#ignore dan and phil they did nothing wrong

[danrifics]

sometimes you hear a poster fall and get jumpscared by Copia when you turn a light on

[legendarydragonperson]

As an Ecuadorian who lives in Chicago, I am very lucky in general to be somewhere that will always get attention from creative voices. From comedians, musicians, artists, and YouTubers who wanna go on a comedy tour.

Specifically, Dan, admitted in his "Why I quit YouTube" video that his persona before around 2014 was trying to be a mildly offensive English comedian but it was definitely something he could have taken more responsibility for even though by the looks of it he was just trying to move on and so did the audience. But for POC people it's just different and it's not something everyone is going to get but it doesn't mean you ignore it. That makes you ignorant and not a very nice human.

And I have always been aware of the outdated jokes that are just not funny whether it be racist, misogynistic, or fatphobic. Even if meant to be sarcastic it's not funny and it's boring 2000s humour we all hate.

Just some things that come to mind:

(timestamp 1:33 Like when he admitted he tries to act like a different race and speak in a different language to avoid homeless people like maybe don't to that?)

(This whole video is weird but looking up legal slavery as a "happy medium" is wild)

This whole video even though it's a joke.

Like why do you think Dan deleted most videos it's because they were in his own eyes probably offensive and he doesn't want them on his page even though nothing has ever really gone?

Like even though it's mild don't pretend if you saw this now you wouldn't react against it.

I also never said this before but Phil is in the performative activism area in my opinion and does not discuss politics online in-depth and just because he's associated with Dan who is loud about politics doesn't mean he gets a pass.

The fandom is majority white making the space when the topic of racist behavior antsy when really poc voices just want to be heard.

Again not trying to cancel them, fans just want answers about the lack of inclusion of these tour stops, and rightfully so.

Bonk me on the head or message me if I'm wrong but Dan and Phil not going touring in South America, Africa, or Asia to me, is understandable because they are just not as popular as they were before. London shows are selling out faster because they are performing in smaller venues while US venues like mine still have more than half of available tickets.

That being said you are allowed to be upset. I am not trying to make an excuse it's just a reason which is understandable to me. Especially when the effort was put in before like ii which was a world tour even though they didn't sell out every show there are still fans out there.

It's sad they can't travel more and I don't know the hurt that many fans are feeling. The only relatability I have is that during the interactive influence tour, I was a poor 13-year-old in Ecuador and couldn't go hoping one day Dan and Phil would just come to me in my country.

Either way, it sucks and I'm sorry if this was all nonsense to you. If you need a chat or have anything to say, feel free to DM or share your own thoughts. <3

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Dark Magic Masterlist

A New Journey (ao3) - your_starless_eyes

Summary: Meet Daniel Howell and Phil Lester- two very different people. Dan is from a merchant class family, while Phil is from a working class family. Both have their secrets, things they wouldn't dare tell anyone.

Dan isn't interested in keeping up the family business, in prolonging the family line. It's mundane and boring being a shopkeeper. It's not for him- he doesn't want it, anyway.

Phil's is a little more serious, a little more deadly. He's an experienced sorcerer, able to conjure something out of nothing with a thought.

Their lives collide in a very strange way, though, and they might find they have a little more in common than they'd originally thought.

Blessed with a Curse (ao3) - Mi_Munson

Summary: A prince accidentally wrongs a wizard and is cursed so that no woman shall ever love him. Fortunately, the prince is gay and now that the wizard is a little calmer he notices that the prince is super cute.

Sparks fly, and not because of a magic spell.

Déjà Vu (ao3) - xawesometrio

Summary: Daniel Howell was born with the curse of immortality and the only way to break that curse is to meet his soulmate twice and fall in love twice. He has already met Philip once and now he must wait for the chance to find him again.

A/N: Yes, I did put character death as a warning in the description, but that is just for Philip dying the first time (he comes back, hence reincarnation). This story will have a happy ending, I promise! I wanted to include that as a warning just in case though!

Hold the Weight of Worlds (ao3) - letspartyrightnow

Summary: The curse could only be unleashed by a life being taken. Dan still remembered the blood, the screams, the terror in his mother’s eyes. The rush of power and strength that consumed him after, right when the curse was coursing through his body, and how it was unimaginable, painful, yet liberating.

That’s what scared him the most.

Light Meets Dark (ao3) - PHILosophy97

Summary: Takes place during the Wizard War.

Dan, a Slytherin, is forced to perform an unforgivable curse on a Hufflepuff, however he finds afterwards that perhaps you can find a friend in the most unlikely place.

love me in your dreams (ao3) - thelesterhowells

Summary: "Love. A word that Dan thought about way too often. Pretty much every night. A word that other people were allowed to feel freely and limitless. A word that was just a word to Dan, but never more. Never an emotion."

But how can Dan ever explain that he isn't allowed to love?

Magic Shop (ao3) - your_starless_eyes

Summary: It made sense that Dan would need time to recover from the tour, just the same as Phil. It was logical reasoning.

How was he supposed to know? How was Phil supposed to know that it was, in fact, a bigger issue than he could imagine?

No Nicer Witch Than You (ao3) - inevera13

Summary: A black cat with hazel eyes has decided to plague Phil, a witch living peacefully in the middle of the forest. Phil decidedly hates the cat! ...until it goes missing.

Pixie Dust and Fairytales (ao3) - DreamingFandoms

Summary: There are Stories told to Children at night, quiet whispers to children to get them to sleep peaceful and ignore the world around them, all based of truths, though many aren't told in their stories. but One thing that is for sure is that most stories are better told as history then Fiction.

From a Heartbroken Blacksmith to a Prince dreaming to be a Knight, with Witches, Kings, Knights, and more to tell their own Tales that mix and Mingle to form one big Tale.

Of Pixiedust and Fairytales.

Seaspell (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: A kiss, a curse, a quest. When Dan discovers that the prince of his kingdom and childhood best friend, Phil, has been been hidden away in the castle for years after his disappearance, he quickly understands why. A curse has been passed down through the Lester family for generations, marking Phil with magic and transforming him into a creature of the waves and sea, forcing him to hide from a kingdom that is afraid of the unknown. But curses are made to be broken, and Dan joins him on a journey across the ocean to find the Witch that cast the spell, as his own growing feelings and a hidden danger rise to the surface.

Spells and Other Life Skills (ao3) - Allthephils, CamCam774 (orphan_account), itsmyusualphannie (itsmyusualweeb)

Summary: Or How Dan and Phil got their TV back.

Steal My Heart (steal my whole life too) - ineverhadmyinternetphase, auroraphilealis

Summary: Captain of the Royal Guard and Prince of Morellia, Philip Lester has never been given the chance to find love. Instead, he’s run from a system that works to end class differences and improve equality for its citizens. Happy as he is to make the world a better place, Phil can’t help feeling bitter towards his ancestors for making it impossible for him to find someone who will actually love him for more than just his title, and strives instead for a life of justice and doing good - only to meet his match in the King of Thieves, a man who will change everything he once thought he knew in life. Together, they must depart on a quest to save the kingdom, and, in the process, destroy their differences and find their own form of love.

The Meeting Place (It's a Pastel/Punk Thing) (ao3) - AnotherPhanficWriter

Summary: Pretty boy Dan is a little pastel wearing homosexual (out and proud) and can't wait to go to university in the next few months, while his punk bad ass neighbor and classmate, Phil, wants nothing more than to cause havoc, ruin plans, party and smoke. Dan and Phil go on a school trip and on the way back are in the St Pancras train station next to The Meeting Place statue, this is where the two boys are placed under a spell. The two wake up the next day to find that they've switched bodies.

[dapg-otmebytheballs]

Not sure how hot this take is but

its actually so super common for people to refer to their spouses/so as their “best friend” (re:every politician since ever talking abt their spouse in a debate/interview) people only question what it means when it comes to Dan and Phil because people came so hard for phans who shipped them that no one wants to be wrong about it so they will take nothing less than a sx tape or a marriage cert as confirmation.

Also miniature lukewarm take that needing absolute confirmation like that before you allow yourself to stop actively ignoring context is the one of the reasons why some people prefer to keep their relationships private. At this point a sx tape could come out by way of their instas and twitterphans would be like, “you can’t talk about it. It’s disrespectful to assume just because we have a publicly released video of one of them railing the other that it means they’re together.”

Yepp exactly! They've literally said enough we can stop now. So many people just have the Need to be Right all the time so they'll pull shit like this

Also anon why did you write sex as 'sx'

[goldenpinof]

So Dan started doom touring llp in partnership with his management company and to me this all really feels like a lot of bad communication and hostility between the two them.

Dan didn't fufil his obligations to promote the show at the beginning, there was almost a month gap between the two Soho shows and Dan doing any other promo which seems like a really bad choice given that the tickets sales were worrying. He bitched about how his management were making him do DD and then he didn't upload them nearly as often as he was promising despite it being the best way to drive sales. He's trying to make up for it now I guess but he's still not released stuff he's been promising which would have helped with promotion.

Now that it seems inevitable that they aren't going to make as much as they were hoping his management team is clearly just trying to cut costs and claw back everything they can and Dan isn't in full control because he doesn't own the company and he can't just make demands and get his way. It could be that they have just cut him out of these decisions since he's obviously going to push for things that aren't going to make money.

I'm not doubting that Dan has been treated poorly but I does make sense given that the tatinof and ii companies were owned by himself and Phil that he really isn't used to working in an environment where he has somebody to answer to. I remember there were a few YouTuber reactions to WIQY that pointed out that he was clearly inexperienced with working with a big company and seemed like he expected things he wasn't owed.

I honestly believe that Dan went in knowing that he wasn't going to make much money from this and just expected that his management team were going to go along with what he wanted because that's what he's used to. Remember he said that they didn't make any money on any of the Asia shows they did for II but still went because they wanted to see everyone, well if you're working with a company who is looking to make a profit then that just isn't going to happen.

Dan clearly has issues with control, it feels really strange to me that he went all in with II and then when it came to his personal 'dream' project he pawned off half of the costs and responsibility on someone else and was surprised when things didn't go his way. All this could have been avoided from the start.

I'm not saying that Dan is fully to blame, but I am saying that he got himself into a situation that is less than favourable. If he'd put in more effort at the start I would be more sympathetic to him but it seems too little too late and now he has to face the consequences. Just not a fan of the whole *wow Dan keeps getting screwed over* narative when it does always seem to be similar problems that cause things to go wrong and Dan continues to make those mistakes.

wow, hold on, i wish we talked in dms. just because i have many questions that are probably gonna be ignored here.

*if i don’t comment on something big, i probably agree with you to a certain extend and have nothing to add*

fuck. don’t ask me why but i never went to look wtf was going on with dnp’s companies. he really did open a new one. roughly speaking, Dan holds 75% of the company votes and surplus assets, am I seeing it right? (roughly, because there’s no word about actual shares). i thought he would just work with promoters as Dan Howell Limited.

hostility? why would his management agree to open a new company if they weren’t planning to make an effort to make it work? same goes for Dan.

you’re starting with saying that Dan didn’t fulfil obligations at the beginning. but how do we know that? how do we know that there WAS, in fact, a marketing strategy proposed by his management or promoter that he agreed to but dismissed along the way? the Soho shows were too “closed off” for general audience (remember it was sold out before Dan even posted about it. nice start, but whose fault is that). i don’t really have a strong opinion on the videos of the show he uploaded to his 2nd channel but i don’t think they helped a lot. maybe it should have been less but longer cuts, idk.

“then he didn't upload them [dd] nearly as often as he was promising despite it being the best way to drive sales” - i have to disagree with that. he should have started uploading earlier, that’s obvious. but the pacing is actually borderline too fast. too many videos in a short period of time after 4 years of silence. i feel fed up, for example. i need something to dilute this stream of monotonous content (using big words here, ugh). after dd announcement he made clear that it’s not daily and we shouldn’t expect him to follow any pace. fair, whatever. (where did he bitch about his management forcing him to do dd? i genuinely don’t remember and don’t feel like rewatching all videos to find it. can you, please, give a hint? i really wanna hear it iurgewfsdfdies) big agree that by not uploading the memes video and for some reason cancelling or postponing their collab with Louise he damages himself. now the memes video needs an extra editing because of Iceland (if he won’t get rid of the promo scene at all at this point).

“It could be that they have just cut him out of these decisions since he's obviously going to push for things that aren't going to make money.” - if that’s true then what does 75% mean? usually management works FOR an individual, not vice versa. if he doesn’t have any shares of this LLP then why does he have so many rights in voting? they can’t cut him. he is co-founder and i bet his own money is on the table (maybe not the biggest % but still). i agree that there could be misunderstanding, miscommunication, lots of panic when they saw the 1st numbers, and stubbornness. considering all, the UK leg went well. they failed with the US/Canada big time. they tried to give it an extra boost with that map reel and a clip in a dystopia daily episode but, let’s be honest it wasn’t the best format for such a big chunk of shows. (remember the US promo for ii? something with Phil’s shirt with the map of USA. it’s been 5 years and i still remember. says something.) if you think they are cutting expenses (agree) and shutting Dan off, why would they not try to save at least those shows that are not cancelled? why does Dan take graphic images in his hands? surely the promoter has a marketing department that made the 1st images, what’s the problem with using it now? a bit off top: i think Dan convinced/forced them to not cancel Helsinki and Amsterdam. in Helsinki half of m&gs tickets are still available, like wtf. there’s literally no point of the 2nd show if people can travel to nearby countries and fill their venues. the same goes for the 2nd Amsterdam show. Antwerp is right there! with about 30% available.

“he really isn't used to working in an environment where he has somebody to answer to” - he is not used to work with someone who he has to depend on. with bbc radio 1 it kinda worked because it initially wasn’t Dan’s baby so the boundaries were set firmly. his tours are a different thing. from Dan’s perspective he can do whatever he wants because it was his idea and they all are here making some kind of money BECAUSE of him (and Phil, if all tours combined). and he’s got a point. but he started aiming for things he can’t swallow. it’s not disastrous though. about WIQY and YouTube Red: you have to agree that ghosting someone for months is unprofessional no matter how big you’re. there were ways to warn him that his project may never see the light of day on Youtube without breaking NDAs (was there even an NDA if Dan could make a video pointing fingers at YouTube specifically?). i bet they knew that he has put everything on the table and stopped doing other profitable things to focus on this big project that he was promised to get done. it wasn’t wise to go for all or nothing with one thing but whatever, i hope he learned that.

where the fuck did they say that they didn’t make money on ANY shows in Asia? Phil said that they lost money in Manila. (genuine question, because i don’t remember that)

“Dan clearly has issues with control, it feels really strange to me that he went all in with II and then when it came to his personal 'dream' project he pawned off half of the costs and responsibility on someone else” - ii was sponsored, it wasn’t his money. they still had to make a powerpoint to get Rize on board. it was still a partnership, with dnp doing their promo for Rize no matter how tired they were or how bad the internet or the app were. good side? we got lots of joint liveshows :) now it seems like some companies “invested” in this tour alongside with Dan. and they want their money back rfdhewdisk they will get it, come on, it’s not THAT bad. it’s just messy.

[feelingofcontent]

DNP Rewatch: I Got Catfished.

Date video was published: 10/14/2021 (X)

DNP Main Channel Rewatch: 447

A Phil story he had never mentioned at all before!

0:00 - just jumping right into it. I mean the title was already quite the surprise and hook. also I love his shirt

0:11 - the annotations! and that old Phil photo

0:24 - oh god the MySpace flashbacks that this video gives me

0:30 - cackling 😂

0:40 - those were some surprisingly normal air-quotes

0:51 - “ah. what a wonderful time” I love Phil

0:56 - someone did once comment during a live show that ‘snow dude’ was the original catfish

1:03 - wow that is quite the set of old photos. I do admire his dedication to decide to “be” someone and then actually do it

1:27 - almost did a spit take during my first watch of this at this point. Dan mention out of NOWHERE. also this particular comment that Phil liked... 🥺

1:41 - “just a dusting of gay” ... “we could make our own gif” I love this whole bit

1:54 - lol at him knowing what specific picture it was!

2:20 - just changed the name there from “Jake” to “Luke” within less than a minute

2:25 - more excellent annotation additions. he really had fun with those throughout his 2021 videos

2:46 - “I can be an eager guy” aww, Phil

3:01 - the sexy music! Phil must have thought “Luke” was the eager one

3:13 - so many questionable things that he ignored

3:36 - “compliments still stick with me, guys” 🥺

3:53 - the “i’m actually a massive gay” annotation 😂 king of comedy Phil

4:00 - Phil seems to remember a lot of specifics about this story

4:04 - oh yikes

4:25 - the contrast of this to the 4-hour skype calls DNP had in 2009

5:01 - very gullible young Phil. at least he realized something was up...although not enough to stop him from going to meet the guy later 😱

5:34 - awww 😕 Phil is putting more of his feelings into the story than sometimes when he’s told stories about his past

5:48 - “I need at least three weeks...” I feel that. I cannot do last minute plans that involve seeing people

6:08 - I mean at least he went for a public location

6:24 - wonder how much he felt this same worry meeting Dan in person for the first time

6:35 - ah yes, a mall food court. many teenage memories I’d like to forget about

6:50 - poor Kath 😂 I’m surprised Phil told her exactly what he was doing, actually; not sure I would have told my parents the truth in that situation

7:08 - Phil boob grab!

