A/N: This contains a panic attack, which might be triggering... just to warn you beforehand.
"What does it mean?" Dan asks nobody in particular, in a frustrated tone.
"I don't know," you reply quietly, closing your eyes and racking your brains for answers to the code.
Internet kid?
You've already tried as many code solutions as you can think you of, with no luck.
You pick up your laptop and tap the keys, searching on the internet for an answer.
"Maybe each letter in the code actually means the letter before?" Phil suggests. "Like, B is A."
You shake your head slowly. "We've already tried that... besides, I don't think it has anything to do with the internet."
You pick up the letter again, and the crumpled piece of paper that Dan gave you.
OD FGZ RTQR. LXKHKOLT.
ROR NGX YOUXKT OE GXZ?
EQSS DT.
(phone number)
"Come on guys, let's stop for a while. My brain hurts," Phil says, pouting.
"Agreed," Minty says.
They all look at you, waiting for you to tell them it's okay. After a few moments, you nod, realising that it would be silly to continue. You've already been trying to crack the code for about two hours.
"Okay," Dan says, clapping his hands together. "Who wants a cup of tea?"
"Me!" everyone says in unison.
*le time skip*
You sip your tea out of the rubix cube mug, having to concentrate extremely hard so you don't spill it all over yourself.
"That mug looks very problematic," Minty says, coming over to your side and gesturing to the cup in your hands.
"Yeah, it is. I'm surprised I haven't spilt tea everywhere, to be honest!" you reply, laughing.
She smiles at you and takes a sip of her tea, which is in the hello kitty mug. "Should we go back to decoding? We can leave the boys here for a bit."
Phil raises his head at the word 'boys'. He smiles at Minty, then gives an awkward wave to you both as you leave the room.
Phil's POV:
I chew my lip anxiously. Dan notices this, and he looks concerned.
"Are you okay?" he asks, looking down at me.
"... Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot," he replies with a grin.
"Please don't tease me," I plead quietly.
He laughs lightly. "I won't. What is it?"
"I want to ask Minty to be my girlfriend," I rush out. "How do I do it?"
Before he can reply, Y/n comes in, linking her hand with his. She snuggles into his side.
"Did I hear the word 'girlfriend'?" she asks us, a mischievous and excited look on her face.
I cautiously check over her shoulder for Minty. Y/n sees this. "She's in the loo," she explains briefly.
My mouth forms an 'o' shape, and I shove my hands in my hoodie pockets.
"So?" Y/n continues, giving me a meaningful look.
"I- I didn't say anything," I mumble, tripping over my words and brushing past them both, into the bathroom.
Once there, I make sure the door is locked, then study myself in the mirror, pinching my cheeks and messing up my hair. I take a few deep breaths to calm my erratic breathing, and close my eyes.
Breathe, Phil. You're overreacting.
I unlock the door and go back to the kitchen, noticing that Minty's back. I give her an awkward little smile, a lump forming in my throat. "Should we get back to decoding, then?" I suggest to everyone.
Dan and Y/n exchange a strange look, then look back at me. Y/n is the first one to speak. "Yeah, let's go!"
*le time skip*
Phil stares at your laptop. "Internet kid... internet kid..." he repeats to himself, furrowing his eyebrows. "Hey - does the keyboard of your laptop have anything to do with it? I mean, they're letters..."
Minty nods enthusiastically. "That's a great idea. How do you think it works?"
Everyone falls silent, thinking.
Dan's face suddenly lights up. "I think I've got it!" he says, proudly.
Minty chokes on her mouthful of popcorn, apologising afterwards hurriedly. "What is it?"
"What if Q is Z? And W is Y?" he suggests, grinning.
You chew your lip. "I'll try it..."
"It doesn't work," Phil interrupts. "The first word makes no sense, if we do that. Is it the other way round? Like, Q is A, and W is B."
"Maybe..." you muse, starting to decode the messages using that method.
A few minutes later, you've got 'I'm not'. It's quite confusing to decode, surprisingly. "It's working, guys!"
Minty looks up from her piece of paper, where she's trying to decode it too. "What have you got so far?"
"I'm not," you say, shrugging. "It's confusing."
"I second that," Dan says, sighing deeply and pushing his hair back from his face. He's chewing the pencil in his hand, which you find incredibly cute.
You smile to yourself and go back to decoding.
I'm not
I'm not d
I'm not de
I'm not dea
I'm not dead.
