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When Dan is released from the hospital, his mum about jumps on him, smothering him with hugs and kisses. All he wants is to text Phil really, but he lets her baby him, knowing better than to brush off her motherly tendencies. The last time he tried that she didn’t let him out of her sight for two weeks.
“My poor baby,” she coos while hugging him, “I’m never going to let you out of my sight again.”
He just sighs, wrapping his arms around her. He can’t lie to himself, he does love his mum. When she’s done she weaves her fingers through his, guiding him to the car like he’s an incapacitated two year old, which he is. Sometimes.
The car ride home is uneventful, trees and houses blurring together until he can’t distinguish which is which. The soft hum and sway of the car lulls him to sleep and before he knows it his eyes slip shut.
* * * * *
He honestly doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing. He still can’t wrap his head around it; it’s fucking mental. Almost as much as the idea of Phil Lester, actual Phil Lester, being concerned for his wellbeing and driving him to a fucking hospital.
He’s shaking, his hands slippery with sweat. Oh my god, he’s about to text Phil.
Me
uuh hey?
He sends a quick message before he throws his phone on his bed. His hand itch to grab it, but he refrains himself. His stomach turns; a mix of ‘oh my god will he answer’ and ‘oh no this was a bad idea’.
Phil <3
who is this?
Dan snorts quietly when he sees the name Phil saved himself as. God, it seems almost too good to be true.
Me
dan howell? you know, the guy who fainted at your show?
Phil <3
the flower crown guy?
Dan feels his cheeks flush. Jesus, Phil isn’t even in the same room as him, but he still manages to make Dan die of mortification. But in a good way.
Me
yeah, that’s me
He fidgets with the phone when Phil doesn’t answer immediately, because what if Phil decided Dan wasn’t cool enough to talk to him? What if he decided Dan was too childish? He certainly wouldn’t be the first one to think that.
When a few minutes have passed he tosses it down onto his bed, pulling his sleeves over his hands.
He nearly jumps when his phone pings.
Phil <3
i take it u appreciate having my number then
Dan blushes, unconsciously raising a hand to hold in front of his burning cheeks.
Me
oh my god you have no idea i’m so glad you’re not here right now honestly
Phil <3
so u don’t want to see me again?
That startles Dan. Phil Lester just implied he wants to see him again. Phil fucking Lester wants to see him. Him! It makes him almost delirious, a giggle escaping him.
Phil <3
dan? are u still here?
Me
yeah sorry, my mum walked in. but would it be weird if i said i did?
It’s a good thing Phil isn’t in this room with him, because he sucks at lying. He can already feel his cheeks burn.
Phil <3
def not. i mean, i am irresistible
Me
yeah, you are
Oh god, Dan shouldn’t have said that. Now he’s going to make everything awkward, he’s messed up, Phil’s going to realise Dan isn’t worth talking to.
Phil <3
well i see u are still cute
Dan’s face is so hot he’s sure he has sunburn. He will never get over Phil Lester calling him cute.
Me
oh shut up. you have no idea how much i want to punch you right now
Phil <3
like you would harm my beautiful face
Dan’s face burns hotter. He wouldn’t.
* * * * *
Phil <3
so dan, where do u live?
Dan swallows, pulling his sleeves over his hands again. He was expecting that question, but he isn’t sure if he wants to tell Phil.
Me
well i’m currently at my parents’ house
Phil <3
u still live with ur parents? how old are u?
Oh Jesus, this is the exact opposite of what Dan wanted to make Phil think. People easily mistake him for fifteen, which would be a compliment if it wasn’t so annoying.
Me
oh my god no, god had mercy on my soul. and i’m 19
Phil <3
i was scared u were a minor jesus. but where do u live?
Me
do you think we’d ever get in this position if i was a minor? and i live and study in manchester
Phil <3
u certainly wouldn’t be the first one to try.
That makes Dan think. Is he just another one of those kids to Phil? The thought makes his stomach curl in on itself. He certainly acts like one sometimes, but Phil flirted with him and gave him his number, so that must be something right?
Phil <3
our next show is in manchester! do u think u’ll be back by Friday?
Me
i’m going back tomorrow!
Oh my god, he’ll be able to see Phil again. Only if Phil wants to of course. What if Phil doesn’t want to though? Dan bites his lip, readjusting the flower crown on his head.
Phil <3
awesome. now we can go on our first date ;)
When his mum asks why he suddenly in such a hurry to go back to his god-forsaken university, Dan doesn’t tell her.
His fingers clench around the coffee cup, little indents appearing on the side of the Styrofoam cup. It’s five past three, and Phil still hasn’t shown. Dan knows there’s a bit of traffic around Manchester centre and that his anxiety is completely unwarranted, but he can’t help it when he glances at the clock again, seeing the hands have moved again.
He stares across the table at the coffee he bought for Phil. The steam drafting from it is long gone and if Phil doesn’t show up, he’s just going to drink it himself
He chokes on the sip of coffee when Phil casually strolls into the coffee shop, which is not fair because Dan is already a flailing mess of limbs and Phil hasn’t even sat down yet. Phil smiles when he sees him, his eyes crinkling and his teeth showing and Dan feels himself fill with warmth because that smile was directed at him. Him, and him only.
