You finish telling Phil what happened at the police station, and conclude your explanation with saying that the police are checking it out tomorrow.
He stays quiet for a few moments, then speaks up, a small smile on his face. "It's great that you told them! Good luck... I hope he's found to be guilty. That story is creepy, but I think it's a bit far fetched. Don't get too worked up about it, okay?"
You don't say anything, just smiling in return.
"Have you filmed your first YouTube video yet? Dan told me you were going to give it a go," Phil continues.
"Yeah, Dan helped me film it about an hour and a half ago. I think it went well. Now I just have to edit it - do you have any tips?" you ask bashfully.
Phil laughs to himself. "All I can say is: please don't use the wrong program to edit your video. It'll make a huge difference which one you use."
"Do you want me to help you?" Dan pipes up, looking somewhat hopeful.
"Yes please," you reply, really in need of his assistance. You're a complete amateur at editing. "Should I bring my laptop in here?"
"Yeah, it would be nice to have your company," Phil says with a gentle smile on his face.
Once you've brought your laptop into the lounge, you sit down next to Phil so you're between them both. Dan leans over and points to various things on your screen, instructing you on what's best to do for editing your video.
*le time skip*
Editing was more time consuming and exhausting than you expected. After a few hours, you've finished editing the video, and sorted out the thumbnail and everything.
You were careful to edit out any laughs from Dan so you wouldn't raise any suspicion. Even though it looks like no one helped you film, you know the viewers of Dan and Phil will probably figure it out soon.
You push those thoughts out of your mind, reminding yourself to be positive. Looking at Dan for reassurance, you click 'upload' and breathe out a breath you didn't know you were holding.
Phil, who's been watching you and the laptop the whole time, raises his hand in the air for a high five. You laugh and high five him, actually managing to hit his hand.
"Well done!" Dan says sincerely from your other side, smiling. "They'll love it." Just then, he seems to get an idea, pulling his phone out of his pocket and tapping on the screen. Your own phone buzzes as soon as he stops tapping. You take it out, seeing that it's a Twitter notification from Dan.
@.danisnotonfire
a good friend of mine just published their first youtube video! go check it out pls 🎥 https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
You smile to yourself. "You didn't have to do that. Thank you," you say softly, looking up at Dan.
"That's what friends are for," he replies with a smile. "I notice you've already turned on the Twitter notifications for my account," he adds with a laugh.
You look a bit sheepish as you think of an excuse, but no good ones spring to mind. "Yeah, I hope you have my account notifications on too. It's what friends are for, seeing each other's tweets first." You cringe at yourself slightly as you say it.
Phil chuckles, immediately relaxing you. "Of course, that's the first rule of friendship." He looks at Dan with a somewhat nostalgic expression, smiling.
Dan gives him the same look in return, and you realise what's going on. You decide not to say anything and let them have their moment. You turn your attention back to your laptop, seeing you have about seventy notifications already. You check the comments people have left you.
spiderman360: why don't you just go and kill yourself, b****. no one likes you
gr8gamer: @.spiderman360 i agree
phangirlforever11111: You're trying to steal Dan from the Phandom, UGH!!!
danosaur5everxx: yeah, um who are you?!?!? get away from dan >:(((
You look in dismay at your laptop, your shoulders slumping a bit. You had expected that there would be hate comments on it - it's unavoidable, really - but you weren't mentally prepared for them. You knew some of Dan and Phil's viewers would be overprotective.
You decide to ignore YouTube and give your mind a rest from obsessing over the negative comments. You look away from your laptop and lie back onto the sofa cushion, shutting your eyes and exhaling slowly. It's been a long day.
Throughout this, Dan and Phil have been talking about their radio show, making plans for it. Once you lie back in defeat, they stop talking.
"Hey," Dan says softly, his tone gentle and concern filled. "What's wrong?"
You hesitate. "I sound like such a wimp, but I just looked at the video comments..."
"Were there some negative ones?" Phil asks caringly with an understanding look.
You nod silently, looking into his comforting blue eyes. His gaze feels like a warm hug as he gives you a small smile.
"If anything anybody says upsets you, you can just block them straight away and they'll never be able to contact you again," he reassures.
"Exactly," Dan says. "It's hard to deal with at first, but people who say mean things about you are probably dealing with their own insecurities, and it's just their way of letting out all their built up anger."
The dismayed feeling you have is very quickly diminished by their kind words. "Thank you," you say sincerely. "That really helped."
"Any time," Phil replies, with a hint of a smile. Dan says nothing, regarding you with his warm brown eyes and smiling too. He breaks eye contact with you and points at the screen.
"Look, you're getting loads of likes!"
