Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1 – DAN
I sometimes wonder if I have a good life. If I were a stranger looking in, I think it would seem everything and everyone is in the right place.
I have my wife, Liv – Olivia – and my two adorable twins Amelia and Isla. I have my best friend who lives quite literally next door. I earn a good living with the money I make from YouTube (even if I don’t post of my own channel anymore) and I’ve been able to do this for the last fifteen years.
I’m no longer surviving, I am living.
I have everything little Dan could have ever wanted and more. Yet here I am thinking maybe I have something missing… Maybe I just need to speak to Phil about it.
The kids are at school and Liv is at work – though I must admit I think she spends more time working than at home just to avoid the havoc that Phil and I cause when filming together. Mix that mess with two 7-year-olds and I wouldn’t want to come home much either.
I should really tidy the house.
I roll over to check the time, and it is around 9am. Liv takes the kids to school on the way to work, and I pick them up in the evenings, get dinner ready and get the kiddos ready for bed.
So, I have about six hours to get the house in order.
I groan and stretch out the sleep that has taken over my muscles. I’m about to get up when I hear the front door close.
“Dan, are you awake yet? Remember we promised Liv we would get the house clean from our Easter baking video before she gets home. She will kill us if we don’t do it… again,” Phil shouts from the bottom of my stairs.
“Ugh, I know, I just woke up and am in dire need of some coffee.” I know Phil is aware that is me asking for him to make me a cup, and one for himself when I hear the mugs he places on the countertop and the kettle start to boil. “Thank you!”
“Get your ass down here so we can start on this mess!”
Ugh.
Two hours, three cups of coffee (each) and a concerning amount of flour inhaled, the kitchen is finally tidy. The dishwasher is running and we can finally sit down.
"How on earth do we make such a mess?” Phil slumps against the sofa. Little bits of flour are still on this nose.
“I don’t know, but I think it’s mainly your fault.” I collapse next to him hoping to Jesus we don’t stain anything.
“Oh yeah, why is it my fault?”
“Well, you do leave all the cupboards open, things are bound to fall out and cause all the mess.”
“I think us baking is the real mess, tell me again why we decided to have all the big holidays have baking videos?”
“For the love of cleaning it up, and to hopefully redeem ourselves in the eyes of Gordan Ramsey.”
“Oh God, don’t remind me.”
“What’s the plan now? What time is Mark home?” I see Phil roll his eyes at the mention of his boyfriend. “Don’t roll your eyes, he isn’t here now, is he?”
It seems like anywhere Phil is, Mark is only a few steps behind him. Its suffocating for me, let alone from him.
“He will be home late, its Thursday so he is actually in the office and has to do the commute into central.” Phil’s mood shifts immediately at the mere thought of Mark.
I have never seen their relationship as healthy, but it has never been my place to say anything because I’ve always thought that Phil was happy. I thought he was in love.
I can’t say that I’m sure of that anymore.
Phil sighs obviously done talking about this.
“We should probably work on the rest of the house, right?
The next few hours go in a blur of spray bottles and probably a little bit too much bleach, but the house is done and I still have an hour and a half before I need to get the kids from school. Phil looks ready to pass out as he slumps in the hallway to sit on the floor.
“Oh my God, the floor is cool. I don’t think I have sweat this much since I went to the gym.” I watch as Phil puts him hands by his side and strokes the floor in a way that I can only describe as lovingly.
“It is not that bad, but I do think you should shower before we go and pick up the kids.”
“We, who said I was going?”
“Pattern said, its Thursday so you always come to mine and then after whatever we do that day you come with me to get the kids from school and you buy them some sweets from Tesco, and I tell you not to but you do it anyway and then the kids have a sugar high for when Liv gets home.”
“That is not true!”
“It is true and it is a pattern. So, go shower so we can get the kids.”
“I hate that I am so predictable.”
“It is actually something I love about you, I always know your plans, it’s comforting.”
“Does that mean I need to get off the floor?”
“Yes, yes, it does. There are some clean towels in the bathroom for you to use.”
“I live next door; I can use my own water and my own towels.”
“You can, but will you?”
I watch as Phil inelegantly tried to get off the floor before I go over and grab his hands and haul him up. He smiles and pads down the hall towards the bathroom and I hear his phone play some random YouTube reddit stories as he turns the water on.
I must admit I enjoy the routine that Phil and I have. Thursdays are usually our filming days, but if we need to film something sooner like the baking video we just hang out.
Its nice.
I also think Phil likes the time away from Mark. He never talks to me about it with me, but I am sure something is going on. I have seen him on multiple occasions with this sad look on his face. I just wish he would talk to me about it.
I hear the water stop running and the YouTube video he was listening to pause. I check the time and it is 3pm so we need to make a move to get the kids.