Oh god, he isn’t worthy.
“Hey Daniel,” Phil smirks when he grabs his coffee and Dan contemplates throwing it into his stupid face before he realises that’d result in serious injury and damage to Phil Lester's face, which is on his list of Not Okay Things.
“Hey,” Dan mumbles in return. His fingers fidgeting with the edge of his sweater again. God, he really needs to stop doing that.
“Still cute as ever I see.”
Dan barely resists the urge to face palm onto the table. It’s his only hope of saving his dignity in front of Phil, but the level of social awkwardness makes it out of the question.
“Still as annoying as ever I see,” he mutters into his sleeves.
Phil raises an eyebrow, taking two piercings with it, and smirks, silently sipping his coffee. Dan internally groans. He hadn’t meant for Phil to hear that.
“So,” Phil says after a while. “How about we really talk.”
* * * * *
“You don’t have to walk me to my dorm, y’know. You could just let me go on my own.”
Dan flushes when he says that - talking to Phil still takes a lot of him - but it seems easier now that Phil’s more human to him. Hearing Phil talk about nothing but kittens and puppies for an hour really changed his perspective of the guy he once perceived to be a fearless punk.
“Why do you want me to stay out of there so badly?” Phil asks, turning in Dan’s direction.
“Because my best friend is probably going to freak when he sees you.”
Dan can already see PJ’s reaction if he takes Phil inside. It’d involve a lot of squealing and taking Phil’s attention off of Dan, which, if he’s honest, doesn’t sound appealing.
“I’ll spare you the embarrassment of seeing a grown man squeal for this time,” Phil smirks and Dan stills. Next time. So Phil wants to go out with him again? Oh god, Dan’s going to die.
“That wasn’t out of line, was it?” Phil asks and when Dan looks up at him, Phil looks fragile. Dan shakes his head - and oh god, this is not a good idea, abort abort - taking Phil’s hand and weaving his fingers with Phil’s. Phil’s smile is blinding.
Dan’s heart beats faster and faster the closer they get to his dorm. He doesn’t want Phil to leave, he wants Phil to stay and sing to him and kiss him a lot. He squeezes Phil’s hand tightly when the familiar brick walls come into sight.
“So I guess that was it then?” Dan mumbles, looking down at his shoes. There’s a little bit of gum sticking to them and he scrapes them over each other to get rid of it.
“Yeah,” Phil says, his hand finding Dan’s jaw. His fingers are rough with callouses and Dan almost breaks out in a victory dance until Phil leans closer, slowly closing the distance between them.
Dan doesn’t breathe in case it might disturb whatever haze Phil is in. Phil keeps staring at his lips and his eyes flicker back to Dan, like he’s asking for permission. Dan nods, nuzzling his cheek into Phil’s hand.
Phil’s fingers tighten momentarily on his jaw before he pulls Dan into a kiss, his lips moving languidly over Dan’s.
Dan can’t breathe. He’s kissing Phil Lester, Phil fucking Lester, the singer of his favourite band. He runs his finger carefully over Phil’s neck, finally touching that fucking phoenix tattoo, before roaming upwards and tugging on Phil’s hair.
Phil moans quietly, pressing Dan back against one of the walls and claiming his mouth. His tongue is sending heat up and down Dan’s spine to the space between his legs and Dan is going to fucking die if Phil doesn’t stop right now.
He puts a hand on Phil’s chest, lightly pushing him back. Phil smirks and kisses a path over his jaw, down his neck until he reaches the base of it, where he nibbles lightly. Dan’s knees buckle, making him lean more against Phil.
“Phil,” Dan pants but Phil ignores him. “Phil, I thought you were going to spare me the embarrassment of seeing a grown man squeal.”
Phil’s lips curve upwards against his neck before he pulls back, allowing Dan to catch his breath - and Jesus Christ, Dan needed that.
“See you later then, I guess,” Phil smirks as he trails his hand down Dan’s face, rearranging his flower crown and goddammit this isn’t fucking fair. He doesn’t want Phil to leave.
“Yeah,” Dan mumbles. “Goodbye.”
Phil holds out his hand, and Dan looks at him. Phil’s face gives nothing away though, so Dan just grabs it and shakes it. It feels awfully formal until-
Oh. Oh, are those tickets? He’s staring at the cards in disbelief. Did Phil just give him free tickets to Against Elision?
“For you and your friend.”
Phil shrugs like it isn’t a big deal, but when Dan smiles and looks up at him, Dan can see his eyes soften.
“Thanks.”
They stare at each other for a moment. Phil is soft and round and fucking gorgeous.
“Daniel James Howell, is that who I think it is?”
Dan flinches when he hears PJ’s voice. This wasn’t how he imagined this to go.
“You’d better leave before he finds you and squeals.”
Dan picks at his sweater again. Phil smiles, nodding in agreeance and leaning in to steal one more kiss before he walks away, throwing a wink at Dan who’s left in a stupor.
“Did Phil Lester just kiss you?” PJ asks. Dan nods. Holy fucking shit. “Oh my god, you need to tell me everything!”
He lets himself be pulled away by PJ. He doesn’t put up a fight when PJ forces him down onto the couch and interrogates him.
Phil Lester fucking kissed him.