You couldn't believe that you had finally arrived, the new chilly air of London foreign as it pierced through the light jacket your were wearing. The chilly air wasn't the only thing foreign to you; everything was new. Different shops, new people, Hell even the road rules were different! They drove on the opposite side of the street, something you had known but were still not used to seeing in action.
The journey here had been anything but easy, you could remember that much at least. Even though you had made the proper reservations for transportation for you and your stuff, the worst of luck decided to strike on moving day. A dreaded fever from a sudden sickness.
Acting like a concerned mother, Hailey had urged you to stay at the apartment and rest up for another day. However the two of you knew that it was impossible as you couldn't reschedule any of the plans you had made. Begrudgingly, you had no choice but to leave, feeling like a literal pile of crap. Thankfully, this hadn't stopped Hailey from wishing you goodbye, a final hug shared between the two of you. You promised to call her once you were settled into your new apartment, though that could be in a few days since you couldn't so much as form a sentence now that your voice giving a godawful crack.
You couldn't even enjoy your first plane ride, passing out the moment it took off. Thankfully, someone had the decency to wake you up when the plane was grounded. You had stumbled off the plane with a blind drowsiness, a veil of sickness shrouding you. You felt terrible when the ride you had ordered was forced to drive you around to your new place, a sudden cough from you causing him to look back in disgust. Wow, hopefully not all the taxi drivers were this prestigious. Flipping through your phone you gave Haley a quick text, soothing her worried mind by assuring her you had made it in one piece.
MSG Sent to Haley
Hey, I made it to the UK. I know it must be a different time for you right now, but I just wanted to let you know I was okay and that I'm going to my new apartment now. Send me a text when you can
As soon as the message was sent, your phone was given new light, buzzing up a storm.
MSG From Hailey
Oh thank God, I was hoping you were still alive by the time the plane touched down. You looked pretty rough when you left, how are you feeling now?
You felt yourself grimace at the question
MSG Sent to Hailey
Ah, not feeling any better. I think it's gotten worse; my nose is getting stuffy and my throat is beginning to hurt. Maybe I'll stop by a store if I have time tonight after getting settled in. Okay, gotta go. My cab is stopping at the place.
You didn't have time to check your phone again by the time you exited the car, handing the grumpy cab driver a bigger tip than usual. It seemed to make him feel a little bright as he flashed you a small smirk. Sure, that was good enough for you. He bid you farewell as he drove away, leaving you alone on the sidewalk with a simple bag of luggage slung over your shoulders.
You gazed up at the apartment and felt slightly disappointed. The outside bricks were word down, cracking at the edges as white paint chipped off the sides. The metal frames around the any windows were stains with years of accumulating rust, the overall scene quite unwelcoming. You slowly reached into your coat pocket, feeling around for your single key. When the sound of jingling keys rustled in your pocket, you wrapped your fingers around them, pulling them out for an inspection.
You took a deep breath when you looked down at the original grooves of metal, a new feeling of hope enveloping you. This apartment wasn't so bad, at least it was a place to stay. You silently prayed that everything had been transported by the moving company into your room like they had promised, at least then you could distract yourself by unboxing objects before running to the store.
You walked towards the unfamiliar door, sliding your key into the handle and giving a sigh of relief once it was accepted. You took a hesitant step inside, carefully eyeing the unfamiliar stairwell. It was warmer in here than outside, but not by much unfortunately. A shiver passed through you, a cold sweat making an undesired appearance. All you wanted to do was to curl up in your blankets and sleep the day away, completely disregarding any plans you had for setting up your room.
You shuffled up the stairs, the weight of the bag bringing you down slightly with every step. Just one more flight of stair until your room. Once you made t to the top, you looked for a familiar number. Room number 14; that's you. You approached the door, eagerly awaiting a space to call your own.
You disabled the locked door, slowly pushing forward as you took your first step inside. Thankfully, the room was way more desirable in terms of looks than the outside.
You could already see the spacious kitchen from where you were standing, marble countertops glistening under the natural light that poured from the nearby windows. The living room was large as well, though quite empty to be honest. You'd work on decorating it once you got more comfortable in the coming day. Far down the hallway was a single room; your bedroom. You gave a tired smile as you began to saunter over, immediately dropping the bag at the doorway.
