Phil was practically running down the street, his legs carrying him in an excited gallop as he made his way back to his flat. The bag he was holding jingled loudly as the pills rattled in the large medicine bottle; hopefully they would make Dan feel better quick
But now there was another issue to address; the equally sick girl he had just met minutes before. It was probably a huge stretch to assume that she was the same girl Dan had met at the convention, the likelihood of that impossible. However, a nagging feeling keep gnawing away in Phil's mind as he put some of Dan's descriptions with what the girl had told him in their short time together.
Recently moved far away? Check.
Lacking a british accent? Check.
Somehow having an identical illness as Dan at the exact same time? Check, check and check!
Even more of a prominent fact was that she didn't seem to have any clue as to who he was, just as Dan had told him. Now, it wasn't like Phil was tooting his own horn here by saying everybody should know who they are; no, no no! It was just so odd to see someone her age who didn't have a single clue as to who he was. It was fascinating to say the least.
However Phil couldn't confirm his suspicions yet as he never got an answer to what she looked like from Dan. It would be incredibly awkward if he mistook this stranger for another stranger Dan had met a week prior, a uncomfortable moment most likely to form in the event that he was wrong.
But what if he wasn't wrong? What if this was the same girl as before and the stars had somehow aligned themselves in a freaky way? Could this be a strange destiny layed out for the two? Could this all be some plan from a higher power? Had he been researching too many of those phony fortune telling articles? Probably, it was time to give his head a good shake at these ridiculous ideas.
Phil had been so deep in thought that he almost walked past his flat's doorway, his feet marching backwards as they made a sloppy recovery in the direction of the door. With inhuman speed, Phil opened the door and proceeded to rush up the steps towards their living room, lightening his footsteps incase he were to bug the neighbours with his sudden stomps.
The young man hastily made it towards the entrance of Dan's room, giving a gentle knock. "Dan? Can I come in?"
There was no immediate response to follow, only silence. Phil shuffled his feet, tempted to try knocking again. A hoarse whisper was barely audible through the dense plank, inviting Phil to come in. Slowly, Phil twisted the knob of the door and was welcomed by the sad bundle of monochromatic blankets that was Daniel Howell.
He was turned on his side, his blankets tightly wrapped around his body as he mindlessly scrolled through a random website. Phil could tell immediately that Dan wasn't really invested in the digital content, his eyes glazed forward as his finger absently played with the mouse. Even in sickness he was a creature of habit.
Phil gave a small smile towards his friend. "How are you feeling? Any better?"
Dan broke his eyes away from the bright screen, his vision dull as his mind whirred to process what Phil had asked him. He gave a low, grumbled response to show how unwell he felt. "Mmh..." God, his voice sounded absolutely wrecked. Phil could only imagine how the rest of his body was feeling at this moment. Probably not that great since (Y/N) had compared it to the tortures of Hell.
Phil gulped nervously. That's right, he thought to himself, Should I tell Dan about this (Y/N) girl now? Afterall he was the one who actually met her -or not-, so maybe he could prove if my suspicions are right or wrong... Though looking at how Dan was currently staring at an empty wall, his eyes fixed to nothing in particular, it was probably a safe bet to not overwork his brain right now.
Phil bit his lip, deciding it was best to hold off for the time being. Afterall, Dan was in no shape to worry about something like this when he couldn't even take care of himself! Reaching into the bag by his side, he took out the medicine he had gone out to retrieve. 'Here, take these. Susan said they would be the best thing for you to take right now." Phil tried his best to contain his laughter as he handed the bottle to Dan. "She really wants you to get better, I think she was hoping on watching a new video from you this week!"
Ah yes, the sweet old lady from the pharmacy was not just a kind soul, she was also a huge fan of the videos he and Dan made. It was kind of hard to imagine a little old lady like herself sitting down with some tea, cackling away at some idiots on the internet.
Dan took the bottle from Phil's hand, his grip weak and shaky once he got ahold of the pills. You could almost hear the rattles in the container with how unsteady his hand was. His glazed brown eyes looked up at Phil, his lips stretching into a faint smile. He managed to croak out a feeble thank you before putting the bottle down on his night table, reaching for a glass of water that was perched beside it. He took a swig of water and cracked the seal of the bottle, tossing two pills into is mouth before swallowing, flinching as the liquid hit his achy throat. With a groan, he fell back down onto his bed, not even bothering to pretend like he was interested in his laptop anymore.
Phil sighed, feeling quite helpless with how he wasn't able to ease his friend's suffering. Hopefully the drugs would take effect quickly and soothe the sick man. Reaching over the spread out blanket monster, Phil gently closed the laptop and placed it on the floor beside Dan's bed. Suddenly, a hoarse unhappy moan sounded from Dan underneath the covers "I was using that, Phil..."
