Swimming Lessons || Phan
Chapter 1
"Tyler, I said no." I protest.
"Dan, you're always cooped up in your room playing some game."
"Excuse you, Youtube is not a game."
"Oh yeah? What about Sims, Undertale, Pokemon, Mario Kart-"
"Ok, point proven," I interrupt him.
"It's just the sea side. Please, Dan? For me?" Tyler pouts.
"Why-"
"Please, please, please, please, please? Pretty please with icing on top of the cake with the cherries that are sugar coated and covered with sprinkles?"
"Fine," I agree reluctantly. "Anybody else coming? I hate socialising, you know that."
"Troye!" Tyler giggles excitedly at the thought of his boyfriend.
"Okay, I change my mind. I don't want to be a third wheel."
"Invite someone!" He groans.
"Who? I'm having an existential crisis right now because I have no friends."
"You have me! And PJ," he adds.
"But you have a date! And PJ's on holiday in La Italiano."
"Never say that again."
"Look, Ty-"
"Please?"
"Fine."
"Ok, fine, I guess I'll just leave you- wait, what?" Tyler looks at me.
"I said fine, I'll go." I grumble.
"Yes! Come on, let's go!" Tyler exclaims.
"Wait, now?" I ask, bewildered.
"Yes, now." He tugs me outside. "I got your swimming trunks out. Now move."
"Oh my God, Ty," I roll my eyes, heading for the passenger seat.
"Don't sit there!" Tyler exclaims. "That's where my happy little Troye will sit."
"You know what? Fine."
I get in the backseat as we head off towards Troye's house. We quickly get changed and head over to the beach.
"Good thing I brought my phone," I whip mine out, failing to swing it as it falls out of my grip.
I curse as I see the screen has a light crack in it.
Tyler laughs, and Troye gives me an apologetic look before he bursts out laughing.
"I hate you guys," I mumble.
"C'mon, let's go swimming!" Tyler cheers enthusiastically.
"C'mon let's go lie under shade and use free but slow Wi-Fi!" I reply, equally enthusiastically.
"Bore."
"Stick-In-The-Mud."
"Idiot."
"Coward." Tyler grins, while Troye laughs lightly at our banter.
"Should've roomed with Peej instead," I mutter, knowing it'll annoy him.
"You're swimming," he says, grabbing my arm and dragging me near the pool.
I immediately scamper away from the pool, trying to mask my horror.
"I'm kidding! I wanted to room with you!" I quickly recounter.
"I don't care," he says simply. "You're swimming."
"Ty, maybe you shouldn't make him swim. He looks positively scared," Troye speaks up.
I shoot him a grateful look.
I nearly almost tell my best friend one of the few things he doesn't know- I have a small, tiny phobia of water. But nobody knows that but me, my mother and my doctor.
It doesn't usually affect me, but today I don't feel like it, so it kind of puts me off.
What's the name of the phobia again? Dammit, I can't remember. I'm always forgetting what it's called.
I could honestly do with a Rememberall about facts like that Neville guy has in the first Harry Potter movies.
Instead, I smile weakly at the lad with the lilac hair.
"Fine, I'll go," I sigh, admitting defeat.
"Yay!" He cheers.
"But not now," I delay quickly.
"What? Why?" He whines.
"I'm a procrastinator, bro. It's my job," I lie smoothly, pretending to look cool.
"Maybe it's time you start being proactive," he mutters.
"Proactive? Is that the opposite word for procrastinating?" I say, interested.
"I think so," he says, as Troye leaves to go to the bathroom.
"I've always wondered what it was," I speak up, voicing my thoughts.
"Anyways, you seemed pretty upset yesterday, what happened?" He questions.
I screw up my face in concentration trying to remember before it strikes me.
"Oh, yeah, someone on Tumblr. just decided to say weird stuff to me."
"Who? What did they say?" He asks immediately a look of concern on his face.
"Just that- never mind," I cut myself off as I see Troye approaching and giving us his million-dollar smile. "It- it's not important, just someone being a fúcktard."
"Dan, don't pretend like it didn't happen. Who was it?" Tyler says sternly.
"I dunno. Just some guy on the internet." I shrug it off like it's no big deal."
"Daniel James Howell!" Tyler speaks, and I nervously gulp.
He never uses my full name unless he's really upset or angry.
"Look," I whisper. "I'll tell you about it soon, okay? Not that it was important-"
"Why not right now?" He whines.
"Just- not in front of Troye, please?" I plead.
"Fine," he says.
My shoulders sag in relief as I sigh. "Thank you-"
"I haven't finished yet," he interrupts, fixing his crooked glasses. He turns to Troye. "Troye, can you please get me a lemonade?"