While walking through the apartment, you were met with multiple boxes of different sizes. It seemed that everything with the moving company had gone according to plan. For that, you were eternally grateful.
Once in your room a large barren bed greeted you, virgin white sponge glowing under the light. The landlord said that he would offer all arriving residents with a clean, new mattress to get them through their stay. Such a nice guy this tenant was. You happily fell on the the empty bed, your achy body thanking you immensely at the horizontal position you were in. You gave a pitiful cough, pain ripping through your throat. You knew that you needed to get medicine, but the bed was way to enticing for you to say no, something about it's fluffy appearance just luring you in like an unsuspecting mouse to a trap.
Suddenly it all made sense as to why you had been sleeping for so long; it must've been your body giving you subtle hints on what was to coming later. You gave a grizzly sigh as your eyes fell shut. More shut eye for you
------------------------------------------------------------------
You let out an unsatisfied groan when you realized you had slept through the night, the light tweeting of the outside world slowly waking your weak body. You rose from the empty bed like a zombie from the grave, a similar moan coming from your lips, you stumbled to the bathroom beside your room, flicking on the light and flinching at its brightness. You looking into the mirror and was greeted with a ghastly sight. Pale as snow, eyes shrunken in and tremors through your body; it looked like you could keel over at any moment!
You brought your hand to your head as you were introduced to a burning heat. Wow, you really were sick. The realization of your situation made you want to curl up in bed again like the pathetic sickly girl you were, but you knew that it was time to enlist the help of pharmacy medication.
You gingerly walked from the bathroom, scanning the many boxes strewn across the room for a familiar text. Ah, there it was in bold letters; Bathroom Shit. You stumbled over, sluggishly sifting through the contents until you found a towel and some bathroom essentials. You figured that you should at least look somewhat presentable in your new town. With all the necessities in hand, you began to take your clothes off, stripping away what felt like a layer of sickness.
The hot water was a heavenly gift bestowed upon you, the constant stream reminiscent of a steamy waterfall. It felt as if a coating of grime had been lifted with every scrub, the fruity scent of the shampoo bubbling into the drain below. You quietly hummed to yourself, already feeling a million times better. You cranked the shower handle to the side as you stopped the water, jumping out so you could quickly wrap yourself in multiple towels.
Sadly, while the shower had made you feel a little better, you still looked like the definition of death, the shower doing nothing with how pale you still were. You let out a huff, unhappy that you couldn't wash said dreadful feature away.
After a few minutes of making yourself look presentable, you quickly changed into some new clothes from the small bag of luggage you had brought with you. You dressed yourself in a very soft sweater sporting some horizontal black and white stripes, some navy jeans to go along with it. Yet despite the thickness of the sweater, you still found yourself unbearably cold from how sick you were. You sighed as you put your black fitted jacket on top, hoping your body could hold out long enough to make it to the store and back.
You grabbed your keys off a nearby table and locked the door behind you, phone in hand as you looked up the directions to the nearest pharmacy. Lucky for you there was one a few minutes down from where you lived. You remembered how the cab had passed by it yesterday; thankfully it didn't look sketchy at all.
You made your way down the stairs, holding onto the railings for support as you hobbled down the steps. Your breathing was dense and shaky from the sickness gripping your lungs, your head burning with an intense heat. The sooner you got this over with, the better.
Outside was quite chilly, the harsh winds piercing through your jacket. You shivered even more than before, audibly cursing the weather for being so uncooperative with you. You shoved your hands in your pockets to conserve heat, head hung low to keep the stinging wind at bay. On your travels, you passed by a few chattering people, smiles plastered on their face while they rambled happily to each other. At first, the unfamiliar speaking mannerisms were confusing until a blatant fact hit you. Idiot, you thought to yourself, You're in the UK. Of course they have accents. Hell, technically you're the one with the different accent now!
This would take a while for you to adjust to your new reality, but that was okay with you. There was a feeling of adventure in it, a fun little challenge to get past. Besides, there wasn't a language barrier or anything, it was just a difference in pronunciation.
