Archive of Our Own ^beta

Phil has always believed that not all mistakes led to regrets. And every morning, for the past 10 months, he has stared that belief in the face.

Scarlett Lester was born on January 1st and she was the most beautiful human being that has ever crawled the earth. She was named after her mother, a beautiful American girl that had brown hair, the color of bacon that had just begun to sizzle and eyes that outblued even his own.

The summer was hot last year and Phil was casually strolling through downtown Manchester when he crashed into a woman running high speed towards a cafe where she had apparently left her credit card. She was a whole ocean away from her family and was going to be there for the entire summer, so losing her credit card was the last thing she needed to happen. Phil rubbed his head and helped her up, asking her what the matter was, only to then run with her - just in case things went south.

Sure enough, the restaurant had her card and Phil helped her dust off the beautiful bag she had been carrying.

Phil Lester was a dork, to say the least. He didn't have much luck with the ladies or the lads. He just kind of existed and very rarely, something lucky would happen and Phil would end up in a situation most would call serendipitous. The girl shook his hand and told him that her name was Scarlett, passing a smile in Phil's direction. Their eyes met and suddenly, they were spending the afternoon together talking about the places they had been in life.

Phil always imagined that the love of his life would come into his life with a crash, but he didn't expect it to run so smoothly. It was almost like it was too good to be true. And in fact, it was. After casually seeing Scarlett for about a month, she showed up at his door with her head in her hands. Phil guided her inside and rubbed her back until she dug something small and plastic from the bag that had caught Phil’s eye in the very beginning.

A pregnancy test.

Scarlett was pregnant and the baby was definitely Phil's.

Phil's gut reaction told him that this was karma. That this is what you get when you sleep with someone and not triple double check that they have taken their birth control pills consistently. But of course, the thing they had in common had to be their forgetfulness and isn't it funny how that one flaw in two people could create such a mess? But another thing Phil believed, was that once something happened, it couldn't unhappen. So he swallowed his fear and comforted the young girl, talking her off a mountain of doubt.

She explained, once she could breathe, that she was against abortion and that she couldn't keep the baby herself. Phil's gut twinged with sadness because they would make a wonderful couple. But once he thought about it, she was young and he barely knew her. Sure, a few conversations over dinner and a couple of eventful dates might show chemistry, but that didn't stand as a solid foundation for a marriage or a parental situation.

So after Scarlett called her parents she came to Phil a few weeks later bearing a choice. Phil's eyes flicked down to the girls growing stomach and took the ultrasound from the shaking girl's hand. She started explaining the adoption process and he zoned out completely as he looked at the tiny little pea sized speck that seemed to be staring back at him from the paper.

"I'll take her."

His words jumped from his mouth like a frog from a sinking lily pad. He couldn't give up this child that had dropped into his life so unexpectedly. This girl was lost and scared and as Phil stared at the girl in front of him, he decided he didn't want to do that to a child that hadn't even been born.

Scarlett tried to explain that the adoption process would be easy and that Phil shouldn't add more to his simple life. She claimed he might not be ready and that this was a huge step for a single man to make, but Phil didn't care. He was staring down at the photo in his hand with a smile on his face. Phil was a loner, always had been, and he felt in his bones that this was the right thing to do. That this little pea could change his life into something that mattered. After all, he was nearly 24 and hadn't found a mate. People of 24 had kids all the time. This was a sign. He would be stupid not to take it.

He pulled Scarlett in for a hug and told her that she should take some deep breaths and that he would adopt the baby directly. It would make her job easier and then she could come see the child whenever she wanted, even after she traveled back to her hometown in America.



It was four in the morning when he got the call. He was wide awake though, a feeling of nausea coursing through his restless body. The baby was coming and in less than a day, he would be a father.

The baby girl was born in America, Scarlett's family insisting they have the child in their hometown surrounded by the people she cared about. Phil wished that he could be there but he didn't know her family well enough and as the older foreign guy who knocked their 21-year-old up, he didn't really feel like he was welcome anyway.

But a week after the delivery, he was to meet Scarlett and their child at the airport and no matter how many times he fixed his collar, it still didn't look good enough for the first time he met his baby girl. He would soon learn that nothing would be good enough for his baby girl and that wouldn't change as she grew older.

Their meeting was short and if Phil was being honest, he couldn't even recall what Scarlett had said to him while she was there. She mentioned something about visiting on their child’s first birthday if she could manage to make the money. Just to check up on the baby she had just brought into the world. She handed him the suitcase that had all of their child's belongings so far and hugged Phil sadly. She didn't look so remorseful about leaving their child and Phil thought she should’ve been. He couldn't do what she was doing, but he supposed that's why he wasn’t.

He picked up the baby's carriage and peered down at the sleeping child. A wave of nervousness flooded over him but he couldn't stop smiling down at his beautiful baby girl to acknowledge the fact that he had no idea how to care for a child.

But no parent did and over time, he learned. He heard less and less from Scarlett as she faded from his life, only to be referenced when Phil explained how his little baby girl had come to be. The story was hardly romantic and Phil preferred it that way. Baby Scarlett didn't need an origin story. She just needed Phil, and Phil needed her.



Now, 10 months later, the baby girl was babbling to Phil as he played with her little toes. It was past supper time and Phil had eaten his own meal of pasta while he fed Scarlett her mashed bananas. These had been her favorite since the moment he switched her from bottles. Phil hated bananas but he would buy them every single day if it was for Scarlett.

Phil was lucky that his Youtube channel was going well. He mainly did vlogs and before he had a child, he would vlog his daily adventures and do little live shows for his fans. It paid the bills and it was rather lucrative at times. It depended on how productive Phil was about making his videos and doing interesting things. But after Scarlett was born, Phil began to slowly incorporate her into his vlogs. At first, he thought that maybe she would ruin his channel - and to be honest, Phil didn’t care. If people didn’t like her, then he didn’t want anything to do with the channel in the first place. But shockingly, his support only grew and he suddenly, as if it were overnight, had become an icon for single dads everywhere. Phil and Scarlett were Youtube’s most beloved vlogging channel and Phil couldn’t be happier. He didn’t have to change a single thing. He would just make sure the camera was on when he was going about daily life. He would film Scarlett and show the world what he saw when he looked at her. Pure beauty and love.

Of course, the downside with being so busy and working from home is that Phil didn’t have a ton of friends. He wasn’t a very social Youtuber and didn’t really fit into any of the clicks that existed throughout the community. Not to mention, having a kid kind of limits the ability to go out and hang with people of his own age. He was very very lucky that he received a message from a girl named Louise who was going through a similar problem. She was Youtuber with a child named Darcy and was expecting another within the next couple of months. She often found herself getting lonely and not having the right kind of friends to keep up with her lifestyle. When she messaged Phil, it was simply to tell him that she admired his courage of being a single parent and that she used him as an inspiration herself when tackling the struggles of being a single mother.

Phil messaged her back after a particularly hard week of solitude and kind of went out on a limb, asking if she and her daughter would want to come over and have dinner. Louise complied and suddenly, a friendship was born. Turns out they lived close and it was easy to see that Darcy fell deeply in love with Scarlett. She claimed that she “always wanted a baby sister” and now she could finally have one.

One of the best things about having a friend with a child and the same interests was her ability to make Phil’s life easier with just one suggestion. Phil’s biggest problem, always had been, was picking up after himself and Scarlett. Phil was often distracted with his own life and his own daughter that he forgot to pick up his apartment. Things were a mess nearly all the time because he just didn’t have the energy after he put the baby to bed to clean up his flat. He would tell himself - and Louise - that he would clean it up “tomorrow” or “this weekend” only to completely ignore the goal and fall asleep with Scarlett on his chest instead.

It was nearing winter when Louise finally said something.

“Philly, do you ever intend on picking up your lounge?” She stepped over some of the baby clothes that were lying on the floor. “Does Scarlett even fit this anymore?”

She held up one of the first onesies that Scarlett had ever worn. In fact, she arrived in that one. Phil carefully took the carriage back to his flat and when he finally arrived there, he took the sleeping child from her comfortable spot. Scooping her into his arms, he cradled the one-week-old child and his heart melted. The little pink onesie looked too big on her tiny curled body, able to be supported by just one of his massive hands. Phil hummed softly as the baby hiccuped into his ear, only to fall back asleep on Phil’s shoulder. He would never forget that moment, for that was when he fell in love with his daughter. His daughter in the little pink onesie. He couldn’t give it up…

“Phil!” Louise snapped him out of the trance he had fallen into, staring at the object in question. He had this stupid grin on his face that he would make when he thought about how adorable Scarlett was.