' You were not," scoffed Phil. "You were just scrolling through the same page of Tumblr for the past 5 minutes. You weren't even absorbing any of it."
Dan mumbled something in protest yet Phil chose to ignore it, turning around to leave his friend's room. It seems like Dan was able to hear him leaving, his disheveled hair slowly poking out from his sheets. "Where are you going...?"
Phil froze, realizing that he had to give a believable explanation as to where he was going. He couldn't just say he was seeing a random girl now could he? That would raise more questions than answers, and Dan wasn't really in the position to be thinking more than he had to.
"I, uh... I'm going to se- go out shopping again! Yeah, I think I forgot a few things before I came here!" Phil bought his hand behind his head, laughing nervously. Wow, that was as smooth as walking through a lake of hardening molasses.
The bedridden man narrowed his eyes, looking Phil up and down suspiciously. Phil began to sweat, his cover surely about to be blown. Thankfully Dan just rolled his eyes, a snarky response flying off his tongue. " Yeah, you completely forgot the sweets and a new charger, you doltz!" He fell onto his back with a throaty cough, his body shaking from the sickly earthquake. Phil let out a relieved puff of air, his plan safe for the time being.
He waved at Dan knowing full well he wouldn't see it. "Yep, on my way out now for those two things! I'll be out for a while so text me if you need anything, okay?" A muffled response was all he needed as Phil made his way out of Dan's room, lightly closing the door behind him. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair while he leaned against the door. Was it alright to keep this girl a secret from Dan? Afterall, if she was the same person this would be a huge event that they couldn't pass up. What are the odds of them meeting once again? That was only something that happened in people's wildest dreams.
With a newly lit flame of determination, Phil hiked up his coat as he prepared himself for the walk back to (Y/N)'s apartment. He was feeling confident now, fixed on the idea of befriending this new girl and eventually introducing her to Dan. And if all worked out, maybe she was the girl that Dan had met before...
Phil grinned mischievously to himself, curious with how the events of the near future would unfold.
-----------------------------------------
You had been staring at the pile of boxes for 5 minutes straight, your eyes beginning to dry out with the lack of blinking taking place. Reluctantly you blinked, the gross feeling of crust around your eyes making the action anything but pleasing. You brought your hand to your eyes, clearing away some of the caked on goop that had formed from your parched opticals.
Ever since Phil had left, you had been wondering how you managed to get yourself into this situation. Just a single day in London and you already had a guest coming over. Well, he wasn't really considered a guest since he was literally coming over to help you unpack and setup the apartment. Truthfully, it felt like you had hired some random person off the street to work for you. How much did you have to pay someone from the street while they worked for you?
Ah, that sounded wrong out of context.
You shook your head, ripping your eyes away from the overwhelming number of brown cubes that loomed in front of you. You wouldn't be much help in your current spacy state so you decided that now was the time to take the medicine Phil had so graciously grabbed for you. Out of habit, you opened the nearest cupboards and expected to find an array of mugs and cups in place. However this was not the case as you hadn't even unpacked that box yet. You grumbled to yourself, cursing all of the untimely events you had to endure right now.
Instead of subjecting yourself to rummaging through all the boxes, you opted to use your hands instead, cupping them into a bowl shape as you shoveled water into your mouth from the kitchen's tap. You grabbed the bottle of pills and took two tablets, downing them with moderate difficulty. Once they were down, you scrunched your face with disgust, the sharp ache in your throat making an unwanted appearance once again.
You let out a deep groan, steadying yourself on the kitchen counter while a wave of weakness passed through you. Man, you really just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep some more. But wait, another fact hit you square between the eyes: you didn't even have your bedsheets out and ready. The events of last night flooded back of how you tumbled onto the bed, not giving a care as to whether or not it had sheets on it. By this point you craved a warm blanket, something soft to wrap yourself in as you rode this illness out to the end. Unfortunately it seemed that you had to wait for Phil to arrive before you could even dream of seeing your sheets again.
With that in mind, you decided to take a seat on one of the more comfortable looking boxes, leaning back as you tried to get cozy on the cardboard. You sighed slowly, feeling exhausted from the day's demanding requests. You silently hoped that you would be able to adjust to your new life soon, praying that not everyday would be as hectic as this.
You could feel your eyes drooping a little as your thoughts began to dim, your muscles relaxing against the stiff box material beneath you. One nap couldn't hurt, right? Besides, Phil was probably taking his time with helping out his friend. Hopefully he could recover swiftly.