While you were busy thinking, you had almost waltzed past the pharmacy. You took a couple recovery steps back, practically flinging yourself into the door in the search for effective medicine. You were greeted by an old woman behind the counter, a sweet and quiet greeting coming from her. You nodded back, flashing her a weak smile. Aww, she was a cute old grandma; how sweet.
The same small voice called towards you, making you jump with a start. "Is there anything I can help you with, deary? Goodness, you look absolutely dreadful!"
You sheepishly shook your head, unconsciously bringing a hand to your pale cheek in embarrassment. "Ah, t-that's okay, miss. I think I can managed from here. Thank you very much though"
This explanation simply wouldn't do for the old lady as she stood up from the counter and began to approach you. Her eyes were narrowed slightly, her smile full of sympathy for the poor sick girl. "Now now, dear. I know full well that you are very ill; this is a nasty bugger of a cold!" She brought her hand to her face, recoiling back. "My word! You're absolutely boiling! Here-" Beside her was a stack of boxed thermometers, all an assortment of different brands you had never seen. Shockingly, the old woman tore open one of the boxes, pulling out a slim, white thermometer. "-rest the tip of the thermometer under your tongue for 10 seconds; don't you move a muscle!"
You began to argue weekly with the woman, only to bend to her will when she flashed you stern but caring eyes. You did as she wanted, resting the thermometer under your tongue for 10 seconds. Your eyes wandered around the pharmacy timidly, was this normal?
The small device gave a series of rapid beeps, the old woman shaking her head. "Tsk tsk, that's quite the fever, my dear. 40°C (~103°F)! My goodness, you should be resting! What on earth are you doing out here in a state like this?"
You swallowed, wincing a little at the scratchy pain. "I just moved here yesterday feeling a little ill, unfortunately it became much worse as the night went on." You gave a rumbling cough, the force of it sending tremors through you. "I don't really have anyone here to take care of me right now, so I figured I might as well get some medicine to help me feel better."
The elderly woman gave a short hum, a small smile of understanding laced on her lips. "My my, that's quite a big event for you. There's no doubt that it'll a work out for you in the end; London is a great place for new beginnings. Lots of friends to make, trust me dear I would know. Met my husband here in the year of '65. Oh bless his heart..." Her pale grey eyes fogged for a moment as if to remember the husband she had lost a few years prior. She gave a light chuckle, ceasing all thoughts for the moment. "Oh, but enough about me. Allow me to show you to the isle you need; There's a brand that will be perfect for your fever such as yours."
She gestured to the right, an isle labeled "Fever and Frantics" in bold red colours. You quickly nodded, profusely thanking the angel in front of you. "Thank you so much, miss. But... was it alright that you used a store thermometer? I mean, couldn't you get in trouble for that?"
She shook her head, light chuckles bubbling to the surface. "Why, of course not! They can't get the owner in trouble, dear! No matter how hard they try!" She grinned widely, giving you a mischievous wink. Wow, she was quite the character. "Funny, a young man came in just before you looking for the exact same fever medication. Poor lad has a friend at home who's sick as a dog! I do hope this illness isn't going around, it seems to be quite the fiend."
You gave her a tiny grin, thanking her once again before making your way to the isle, your eyes peeled for the best medication possible. Unfortunately, it was hard to keep your eyes fully open, the constant exhaustion slowly gnawing away at your resolve. You leaned back, your vision beginning to tunnel for a second. God, this was absolutely terrible.
You didn't even notice the feeling of free falling as you lost any balance left in you, your body mercilessly heading straight for the floor. Luckily, some good samaritan had rushed forward to steady you, quickly wrapping their arms around you so you wouldn't injure yourself. "Whoa! Are you okay, miss?"
The shocked voice belonged to a young man, probably a little older than you. Was he british? Well duh, welcome to London. While he did sound british, it sounded slightly off; was he from the north then? You urged yourself to bring your head up, coming face to face with the person who had saved you from disaster.