"I didn't see any lemonade stalls when I was- you know, I actually recall one- bye!" He rushes as Tyler glances towards me.
As he runs of, I bite my lip, waiting for Tyler to speak.
"I won't talk about it," Tyler repeats. "If-"
He ponders for a moment, so I roll my eyes. "If?" I encourage him to speak.
"If you go swimming with us," he bargains. "Now."
My face goes pale. "A-are you sure?" I stammer.
"Yep," he pops the 'p'.
"B-but maybe later?" I suggest weakly.
He frowns. "Fine, let's talk about yesterd-"
"No!" I blurt out. "Er- why are you so intent on getting me to swim, anyways?" I ask boldly, hoping to attempt to distract him.
"Because," Tyler begins, running a hand through his hair. "You're always cooped up in your room and I get you out once like, every couple of months. I'm not letting an opportunity like this slip away. I'm just trying to look out for my best friend," he says honestly, immediately making me feel guilty.
"Okay, okay, fine," I agree reluctantly.
"Yes!" He fist bumps me. "Do you know how to swim?"
"No," I say quickly, smirking.
He gives me a look. "Bullshīt. We had it in Year 3, remember?"
"Okay, I do know the basics. Shouldn't be too hard," I shrug.
"M'kay. Troye, babe, you can come back now," he calls out.
Troye sheepishly comes from behind a couple of people.
A couple of minutes later, we're all in the shallow ends of the sea, and I feel myself relax slightly.
This isn't too bad, I find myself thinking. Maybe I overreacted before. This isn't too bad.
I smile, not knowing how much I'll regret that later.
I'm broken out my trails of thoughts by Troye splashing me.
I glare at him playfully, bringing my hand up to splash him back but he squeals and swims behind Tyler.
Tyler smirks at me, and goes underwater, so Troye shrieks. He then reappears under Troye and lifts him up on his shoulders.
Tyler sticks his tongue out at me and swims to the deeper end, and me being the idiot I am, follow him.
"I'll get you back, Troye, just you wait, you'll see- ahh!" I squeal as I lose my footing and flail my arms around. This causes me to stop swimming, and I gasp and close my mouth quickly as I go under.
I hear a pitched shriek and everything goes dark.
--------
I splutter and cough out water as somebody pushes down on my chest.
"He's awake!" A worried but relieved voice says.
I recognize the voice as my best friend, Tyler.
The hazy figure above me becomes more apparent, as I see bright blue eyes and pitch black hair that's glistening with droplets of water.
"He'll be fine, Ty. It probably shocked him, but it'll be alright," the figure speaks, smiling brightly.
I hold my throbbing head from swallowing so much water unwillingly.
"What happened?" I mumble.
Tyler looks really guilty. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have pressured you-"
"You nearly drowned by Tyler recognized me, as I'm a surfer and his old high school mate, so I brought you back here to the shore-" the fringe guy interrupts, getting to the point.
"Anything else?" I ask suspiciously.
He rolls his eyes. "There was no CPR, you had a faint pulse," he informs.
I sigh in relief. How did he know what I meant?
"I'm Phil," he sticks his hand out. To be honest he intimidates me slightly, he's a couple of years older than me, that's for sure.
I look at his hand, and I feel an urge to shake it and smile, but then a voicd in the back if my head tells me not to trust this guy.
"Just because you 'saved' me apparently, does not mean we're friends, Phillip," I say before I can stop myself.
"I introduced myself, I didn't ask to be your 'friend', what would you do, you're just a rookie." He snorts, only saying it in a low voice so I can hear.
"Whatever," I snap. "I'm Dan," I add, before turning to Tyler. "Can we please head home? I know you wanted to-"
"We can leave," Tyler agrees quickly.
I frown. Why is he agreeing so easil- wait. He doesn't- surely he- he doesn't blame himself?
"Hey," I say, stepping up to him softly. "It's not your fault. Don't kick yourself down."
"T-thanks," he mumbles unsurely.
I engulf him in a hug, and he breaks down, crying softly.
"I'm so sorry...I thought I lost you...you're like my brother...and my best friend-" Tyler rambles, hugging me back tightly.
"Isn't he your boyfriend?" Phillip asks Troye, nodding at Tyler, who I attempt to comfort.
"He is," Troye confirms, smiling softly.
"Doesn't their closeness bother you?" He asks, intrigued.
"Nope. They're pretty close and I accept that. They have a brotherly bond. Dan comes with Tyler if I want to date him. I don't mind. He's a cool bro. I accept their closeness," Troye explains.
"Which is why you're acceptable to my bro's boyfriend," I speak up, grinning.
"C'mon, let's go. See you soon, Finn," I say, picking up my phone and examining it.
"It's Phil."
"I don't care."
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1667 words.
Love you xxx
-Sparkler12