It was nap time for his baby and Darcy was with her dad, so this was generally the only time the two friends had to talk without the distraction of a child. But it seemed that Phil could get distracted anyway and Louise always joked about how his head was 90% Scarlett and only 10% everything else.

“I hate to tell you this, Phil, but you need to clean your apartment. It’s a little gross,” she told him, his eyebrows going up with sympathy. He knew she was right. He just…didn’t have the time. Or something. Maybe he just hated cleaning. But when Scarlett was awake, he gave her his full attention, and when she was asleep, he was so exhausted that cleaning sounded like a nightmare.

“I know, I’m sorry. I just don’t have time,” Phil sighed, glancing at the state of his apartment. Louise had a point. It was pretty gross.

“Being untidy isn’t a problem but I worry about Scarlett, Phil. She’s at the age where she wants to put everything in her mouth. You can’t have this on the floor,” Louise referenced the water bottle cap that was lying haphazardly on the ground by her feet.

At the mention of his child, Phil nodded and sat down, putting his head in his hands. Maybe months ago, he could have cleaned everything during one nap time. But now? Now the mess had only grown and he couldn’t tackle it by himself. Not if he wanted to stay sane.

Not to mention, every day was a day closer to Scarlett’s first birthday. And that was the day her American mother was due to visit. His place couldn’t look like this. Not for that.

“What do I do?” Phil asked, knowing that this was a problem and that he should probably just suck it up.

Louise looked at him and nodded, almost like she expected this question. She dug around in her purse for something, pulling out a business card between her index finger and thumb and handing it to Phil.

“I think maybe you should call these guys,” she suggested as Phil took the piece of cardstock and inspected its black lettering. “It’s a little expensive but it’s worth it. They’ll come organize some of this stuff for you. Not to mention, they have this service where they’ll send someone every week. That seems right up your alley.”

Phil looked up at Louise with a cautious glance. Could he really trust these people?

“I promise, Phil, it’s safe. I used it when Darcy was about 15 months old. She refused to take naps and our house paid the price,” she stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. “I know it’s hard. I get it. Cleaning is the first thing I cross off my list of things to do when I’m overwhelmed. But if it gets this bad, then maybe you need to stop hoping you’ll get the inspiration. Just pay someone else to do it.” She chuckled a little. She knew that Phil wasn’t exactly poor. He was just supporting the two of them and his Youtube channel wasn’t exactly a lower class job. “Plus, another great thing about this company, is that they hire young people that need part time jobs to do it. So most of them are college kids that are hardworking and looking for extra cash. They’ll have no problem finding someone for you.”

Phil nodded and he stood up as well. It was nearing the end of their scheduled lunch and Scarlett was going to wake up any moment.

Louise was out the door soon after the suggestion and Phil picked up his cell phone. He typed in the numbers that sat neatly at the bottom of the white business card and waited for the phone to ring on the other side.



-



It had been a pretty good week for Dan Howell. He had aced all his exams and he had officially been signed onto this part time gig where he could clean houses for extra cash. Dan had been living with his parents since he was 19 and this year, he decided to go back to school at Manchester University. He had taken a year out for his own personal crisis but without much motivation to do anything else, he re-enrolled and now he needed to pay rent. He was 20 and had just started his second year of University which was enough of an embarrassment. He didn’t need failure to pay rent on his list of problems. So when a friend suggested this service, he was on it straight away. He looked over the terms of the agreement and he was genuinely excited to work for them.

The service was quite unique. Essentially, the company gets calls from people in need of a cleaning service, whether that meant picking up and organizing things or dusting and mopping. Dan had a choice between joining their standard cleaning crew or their premium. The standard cleaning crew went to houses on an on-call basis. When people needed a straightening up, they called the service and they were in and out in a day. It was cheap and easy, so it was no wonder people called so often. The premium service was totally different, however. If a person called and asked for a premium package, that meant they needed someone multiple times a week. In this case, a crew member was assigned to that house and they would be the residential cleaning person until no longer needed. They generally got paid more but it was certainly more of a time commitment.

Dan didn’t have many friends and he wasn’t really into sports or extracurriculars. So when given the choice between the two crews, he chose the second and was now patiently waiting for the next caller that needed the service. The woman he signed up with on the phone told him that he was next in line and that someone would probably call within the next few days. Dan was happy to hear that and was kind of excited to see where he would be spending a few hours a week cleaning.

The call came when he was swinging his feet off a wall on his college campus. He had stopped there to eat lunch but when he dug through his backpack, it turned out that he had forgotten his lunch after all. But his sour mood was flipped when he got his first assignment and he hopped off the wall immediately to start pacing as he talked to his management. The woman was going to email him the information he needed - the address, short details of the job, the hours, and he was to go over on Friday to meet the client. Ultimately, the client would decide what the final hours would be and he would supply Dan with the right cleaning supplies for the job.

“Thank you so much,” Dan said to the woman on the other side of the line, hanging up and checking his email immediately. Sure enough, an email with an address was sitting pretty in his inbox and his short term career that would keep him just busy enough to forget how boring his life could be, was about to begin.



He didn’t think he needed to dress up exactly, he was just going over to clean someone’s house for God’s sake, but that didn’t stop him from changing three times in front of his mirror that morning. He didn’t even know why he was nervous. He didn’t want whoever this person was to think that he was going to slack off and waste their money. He wanted to do a good job, probably because this was his first real job and partly because he wanted to prove something to himself. He was finally getting his life together.

He took the bus to the Manchester flat that he was supposed to arrive at. He was an hour ahead of schedule but he didn’t want to risk some sort of mistake that could delay his arrival. While sitting on the bus, he thought briefly about the year out of Uni he had taken. When he originally told his parents that he wanted to drop out of Law School, they were upset, to say the least. They were loving, but they certainly had something to say when he told them he didn’t think that school was for him. Finally, after weeks of berating, he got through to them and they told him he could take a single year out and see where it led.

And he had.

He lived at home and did nothing, which gave him time to reflect on his life as a whole. His parents had given up the fight but Dan could tell they were itching to kick him out of the house and into the world.

Just because he didn’t move out, didn’t mean he didn’t grow up. He spent a lot of time thinking and growing, but with no direction, he only came back to the conclusion that he had to go back to school. Not for law of course, but something liberal and possibly more fun.

So he sent the University an email, and just like that, he was enrolled again. Starting classes in the fall. Of course, he didn’t want to live in the dorms, so he bought a flat with his savings and started searching for a job.

One of the worst things about living at home, however, something he never really considered being a problem, was how lonely things got. Most people from Dan’s home town had gone off to University and then got jobs in those cities or found another place to live. This left Dan with little friends and not many people to talk to.

No problem. Dan loved to be alone. He wasn’t even someone who ever had too many friends.

But Dan was soon realizing that maybe it wasn’t just friends he wanted. He wanted someone he could cherish and relate to on more than a friendly level. He wanted a family and a dog and someone he could share things with one day. His brother never really cared for the whole “big happy family” image and it was time that Dan found something that could fill that hole.

And here he was, on a bus in Manchester, going over to some person’s house who needed an extra hand cleaning up. It wasn’t exactly the perfect solution to his problem, but it was a step. Cleaning meant money, money meant rent, rent meant school and school meant friends. Yeah. This would work.

So when the bus stopped only blocks away from the place he needed to be, he hopped off and checked the time. Still an hour early. The light traffic had only delayed him two minutes and he sighed. He couldn’t show up early. That would be unprofessional. He looked around the block and then spotted a green logo that he was all too familiar with.

Starbucks.

He shuffled across the street and into the comfortable building, idling in line behind at least 15 other people. Perfect. This would kill some time. It was then that he got an idea. Why not make a good impression? Hopefully, the person who hired him liked coffee.

When he reached the front of the queue, he decided on his drinks of choice.

“Two Caramel Macchiatos please,” Dan ordered, pulling out a wrinkled ten from his pocket. The lady began to make his drinks, slowly, which Dan secretly appreciated, and then handed them over the counter.

Dan checked the clock.

20 minutes.

That was the perfect amount of early, he thought, as he left the Starbucks and headed for the address he needed to be at.

Finally, he arrived outside of the apartment, totally out of breath. He had to climb a few flights of stairs to get to this door and he hoped the person on the other side could appreciate that. Dan was not into exercise. Not even slightly.

He hesitated, fixed his shirt, tucked one of the coffees under his wing and then hovered his fist over the door. Here goes nothing.