7:43 - how strange but nothing compared to how recognizable he would become

7:50 - was just terrified of a stranger...decides to talk to and hang out with two strangers...alrighty

7:57 - lol at his picture editing here

8:06 - DITL clip! and “fetus Dan and Phil” mention. I was so suspicious of this at the time what with them having just filmed up in Phil’s hometown.

8:32 - dun dun dun. plot twist!

8:40 - yeah how would you even react to that

9:18 - “like a villain from Scooby Doo” what a perfect description

9:41 - but that is still creepy. especially the asking to meet part. yikes

10:05 - Phil is almost being too nice about this

10:24 - yeah trying to get away as soon as possible seems like the right move at that point

10:43 - no Phil...definitely no

11:18 - “it’s not the weirdest thing that’s happened to me because of the internet” well yeah I guess he can say that...and then another Dan mention in the next sentence

11:36 - aww a nice message here at the end

12:02 - he had released this merch earlier in the month, but this was the first mention in a video

12:30 - Phil had just started posting Shorts, starting on National Coming Out Day. that “beep tour” is still one of my favorites

12:34 - he flipped the image here for some reason? maybe to match the short? or because he pointed the wrong way?

12:55 - yeah standing and showing the socks doesn’t seem like a good plan...

I love this video. Phil is such a great storyteller and it had been a while since he did a full-length one like this. Also the contrast of this story that really didn’t work out, to the little Dan mentions and the implication that eventually meeting someone off the internet really really did.

[a-glimpse-of-fantasy]

Your Dream(Duskwood Fanfiction) Chapter 5

⚠️ This story takes after the final episode of Duskwood. So if you haven't finished the game first, this story contains heavy spoilers. ⚠️

English is not my first language so please spare me the grammar mistakes.

You can read the previous chapters from here.

Previous Chapter

Hope you like it 👉👈

👉Bold sentences are text messages

Chapter 5 - Consoling you…

This was the first time Jake looked shy from the first moment he met her physically. Until now, she genuinely believed that him being shy while texting was simply because he couldn’t know the other party's reactions.

“What is it, Jake?”

“Um. So…I was wondering if…you would like to stay with me tonight.”

The words passed through her akin to an electric shock, numbing her body to the tips of her hair.

Seeing her blank face, he hurriedly added, “Of course, I would take you right away if you wish to go home. No need to feel pressured.”

A few seconds later, gaining her senses back, she hurriedly answered, trying her best to ignore her thumping heart. “N-No. I will.” Flustered, she unconsciously ran a hand through the mid-length dark hair, turning it messy. “I mean, I would. I’d come with you.”

Jake’s deep blue eyes lightened up, his lips twitching, though all he did was nod silently, taking her hand in his.

“Ah. Wait. I have to call Jessy first. She must be worried since I suddenly left.”

“Alright. I will call a cab in the meantime.”

***

“Dan, did you talk to Oshi? About the strange guy, I mean?”

Dan and Phil were finally ready to close the bar after a long day. It was almost dawn by the time they finished cleaning and everything else.

“Yeah. She told me that was a guy she knows.”

“A guy she knows? Then why would he secretly stare at her like a creepy stalker?”

Dan answered, rubbing his sleepy eyes, fighting his best not to fall asleep while standing, “Well, I can only think of one guy who’d creepily stalk her around.”

Phil looked back, pausing whatever he was doing, “Who?”

“Who else but the hacker boy.” Dan shrugged before heading to the front door nonchalantly.

‘So the hacker is finally back….’

Phil and Dan left the bar as they finally closed the doors. The two took taxis; otherwise, they would probably get into an accident sleep-driving. The Pine Glade's festive atmosphere was gradually dying as the morning arrived.

To think that he was in jail just a year ago. He had even hired the same guy who testified on him because of a misunderstanding. Everything still felt surreal.

There were a few things he realized from all that by the end. He should’ve looked after Jessy more. Moreover, he saw how much she cared for him. Above all, non of the things he was taking on her were Jessy's faults. Her father’s faults had nothing to do with Jessy. He was far too wrong for Jessy, who always looked up to him with love and respect. Oshi made him realize this.

Maybe that was why Oshi always acquired a corner of his heart for the past year.

Though now it seems that the time to let go has finally come.

***

Throughout the way back to the hotel he was staying at, Oshi was glued to him, only looking at him. As if he was the only thing she could see.

His heart broke to see her like this. The Oshi Jake knew was an intelligent, strong-willed woman who was braver than anyone else. But the woman beside him, hugging his arm for life, looked anxious and weak. So nervous that her world would break apart. Losing her will to fight back.

She trembled as he cupped her warm cheeks in his hands. He wished they were not too cold for her. She closed her eyes as he slowly closed the distance between their lips, giving her plenty of time to refuse. When his chapped lips touched her tender ones, her eyelashes fluttered.

He deepened the kiss as she rested her hands on his neck, letting her invade his soul as she pleased. He wouldn’t have protested at the moment even if she wanted to destroy him.

It seemed her heart was not entirely convinced that he would stay with her for real this time. She still feared that he would suddenly disappear. Jake knew that words couldn’t secure her anymore. He would have to stick to her, always being there for her so she would be fully convinced that he’s not going to leave again. Only his actions could heal her anxious heart. Not to say it would take some time.

And he was willing to do everything within his power to make her happy.

As she was dozing off after staring at him for a long time, he leaned her head toward him. Jake recalled when his beloved woman said that she would not care even if it was him who kidnapped Hannah. Right now, his feelings were the same.

He would take down the world if he had to.

To make sure she would be safe and sound.

Before everything went down for him, Jake had several women in his life. But non of them were like this girl. He had never felt such intense love and yearning for someone in his entire life. She was stronger than anyone, braver than anyone, selfless than anyone.

Kinder than anyone.

Loved him more than anyone.

Giving up on a few of his stubborn morals was nothing if it meant he could stay with her forever.

If he could be loved by this great woman…

None of the other things mattered.

He wanted her to know how precious, beautiful, and pure her kind soul is.

He would do anything for her to let her know how much he loved her.

At this point, he was certain.

He loved her more…

And his love for her would only grow as the time passed.

‘I love you, Oshi. I really do.’

-To be Continued.

Next Chapter

[duskwoodraven]

Duskwood Episode 7 Spoilers!

I am so glad you finish it! I can finally talk someone about it! Episode 7 is like the only episode where I truly felt suspicious about Richy the other times I just brushed it off as trauma maybe. I’m probably going proven wrong later but I do think his attack seemed faked and the timing just seemed weird. Anyways I looking forward to hearing your theory on this. Have a good day!

I honestly don’t know what to think, the moment I saw Richy’s call I immediately thought “Was I wrong? Were we all jumping to conclusions?” but after thinking about it more, there still might be a chance.

Objectively, there is a 80% chance that Richy is dead or at the very best, gravely injured 😔. That would take some guts to fake something like that, he would have to seriously wound himself to make it seem realistic. We won’t know till episode 8 (god I’m dreading episode 8, what the hell are we going to tell the group??).

The only upside is that this proves without a doubt Phil must be innocent, there is no way Jessy would do this without her being the killer/kidnapper herself. No way for anyone to do this without being actually guilty. Hopefully Phil will be released shortly after this incident comes to attention.

In the case that Richy was actually attacked, that he was actually murdered, we don’t have many people left to suspect. Dan is in the hospital, everyone else is packing to go to this house Richy suggested, every other character we know of we have no evidence. Richy being dead leaves us back to square one in terms of suspects.

There may be some proof that Richy might be alive though, and that these things were self inflicted.

When Jessy was attacked, the man without a face deliberately showed his mask so we knew it was him, he wanted us to feel threatened and to fear him. But he never showed himself on Richy’s call, he had plenty of time to but not once did he loom over the camera. That is a difference in behavior, also how did the killer go from possibly assaulting/killing the woman Richy thought he heard, to suddenly spawning right up to Richy in a matter of seconds? We never saw or heard this woman but somehow the killer was able to catch up to Richy and take him by surprise without Richy noticing him, how is that possible?

Further more, I found it creepy how Richy turns the camera to make sure that we see the blood come out of his mouth, doesn’t say a word to ask for help, he just stares. Not exactly evidence, but a strange observation. We also don’t hear footsteps of someone walking away from Richy or approaching him.

Richy should also know that the forest is dangerous by now, yet he suggests for everyone to stay in a house in the middle of it and he blindly charges into the forest without a second thought.

———

Now for theories on the slim possibility that Richy is alive, his motive for taking this action.

The group is under a lot of pressure and Richy might be feeling that things are slipping out of his control. Jessy is angry that someone gave evidence that Phil might be the culprit and she heavily expects it to be Richy, enough to quit her job. But strangely enough Richy doesn’t take it seriously? It’s like he’s ignoring the fact that Jessy has told him she is not joking.

We know that if Richy is following the legend closely enough, he would be marking the doors of people he believes have sinned. Perhaps he believes Jessy has sinned by betraying him and quitting even though he needs her support, we already know Rogers Garage is doing poorly financially and the thought of losing your one employee might be a stressing thought. Maybe he planned to mark her and kidnap her the same way he did for Hannah? Who knows, but it is odd how she was marked quickly after telling Richy she was quitting.

It also seems like a foolish idea to mark someone when you are trying to push the blame onto someone else, your kind of just ruining your chances of getting away with it. Maybe marking her was an emotional decision?

Plus, Jessy confirmed that the only ones who knew about her walk with us was Phil and Richy, but Phil is in custody and Richy is apparently dead so where does that leave us? Who could have possibly attacked her?

I also found it weird how Richy told Dan the accident was “all his fault”. It seems like a cold response for someone who nearly died in an accident, his apology also seemed odd with the “somehow” at the end. I wonder if we could get Dans car double checked with TT to see if Richy is lying.

It could be that Richy is starting to feel as if he had no options left, his plan to blame everything on Phil is not working like he hoped and he has to take things to the next level. He also might have realized that he was marked but nothing has happened to him for a long while, he doesn’t want people to question it so he makes an attack on himself. By faking his death/attack, he’ll immediately get rid of any suspicion. Even at the cost of making Phil look innocent, it would be worth it if he gets away with everything. Plus if people think he is dead, he could work freely in carrying out this “justice” against sinners.

His body could also disappear once police start looking for him, if it disappears... maybe Richy isn’t so dead after all.

[wouldduskwood]

Descendants of Despair Part 55

Phil had his head down. He looked gaunt compared to the photos I had seen of him. When he reached our table, he lifted his head and his eyes lit up. “Thanks for coming,” he said as the guards stepped back, allowing him to sit opposite us. I nodded without saying a word, not wanting to give too much of my intentions away yet. It was far easier to build a picture of someone when you had the power. Dan greeted Phil in a typical bullheaded bloke style. I watched, trying to establish a baseline between their casual conversation. It wasn’t an easy task, as both men were doing their best to shelter. I guessed this was because they had a few run ins in the past. I was forced to rely on micro expressions, which is something that I didn’t like to do because it meant staring directly at someone to spot any slight change in their expression. Micro expressions usually only lasted around ⅕ of a second. It tended to make people uncomfortable and self conscious when spending this much time staring at them.

Once the typical small talk had run dry, and I had gathered as much as I could on reading Phil’s facial cues, I finally spoke. “So, you’re innocent.” I stated, matter of factly. Phil’s eyes widened briefly.

“You believe me then?” he asked. I considered his question. Believe him. Not so much. Believe the evidence we had so far that the man without a face was still active, absolutely. But did it mean Phil wasn’t involved in one way or another, not really. Still, when the truth wouldn’t get me what I wanted, lying was nearly guaranteed to. As long as the lie was something they wanted to hear, they’d believe it without question.

“Yes, I believe you. I want to know more about your connection with Michael Hansen and what he has to do with this whole thing.” I said clearly, my tone even and eyes maintaining direct contact. It was a good strategy to convince people that the lie was the truth, even if they were on the fence about it.

Phil smiled. “I knew I liked you. When I get out of here, I am going to take you out for a drink. Perhaps a meal.” I could see Dan was about to speak, and I knew what he was going to say would be something biting about Jake, so I kicked him under the table. The fact that Phil had deflected from the purpose of the conversation concerned me. I was about to respond, flirt if I had to, anything to get the truth from him, when we were interrupted by a form approaching the table. I glanced up and sighed. I had a pretty good idea who our uninvited guest was, so I had a choice. Play it stupid, and hope for the best, or put him off his game. The problem was, I wasn’t 100% sure I was correct in my assumptions, but the risk seemed worth it.

“Ah, my good friend Alan Bloomgate. Nice to finally meet you.” I announced, standing as I did and shaking his hand. This gesture was uncomfortable for me, but it also gave me an element of power in the situation. Alan paused, suddenly off his stride, surprised I had made the connection so quickly. I was thankful that my suspicion was valid. If I had been wrong, the officer would have had all the power.

“Is now a good time to discuss information you may have pertaining to the Hannah Donfort and Amy Lewis Bell cases?” Alan asked, directly to the point. I raised an eyebrow as I considered what he said. The question was stupid really, he knew full well that I had been avoiding that exact conversation. Stupid questions lead to stupid answers, I decided.

“Well, actually now is not a really good time, see I came here to spend some time with my close pal Phil. See, he’s practically family... and, you know how things go when you’re in prison, that time tends to be quite limited,” I announced, unable to keep my snarky attitude to myself, while exaggerating my relationship to Phil. I despised the police in general. They had never done anything to protect me. When I was on the street, they would walk past me like they were blind, even when I was just a kid. It tended to be easier for them, less paperwork and all of that. Unless I did something wrong, then they’d be all over my ass to protect the more upstanding citizens. Of course, my attitude towards them didn’t help matters. Still, it made me feel better.

“I’m sure we can arrange for you to see Mr Hawkins another time,” Alan said, his voice taking on a stern ‘you will not fuck with me’ tone. This riled me even more. I hoped Jake would do something before I ended up getting arrested for assaulting a police officer.

“Well, see, that’s the thing. Mr Hawkins really shouldn’t be in here at all, right?" I paused, thinking to myself 'at least not for everything that the man without a face has done'. "I know you make a habit of going after innocent people, but arresting an innocent man while being blind to the movements of the actual culprit?" I mock sighed, exaggerating it for effect. "Anyway, If you want my opinion on the aforementioned cases, then I’d suggest you cast your net a little further and leave us alone.” I replied, trying desperately to refrain from what I actually wanted to say. Dan and Phil both shot me awkward ‘won’t you shut the fuck up’ glances. However, I couldn’t really be arrested for being a bitch. They could hardly build much of a case on hurt feelings. The best they could do was hold me in a cell for a while. That would be inconvenient but not the end of the world.

As Alan glared at me, I suddenly regretted my response, as I found myself backed into a corner.

“Actually, I was about to tell Mr Hawkins that we would be releasing him on bail, if he is able to make the money,” Alan replied. This surprised me and put me further on the back foot. Just as I was about to dig the hole deeper for myself, alarms started sounding in various places throughout the building. Moving hastily, I grabbed Dan’s arm and motioned he should follow. As Alan’s attention was momentarily distracted, I slid past him and headed into the reception area, walking quickly, but refraining from running. I hoped Jake's alarms hadn’t caused a lockdown. On reaching the reception, I could see that the staff were all staring at the computer screen. Making my way out the front door, I turned briefly to face Dan.

“Can you text Jake the letter D. I’ll be in touch,” I stated quickly then, before he could respond, I was off at a run taking one of my less desired escape routes. I didn’t know whether I could trust him with that simple task, but I hoped he would do that for me, even if I had upset him.

Jumping over the buildings for my escape, I was careful to keep an eye out for the man without a face, but the bigger concern was Alan. I wondered just how much he knew and who he was working in conjunction with. If it was the Government, he now had a good idea where Jake and I were. If it was from my past, then he was a dirty cop and I would have a tail pretty quickly. Either way, I’d fucked up going there and hadn’t learnt much of anything, except that Phil was definitely hiding something. Sliding down the fire escape, I was relieved to see Jake pull up in front of me. He had the door open before I had cleared the small distance to the car. I jumped in and slammed the door, holding on as he sped away.

“I’m so sorry,” Jake growled. “I would have had you out sooner, but from what I could see, you hadn’t gained enough from Phil to make any clear judgements. I knew we had one shot at this...but fuck,” he hissed. I ignored his comment to try and forge ahead. We were in more danger now than we had been since we found each other.

“I think we need to meet up with Dan. He knows Phil better than I do and I have a few questions for him. Then we need to get the fuck out of here, because I have a bad feeling that one of our pasts is going to catch up with us.” I stated. Jake nodded, suddenly looking tired more than anything.

“You’re right, fuck, I’m so sorry, you know that right? I should have been stronger and stayed away from you. You’d only have your own problems to face, not this shit with Hannah and the Government. I screwed your life from the moment I entered it.”

