A/N: This is the last chapter before the epilogue, wow. I thought it would be like two more but no this is it...
WC: Roughly 3,000 (so like 2x longer than usual)
Dan's POV
I had spent the past five days taking the big end-of-year tests for all my classes. Needless to say, I was relieved when it was all over.
"Did you have that question about the two fish and the half-lives?" Val inquired, taking a large bite out of her apple.
"Mm!" Phil hummed, unable to speak due to his mouth full of food, "That was the worst!"
"Glad I didn't have it then," I grinned, "I forgot literally everything about half-lives."
Val was about to agree when a student walked over to the table, disrupting out conversation.
"Hey Alec, can I sit here?" I didn't recognize the boy, but I assumed he was in Alec's year.
"Y-yeah, sure!" Alec smiled up at the boy, scooting over.
Val gave us all a questioning glance. "Who's this?"
"L-Leo, he h-helped t-tutor me in maths," Alec smiled shyly, glancing at his friend.
Leo was a bit taller than Alec but far more muscular. He was rather attractive, with golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes. I hated to admit how jealous I was of his high cheekbones and sharp jawline.
"Leo, this is my sister, Val, and my friends, Dan and Phil."
"Nice to meet you all," Leo smiled.
We all muttered words of introduction, giving our new table member polite smiles.
"So um... you guys are coming to the dance tonight, right?" Val spoke up in an attempt to kill the awkward silence that had overcome us, "I mean not that I'm giving you a choice. I've been setting this up for weeks, if you're not coming willingly I will literally drag you here by your hair."
Leo was the only one who laughed; for he was the only one who didn't realize she was serious.
"Of course we're coming," Phil assured her, "We're all too scared not to."
"I'd hope so," Val said, then turning to Leo, "What about you, are you going?"
"Yeah!" The boy paused before adding, "I was hoping to go with Alec, actually."
Val's eyes widened, a series of emotions passing over her face. Alec, on the other hand, was blushing terribly.
"I m-mean I g-guess we c-can go as f-friends..." The young boy muttered, staring down at his hands.
"Great!" Leo exclaimed, beaming, "What about you guys, do you have dates?"
"Well I have Phil, but Val is going stag" I explained slowly, still taken aback by what had just happened.
Val only rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for a date, I literally have to manage the whole thing! It's not like there's anyone I wanted to go with anyway."
"What, you don't want to be our third wheel? I asked, wrapping an arm around Phil's waist.
Val glared, flicking a piece of food at us.
"We're only kidding!" I laughed, "You're more than welcome to hang out with us at the dance."
Our pink haired friend went to make a witty remark but was silenced by the lunch bell.
"It's hard to believe the year is almost over," I mused as we departed from our friends.
Phil nodded. "I know! So much has happened. I feel like the beginning of the school year was eons ago."
"Tell me about it," I muttered, "Well, I'm on the other hall so I'll talk to you later, okay?" Phil nodded and I gave him a quick peck on the lips before hurrying off to my next period.
Phil's POV
Seeing as it was the end of the year, most of my classes were pretty laid back. The periods I had with Val or Dan were fun seeing as we pretty much just talked for an hour, but I was in my last class of the day now, and neither of them was with me.
I had been mindlessly doodling in my notebook for roughly half the class when someone sat down in the seat next to me, drawing me away from my masterpiece.
It was Anthony.
"Um, hi," I closed my notebook, watching him cautiously.
A few months ago I would have been anxious to be this close to my former bully, but Anthony hadn't been the same person since his brother died. In fact, I felt more surprised than anything.
"Hey," Anthony seemed to feel just as awkward as I did, "Whatcha drawing?"
"Oh um, nothing, really. Just doodling."
"Oh."
It was weird, making small talk with someone who used to torture me relentlessly.
"Did—Did you want something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Anthony sighed. "It's just getting close to the end of the year and I was thinking about everything and the way I used to treat people and—I don't know... I guess I just wanted to apologize."
I looked at him in surprise.
"I may not support you and Dan's... relationship," Anthony said the last bit with distaste, "But that isn't really a good reason to do everything I did."
"Then why did you do it?" I asked, "Why me, of all people? It couldn't just because I knew your cousin."
Anthony shrugged. "You were an easy target. You were already dealing with a bunch of crap and your sexuality was the perfect excuse for me to target you."
I scoffed, shaking my head, "Wow, okay."
"Look, I know it's a really crap thing to do. And I just want you to know that I'm sorry. Whether you want to forgive me or not is up to you, but I'm not the same person as I was back then."
I sat in silence as Anthony got up and walked back over to his desk. While the boy's apology was less than sincere, I appreciated that he even bothered speaking up in the first place. I thought about what he said, could I ever forgive him? Only time would tell.
With a sigh, I flipped back opened my notebook and continued doodling until the last bell of the day.
...
"Hey," Dan stepped next to me, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek and grabbing my hand.
"Hey," I replied.
"What time does the dance start again?" Dan asked as we walked off campus.
