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It was a dreary morning; the kind that gives you headaches because it's so dull and grey.
Dan was thankful that it wasn't raining.
He had just finished his morning class and today's lesson had been particularly tough and physical; lots of dancing and singing, repeating the same numbers over and over again until they were perfect. Though he was pleased that the dances looked good and that the songs sounded faultless, he left the studio feeling tired and fed up, with a throat that was dry from singing his solos too many times and knees that were going to be bruised because of multiple kneel-slides.
Dan felt at peace when he was on stage. Applause to him felt like a "welcome home" hug, and though in person he seemed shy and awkward, on stage he shone, and even when he didn't play the protagonist he stole the show with his talent. He was the envy of every other musical theater student... yet he felt as though he had no friends in the Performing Arts Department.
His one friend, his best friend PJ, was a science student and it was very rare that he and Dan would be in the same place at the same time on campus, but they had known each other for years and were as close as brothers, despite not being around each other all the time.
Dan pulled his phone out of the side pocket of his back pack and checked the time. He knew that they had been rehearsing for longer than usual, but he didn't realise that they had skipped lunch and that it was now half past two. As if on cue, Dan's stomach growled with hunger. Usually Dan went home for lunch, he only lived a few minutes away from the campus, but he had another class in an hours time, so he decided to go to the café across the college grounds, where he could also sit down in a quiet corner and go over his lines for the next class.
It was a Monday, and campus was quiet due to the amount of students who stayed at home sleeping off hangovers from the weekend. Dan didn't really go out, usually he and PJ would stay at his house and watch horror movies, play Mario Cart and just chill. He preferred his weekends that way.
When he stepped inside the café the smell of coffee and the feeling of warmth engulfed him and he released a content sigh. It was one of those coffee places that stayed open until the early hours of the morning so the nocturnal students who studied at night would have somewhere to go to escape the loneliness of their rooms. He hadn't been in here in a while, usually he came here when stress got too much and he needed a caffeine fix before heading off to rehearsals that could run late into the night. Apart from a frazzled looking girl sat by the window typing furiously on her laptop there was no one else in the little coffee shop. Dan made his way up to the counter and surveyed the menu despite already knowing what he wanted. He couldn't see anyone behind the till. Feeling puzzled, he peered over the counter top to see if someone was crouching down or something, but just to make sure that someone was there. He really didn't expect to see the most gorgeous boy ever sitting cross legged on the floor staring intently at his Nintendo DS.
Dan didn't say anything for fear of disturbing him, but he just stood looking, taking all of him in. He had black hair that was shiner than any Dan had ever seen, and it flopped down on to his forehead in a choppy style that was similar to his own. He was quite tall, and his legs that were crossed under him reminded him of spiders legs; long and slim. The required uniform for the baristas here was a plain red button up shirt which he wore fastened up to the top with the sleeves rolled up, exposing long, pale arms.
Suddenly the boy looked up and gasped. He sprung to his feet, nearly dropping his Nintendo.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! How long were you stood there? I'm really sorry, I should have been paying attention..."
He was still rambling on but Dan couldn't hear him. He was transfixed. The boy had the most gorgeous electric blue eyes and Dan felt like he needed a map because he was getting lost in them.
"... anyway I really am sorry!"
Dan chuckled "Really its fine, don't worry. I'm the same with my DS. What were you playing?"
"Oh, uh... Super Smash Bros."
"Understandable. That game is sick."
Now that he was stood up straight Dan could read the name tag that read "Phil ^_^".
Phil's face lit up and Dan couldn't stop from smiling too.
"So what can I get you?"
"Um... a caramel macchiato please?"
"Sure thing."
Dan began to put a hand into his pocket for change but he was stopped by Phil.
"Ah ah ah," he said shaking his head. "Its on me, I owe it to you for making you wait."
"Seriously? I was waiting for like two seconds, come on."
But Phil wasn't listening and waved a dismissive hand at Dan.
"Go sit down and I'll bring it over to you in a sec."
With a shrug Dan turned and sat down on the comfiest looking couch that he could find. The girl with the laptop had gone and the only sound was Phil clattering around behind the counter, Dan did't even hear her leave.
Dan dug into his bag and pulled out his script whilst he was waiting for his drink. It was crumpled and folded and stained with tea and coffee, but Dan could still read his lines that he had highlighted with a luminous yellow marker. He was preparing his lines for their annual show, and he had been cast as the lead; Sweeney Todd. He opened the script on the very first page and began to read, singing softly and uttering his lines to himself.
