You were still having trouble comprehending what was happening as you followed the tall man in front of you. Dan? Yeah, that's what his name was. You followed behind Dan as he directed you towards the tables of food, your muscles slightly tensed as you felt the sudden nervousness radiate off of him. His eyes kept darting back and forth as he looked around at the people in the room, seemily thankful that no one was looking his way. You decided to address him on this, "Hey Dan? Why do you look so troubled?" He inhaled sharply, jumping slightly. He soon relaxed when he realized it was you who had spoken to him.
"Oh, uhh... nothing is wrong really. It's just that-" He brought a hand behind his head, anxiously scratching as he gave a less than confident smile. "-well, I don't know if I'll get in trouble for this. You know, bringing in a random fan to a private after party and all."
Your eyes bulged at his words as you ran closer to him, attempting to hide behind his towering frame. No, you weren't suddenly acting bashful and shy, you were smart enough to know how much trouble you could get in because of this. Even being with someone who had clearance didn't seem to be enough according to Dan. You rolled your eyes and hissed in annoyance, your words dripping with venomous sarcasm. "Wow, Dan. You sure are great at reassuring people. You should give up that whole Youtube thing and pursue a career as a professional bullshitter..."
He looked down at you, narrowing his eyes, a grin scarcely visible across his lips. "Hmph, that's already my job; Bullshitter Extraordinaire. That, and the living embodiment of a meme. Proud title to own if I do say so myself." He lifted his head high in a confident gesture, his gait becoming quicker. You urged your legs to move faster as you tried to match his speed, eventually coming up beside him; your chin just barely passed his shoulders when you stood side by side.
Eventually the two of you reached one of the tables. Obviously noticing how hesitant you were to take food that was not yours, he gave a sigh as he rolled his eyes playfully. "Go on, take some of the food. No one's even looking" You pursed your lips, slowly grabbing a clean plate from the table. You held it close to your chest as you surveyed the table for the best option to satisfy your hunger. Your eyes lazily drifted from each edible until you locked onto the mini sandwiches a few feet away, all of them cut and displayed with perfect culinary precision. You could feel your mouth beginning to water as you rapidly grabbed a few, keeping the food close as if you were a dragon hoarding gold. You couldn't help but take an experimental nibble, relishing in the delicious flavors that invaded your mouth. So much better than the expensive ass fries.
You could hear someone behind let out a small cough. You whipped around, wide eyed and mouth full of food. Dan stared at you and let out an outrageous laugh, his giggles turning into howls. Was this why his last name was Howell? He couldn't contain his goddamn contagious laughter. You quickly forced the food down your throat, throwing Dan a hostile glare in efforts to mask how embarrassed you were. "Shut up! I told you I haven't eaten anything all day except for those god awful fries! Cut me some slack!" Despite your harsh words, he continued to cackle as he brought a hand down to the table to steady himself. You could feel your face flushing deeper in embarrassment with every breath he took, another chorus of snickers spilling from him.
He waved a hand in front of his face. "S-sorry, sorry! It's just that I can tell you're not one of the typical fans. You're actually acting normal around me." He gave a shaky sigh, taming his fit of giggles before he continued. "How did you wonder in here? I find it hard to believe someone just 'happened' to stumble in the room full of Youtubers. So tell me, how did you manage that?" Even behind his wide smile, you could detect the hint of skepticism coming from him. What, did he think you did this on purpose?
You felt your eyes drop into an unintentional glare at his assumption, your words laced with sudden bitterness. "First of all, I'm not a fan. I don't even know the first thing about the whole Youtube thing. And second-" You took a bite of a sandwich, quickly swallowing it before you continued. "- The only reason I'm here was for my friend Hailey, this was supposed to be her big present before I move away." You felt your chest swell with guilt as you thought about your friend, wondering how long you had been gone for and how she was managing on her own. Another sharp reminder at how you failed at keeping your phone's battery alive long enough to keep in contact.
A dreary sigh manifested as you looked downwards, your appetite quickly faltering. "The constant crowds were too much for me to handle; it felt like I was drowning in a sea of screaming people. I needed to find a quieter spot, so I walked to the back of the building in hopes to find a decent place to relax. It was all good until more of those screeching preteens found my little hidey hole. Needless to say, I tried to hide further down the hall until I realized I'd been boxed in by the security guards. I couldn't really leave, so I opted to hide some more. I stupidly decided to play on my phone and caused it to die, losing my only method of communication with Hailey. Then.... Well, you know the rest. I ran into the first door I could find and accidentally toppled into you." You gave a small chuckle, remembering how Dan had been knocked down. "Sorry about that by the way."
Dan was silent for a while, his dark eyes deep in thought. You hoped your unintentional bitterness hadn't given him the wrong impression of you. He was nice enough to let you snag some food, you didn't want him to think you were ungrateful of anything. It was quite the opposite; you were so thankful for the chance to eat, especially since these little sandwiches were so good. These Youtubers seemed to have an amazing set up going for them. Must be nice.