You inhale sharply, nearly falling off the arm of the sofa, where you were sitting. Dan catches your hand and pulls you up again, interlocking his fingers with yours.
"What is it?" he asks, concern in his eyes.
"I-" You try to finish your sentence, but no more words come out. You hand Dan the piece of paper, instead.
His eyes scan over it, reading. They widen suddenly. "What?! How?"
You remain speechless, clutching onto Dan's hand as if it's your life support. Your breathing becomes uneven and ragged, due to the surprise and panic you're feeling.
"Y/n, are you okay?" someone asks. You can't tell who it is.
Your vision fails you, and all you can see is little black and white dots everywhere. You find yourself on what you think is the floor, hugging your knees to your chest.
"Is she having a panic attack? What can I do?" someone asks frantically. Their voice sounds distant and muffled.
"Y/n, I need you to focus on my voice," someone else says. "Focus on my words, try to make them as clear as you can in your head. Can you describe your surroundings to me?"
"I-I can't see," you choke out, your voice shaking and quiet, barely audible.
"Okay, that's fine. Can you describe your favourite person for me, Y/n?" the same voice says, in a soothing tone.
"I-" You block everything out and try to focus on your breathing.
In, out.
In, out.
In, out.
"Dan. Dan's my favourite person."
In, out.
"He's the best person ever, I'm so- so glad I found him. H-he has cute fluffy brown hair..."
As you're describing your boyfriend, you find yourself calming down. Your breathing regulates and you stop shaking so violently. The black dots fade, and you can see normally again.
"... and I love him," you finish, giving Dan a shaky smile.
He lifts you to your feet gently and wraps you in a bear hug, burying his head into your shoulder. "I love you too."
"I'm sorry..." you whisper into his hair.
"Don't be, it's not your fault," he replies, kissing the top of your head softly.
"Do you feel better?" Minty asks you, smiling a bit.
"Yeah... was it you who was talking to me?" you ask her.
"Yep, that was me," she replies, her smile growing wider, and a light blush present on her cheeks.
You pull away from Dan and wrap her in a quick hug. "Thank you, you were great."
She laughs lightly, going to stand beside Phil again once you break away. You slip your hand into Dan's, and lean onto him.
"How did you learn to do that?" Phil asks, astonished.
Suddenly, Minty's eyes turn steely and hard. "Doesn't matter."
You exchange a worried look with Dan, and he shrugs, letting out a yawn.
"Should we decode the other bit now, or leave it till tomorrow?" Phil asks you, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Can we just do it now?" you return, chewing your lip.
"Y/n, what if you have a panic attack again?" Dan asks, concern in his eyes. He grips your hand tightly.
After a moment's hesitation, you say, "I'm sure I'll be fine, don't worry!"
"How about Phil and I decode it, and you two go to bed?" Minty suggests. "You both look very tired."
"That's a great idea," Dan replies, smiling warmly at her. He looks down at you. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah," you reply. "Thanks for offering to do this, guys."
"No problem," Phil says, giving you a small smile.
"Come on," Dan says quietly to you, leading you out of the door. "Goodnight!" he calls back.
You go into your room first to get your pyjamas, then go to Dan's. He's already under the duvet, his smiling face illuminated by the fairy lights on his bed and his laptop screen.
"Hello," he greets, looking over at you.
"Hi," you reply, giving him a small smile. "... Don't look while I'm getting changed, okay?"
He lets out a chuckle and turns around so that his back is facing you. "Sure."
You quickly change, then get into bed next to him. "You can turn around."
He does so, his face lighting up when he sees you. He shuffles closer to you and kisses you on the lips, slowly and lovingly.
"Are you okay now?" he asks, pulling away.
"Why wouldn't I be?" you return, confused.
"When you had that panic attack, it scared the s*** out of me. I didn't know what to do, and I felt so helpless... It's a good job Minty was there to help you. I'm sorry for not being able to do anything," he says sheepishly, avoiding your gaze. "I'm a bad boyfriend."
You intertwine your fingers with his and kiss him again. "It's okay, I'm fine now. And you're not a bad boyfriend! I couldn't imagine being with anyone else. They wouldn't be half as good as you are. I love you, Dan."
He smiles and wraps his right arm around you, pulling you in for another kiss. "I love you too."
A/N: Okay the end was really cheesy whoops
ANYWAY. How is everyone? Good, I hope! ^-^
Sorry this is late again, school's a butt. I cry. ;-;
Bye!