"Oooh what's this?"
Dan had been so engrossed in the script that he didn't notice Phil setting down his drink on the table, or him sitting down on the couch next to him.
"Oh it's nothing," said Dan quickly, closing the script and laying it on the table. Dan didn't know why, but he was always reluctant to tell people that he studied performing arts. Some people didn't approve when he chose the course and said that he should be studying something "more important" like science or history or technology.
Phil peered down at the stack of paper and read the cover.
"Sweeney Todd? Like the demon barber?"
Dan nodded.
"And is this a script?"
Dan nodded again, and Phil's face lit up.
"Dan that's so cool! I mean, I love the film version."
Dan let out a laugh, feeling relieved. "How do you know my name?"
Phil pointed to the script. "It's written right there- Dan Howell."
Dan couldn't believe how good his name sounded when Phil said it.
"Ah I see."
"So does that mean your a theater student?"
Dan nodded, again, unsure of what to say.
"Wow..." breathed Phil "That's so awesome. So do you sing as well as act?"
"Yeah... I actually got the role of Sweeney Todd."
Phil looked impressed "Dude, you got the lead? Holy shit, you must be amazing!"
"Well I'm no Johnny Depp, but I'm alright I guess..."
Phil nudged Dan's side gently "Well I guess I'm just gonna have to come and see it then, so I can see how "alright" you are for myself."
Him saying that made Dan's heart beat a little faster. The show was only a week and a half away, and the possibility of this gorgeous acquaintance gave him palpitations.
"Also, your coffee's going cold."
Dan and Phil talked for ages, and even after Dan had finished his drink they stayed and chatted on that couch. They spoke about everything and anything, and Dan learned a lot about Phil. He was two years older than Dan, he was studying media and animation.
Phil reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out his phone. The screen lit up and Dan saw the time; he only had five minutes before his next lesson started.
"Oh shit!" he exclaimed, making Phil jump.
"Sorry but my next class starts in a few minutes and I'm gonna be late if I don't leave right now," he said, picking up his bag and making sure that he had his phone.
"Hey no worries... I'll see you soon though yeah?"
Dan smiled. "Of course... thanks again for the coffee!"
With another smirk Phil retreated to behind the counter and Dan reluctantly left the coffee shop. Usually he was excited to go run lines with his cast members, but today he wanted nothing more than to skip class rehearsals and stay with Phil.
Dan made it to class with only seconds to spare. He set his bag down by the door and reached for his script, but it wasn't there. He cursed under his breath, remembering that he had left it in the coffee shop when he was rushing to leave. He knew that he knew his lines, but he liked to have it on him just in case.
Not even a minute after Dan's arrival the director called everyone to their places, and they began to rehearse. They ran through all the scenes that needed a bit more work, perfecting dialogue and refining movement, and then through the very first scene to put all the finishing touches to it. After about an hour and a half they started working on the musical numbers.
"Alright Dan," she said, pushing her glasses up on to the top of her head. "This is your song. I don't want you to put in any actions, because I know that you know what to do. So lets just focus on vocals today, lots of emotion, okay?"
Dan nodded, and took his place on the practice stage.
He started singing. The song started off soft and low, telling of how he had lost his wife and had his heart broken, and then it grew into a crescendo and Dan put all the emotion he could muster into it; all the sadness, the anger and the fear, throwing himself into the character. He knew that he sang it well; he hit every note and his timing was perfect. He closed his eyes and took a moment when he had finished before looking down to see the director's reaction.
But instead he was met with a pair of shocking blue eyes, eyes that he's recognise anywhere despite seeing them for the first time today. Phil was stood beside the director and he was staring up at Dan, a look of complete and utter awe on his face.
"Well done Dan! That was fantastic! Okay so, we're finished with Sweeney for the day. Can I have Joanna on stage please? We need to work on your solo..." the director said, moving on to the next song.
Dan quickly fled from the stage and rounded to the front of the room to where Phil was.
Except he wasn't there.
Disappointed, Dan went to pick up his bag, and saw that his script was lying on top of it, and that there was a note scrawled on the front, followed by a phone number.
"Hey ^_^
You forgot this! I bought my ticket for opening night of your show before I dropped this off, so I'll see you then!