Shit, meeting up with Phil had potentially been the worst idea of my life. Now, not only were we in danger, but Jake had regressed back to pushing me away. Admittedly, I had done the same thing to him in the beginning, but since I had consciously made the decision that life wasn’t really life without Jake, I had been all in. I would manage to live with the dangers of his life and I’d do anything in my power to shelter him from the dangers of mine. After all, couples were meant to share shit, right? And he made me stronger. His defenses, coupled with my own, should be enough to face anything.

As he drove, I glared at him, but he took no notice. Instead his eyes remained fixed on the road in front of him. “Fuck Jake.” I groaned. “You don’t get it, do you? The only purpose I had in my life, before you, was to try and fix the problems I have started. What do you think would have happened to me after that? When my problems were gone, with no purpose? I may have ended up going back to the street. I may have ended up dead. Now I want to live. Now, even after I have fixed my situation, I want to carry on. Because of you, you turnip,” I growled, then shook my head at myself. Jake sighed, slumping in his seat.

“Turnip?” he questioned.

“Ugh, I wanted to let you know how stupid you were being...without being mean?” I sighed. Jake snickered quietly at my response then sighed again.

“Nothing you can say right now will make me feel any less guilty.” He murmured. “I need to feel guilty right now. I need to feel angry and upset. After that, I’ll be more willing to think about our future. But right now, I just need to be angry.”

I nodded thoughtfully and sat back, trying to ignore his presence and give him the time he needed. Eventually he replied. “Okay, you better text Donkey Kong with his new mission,” he sighed with a side smile at me. I giggled. “Wait, why Donkey Kong now?” I asked. “Isn’t it obvious?” Jake replied. “He’s a giant monkey that I could see throwing things when he gets upset, and you are like a very talented jump man that can jump pretty much anything.”

I was glad that Jake had a bit of his humour back, so I decided to encourage him more along this path. “Wait, when did I become a man?” I questioned, unzipping my pants and making a mock show of checking. Jake laughed. “You had better let me check that later, I will be more thorough than you.”

“Hm, yeah I think I’ll allow that,” I giggled as I rezipped my pants. Jake took my hand and smiled. “Listen, what I said before, it’s because I’m scared. It isn’t because I don’t want you. You’ve given my life as much purpose as I’ve given yours. But I’ve given you twice as many problems as you’ve given me.”

“Hm, you’re right.” I replied, pausing and raising my eyebrows as I stared at him. “I can always get a few more, if you like! That way we can be even.” Jake laughed again but tried to turn it into a growl of disapproval. I snickered then pulled out my phone. “Okay, so where are we going to meet Donkey Kong?” I asked. Jake smiled then thought for a moment. “I guess we don’t have a lot of options. Let’s go back to the warehouse. At least we know he knows where that is. We will move on as soon as we have had this conversation...or before it if we see any signs of trouble.”

I nodded, suddenly feeling a weight of dread descend again. Pulling out my phone, I text Dan then sat back, eyes closed, as Jake drove us back to the warehouse.

Part 56

[zmayadw]

Hello, hello!

Time to continue. I’ll post 2 parts again, so lets begin..

First one :)

CALL OF THE RAVEN

PART 11        

Jessy came to Aurora shortly after, finding Phil and me sitting in the booth laughing and chatting. „You two are awfully cheerful.“ She said nearing us. „Hey Jessy“ i chimed back cheerfully „Well, Phil is a good company, how not to be cheerful.“ Phil grinned at her, wich made her look both of us skeptical „Yeah, yeah, if you say so.“ „Aww, sys,  dont be so cruel.“ He teased her. She made a face at him, turning to me „You ready? Im starving!“ „Ready“ i told her, taking my stuff and getting up. „Cya, Phil, thanks for everything.“ I said, smiling at him. „No worries, Maya, glad we talked. Dont be a stranger.“ He said, winking at me as he got up and went towards the bar. „What was that all about?“ Jessy asked as we left the Aurora. „Oh, nothing really.“ I replied, wich made her look at me with doubt. I quickly tried to change the subject „So, where are you taking me for lunch?“ i asked, grabing her under her arm. „I tought some junk food is what we need after last nigh, hamburgers and fries might be a good choice.“ She grined. „I totally agree.“ We walked to the hamburger place, wich wasnt far from Aurora. We sat at one of the tables, and ordered some food. As we waited for it, she told  me how Dan managed to wake up just before she left, begging her to drive his car back, and bring him some food. „He can really drive me crazy sometimes!“ she told me. „Aww, c'mon, thats why you like him.“ I teased, and she laughed. Our food arrived, and we started eating. After a while, i finaly told her, between my bites „I saw Jake last night.“ Jessy almost spat her drink. „What?“ she almost screamed „What? Where? Talk!“ I told her all about it, from the hoodie part, to where i left him standing. When i was done i added desperately „I messed up everything again, Jessy. I didnt hear him out, i was just so tired and frustrated.“ I sighed tiredly „Why is it always so hard with him?“ i paused before i said, sadness creeping in my voice „I just dont know how much more i can go on like this.“ Jessy looked at me, sympathy and care all over her face „I know, Maya. Its hard sometimes, God only knows how much.“ She started „Im just gonna say one thing. Just be totally sure you tried everything there is to get to the bottom of things with him, to be on the clear, once and for all.“ She paused before continuing „I can see how much it pains you, and i see you really care for Jake.“ „I do, Jessy, more then you can imagine. But im tired, so tired of constant fights with him, and not getting anywhere.“ „I know. And i really hope you will resolve it soon.“ She looked at me, giving me a reasuring smile „In the mean time, you can talk to me whenever you need a shoulder to cry on.“ I smiled „Thanks, Jessy. I really appriciate it, you have no idea how much it means to me. Im really greatful to have you in my life.“ She looked at me, took my hand and squeezed it „Im here for whatever.“ We continued with our food. When we wer nearly done, she oredered some food to take for Dan, and when it was done, we payed and left. As we walked back to the Auroras parking, Jessy asked me, all serious „Maya, what's going on with you and Phil?“ I looked at her „Aghh, its complicated.“ She stoped walking, and i did the same „Dont get me wrong, its non of my business“ she started „But to be honest, i've never seen Phil act like this, towards anyone. I think he's really into you, and, well, with all thats happening with Jake..“ „Dont worry, Jessy“ i said „I actually had a long conversation with Phil about all this earlier.“ She looked surprised „He knows  about Jake?“ „Not exactly. I didnt mention Jake per se, but he knows something is happening.“ I paused before continuing „I like Phil, Jessy, and he knows it. But we came to a mutual understnding about it all, so noone could get hurt in any of this mess.“ She continued walking „Aright, thats good. He is a jerk sometimes, but he's my brother, and i do wish him well.“ „I know, Jessy, and trust me, i dont want for anyone to get hurt here. I hope all will get in the clear soon.“ „I hope so too, Maya“ she said, as we came to Dans car „I really hope so, for both your sake, and the others.“ She gave me a tight hug, before entering the car, and smiled „Im here if you need me.“ „Thanks , Jessy, same here.“ She started the car, honking as she drow off , me waving her as i entered my car. Driving to the motel i tought about all that Jessy told me. I hoped she was right, and things will get clear soon. I really was torn inside. I had some decisions to make, and not an easy ones. And i was scared.

When i got back to the motel i realized i left everything in such a mess, and decided to clean it. I collected the sutff  thrown all over the floor. I grabed Jakes hoodie, burrying my face again in it and taking a deep breath. Damn, i tought, i wish i could talk to him, i need to know what will be with us. If there even is a possibilty of 'us'. And all that was going on with Phil was making me confused. My phone rang then, and i quickly put the hoodie on me before answering it. I checked the caller, it showed no number.. Could it be Jake? Then again, why would he hide his number? I answered the call „Hello?“ but there wasnt any replie. I said 'hello' few more times, before whoever was on the other side ended the call. Strange,i  tought, but decided to ignore it, someone probably just dialed the wrong number. I continued with cleaning, realizing i should get some laundrey done. I saw a self-service laundrey in town, i should wisit it tomorrow. When i was done, i decided to try and do some work. I sat at the table, opening my laptop, putting some music on. It always helped me while working, and this time wasnt any different. At some point, i checked my phone ,it was past midnight. Nice, i managed to finish on the project i took, without any interruption. I closed the laptop and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As i got to bed, i thought of Jake again. I hoped we would talk soon, i meant what i said to Jessy earlier, i really didnt know how much more i can go on like this. I sighed, closed my eyes, wishing sleep comes fast.

           When i woke up i felt quite rested. Even tho my mind was a complete mess, i had a good night sleep. I took a shower, brushed my teeth and got dressed. I took the laundrey, grabed the car keys and my purse and headed for town. I parked near the self-service laundry place and took the stuff from the car. Putting the laundrey to be washed, i decided to go for coffe while it wasnt finished. I left the laundrey place, and walked to the coffee shop near by. I sat at the table outside, and ordered myself a big coffee and a toasted sandwich, might as well get some breakfast since im here. I took my phone out checking for some more work and found few interesting ones. Some alone time just working might be what i need now. I checked the news feeds and mail while drinking coffe. Jessy called at some point, telling she will be going to her sister for a few days, apologizing for leaving me on my own. I told her not to be silly, that i'd be working mostly eitherway, so she felt a bit less guilty about it. She promised we'll meet as soon as she's back, wich i acceptet cheerfuly. I was done with coffee so i paid and left. I collected my laundrey, deciding to get some stuff from the store before heading back to the motel, so not to do unnecessary trips to towns center every little while working. When i was done, i got all the stuff and headed back to the motel. I putted the stuff away, and clean laundrey in the closet. I went out of the room to get some ice from the machine by the entrance to the motels office. When i got back, i poured a drink  and took my phone. There was a missed call on it, and the number was hidden. Again? What the heck, i tought. Work was calling, so i dismissed it from my toughts, and focused them on working instead. I worked till late again, before deciding i had enouhg, chrasing to bed.

The next day i spent most of it working. I stopped only to eat and drink something in peace, and i took a short walk to stretch my legs a bit. I took a shower before going to bed, luling my self to sleep with some movie on the tv.

On the next morning, after i got up, i decided to quickly go to town for some fresh coffee. I drove to town, stoping at the caffee and getting myself the biggest 'coffee to go' they had, heading back to the motel. I got back to working, but was interupted by my phone ringing after a while. I checked the phone, and smiled when i saw who the caller was. „Well, if it isnt my favorite barkeep!“ i cheerfully said in my phone. „Hello gorgeous.“ Phil answered me. „Where you hiding at?“ he asked. „Oh, im at the motel. Working my ass off.“ I told him. „I'v been lazy with it lately, so it's taking its tol on me now.“ „Aww, sorry to hear that.“ He said „But, even so, you need to take a break. Bring that pretty ass of yours to Aurora tomorrow night, we'r having a party!“ he said cheerfully, and before i could even start to protest „And i'm not taking a 'no' for an answer here!“ „Aww, c'mon Phil, thats not fair.“ i started teasingly „You took all the fun out of it! I'm good at protesting!“ He laughed „I bet you are. So, see you tomorrow?“ „Ofcourse.“ I said, adding „Hey, Phil, whats the party for, by the way?“ „Oh, right, i keep forgeting you're not from around here.“ He said. „And i tought Jessy might already told you.“ „Nop, she didnt tell me anything, and since she is with your sister, we havent really spoken much these last few days.“ „Ahh, i see.“ He said „Well, in that case, it's the Aurora's opening day anniversary, and its pretty packed for that night,with drinks being cheeper. So be sure to come early, i'll save you a seat at the bar.“ „Thanks, Phil. I'll bring myself and my pretty ass then.“ I said teasingly „Thats the spirit!“ He chimed. „Alrighty“ i said. „See you tomorrow, then.“ „Cant wait.“ He said „Laters, Maya.“ That migt be fun, i tought. And if im lucky, i might finish with work by tomorrow morning, so some fun would be like a reward for it. I continued working, and was happy that i actually finished before i tought i would.I  checked the time. It was almost 3 in the morning! Ohh, guess i would sleep till late again tomorrow. And i didnt mind. The work was done, i had nowhere to rush, some sleep will do me good. I crushed to bed, burrying myself under the covers, sleep coming almost instantly at me.

[blissedoutphil]

Dan the Personal Assistant Part 13

Dan has to submit an application video to be an assistant for a company President, Mr. Lester. But what happens when he accidentally sends a wrong video?

This is it, folks. The final chapter, finally. Enjoy!

3924 words of Dom!Phil, sub!dan, fluff, smut

~Part 12~

~epilogue~

or read on ao3!

Phil placed his chin on Dan’s shoulder, not letting go of his boy. He was sure Dan could feel his heart beat wildly against his chest.

He just needed to feel Dan close to him at the moment. Dan was rubbing his back in slow, calming motions. A contrast to his suffocating embrace, he realised, and loosened his grip. But just a fraction; he was still afraid of letting go.

He was glad that Dan allowed him the time he needed to let go on his own. It’s like his boy always knows everything he needed. He appreciated how Dan never let go either, instead slowly swaying them. He wondered how Dan was able to stay so grounded and be a solid rock in this moment, while he just felt a fragile mess.

The only way Dan could be as calm as he was was because the way Phil hugged him told him that perhaps he had nothing much to worry about, after all. Still, he wasn’t sure how they’d move on from here, and that worried him.

They both calmed down soon enough, and Phil finally slowly let go of the embrace.

“I made tea,” Dan tried saying again.

“Thank you,” Phil smiled, once again wondering how Dan knew just what he needed.

“But it went cold,” Dan continued apologetically.

Phil laughed, “It’s alright.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and took a sip of the cold tea anyway. Dan sat down next to him, but far enough that he’d have to extend his arm to reach him. It was upsetting to Phil that Dan still seemed rather wary despite their long embrace. 

“I’m sorry,” Phil sighed, already missing Dan’s warmth.

Dan raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. “For what?”

“For dragging you into this mess,” Phil shook his head, looking at the carpet.

“It’s not like you forced me into it,” Dan reasoned.

“I shouldn’t-” Phil felt bewildered about how his vision was getting blurry, “I shouldn’t have even gone through with the interview.”

He just felt guilty now for disrespecting the privacy of someone he didn’t even know back then.

Dan shrugged, “What’s past is done. And. If you hadn’t followed through, I wouldn’t be here.”

Phil gave a small smile, feeling a little lighter now knowing that Dan doesn’t hold any resentment about it. He wished Dan would scoot a little closer to him.

“Not only that. I should’ve just admitted to you the moment I realised I- but instead I went such a roundabout way...trying to distance us while still making use of you,” Phil started getting angry at himself again for being such a coward about it the whole time.

A smirk tugged at Dan’s lips, “Yeah I didn’t enjoy the corner time.”

Dan seemed to be taking things well, while Phil’s feelings were in a turmoil. He pushed the unwanted feeling of shame deep down, and placed his cold cup of tea on the bedside table.

“What was I thinking?” he muttered, “it’s a wonder how you still stayed.”

Dan tilted his head. How much did Frank even tell him by the pool? It’s not much of a wonder if Frank had mentioned how he broke down.

“Is it really?” he spoke softly.

Phil looked at him, pondering what Dan just said. Pondering Frank echoing in his mind saying, “you mean everything to him, Phil. D’you know that? Everything.”

Dan scooted a little closer to him.

“I can’t pinpoint exactly when things changed, but I feel like,” Phil paused and scooted closer too, “like I don’t know a time when I couldn’t stop thinking about you anymore.”

Dan swallowed, afraid to speak and cause Phil to stop his train of thought. He felt like he didn’t know a time when his whole life didn’t revolve around Phil, either.

“I.. I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” Phil said weakly, looking down at their hands resting beside each other, itching to hold Dan’s.

Dan’s hand withdrew. His breath caught, and he thought he could hear his heart shatter. What was Phil saying?! He thought the talk with Frank had gone well.

“What?” he managed in a whisper.

Did he gauge everything wrong and maybe Frank did tell Phil to get rid of him? Suddenly that hug had a bigger sense of finality that Dan hadn’t considered earlier.

“I-I,” Phil stumbled, “I don’t want to keep treating you how I have been.”

That didn’t help clear anything up for Dan. He’d enjoyed his job, so much so that it didn’t even feel like a job. It didn’t feel any bit degrading compared to his past hook ups, even if some of their play was meant to be. The only time he didn’t like Phil’s treatment was when Phil deliberately ignored him.

He didn’t know how to say any of that, so he settled with, “I don’t understand, you wanna end things?”

“No,” Phil’s voice cracked a bit, his eyes going wide at that prospect.

“I mean I only want to stop this whole- making you some office pet just there for sex. I like our Sunday catch ups just as much, if not more. I like knowing you for you, and not just for how well you can take the work frustrations I let out on you. I don’t think I can continue this personal escort thing because I want you. To be with you, and not just have you by my desk in the office.”

Oh, Dan thought.

“Oh,” he said just as much, reeling his thoughts before he continued speaking.

“So what you’re saying is... I’m being fired right now,” Dan was unable to stop the grin slowly forming on his face as he remembered how he thought he was going to be fired months ago.

Phil was confused by Dan’s reaction, but his smile was contagious and he felt a tentative one forming on his own face.

“I didn’t think it that way but I guess you can say that.”

