barely speaks to Dan when he is around, and there’s something odd about his voice when he does. It still sounds like him, but the lexicon is wrong, like he’s forgotten how he used to construct sentences. He sounds too formal now, like he’s speaking with a total stranger.

Dan begins to worry that he’s hiding something big. Perhaps something has happened, some family tragedy that’s preoccupying his brain. But Dan can’t help but think that, if this were the case, Phil would surely tell him. 

They tell each other everything. They haven’t kept a secret from each other in years - it’s just easier that way. Besides, they’ve gotten to a point in their friendship where they’re pretty sure there’s nothing that could tear them apart. 

One night, Dan makes dinner, and keeps it in the oven on a low heat until Phil gets home from wherever he is. 

As soon as the door clicks, Dan jumps off the sofa, ambushing Phil in the hallway before he can disappear into his room for the night. 

“I made spaghetti.” Dan blurts at him as Phil removes his shoes. 

From the way Phil reacts to the information, it seems as though he’s never even heard of his favourite dish. “Oh.” 

“Come and eat.” Dan commands, walking back towards the kitchen before he can listen to whatever excuse he’s sure Phil is about to make. 

Phil follows after a while, a bored expression on his face as Dan hands him a hot, steaming plate of spaghetti bolognese. Phil stares down at the food, his nose crinkling in distaste. 

“I didn’t put cheese in, so don’t bitch at me.” Dan says with a chuckle. Phil raises an eyebrow, and takes the fork Dan hands to him. 

He follows Dan out to the dining room table, sitting down after some hesitation, probably because he’s not sure what else to do. 

Dan looks at him for a moment, then decides to just try and be normal. He digs in, winding the spaghetti around his fork and pushing it into his mouth. It’s delicious, he must say. He’s no Gordon Ramsay, but Dan knows how to make a damn good bolognese. 

After a while, Dan glances up at Phil to see if he’s enjoying it too. The fork lies motionless beside Phil’s plate, his food untouched. 

Dan pauses, registering this with some concern. “Don’t tell me you’re not hungry.”

Phil shrugs, glancing around the room, disinterested. “Guess not.” 

Dan places his fork down, staring at him. “Have you even eaten anything today?”

Phil smirks at him. It’s an unusual expression to see on his face. “Why would I eat if I’m not hungry?”

Dan just stares more, perplexed. “To keep you alive, for starters?” Phil laughs, shaking his head pityingly. “Besides, you love food. You’re a self-admitted ‘secret eater’. Is something wrong? Are you sick?”

Phil grins, unnaturally wide. For some reason, it sends the hairs on the back of Dan’s neck upright. “On the contrary, I’ve never, never felt this good.” 

“Right.” Dan mutters, turning his attention back to his plate. 

He picks up his fork again, at a loss for what more to say. His own appetite has dwindled though, and he just twirls the fork around, playing with loose strands of pasta. What once seemed like a delicious, sauce-covered carb-fest, now seems like a lukewarm, slimy pile of congealing worms. He lowers his fork again, disgusted. 

He’s just about to push his plate away, when he sees something move. He peers closely into the depths of the spaghetti, trying to work out if he’s hallucinating. No, there’s definitely something moving in there. 

The thought of it turns his stomach, and Dan pales. He peers closer, trying to see into the mass of spaghetti. 

All of sudden, he realises that it’s all moving, every strand, all of it wriggling and squirming about, just like-

“Holy shit,” Dan cries, clapping a hand over his mouth. He’s seconds away from puking. “Is that-”

“Wow,” Phil says, tutting. Dan glances up; he’s reclining on his chair, tilting backwards a little on the hind legs, watching him with that same smirk. “No wonder I’m not hungry. You’re trying to serve me worms.” 

Dan shoves his plate away, terrified. What the fuck is going on? 

“Is this a fucking nightmare?” He asks, feeling dizzy with nausea. 

Phil cackles, scooting his chair a little closer to Dan, moving around the side of the table so that they’re sat together. 

“You know, in a way I guess it kind of is, Dan.” Phil tells him, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

Even through the fabric of his t-shirt Dan can feel how cold he is - unnaturally so. He flinches away, scooting backwards. 

It doesn’t make sense, but he feels scared of Phil right now. Why on earth would he be scared of his own best friend?

