Work Text:
Phil loved his job, he really truly did, and normally meeting fans was something of a therapeutic occasion for him; being told how much you mean to people is a special feeling that he would always be thankful for. Sometimes, however, it got to be too much. Like when he hosted a free meet-up and met everybody that went, but somehow still got mobbed when he tried to leave. Trying to not cry in front of his fans was not the most pleasant thing he had ever done, and the sound of people running after him made him panic even more.
A hand grabbed his arm and pulled, leading him away and into a shop. Phil felt sorry for the employees as over 300 people rushed into their store, screaming wildly. He knew he had calm fans, sane fans, that had met him and smiled respectfully and yelled after the crowd to stop, but those fans were no longer anywhere near him and he had no idea why a boy only a few years younger than him was dragging him somewhere, he didn’t know if he was a fan or a concerned stranger, and suddenly they were locked inside of a (thankfully empty) restroom.
Phil didn’t have it in him to do anything but lean up against the door and breathe deeply. He wasn’t used to running, neither for athletic reasons or ‘running for my life’ reasons, so his sides ached and his throat hurt. He wiped away the tears that lingered in his eyes, only turning to see the boy who had brought him to the bathroom when people started thumping on the door. Upon closer inspection he thought maybe the boy could be almost a man, probably around 18 years of age. He was just as winded as Phil, and looked slightly afraid.
“Thanks, mate, I was beginning to think I wouldn’t make it out of there alive,” Phil finally broke the (relative) silence, smiling at his saviour.
“I don’t think I would have been able to live with myself if I sat and watched you get torn to bits by that mass of girls,” The man-boy-child-savior-possibly-maybe-fan smiled back.
“Phil,” He extended a hand, waiting for the shorter boy to introduce himself.
“I know, uh, I mean, I’m Dan!” The boy stuttered, looking like a child who had just gotten caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
“I know a pretty cool Dan. Not personally- well, actually, I know of a pretty cool Dan.” Phil smiled at the stranger, regaining some of his normal breathing abilities.
“Is he a fan?”
“Yeah, probably one of my most active. His screen name is danisnotonfire,” Phil studied his face, waiting for any signs of recognizement.
“If you know my twitter handle, why the hell do you never reply,” Dan pouted, “I happen to be very cute and funny once you get to know me.”
“But you weren’t at the meet-up?” Phil asked and once again watched as Dan shifted nervously, back pressed against the wall next to a hand-dryer.
“I was there, but I was too nervous to ask for a picture. Seems kind of funny now though, huh? I mean, up close you look like you couldn’t hurt a fly,” Dan smiled good-naturedly, moving off the wall to nudge Phil.
Phil laughed a little in agreement before checking his phone. They had been in the bathroom for three minutes and the banging had only gotten louder. Phil sent out a quick tweet telling the people outside of the room to leave, and sighed when he heard the frantic yelling of the store manager.
People were tweeting him to come out, and Dan sensed his distress, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and speaking up,”This isn’t my first time in a situation like this, you know.”
Phil gave him a look that told him to continue, “When I was twelve I had an extended family gathering. All of the younger kids played hide and seek, and even though I was one of the oldest I was determined to metaphorically crush those seven year olds.”
Dan closed his eyes tight and visibly shuddered, “I hid in a closet, it really seemed like the perfect place, and I didn’t even think about how tight the space would be. My cousin followed me in, and I didn’t want to give my spot away, so we wound up being stuck in there for like, two hours.”
Phil laughed so hard that his shoulder hit the button on the hand dryer, and he shoved his dry hands under the stream of air, only to laugh harder at the way his hand indented with the pressure. Dan smiled fondly at him and put his hand over Phil’s, blocking the warm air from hitting him.
“That isn’t even the worst part. The little fucker got so scared of the dark that he pissed himself fifteen minutes in! We got stuck because the door locked from the inside and we didn’t realize, and I was trapped in the closet with old coats and the smell of a gross child for two hours!”
Phil lost it at that point, “My experience in the closet was quite similar.”
Dan let his eyes go wide for a moment before blinking back a smile. Phil wasn’t exactly the most open about his private life on youtube, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise he didn’t advertise his sexuality on his channel, but hearing it in person was still pretty unreal.
“Unfortunately, I’m still safely locked inside that closet,” Dan sighed, noting that the screaming had died down and the weary smile on Phil’s face had turned into a genuine one, “But my experience in here has actually been quite similar to my last one. Worse, even!”
Phil laughed while he opened the door cautiously, checking for people, and saw that the coast was clear, “Let me repay you for saving my life. How does coffee sound?”.