“Why not have both?” Dan asked, he certainly found no problem being an office pet in the day and a boyfriend at night.

Phil’s brows creased, “you want that?”

“We barely tried a quarter of the kinks in that contract I signed, and I wouldn’t have signed it if I didn’t wanna do any of it,” Dan leaned forward a little, challenging.

Phil chuckled, but then he took a moment to seriously consider it.

He shook his head, “I don’t want an ‘assistant’ anymore.”

The certainty in his tone stopped Dan from pushing further about it. He understood, Phil had tried to have both with Zack and that didn’t go well. If Phil doesn’t want it again, he’d respect it.

But now he started to worry, unable to help it. He’d be jobless again, and even though he does have a bit more money in his bank now, he doesn’t know where to go without having a proper qualification. He’d almost be back where he was before this job, just that now he’d have a partner he’d have to depend on.

Speaking of partner, they weren’t exactly done with that topic and Dan already got a new one to be anxious over.

Phil could see the worry in Dan’s eyes. He placed his hand over Dan’s on Dan’s lap.

“Are you okay with that?” he asked softly, unsure why Dan was so keen on still serving him.

“I don’t know where I can go,” Dan whispered like he was afraid of the world to hear.

Phil squeezed Dan’s hand.

“Don’t worry about that, we can figure it out together. I’ll help you.”

Phil scooted the rest of the way, until their thighs were touching. He took a breath, somehow still nervous to let his next words out.

“I love you, Dan. And I want to be with you - no more pretending, no more hiding behind a ‘professional relationship’ facade.”

The lump in Dan’s throat was hard to swallow. Phil was so close to him now, he could clearly look into Phil’s usually striking eyes that were now softened to a grey-blue in their faintly lit room.

He cursed himself internally for the way he started to shake. He couldn’t believe he just heard the words he’d spent months trying to convince himself would never be spoken. He hoped Phil couldn’t feel his hand trembling.

“I love you too,” Dan whispered, smiling in disbelief. In relief as well, at how he could finally say it aloud.

Tears slipped along the smile crease of Dan’s eyes, and at that moment Phil couldn’t decide whether he loved Dan’s eye crinkles or his dimples more. But he knew that he was mirroring Dan’s expression, and he had a new desire to make Dan look this happy always.

Still squeezing Dan’s trembling hand, Phil leaned in for a kiss.

Dan’s heart flipped. Sure, they’ve kissed before, but it felt different now. It wasn’t terrifying like the first time he took the risk, nor did it bring doubt on whether Phil meant anything more by the action every time it used to happen. Now it felt freeing.

Especially when he gathered himself enough to kiss Phil back, to bite Phil’s lower lip and nudge him to open up.

Phil let go of his hand to cup Dan’s cheek, having renewed energy now that he was able to put all of his emotions into the kiss. He used to feel like he had to hold back, to make sure he didn’t slip up and take things too far. He used to be content with all the pretence. He felt free now.

When they eventually let go, Dan’s hands had found their way to Phil’s hair, while Phil’s gripped on his jaw. Dan blushed as he moved his leg off from over Phil’s knee. When did that happen?

“Love you,” Phil repeated, finding it so much easier to say now. He felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders every time he spoke those words.

Dan’s blush deepened. “So glad Frank bumped into us earlier today.”

“Oh boy do I owe everything to that guy,” Phil laughed and shook his head, “and wow, what a long day we’ve had.”

“Yeah, if you told me this morning what would happen by tonight, I wouldn’t have chosen option B and I wouldn’t have believed everything else that followed,” Dan chuckled.

“What would you have chosen then?” Phil asked, amused.

Dan shrugged, “Maybe C. You were brutal with the plug.”

Phil smirked, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Dan blushed again, ducking his head and diving to Phil’s chest for a hug to hide it. Phil fell back on the bed from the force, laughing as Dan fell on top of him.

That night, they easily fell asleep in each other’s arms as was routine, except this time Dan didn’t have to think about whether this routine would get snatched away after the trip, he didn’t have to overthink the way Phil pulled him closer or how easily he could snuggle into Phil’s chest. He didn’t have to pretend, because this time he knew it would always be this way.

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

Dan stretched, cracking an eye open. Sunlight was beaming through the tiny slit in the curtains, indicating that they’ve slept in.

He turned to see Phil still asleep. He took in the sight, realising he’d never had the pleasure of watching Phil so peaceful in slumber since Phil was always the first one up. Phil’s arm was loosely wrapped around his tummy, and he tried not to move too much and accidentally wake Phil.

Phil’s usual quiff was a mess, and Dan took the liberty to do what he’d always wanted - he played with some long strands that were sticking out. Eventually, Phil stirred awake, pouting at Dan who had to stifle a squee at just how adorable he looked.

“Mornin’,” Phil murmured, voice gruff from sleep.

“G’morn,” Dan couldn’t stop himself from smiling, still twirling Phil’s fringe between his fingers.

“Did I dream up the whole of yesterday?” Phil wondered aloud.

Dan laughed softly, “I think I had the same dream.”

Phil yawned, squeezing his arm around Dan’s waist tighter, pulling him closer. He kissed Dan, feeling him smile against his lips.

“Don’t you have work today?” Dan asked as he pulled away.

“Frank let me take today off and he’d handle things, the saviour that he is,” Phil explained.

He took in the sight of his boy so close in front of him, memorising every freckle and line on his face. Just yesterday he thought this would be a temporary pleasure, and his heart soared at the knowledge that that wouldn’t be the case anymore. He didn’t give Dan time to respond before going for another kiss.

Phil’s hand moved along Dan’s hip, feeling smooth skin until he reached the waistband of his briefs.

“It wasn’t really nice of me leaving you without relief after a whole day of teasing yesterday,” Phil said pointedly.

Dan licked his lips to taste Phil on his own, “No, it really wasn’t.”

Phil’s fingertips danced along Dan’s waistband as he moved to lay on top of Dan and began a trail of kisses down his neck.

Dan stifled a whimper, already feeling himself get hard, which wasn’t difficult after the denial yesterday. He bucked his hips, brushing up against Phil’s thigh. Phil was taking his time sucking a hickey on his collarbone, bringing colour back to the bruises that were fading since their last time in the tub.

Dan writhed under Phil. They’d had sex lots of times by now, yet this time felt different. He was thrumming with anticipation, all sleepiness gone to make way for arousal. Phil’s kisses lingered in a way that he could feel his love and admiration. Before, they’d always mask their want with the guise of it being Dan serving Phil, helping him relax when work got too stressful. Before, they’d been too scared to show how much it meant to both of them being able to have each other in such a way. Before, they just had sex.

Now, Dan realised, they were making love.

And through all the countless hookups Dan has had, he realised they were never enough because they were all missing what he craved for most. And it was love.

He whined when Phil’s lips closed around his nipple, licking it to hardness.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Phil whispered against Dan’s chest, and Dan all but keened.

Phil loved how Dan was falling apart under his hands and mouth already. He loved that he could now speak his mind, worship his body how he’d always wanted to. And his boy was fully his, he didn’t have to put on the whole boss facade and pretend he wanted only a quick rough fuck, and Dan no longer had to pretend either.

Dan was tangling his fingers in Phil’s hair when Phil moved even lower, now nosing the skin just above the waistband.

“Please,” Dan whined, and Phil felt his own cock twitch.

“Get the lube, love,” Phil sat up to remove his own underwear, and Dan hastily turned to retrieve the item from the bedside drawer.

Once Dan handed it to Phil, Phil pushed him back onto the bed, going back to work where he left off. He mouthed at the tent in Dan’s briefs, drawing a whimper out of Dan.

Dan lifted his hips again, but Phil placed a firm hand on his thigh to hold him down as he continued sucking Dan through the fabric. Dan shivered, loving that Phil was still subtly taking charge. He hoped Phil would never stop showing his Dom side.

Ever so slowly, Phil began pulling Dan’s briefs off, watching Dan’s cock bob onto his lower stomach. He deliberately left it untouched as he moved lower, dragging the cloth off of Dan’s legs.

Once off, he guided Dan to spread his legs, bending his knees and planting the soles of his feet on the bed. Dan watched him with glazed eyes as he slicked his fingers with the lube and spread some on Dan’s puckered hole.

He pressed his finger against Dan’s entrance, watching Dan watching him. Dan was breathing heavy in anticipation, and Phil couldn’t resist taking that breath away from him. He bent down for a kiss the moment he inserted his finger into Dan, feeling Dan gasp against his mouth.

Phil had opened him up lots of times, but never in this position that Dan felt was the most intimate he’d ever been with Phil. He moaned into Phil’s mouth when Phil added another finger. His hands found their way to Phil’s back, and he trailed his nails lightly down as he felt Phil’s fingers scissor.

They were still kissing when Phil hit Dan’s sweet spot, and Dan mewled out, digging his nails into Phil’s back. Phil wasn’t fazed though, merely adding a third finger while biting on Dan’s lower lip.

“Mmph,” Dan moaned into Phil’s mouth, moving his hips against Phil’s fingers.

Phil broke the kiss to let Dan speak, seeing a tiny trail of saliva connecting their lips.

“Please Phil,” Dan moaned urgently.

Phil chuckled, “Think I might like hearing you say my name like that even more than ‘Sir’.”

“Phhiiiilll,” Dan drawled out on purpose, barely containing his cheeky smirk.

He was promptly interrupted by an involuntary moan when Phil twisted his fingers, prodding at his prostate.

“You were saying?” it was Phil’s turn to smirk.

“I was saying,” Dan huffed between gasps as Phil continued fingering him, “get on with it, Sir,” he added with a cheeky sarcasm.

Phil pulled his fingers out, but not before having another jab at Dan’s prostate in response to Dan’s sass. He lubed them again and stroked himself. Dan immediately folded himself for better access, knees touching his chest.

Dan was looking up at him adoringly, like. Like Phil meant the world to him. He had to stop his movements to wonder how one could ever think so highly of him.

And then some precum spurted out of Dan and the quiet adoration between them broke as they burst into a fit of giggles.

“I’m so glad to be able to do this with you properly,” Phil murmured after he gathered himself, lining himself up with Dan’s waiting hole.

As Phil kissed Dan and pushed into him simultaneously, Dan understood exactly what Phil meant. They’d always fucked, but usually with Dan facing away from Phil, or in a rather uncomfortable position. Bent over on the office desk, riding on the office chair, against the office window, in the hotel bathtub, on the small office couch, on all fours on the office coffee table. But never this tenderly, this lovingly, with Dan comfortably on his back with a full view of Phil above him, and likewise now Phil had a proper view of him. And Phil no longer needed to hide how he felt for Dan when they did this, it was written all over his face. He adored Dan just as much as Dan did him.

Dan kissed him back with as much enthusiasm as he could from his position. He wrapped his legs around Phil’s hips and his arms around Phil’s neck, pulling him in closer.

Phil paused once he was fully inside Dan. They lay connected on both ends like that for a bit, until Dan started wiggling his hips impatiently. So Phil obliged and started moving.

“Love you,” Dan felt the need to let Phil know the moment they broke their kiss.

Phil responded by biting down on Dan’s neck just below his earlobe. He started thrusting faster as he sucked more lovebites down Dan’s neck. Dan was whimpering, a sound Phil was so familiar with by now but he didn’t think he’d ever tire of it.

After all the teasing the previous day, it didn’t take long for Dan to feel his climax approaching. His stomach was already stained with his precum, and he moaned with every thrust directly to his prostate. Phil kept up his pace, unrelenting.

Phil couldn’t stop kissing him everywhere he could reach. His lips, his cheeks, his neck, his shoulders. This was all he’d wanted, and he realised it was all he wanted right from the start.

“Phil,” Dan whined, and his name tasted so good on Dan’s tongue.

Just hearing Dan say his name like that made Phil shudder in pleasure, and he was getting close too. Dan was leaving red trails down his back with his nails, and it further drove him to the edge.

“’m sorry for,” Phil grunted between heavy breaths, “denying us both this for so long.”

Their eyes were locked, and Phil could see the understanding within Dan’s, despite how his eyebrows creased with every thrust into him.

“At least I know now I wasn’t - oh, god - the only one p-playing pretend,” Dan managed a cheeky smile between his moans.

“I’m so close, Sir,” he warned, addressing Phil out of habit.

And while Phil had a newfound love for hearing Dan call his name during sex, he was also glad his boy was still his boy.

He fucked into Dan until Dan was a mess of constant moans. Dan’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he came before Phil could even touch his cock. He saw stars behind his eyelids, and when he opened them he saw Phil finishing inside him too.

Phil jerkily rocked into Dan as he orgasmed. His arms finally gave out when he was done and he plopped onto Dan, both their chests heaving for air as they slowly came down from their high.

Dan wrapped his arms around Phil’s neck. He pecked Phil on the lips, a fleeting kiss almost like the first time he had the courage to kiss Phil.

“I Love you, don’t know what I did to get you,” Phil murmured, and Dan could feel his breath against his lips.

Phil threaded his hand through Dan’s hair, cupping Dan’s face with his other. Dan felt so light, like he’d never felt before. Like all his worries were washed away, just by looking into Phil’s mesmerising eyes.

A smile slowly found its way on Dan’s lips as he thought about how unbelievable everything was. He couldn’t believe that going home after this trip wasn’t going to mean going backwards on their progress. He didn’t have to pretend anymore, didn’t have to repress his feelings or doubt Phil’s. He laughed a little, pure joy coursing through him.

“I love you too,” he said, still not believing that he could say it aloud. That he could say it to Phil. That Phil felt the same.

Phil smiled back, poking the dimple so prominent on Dan’s face. He reluctantly shuffled off of Dan, moving to lay on his side but never taking his eyes away from Dan, like his life depended on looking at him. Dan had no doubt that Phil was in the same disbelief he was in.

“So how’s about we visit the empire state building today, since we didn’t get to yesterday?” Phil asked.

They’d figure things out once they were home. Phil already had plans - ideas that had always creeped into his mind that he never let himself pay attention to for months. But all that could wait. For now, his only plan was to take the next week off from work and extend their trip. For now, his only plan was to be with Dan.

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

Thank you for being on this fic’s journey with me :) but waittt it’s not entirely done there’s still an epilogue left, coming within the next 2 weeks! (not 2 months?! I know omg this is what happens when I plan shit?? wow)

~Part 12~

~epilogue~

[doomedhowell]

Lost (And Found)

Summary: PJ suddenly goes missing, and while Phil, Chris and Louise are out looking for him, they happen upon a boy who seems to be troubled. Phil just wants to help, and vows to protect the boy from the bad people who hurt him.

Genre: AU (Stranger Things crossover)

Word Count: 5,086

Trigger Warnings: swearing (they’re kids so), bullying, threats of violence, minor injuries

Author: @dxnhowell Beta: @phinalphantasy7 (lilactreesinwinter on ao3) Artist: @softphiily (link to the artwork!)

This is my fic for @phandomreversebang! 

Also, a quick little thank you to my artist and beta for being so patient while I wrote the fic and didn’t finish it until the last second. I got very busy with work irl but I was determined to finish this fic so I’d also like to apologize in advanced if the ending seems a little rushed, but I hope people will still enjoy the fic :)

link to ao3

They’ve been searching for an hour, at least. Although Phil hasn’t really been keeping track of time, because the only thing that’s been on his mind is finding his friend PJ. Nobody’s seen him all day, which is totally unlike PJ to begin with. He would have called his mom first thing so she wouldn’t panic. Well, now she’s panicking because PJ isn’t home, and nobody is doing anything to find him.

So, Phil and his friends Chris and Louise took it upon themselves to go look for PJ, despite their parents strictly forbidding them to look for PJ alone.

But, PJ is missing, and they weren’t going to just sit back and do nothing. PJ is their best friend, after all.

“PJ?” Phil shouts as loud as he can, walking ahead of Chris and Louise. It’s raining now, so it’s hard for anyone to hear them. “Peej! Mate, come on! Stop playing games, this isn’t funny anymore!”

Chris frowns as he listens to Phil. “Maybe we should head back now.”

“Come on, Chris. Stop being such a baby all the time,” Louise groans, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not being a baby. I’m just trying to be realistic here.”

“You being realistic?” Louise laughs sarcastically, earning a glare from Chris. “That’s so funny, Chris. Really funny. Wow. I didn’t know you were suddenly a comedian.”

“Guys!” Phil shouts with frustration as he turns around and glares at his two friends. “Seriously, now isn’t the time for you two to be bickering. Our friend is missing, and needs our help.”

“We’ve been looking for over an hour, Phil!” Chris complains. “I wanna find PJ too, trust me. Me more than anyone out here-” He ignores Louise’s hard glare, and sighs. “But, we’re in the middle of the woods, and it’s raining. We should go back before things start getting dangerous.”

“Seriously, Chris. If you’re just going to be a sissy, just go home. Phil and I will look for PJ,” Louise huffs, walking straight over to Phil and crossing her arms against her chest as she stares at Chris.

“And-” Phil groans as Chris continues ranting. “Not to mention, we’re at the place where PJ was last seen, and we have nothing to defend ourselves. Not exactly the smartest plan here.”

“Honestly, shut up Chris,” Phil snaps with a glare.