Knock, knock, knock.

There were an agonizing 23 seconds before someone fiddled with the lock on the other side. Dan straightened himself as best he could while he waited for the person, who seemed to be struggling, to open the door.

Just before Dan thought the person on the other side was actually stuck, the lock clicked and the door began to part. And that’s when Dan’s stomach fell to his feet. The person he was staring at, was not just a middle aged man with a beer gut and bald spot as he kind of expected. This man was probably the closest thing Dan had ever seen to Godly. His black hair was a little ruffled and he clearly hadn’t slept well in a few nights, his eyes sinking in only slightly, but he had the most beautiful blue eyes Dan had ever seen. They pierced his own brown ones as they looked him up and down. Usually, Dan would find this rude, however, he would be a hypocrite if he accused this man because he was giving him a good once over as well. His blue shirt seemed purposeful to match his sparkling eyes and it seemed his jeans had faded. Dan wondered when the last time this man went shopping was and whether he actually cared.

Dan hoped he hadn’t stared for too long, his eyes wandering back up to the man’s blue ones, waiting for him to say something. It seems he had gotten lost in thought as well and he startled Dan a bit with a little cough.

“Wow. You really are young,” the man opened with, blinking a couple times as he backed up and away from the door. Dan didn’t know what he meant by that, but he decided not to let it offend him. He needed this job. If the guy thought he looked young, fine. That’s when the door swung open and the black haired boy nodded him inside.

“Thanks,” Dan mumbled as he kept his eyes glued to the floor. He didn’t want to be rude, so he waited for the man to close the door and then walk in front of him and into the house first. “I-I…brought you some coffee.”

The man paused and turned slightly towards Dan as they walked, glancing at the cup in Dan’s left hand.

“Oh…you didn’t have to. I have a coffee machine here, in fact, I was going to ask if you-”

“It’s a Caramel Macchiato,” Dan interrupted, cutting off the older man’s rambling. He stopped talking and blinked a few more times at the drink, taking it and sipping.

“That’s amazing.” He grinned after tasting it and nodding.

“Have you never had a Caramel Macchiato before?” Dan asked, surprised. This guy lived across the street from a Starbucks. That had to be a crime.

But the man let out a hearty, but quiet, laugh.

“Oh no no. I have, I have.” He took another sip. “It’s amazing that you knew it was my favorite.”

Dan kind of blushed, happy that he could deliver this man something that he wanted. Even if he didn’t ask. That made him feel good. Like maybe this was a sign.

“I’m sorry, I never introduced myself,” the man said after a silent moment. He put down the coffee and reached for Dan’s hand. “I’m Phil Lester. Thank you for coming.”

“Dan,” He said only his first name, not sure why he would need to divulge his personal information to a stranger. Dan was cleaning Phil’s house, so knowing his last name seemed appropriate, but Phil wasn’t cleaning Dan’s apartment. So it shouldn’t matter. “Nice to meet you.”

It was then that Dan remembered what he was doing here. He wasn’t just here to make small talk with some beautiful boy in this tiny kitchen. He was here to discuss his new employment.

That was when Dan noticed. He glanced around the tiny kitchen and something in his brain clicked. This man was clearly a mess. His kitchen looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. There were things of all shapes and sizes on the counter. Phil’s coffee cup was sitting in the only free space that there was. And holy hell, if this guy’s kitchen looked like this, he didn’t even want to think about his lounge.

It seemed that Phil noticed that Dan was now taking in his surroundings and it was almost like his face dropped and he looked a tad ashamed.

“I know…I know…” Phil muttered. “This is why you’re here.”

He gestured to the room and slumped, his hip hitting the counter where he was standing.

To most people, this would look like a nightmare. Something that nobody would want to tackle. But Dan, he liked to organize, especially when it wasn’t his stuff. He laughed a little at himself in his head, kind of getting excited to clean up this person’s household. He was a curious guy and he secretly wondered if there was anything fun he’d be able to piece together while he went through Phil’s things.

Then it occurred to him that maybe it wasn’t just Phil. Maybe there was someone else living here too. Someone just as messy.

Wow, Dan really had his work cut out for him.

“I can give you the tour if you’d like?” Phil said, his eyebrows up in anticipation. It was clear that he wasn’t really much for human interaction either. Dan was sort of relieved because this meant there wouldn’t be much pressure when he came over to help out. “But please do your best to be quiet. Scarlett is napping.”

Ah, Scarlett. Perhaps that was this man’s girlfriend? Or maybe his wife…?

Phil led Dan down the hallway and into the lounge where Dan was stepping over items of clothing. There wasn’t really a place to stand and if he was being honest, it was worse than the kitchen. There were things everywhere. And only a tiny patch of carpet over by the couch. Right next to the…

What was that?

Dan stepped closer as Phil watched and he realized that what he was staring at was a little swing. One for a baby. Dan glanced over at Phil who gave him no reaction, seeing nothing wrong with the objects littering his living room. Did Scarlett and Phil use to have a baby? Was that why Phil needed help cleaning? Was he afraid to touch any of the child’s stuff?

It was not Dan’s job to ask questions, so he just shrugged and nodded. Thankfully, Phil spoke then.

“So, for the first couple weeks, it would be great if you could come three times a week.” He looked around. “I kind of have a deadline. I need everything to be clean by the beginning of the new year. January first. You think that’s possible?”

Dan nodded. Of course, that was possible. It was nearing the end of November and he was sure he could get this all clean by then.

“So I’m thinking three hours a day? Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?” Phil proposed, cocking his head. “Unless you have other things to do on those days in which you can choose which-”

“Sounds good,” Dan stumbled out, smiling and nodding. “No problem.”

“Great!” Phil exclaimed, suddenly hushing himself by throwing a hand over his lips. “Are you free to start today?”

Dan nodded and in his head, he tried to figure out what to start with. This was going to take him a few weeks to manage, especially if Phil and two other humans were trailing behind him and messing it up every couple days.

But he was getting paid to clean up other people’s messes. He wasn’t complaining. This would work out just fine.

Phil nodded, stood there for a second and then he cleared his throat. “Well if you have any questions, just ask. I’ll be in the kitchen making lunch. Do you like pancakes?”

Dan gave him a singular nod, to be polite, and then watched as Phil scurried out of the room. He took off his shoes and put them in the corner of the lounge where they wouldn’t get lost among Phil’s objects, then he sat down in the middle.

“Oh, and Dan?”

Dan looked up at Phil’s head that had popped around the corner.

“Do your best to be quiet. I don’t want to wake her.”

Dan nodded and offered a half smile.

Okay. Time to organize.



-



Phil made pancakes in the kitchen and took his time. Dan was sifting through objects in Phil’s house and for some reason, Phil didn’t really mind. He thought that this would bother him - the idea of someone going through his and Scarlett’s stuff. But Dan seemed like a nice guy who would mind his own business and stay out of Phil’s life. At least for everything that wasn’t cleaning related.

Once he made a full plate of pancakes, he collected a little cup of syrup and walked into the lounge. He had learned to be light on his feet because of Scarlett but when he rounded the corner with the plate, it seemed that Dan hadn’t even noticed. Phil watched for only a moment as Dan sifted through a few things, tossing them into about four separate piles. One was baby clothes, one was toys, one was electronics and the other seemed to be just about everything else. The lounge’s state hadn’t changed much, however, at the speed Dan was going, Phil was sure that things could get done by the time Scarlett came to visit.

“Pancakes are ready,” Phil spoke at normal volume, but Dan jumped almost entirely out of his skin. He nearly screamed, but Phil watched his hand fly up to his mouth, covering it and not making a sound. Phil would have considered how sweet this was if he wasn’t already chuckling. “Sorry. Didn’t meant to startle you.”

“That’s okay.” Dan swiveled around and reached out for the plate that Phil was clearly in the process of bringing him. “Thanks.”

“Sure.” Phil handed him the fork from his other hand and stepped over one of the piles to sit on the couch. He watched as the younger boy poked around on the plate and then started eating. “So…you in University?”

Dan nodded, his mouth full of pancake.

“Cool. Cool. I just got out of Uni,” Phil started, realizing that the boy before him was too busy chewing to respond to Phil’s questions. “I graduated with English Literature and film processing.”

Phil saw the younger boy nod and he hummed in approval of the pancakes.