Ah, that familiar pang of interest when you thought about who Phil's friend could be. His name was Dan, that much was certain. He was most likely british and- huh...
A sudden realization found its way into your head, desperately trying to get you to put the confusing pieces together. It was something Hailey had said to you during her persistent act of relentless questioning; She had asked if you had met a guy named Phil when you were at the convention. Now that you thought about it, the Dan guy from before had yelled the exact name during your chase scene, though you had no idea who it was directed to as you rushed past all those blurred faces. Even now, the Phil you had just met so happened to have a friend named Dan?
This was becoming scarily more connected the more you thought about it. However you urged yourself to push those thoughts back for now, convinced it was you mind acting odd during your illness. Yes, a fever induced dream was most likely the cause of such jumbled thoughts. And how common were the two names really? Throughout your life, you could recall meeting a large handful of Dan and Phils.
The idea of meeting the internet people from before was 100% impossible; no way would it ever happen again.
You jumped upwards at the sound of someone lightly knocking on your door. You counted the taps, the final total coming to three; it must be Phil. You pushed yourself into a standing position and wobbled towards the door, some of your balance seeming to come back to you. You slowly opened the door, relief flooding you once you saw that it was indeed Phil.
He smiled at you, giving a fast wave. "Hey! I'm here, just like I promised!" He gave you a quick one over, cocking his head to the side slightly. "Ah, glad to see that you look a little better than before"
You nodded, noticing that you did feel a little better than before. It must've been the medicine you took a while back. Realizing that you had left Phil awkwardly standing in the hallway, you clumsily gestured into your apartment. "Ah, please! Make yourself at home."
He flashed you a wide smile, the sheer presence of it an actual ray of sunshine. You briefly wondered how one man could be such a magnet for positivity, his bubbly attitude forcing a small smile to appear on your own lips. You quickly got out of the way as he walked past you, looking around at the empty flat.
He took off his coat and stood in place for a bit, tapping his toes nervously as he fiddled with the fabric. You wondered why he didn't just toss it somewhere, you didn't mind afterall. "You can just set it down wherever you like, Phil. Nothing fancy going on in here."
It looked like he wanted to open his mouth to say something, but kept it closed instead. He gently folded his coat into a neat pile and stuffed it towards the corner of the room. You realized why he had been so hesitant in the first place; he was a polite person to begin with. Throwing a coat around randomly must make him think he comes off as a rude person.
You stifled a low laugh, finding amusement with how innocent and polite this man was. You gestured around the empty apartment. "I would offer you a drink, but...Well, as you can see I haven't really set up yet. Sorry about that." You scratched the back of your head awkwardly, feeling guilty that you couldn't even offer him the simple hospitality of a beverage.
Thankfully, Phil didn't seemed bothered by this in the slightest. "Don't even worry about it, (Y/N). Let's focus on unpacking before we even worry about any that, okay?" You nodded in response, glad to see that he was the easygoing type. "Now, which boxes do we start with first?"
You stood beside Phil as you surveyed your surroundings, trying to find an easy box to start out with. Most of them were stuffed with miscellaneous junk, some old memorabilia and decorations you refused to part with just yet. Others were actually labelled, a clear indication of what was in them printed on the sides. Among the familiar were new things, furniture you had ordered to be shipped with the rest. You pointed to one of the larger unopened boxes. "How about that one? I think it's a futon I ordered a while back."
Phil nodded at the request, walking over to the large box and slowly pulling it from the pile. He seemed to be struggling slightly at the weight of it, gritting his teeth while he inched it out. You immediately wobbled over to help only to be chastised by the raven haired man. "Ah! No you don't, missy! You're too sick to be carrying around something this heavy. I've got it-" With a strained grunt, he managed to shift the box on it's side, pushing it into the middle of the room. He let out a puff of air, wiping sweat from his brow. He grinned in your direction. "See? What'd I tell you? Nothing to worry about."
Reluctantly, you had to agree with the man as you felt tiny tremors radiate through your muscles. Granted they weren't nearly as bad as before, but they were still there like a ghost of an image. Your eyes caught sight of a small box, eager to see what was in it. "Okay, I'll work on the smaller stuff then. Nothing big, I promise." Seeming content with your answer, Phil began to tear open the packaging, sifting through the contents of the disassembled furniture.
While he was busy you opened up the box, recognizing a few of the mismatched things inside. The lamp you used for your bedside table, a white decorative statue of a dog, some bookends, a screwdriver-
Without thinking, you tossed the tool over in Phil's direction. A startled shriek sounded from the man, followed by a swift thank you. You figured he'd need that if he planned on putting anything together. What else was there in this box?