“I’m just sayin’. Maybe we should be a little more smart about this-”

“Please, when’s the last time any of us have done anything remotely smart?” Louise scoffs. “We’ve all got a reputation for getting in trouble, you most of all of us-” She points at Chris accusingly.

Phil rolls his eyes as they continue their bickering, and then he immediately pauses. He thinks he hears some rustling coming from the woods. He looks over, hoping that it’s PJ about to walk out of the trees.

“Guys,” he says quietly. But, of course, Louise and Chris completely ignore him and continue bickering. “Guys, shut up!”

The two finally go silent, and look over at Phil.

Louise opens her mouth to no doubt yell at Phil for being rude, but he points a finger towards where he heard the rustling in the woods. “You guys hear that too, right?” he asks quietly.

“Is that-?” Chris begins to whisper, moving closer to the others.

“PJ?” Phil shouts, his heart beating faster. “Peej, is that you? It’s us! Phil, Louise and Chris-”

“I’m not sure shouting our names in the middle of the woods is a good idea,” Chris mumbles.

“You’re about to get smacked if you don’t shut up,” Louise warns.

“Shut up,” Phil glares at both of them. “Neither of you are being very helpful at all.”

His head snaps towards the sound of more rustling and his eyes widen when a boy, who definitely isn’t PJ, appears from the trees. Phil has never seen this boy in his life. He’s small, and covered in dirt, and looks scared. Phil already has so many questions whirling around in his mind right now.

“Who the hell are you?” Chris is the first to ask.

“Chris!” Louise hisses before she harshly whacks Chris on the chest.

“Ow!” Chris  glares at Louise as he rubs his chest. “That hurt.”

“Honestly,” Phil grumbles as he shakes his head, before looking at the new boy again. “I’m so- sorry, uh... we were looking for our friend…Are you… lost? Are you hurt? Do you need any help?”

“One question at a time, Phil. He’s probably scared,” Louise says in a soft voice. She looks at the boy. “We’re sorry. You must be overwhelmed. We can help you, if you need it. I promise we won’t hurt you.”

Phil glances at Louise with concern, and she’s looking just as concerned. Of course Phil wants to help this boy. He seems lost, and scared, and who knows what he’s been through.

“Should we call the cops?” Chris whispers, biting his lip slightly as he looks up at Louise.

Louise scoffs. “What are the police going to do? Have you not been paying attention to how they’ve been treating PJ? This boy already looks terrified. I’d hate for him to go through anymore trauma.”

“Guys, it’s raining right now, and it’s getting really dark out too,” Phil frowns. “I mean, we can take him to my house and he can just stay in my basement until we figure out what he needs.”

“You’re going to take a stranger to your house?” Chris asks, his eyes widening. “Are you crazy?”

“Your parents are not going to allow that to happen, Phil!” Louise scolds. “That is so dangerous.”

“We’re not going to tell my parents,” Phil hisses. “We’ve got to help him. We can’t just leave him behind.”

Chris takes charge. “Guys, enough bickering. Let’s just get him to Phil’s house, then we can decide what we’re going to do from there. We can’t just stand here in the rain all night! We’re going to catch a cold.”

“You know it’s scary when Chris starts being the sensible one,” Louise jokes.

Phil rolls his eyes and looks over at the other boy. “Come on then.” He carefully holds his hand out, hoping the boy will take it. It will show a sign of trust, and that’s all Phil wants from the boy.

The boy hesitates, before finally taking a step closer to Phil and shyly taking hold of his hand.

Phil smiles brightly at the response from the boy, and starts leading the way back to his house.

By the time they finally arrive, luckily without being caught by his parents, it’s still raining quite heavily, but the only thing Phil cares about is getting this boy somewhere safe.

“This is our basement. You should be safe down here for a while until we can figure something else out. Um, is there a number we can call for your parents? Or, someone else we can contact for you?” He turns to look at the scared boy, who is still nameless and hasn’t spoken a word to any of them.

“Did you run away? Why were you in the middle of the woods?” Chris asks.

“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Louise presses, instantly looking the boy up and down for any signs that he might be hurt, and then her eyes widen. “Oh, goodness. Is that blood on you?”

“Guys, stop it! Stop asking him so many questions at once! You’re freaking him out!” Phil warns.

“Yeah? Well, he’s freaking me out!” Chris retorts, glaring at Phil as he crosses his arms against his chest. “Come on, why isn’t he saying anything? He’s probably deaf.”

“Chris! That’s rude to say to someone,” Louise warns.

“He’s not deaf, Chris. He’s just scared, you idiot. You’re scaring him,” Phil scoffs. He grabs a random pair of pants that were sitting on the couch, and carefully shows them to Dan. “Here, these pants are clean. You should probably change after being in that rain for so long.”

The boy stares at Phil, and hesitates, before he bends down and slowly starts taking his pants off.

“No!” Phil yelps as soon as he realizes what the boy is doing.

“Oh, God!” Louise quickly covers her eyes before she can see anything she doesn’t want to see

“No, no, no! Don’t do that! Please, for the love of God!” Phil shouts. He sighs in relief when the boy stops. “Here,” Phil hands the pants to the boy, and points towards the bathroom. “See that door over there? That’s the bathroom. You can go in there and change. You know… privacy?”

The boy’s eyes widen when he sees the door, and he quickly shakes his head. “No,” he says simply.

“Oh, so the boy can speak?” Chris frowns.

“I told you. You were probably just scaring him with all those questions you were asking him,” Phil snaps. He looks back over at the boy again. “Okay, uh- you don’t want the door closed?”

The boy nods.

“Okay. Here-” Phil gently leads the boy to the bathroom. “Why don’t we close the door halfway? That way, we’ll still be outside, and you can still see us if you need our help, okay? It’s just… we kind of don’t want to see you naked. No offense. That’s just really weird.”

Phil sighs in relief when the boy steps into the bathroom, and he closes the door halfway behind him just like he promised, and makes his way back over to Chris and Louise. His heart is beating kind of fast now. He has absolutely no idea what he’s doing. All he knows is that he wants to help this boy.

“This is mental,” Chris hisses. “We should have gone to the police like I suggested.”

“No,” Phil warns, glaring at Chris. “At least we know he can talk.”

“He’s said one word to us, Phil, this entire time we’ve been with him. I think there’s something seriously wrong with him. He must have gone through some kind of trauma. I mean, he didn’t even want to go into the bathroom with the door closed all the way,” Louise points out.

“Guys, he can probably still hear you, you know?” Phil frowns at Louise.

“No, listen to us, Phil. Louise is right. There definitely is something wrong with this kid. Just think about it. You know, I bet he escaped from Pennhurst.”

“Where?” Phil asks, blinks a few times with confusion.

“It’s like a nuthouse in Kerley County. You know? Where all the crazy people go.”

“Uh huh. I bet you got a lot of family there too, don’t ya?” Phil asks, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Ha ha. That’s very funny, Philip.  Come on, guys. Work with me here. I mean, it would explain why all of his hair is gone and why he’s totally crazy. He’s mental.”

“Chris, stop that. Now you’re just being mean,” Louise glares at him before sighing and turning to Phil. “We should just tell someone. A parent. Your mother would know what to do.”

“You want to tell my mother?” Phil’s eyes widen slightly. “That’s crazy.”

“Crazy? How is that crazy? We’re just kids, Phil! We have to tell your mum,” Chris agrees.

“And tell her what exactly?” Phil crosses his arms against his chest. “Tell her that we snuck out because we wanted to go and find PJ when we were all told specifically not to go out? Hello? If we told my mum, our houses would officially become our prisons. We’d never be able to leave our houses again.”

“Dammit,” Chris curses, running a hand through his hair.

“You have a point,” Louise mumbles. “Our parents would be furious if they found out we snuck out.”

“Alright. Here’s the plan. He sleeps here tonight-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re seriously going to let a stranger sleep in your basement?”

“Just listen to me!” Phil hisses. “I have a plan. Okay? It’s all we’ve got, so just listen. So, in the morning, I’ll sneak him upstairs and then he’ll go around and ring the doorbell. Mum will feel bad and let him inside, and she’ll know what to do. She’ll know how to help. Then we can find PJ tomorrow. We will find him.”

“What if she sends him back to Pennhurst, or wherever it is he came from?” Louise asks, frowning.

“She won’t,” although Phil isn’t sure if he’s trying to convince Louise or himself. He sees the boy shyly stepping out of the bathroom and smiles. “Oh, hey. The pants fit. Good. Um, hey. So-” He looks around, and then quickly grabs the sleeping bag that he spots on the floor and then lays it out for the boy. “So, you’re gonna sleep down here, tonight. I hope that’s okay with you.”

“This is mental,” Chris mumbles for the millionth time that night.

“Shut up, Chris. You’re the mental one,” Phil warns, shooting a look at Chris  before straightening up and looking at the boy. “Oh, we never asked for your name. Uh, do you have something that we can call you?” Phil frowns when the boy doesn’t say anything, only stares at Phil with a blank expression on his face.

Then Phil spots the tattoo on the boy's arm. “Whoa!”

“What? Phil, what is it?” Louise takes a step forward.

“That’s so cool. Is that real?” Phil asks, points at the tattoo he’s spotted. He quickly pulls his hand back when the boy snatches his arm away. “S- Sorry. It’s just… I’ve never seen a kid with a tattoo before. So, what does it mean? ‘Eleven’? Is that like a code or something?” Still, the boy says nothing.

“Well, if he’s not going to tell us his name, maybe we can call him Eleven?” Louise suggests.

“Eleven?” Phil looks over at Louise, unsure. He doesn’t want to upset the boy by calling him something that he doesn’t want to be called. Phil looks back at the boy. “Well, okay. Eleven. Is it okay if we call you Eleven until you’re comfortable telling us your real name?”

The boy, now known as Eleven, slowly nods.

“Okay, cool. My name is Phil. It’s short for Philip. With one L, ‘cos it’s cooler that way. Well, anyways… um, I’ll guess I’ll see you in the morning then. I’ll try to sneak down some breakfast, okay?” Phil says. “Goodnight, Eleven.” He turns to Chris and Louise, to go upstairs with them.

“Goodnight, Phil,”

Phil can’t help the smile that forms on his face when he hears the two words spoken by Eleven.

Chris nudges Phil. “We’ve got to get going.”

Phil nods, and he leads the way up the stairs. He hates to leave Eleven by himself so soon like this, but they’ve got no other choice at the moment. It’s too risky bringing him anywhere else in the house where he could get caught. Phil would just rather wait until the morning, and hope that his plan works.

The first thing that Phil does the next morning is go straight down to the basement to check on Eleven. After making himself look presentable, of course. Phil hopes that the plan he came up with works, because he wants to keep Eleven safe, and he wants his mum to help him to do that. He trusts her.

“Oh, hey. You found the walkies,” Phil says as he comes down the stairs, startling Eleven. “They’re cool, right? We use them to talk to each other. I use it to talk to Chris the most. He lives pretty close to me.”

Eleven blinks at him. Phil wonders if Eleven will ever trust him enough to speak.

“So, uh- I grabbed a waffle for you. It was the closest thing I could get.” Phil bends down and hands the Eggo to Eleven. “Hopefully you can have a real meal later. My mum’s a great cook.”

Eleven hesitates as he takes the Eggo from Phil. He slowly takes a bite out of it.

Phil grins, pleased to see that Eleven’s comfortable enough to actually eat something around him.

When Eleven finishes his Eggo, Phil’s ready to get his plan started.

“Okay, so here’s what we gotta do. I need you to go outside, and then ring the doorbell.” Phil chuckles when he sees the confused look on Eleven’s face. “It’s the little button by the door. You’ll see it. Okay, and then you have to pretend like we’ve never met each other, otherwise my mum will be very suspicious, and that will ruin the whole plan. Do you think you can do that?”

“No,” is the simple reply that comes from Eleven.

“No?” Phil stares at Eleven. “No, as in you don’t think you can do it?”

“No,” Eleven repeats, staring right back at Phil. “Bad people.”

“Bad people?” Phil repeats, and now he’s confused, and then the realization hits him. “You are in trouble, aren’t you? You ran away?” He takes a deep breath and then he runs a hand through his hair. “Well, shit... this just made things a whole lot more complicated.”

“Philip! Where are you? We’re going to be late for school!”

Phil jumps when he hears his mum shouting for him from upstairs. “I’m coming, mum!” He panics, and then he looks over at Eleven. “I have to go to school now, okay? I’m sorry I have to leave you again, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Just… stay here, okay? Don’t go outside. It’s not safe. Uh, see you later.” He quickly turns and he runs up the stairs. He sees his mum in the kitchen.

“What were you doing down in the basement?” Kathryn asks, raising her eyebrows at her son.

“I,” Phil hesitates as he tries to come up with an excuse. “Um, well... I was just looking for something, but it’s not important. Come on, we don’t want to be late for school, do we?”

“You’re worried about being late for school?” Kathryn reaches over and gently presses her hand against Phil’s forehead. “Who are you, and what have you done with my son?”

“Mum,” Phil whines as he swats her hand away. “Come on, let’s get going!” He grabs his backpack and runs out of the house before she can say anything else to him.

Really, all Phil cares about is keeping Eleven safe. And also finding PJ, who’s still missing.

Phil can hardly focus during the entire school day, worried about how Eleven is doing back at his house and if he’s keeping himself safe and hidden. Phil feels terrible leaving him alone, but he can’t skip school. Honestly, his mother would absolutely throw a fit if he ever skipped school.

“I can’t believe you guys honestly thought I would just take off without you guys,” Phil mumbles as he leads the way into his house, Chris and Louise following behind him. School is finally finished, and they’ve come straight back to Phil’s house to check on Eleven.

“Well, I mean, can you blame us, Phil? I mean, you’re like totally obsessed with Eleven,” Chris replies, raising his eyebrows at Phil. “It’s a little scary how obsessed you are.”

“Now that’s ridiculous. I am not obsessed with Eleven.”

“I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing with Chris for once, Phil, but you kind of are,” Louise speaks up.

“How so?” Phil crosses his arms against his chest.

“Okay, now you’re being ridiculous. You’ve only known him for less than a day and he’s all you talk about. You literally wouldn’t shut up about him during school today. I got so sick of hearing about how cool Eleven is that I almost voluntarily was about to go and sit with that weird Valdes girl,” Chris tells him.

“Chris, don’t be mean. Cat is a lovely girl,” Louise warns.

Phil rolls his eyes. “Eleven is cool. He’s got a shaved head and he has a tattoo!”

“Okay, enough. Let’s go check on him. He’s been alone all day, plus I’m sure he’s starving,” Louise turns and opens the basement door. She’s the first one to walk downstairs.

Phil hesitates before following. He sighs in relief when they find Eleven, playing with the walkie talkie toys once again. He’s still safe. Phil has only known him for less than a day, but he wants to protect this boy with everything that he can. Even though he doesn’t really know that much about him, Phil can tell that he’s been through a lot, and for such a young age too.

I’m not obsessed with him. I’m not. I’m just being a good friend. That’s all, Phil thinks to himself.

“Eleven?” he asks carefully, not wanting to spook the boy.

Eleven’s head immediately snaps up, his eyes wide as he looks up at Phil.

“It’s okay. It’s just us. You remember Chris and Louise, right? They were here last night,” Phil assures him, not wanting to scare the boy. He’s already terrified, and Phil wants to make him feel comfortable and safe.

Eleven glances over at Chris and Louise, though he still doesn’t say anything.

Louise sighs softly, and turns to look at Phil. “We seriously need to tell someone about him. You can’t just keep him locked up down here like an animal. We have to tell your parents,”

Chris nods. “I agree. If not your parents, then the police. Someone!”

“Um, I- I don’t think that’s a good idea guys,” Phil says, remembering about what Eleven said about the “bad people” that morning. Eleven is clearly hiding from someone who hurt him and scared before, and Phil won’t let those bad people hurt Eleven again.

“And why not?” Louise asks, placing a hand on her hip.

“Because,” Phil stresses with a sigh. “Honestly, what are the police going to do? The police are useless. Look at what they’ve been doing with PJ! They’ve done absolutely nothing to help him. Nothing!”

“But we can’t keep hiding Eleven in your basement, Phil,” Chris says. “And besides, we should be focusing on finding PJ.” He reaches over and then he grabs a picture of the four of them, PJ included. Chris turns, so that Phil and Louise can see the picture as well. Louise's face instantly softens when she sees the picture. “Guys, this is who we should be focusing on. Our missing friend.”

Eleven looks at the picture, and blinks a few times. He slowly stands from his spot on the ground, and walks closer to Chris, and then he points at PJ, but still doesn’t say anything.

“Do you know who that is?” Phil asks, his eyes widening.

“You know who PJ is? Do you know where he is? Because if you do, and you haven’t said anything-” Chris glares at Eleven. “Start talking!”

“Chris!” Phil warns, gently pulling Eleven back from Chris.

“No! He knows who PJ is, he’s been hiding something important from us!” Chris is shouting at this point. “That’s it. I’m telling someone, and none of you can stop me!” He starts running up the stairs. He opens the door at the door of the stairs, but gasps with shock when the door immediately slams shut in his face. “What the-?” He goes to open the door again, but it does the exact same thing. Chris turns around, and sees Eleven at the bottom of the stairs.