“What’s- what’s going on, Phil?” Dan asks, eyes flicking left and right, searching for an escape. 

“Oh, aren’t you sweet.” Phil says, picking up Dan’s discarded fork and licking the tines clean. It makes Dan shudder; how can he do that, knowing it was just covered in worms? “Philly’s not really able to answer right now, I’m afraid.” 

Dan balks at him, wondering if Phil has lost his mind. 

He glances down at the plate of spaghetti, and sees no trace of the wriggling worms from a moment ago. Which makes him wonder if it’s him that’s losing his mind. 

Phil’s left hand is splayed out on the table and his right grips the fork by its handle. In one, fast, decisive movement, he brings the fork swishing through the air, stabbing the four prongs right into the back of his own left hand. 

“What the fuck!” Dan exclaims, jumping forwards to grab Phil by his wrist. 

It’s too late though, the fork is already penetrating Phil’s flesh, pushed in so deep that Dan wonders if he’ll be able to pull it free. Blood bubbles to the surface at once, dribbling out from the holes into which the metal tines are wedged, trickling over his hand and onto the table beneath. 

“Phil, fuck, why did you-” Dan cries, flapping his own hands because he has no idea what to do. “What should we-”

Belatedly, Dan realises that Phil hasn’t made the slightest noise throughout all of this. He hasn’t so much as whimpered in pain. Warily, Dan drags his eyes up to meet Phil’s, and he immediately jumps backwards, knocking over his chair in his haste to get away. 

Phil’s eyes are jet black. From corner to corner, they are completely, opaquely onyx. Two black holes staring out from beneath his windswept fringe. 

He cocks his head to one side, smiling. He appears to be observing Dan, nothing more. 

Dan’s gaze jumps from between the fork sticking out of his skin, to the terrifying lack of Phil’s usual Bambi-blue irises in those monstrous eyes. 

“Your eyes...” Dan chokes out, feeling his own eyes start to sting in fear. 

All of a sudden, his chair is upright, facing Phil, and Dan is shoved down into it by some unseen force. He tries to move, to wriggle even, but he can’t. It’s as if he’s tied to it somehow. 

Phil pouts in mock-sadness, his lower lip jutting out, and he nods. “Scary isn’t it, Dan?” He says, then smirks at Dan’s expression. “Phil’s eyes are a little prettier than mine, I suppose.” 

He blinks then, and suddenly Phil’s eyes are normal again, that same baby blue peeping out as if it had never left. 

Dan stares at him, trying to piece together what he’s hearing. “You’re... not Phil.” 

The not-Phil smiles, toothily, and winks at Dan in a way Phil never would. 

“Caught on at last.” 

“Who are you?” Dan manages to choke out, though he’s not sure he wants to know. 

The not-Phil sighs, leaning back in his chair. “More a question of what, really.”

Dan waits, not trusting himself to speak. 

“I’m a demon, Dan.” It says, watching him carefully.

Dan struggles not to scream. His heart pounds incessantly. The demon smiles. 

“You’re possessing Phil,” Dan deduces, swallowing around his tight throat in terror. 

“Bingo,” the demon says. “He’s a very comfy vessel, too. Tight. Warm. Soft.” 

“Get out of him.” Dan spits, anger rippling over his skin. “Leave him alone. He’s never done anything wrong.” 

The demon places a hand over Phil’s heart - the one with the fork still jutting out - and sighs. “So sweet. So caring for your bestie.” The demon licks its lips, surveying Dan silently. “He’s in here, you know. He can hear what you’re saying. He’s been screaming at you to notice I’ve taken control for days.” 

“I’ll get you out, Phil.” Dan says, his voice raising. “I will, I’ll do something, I’ll-”

“Shh, shh.” The demon interrupts, and Dan’s mouth clamps shut of its own accord, not listening to him as he tries to prise it open. “All that gushy stuff is so boring. And you’ve just started to capture my interest, Danny.”

He releases Dan’s mouth, at last, and Dan gasps, rolling his jaw around. “What do you want from him?” 

