phan oneshots

rekindling the flame

description: dan coincidentally meets an old friend on the street
word count: 1519

dan's pov

the early morning is rainy and the sky is damp. mist coats every outdoor surface, shiny is the dim sunlight. clouds hover over the area, greying all the nearby shops and wiping all traces of a smile off every stranger's face. passerby keep their heads down as i stumble down the street, my hands deep in my coat pockets. i focus on the monotonous sound of my shoes hitting the pavement, watching as rocks scuttle between people's feet. my footsteps are silenced by the sound of other people's heels clacking.

i reach the door to the shop, hoping to find the album i'm looking for. i reach forward to open the door but it suddenly slams forward as a stranger slams against it, knocking me down. she doesn't even flinch as her eyes waver over my fallen form before she continues stomping down the street. i brush myself off, flicking small rocks off of my coat. i'm about to stand when a spindly hand reaches out to me.

"you okay, mate?" a light voice says cheerily, flashing a confident smile.

i raise my eyebrow curiously, accepting their hand. i cringe as i stand fully up, feeling a stinging pain in my lower back, just above my tailbone, where my back hit the ground. "yeah, i'm fine," i mutter, anxiously pulling my hand away. i look up to really see their face, instantly recognising their eyes. the colour is unmistakable. "phil lester?" i prompt slowly. "wow i haven't seen you in forever!"

he nods slightly, confusion evident on his face. he scratches the edge of his sharp cheekbones nervously, clearing his throat. "yeah, it's had been a while, hasn't it?" he chuckles quietly, looking away as he messes with his hair.

"you don't remember me," i accuse softly, feeling my heart sink.

he shakes his head ashamedly, "sorry, i meet a lot of people everyday. i've never really been good with remembering names?" his words sound like a question, as he provides a meek excuse. he shrugs his shoulders, offering another kind smile.

"yeah okay, i'm sorry. guess i'd better get going," i say, scratching the tip of my shoe against the concrete. i turn around, feeling a small lump form at the base of my throat. how could he forget me? i guess i am pretty average. if i were him, i'd probably forget me too.

"wait," he mumbles, placing a hand on my shoulder and whirling me around. "maybe you could refresh me on your name?"

i don't know what compels me, maybe it's the way the nearby light is shining against his raven locks, or maybe it's the morose tone surrounding us, but i wrap my arms around his neck and hug him as tight as i can. he freezes, obviously shocked by my behaviour, but soon squeezes back. we stand like that for a moment before he pulls away and pushes me off gently. he grabs my shoulders firmly, holding me in place in front of him.

he stares at me intently for a moment, looking at me with a gaze so forceful that i begin to flush a scarlet colour. eventually, he removes a hand and drags it across my forehead to move a curl out of my eyes. i open my mouth to excuse myself from the situation, but stop when i see him close his eyes. he doesn't say anything for a moment, just breathes quietly, before pulling me back into his chest. "it's not just my imagination," he whispers, slamming me against his body, making us both stumble backwards into a wall.

his back is pressed against the withered brick, but his grip doesn't falter. he lets out a quiet sob and grabs the sides of my face, turning my head up to look at him. "where have you been?" he chokes out. before i can answer, his lips are crashing against my own, moving with slight lust and overwhelming power. he kisses me like i'm what's holding him on this earth. i do the same, so hungry for his touch, wishing i'd seen him sooner. we move back and forth, something so familiar yet it's been a while since we've done something like this.

i think back to the first time, it was just as forceful as this. we were behind our school, both us us just lanky 17 year olds. he'd seen me getting beaten up, and he came over to intervene. he screamed at the attackers to go away, threatening to call the police. he threw rocks at them too. i'd expected them to go after him too, but for some reason they didn't. i never figured out why. maybe he'd pulled out a knife, or maybe he really called the police, i can't be sure. all i know is that he saved me, and that he gave me the best first kiss i could've asked for. in that moment, i was glad i had waited till i was 17 to have my first.

it was so full of passion, and need, but it was nothing compared to the hunger i was experiencing right now. eventually though, i pull away, just like i had that day. i gasp for air, heavily embarrassed. our foreheads are pressed together, both warm to the touch, as if we have fevers. "damnit lester," i mumble, finally catching my breath. "you've got a set of lungs."

he stares into my eyes, tears welling up in his. i reach up and brush them away gently, watching as he squeezes his eyes shut to try and prevent any more from escaping. "daniel james howell," he whispers. "i've been waiting to see you for far too long. you stopped answering my texts and calls after we graduated, you moved away and disappeared. you never told me we'd broken up, and you never visited me like you promised. it's been 4 months. where have you been?"

i bite my lip, holding back delicate tears of my own. "i deleted your number, erased all traces of you. i was holding you back. you wanted to go to university, i didn't. it was the best thing i could do for you."

he shakes his head slowly. "i never went."

i gasp involuntarily, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look me in the eyes. "you what?"

"i didn't go, i was afraid that if i left, you wouldn't be able to find me," he mumbles, another sob escaping his lips. "i was waiting for you to come back."

he buries his face into my neck, sobbing softly. i gently comb my fingers through his soft hair, shushing him soothingly. he leans back after a few minutes, wiping his tear stained face on his corduroy sleeve. i stare at him for a moment, feeling my heart swell with too many emotions. "i'm so stupid," i whisper, digging my teeth into my bottom lip. "i'm so fucking stupid."

"no you're not," he stutters in an attempt to interrupt me. i shake my head in response, pulling his face back to mine and breathing against his lips. he's so warm on this dreary day, reminding me of all the sunshine he brought into my life last year. i recall all those mini dates, and all those times we burned pasta. i choke back my tears as i visualise us at the park, pushing each other on the swings jokingly. i picture our hands linked as we walk around the fairgrounds, riding the ferris wheel with our lips locked.

"phil," i say, locking my gaze with his, our lips brushing just barely. "i'm in love with you." he's silent, shock sketched across his eyes and a smile forming across his lips. "i've been in love with you since day one, and i've loved you ever since."

he wastes no time in connecting our lips again, this time gently. he caresses my mouth with his own. i inhale his sweet scent and envelope myself in his warmth. he wraps his arms around me protectively, indicating that i belong to him, and in turn, he belongs to me. "dan howell," he grins leaning against the red brick wall. "i love you too. i'm never letting you go again, and you have to promise you'll never disappear again. i want you to stay with me forever, and i want to move in with you. i want us to adopt a puppy and a kitten and one day a baby. i want to wear matching gold rings and i want to see you next to me whenever i wake up in the morning."

i let out a shaky breath, one i didn't even realise i'd been holding. "i promise, phil, and i want all of that too," i say embracing him once again. "now," i lace his hand with mine. "i want to show you our new home." hand in hand, we walk back to my house, giggling and smiling the whole way.

a/n i'm tired and i want to watch anime

also i'm really shit at naming chapters