"Do you need to borrow a charger?"
You jumped with a start, not expecting him to say anything. "Ah, sorry w-what?"
He smirked as he rummaged through his pockets until he managed to pull out a charger, the exact one that matched your phone brand. Your eyes went wide as you eyed the black cord, unsure if you should take the offer immediately. Dan began to swing the charger around absentmindedly, eyeing you curiously. "If you need one, you can borrow mine if you'd like. Same brand, I assume?"
You gave a dull nod, your mouth slightly agape as you pulled your phone from your back pocket. You examined your phone then the charger in his hands. Just as he had said, it was the exact same brand. You cautiously took the cord in your hands, slotting the end into the charging port. Perfect fit. You felt a smile creep onto you lips until it broke away into a full out cheshire cat grin. The warm feeling of gratitude flowed through you, wrapping itself around your body in a tender embrace. "Thank you so much, Dan! I- this is great!!" You sighed with relief as things seemed to be looking up for you finally. "Seriously, thank you so much."
Dan cocked his head sideways when he heard how genuine you sounded. This was the first time he had seen you open up to him in these few short minutes. No awkward nervousness, random spillage of tears or sudden bitter shifts, It was the real you, the down to earth girl who was chill as a cucumber. Seemingly happy with himself, he flashed you a wide smile, his eyes crinkling into crows' feet as cute little dimples appeared on his face. When you looked over, your breath momentarily caught in your throat. He looked so... endearing? Was that the right word? You gave a shy nod, letting out an accidental squeak. That's weird, you've never done that before.
Seemingly oblivious to your squeak, he gave a nod towards a wall. "There's probably an electrical plug somewhe-' You heard a loud bang as the entrance door swung open, the two large guards from before standing in the doorway. Their eyes scanned the room, void and cold as winter stones. Their feet shuffled forward, your floor fries from before quickly becoming squished victims under the heavy, clunky shoes. The one guard leaned into his walkie talkie, offering a conformation and signaled for his buddy to follow him inside. Upon seeing the two familiar faces, you visibly flattened yourself behind Dan, trying your best to remain hidden. Dan looked down at you warily as he seemingly put two and two together.
You quickly looked towards the men, careful not to lock eyes with them before turning to Dan again. You quietly hissed in the brit's direction, "Those are the guards who saw me before, they must've wondered where I went when the large crowd suddenly formed. I-I didn't mean to come into restricted parts on purpose, I just wanted to get away..." You whispered to yourself quietly, audibly cursing up a storm "Shit, shit, shit! What am I going to do?!"
While you were freaking out about the possibly discovery, you hadn't noticed the way Dan's face lit up as an idea came to him. He shot his hand out, gently grabbing your wrist as he pulled you forward. You immediately ceased your mumbling as your eyes traveled upwards, taking note of the determined mask Dan wore. "Come on, I know a way out. Just keep close and you'll be fine."
With not time to protest, you gave a small yelp as he dragged you away from the table, causing you to drop your plate in the process. The sharp shattering of the plate gain the guards' attention at they yelled in your direction, pointing fingers and shouting demandes for you to stop. Dan ignored them as he picked up the pace, gripping your wrist even tighter at he weaved through a few people mingling in the room. Startled gasps sounded around the two of you as you barreled past, never allowing you to apologize for your rude antics. Luckily, Dan was on top of it as he yelled countless short excuses, all of which were incredibly polite given the situation.
"Excuse me, I'm very sorry about this!"
"Yep, I'll be there soon, Just not right now, sorry!"
"My apologies, but please move right away!"
"Not now Phil! In a bit!"
At this point you had wiggled yourself free of his grip, gaining enough speed to the point of running beside Dan. He was breathing quite heavily, visble sweat beginning to form on his features. Almost as if he knew you were staring, he looked towards you and let out a playful, breathy laugh. "I don't know if you can tell but I'm not much of a runner. I...ah, fuck it, I'm literally the laziest person that has ever lived!" He cackled like a little kid, the adrenaline kicking in and turning his logic to mush. The same thing happened to you as you clutched your stomach mid run, a steady river of melodic giggles pouring through. You knew you shouldn't have been taking this situation very lightly. But then again, how could you possibly take this shitstorm seriously? It was completely ridiculous!
The two of you flew down the hallway, quickly side stepping as you pressed your bodies against the wall. The heavy sound of clunky footprints was no longer within radius and was instead replaced by the two of you gasping for air, greedily claiming oxygen back into your lungs. You swallowed, coughing from how dry your throat had become. You gave a raspy laugh, still struggling to steady your breathing. "Guess we got away, huh?"
Dan let out a winded chuckled, running his hands through his messy brown locks. "Yeah, it seems so... fucking hell, that's enough exercise to last me two lifetimes!" You managed a cracked laugh, feeling a pang of pity for how out of shape he was. The fact that he was willing to drag you away from two creepy guards- even if it involved running- meant so much to you right now. That weird feeling of warmth creeped into your chest again, causing your heart to give an uncharacteristic flutter. Heesh, hopefully your heart didn't burst from the unplanned exercise.