His stark blue eyes were the first thing you noticed, intense unease burning into you as he worried about you. His raven black hair was swished to the side in a fringe, though it looked unnaturally straight; he must have straightened it recently. You noticed how cushioned your fall was, bringing your eyes down to see the puffy, blue jacket he was wearing, a crest of feathers adorning the edge of his hood. The way his face was scrunched together gave you the impression that he was a pretty selfless guy.
"Hey? Are you okay?"
You lazily drifted back to reality, slowly steadying yourself as you pushed away from his arms. "Uh, y-yeah. I'm okay, mister. Sorry about falling like that, I-i just don't feel very well." You gave a feeble laugh, an unappealing cough added to the mix. You sniffed once, you probably looked like the definition of pitiful right now."Do...do you know where I can find medicine for a fever? I kind of have a really bad one..."
The man looked down at the bottle he was currently holding and pushed it your way, selflessly offering to give the medicine to you. "Here, you can have this one. I can go down the aisle to get another one. You? Well, it's safe to say you probably shouldn't be walking anymore than you have to." He flashed you a toothy grin, a pleasant mix of humor and care blended together. "My friend is in the same situation as you right now, I'm surprised you can even make the walk here!"
You nodded slowly, graciously accepting the bottle from the kind man. He looked like such a gentle soul, was everyone in this store a literal godsend? "Thank you so much, ah...?"
"Oh! P-Phil Lester, pleasure to meet you! You're not from around here, are you?" He seemed a little wary for some reason when he gave you his name as if expecting you to do something out of character. You cocked your head to the side when you noticed this.
"I- uh no, I just moved here yesterday actually. What gave it away?"
He chuckled a little, seemingly amused by what you had said. "Well, seeing as you lack a british accent, it's safe to assume you're either a tourist or a new resident. So, how's your experience so far?"
You weren't sure how to answer his sudden question seeing as you had only been here for less than 24 hours. "W-well, it's been pretty cold. Unfortunately I haven't been well enough to really enjoy myself at the moment..." You felt yourself warming up to this man named Phil, he seemed like a such a nice guy. You looked down at your hands when you remembered that you had found what you needed. "I should get going now. Thank you s-so much for the medi-"
Phil leaned forward to steady you again, you hadn't even realized that you had been wobbling haphazardly when you were talking. "Okay no matter what you say, you are definitely not fine. Here," He gently leaned you against the shelves as he rushed down the hall, grabbing another bottle of the medicine for himself. "I'm not going to leave you alone and risk you fainting in an unfamiliar place. Is it alright if I walk you back to your apartment? I'd feel absolutely terrible if I left you alone now."
You tried your best to make sense of what he was asking, your thoughts shrouded in a thick haze. You spoke without a filter. "How do I know you're not some murderer trying to lure me to my demise? I've seen CSI, stuff like this never ends well..."
Phil seemed taken aback slightly at the comment, a slight drop of hurt flashing in his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get out of line. I-I just thought I should help you out..." Your eyes went wide with how timid he had become. Shit, you didn't mean to hurt his feelings.
"No no! I didn't mean it like that! I-I just wasn't thinking straight," You flashed him a feeble smile. "I'd appreciate that very much, Phil. Thank you."
The previous doubt had melted away once you accepted his offer, his eyes sparking with a new light. "Great! Come on, I'll walk you to the counter." He gently pulled you into a standing position, his arm hovering over your back in case you felt the need to fall again. He seemed like the type of person who would do anything to help a person in need. You gave a happy sigh, thankful you had been lucky enough to run into this kind stranger.
The two of you slowly approached the front counter, the same woman from before greeting both of you. "My my my! Is she okay?"
Phil nodded, taking the medicine from your hands and placing them on the counter. "She's not feeling well, so I said I'd help her get back to her apartment. Would you be able to ring these in, Susan? Please and thank you" Oh, he must've been on good terms with the woman, the elderly lady giving him a bright smile.
Susan looked towards you, an understanding look in her eyes. "See? What did I tell you? You can make some of the best friend here in London. You just have to give us a chance." Phil seemed confused by the exchange but gave a polite nod anyways. "Now as for the medicine; free of charge. We don't need you wasting time getting home, deary. You need rest! Go with Phil, this young lad is always glad to help anyone who needs it."