The demon makes a ‘hmm’ noise, tilting back on his chair again. “Good question. You see, the thing is Dan, us demons are getting kind of... bored, as of late. There’s just not a whole lot to do nowadays. People are smarter. They know not to practise witchcraft, or use ouija boards. Sure, you get some dumb ones now and then, but mostly it’s just kind of...” The demon flaps his hands, then shrugs. “Dull.” 

“So you’re possessing a random, innocent guy for the kicks?” 

“No,” the demon sighs. “This is not a random decision, Dan. I chose your best friend very carefully. I did a lot of research before entering him. I don’t take these possessions lightly, you know.”

“So you did it because, what, he’s YouTube famous?” Dan asks. “There are tons of YouTubers. Plenty who deserve a demon inside them more than Phil. Why didn’t you climb inside Sam Pepper? I doubt anyone would even notice.” 

The demon cackles again, and Dan cringes. “How do you know Sam Pepper isn’t already possessed?”

Dan hadn’t considered this. He shrugs the thought away, deciding he can think about that later. 

“It’s not just because he’s a YouTuber.” The demon says, smiling wickedly. “Though it’s to do with that. It’s about your fans, Dan. Both of your fans. They’re so committed to you. They’d do anything either of you would say. They cling to your every word, they throw themselves at your feet, they spend thousands of dollars to wear your names on their clothes, or to play the games you invent, or to send you a message that they know you’ll see.” 

Dan listens, despising the way the demon is framing this. “You make it sound like Phil and I are the leaders of some kind of- of-”

“Cult?” The demon supplies, grinning too wide. Dan says nothing, narrowing his eyes. “Yes, that is sort of how it seems, isn’t it? And oh boy do I love a good cult.” 

It’s sickening, watching this come out of Phil’s mouth, but Dan forces himself to pay attention, to act like it’s not his best friend’s face with his eyes closed in pleasure at the idea of thousands of people being manipulated into mass suicide. 

“When cults get it right, they’re just... delicious to watch.” The demon says, licking along Phil’s lower lip. “All those people, willingly trundling to their own deaths just because of a few cleverly worded speeches, and a dash of false hope...” The demon’s eyes open, flashing black for the briefest of moments. “That’s the most dangerous thing in the world, you know, Dan. Hope.” 

“Our fans are not going to do whatever Phil tells them to do.” Dan says firmly. “You’d have to be an idiot to listen to a fucking YouTuber when making life decisions. Our fans are not stupid. They know that Phil is just a regular guy who films stupid things in his bedroom.” 

The demon laughs, that pitying look in his eyes again when he looks at Dan. 

“Oh Danny,” he sighs, the nickname making Dan’s skin prickle. “You underestimate their devotion to you. Besides, it’s already working.”

“What?” Dan asks, paling. 

“I started out small, of course.” The demon shrugs, getting out his - Phil’s - phone. “Tweeted some things. Asked them for a few favours. Look, here’s one I did today.”

He holds up the phone for Dan to see. There are two tweets on the screen, from AmazingPhil’s account. 

@AmazingPhil Hey guys! Thanks for sending all the pics of your cute dogs yesterday! I have a different request for today o.O [1/2]

@AmazingPhil Take your dogs for a walk somewhere you’ve never been! The quieter the better. Bonus round: if you see a stranger, make friends! Everyone wants to be talked to! Good luck! [2/2]

Dan’s mouth falls open, and his stomach plunges to his knees. “Oh my God. The average age of our fans are fourteen to seventeen.” 

The demon giggles, nodding excitedly. “How many teenage girls do you think will have gone missing by tomorrow?” 

“Fuck,” Dan whispers.

“I’ve done some other stuff too. Brainwashing fans on the street, encouraging them to explore old abandoned houses, or wander into dangerous parts of town, that kind of thing.” The demon sighs happily. “It’s going well, I think I’m getting the hang. I’ve worked out how to sound just like him! I’m thinking of making a video tomorrow asking for some help taking down a few of the more popular YouTubers. You know, spamming their channels with hate, spreading rumours about them sexually assaulting people, all that stuff.”

“That’s so evil.” Dan says, horrified. 

The demon looks at him oddly. “Uh, I’m a demon, Dan. Evil’s in the description.” 

“I’ll stop you.” Dan whispers, his eyes glistening. He means every word, though. “I don’t care if it kills me, I’ll stop you.” 