“Holy shit,” Phil whispers, staring at Eleven in shock. “Did you just-?”

“Okay, now he’s a freak!”

“Chris, stop being mean!” Phil shouts at Chris. “Look, we all want to find PJ. Maybe Eleven can help us find him. This could be a good thing. If you would just stop for a second...”

Louise rolls her eyes as Chris and Phil continue arguing with each other. Then she hears sounds coming from outside. She walks over to the window and glances up. Her eyes widen at multiple white vans outside of Phil’s house. “Uh oh. Guys?” Louise looks over at the others with a worried look on her face. “Guys! Come here. I think we might have a problem.” She nods towards the window.

Phil hesitates before walking over. “Oh shit,” he says when he sees the vans.

“Please tell me your mum called the cable guys or something.” Louise looks at Phil.

“I- I don’t think so. We gotta go! We gotta go get somewhere safe and then we’ll hatch a plan. Come on!” He turns around, and runs up the stairs, shoving Chris towards the front door before he can even protest. Luckily Eleven follows. The four run outside the house and head straight for their bikes.

Eleven looks back as Phil is getting his bike ready. His eyes widen the second he recognizes the people. The bad people. Eleven quickly taps Phil on the shoulder, wanting him to hurry up.

Phil glances over at Eleven, “What?” and then looks to where he’s staring. He gasps softly when he sees the group of people dressed in  suits is staring at them. He sees an old man in the center of the group, staring directly at Eleven. Those have to be the bad people Eleven mentioned before.

“Come on! Let’s go!” He gets on the bike, and allows Eleven to get behind him. They take off, immediately followed by the bad people. Phil’s panicking, but he can’t worry about that right now, because all he can worry about is getting Eleven away from those bad people.

The group barely makes it five minutes down the road before they encounter some bullies from school.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Phil says, breathing heavily as he watches the two bullies walk closer, knives in their hands. Phil looks over at Chris and Louise. “Wh- What do we do?”

“I don’t know? What we always do, run!” Chris jumps off his bike and runs for his life.

“I’m not a very good runner!” Louise cries, before following Chris.

“Come on, we’ve got to go!” Phil quickly grabs Eleven’s hand without even thinking about it, and follows Chris and Louise. Honestly, of all the days for the bullies to chase them.

“Yeah, you better run, freaks!”

“They won’t get very far.” The bullies laugh loudly as they run after the group.

Up ahead, Louise trips over her feet and falls face first to the ground.

“Louise!” Phil cries, letting go of Eleven’s hand and running over to her.

“No, forget about me. Just go! Take Eleven and get somewhere safe. I’ll be fine!” Louise hisses.

“No, I’m not leaving you here!” Phil shouts. He glances up, and his eyes widen when he sees how close the two bullies are getting. “Come on. You gotta get up.”

“Phil, I can’t. I twisted my ankle. Go. What’s the worst they’re gonna do to me? Huh?”

“Phil,” Chris runs over to them. “I’ll stay with Louise. You go and take Eleven.”

Phil looks back and forth at them and hesitates, before grabbing Eleven’s hand and running.

“Gotcha!”

Phil stops dead in his tracks, causing Eleven to nearly fall to the ground. Phil turns and sees that one of the bullies has a tight hold of Chris, holding him down with the knife against his throat. The other keeps Louise against the ground so she can’t get up to help Chris.

“Let him go!” Phil demands. “We haven’t done anything to you!”

“You think we’re gonna listen to you?” the bully who has Chris snorts. “You all deserve this.”

“We haven’t done anything to you. Let him go. Now. Or I’ll-”

“You’ll what,” the bully sneers, pressing the knife closer against Chris’s skin. “I suggest you walk towards the edge of the cliff over there and jump, or you can say goodbye to your little friend here.”

Phil’s eyes widen at the threat. He looks over at Chris, who looks just as scared as he feels. “Phil, don’t,” Chris warns. “Don’t you dare even think about it. I’m not worth it.”

“You’re my friend, Chris. I’m- I’m not going to let them hurt you,” Phil says. He hesitates, before he slowly turns around, and then slowly starts walking towards the edge where there’s a steep dropoff to the lake.

“Phil!” Louise cries. “Phil, don’t do it!”

Phil takes a deep breath once he gets closer to the edge. He looks down below and whimpers when he sees how long of a jump it is. There’s absolutely no way he’s going to survive this. But he’ll do anything for his friends. Chris and Louise are his best friends, and he knows they’d do the same thing for him.

Phil jumps, and lets out a scream as he starts falling.

And then, he stops halfway. He opens his eyes, and gasps to realize he’s floating. And then he’s slowly being lifted back up, and set back on the ground again.

“I’m not dead,” Phil breathes as he looks around, panicked. “Holy shit. I’m not dead!” He looks up at Eleven, and sees him wiping off some blood under his nose. “I think I’m in love.”

“Phil!” The bullies are so shocked by what just happened that they have let Chris go. He helps Louise up, and they both run over to Phil, despite Louise’s foot injury.

Eleven turns, and glares at the two bullies. He jerks his head, and one of the boys cries out in pain, grabbing a hold of his arm. Eleven looks over at the other boy, whose eyes widen in shock.

“Let’s go!” The boy cries, immediately turning around to run. “Freak!”

Eleven gasps and falls to the ground, breathing heavily.

“Eleven!” Phil shouts as he rushes to him, after reassuring Louise he’s totally fine and not injured at all. “Oh my God. That was totally awesome.” This boy has mind powers. Phil has never met anyone like Eleven before, but he thinks Eleven is one of the coolest kids that he’s ever met.

“Yeah, you better run!” Chris shouts after the bullies. “He’s a freak, and he’s our friend!”

Eleven looks up at Phil, who’s smiling and shaking his head fondly at Chris. “Friend?”

Phil grins at Eleven. “Yeah. Yes, of course you are our friend. Here-” Phil reaches down into his pocket and pulls out a tissue that luckily his mum forces him to carry around with him, handing it over to Eleven so he can wipe the rest of the blood off his nose. “Thank you for that, by the way. For um, saving my life. Now it’s my turn to save yours.”

[phanfictioncatalogue]

(TW) Minor Character Death Masterlist

A Song for Lottie (ao3) - schnaf

Summary: Dan was quite happy without Phil in his life. But then, Lottie came along. Lottie, the annoying girl with a sweet tooth and a bad mouth. And you just can't say no to Lottie. Even when she wants you to meet Phil again.

A World Alone (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Alternatively: What to Do When Your Imaginary Friend isn't So Imaginary: A Guide by Phil Lester

Dan has been Phil's best friend since they were little kids, and it's hardly ever mattered that he's only imaginary. They stick together through facing first grade, growing up, and getting a tree house of their very own. When Phil loses his dad in a car crash, he only relies on Dan more. High school is just a little bit easier together, and he can almost ignore his growing crush on Dan and the feeling that something's about to go terribly wrong. But when Dan is revealed to be more than either of them ever imagined, it's too late to keep pretending.

all this broken bone (ao3) - parentaladvisorybullshitcontent

Summary: "People touch me and they die, that’s it.”

The words seem to hang there in the air between them, heavy and impossible.

"You're kidding," Phil says, faintly.

In which Dan can't touch anyone without killing them, and Phil has a crush on him anyway.

All Was Golden in the Sky (ao3) - whalefairyfandom12

Summary: Dan and Phil are the heirs of Enigmaity and Illumination, two kingdoms at war for longer than anyone can remember. Magical attacks neither light nor dark have been destroying both worlds, leaving nothing behind except a bright red balloon. Phil is forced to flee and asks for Dan’s help, but alliances aren’t so easily kept and promises are quick to be broken. With the moon and sun at war, sunset is fast approaching and all they can do is hope.

climbing stairs (ao3) - kipcoded

Summary: "'If stir-fry sounds good to you, I can – Dan?' Phil asked, hearing a sudden sob from behind him. He turned quickly to see Dan with his hands to his face, shaking with the force of a sob."

(Dan's mum dies suddenly. Dan tries to hold himself together, but loses his composure entirely in front of Phil. Phil comforts him like the sweetheart he is.)

Climbing the Ladder (ao3) - kawaiikanai

Summary: Punk!Dan and Punk/TattooArtist!Phil both struggle to find themselves after past events that have shaken their trust in other people and in themselves.

collateral beauty. (ao3) - commonemergency

Summary: When an old school friend dies, Dan and Phil travel to Wokingham to attend the funeral. A place that Dan used to go to as a child but never thought he'd go back to again, leaving him with sets of questions that he doesn't know can be answered. Or the one where Dan and Phil talk about religion and what they believe in.

Commas and Ampersands (ao3) - obliviongrace

Summary: Several lessons in grammar and linguistics from Phil. When Dan’s grandma dies, Dan and Phil must put their work on hold to travel to his family’s house, causing them to ponder on their choices.

empty nights, synchronised (ao3) - karcathy

Summary: It's not Phil's first winter in Antarctica, so he's pretty used to how things go around here. A new face catches his eye, but before he has a chance to get to know him, things around the station start to go wrong. The long dark winter becomes a lot more exciting when your survival is at stake.

Eternity (ao3) - velarisstars

Summary: Vampire!Phil will do anything to protect his human boyfriend, Dan. Even if that means turning him into the very thing Phil didn’t want him to be. But when Dan gets severely hurt, that seems to be the only option for the both of them.

Frigid (ao3) - mooksie01

Summary: Daniel Howell is trouble. It’s a well-known fact of the school, and Phil isn’t stupid enough to try to interact with him… at least, he wasn’t. But now he’s talking to Dan, learning about him, and suddenly wanting to protect him? Where did he go wrong?? And why the hell is Dan Howell so damn pretty???

go your own way (I'd give you my world) (ao3) - itsmyusualphannie (itsmyusualweeb)

Summary: “I’m Dan,” said Dan.

Phil could not look away from him. He thought that Dan was probably the prettiest boy he had ever seen. “I’m Phil,” he said back, because it was polite to introduce oneself to people, otherwise they would remain a stranger. “Phil Lester.”

And so they became friends.

or: a Forrest Gump AU where Phil slowly falls for his best friend as the years go by, but Dan loses himself to the world and his past.

I Think I'm Breaking Down (ao3) - Lizzyboo

Summary: “Hello?” he answered, surprised to find his voice calm under the circumstances.

“Phil,” Martyn’s voice was tired and tight, and Phil wanted more than anything to hang up on him and crawl back under the covers for a few more hours. Days if possible.

“Yeah.”

He didn’t ask the question, they both knew what the phone call meant.

It didn’t make it easier to accept though.

In The Embers (ao3) - sapphictealeaf

Summary: A story about Phil, his life shifting from a happy one, to one of misery and despair. When the Evil Queen takes everything from him, he seeks ways to take something back. Insert Dan. They both have their troubles and strifes, but in each other and their friends they find comfort as they fight to take their kingdom back from the Queen.

Kiss From a Rose (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)

Summary: Phil is a hawker trading from town to town and looking for an adventure, but when he is caught out in a storm, a beautiful stranger becomes his only hope.

Like tidal waves (ao3) - gravityplant

Summary: Phil's a single father dealing with a touchy kid and a turmoil of emotions after a terrible accident that has torn Phil's perfect life into shreds. He gets advised to go on a vacation away from the buzz of the city with faith in his heart that this might be what solves all of their problems... What he doesn't expect is to meet someone that's going to turn the tide in Phil's life.

Love You For Always (ao3) - TwistedRocketPower

Summary: In the UK, an estimated 6,000 children die each year. When Dan and Phil became parents almost seven years ago, they never imagined they would become a part of that statistic.

Phil Lester, The Spy who Shagged me. (ao3) - CactiPhan

Summary: Phil Lester, AKA 009, is an international spy working with MI6 When an unbearably cute boy compromises one of his missions, but they end up becoming secret partners in crime to save the world- till one of them gets hurt...

Second Chance (ao3) - phan_anon

Summary: Alpha!Phil is a slave bought for Omega!Dan's use. But there's more to the Omega's story than Phil originally believed, and he may need the Alpha's help in a way he never expected.

syzygy (ao3) - dantiloquent

Summary: Phil Lester, an amateur photographer trapped in a monotonous life, is the last person to see Toby Stanford's killer before they disappear into London's crowds. He decides to keep that a secret - alongside the photos of them he has stashed away in his backpack. In a matter of hours, he is flung into a new life: one of clues and murders and lies. In a world swarming with surveillance, it's a battle against time and the police. But Phil will find this killer, and he'll get his story - or will he? Sometimes, not even a camera can capture exactly what is living beneath the surface.

The Hunchback of Notre Dan (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: After twenty six years of solitude after his family died in a mysterious fire, Dan gains the courage to disobey his strict, controlling, adoptive father, catholic priest Clide Niccolo, and visit London for a festival. There, he meet's the famous General Phil Lester who is instantly drawn to Dan. The only problem is that Phil is not the only one with his heart set on winning Dan over. Will they be able to escape the threat to their lives, or burn with the rest of London?

The sound of Silence (ao3) - embarrassing_myself

Summary: When Dan moved into his new flat, he absolutely loved it. He quickly finds out though that the adorable couple next door is incredibly loud. It doesn’t seem to matter what time of day it is; they’re always making noise. One day though all that stops and he’s left with nothing but the sound of silence.

trying to keep warm when you’re the sun (ao3) - jackiednp

Summary: dan’s nan dies and phil is the only one who can comfort him

When a heart shatters (ao3) - Phantasticpheels

Summary: When your heart shatters, its all at once. Then slow and over and over again.

Breaking a heart is easy but it takes a special kind of person to pick up the pieces.

Phil learns by experience.

When I Watch The World Burn (All I Think About Is You) (ao3) - rainbowchristy

Summary: Invisible, demon-like creatures infiltrate England. Dan's husband loses his life as a result. Their daughter, Ellie, goes missing. With a blindfold, Dan has a chance at survival. But is it worth it if he's alone?

A Bird Box AU.

When the Moon Fell in Love With the Sun (ao3) - whalefairyfandom12

Summary: In a magical world where light and dark are gripped in battle Dan is an Iniquiter and heir to the throne. His life has been spent preparing him to kill the enemy—Phil Lester. After an accident too many leaves Dan exiled and alone he runs into Phil, who offers a place to stay. Dan accepts with the intention of killing him as soon as the opportunity arises, but maybe Phil isn’t as bad as everyone says he is. Maybe it is possible for the moon and the sun to fall in love.

Weather With You (ao3) - Evening42

Summary: Phil moves to an isolated cottage to start his dream of writing a novel. He meets a mysterious silent stranger on the beach who has a tragic history.

You Can't Tackle Your Demons on Your Own (ao3) - Merrydith

Summary: Dan is obsessed with a series of books by the amazing author, Phil Lester. He spends his time at the coffee shop he works at reading the books over and over again in the closet. When he meets a new co-worker who is also named Phil, they go on a date. Little does Dan know, he's sharing a cup of coffee with the author he's considered his best friend for years.

As he gets to know Phil, he finds that Phil is housing a destructive secret. Why did Phil apply to work at The Brew Bean in the first place and what happens when Phil starts breaking away, piece by piece? Can Dan save his beloved author or is Phil going to fall slowly and hopelessly into loneliness and despair? All the while, Dan is falling in love.

[sociallyawkward--fics]

heyy xy its been a while again idk how long i wanted to send smth earlier but my brain wouldnt let me so:// im kinda Going Through It rn tho& surprise its abt my romanticality again but this time it has nothing to do w a crush. its ,, i was wondering how romantic attraction felt so i did a question thread on twitter but the answers ,, were all stuff ive felt ?? &i think maybe ive been thinking of romantic attraction wrong this whole time but ?? how do i know ?? -H (it is. frustrating)

its like ,, i love the idea of cuddling& holding hands& hugging& yes that could be platonic but ,, ive never kissed anyone but i think it could be smth i enjoy& maybe even smth i want but it wasnt ever anything i thought abt until now ,, recently ive kinda been wanting to date someone nonromantically ?? but how do i tell if the way i want it is romantically or not ?? romantic attraction is just a thing u feel right u dont get to decide whether or not its romantic attraction it just is right?? -H

&i have gotten my own version of crushes but its always ,, i just rly want to be their friend or in extreme cases just ,, like me the way i like them, like liking me best ig ?? but maybe i have wanted to date them& just didnt realize it ?? when i get crushes i think of them a lot& want to be around them& i get butterflies& all the things ppl say they get with romantic attraction. but then ill ask myself if its romantic& i just feel like No. It's not ??? -H

romantic attraction always just felt so ,, other ?? so even now that i realize what i want is what ppl who feel romantic attraction want it just doesnt feel right ?? ive never kissed anyone& ive never dated& maybe if i did those things id know ?? &sometimes ill wish i had a partner but like in a queerplatonic way i think ?? i just want to do traditionally romantic stuff but ,, without it being romantic ?? but thats not how it works is it ?? -H

like if u feel& want all the things that comes with romantic attraction then that means u experience them romantically ?? maybe ?? i cant wrap my head around wanting all those things but not romantically ?? bc romantic attraction is defined as wanting things like dating& kissing& cuddling - not some other alien feeling i thought so ?? maybe im greyromantic or lithromatic or bellusromantic but ?? how do i know ?? -H

maybe im just too young to completely know how i feel ?? maybe if i dated someone or kissed them id know ?? &i kinda rly want to do those things just to know how id feel bc im tired of not knowing im already confused abt my gender identity if i dont know my romanticality what do i know ?? -H

lmao so im over my crisis nvm -H

i dont remember exactly what i was saying but theres a difference between wanting those things& like ,, wanting them from a person yknow maybe i want to be kissed but only theoretically bc who do i want to kiss me then ?? any strong feelings usually fade when i get to know the person so. also apparently romantic attraction is Not just wanting those things apparently theres supposed to be a feeling that comes with it idk -H

help i found u on tiktok while looking through aroace tiktoks skjdjk i saw u& i was like xy ?!?!! u exist in places outside of tumblr ?!?!??! unbelievable -H

i saw ur undertale hcs tiktok& i highkey panicked bc ive been hyperfixating on undertale for like ,, a month now, so it was my 2 favorite things : aspec hcs& undertale. personally i see papyrus as aroace bc of his whole speech after ur date with him& its like ,, a v v important hc to me bc hes the only character ive ever felt i had representation in sjdhfks idk hes like my comfort character now -H 

aahhh but yea ive been hyperfixating on undertale so badly but :/ we lost our switch :/ so i couldnt play :/// i had to resort to watching playthroughs on yt. i have watched dan& phils playthrough 3 times& i am going on a 4th. luckily we did find our switch !! &i cant wait until i get papyrus' phone number so i can go through every room& call him& then befriend undyne& go through all the rooms& call him again to see if the responses have changed -H

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

I’m So Sorry it took me literally like 2 months to answer these, I promise i wasn’t ignoring you, I just have Stupid Brain!!