You tried to stutter out a response, feeling like you should protest to her kindness. "Oh I couldn't possibl-"
"That's enough out of you, sweetheart! Off to bed with you!" She turned to Phil this time, chuckling as she handed him the two bags of medicine. "And you! After she's home safe, march straight home and help out that poor Daniel, alright? He's no fun when he's bedridden"
Phil nodded, an embarrassed blush spreading across his face. "Of course, Susan. I'll make sure to tell Dan you say hello." He took the bags in one hand and gently nudged you forward, his arm forming a protective ring around your shoulders. Before the two of you stepped out from the store, Phil yelled for the woman. "Thanks again, Susan!" He exclaimed, his voice jolly and honest.
"Tootles!" Called Susan, getting back to her regular routine as the store's owner. The automatic doors closed behind you, leaving the two of you to shuffle back to your apartment.
The walk was silent for the first half, an awkward mutter from Phil whenever he thought you were going to fall again. Luckily, you didn't have another fainting spell since that time in the store so it was safe to say you were okay for now. Seeing as you weren't going anywhere, you decided to take a look at Phil once again. How come he seemed so familiar? Not in the sense that you had definitely seen him clearly, but like a blur. Almost as if you had walked past him at one point in time. Impossible, this was surely the first time you had met.
"So, what made you decide to move here?"
You snapped back into reality as Phil spoke softly beside you, his gaze forward as he made sure nothing would knock into you. It took you awhile to process what he had said. "Ah, I got accepted to a university that I really wanted to get into. Unfortunately it was really far away from where I was, across the ocean actually." You sniffled a small laugh, the weak giggles causing slight tremors through you.
"Oh wow, that's quite the distance. What did you get accepted for?" Even though he wasn't looking at you, you could hear immense interest when he spoke. How nice of him to be so invested in you, regardless that you had met only minutes ago.
"I got accepted into an advanced English program. I-I want to do something with it. I don't know what yet, but I'll figure that out once I get my degree, I guess." You shivered, cold sweats dripping down your back. You breathed deeply, a blockage in your throat sending you into a fit of retching coughs. Phil quickly braced you against him, his blue eyes vibrant with anxiety when he saw how bad you were coughing.
He gave an awkward chuckled. "Wow, that's kind of like the sickness Dan has right now."
Your ears perked at the mention of that name. You hadn't thought about the boy you had met in a while, the name flooding back along with a string of memories from a week ago. Of course, there wasn't any chance that it was the same boy from before. "God, I feel sorry for your friend if he has this." You straightened yourself, admittedly a little shaky as you looked towards Phil with humourous eyes. "Honestly, I feel like absolute shit, Phil."
You could feel Phil's body tense beside you when you had said this. You tilted your head curiously at the sudden reaction. Had you said something wrong?
Phil immediately noticed your questioning stare, hastily explaining himself. "Sorry, it's just the exact same thing Dan said to me this morning! How funny is that?" He giggled to himself, amused at this string of coincidences. He gave you a small nudge at the crosswalk. "Left or right?"
"Left" you said, turning your body in the desired direction. "Shouldn't be far now; there! I can see it down the street!"
The two of you eventually made it to your apartment, Phil giving you an unsure eyebrow scrunch. "This is the place?" He seemed to be looking at the state it was in, wondering how you could live in a rundown place like this.
Though you had only been here for an entire day, you felt the need to defend the building. "Trust me, while the outside looks like crap the inside in completely different." You fumbled for your keys, lightly pushing Phil away as you unlocked the main door. You let out a disgruntled grumble, remembering the pain inducing task that was climbing the stairs.
You thought that Phil would leave by this point, but you were sorely mistaken as he climbed inside the building with you, offering you a shoulder to steady yourself on. "Here, at least let me help you up the stairs before I leave. Imagine how terrible I'd feel if your stair-related death was broadcasted on the news tonight!"