“Yeah, it was pretty cool. Proved to be pretty useful,” Phil laughed. He didn’t want to tell Dan straight out that he made Youtube videos, but when he sat and thought about it for a second, the camera equipment might be a tad suspicious and he didn’t want to give Dan the wrong idea. Especially if the boy would be coming back three times a week. What if Phil was in the middle of making a video? Surely Dan wouldn’t want to be filmed without permission. It was only fair that Phil gave him a warning. “I should warn you now…”

Dan looked up, his chewing paused, as if he was worried that the information would have to do with what he was eating.

“…I’m a Youtuber. So I make videos relatively often. So if I’m ever going around with a camera and talking to myself or Scarlett, that’s pretty regular. Hence the…” Phil pointed to the electronic pile that Dan was probably wondering about. “And I promise I won’t film you or anything. I’ll make sure to cut you out of any shots.”

Dan looked at him and cocked his head. Maybe he recognized him? Sometimes it took people a second.

“What kind of videos do you make?” Dan asked him once he swallowed.

“Oh just uh…vlogs. Sometimes I do little challenges or whatever…” Phil answered. He wasn’t used to people asking questions about his career. Usually, to avoid fan issues, he kept that information to himself. “I mostly like to videotape Scarlett.”

Phil smiled to himself, thinking about the last vlog they had filmed together. He was teaching her to babble and editing that one was probably his favorite one so far. But he didn’t think that Dan wanted to hear about that.

Dan looked confused for a second but he just went back to eating his pancakes.

“Thanks for these,” he said, his mouth still filled to the brim with the fluffy breakfast food. It was lunch time but the boy seemed to be starving. Phil had no idea what this kid’s background was. For all he knew, Dan was working for him to earn money to eat. He didn’t know the demographic of this company’s employees.

“No problem. I can try to have lunch ready for you when you come,” Phil offered. “If that will help you work faster.”

He laughed at his own joke and Dan’s eyes widened.

“Oh no, it’s okay. I just haven’t had pancakes in a while. These are hitting the spot.”

So he wasn’t starving. Thank God.

For some reason, Phil had some inclination to take care of this boy. Whether it was a paternal thing or something else, he fondly watched him eat the last of his pancakes.

“So what are you in Uni for?” Phil asked him, Dan’s head shooting up with a terrified stare and then back down at the plate. He didn’t seem so thrilled about that question. Phil hoped that he didn’t overstep any boundaries.

“Um…I’m not um…quite sure yet. I haven’t decided,” Dan stumbled out, his voice kind of breaking. Phil realized that maybe that wasn’t the best of questions anyway and he bit his lip.

“That’s fine. I’m sure you’ll find something that fits!” Phil said encouragingly, their eyes meeting for a split second. “What made you apply for this job?”

Dan picked at his fingernails. Uh oh. Was that too personal? God Damn it. This is why Phil wasn’t allowed to go outside. Surely he crossed a line. A person in his position shouldn’t ask those kinds of things.

“I mean, you look really young. I didn’t know they let the younger Uni students have jobs like this. You know…so you can focus on your studies and such?”

Dan blinked at him, his eyebrows up in confusion. To be fair, Phil wasn’t really sure what he was asking in the first place. He didn’t really know what he expected as an answer.

“Not saying you are too young to handle a job, I just…” Phil swallowed, his word hole opening wider and swallowing him up.

Phil decided he should let the man he was literally paying to clean his house, do the job he came for before he insulted him with any more personal questions. He stood from the sofa and took the empty plate from the boy in front of him. “Nevermind. I actually have to go…ch-check on Scarlett. I’ll leave you to it then.”

Dan watched as he hastily left the room, Phil attempting to get out of there as fast as possible. He hoped he didn’t make things awkward by asking something too personal. He put Dan’s plate in the sink and then slumped over against the counter.

Fuck.

Human interaction was just as hard as he remembered.

It probably didn’t help that this boy was very attractive.

He thanked the universe that Scarlett was taking an especially long nap today and that Phil had a moment to walk off his ridiculously cringy conversation. He headed down the hallway and shut himself in his own room, sighing and falling back onto his bed. He hoped that Dan didn’t just leave after today. He didn’t have much other choice.



-



Phil was strange.

It wasn’t that Dan didn’t like him, it was just that he seemed like someone Dan would make easy friends with usually. Dan was a tad socially awkward and this guy seemed like he leaked awkward from his ears. He didn’t really know how to stop talking and his brain seemed like it took on the same appearance that the rest of his house did. It was like his mind was in a constant state of clutter and disorganization.

But Dan had a job and that was really all that mattered. He realized that the messier the person, the more money he’d get. Secretly, he was glad that he was assigned this guy’s house. This meant he had a job for a least a few months.

That being said, this was going to be a hard job. Even after spending three hours organizing things into piles, he still only made a dent. Phil had ushered him out quietly after telling him that Scarlett would be waking soon and that Dan should leave before then. Dan agreed and told the man that he would be back on Monday to pick up where he left off. He almost told Phil not to touch his piles, but he assumed that was implied. He hoped that the mess wouldn’t cumulate by the time he came back.

The other strange thing that Dan noticed was the way the Phil talked about his girlfriend. Scarlett seemed like she was very particular. Somone who needs a lot of quiet during a nap and someone who would be disturbed by another human’s presence after waking seemed like a strange person. Then again, Phil was strange so Dan supposed that it fit. He did wonder, however, whether this girlfriend of Phil’s was going to make it hard for Dan to do his job. Did she even know he was doing this for Phil?

And what was the deal with all the baby things? Dan found so many little toys and outfits and he was sure that Phil would have mentioned another human being, baby or not, that lived with them. He was starting to think that maybe Phil was a little more than strange. Was he imagining an infant that lived with him? Was Phil crazy?

Then something occurred to him. Phil was a Youtuber. He mentioned that he liked to film Scarlett. Maybe he could get a better grasp of the person he was dealing with by watching a few of his videos. In fact, it might help him with the cleaning process. He might be able to find homes for things faster if he knew the aesthetic of Phil and his family.

So once Dan’s legs carried him back to his own (very clean) apartment, he hooked up his laptop to the TV and made a little bag of popcorn.

Was this weird?

Yeah, this was definitely weird.

He was about to watch some videos of his boss and his girlfriend before he rifled through all of their stuff for money.

Well. What Phil wouldn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right?

He typed in Phil Lester on Youtube and a bunch of videos popped up. He clicked on the first video he could see and just let it play. He didn’t even bother with a title. He was so impatient sometimes.

Two seconds into the video, Dan already felt like an idiot. There Phil was, gently talking to the camera and bouncing a very very young baby which he addressed as Scarlett immediately.

Oh.

He watched for a few more minutes and then when the video ended, the next one queued up to play. He read the title for this one; “Scarlett’s Origin Story”.

Well, that could be helpful.

He listened carefully as Phil explained a girl in America and their crazy meeting in the city. The story was funny. Phil seemed like a funny guy, but it dawned on Dan that this story didn’t really have the ending he expected. Phil started explaining, in a more serious tone, that Scarlett’s mother was not in the picture anymore and that they don’t actually talk at all. Baby Scarlett entirely belonged to Phil and she was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Dan definitely was a sap, but it was moments like this that he hated to admit it to himself. He was awestruck by this story. Phil was such a genuine human being. He hadn’t even hesitated to adopt this child. Even though he had nobody to help raise it. He even admitted in the video that he was totally scared and that he had no experience with children at all.

Dan supposed that might be why the man’s house was a mess. This guy had no idea what he was doing. Taking care of this child was the only thing he could ever think about because she was the only thing he had.

Dan sat silently for a moment while his computer waited for him to click play again. He couldn’t believe that this person was the same person he was just conversing with.

Phil wasn’t strange or crazy. He was just nervous and awkward. Just like Dan.



Dan would never tell another soul, but he spent the rest of his afternoon watching every vlog this man had uploaded on his channel. In order. He watched little Scarlett in fast-forward through ten months of her life. He started with the videos Phil had on his channel before Scarlett arrived and even then, Phil seemed like such a wonderful guy. He was nerdy and played video games and liked all the same things Dan did. Phil was so cool. And having a child? Well, that just made him cooler.

There was something tugging at Dan’s heart and he couldn’t tell what it was.

Sure, maybe he had a little crush on the man he now worked for. He wasn’t afraid to admit that. But there was something else that he felt deep inside him and he was trying hard not to let that truth reveal itself.



The weekend passed quickly as Dan tried to focus on his own school work, but he was very distracted by the thought of his Monday shift at Phil’s. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would meet the Scarlett that was giggling and babbling in the videos he had just watched. He wanted to maybe express to Phil that they had the same interests, without just going up to him and telling him he just crept on all his videos online. All weekend, he tried to think of a way that he could naturally bring it up. Some way he could mention that he also thought Pokemon was one of the best things ever and that he too found Muse the best band.