Imma be honest with you, romantic attraction is so confusing, and I can’t say I understand it myself. Also, that’s totally how it works. You can do romantically-coded actions with a queerplatonic partner and not have it be romantic at all. Sure, kissing and dating and cuddling are romantically-coded, but that doesn’t mean you have to be in a romantic relationship to do them; doing those things in a queerplatonic sense and not having any romantic emotions in it is totally valid. You can want all these things and still not have/experience romantic attraction. Take all the time you need to figure it out, though. I may tell everyone I’m grayro, but for sure that does not mean that I have it all figured out. I just say that because it’s the closest to whatever confusing feelings I’ve had lol. It takes time to work these things out, just do what feels right for you. You don’t need to force yourself into a romantic situation just to try and see if you’re aro. Honestly, to me? Nothing you’ve described seems inherently romantic. That all seems like it’s queerplatonic or just platonic.

Lol, yes I exist in places outside of tumblr on occasion. Tbh, since we all know I have no time-management skills, tiktok is a little bit why I’ve been so absent around here lately lol. I was focusing a lot on building my account and content there, but I really miss everyone over here and i miss writing my fanfics so I am Back and I’m gonna try and split my time better, now! Undertale is such a valid thing to fixate on, and Paps is such a valid comfort character. Aroace Paps is so valid, I only said grayroace Paps because 1) brain said “make him you” lol and 2) sometimes I think Papyrus/Mettaton can be cute if done right. And yeah, it’s so fun going through the rooms and just calling them lol

[antiadvil]

Comet Me, Bro

summary: Dan and Phil are chosen to be the first colonizers of Mars. They’re the perfect choice: they get along incredibly well, they graduated training at the top of their class, and they’re both incredibly ready to spend years, perhaps an entire lifetime, as far away from humanity as possible.

The problem? Dan has a crush on Phil. And Phil doesn’t know.

OR:

“Phil? We meed to have a talk,” Dan said.

“Wow,” Phil said. “You look so serious. Sa-turn that frown upside down.”

“See, that’s what it is,” Dan said. “Your space puns are driving me literally insane.”

rating: G

wc: ~2.4k

notes: this is for @itsmyusualphannie and was betad by @sudden-sky, both of whom are lovely people and writers you should go follow

read on ao3 or after the cut

Mars was cold, Dan thought during one of his twice daily walks between his botany lab and the Hub. Mars had always been cold, but there was something especially cold about it today. Maybe the seasons were changing. He genuinely had no idea what season it was now, or which season was up next, or how long it would last, or how seasons even worked on this planet. All he knew was Mars’s cold seeping under his suit and into his bones. He shivered all the way back to his semi-possibly-maybe-permanent home, and after going through the airlock and stripping off his spacesuit, he entered the common area to find Phil setting their table for dinner.

“I don’t know why you always get the plates out,” Dan said. They ate the same meal three times a day: glorified, nutrition-filled goop. Putting it on a plate or in a bowl before putting it in their mouths didn’t make that much of a difference.

Phil shrugged. “It makes it feel more like home, don’t you think?”

Dan ignored the implication that this was a home. That this was their home.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want it to be. Dan and Phil got along well. Their names went well together- Dan and Phil. Phil and Dan. They almost never argued, and when they did, it was almost always resolved in hours, or even minutes. They even had the same taste in anime, for god’s sake. They literally could not be more compatible as roommates. There was just one issue: Dan had a crush on Phil. He had for the six months they’d known each other. When it first surfaced, he had assumed it was a temporary thing that would be gone within weeks. Oh, how wrong he had been. Spending a month in a cramped spaceship with Phil followed by two months together on a deserted planet had not helped the situation. Dan had hoped he would become immune to Phil’s presence after this long, but he had no such luck. Being in Phil’s presence still made him feel that weird combination of warm, cold, and tingly all over. Eye contact was torturous. Physical contact was the best kind of hell.

If they were any other kind of coworkers or friends, Dan would have made his move by now. But they weren’t. They were literally the only two people on the planet, and if Phil didn’t feel the same way, or he did and it didn’t work out, things could get really awkward in the 100 square foot building Phil was calling their home.

It was better to say nothing. Hopefully this would all blow over.

Dan sat at the table. “What’s for dinner?” he asked, going along with Phil.

Phil smiled proudly. “Well, here we have liquified protein. Supposedly it comes from some kind of animal, but it definitely doesn’t taste like it.”

“Sounds delicious,” Dan said. He had been vegan back on Earth, he remembered. How far away that seemed now. He had known it probably wouldn’t be realistic for a space mission, and he had never been very good at sticking with it anyway. Still, he missed it.

“And here we have our vitamins and minerals! Again, suspended in some kind of liquid. I asked if they could make it flavored, like those fun vitamins they have so kids will eat them, but these do not taste like citrus, so I’m guessing they didn’t get the memo.”

“How unfortunate.” Dan could feel the fondness seeping into his voice. He shuddered.

“Really unfortunate,” Phil agreed. “And here’s this one. I’m not actually sure what this is. It doesn’t really matter, they all taste the same.”

Dan nodded. “I never thought I would say this, but right now I would literally die for a vegetable.”

“I mean,” Phil said. “That’s your job, right?”

Dan shrugged. “I don’t think we’re supposed to eat the plants I grow, Phil.”

“Then what are they good for?” Phil demanded.

“I don’t know. What are your rock samples good for?”

Phil puffed up his chest. “Science.”

“Then that’s what my plants are good for,” Dan said. “And maybe if we’re lucky, NASA will let us eat them once I’m done experimenting on them. We can’t eat rocks, therefore, I am the superior team member.”

“Oh, yeah?” Phil said, “Comet me, bro.”

Dan literally facepalmed.

“Get it?” Phil asked. “Come at, like, comet?”

“Phil,” Dan said. “Phil. I got the joke. You don’t need to explain it. It just wasn’t funny.”

Phil looked deeply disappointed.

“I guess I’m just not a puns person,” Dan confessed.

“How did I not know that by now?” Phil asked.

Dan just shrugged.

“You will be a puns person by the time I’m done with you,” Phil promised, and Dan’s heart did the little pitter patter thing it did whenever Phil did dumb shit. He ignored it.

“Phil, I promise I will not be,” Dan said.

That was the end of it, he thought. They went through multiple Martian days following their usual routine, and Phil didn’t make any more puns. In fact, Dan and Phil didn’t even see each other that often. Phil was busy with some sort of issue with their rover, and one of Dan’s plants was looking like it was about to sprout, so he was spending way more time than his circadian rhythm found acceptable in the lab.

This was the first plant to grow on Mars. He couldn’t let anything go wrong.

Of course, sometimes it wasn’t up to him. He woke up the next morning to blaring alarms.

It took a moment for reality to set in. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sky was pitch black outside his window. He couldn’t even see the moons.

Dan stumbled out of bed. Phil was waiting in the common area.

“Dust storm,” Phil said, his face pale and his voice deathly quiet.

Dan froze. “I mean, it can’t be that bad- It’s just a storm-”

“I don’t know. But the alarm-”

“What does the control console say?”

Phil ran his hands through his tangled brown hair. “I didn’t check,” he admitted.

Dan turned to the control console. He took a deep breath. “That’s a lot of red.” Dan took another deep breath. Where to even start? Another deep breath.

Thankfully, Phil seemed to know what to do. “Error 4962,” he read from the main screen. “What does that mean?”

Dan’s mind raced. Two was an even number, which meant it was a technical error. Four was an even number, too, so the issue was with hardware somewhere, not software. He searched quickly through the secondary screen. “Airlock breach in Laboratory A.” He sucked in a breath. His laboratory. The plants.

“Dan,” Phil warned.

“I have to suit up,” Dan said.

“It can wait. Dan, I-”

“I’m sorry, Phil. My plants-”

“Your plants can wait,” Phil snapped.

“No they can’t,” Dan said. “Phil, they’ll die.” Exposure to the Martian atmosphere would kill anything given enough time. Even plants. He wouldn’t let them die. Not his plants. Not after all the hours he had spent nurturing them, coaxing them into growth. Not now.

“You can’t go outside right now.”

Dan quickly stepped into his spacesuit, strapping his boots on and then working his way up. “Phil, if these plants die-”

“Dan, you are literally the only person on this planet. I cannot lose you.” Phil’s voice wavered.

Dan stopped.

“Please don’t go,” Phil said, his voice breaking. “Please.”

Dan sat down on the floor. “My plants,” he said.

Phil sat down next to him.

“I’m sorry.”

Dan’s eyes burned. He swiped at them with the back of his hand. “It’s not your fault,” he muttered.

Phil didn’t reply, just folded his arms around Dan and let him cry. Dan allowed himself to fall back into Phil’s arms, shaking and crying a lot more than what was socially acceptable for a man his age to shake and cry. They stayed like that, even when Dan was calm again, until the storm died down and Dan sat up awkwardly.

“I should probably check the lab,” He said.

Phil let go of Dan. Maybe he imagined it, but it Phil’s hands seemed to linger on his body. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Dan shook Phil off. “I’ll be fine.” He didn’t need Phil to see him have another breakdown over the death of a bunch of plants.

“Okay.” Phil didn’t push Dan, but his eyes were much softer than normal. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Dan nodded. “I will.”

The lab was just as much of a disaster as he expected. Even though the breach in the airlock was barely visible to the human eye, the sudden burst of air escaping had sent lab equipment scattering across the room. The fine, powdery dust that covered the Mars surface had also gotten into the lab and spread across the previously pristine, white tables and floor.

His plants were dead. Of course they were. He had known they would be. But there was something heartwrenching about seeing them like this, torn and uprooted.

Dan scowled. First the whole thing with Phil, and then his plants, and they weren’t even halfway through the mission. If the mission was ever even going to end.

Dan cleaned up what was left of his plants. He swept up all the Martian dust on the floor before resealing the airlock, waiting for the room to re-pressurize, and planting the backup seeds. Then he walked back to the Hub, his mind numb and exhausted. Phil was waiting for him.

“Hi,” Phil said. The sun was rising. Now that Dan could see Phil’s face in natural light, he realized how tired Phil looked.

“I’m going to go back to bed,” Dan said.

Phil nodded.

“Good night, Phil.”

“Yeah,” Phil said, smiling wryly at the sunbeams shining through their window. “Good night. I’ll wake you up if I need you.”

“You’re not sleeping?”

“Something’s still wrong with the rover. I haven’t figured out what. People who know what they’re doing are supposed to be running diagnostics today. I have to be awake in case they need anything from me.”

Dan nodded. “You’ve been working so much lately.”

Phil shrugged. “You have too.”

Dan laughed bitterly. “And look how well that worked out.”

“I know. But it’ll be okay. You planted the backups, right?”

Dan shrugged. Technically Phil was right, but he didn’t want to think about starting over right now. He just wanted to sleep.

-

By the time Dan woke up, the sun was setting again.

He wandered back into the common area. Phil jumped, a spoon clattering from his hand onto the floor. Dan jumped too. “Sorry,” he said, rubbing his arm sheepishly.

“Yeah, you just startled me,” Phil said, picking his spoon up.

“Why are you eating nutritional goop with a spoon anyway?” Dan asked.

Phil shrugged. “It makes me feel less sad about it,” he said. The tips of his ears were red.

“Sorry about delaying your vegetables,” Dan said.

Phil shrugged again. “It’s not your fault.”

Phil still looked tired. Dan was struck by a sudden urge to protect Phil from everything around him- from the harsh Martian landscape, from the long hours, from the toll being so far away from his family and friends was slowly having on him.

“Hey Phil,” he said. “What did the head of NASA say about that Russian meteor strike?”

Phil looked up. “I don’t know. What?”

“No comet.”

Phil laughed. Dan smiled triumphantly.

He regretted it the next day when the puns started up again. Honestly, they were cute the first time. The twenty-seventh time? Not so much.

After Phil made a particularly egregious joke about Dan remembering to update his spacebook, Dan decided that enough was enough. He went through his duties for the day, eating quickly on his own once he was done (Phil had figured out what was wrong with the rover and was trying to repair one of its circuits. Dan, who failed an electrical engineering class in college, chose to stay out of Phil’s way).

When Phil came back, Dan gave him just enough time to eat before confronting him. “Phil? We need to have a talk,” Dan said.

“Wow,” Phil said. “You look so serious. Sa-turn that frown upside down.”

“See, that’s what it is,” Dan said. “Your space puns are driving me literally insane. Also, I might be in love with you.” He froze. “Uh, I mean, just the first one. I don’t know why I said that. I don’t have a crush on you. I’m actually straight, very straight, I don’t know if you knew that-”

“Dan,” Phil said. “We’re friends on spacebook. I know you’re not straight.”

“Uhhhh,” Dan said, his eyes crossing.

“And between you and me, I’d always hoped that our relationship might become more than plutonic.”

“Uhhhh,” Dan said.

“I think you’re out of this world, actually.”

That finally snapped Dan out of it. “I am literally going to kill you.”

“Come on. Why do you have to take everything so Sirius-ly?”

Dan squinted. “Did you just say Sirius, as in the star?”

“Maybe?”

Dan sat down on the ground. “I need a nap.”

Phil patted his shoulder, sitting next to him. “How do you get an astronaut baby to fall asleep?”

Dan looked up. “Are you calling me a baby?”

“What? No! Unless you want me to? And the answer is you rocket, by the way.”

Dan let his head fall again.

“Dan, I’m just trying to show you that I’m over the moon for you.”

“Show it by using less space puns please,” Dan mumbled.

“I’m Neptune-ing you out,” Phil said. “It’s important to ignore the haters.”

Dan sighed. “Phil. I have something really important to tell you.”

“What?”

Dan beckoned Phil closer. “It’s really important.”

“I’m listening,” Phil said, eyebrows furrowing.

Dan looked him dead in the eyes. “Get outer my space.”

Phil’s lips parted as he stared at Dan. Dan stared back. “That was the best pun I’ve ever heard,” Phil said breathlessly. He pulled Dan into a passionate kiss.

Outside, the sun was beginning to set. Dan knew it must be his imagination, but with golden light playing across his body and Phil’s lips pressed against his, he felt just a little bit warmer.

[dvp95]

quiet on widow’s peak (4)

pairing: dan howell/phil lester, pj liguori/sophie newton/chris kendall rating: teen & up tags: paranormal investigator, mystery, online friendship, slow burn, strangers to lovers, nonbinary character, trans character, background poly, phil does some buzzfeed unsolved shit and dan is a fan word count: 3.9k (this chapter), 13.5k (total) summary: Phil’s got a list of paranormal experiences a mile long that he likes to share with the world. Abandoned buildings, cemeteries, and ghost stories have always called his name, and a particular fan of his has a really, really good ghost story.

read this chapter on ao3 or here!

Phil did not invite Chris and Sophie to come to Rossendale with him. Not because he doesn't like spending time with them, but because he wouldn't know how to explain a situation to his parents that he doesn't even understand himself. To his knowledge, PJ also did not invite them.

"Change it," Chris whines from the backseat. He'd lost the scuffle against Phil to claim the front, and he's been complaining about Phil's music choices for half the trip so far in retaliation.

"You like McFly," Phil huffs, continuing his search for an album that won't elicit a loud sigh from behind him.

"That's fucking slander, is what that is. You hear that, PJ?"

"Oh, I hear you both," PJ says, flat. "Loud and clear."