Sure enough, the like count is gradually rising and more positive comments are appearing. You feel a sense of pride upon seeing that people actually enjoy your video.
"They're going to love you," Dan says - so quietly that you can barely hear it. You get a fluttery feeling in your stomach again.
"Would you like to watch Buffy?" Phil asks you. "The Vampire Slayer," he adds as an afterthought. "It's really good, I promise."
"I can agree with that," Dan says with a chuckle. "Me and Phil have been watching it occasionally. It's a blast from the past."
a/n: just a note, if i write 'me and phil' in dan's speech, it's because i think he would say that more often than using 'phil and i'. it's a little character thing that makes it more realistic, i think!
"I'd love to," you reply eagerly, closing the lid of your laptop and setting it on the coffee table as Phil gets up from the sofa and starts to search through the DVDs.
You lean back, and find yourself not lying completely flat against the sofa cushion, but partly on someone's arm. You jerk forward in surprise and look behind you, seeing Dan moving his arm back to his side and looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Sorry!" you say hurriedly, feeling bad for causing his embarrassment. You pause for a moment, considering your next sentence. You lower your voice and start speaking again. "I didn't mind, it just surprised me."
For a second, you think he didn't hear you - but then his arm slowly moves back, coming to rest on top of the sofa cushion behind you. You hesitate momentarily before leaning back, the overwhelming feeling of your quick heart beats interrupting your thoughts.
About ten minutes into the episode, when Buffy is in the library, you find yourself captivated by the show.
"Goodbye stakes, hello flying fatality," Buffy says on the TV screen, admiring a crossbow which she holds in her hands.
Just then, Dan moves his arm down from the cushion and rests it on your shoulder instead, pleasantly surprising you. You feel his eyes on you, waiting for a reaction. You catch his eye briefly and smile a little, reassuring him.
A little while later, your eyelids begin to feel heavy from fatigue. You pull your phone out from your pocket and check the time. It's much later than you thought. You long to be within the comfort of your bed, so you consider getting up. Then you're reminded of Dan's arm around you, and suddenly getting up seems irrational. You sink into the sofa a bit more, involuntarily letting your eyes close.
*le time skip*
Dan's POV:
I look down at Y/n, seeing that her eyes are closed and her breathing is slow. Her head gradually falls onto my chest in her deep slumber, making me feel suddenly very protective. I adjust my arm a little, pulling her closer to me. I feel Phil's eyes on me, and I look over at him. He winks, but then looks quite solemn.
"Do you like her?" he asks with that knowing look only a best friend can give.
At first, I try to deny it, feeling my cheeks getting hot. "No, I just..." I rack my brain for the right word, but then admit defeat. "Yeah, I think so. Or at least, it's the start. It's still early yet, I've only known her a few days."
Phil smiles at me. "That's true, but sometimes these things blossom very quickly." He pauses. "It's late. How are we going to get her to bed?"
I shrug the shoulder Y/n isn't occupying. "It's either wake her up or carry her, I suppose."
I look down at Y/n again, considering waking her up. However, I can't bring myself to do it. She just looks so... peaceful, and I don't want to ruin that. That only leaves one option.
"I'll carry her," I decide, hoping my weedy muscles will actually work for once. I'm already in quite a good position to lift her up, so I just put my other arm under her legs and stand up.
Phil stands up too, turning the TV off. "I'll open the doors for you," he offers, and I nod.
He walks ahead of me, opening various doors and pulling back the bed covers. I set her gently down on the bed and put the duvet back over her. I feel like I'd be invading her privacy if I tried to change her into her pyjamas, so I just leave her in her clothes. She still has my galaxy jumper on, and it's certainly very fluffy so maybe it'll be nice to sleep with it on. I look at her once more before turning off the light and gently closing the door behind us.
"I'm going to go to bed too, is that okay?" I ask him.
"Of course! I'm going to sleep too, anyway. Goodnight, Dan," he replies with a smile.
"Night, Phil."
Your POV:
*dream*
The yellowing floor creaks under each step you take as you walk down the dimly lit, creepy hallway. You trail your hand on the peeling wallpaper, plumes of dust flying into the air and invading your lungs.
Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway opens and a person stands in the doorway. They step out from the darkness, shedding a little light on their face.
It's the landlord, looking somehow more grotesque than when you left the house. He curls his lips into a snarl, glaring at you menacingly.
"Well, well, well. Y/n! Fancy seeing you here. Have you come to pay your rent? Or to see the bodies?" he asks lowly, cackling.
As he stops speaking, blood starts seeping from under the doors along the hallway, staining the carpet and your white shoes. The doors open, revealing piled up dead bodies, all young men and women. You're too terrified to voice your horror, and your throat is all choked up.