You bit your lip hesitantly, eventually nodded in agreement when you saw how sincere Phil looked. Both of you edged up the stairs at a snail's pace, the railing and Phil being your only means of support through this whole ordeal. You made a mental note to make him some hot chocolate or something the show how thankful you were for the random act of kindness.
After the grueling climb was over, you finally made it to the door, a wave of relief washing over you at the sight. You unlocked the door, pushing it open as you practically fell into it, a startled gasp sounding behind you as Phil was preparing to rush over to your aid. You were okay though, giving a small wave to show that you were fine. God, you forgot about all the boxes you had to unpack to. Shit, it was getting a little ridiculous at this point.
"Do you want me t-to make you some hot ch-"
"Do you need help with moving at all?"
You froze, eyeing Phil warily at the request. Was he really this nice or was it some ploy to get into your house, steal all your stuff and leave you bleeding out at the crime scene. Great, did you invite a murderer into your house after all?
Yet even with the unease burning a hole in your chest, a simple glance to his eyes was able to cut most suspicions away. He seemed like an all-round nice guy, no strings attached whatsoever. You decided to take a chance, praying he wouldn't prove to be psycho.
"Sure... but, what about your friend? Doesn't he need medicine right away?" You pointed towards the bag Phil was holding, two identical bottles of antibiotics rustling about.
Phil's eyes widened, a small, guilty gasp coming from him. "That's right! I need to get back to Dan right away! But-" He looked around your barren apartment, the only decoration available being the multiple brown boxes strewn about haphazardly. His face lit up suddenly, an idea lighting up his features. "How about I run this over to Dan, then come straight back here? If that's alright, I mean. Because not to be rude or anything, but you don't look physically able when it comes to unboxing." He waved his hands frantically. "Please don't take offense! I mean it in the nicest way possible!"
You just stood there, unsure of how to react. You didn't know him and he didn't know you, so why should you be so open right away? But then again, those boxes were something you couldn't tackle... right away at least. If you weren't so sick, you'd be able to have this apartment set up in a day!
After thinking it through, you agreed to the idea, giving Phil a slow nod. "Okay, I'll let you help out. But only if you promise me that you're not some type of secret murderer!" This sounded childish, but you had to make sure. Never a bad idea to double check, right?
Phil burst into a fit of giggles, doubling over at your insane request. Was it really that ridiculous to fear for your safety? He wiped a single tear from his eye, stifling any stray giggles that threatened to break free. "Ahaha, sorry. That's just too funny! No, I can assure you that I'm not a murderer of any kind. Well..." You froze at the pause, your blood running cold. That was until he finished his sentence. "Unless you count the time I unintentionally killed my plant an act of horror, then I am definitely not a murderer!"
You gave an annoyed huff at his childish remark, though you were secretly thankful that he was humorous enough to lighten the mood. Alright, he was a good bean in your book.
You waved at him to shoo, giving him a thankful smile. "Alright, now get back to your friend! He probably feels like death itself!" Phil quickly nodded, placing one of the bottle on your kitchen counter before turning to leave.
He paused in the doorway, realizing that he had never asked for your name. "Wait, I forgot to ask for your name! How rude of me, considering I went and introduced myself without giving you a second to breathe! I'm so sorry about that, miss!"
You shook your head playfully, smirking at the strange man. "It's (Y/N). No last name yet, buddy, I don't know you that well to give it out."
He smiled, seeming to respect the boundaries you had given him. "(Y/N), that's... quite the name..." His voice was shrouded in mystery, his eyes far away as an unknown emotion danced across his eyes. Mischief? Why was he so interested in your name? "Anyways, see you soon! I'll knock 3 times so you know it's me. See you later, (Y/N)!"
You waved him goodbye as he began to walk through the door. "Okay, see you soon, Phil! I hope your friend feels better soon; tell him I wish him a speedy recovery!"
Phil smirked mischievously, his voice shrill with excitement. "Oh don't worry, I definitely will."
A/N: Ohohoho! We meet our smol bean Phil in this chapter; he's such a gentleman! What could he possibly be planing with that mischievous glint in his eyes, I wonder? Guess you'll have to read to find out. And little old Susan, an absolute sweetheart! See you later, my little tater tots! And thanks for reading so far :)