“Hurry up Phil, we have to go like now!”
Its 4:30 when we finally walk back through the door. As always Phil did get the kids some sweets and now, they are buzzing with the artificial sugar from the Juicy Drop lollypops and stained tongues.
“Amelia, Isla, you need to complete your homework before you can watch TV and before you mum gets home!” I shout down the halls. I hear their sign, but they know I only mean well.
“But Dad, I need help with my spelling homework!” Amelia says with a whine in her voice.
“Well, isn’t it perfect that Uncle Phil is here to help you. You know he has a degree in English; he will help you.” Phil loves to help the kids with their homework.
“Dad, I need your help with my music homework, I need help with some piano stuff,” Isla says. I know fully well that she knows what to do, I taught both of them when they were younger the scales, a little Beethoven and maybe some Disney soundtracks to keep them interested.
“Of course I will help you baby, what do you need to do?”
“I need to learn the beginning of Beethoven Moonlight Sonata with my right hand.”
“Okay, we can do that,” I start to move over to the piano with Isla in the living room and watch as Phil sets up Amelia on the kitchen table to help her with her spelling.
“Dad, can you play first?” Isla says, I think this was her goal all along.
I nod and look at Phil and Amelia not doing her spelling home as they watch me get set up. I find c-sharp minor and start to play the beginning of the song and everything else fades away. I close my eyes and just feel the vibration through the keys. I get lost in the music, forgetting that I’m only meant to be teaching the first part of the song. Both my hands find the right keys, and I just move to the melody. It’s slow and steady through the first movement and into the second movement. I lose track off time completely as I move through to the third movement getting quicker.
I forget that Isla is next to me, watching every move I make.
I forget that Amelia should be doing her spelling homework.
I forget that Phil is watching me in awe like he always has done when I play.
After 15 minutes of playing, I finish the song and open my eyes for the first time. I have always closed my eyes and just listen instead of reading any form of sheet music.
“Wow…” I hear Phils voice float through the air.
Both the kids have their mouths agape like they have never heard me play before.
I clear my throat and bring everyone back into reality.
“Anyway, lets teach you how to do the first part.”
We were in the middle of playing when I hear the keys in the door.
Liv is home.
Phil looks up, looking like a stress ball after trying his hardest to get Amelia to complete her spelling test seriously and not adding random letters just for a laugh.
I laugh at his expression, but I know he would rather help Amelia than Isla with piano. The girl is so talented but gets distracted easily so trying to get more than 30 seconds into the song before she starts talking is a miracle.
“Dan, Phil, I’m home!” Liv shouts from down the hallway.
“Mum!” the kids shout in unison getting up and running to tackle her.
“How did she know I would be here?” Phil asks me.
“Because you’re always here on Thursday,” Liv says as she walks into the living room. “Hi honey, how was your day? I see the house is look amazing, so thank you.”
“Hey babe,” I give her a kiss on the cheek. “It was good, we got a lot done.”
“And by we, you mean Phil got a lot done and you moved some flour and made the coffee?”
“Rude,” I say, laughing at her teasing. “I got the mince out of the freezer as requested for the lasagne tonight. Phil you are welcome as always to stay for dinner, I know Mark will be home late so we can wrap some up to go.”
“That would be perfect, thank you,” Phil says. “We tried to get the kids to do their homework, but Mr Show-off here decided to play the piano and got everyone all worked up over his greatness, so we didn’t get a lot completed.”
“No worries, they can catch up over the weekend, that is what it is for.” Liv says, making her way to the kitchen.
After a few more failed attempts at getting the kids to complete their work, Phil and I gave up and let them watch Bluey before dinner.
“So, are you going to start editing tonight or do you want me to?” I say to Phil after we both slump at the kitchen table.
“I can get it started and then tomorrow we can work on it together? Pop over at like ten tomorrow morning and we can hide in the cave and get on with it?”
“Sounds perfect.”
About an hour later dinner is ready, we all eat at the table and starts to get late.
“Okay kids its almost seven, you know what that means,” I say. They know its bedtime and yet they never go to bed on time.
“But Dad, Uncle Phil is here surely that means we can stay up later?” Amelia says, with her bit brown puppy dog eyes.
“Uncle Phil is always here and that has never stopped you two from going to bet on time. Now go and brush your teeth.”
I get a resounding noise of annoyance from the two of them, but they still get up and do as I ask.
“I can read them bedtime stories tonight?” Phil says.
“I think they would love that.”
Half and hour and a lot of complaining later, I watch as Phil sits on a beanbag between the girl’s beds reading them Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good and listening to all the voices he acting out and I can’t help how lucky I am to have a best friend like him.