"8:00 to 11:00" I replied. The time had practically been wired into my brain since Val had repeated it so many times.
"Great. Mum is going to cook us a 'party dinner' as she called it before the dance. She thinks it's absolutely adorable that we're going together, so prepare for pictures."
I groaned. One thing I had learned about the Howells is that they love their pictures. I'm not sure if it's just them or every family with an only child is like this, but they have more pictures of their kid than anyone I've ever met.
"I know," Dan laughed, squeezing my hand, "We should probably hurry home if we want to eat and get dressed while still leaving time for a full photo shoot.
I nodded. "Agreed."
...
Mrs. Howells' "party dinner" turned out to be a wide assortment of different finger foods. The table was covered in diverse dishes ranging from steaming hot chicken wings to cool, soft éclairs.
"This is amazing!" I exclaimed, taking my umpteenth pizza bite from its tray.
"I'm glad you like it, dear," Mrs. Howell smiled warmly at me.
That was something I loved about Dan's mum, she never failed to make you feel welcomed.
"Yah, everyfing is da-licious," Dan managed to mumble with a mouthful of food.
I stifled a laugh as his mother gave him a stern look and a lecture about proper etiquette.
"You know," Dan's father began, "as much as I enjoy picking on you, Dan, I really am happy you found someone like Phil,"
"I am too," Dan smiled over at me.
I blushed, looking down at the floor.
"Even if you two don't end up together forever, which—unlikely as it is—is very possible, it's good to have the bar set high for the future."
"That's right!" Mrs. Howell contributed, "If you don't have high standards you'll end up with a lazy slob like Jared. I guess that's what I get for marrying my high school sweetheart."
Dan and I snorted as Jared mocked offense, placing a hand over his heart. "Well if that's how you feel then I guess I'll just leave."
"Oh you know I'm only kidding!" Mrs. Howell smiled, turning towards Dan and myself. "Have you two both had enough to eat?"
We responded in synch. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good, now go put on your suits so we can take some pictures!"
Dan let out a loud groan. Trying to be polite, I only smiled wearily.
...
"You boys look so handsome!" Mrs. Howell exclaimed, taking what must be the fiftieth picture of the night.
While I had gone with the traditional black and white tux, Dan, being the extra person that he was, had picked out a black suit coat with a crimson floral pattern. At the time I had teased him about it, but I couldn't deny he looked absolutely stunning tonight.
Mr. Howell was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall, "I don't know...the one on the left looks a bit like a troll..."He motioned to Dan, who shot his father a nasty glare.
I snickered, earning a kick on the shin from my boyfriend.
"Oh Jared, Leave the poor boy alone!" Mrs. Howell tried her best to look angry, but the smile on her face was undeniable.
Ten pictures later, Dan was starting to get irritable "Mum, we really need to get going!"
"Alright, alright!" Mrs. Howell put her camera on the table, reaching for her coat.
"You kids have fun!" Dan's dad gave a small wave from his place by the living room, "but not too much fun."
Dan rolled his eyes in response, heading for the door, "Dad, it's a school dance chaperoned by half the staff, what do you think is going to happen?"
Mrs. Howell turned around, giving her son a stern look. "Daniel, watch the attitude."
"Yes, ma'am..."
Finally, we were out the door and on our way to the car.
Dan's POV
Val and her decorating team had done a stunning job. The room was dimly lit by a silver disco ball, its thousands of little reflections creating starry-like projection on the ceiling.
Strings of fairy lights adorned every available surface, emitting a dreamy glow in the room. Large swatches of black and silver silk hung from the ceiling like drapes, and any space that wasn't being covered by an hors d'oeuvres table was filled with black and blue balloons to match
"This place looks amazing!" Phil exclaimed, looking around the room in awe.
"Thanks!"
We spun around to find Val standing behind us, but I almost didn't recognize her. Her usual dark makeup had been replaced with a look you might find on an Instagram page. She was wearing a navy blue dress with a silky hi-lo skirt and matching blue heels. Her previously pink hair had been dyed a light silver color and was pulled up into a messy bun. To top it all off, she was wearing a diamond choker with matching earrings.
"You look beautiful!" Phil exclaimed
I nodded in agreement. "I never really took you for a dress person."
She shrugged. "Everyone likes dressing up every once in a while."
"Well when you do dress up, you do it well," I grinned, poking her in the cheek.
She swatted my hand away, smiling bashfully. "As much as I'd like to stay and chat, I really need to help with the music and food and stuff," She gave us an apologetic smile, waving goodbye. "Have fun you two!"
Before we could say anything else, she had disappeared into the crowd.
"So what now?" Phil asked, his hands stuffed awkwardly in his pockets.
"Maybe we could try and find Alec and Leo?"
"I already found them," He said, a playful smile on his face. "I think they're a bit...preoccupied." Phil pointed in the direction of the two boys.
The duo was standing in a corner away from the rest of the crowd. Leo's hands were wrapped securely around Alec, and their mouths were pressed firmly together.
"I always knew he was gay," I confessed, pleased that I had been correct
Phil laughed. "I second that."
