Dreamer [Phanfiction]

Eight.

Eight:

Panic set in, and as selfish as it sounded, Phil only just figured out not only how much of a mess last night had been, but also how much of a big deal it was, not only to himself, but to Dan also. Absentmindedly, Phil paced around the room. He was unable to think straight, his mind had fogged over and he couldn't process any thoughts at all. That was when he noticed the hat, Dans hat to be precise, which was laying on the ground beneath the mirror where the big reveal took place. Scooping it up, Phil didn't hesitate as he charged out the room, his instincts telling him that the quicker he acted the better it would pan out in the long-run. Somehow ending up at the staffing office, Phil didn't bother to knock as he raced in, stopping at the desk and fighting to catch his breath. The lady behind the desk was in the midst of preparing breakfast and was buttering some toast, then she froze, concerned, turning her attention to the strange boy who had just stormed in unannounced with three hours left until classes began.
"Dan Howell." Phil managed to murmur out, clutching his stomach. "Where is he? I don't know where he's gone."
The lady placed her slice of toast down on a small china plate, and a clanging sound was made when she chucked the used knife into the small oval sink, which was next to an out of service coffee machine and a vase of red tulips. The flowers were the brightest thing in the room. Phil felt observant today, which was good if he needed to track Dan down. He'd spend all day hunting for him if he had to.
"He's my roommate. God knows how long he's been gone for." The lady could see Phil was in a fluster, and she rummaged around with some paperwork on the desk before returning back to him.
"Daniel pulled out of university late last night." She mentioned, her expression very serious. Phil felt as though his heart had just been ripped out of his chest, plus he began to worry that he might pass out. "Though it takes a few days to get sorted, he was eager to get the paperwork done with right away."
His mouth felt sickly dry, so when he spoke, his words came out as hushed croaks. "But where is he now?"
"I believe I do not know. Check around the university perimeter. He couldn't have gotten out. Gates lock at night." She notified Phil, trying to be as helpful as possible as she crunched into her toast. Phil nodded. Saying his thanks, he darted off again.

Exactly an hour later with start and stop running, a desperately needed drink break, and five asks for help, Phil recognised a tall silhouette in the distance. It didn't take a fool to realise it was Dan. He must have only just got there, because Phil had ran past that place twice already. Not making any noise, Phil went over there, and when he got closer, he could see Dan with his hood up on his hoodie. In his hands was one of the burnt out, tattered lanterns from the night before. Phil greeted him by hugging his side, not wanting to let go.
"Dan, I've been looking for you everywhere." He whispered.
"This lantern represents how I'm feeling." Dan spoke with a weak chuckle, ignoring what Phil had said. His eyes were bloodshot and sore, he must've not gotten any sleep. "I don't think I'll ever be able to light back up again. I'm too broken." Though he said this with humour in his voice, his face was deadly serious. There were faint tear tracks down his cheeks, visible only by the slightest.
"Dan, you can't drop out of university." Phil pleaded, unamused. When Dan tried to talk over him, Phil glared at Dan, squeezing his arm. "No Dan, you can't do this. You can't just leave me."
Peeling back Dans hood, Dan didn't even blink, it was as if he'd lost all hope and he didn't care what happened anymore, Phil straight afterwards placed Dans hat on top to replace it.
"You look so much better in your silly hat than some old hood." Phil teased, grinning up at Dan, who's expression remained stone cold. Seeing this, Phil pouted. "Dan, are you angry with me?"
"No. I just-" Dan replied instantly. "I need to get out of this place."
Phil nodded with a sigh. All these years of hard work and dedication into getting accepted into the place and now after just a little more than a month, all Phil wanted to do was leave. Phil didn't understand how Dan had suffered in this place for so long, Phil would've found it impossible. Although things would've turned out differently if Dan and Phil had never met, Phil was glad things turned out like this.
"I'm here, Dan." Phil breathed out. "We'd better make the most of your last few days here, hey?"
Turning to face Phil, Dan fully embraced him, nuzzling his face into his neck and keeping his hands gripped on the back of Phil's checkered shirt. Phil returned the hug on cue, chin resting on the top of Dans hat. Feeling a surge of strong emotion, Dan felt the need to tell Phil three words that he'd been trying to brush away from his thoughts, until now. Three words. He hadn't a clue where they'd come from, or why he wanted to say them so urgently. They were hanging off the tip of his tongue, and it took him everything not to blab them out. Just then, he began to feel as if he had made a really bad mistake with filling out the forums to drop out of university.