☾ ☽
when dan finally woke up, phil was asleep next to him, leaning against the couch cushions. dan rubbed at his eyes.
the flat was flooded with morning light now, so much more so than it had been when dan had fallen asleep, at who-knows-when. phil shifted in his sleep.
his hair had formed somewhat of a quiff, his glasses still on his face, almost falling off. dan smiled. there were cards in his hand from the night before.
he felt that feeling again, that indescribable fondness. giddiness washed over him.
it was a few minutes before he came to his senses enough to check the clock on the wall, and he cursed loudly, which was uncommon.
"phil!" he shook the man, grabbing his shoulder. "wake up! you're late for work-!"
phil woke up quickly, shaking off his sleepy haze. "w-what?"
"it's nine am," dan stared, and phil's eyes widened.
"what? are you serious?"
dan pointed at the wall, and phil followed his gaze, cursing as well.
he jumped up, sending cards flying everywhere. he looked at dan frantically.
"frank is gonna kill me," he mumbled. "meet me back here in five minutes. we'll catch a cab."
dan nodded, turning immediately to the bag phil had bought him to keep his new clothes in temporarily.
he picked a red t-shirt, too big for him of course, with a black rose over the chest. then he grabbed black jeans, and rushed to change in phil's bathroom.
they were actually surprisingly efficient, and before dan knew it, they were in a taxi.
"here," he said to the driver, at the usual place he got dropped off. phil stared at him oddly.
"are you sure you don't want me to-"
"no, i'm alright!" dan said cheerfully, hopping out and smiling at him. "meet you after?"
"of course, but-"
"great!" dan said loudly, cutting him off and slamming the car door.
he was rushing off before phil could even roll down the window, disappearing around a corner.
dan took a deep breath, leaning against a wall to calm down. now, instead of running, he picked up a leisurely stroll. he wasn't really late- actually, he ran his own hours.
he walked a few blocks before turning again, ducking into an open alley.
he located his bag, right where he had left it hidden behind some bicycle racks. he dragged out the black duffel bag that he had bought with the money he had made so far.
he hoisted it into his arms, humming to himself. he set up as usual, on the sidewalk, right next to the park. when he was done, he stepped back to admire his work.
the stand wasn't much, truthfully. but it was enough to work.
dan had tied bouquets to posts that stuck up from the table, everything from roses to sunflowers to daisies. he had also lined the white fold out table with flowers of every variety.
speaking of daisies, he was running low. there were only a few bouquets left, and they were one of the most popular ones.
dan sighed, walking back into the alley.
he crouched, falling to his knees, not caring much about getting his jeans dirty. he closed his eyes. it made him want to vomit to think about it, but he had to.
he thought of childhood. he thought of what it felt like to be a child, with nothing to worry about but keeping your clothes clean. and making friends. and eating your vegetables.
dan felt kind of melancholy thinking about it, but he brushed those feelings off. they weren't the ones he wanted.
with his eyes closed, he gathered his thoughts, counting under his breath. his hands hovered over the concrete, his brow furrowed in concentration.
when he opened his eyes, there were four tiny daisies growing from a crack in the asphalt, gradually getting larger. he couldn't help but smile. it felt good to be able to control it.
"woah!"
dan pulled his hands back automatically when he heard the voice, whirling around.
a little girl was standing at his only way out, the entrance to the alley, staring at him with wide eyes.
she was wearing a snapback, shorts, and a butterfly shirt, which was covered in mud. even her face was dirty. it made dan wonder what she had been doing.
he moved in front of the flowers to hide them, but it was too late. he really needed to be more careful, it was extremely lucky that the last two times he had been caught it had been a kid.
"what are you doing?" she asked, her voice loud and almost demanding, but she didn't look mad or bossy. she was smiling. dan sighed.
"wanna see?" he said reluctantly, flinching at his own recklessness. she nodded, running over and nearly tripping on her own feet. she dropped to her knees right next to dan.
dan hovered his hands again, focusing and watching another tiny flower emerge. the girl stared in awe.
"that's cool," she said, dragging out the 'l'.
"what's your name?" dan asked. she turned to him.
"penny," she said enthusiastically.
"well, penny," he tilted his head, smiling at her. "you can't tell anyone i showed you this."
"why?" she demanded. "are you a witch?"
dan laughed, and nodded.
"yes, i'm a witch. and if you tell anyone i'll put a curse on you!"
penny nodded, not looking at all worried by dan's lighthearted threat.
"okay!" she said loudly. "i won't tell anybody."
"good." dan braced himself, picking one of the daisies as fast as he could and trying not to cry out. "here. go give this to your mum."
penny nodded, jumping up and taking the flower.
"okay! bye!"
"bye bye," dan muttered, watching her run off. he let out a breath he had been holding in. he didn't think she was a risk. but he really needed to be more careful if he was going to keep doing this.
➸
when dan got to rainy days, he went straight to the back to find phil. when he looked up from his book, dan dropped a bundle of money on the pages.
"for rent," he said firmly. phil stared at him.
"dan-"
"for rent." dan repeated, and then whirled around, walking straight for the door, grinning wildly. he hoped phil was following him, or else he wouldn't be as cool as he felt right then.