They've only been driving for probably forty minutes and PJ already looks like he wants to kick them all out of his car. Phil doesn't exactly blame him, although he resents being lumped in with Chris in the 'annoying background noise' category.

He has no idea how they've managed to invite themselves along, but Phil was too polite and PJ was too smitten to tell them off when they came out to the car with their bags.

So, this is a group activity now. Phil's parents had been thrilled to hear it when he texted them the updated situation - they're taking it as a sign that Phil has a motley crew of good friends again, like he'd had as a kid and again in uni. He supposes that they're not wrong, exactly, but he's definitely anxious about introducing them to Chris.

"I like this song," Sophie says, mild, and Chris closes his mouth.

"Fine, this one is alright," he says begrudgingly. Phil glances at them in the rearview - Sophie is patting Chris' knee and giving him the sort of smile that always makes Phil feel like he shouldn't be present. He looks back down at his phone so he doesn't have to sit with that feeling too long.

PJ turns up the volume, probably to curb any more bickering before he has to toss them all out of his car, and Phil tries to just lose himself in the music for a little bit.

His friends sing along at varying levels of obnoxiousness and Phil tries not to keep opening the Tumblr app to see if someone has messaged him. Well, someone specific. I'm going north today!, is the last message sent between them, and Phil is still waiting for Winnie to offer to meet up or something.

After their non-starter interview, Phil and Winnie kept missing each other's free time to finish it over Skype. Phil kind of wants to hear more from them before he checks it out himself, but that's not looking likely at this point, especially if he's lugging his housemates along with him all weekend.

Phil opens a puzzle game on his phone and lets the mostly-mindless swiping distract him. It's a long drive up to Rossendale, and the last thing Phil wants is to be left alone with his thoughts.

--

Phil's parents love having guests round almost as much as they love to have him home, so Phil isn't at all surprised to walk in and smell a roast cooking. He expects that treats will be made as soon as the oven is free, because that's what his mum is like.

"Hello," Phil calls into the house, kicking off his shoes. His friends follow his lead - PJ puts his boots carefully on the mat that Phil didn't bother aiming for, and Sophie struggles with a particularly stubborn knot in her laces - as he hangs up his jacket. "Mum? Dad?"

"Child," his mum greets him happily, appearing in the entry to the kitchen and making grabby hands at him until he envelops her in a hug.

"Missed you," Phil tells her, quiet enough that his friends won't hear to make fun of him.

"Oh, I missed you," she says, giving him a kiss on the side of his face. She turns her beaming smile onto his housemates, who all pause in what they're doing like a frozen tableau. It's a little funny. "More children! Hello! I'm Kathryn, it's so nice to meet you. And so nice to see you again, PJ," she adds in that somewhat pointed voice that Phil hates so very much.

"Hello, Kath," PJ says, grinning wide. He gives her a hug, too. Chris holds out his hand for her to shake when she's done squeezing the life out of PJ, but Kath will have none of it.

"Don't be silly," she says, wrapping her arms tight around Chris' waist with a laugh. "We hug in this family."

"Really?" Chris asks, and the look he gives Phil is almost more embarrassing than if he'd asked 'so why isn't your son a hugger?' out loud. "Something smells absolutely delicious, Kathryn. Is that you, or is supper cooking?"

Phil stops himself from groaning out loud, but barely. He probably shouldn't be surprised at all that Chris' cheeky, flirtatious charm extends to mothers as well. Kath laughs and smacks lightly at Chris' chest before she turns to Sophie.

Skilled at making people feel comfortable in four seconds flat, Kath chatters away about supper and how lovely Sophie's curls are and how long it's been since she's seen Phil, did they know how long it's been? She herds them all into the kitchen like they're cattle and insists that Phil take their things upstairs while she puts the kettle on.

"Er, alright," Phil says, looking at the small collection of bags that they'd brought with them. Their clothes and toiletries are all there, of course, but so is all the filming and hunting equipment. He'll have to make at least two trips.

"Your father got the guest room and Martyn's room all set up before he went out," she tells him, either not noticing or ignoring his internal struggle.

Oh, wonderful. Phil had somehow forgotten about the part where they had three beds for four of them. He's positive that his housemates won't mind sharing with each other, but now he's been tasked with the anxiety-inducing puzzle of whose bags to put where.

"Okay," Phil says again, even though they've moved on to talking about their favourite kinds of cakes so that Kath can wow them all with her skills. He tries to catch PJ's eye, but PJ is too wrapped up in a conversation about strawberries to notice.

Alright, well. Phil grabs as many bags as he can carry and brings them upstairs, feeling some tension deep inside him get a little tighter as he notices that most of their personal effects are packed away, either in storage or already on the island, and his childhood home looks more like a show home than he's comfortable with. The stairs only creak a little under his weight, nothing like the old house in Brighton, but Phil still feels unsettled.

In the end, he throws PJ and Sophie in the guest room. It's a selfish move more than anything, because he's brought PJ for enough visits to be familiar with the way his parents look at each other every time PJ teases him.

They don't ask. They're not the type of people to pry, and Phil isn't the type of people to offer information unprompted. They've all been in this limbo for years where Phil doesn't tell them that he likes boys and they don't outright question if PJ is just a friend and, frankly, Phil is tired of it. So, Chris can sleep alone.

He takes his own bags up last, because he knows that stepping into his bedroom and seeing all the personality stripped from it is going to make him feel things he isn’t prepared to feel. Phil takes a deep breath before he goes inside, and releases it shakily as he drops his things on the floor.

The beige carpet is almost mocking him, telling him that it's time to grow up, and Phil leaves the room as fast as he can.

--

God it is so hard to get anything done here. Sorry to complain at you randomly but like... I forgot how hard it is to work when my parents are hovering and asking a million questions lmao

Winnie still hasn't responded to Phil's early morning message, but the frustration of his parents distracting him and his friends from their work is starting to get to him. Chris has completely charmed them, somehow, and both Sophie and PJ are too polite to put headphones on and ignore them the way Phil has decided to.

Surprisingly, he gets a reply right away: omg how have i never considered the fact that you had to tell your parents you wanted to hunt ghosts for a living thats so fucking funny also that sucks i live in a house full of students and i always have to go to the coffee shop to work on essays and shit

There's nothing good like that where my parents live. Your coffee place is in the city, right?

“No! He didn’t!” Chris is laughing, somewhere in the living room, and Phil has to turn up the white noise on his headphones. The idea of his parents and housemates trading embarrassing stories about him while he's holed up at the table with audio files he hates makes him itch.

yeah, Winnie says. Phil is so thrown off by the short message that his fingers pause on the keyboard.

Is he annoying them? He doesn't mean to. Phil thinks over the messages they've exchanged since talking on Skype, the wheel of worst case scenarios spinning quickly.

Before Phil can apologise or even really get his anxious mind to settle down, his laptop bloops again, once, twice, three times. Relief from the worry that Winnie doesn't like talking to him curls around Phil's shoulders, relaxing them.

It's a screenshot of Google Maps with an address pulled up, a different building circled in a bright blue. yeah i hella recommend and it's really close to wilkins as well, is the message accompanying the screenshot. Then, right afterwards, 10/10 hot chocolate if i do say so myself.

Phil isn't very big on hot chocolate on its own, but he is very big on quiet coffee shops.

It takes a lot of cajoling and promises that he won't be out too late for Phil to convince his parents that they'll be fine to drive to the city by themselves. His dad gets the same look on his face that he always does when Phil talks about work, but his mum merely pats his cheek and says, "Oh, love, be careful. I'll be cross if I have to get you from the police again."

"That was one time," Phil says, feeling his face flush as Chris looks at him with glee.

"One time too many," Nigel says, a bit too sternly to be a joke. Phil wonders if his friends pick up on it or if they just think he's banting like he's been all through supper, that same dry humour that Phil can see in Martyn making him funnier than his housemates had expected.

PJ and Sophie both laugh a bit, so... probably just Phil's knowledge of his dad making it more pointed than it really needs to be.

The coffee shop is open late, so Phil and his housemates decide to do some recon at the Wilkins place. The sun hasn't quite set yet, and the street isn't completely deserted or anything, so they have to wait for a good moment to leave the car.

They're careful. They've done this before.

The Wilkins place is an older townhouse in Rusholme with windows that have been boarded up since the early noughties because they kept getting broken. Technically, someone still owns the property, but the Wilkins family either didn't care about it or had forgotten it existed, because it's been abandoned as long as Phil can remember.

It also isn't very scary in his memory. It's draughty and has rats scurrying about, but the electricity and heating still worked, somehow, and the social situations he'd gotten thrown into at Martyn's shoulder were definitely more nerve-wracking than the house itself.

All of these things are still more or less true, according to everything Phil has been told, but when Phil climbs in through the loose boards of the kitchen window, the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. He hesitates for so long on the sill that Chris pushes a bit at him, reminding him to move before some annoyed neighbour calls the police.

It's dim inside but not so dark that Phil's eyes strain; the streetlights and setting sun filter in through the boards and showcase the dust covering every surface.

Phil helps Sophie and then Chris through the window, PJ giving them boosts from the outside. They take the various bags from PJ and Sophie immediately pulls out the camera, ignoring the thuds that PJ's feet make as he launches himself up and clambers in like a monkey.

"Sexy," Chris drawls as PJ nearly tumbles onto his face. He's grabbing out equipment of his own, and so Phil is tasked with getting PJ through the window safely.

"At least I've got a modicum of upper body strength," PJ says. Neither of them are bothering to whisper, and that's making Phil anxious.

He can't put his finger on it, but... it doesn't feel like they're alone in here. There's probably someone hiding out from the chill of late October in one of the various empty rooms, and Phil's worst case scenario wheel is spinning so fast it's making him dizzy.

"Do you hear that?" Sophie asks, hushed. That stops PJ and Chris from continuing their bickering, and all three men freeze as they strain for whatever it is that Sophie's hearing. After a moment of complete silence, Sophie shakes her head. "It stopped. Hopefully the mic caught it over you lot."

PJ looks appropriately abashed, but Chris just shrugs. He's got a flashlight and an EMF meter, and he slings one of the bags over his shoulder before disappearing.

This is technically for Phil's channel - they're checking the place out, and Sophie is filming just in case something happens - but Phil still feels weird when PJ ducks off in another direction and Sophie stays at his side instead of following one of her boys, camera steady in her hands and the tip of her nose pink from the cool air.

"What did you hear?" Phil murmurs, beckoning her further into the house. The sound of creaking wood is so loud, like it's right above their heads, and Phil can only hope that it's one of his friends going upstairs.

"It could have been the wind," Sophie says mildly. "Or rats."

"Is that what it sounded like?"

Sophie blinks up at him and her mouth twists in an emotion that Phil can't place. "No. No, it sounded like a person talking."

Yeah, that's what Phil was afraid of. "Someone might be living here," he whispers, focusing on the dark hallway and trusting that Sophie is following.

The creaking again, this time from beside them, and Phil peeks his head around the corner to confirm that the staircase is what he's hearing. Chris is halfway up it, flashlight off between his teeth as he grips the railing like he's afraid the stairs are going to give out under him.

Phil hates this part. He'd rather do this completely alone than have to herd his friends like sheep. He leaves Chris to his own devices and moves into the lounge. This is where the majority of the litter is, empty bottles and cans and crisp bags everywhere. Phil takes a couple photos of it all and sends them to Martyn.

Remember your friend who used to bring a garbage bag to every party? Looks like he was the only one lol

He pauses. All too aware of Sophie's eyes and possibly the camera lens on him, Phil sends the photo to Winnie as well with a different caption: Does it always look like this?

Neither of them respond by the time Phil has picked his way through the first floor, which is at least good for his focus, but it doesn't explain why the house feels so much different than it had seven or eight years ago. Phil feels unsettled here in a way that he doesn't usually get anymore, goosebumps down his arms that aren't from the cold and the constant, unnerving feeling that someone is looking at him from the shadows.

Phil's phone buzzes as he and Sophie debate in whispers if they should go upstairs. Phil hates leaving anything to someone else, even if it's just a few rooms that surely PJ and Chris are capable of exploring on their own. He's in the middle of trying to explain that to Sophie when his voice catches in his throat.

"Peej says we should go," Phil says, interrupting himself. "He found something weird in the attic."

"What's he doing in the attic?" Sophie hisses.

"Dunno. I didn't even know there was an attic."

"We should go, then," says Sophie, like that decides it. Although it does rankle a bit to be lower on the totem pole of his own project, Phil has to admit that Sophie is right. If PJ is saying that it's time to go, then it's time to go.

Phil climbs out of the window first, taking the equipment with him, and then helps hoist Sophie safely down. She's so small that it's not even a strain, really, even with how little exercise Phil gets. They wait, huddled together, and Phil feels some of the knot in his chest start to loosen when he hears Chris and PJ arguing in whispers before the window boards get slid out of the way again.

"What did you find?" Phil asks immediately, and PJ hushes him on his way down.

"Let's go, I'll tell you at the café," he whispers, leading the way down the pavement with strides so purposeful that Phil wonders if he's been in this area before. It's all the rest of them can do to keep up with him, and Phil spares a moment to feel sorry for Sophie and her short legs.

He hangs back with her and lets Chris keep pace with PJ. Chris is still talking at a silent PJ in a hushed, passionate tone, like he's fighting with a brick wall, and Phil doesn't need to be involved in that.

The coffee shop is only a couple of streets away, but the tension that the Wilkins place and PJ's subsequent discovery has brought to the group makes it feel much further. PJ stops in front of a purple door, and Phil has a begrudging respect for his ability to remember where something is after simply being told the address. The shop is small and a little dingy, but the lighting inside is soft through the narrow windows and there's a fireplace that Phil longs to curl up in front of like a cat.

Chris scowls at PJ and holds the door open for him in the same breath. Phil doesn't understand their relationship and at this point he's too afraid to ask, but he ducks into the inviting warmth anyway to try to get the goosebumps off his skin.

The two employees behind the counter look at the door like they've been caught with their hands in a cookie jar. A girl with brightly-coloured hair is holding a bunch of marshmallows, a hand poised mid-throw, and an unreasonably tall guy with an unreasonably large mouth is gawping as one of the marshmallows hits him in the chin.

"You missed," Phil informs them, grinning a bit as he unwinds his scarf.

"Oops," the girl laughs, setting the marshmallows down and pulling up a customer service smile. "What can I get for you guys?"

While PJ and Sophie pore over the menu and Chris starts asking if she'll throw marshmallows into his mouth if he asks very nicely, Phil's eyes drift to the other worker.

His mouth is still open, a bit, and his face flushes when their eyes meet. "Er," he says, glancing behind him as if Phil is looking at someone else, and that's so endearing that Phil is sufficiently distracted from the mystery down the street.

Phil isn't extremely self-conscious or anything, but he also knows he's not going to be the hottest guy in a room, so he's a bit flattered and a lot confused about this guy's reaction to him.

The thing is, the guy is very attractive. A couple of perfect curls poke out from under his cap, and there's some type of shimmer on his face that Phil could not put a name to if you paid him. He knows literally nothing about makeup, but he knows that it makes this giant of a man look softer and his blush even more obvious when it deepens.

"Hi," Phil says, giving him a little wave. He can still hear Chris chattering on and Sophie debating the merits of a hot chocolate versus a cappuccino, so he's pretty sure nobody is paying them any attention. The guy twitches like he wants to look over his shoulder again, but he stops himself.

"Uh, hi? Sorry to be, like, weird, I just - I didn't expect -"

The voice is familiar, the rambling is familiar, and then it clicks. "Oh, hi," Phil says again, warmer this time. He steps closer to the counter and grins up at them - an unusual thing in itself, since Phil doesn't meet many people taller than him. "You didn't mention that you work here."

Winnie's shoulders slump forward in a kind of relief, and they scratch the back of their neck, looking awkward and out of place even in an outfit that coordinates with the colour scheme of the whole shop. Phil looks the uniform over and immediately regrets it, because he didn't mean to see Winnie's name tag and now he feels weird about knowing something he wasn't actually told. He doesn't feel too weird about being here, though, because - well. Winnie had technically invited him.

"Honestly, I didn't know you'd be 'investigating' so soon," says Winnie. They're still blushing and the finger quotes are somehow cute, even though they're being used to poke at Phil's career. Their nails are dark and sparkly, and Phil desperately needs to stop noticing things about their hands. "I would have told you, probably, or I'd just - I dunno, try to make a better first impression."

"You're making a fine first impression," Phil assures them.

Winnie snorts. "Oh, bullshit."

"Phil," PJ says, nudging him. Phil suddenly remembers that there are, in fact, other people around him, and he can't just keep looking at Winnie's long, dark eyelashes. "What are you having?"

Honestly, Phil hasn't even looked at the menu. He's so easily distracted by pretty boys with big hands and - oh, right, he's got to be careful about that, even in his own head. Especially in his own head. Winnie isn't a pretty boy, he really shouldn't be thinking about them like that at all.

"Uh," Phil says eloquently. He's very particular with his hot drinks, usually, but he's got a lot going on in his mind right now and it's easier just to shrug at Winnie than to look away and think. "Dunno, actually. Surprise me?"

Winnie smiles, and Phil's stomach twists. "I can do that."