Love,
Phil xxx"
Dan waited until he got home before he texted Phil. The three x's made his heart leap, and he wanted nothing more than to talk to him some more and to find out more about him. So after pondering for ages about what to send him, Dan settled on:
"Hey Phil, this is Dan :) x"
and Phil's reply is almost instant.
"Well if it isn't Mr. "I'm alright I guess" ;) Dan you were amazing! I can't wait to see your show ^_^ xxx"
After texing until the early hours of the morning the boys decided to call it a night, on account of them both having to get up early the next day, Dan for rehearsals, Phil for work. Aside from general chatting and realising that they had a lot in common, they talked about the up-coming show. Dan had warned him that they would be rehearsing non-stop this week, so they probably wouldn't be able to see each other until after the show. Upon hearing this Phil insisted that they hang out as soon as possible afterwards and he then invited Dan to spend the night at his house straight after the show.
"I still live with my parents, though, so no funny business ;) xxx"
"Get your mind out of the gutter Phil :O ;) xxx"
Dan went to sleep that night with a smile on his face.
~*~
"Good luck bear! I know that you're going to do brilliantly <3 I'm so proud of you and I'll see you afterwards xxx"
Dan read the text and smiled at the nickname that Phil had given him. Even though they'd been talking non stop since they met, he still got butterflies every time he saw Phil's name on his phone screen.
"OKAY!" screamed the backstage manager. "EVERYONE INTO POSITIONS."
Dan put his phone down and took a deep breath before taking his position.
At side stage he could hear the crowd chattering, and then the eerie hush that washed over them as the lights went down.
The music started and Dan walked on stage...
The curtains closed after the final song and Dan let out a breath he felt like he had been holding for hours as he listened to the deafening sound of applause. He rose from the ground and stood for a moment with his eyes closed, reveling in it. It was a complete success, and he knew that he earned that applause. As he walked offstage he received many words of praise and encouragement, he smiled politely and thanked them all, giving his own "well done!"s to all the other cast members, but there was really only one person on his mind.
He dashed to the dressing room and collected his things, quickly wiping off his makeup and throwing a hoodie over his costume. He fished his phone out of his bag and saw that he had a text from Phil saying that he was waiting by the main exit for him. He smiled and shoved his phone into his pocket before making his way out of the theater and through the hallways to the exit. Dan lost count of all the people who smiled at him and offered praise,and a few actually stopped to talk to him and ask him questions. He answered them politely and thanked them, but then excused himself on the grounds that he "had someone special to meet".
He meandered through the hallways and down the stairs and out the large set of glass doors into the night. It was about ten o'clock and the air was cool and crisp and inviting. He looked around for Phil and it took him a minute to find him; stood leaning against a nearby pillar looking out at all the people who had just left the theater, clearly searching for Dan.
Dan was always taken back by just how amazingly attractive Phil was. He was wearing a leather jacket that clung to him just right and sometimes Dan couldn't believe that someone as gorgeous as Phil would want to be friends with him.
But he wanted to be so much more than friends.
Phil turned to face him, his own face breaking into a massive, goofy, adorable grin.
"How are you not cold?" Phil asked is disbelief, eyeing Dan's hoodie. "Its freezing out!"
"Well, at least its not raining."
Phil stepped away from the pillar and ran the rest of the distance to Dan, engulfing him in a warm, tight hug. Dan buried his face in Phil's neck, wrapping his arms around him and holding on as tight as he could. He smelled like deodorant and coffee and marshmallows and Dan wanted to either bottle that fragrance or make a candle out of it because he was pretty sure that it was his favourite thing in the world.
Phil pulled away slightly and held Dan's face in his hands looking down at him with pride and happiness evident in his gorgeous blue eyes.
"You-you were amazing... I'm so proud of you Dan..."
Dan couldn't take it anymore, he took a deep breath and closed the distance, pressing his lips to Phil's. Phil sighed happily and melted into the kiss.
Dan had always thought that applause was the best feeling in the world, but it came second best to kissing Phil.
This was the guts and glory and sweat and tears and adoration and everything he had ever portrayed in a love-struck character but had never felt himself.
They pulled away a few seconds later and Phil rested his forehead against Dan's as they laced their fingers together.
"I kind of wish it was raining," said Phil quietly "kissing you in the rain would be so much more romantic."