You feel movement under your feet, and you look down to see that the rug is bunching up, dragging you towards the landlord. Now, he's brandishing a blood stained knife, still smiling that bone chilling smile.
You feverishly turn around and try to run, but your legs won't move. They're heavy and feel like cement, weighing you down. Your panic is slowly growing as you inch closer to the landlord.
At the opposite end of the hallway, another door opens. You breathe a sigh of relief to see that it's Dan and Phil standing there. Phil takes a step forward, smiling.
You're puzzled by his expression, but then you realise your current situation and open your mouth to get their attention. "Dan! Phil! Please, help!"
Phil continues to smile, staying in the same spot. Dan doesn't look at you, his face lowered to the floor. You hear sobs, and notice his body shaking. Phil finally speaks.
"No. You deserve this," he says, his happy smile turning into an evil grin.
You feel a heavy weight on your chest as what he said sinks in. "What?" You look at Dan again, who is still crying. "Dan?"
Just then, you feel a vice like grip on your shoulder. You stare into the landlord's dark eyes and scream.
*end of dream*
"Y/n! Wake up!"
Your shoulders are being shaken frantically, jolting you awake. You open your eyes quickly, squinting in the darkness at the person standing beside your bed.
It's Dan.
"Y/n! What happened? You were screaming!" he demands worriedly. He takes his hands from your shoulders, and crouches down beside you.
You raise a hand to wipe your sticky forehead, shivering. "It was a nightmare," you choke out, your throat raw and sore. "Sorry for waking you up."
As your eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, you notice that Dan looks genuinely concerned. His brows are furrowed, and his breathing is quick. "I was awake anyway. Are you okay?" he asks. "Do you want to talk about what happened in your nightmare?"
"I think so... and not really," you reply, shaken.
Dan studies your face, still looking uptight and anxious. "Would you like me to stay for a bit?"
You shake your head reluctantly. As much as you need him there, you would feel bad for him losing sleep. "It's okay, you need your rest. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" he asks. His hand finds its way to yours, and he squeezes it gently.
"Yeah. Go and get some sleep," you lie, squeezing his hand back.
"You know where I am if you need me," he reminds you in a whisper, letting go of your hand and standing up. You hear the click of your bedroom door closing, and then he's gone.
As scared as you are to close your eyes again, your fatigue takes over and you fall asleep. Shortly afterwards, the nightmare begins again.
*dream*
This time, Dan looks up. He opens his eyes to reveal just... emptiness where his eyeballs used to be. Somehow, he starts crying again, muttering "I'm sorry" repeatedly.
"What are you sorry for?" you try to ask, but you can't speak. Only a broken sob comes out of your mouth.
Then Phil is standing next to you, the same malevolent expression on his face. He chuckles and puts his hands on your shoulders. You think he's going to push you closer to the landlord's deadly grip, but he pulls you forward instead into safety.
You think everything's going to be okay, but then Phil clicks his fingers and suddenly Dan is in the position you were before. Seeing him struggle against the rug that's pulling him closer to the knife provokes a sharp pain in your chest. You try to run to help, but Phil holds you back.
All of a sudden, Dan is in the grubby arms of the landlord and the knife is against his throat.
You break down in sobs.
*end of dream*
"Y/n!" Dan's voice says urgently.
You open your eyes again, your cheeks wet with tears. They won't stop streaming down your face, and your whole body is quivering. You sit up slowly and try to look around the room, but your vision is completely blurred by the tears.
You feel a dip in the mattress, and Dan's arms are around you. He whispers words of comfort and holds you tightly to him as you calm down. After a few minutes, your sobs die down and Dan speaks.
"Would you mind if I slept here tonight? I think you could use another human with you, hm?" he inquires gently.
All you can do is nod, lying back down as Dan walks round the other side of the bed, pulls back the covers and climbs in. You can feel the warmth radiating off him, calming you already. Sometimes all you need is another person there.
"Can I... uh, cuddle you?" you whisper awkwardly. "I'm scared..." You look over at Dan's silhouette anxiously.
"Of course. Don't worry, if you have another bad dream I'll be right here," he reassures, turning onto his side and outstretching his arms.
You gratefully shuffle closer to him, his arms wrapping around you and making you feel safe again. With his warmth and the soft feeling of the duvet combined, you easily get tired again and begin to fall asleep - but not before you hear Dan whisper something.
"I... I really like you, Y/n."
You debate whether or not to reply. Maybe it would make him feel embarrassed, and you wouldn't want that. Eventually you decide to just be honest.
"I really like you too, Dan," you whisper softly.
And with that, you fall asleep.
a/n: i'm sorry the dream was so gruesome! i had to make it scary so the reader would wake up. hopefully i haven't scared any of you off. whoops