When the time finally came, he raised his hand to knock on Phil’s door when he paused. Instead of the silence he heard before, he heard something akin to a tiny giggle coming from inside the door. His stomach dropped and he fought a smile, containing it to inside, then knocking on the door.

There was a shuffle and then the door swung open. This time, the tired man that had greeted him was no longer there. Phil stood before Dan with a wide smile and rosy cheeks and was ushering him inside quickly. There was no baby in Phil’s arms, but when Dan rounded the hallway’s corner into the lounge, he caught sight of who he knew now as Scarlett.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Phil said in a tone that was simply melodic. Dan turned away from the baby who was playing in her little swing and working slowly on a slice of banana (he knew now that Scarlett loved bananas), and over to Phil who was reaching out to shake his hand. He looked flustered and Dan smiled, shaking his hand lightly. “I see you’ve spotted my little pea.”

Dan smiled at the nickname and turned his head again when Phil went to pick the young one from her little swing.

“Come meet, Dan! He’s gonna be cleaning up after you, you little monster!” Phil tickled her little tummy and smushed a kiss into her cheek as he walked towards Dan with the giggling girl. He lifted a hand that was most certainly covered in banana and waved it for her. “Hi, Dan!”

Dan was trying to look at Scarlett, the adorable child that was looking at him with these giant blue eyes, but Dan was quite distracted by the other pair of blue eyes that had landed on him. His great big smile was making Dan feel some sort of way, his stomach fluttering as every single person he’d ever met fell below this man before him. He smiled and forced himself to look at the baby, giving her a tiny wave.

“Hi, Scarlett!” His voice raised an octave and Phil looked pleased. Dan would make that voice every day if he knew it would make Phil’s face look like that. “Your Daddy says it’s your mess, but I believe you. It’s mostly his, isn’t it?”

Phil scoffed playfully and kissed the baby who was coincidentally laughing at Dan’s joke.

“Ha ha. Don’t you have a job to do?” Phil’s laughter getting softer as he neared the baby’s ear. The baby squealed and giggled when Phil tickled her. “I hope we won't distract you. I have a date with this little one.” His voice jumped up an octave and he leaned in to kiss Scarlett’s head as he placed her back in her swing. “We’re gonna watch some Winnie the Pooh, aren’t we??”

Dan stood with a grin, blushing at the name of his favorite childhood show. Not only would Dan not mind, but he was actually excited to sit in a lounge and clean while he listened to Sterling Holloway’s beautiful voice. But he wouldn’t say that out loud.

“Yeah, sure. N-no problem,” Dan stuttered out. He went over to the piles he had formed the other day, thankfully untouched, and was about to sit down when Phil stopped him.

“Wait! Dan. Could you do me a favor? Pretty please?” Phil blinked up at him, his finger being sucked on by the 10-month-old child that was trying to eat a banana. “Could you just put the DVD in the player? I would but…” He gestured to the child that was now gnawing on his finger. “Please? It’s on the table. Right there.”

Dan glanced at the coffee table and found the DVD that Phil was referring to. He didn’t say anything and grabbed the shiny object. He walked over and put it into the DVD player as Phil messed around with the remote, turning the TV on and adjusting the volume.

“Thanks, Dan,” Phil said in his baby voice, pretending to be little Scarlett.

“That’s okay,” Dan smiled and went back over to the piles. He sat down and began to fold some baby clothes from the first pile.

Dan was wrong. This was no longer going to be easy. Cleaning this house with the distraction of Phil and Scarlett was going to be the hardest thing he’s ever done. Phil’s smile and the way he handled his child was something that Dan was going to have to fight not to watch. He had never seen someone glow the way that Phil was glowing. Scarlett was this man’s entire world and it was a wonder that he even noticed Dan at all.



Phil’s tunnel vision for only his daughter proved to be a bit of an obstacle for Dan. Phil was smart enough to give Dan keys after a couple weeks, this way, even if Phil was out and about with Scarlett, Dan could let himself inside and do his job. And as Dan got more comfortable with the house, he was able to find where things went easily and he no longer had to be shown around. As far as the job went, Dan was just dandy. But soon he found himself arriving early, just so he could get more time around the two. He would tell Phil that he accidentally caught the earlier bus and that he figured he’d just get a head start. Some days, Phil didn’t even notice. It’s not like there was a clock on Scarlett and that was the only place Phil bothered to look.

But that was also a problem.

After working for Phil for about 4 weeks, Dan had learned a lot about the man. He was single and had been for as long as Scarlett had existed. His parents didn’t live too far away and he went up to their place nearly every other weekend to see them. It seemed that Phil’s video making schedule was pretty regular. Mostly dropping vlogs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, his followers always praising him for uploading twice a week. Dan was subscribed and wouldn’t miss a single video…even though Phil didn’t know that. Dan also noticed that Phil was on the phone a lot with a girl called Louise. For the first couple weeks, Dan guessed that maybe Phil was dating this woman, but that thought was shut down real quick when Dan overheard him mention something about not even being interested in women so much anymore.

It was the next week that Dan actually met Louise. She came over without warning, which forced Phil to introduce the two when Dan arrived for his cleaning shift. She called him a Dear and Dan thought that she was also giving him a look - yet he couldn’t tell what that look was for exactly.

She was blonde, pretty and super pregnant. She was going to be due “any day now” claimed Phil. He was just as excited for her child as she was and Dan thought it was adorable.



Of course, Dan’s little crush became a big crush. It never faded as Dan hoped it might. He cleaned quietly while he watched the most beautiful man and his daughter live their lives. He knew that the two of them wouldn’t work - because he was a university student without any money and Phil was an established Dad with a high paying job but that made things dangerous because Dan didn’t hold back. He was convinced that any other human being would have caught on by now considering he wasn’t exactly subtle. But because Phil didn’t, it was a fun outlet for his little obsession.

Phil was sitting at the kitchen table with Scarlett, feeding her Cheerios on a regular Wednesday while Dan was organizing the cupboards when Dan heard Scarlett squeal and throw the bowl at the ground. He was going to turn and offer to pick it up, but Phil had already risen and was bending over to pick it up. Of fucking course, Dan’s eyes landed on Phil’s ass and he tried to look away but he found that his eyes didn’t move. Instead of standing up and giving the bowl back to Scarlett, he stood and turned towards Dan who’s face went red and his eyes trailed to the ceiling when he thought Phil saw him staring.

“Oh I know, the floor is so dirty,” Phil laughed, having assumed that Dan was just looking at the floor and not his own ass. God this man was so pure. “Looks like I know what you’re doing on Friday.”

Phil winked as he rinsed off Scarlett's bowl and refilled it with cheerios, only to sit back down and coo at the child who was flailing her arms and giggling.

Dan got off easy that time and he figured it would be the last, but it turned out that Phil was just completely and utterly oblivious.

That same week, Friday, once Dan was finishing his shift, he walked into the lounge to put away a stray wire he had found in the kitchen when he stumbled upon Phil who was making airplane noises and trying to get something into Scarlett’s mouth.

“Scarlett, Baby, you have to eat this! Or the doctor is going to yell at us again,” Phil said, sighing with all the love he could manage. “Please. Be good for Daddy.”

“What are you trying to feed her?” Dan asked Phil, the older man seeming to need the break. He sighed and turned to Dan who was reaching up to put the wire on a high shelf. He hoped that Phil was perhaps checking him out, but when he turned around, Phil was just looking at the back of his head.

“Peas. The doctor said I need to feed her more greens. But she won’t do it!” Phil complained, turning his attention back to the baby. “I don’t want her to get sick.”

Dan nodded, watching as Phil tried again, making a noise with his mouth as the spoon flew in and the baby took what was on it. Dan almost celebrated, but then Scarlett just spit the stuff back up and Phil dropped the spoon, sighing.

“One day you’re gonna need to learn how to swallow!” Phil exclaimed, giving up and turning to Dan who was trying his hardest not to comment on that saying. He was still in University after all and he was ashamed that his mind even went where it did. But then Phil opened his mouth and Dan couldn’t believe what he heard. “You’re just like your mother.”

If Dan had been drinking something, water would have been everywhere. Did Phil really just…?

Dan swiftly left the room before he totally made a fool out of himself laughing and he finished up what he had been doing before he walked into the lounge. He left without saying goodbye that day because he couldn’t face Phil with the image that he had left in his head. If only Phil knew what he did to Dan.