“Aw,” the demon says, pitying. “No you won’t, Danny. Cos I’m gonna keep you under wraps until I need you! And when I do, I can keep you from saying anything I don’t want you to, like this!” 

Dan’s mouth clamps itself shut again. He struggles, trying to open it, but it’s useless. The demon giggles, releasing him. 

“Then Phil will stop you,” Dan hisses, his jaw clicking as it unsticks itself. “You said yourself he’s in there with you. He can fight it. He can stop you from doing this.” 

The demon stands then, a slow smile spreading over Phil’s lips as it crowds into Dan’s space. Phil’s hands press into Dan’s shoulders as Phil’s face moves towards his. 

In a different context, Dan doesn’t know how this might make him feel. Being close to Phil, in a physical sense, has always been confusing. He used to think that it was because his mind didn’t know how to separate close friendship from romantic feeling, but recently he’s been wondering if it’s something more than that. 

Perhaps the real reason Dan never allows himself to linger too long in a hug with Phil, or to keep their arms linked past a brief thirty seconds or so, or let Phil sleep on his shoulder during long flights or train rides is more to do with the fact that Phil’s eyes are a sharp, penetrating cobalt blue. Perhaps it’s because Phil smells like cinnamon buns and cherry blossom trees. Perhaps it’s because Phil is witty, and he’s kind and loyal. Perhaps it’s because he’s intimidatingly clever, and everyone loves him the second they meet him in a way Dan envies. 

Suddenly, there’s a weight piling into Dan’s lap, and he holds his breath when he sees his best friend’s figure towering above him, one knee either side of Dan’s legs on the chair. 

He swallows, forgetting for a moment that this is not Phil, not really. His hands move instinctively to Phil’s hips. Then, Phil’s eyes flash black. Dan’s hands snatch themselves away. 

The demon laughs. 

“So you think Philly can fight his way out? Honestly, it’s kind of sweet how you two think of one another.” The demon says, smirking cruelly as he stares straight into Dan’s eyes. “I can read all of Phil’s thoughts, you know. D’you wanna know one of his deepest secrets, Dan?”

“Get. Out.” Dan says, wishing he could move to push the demon off him.

The demon ignores him, grinning again. “He loves you, Dan.” 

Dan’s heart stutters. His mouth parts. He tries not to react, because it’s what the demon wants, but he can’t help it. 

“He loves you with every inch of his poor little heart.” The demon continues, sighing. “A shame really. He’ll never get to tell you that himself.” 

“You’re lying.” Dan says, his eyes already stinging with tears. 

The demon shakes its head, slowly. “Cross my heart! Well, Phil’s heart. He’s loved you since he met you. Since you kissed him on the Manchester Eye, all timid and bashful.” The demon reaches out to pinch Dan’s cheek, hard. “Adorable.” 

“Phil,” Dan whispers, looking into the eyes he knows so well, trying to see through them into the depths of Phil’s soul, to find the piece of him still lurking inside. “Phil, I didn’t know...”

“Ugh!” The demon cries out. “What did I say about the gross schmaltzy stuff? Do you want me to clamp your mouth shut, Dan?” 

The demon climbs off his lap, rolling its eyes, and releases the invisible bonds tying Dan to the chair. Dan immediately stands, dumbstruck by the use of his limbs again, not sure what to do now that he has them back. 

The demon sighs at him, folding its arms. “Well, fun’s over I guess. Wanna be locked in your room till I need you? In the bathroom?” 

Dan takes a step towards him, not sure of his plan. He crowds into the demon’s space, making it frown in confusion. 

“Phil,” Dan says hurriedly, knowing he only has seconds before the demon clamps his mouth shut again. “I know you’re strong enough to beat this bitch, okay? You’re the best, bravest, most incredible person I’ve ever met. And I love you too. Obviously.”

The demon rolls its eyes dramatically, lifting its hand to do some weird demon magic, but Dan acts fast, slamming his lips into Phil’s before it knows what’s coming. The demon struggles at first, not expecting it, but Dan just kisses and kisses, trying to reach into the depths of Phil’s mind with his own - to use the strange connection that has tethered them to one another for all these years and haul him out of the depths. 

It doesn’t happen right away, but Dan can sense, even as he kisses the cold lips of his best friend - the lips that are so Phil, and yet so not-Phil that it makes his head hurt - that the demon is struggling with something internal. 