A container of christmas lights, some CDs of your favorite bands, movies, a clock... You sighed at how unorganized you had been when you had carelessly shoved in random stuff. It would take while before everything was in the right place once again. You hummed with delight when you saw something at the bottom of the contents; a little red radio. You carefully took it out ,finding a nearby outlet to plug it into.
"Hey, you don't mind if I put the radio on, do you?"
Phil looked to the side and shrugged, his mind completely focused on screwing the legs of the futon together. "Nope, don't mind at all." You pressed countless buttons on the radio, desperately trying to figure out what radio stations to tune into. Phil seemed to notice you struggle and suggested a station. "Try the BBC Radio1, I know first hand that they've got good songs."
You fiddled for a little while before you could hear the voice becoming clearer, a peppy announcer coming into tune has he introduced the next top hits. You grinned in Phil's direction. "Thanks, is this a popular station in the UK?"
Phil paused for a bit, ponder his next words. He nodded thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, it's really popular here. Loads of people tune in to listen. They have all sorts of wacky contents, great guests stars and pretty cool music." He twisted a screw into its corresponding socket, smirking triumphantly as the base for the futon was complete. He stood the wooden frame upwards, admiring his work. "You know, Dan and I used to have a show on Radio1 a while back."
You tilted your head sideways. "Really? You were radio announcers?"
Phil nodded happily a the memory of it. 'Yeah, it was called The Internet Takeover. Dan and I had loads of fun doing it. Even if some of the skits were admittedly a little odd at times."
Ah, so this was in the past. They must not do it anymore by the sound of his wistful voice. "So what do you do now then?"
Phil froze at the question, unsure of how to answer. He turned his head away from you, seemingly thinking of an appropriate answer to present to you. Was his new job that bad? "Well, my new job is actually something I do online; I'm what you call a Youtuber, ever heard of them? I mostly post funny videos of myself or reenact stories for the viewers to enjoy. It's, ah... really fun actually. Dan has the same job as well, though he's got a quite a few more subscribers than myself."
You nodded slowly, trying to make sense of what he was saying. A Youtuber? He was working as one of those odd internet people for a living? His friend was doing the same thing too?
You froze completely, finally putting two and two together. "Shit, you can't be serious..."
Phil let out a nervous chuckled, seeming a little unsure of your reaction. "Trust me, it's an actual job when you work hard for it! When enough people know who you are, you can be invited to attend gatherings, go to meetups, sponsor charities, share your ideas for the whole world to hear; it's quite the experience!"
With wide eyes, you quickly made your way into your empty room down the hall, leaving a confused Phil to sit in the living room alone. From the bag you had used the night before, you shuffled through the contents until your eyes fell on a familiar cord. The black phone charger was neatly curled into a hoop, gently wrapped with care so it wouldn't break. You took it out of the bag, cradling it in your hands like a delicate newborn.
Shit, shit, shit
You rushed back into the living room and ran towards Phil, holding out the cord with your head bowed in immense guilt. You stammered out a breathy apology, never imaganing you'd have the chance to return the charger to its rightful owner. "Please tell him that I didn't mean to take it! I-I really didn't, it just kind of slipped my mind and- Well, I didn't think- He was just so n-nice to me an-" You heaved a large sigh, looking straight into Phil's wide blue eyes. "Tell Dan that he can have his charger back. It worked perfectly for when I needed it. Thanks!"
You shoved the cable into Phil's hands, the young man hesitantly taking it from you. He looked down at it, unable to speak from pure shock. Why was he so shocked? He was somehow associated with the same Dan, right? Unless you connected it all wrong, then you had probably scared the man with your sudden actions. Had you thought wrong?
Without any warning, Phil broke into a loud cackle, his body shaking from the force of his laugh. He looked down at the charger, his giggles becoming more fierce with every passing second. He ran his fingers through his fringe, desperately trying to calm himself with quick breaths. Now you were the one left confused.
After taking a few moments to steady himself, Phil wiped away a small tear from his eye. "I knew it! You are the same girl from before! Oh my gosh, how lucky is that?" He extended his hand as if to introduce himself once again. You took it, your eyes narrowed in skepticism. "Nice to meet you, convention girl. I'm Phil Lester, friend of Daniel Howell!"
A/N: Hey hey hey, lil cutecumbers! It seems like the scratchy cat is out of the bag now; Phil knows who you are~ What could our smol bean be planing with all of this, I wonder? Also side note, in the previous chapter I had somehow forgotten to paste the start of the chapter in the story, causing it to be a little sudden and confusing. Go back and reread it if you want to catch up on a more accurate level. Thanks!
PS; I'm just getting over an absolutely horrendous sickness, so sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the rest. I'll probably be taking it easy for a while. Buh-bye!