It was almost the end of December, only a few weeks left, and Dan had cleaned almost the entire house. The only rooms left were Phil’s bedroom and their bathroom. Dan planned to tackle the bathroom first because he figured that would be the least invasive, however, once he let himself in and he wandered down the hall, he realized that Phil and Scarlett were in the bathroom today. Dan thought that maybe Phil was just changing her diaper, as he sometimes did in the bathroom, but when he turned the corner and poked his head in, he nearly choked on his own breath. What he saw was too much, yet he couldn’t look away.

On his knees, on the bathroom floor, Phil sat with his clothes in a pile on the floor beside him. He was wearing a soaked pair of boxers and his hair was dripping. He looked frustrated, but Scarlett was giggling inside the tub with bubbles covering her entire body.

Dan would have said something, but he didn’t want the scene that was happening before him to stop. He watched as Scarlett threw bubbles at Phil’s head and as Phil wiped his face with a towel that wasn’t really doing much anymore.

“Letty please. We have to get you rinsed off,” Phil tried to guide a cup of water over her head, but Scarlett squealed, thinking it was a game and flailing her arms. Phil huffed out a little chuckle, probably on the fence of thinking this was super cute and totally annoyed with his daughter. “This is not the time to be cheeky! Dan will be here any second and I want to be dressed.”

Dan tensed up at the use of his name. He felt a little bad about creeping like this, but now that Phil said he didn’t want him to see him undressed, it would be weird if he announced his presence all of a sudden. She should have backed away and found something else to do, but his body wouldn’t move.

“Ahhh!” Scarlett squealed, her arms rising above her tiny body as she grabbed at the cup Phil was holding. Phil smiled at her and shook his head. “Ah ah gah!”

“Yes, Daddy’s gonna wash you off now, okay?” Phil tried again, this time somewhat successful. “Good girl!”

Scarlett was babbling and clapping her hands in the water when suddenly she looked up and directly at Dan. She stilled and Dan panicked.

Phil continued to rinse her off, smiling now because she was finally staying still.

“You’re being so good for Daddy! Such a good girl!” He soothed her as he rinsed the last of the soap from her shoulders.

Dan was still frozen. He knew he should have walked away, however, something told him to stay. He was about to just disappear down the hallway and pretend he had just arrived, but Scarlett had other plans. She squealed and lifted her arm, pointing at the door frame.

“Dada! Da-Dan!”

Dan’s eyes went wide and Phil’s head whipped around. Dan was going to retreat but it was too late. Phil had seen him and his face was going redder by the second.

“Oh! Dan…I uh…” He looked down at his state of undress and blushed even harder. “I know you said you’d clean the bathroom today. I’ll be out of the way in…uh…” He glanced at a grinning Scarlett. “Just a second, okay?”

Dan nodded and suddenly, his feet worked. He darted down the hall and made himself comfortable in the clean kitchen that had plenty of places to sit now. He felt kind of bad that he had just watched Phil bathe his child and he debated just leaving altogether, but before he could bring himself to do that, Phil appeared, frazzled and somewhat dressed, holding his baby girl in a towel.

“Sorry…bathroom’s all yours,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “She was a bit much today. I tried to be fast.”

“No problem…” Dan got to his feet and headed to the bathroom, slinking past the man who was still blushing. He got to the bathroom and shut the door immediately. The room was a mess but he didn’t mind. The longer he could be in there, the longer he could hide from Phil and that awkward conversation about why he was creeping on Phil during bath time.

He cleaned for an hour and a half, the bathroom looking better than ever when he emerged. He wandered down the hallway to the lounge where he found Phil and Scarlett taking a nap on the couch. Dan almost winced at how cute the image was. Phil was snoring, his glasses sitting askew on his face while he cradled the young girl on his chest. Phil was much too tall for the couch, so his feet hung off the edge and Scarlett had her tiny fist in her mouth as she breathed softly. Dan was going to ask if Phil wanted him to try to tackle the bedroom today, but he decided he better not. He swallowed and cocked his head at the sight before him.

It scared him how much he longed to be a part of this life. Sure, he liked Phil. The man was cute and considerate and the way he handled Scarlett was a massive turn on to Dan… but there was something else about this life that Dan craved. He looked at Scarlett and he felt something inside him flip. Something that made him entirely sure he wanted kids one day. Something that assured him that this was the life he wanted. Something that gave him the craving for someone like Phil. Something that drove him to pull his phone out of his pocket and take a picture of the two lying unconsciously on the couch.

He felt wrong immediately but he couldn’t delete it. There was something so sweet about that picture and it only made Dan happier to know he could access it whenever.

He left early that day because he felt bad. He’d done two creepy things in one day and he felt terrible about it. Who the fuck was Dan to take advantage of an oblivious father and his sleeping daughter? He only let himself look at the photo once while he was serving himself dinner for one, smiling at the memory of a father’s snores and a daughter’s smile.



Phil called Dan and told him that he could take Monday off. Dan panicked because he thought it was because Phil felt uncomfortable, but really, Phil explained it was because Louise was scheduled to go into labor and Phil wanted to be there for the birth of her child. Scarlett just stayed with Phil’s parents when Phil returned from that weekend and joined Louise at the hospital.

So when Dan appeared at Phil’s on Wednesday, he immediately asked how the birth went. Phil sighed and shook his head, bouncing Scarlett on his hip.

“She hasn’t had the baby yet. The hospital said it’s not quite ready to come out yet,” Phil chuckled. “That’s how you know it’s Louise’s. It’s gonna make all of us wait on it.”

Dan laughed. He didn’t know much about Louise, but he knew enough to know that Phil was right. It was certainly her child.

“So you’re tackling the bedroom today, yeah?” Phil asked, Dan getting himself a glass of water. Phil kept offering during the first few weeks, so Dan took it upon himself to do it right away instead. Phil played with a lock of Scarlett's hair as he talked. “I hope it’s not too bad in there.”

“Can’t be worse than your lounge,” Dan joked, taking a sip of the water. “However, if there’s anything you don’t want me to see, go hide it now.”

Dan winked and Phil laughed, but he was looking at Scarlett and not even glancing in Dan’s direction.

“Scarlett and I are gonna-”

His sentence was cut off when the phone rang and Scarlett let out a little wail. It had obviously scared her and Phil did his best to shush her while he answered.

“Hello?” His eyebrows went up as he listened. Scarlett was whimpering and Dan was standing there wishing he could do something to cheer her up. He elected to make a face and Scarlett seemed to enjoy that. “Really? Right now?” Phil glanced at what was happening and tried to make a smile. “I-I…I can’t. You know that. I have Scarlett.” He kissed her cheek gently as the bouncing slowed. “I know…I want to be there Louise, but my parents live a few hours away and I can’t-” Phil sighed. “I know…”

It suddenly clicked and Dan understood what was happening.

Louise was going into Labor and wanted Phil to be there.

“I’m sorry Louise. I know I said I’d be there…” Phil’s face had fallen and he looked really sad. “I don’t have a sitter and they don’t let babies in the room while you’re in labor.”

Dan hesitated and he looked at Scarlett who was starting to sniffle the tears away.

“But good luck. I know you can do it without m-”

“I can watch her.”

Phil looked up at Dan, his eyes blown wide. Almost like he hadn’t expected Dan to say anything of the sort.

“What?” Phil asked, putting the phone to his shoulder.

“I could watch her. Scarlett, I mean,” Dan clarified, blinking a few times at Phil who looked hesitant.

“I…I couldn’t make you do that, Dan. It’s fine. Louise will be-”

“Seriously. I’ll take care of her. Louise needs you,” Dan cut him off, pleading with his eyes. Phil never noticed him. He didn’t see Dan as anything but his housekeeper and if Dan was being honest, he wanted Phil to see him as something else. Someone who could take care of his daughter if he needed to. He didn’t know why, but he really really wanted to do it.

“…you…wouldn’t know where everything is. I can’t ask you to-”

“Phil. I clean your house. I know where everything is,” Dan argued. Phil looked like he was about to say something else, but Dan spoke so he couldn’t. “I know she needs a nap around 3:00 pm, I know she loves bananas and needs to be force fed peas, I know she loves Winnie the Pooh and that she’ll fall asleep faster when she’s lying on someone’s chest. I know she thinks it’s funny when you hold things above her head, I know where the diapers are and what it smells like when she needs a change. I know her bedtime is at 8:30, but it’s 9:00 when she’s napped for longer than an hour. I know she hates when you lie her on the ground and walk away but she loves the swing and can be in it for hours without getting bored. I know you give her the little marshmallows from Lucky Charms when she’s good and I promise you I know that you can’t leave her for longer than a minute.”