He doesn’t push Dan off, though he could, quite easily, were he at full power, Dan is sure. Instead, he seems distracted, muffled noises escaping from his mouth as he battles something unseen. 

Then, so fast it’s a little terrifying, Phil rears back, gasping. He throws his head back, and screams as a viscous stream of black smoke pours out of his mouth and disappears through the ceiling. 

A minute or so passes, Dan watching in alarm, and then Phil collapses onto the floor. Dan throws himself down beside him, taking Phil by the shoulders and trying to shake him awake. 

After a while, Phil blinks sleepily, swimming back into consciousness. 

“Dan?” He croaks.

Dan lets out a laugh of relief, but it comes out more like a sob. “Hey,” he says through his tears, his hand cradling Phil’s face. “Hey, it’s me. Is that you in there, Phil?”

Phil nods, looking exhausted. “What’s- what’s going on?”

Dan pales, realising that Phil has no idea what he’s doing on the floor. Which means... he likely doesn’t remember any of being possessed. 

Or... anything else. 

Dan swallows. It’s not important right now, he tells himself. “Nothing. It’s okay, you’re just... tired. I’m gonna take you to bed, okay?” 

Phil nods, seeming confused, but allows Dan to help him to his feet. 

After some quick, improvised first aid on Phil’s hand (the fork had fallen out somewhere in the midst of the demon exiting Phil’s body, thank God), Dan slings Phil’s bandaged hand over his shoulders. With some stumbles and unsteadiness, they make it to Phil’s room, and Dan tucks him under the covers fully clothed, not prepared to divest him of clothes after everything that just occurred. 

“Okay,” he says, switching off Phil’s bedside light. They’ll talk about it in the morning, Dan tells himself. “Night, then.” 

He turns to the door, sighing. 

“Where are you going?” Phil asks, sounding bewildered. 

Dan turns back towards him, not understanding. “To bed.” 

“You tell me you love me, then want to sleep in your own bed?” Phil asks. 

Dan’s heart skips a beat. What?

“You... remember that?” 

“Pretty hard to forget something that big.” 

“But...” Dan protests, not sure why he’s even arguing at this point. “On the floor just now, you acted like you didn’t know why you were- like you didn’t remember-”

“I only remember bits from the last few days.” Phil says, sounding confused still. “I remember not being able to move my body. Being trapped. I remember shouting at you for help but you couldn’t hear me.”

“Yeah,” Dan whispers, trying to imagine how awful that must have been. “Um-”

“I remember you kissing me.” Phil says then, a smile clear in his voice. 

Dan chuckles, shifting on the spot. “Um, yeah, that er... that happened.” 

“I couldn’t kiss you back though.” Phil tells him, sounding sad. 

Dan clears his throat. “We could... try again, maybe.” Dan cringes at his own words, wishing he wasn’t so bad at this. “I mean, if you want.” 

There’s a silence, and Dan wishes he could hoover the words back up into his mouth. 

“Come here.” Phil says at last, the urgency of it piercing through the darkness. 

Dan goes to him, obediently, clambering under the covers beside him. He lets Phil wrap his arms around his waist, lets himself be pulled in. 

Even in the darkness, there’s no doubt that it’s Phil now, Dan thinks to himself, placing a hand over Phil’s stuttering heart. 

“We should, um, get some protection.” Dan says without thinking. 

Phil laughs awkwardly. “Uh, I mean, sure. I’m kind of tired right now though...”

Dan flushes deeply, covering his face with one hand. God, he’s a twat. 

“No, no, I mean- fuck.” Dan shakes his head, marvelling at his own stupidity. “I mean like, anti-possession stuff. Sage. Little charms. Tattoos, maybe.”

“Oh,” Phil chuckles, “right. Yeah. Okay. Um, why?”

Dan pauses, realising that Phil doesn’t really know what happened, still. 

“Just trust me.” 

Phil leans in then, kissing him softly, sweetly, but so deeply, and with such intensity that it leaves Dan reeling. 

“I do,” Phil tells him, smiling. 

[skatoonyfan1234]

Cool

shout-out to Dr Fry for having one of the most deliciously unsettling animated villain entrances i've seen in a while 😳💖