We were debating whether or not we should go say hello when the upbeat music switched to a much slower song. The couples around us began dancing, swaying melodically to the beat.
I looked up at Phil, holding out my hand. "Care to dance?"
Phil smiled, taking my hand in his and pulling me close. He placed his hands on my waist as I brought mine to the back of his neck. Neither one of us were exceptionally good dancers, so we simply rocked back and forth to the beat, taking a few steps here and there.
"It's been quite a year," Phil sighed softly, gazing down into my eyes.
I chuckled, "That's one way to put it."
"If someone told me we'd be slow dancing at the formal dance ten months ago, I'd think they lost their mind," Phil's eyes went out of focus, a telltale sign he was reminiscing on the past.
"I don't blame you," I muttered guiltily, "I'm not exactly 'boyfriend of the year' material..."
"Hey," Phil hooked a finger under my chin, urging me to look up at him, "you're a different person now. You're nice and considerate; you don't hang out with the wrong sorts of people for popularity."
I shrugged. "I guess..."
"You guess? I need you to be sure. You're lovely, Dan. Since we started dating, you've always been there for me. I need you to understand that the past is the past. You had your reasons for doing what you did—"
"They weren't good reasons," I muttered.
Phil chuckled, "True, but we all make mistakes," He pulled me a bit closer, his face softening, "I forgave you a long time ago, baby, but what about you? Have you ever forgiven yourself?"
The question took me by surprise. Although I didn't beat myself up over the person I used to be, I was never really comfortable with him. "I—I don't think so..."
"Then please, move on. For the sake of both of us, let go of the past," Phil was looking at me yearningly as if searching for some sign I was taking his speech to heart.
I bit my lip, thinking over the situation. Finally, I looked up into his eyes. "I will. Or at least, I'll try to. I can't promise immediate results."
Phil's face split in an adoring grin and he leaned forward, placing a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you," I could feel his warm breath tickling the skin above my brow.
I smiled to myself, resting my head on his shoulder as we "danced."
We didn't speak for a while after that, we just held each other close, enjoying the company.
I had always thought it was rather silly when characters in books made a big deal about the way their significant other smelled, but I could kind of understand now; there was something so homey and comforting about the musky scent of Phil's cologne and the fruity undertone of his shampoo. With this in mind, I inhaled deeply, hoping Phil wouldn't notice I was trying to smell him.
Despite my attempted discreetness, I think he caught on. Phil laughed quietly, pulling me closer. "I love you so much."
I smiled, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "I love you more."
"Oh don't you start that with me," I could feel his chest against my own, rising and falling with laughter.
"Phil?"
"Mhm?"
"I think you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Phil went still; even his breathing seemed to stop.
"Phil?" I pushed him away and was shocked to see tears welling in his eyes, "Baby, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry. I'm fine, it's just—" Phil's voice cracked, "Seven months ago, I wanted to die. My life was horrible: I had no friends or family that cared for me, I was getting beaten up daily, I had no hope left. Then, after I attempted, you stopped hanging out with Anthony and you changed. You went from some basic douche bag to one of the sweetest, most loving people I've ever met. Then we started dating and I moved in and I met your parents... Having someone there for me it just—it made everything so much easier. At my weakest moments, I didn't relapse; I didn't have to. I just walked a few steps down the hall to your room and talked to you. I don't think you realize how much that helped me, those long nights where you would have to hold me until I stopped crying and fell asleep. I couldn't have gotten through all this without you, Dan. So thank you. Thank you for being my rock, for keeping my spirits high when I wanted to quit, for helping to fix me."
I didn't realize my eyes were watering until Phil reached out to brush a tear from my cheek. "Phil..." Standing on my tiptoes, I met his mouth with my own. The warm feeling of his lips against mine was intoxicating; his hair like silk between my fingers.
Phil broke the kiss long enough to whisper an "I love you," then hastily reconnected our lips.
It doesn't matter if it's a week or fifty years; his hands on my hips won't ever lose their security, the way he smells will never fade, his kiss will never grow cold, nor will his eyes ever be anything less than breathtaking. It was right now I realized that I seriously want to spend the rest of my life with Phil. I want to finish school before making any big life choices, but when the time comes, I'm ready.
For the first time in a while, I wasn't scared of the future. I wasn't stressing about how old I would live to be or what I would do with my life. I guess that's just how love works; you find this amazing person and suddenly growing old doesn't seem as scary as it used to. You're no longer in it alone, you have someone to hold your hand on the journey. And somehow, out of everyone in the world (both boys and girls, mind you), I ended up with one of the best people to ever exist:
Phil Lester.
A/N: wow. That was long.
While this is the end, there is still the epilogue and Q&A answers so look forward to that! ^.^
After writing this for so long it feels weird to be wrapping it up...
Also, I would like to point out that you don't have to depend on someone to get better. While Dan played a major part in Phil's recovery, Phil was the one with the strength to do that, Dan was just supporting him. I just wanted to make that clear :)