Dan exhaled and Phil’s mouth dropped.

“Please, Phil. Let me take care of her. Go be with Louise.”

It was almost like Phil was too shocked to speak. He looked at Scarlett and put his forehead to hers. She leaned forward and gave him a little open mouth kiss on the nose and then both of their blue eyes were on Dan.

“Okay Louise. I’ll be there in 15.”

Phil hung up the phone and stared at Dan for a moment.

“Her lunch is in the fridge,” Phil said quietly and then Dan was being handed the child who was grabbing onto his shirt to hold on tight. Phil stared at Dan skeptically as he started walking from the room and into the hallway where his shoes were sitting by the door. Scarlett squealed happily when one of her hands found Dan’s hair and she tugged. Dan laughed and he followed Phil with a little bounce in his step.

“You have my number, Phil. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her,” Dan kissed the young girl’s cheek and Phil stared for one more second as he put on his coat. Then he nodded.

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” Phil said, his frazzled little wave made Dan’s heart melt. And then the door shut and Dan was all by himself with his second favorite human on the planet.



-



Phil rushed as fast as he could to the hospital. Thank goodness he only lived a couple blocks away. On every other occasion, he hated it because the ambulances always woke baby Scarlett. However, today, he could be with his friend in less than ten minutes and he was entirely grateful.

While he was speed walking down the pavement, he thought about his housekeeper and his baby girl, his mind not above worrying. He trusted Dan. Dan had a key and he had been around them enough for Phil to know that he wasn’t going to rob or hurt or purposely injure his child. Dan was a good guy. Phil could tell that much. Phil was certainly surprised when Dan told him all of that information about Scarlett. Information that he definitely hadn’t told him. Or had he…?

Phil knew he was pretty oblivious when it came to people that were not his daughter but it shocked him that Dan would even be willing to do this for him. It’s not like they had a really personal relationship. Not to mention, it seemed that Dan rarely interacted with Scarlett in the first place. He was always just kind of there. He supposed he’d rather that than hire a random stranger to watch his child.

Phil ran into the hospital and went up to the receptionist, asking for Louise. She directed him to the E wing where he scoured the hall for Louise’s room. It was not hard to find because Phil could actually hear Louise before he found her room number. She did not sound thrilled to be there.

He burst into the room and Louise’s eyes sparkled. Her smile told the doctors that it was alright for Phil to be there. She was huffing and puffing and Phil did his best not to notice that her legs were spread and that doctors were working their hardest to get her to push.

“Phil…Phil…” Louise panted, her eyes shutting. “Distract me. Talk about something cheeky. Make me laugh.”

“Okay…uh…Scarlett called Catherine Gan-um yesterday. That’s the closest she’s gotten to grandmother yet!” Phil said, getting a little excited for his own daughter’s accomplishment. Louise glared at him and then sighed, her eyes shutting from the pain.

“Okay…Phil. I’m saying this because I’m pushing a watermelon through my vagina as we speak. I need you to talk about something else. Anything else. Tell me what you did in Uni. Tell me an embarrassing story. I can’t hear about Scarlett right now, Sweetie. As if I do, I might not be able to push this thing OUT!” She squealed the last bit of her sentence and Phil’s eyes went wide. He fished in his mind for something that wasn’t Scarlett related. For the past 11 months, his life had been nothing but Scarlett. So he was totally blanking. “PHIL!”

“Okay…okay…uh…” Phil’s eyes shut as he thought for a moment. “Uh…Dan walked in on me nearly naked the other day.”

Louise’s eyes opened and they landed on Phil.

“ANd?” Louise’s voice cracked. She seemed interested.

“And it was really awkward because I think he was standing there for a while and I can’t for the life of me understand why he would watch me give Scarlett a bath…” Phil mumbled as Louise blinked at him. “He offered to watch Scarlett today and I’m a little worried. He knows so much about her. I have no idea where he got all that information…”

Louise was pushing and gripping at the side of the bed.

“Phil…” Louise whined. “You’re such a fucking idiot.”

Phil furrowed his brows. Usually, they tell you that you’re supposed to let the women who are giving birth insult you, but he wasn’t exactly sure he knew what that was for.

“…what?”

“I said…” Louise let out a little grunt and a half scream. “You’re a fucking IDIOT.”

Phil didn’t know what to say. “W-why?”

Louise was panting, but she kept speaking. “Dan…Dan likes you, Phil. He likes you a lot. I can see it in his eyes.”

“He what?”

“He likes you! Phil! He’s constantly looking at you. Whenever I’m over, it seems it’s all he’s doing,” Louise explained while she took a moment to breathe. “He’s not being creepy. He just cares. He cares enough to know what Scarlett needs. You are just too absorbed in your daughter's aura that you can’t see his heart eyes.”

“But he’s so young…” Phil said, shaking his head. Louise laughed.

“That company only hires you if you’re over 20. He’s not younger than that, I promise,” Louise tried pushing again. “Besides…it doesn’t…matter…how old he is…if you like him…ask him…” She screamed. “OUT!”

Her panting was getting heavier and Phil was trying to take in the information he was receiving and the birthing that was happening all around him.

“Plus, when’s the last time you got laid, hm?” Louise squeaked, the doctors giving the two a humored glance. “I think you could use it.”

“Almost there, Louise. You’re doing great. One last big push, okay?” One of the doctors coaxed her into pushing again, Louise’s face scrunching up.

“Phil Lester, you’re a great…guy…but seriously. Open your fucking…” Louise screamed and her hand reached out and grabbed Phil’s. “EYES!”

Phil bit his lip because Louise was a lot stronger than he anticipated, his hand crumbling under the pressure of her grip. That was going to bruise. But then, both of them froze when they heard the faint sound of a baby crying.

Originally, Phil wanted to be here because he wanted to support his friend that had been here all along. But now he was grateful that he came because he missed the birth of his own child. This was the one thing in his child’s life that he missed and he was glad that he could be a part of Louise’s child’s life in this way. She already told him that he was the Godfather of her children and of course, she was Scarlett’s Godmother. But being here for this was something he could never have imagined.

The baby was cleaned off and swaddled, getting returned quickly to Louise’s arms. Her tears were running down her cheeks and in that moment, Phil knew what it was like to see him with his child. Louise, who was previously entirely invested in his Dan story, now looked like she didn’t even know he was there. Phil smiled and reached forward to pet the little boy’s foot. He remembered when Scarlett’s feet were that small. He remembered her hand barely being able to wrap around his thumb. He couldn’t believe she had gotten that big that fast.

“Congratulations, Louise,” Phil said, her smile bigger than it had been before. She was kissing the child’s head while it squirmed in her arms.

“I’m sorry, Sir. We have to do a series of tests and if you aren’t family, I’m afraid you’ll have to sit outside,” one of the nurses told him. Louise didn’t even bat an eyelash and it seemed his job was done. Louise could thank him later and he could go home and check on Dan and Scarlett.



He opened the door to his flat and heard nothing. For a moment, it concerned him that all the lights were out, but upon further inspection, he realized that the lights in the lounge were on. He crept into the lounge where he spotted Dan on the same couch he is usually sprawled on, holding a little Scarlett on his chest. She was freshly changed into pajamas and it seemed that she was sound asleep. Dan was also asleep, however, his arms were clutched around the baby as if not to let her fall. He was holding her so tightly that Phil was impressed. It took him months to master the art of holding his child and sleeping as well.

He left them for a moment to go shuck his coat and his shoes. He checked the time. He was only gone for two hours and Dan wasn’t even technically done with his work day. He debated waking them, but then he thought about how waking Dan would also wake Scarlett and that he just couldn’t do. So he went to the kitchen and quietly made two sandwiches for him and Dan to share.

He heard a little bit of shuffling from the lounge and Phil stayed quiet. He didn’t want to startle Dan so he waited to see if Dan would go back to sleep. Instead, Dan had gotten up carefully, a sleeping Scarlett in his arms, and carried her to her bedroom. He must have gently put her down in her crib because a few seconds later, he reappeared in the hallway as he slowly and carefully shut the door to her room.

That’s when he saw Phil watching him.

He blushed a little and watched his feet as he padded into the kitchen, smiling at Phil and noticing the sandwich on the counter.

“Is this for me?” He spoke so quietly as if Scarlett was asleep right there in that room. Phil nodded as Dan rinsed off his hands in the sink and picked up the sandwich. “Thanks.”