After a few moments to regain your composure, the two of you leaned against the wall in silence, relishing in your daring movie-style escape. Neither of you were willing to break the comfortable silence that had formed, the idea of shattering it unappealing. Sadly, it was you who decided to break it apart in the end. "I really should get going now, I have to make sure my friend is okay."
Dan seemed to have been pulled from a strange trance, shaking his head as he focused on what you were saying. "O-oh, yeah, I guess you're right. I dragged you to the exit for a reason." He gave an amused chuckle, resting his eyes on you before nodding to a door single door at the end of the hall. "That door will lead you back to the convention, and I promise you that there are no guards behind it; it's a one way type of deal. It's used in case of emergencies."
You nodded, understanding what he was saying. Now that it was your chance to leave, you felt a huge weight being lifted off your shoulders. Hopefully finding Hailey would prove to be an easy task as you assumed it would be getting late by now. The majority of people should be flooding out of the building. Yet with the thought of leaving came the sudden emotion of... sadness? You narrowed your eyes as you tried to make sense of your feelings. It must've been from your mood swinging all over the place, you were exhausted after all. Yeah, that made the most sense.
You cleared your throat, earning Dan's attention. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then. Sorry for everything I put your through in such a short time, it seems my luck just wasn't the greatest today." You shook your head, feeling like you should add more. "And, uh, sorry for running into you, spilling my fries on you and not knowing who you were. Quite frankly, I still don't understand the whole "Internet Star' thing, but if they're anything like you, they must be awesome people." Your last words hung in the air a little longer than you anticipated, a small blush creeping up on you. Wow, way to make things awkward with the guy who just saved you from being kicked out. Oddly enough, when you risked a glance at Dan, his head was turned to the side as he bit his lip, a dusty blush beginning to form. Oh god, you made things even more awkward by flustering him! Way to go, (Y/N)!
You were about to sputter out a hasty apology before Dan stopped you with a smile, "Don't apologize. It was- well, in all honesty it's refreshing to find someone who doesn't treat me differently because of what I do. It nice that you're so... down to earth. If you don't mind me saying that, of course!" He waved his hands haphazardly as if trying to explain himself further. You kept your eyes glued to him, wondering what had caused the sudden change in personality.
While he was busy flailing his arms, you lifted yourself from the wall and began making your way to the door, causing Dan to stop all movements as he let his gaze wander towards you. You gave a small wave. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. Thanks for everything Dan! It was nice meeting you!"
He gave a quick nod, returning the gesture as he brought his hand up in a wave. "It was nice meeting you too. Good luck with finding your friend and I hope all goes well with the moving!" Ah, that's right, you had mentioned that you were moving during your explanation of how you stumbled into the party. It was nice that he remembered that tiny detail.
You smiled broadly. "Thank you! I'll try not to trip over any boxes this time." He giggled at the thought, probably imagining you toppled over as you carelessly fall to the ground, a tiny box being the sole culprit. Knowing you, that could definitely happen
With one hand on the door handle, you tore it open. In front of you was a dimly lit hallway, the faint light of the convention lobby illuminating a path for you. With one last glance, you wished Dan a happy farewell, unconsciously bringing your fingers together to make a peace sign. You're not sure what possessed you to do this, but you did it anyways. Fancy enough, Dan mirrored your gesture, bringing his hand up to flash a well rehearsed peace sign. You laugh one more time before walking through the door.
You were fortunate enough to hear his last goodbye before the door locked you out
"See you later, (Y/N). Hope we can meet again someday!"
You placed a hand over your heart, the harsh fluttering getting stronger. You gulped in confusion, trying to figure out what was wrong. You assured yourself that it was just nerves from your stressful day and that it would calm down eventually. With a surprising amount of effort, you trudged down the hallway into the light, a determined fire being lit in you soul. It was time to find Hailey and get out of this confusing hellhole of shrieks and pre teen tears.
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Dan stood in place for a while, his eyes never straying from the door that (Y/N) had walked through a few moments ago. His legs felt like squishy jello from the frantic running they had done through the lobby, his body screaming in protest from the unwelcomed physical activity. Even his heart was angry with him as it kept beating irregularly, never once stopping to calm down.
Yes, there were a few occasions in his life where he was forced to run. Like that time in his hotel room where Phil forced him to touch every wall in a mere 7 seconds. It was the fastest he had ever run in his life, all for a stupid app too! However, he remembered that his frantic heartbeat had stopped once he sat down for a bit. This time around, it was incredibly... different.
Not that he was in pain or anything, it was just... odd in a sense. It felt like butterflies were threatening to escape from his gut, bringing with them an unfamiliar warmth. Dan brought a hand to his face, noting how flushed he was. Was he coming down with the flu perhaps? It was a convention afterall. The constant interaction with people was bound to spread a few germs along the way.
It seemed like he had definatly caught something this time around. Hopefully it wasn't anything life threatening.