“No, thank you, Dan,” Phil said, not able to express his gratitude enough. “I’ll make sure I pay you extra for today.”

“No, Phil, it’s fine. I had a good time. Really. Don’t worry about it,” Dan said, his mouth full of sandwich. They were still talking so softly that Phil actually leaned in to hear Dan better.

“I really appreciate what you did. Louise was very happy that I could make it,” Phil explained. Dan nodded while he ate, his smile allowing a few crumbs to fall from his mouth and onto the plate.

“Really, it’s no problem,” Dan said again, shoving the rest of the sandwich into his mouth and standing up straight. He seemed not to notice how close Phil had gotten to him until he stood.

“I didn’t realize you knew so much about Scarlett,” Phil praised, wanting to express how impressed he actually was. “You’re really good with her.”

“Well, I’m around you guys enough. It’s not terribly difficult to pick up,” Dan said. “N-not saying it’s not hard to be a dad…cause you do a great job it’s just…yeah…”

Phil laughed lightly and nodded.

“I get it,” he took Dan’s plate, his arm brushing against Dan’s as he did. “She didn’t give you any trouble, did she?”

“Nope,” Dan smiled proudly. “I even got her to eat her peas!”

Phil turned his head and nearly dropped the plate in the sink.

“What?” He gasped. “You didn’t.”

“I did. Look,” he pointed at the empty can of baby peas on the counter. “Seems like she’s better for me than she is for daddy.”

Phil watched as the younger boy smirked. He couldn’t help but think about what Louise said. Dan liked him ?

There was no way.

“Maybe you have more uses than just a house keeper…” Phil said, wiping his hands off on the towel that Dan had conveniently hung on the oven’s handle. “I guess I know who to call when the doctor yells at us again.”

“I’d be happy to help,” Dan said, his eyes making contact with Phil’s.

For the first time since he’d met Dan, he finally was getting a good look at the younger boy’s eyes. They were light brown with little flecks of yellow that only showed themselves when the light hit them just right. His fringe was much like Phil’s but Dan’s was brown and he could just barely see his eyes through the right side. Phil smiled down at the boy and suddenly his mind reminded him of the way he found his daughter and Dan, sleeping on the couch in the lounge.

There was nobody on the planet that was good enough for his daughter. Not even Phil. But right now, in this kitchen, he was staring at someone who might be as good as it got.

Phil had never felt this way about another person before and it was clear that Dan was something special because of it.

Phil decided, because he didn’t want to lose his chance, to lean in first. But thank God he did, because Dan was soon leaning too and then there was a kiss. A kiss that knocked Phil off his feet. Not literally, but when his arms wrapped themselves around the boy in front of him, it was as if he needed to hold on. Dan snaked his arms around him, the same arms that were only moments before, cradling his daughter. Dan was warm, from his lips to his hands to his chest, and Phil hummed as their lips moved against one another.

Neither felt like they wanted to pull apart, but Phil didn’t want to get carried away just yet so he gently pulled back and let go of his gentle grip on Dan’s lips. He glanced at Dan who had his eyes shut and smile on his lips.

Surprisingly, Dan spoke first.

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that for so long…” he admitted, his eyes opening and landing on Phil who was blushing. He didn’t just hand out kisses to everyone and this was kind of a first-time experience for him. Sure, Scarlett was a fairly sudden relationship but they only kissed after a week and a half of casual dating. Dan looked new to this as well and Phil was grateful for that. “You have no idea.”

“Well, I’m glad you waited…” Phil scratched the back of his head. “How long…may I ask?”

Dan chuckled and looked at his feet.

“Since day one…” He didn’t sound ashamed. “But you didn’t notice, huh?”

Now it was Phil’s turn to laugh. He shook his head.

“Nope. I clearly wasn’t paying attention,” Phil sighed. “I get a little…wrapped up sometimes.”

“I know…it’s cute.”

Phil wasn’t used to being called cute. This made him very happy and he bit his lip.

“So…does this mean you wanna maybe…” Dan started, trying to lead this conversation that Phil wasn’t exactly helping with. “Ask me out?”

That’s when Phil’s face turned serious. He did. He really did. But there were some things Dan needed to know first.

“Dan…” Phil started, Dan’s eyes meeting his. “My daughter is everything to me. Everything. And I like you. I really really like you. But you have to know that you will always come second to my daughter.”

Dan nodded, completely comprehending this condition.

“You must know that if you agree to be with me…you are also agreeing to be with my daughter,” Phil explained. “If that is okay with you…then yes, I suppose I do want to ask you out.”

Dan did a little wiggle and he flung his arms up around Phil’s neck.

“There’s nothing I would love more than that,” he said, his eyes sparkling the way Louise seemed to have noticed before he had.

“And there is nothing I’d love more than to make you dinner tonight. Care to stay?” Phil asked, kissing the brown haired boy once more.

“Absolutely.”



-



Dan had gone home that night completely giddy. Phil made him dinner and all three of them enjoyed each other’s company while they ate some ravioli. Dan showed Phil how he got Scarlett to eat her peas and Phil was forever grateful for the trick.

He felt like he was walking on cloud nine. Dan was finally filling that hole that he so desperately needed to be filled. Everything was running smoothly.

He was running his usual hour early on January 1st when he let himself into Phil’s flat. It was 10:00 am and Phil had told him to be there by 11:00.

“Phil!” Dan shouted, hearing a baby’s laugh from the kitchen so he knew she couldn’t have been asleep. He rounded the corner and found Scarlett in her high chair chewing on some cheerios. “Phil I’m here!”

Phil wasn’t in the room so Dan assumed he had gone to take one of his world famous fast showers. He could leave Scarlett in her high hair for about 5 minutes before she freaked out from loneliness.

Dan reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a fresh banana that he had picked up from the Starbucks across the street. Along with a fresh Caramel Macchiato for Dan and Phil to share. He opened the banana and broke it into tiny, tiny pieces for Scarlett to eat.

“Happy Birthday, Letty,” Dan kissed the top of her head and she grabbed at him. He pointed to the banana that was now sitting on her tray. “Here. Have some banana.”

She squealed in approval as she picked up a piece with her tiny fingers.

“You better be good for Daddy today. He’s stressing out a lot. You have no idea,” Dan watched as she chewed happily. “But I know you’ll be good for him because you always are, aren’t you?”

Scarlett was coming from America today. She was planning to stay with Phil for a couple days and Dan had offered to help out. Phil took the offer graciously and Dan said he’d be over as early as he needed him. An hour early, in fact. The apartment was totally clean and it was all thanks to Dan's hard work. He was happy to do it honestly, especially since Phil was rather stressed about their American visitor. Phil just wanted to prove that he was taking good care of their baby girl. Dan insisted to him that no matter what, Scarlett was happy and her mother should be too, but Phil was still nervous and Dan couldn't blame him.

Dan was sitting and sipping their coffee when a dripping wet and discombobulated Phil rushed into the room. He looked like he was ready to do damage control, as he didn’t know that Dan had arrived, but when he saw the younger boy sitting on the chair and he realized he was wearing only a couple towels (one around his waist and the other around his neck), he blushed from head to toe.

“Oh…Hi Dan,” he smiled, his hand instinctively grabbing at the towel that was hanging low on his waist. “You’re here early…”

“And you’re not dressed,” Dan stood and lifted the coffee to Phil’s lips for him, his partner taking a couple sips and smiling. Dan planted a kiss on Phil’s lips and they both turned to Scarlett who had released a giggle. “Go. Get dressed. I’ll watch her.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, you spoon, go,” Dan slapped the man on his ass lightly and Phil glared at him.

“Hey. Not in front of Scarlett.”

Dan rolled his eyes and turned around.

“I don’t know, I think she wants to see you get beat. Don’t you, Letty?” Dan cooed, sitting down next to her. She clapped her hands and Dan raised an eyebrow at Phil.

“No she doesn’t,” Phil whimpered, smiling at the little girl before him. “You’re a bad influence.”

“Sure I am,” Dan smiled. “Guess who brought her a banana on her birthday?”

Phil rolled his eyes and turned to head back down the hallway.


Once Scarlett had finished eating all she could, Dan picked her up and shuffled down the hallway with her to find his boyfriend.

He hopped on the unmade bed (that he promised he would make for Phil later) with his daughter. She lied on his stomach and garbled while Dan played with her little fingers. Phil came into the bedroom, dressed to impress, but Dan was far too distracted with Scarlett to notice.

And that’s how Phil knew that Dan was perfect for them. He had won the love of Scarlett Lester.