[video call from: phil 3]

The eighteen year old picked his head up from its place on his desk, where he had been (admittedly) crying. Dan wiped at his eyes so he could see who was calling and sighed. He couldn't not answer his idol/best friend. He bit at his chapped lips and put a small sticky note over his webcam. He didn't want Phil to see him like this, obviously. Not when he looked like death and felt worse.

The sight of his twenty-two year old friend brought a soft smile to his features, and he leaned his chin on the desk, resting on his crossed arms and looking up at the monitor.

"Is your webcam broken?" Phil asked, genuinely curious.

"No," Dan said simply, the sadness in his voice evident. He saw the older boy immediately frown.

"Are you okay?"

He was silent, but removed the sticky note so Phil could see him in all of his non-glory. His hair was a mess, all ruffled from running his hands through it and curling up everywhere. He knew his eyes had to be red, and he hadn't been getting much sleep so there were dark circles under them as well. His nose was pink, and Dan's split lips were in an almost permanent-looking frown.

Phil sighed sadly. Dan truly looked upset - and worn out, but that was another matter. He was still oddly beautiful though and his so-called hobbit hair was completely adorable (as the elder tried to remind him of whenever he could).

"Dan, talk to me," he pleaded, his voice kind; as it usually was.

The teen shook his head with a groan and closed his eyes, leaning against his arms.

Phil hated seeing his best friend like this. He hated it. All he wanted was to be there and to hug Dan and make him happy again, and he couldn't.

"What happened?" the darker-haired boy asked softly. "Was it school?"

Dan nodded. Phil felt somewhat accomplished for getting that much out of him.

"What happened at school, Dan?"

The brunette lifted his head to speak in a small voice. "I'll show you," he said, pushing the chair back and standing up stiffly.

Phil tilted his head, nervous about what Dan could possibly want to show.

He pulled his shirt off with a grimace, making sure he was in view of the camera. When he turned, a patch of dark bruises were revealed along his shoulder-blades.

"Oh my god," the Youtuber gasped. He'd seen Dan shirtless before, of course, but this took his breath away in a completely different way. He knew his friend had trouble with dicks at school, but he had never known it to be physical. "What did they do to you?" he asked, his anger contained in his clenched fists.

Dan sat back down at the desk, pulling a blanket to wrap around his shoulders instead of his shirt again.

"I pissed them off, I guess," he said sadly, putting his feet up in the chair and looking nervously at Phil.

"You should tell someone. Someone who can help," he sighed.

"No," Dan shook his head. "That would make it worse. Plus, I only have a couple of months and then I graduate. I'll be done with them forever."

Phil gave him a solemn look. "I wish I could help you."

"You do," he said, pulling the blanket up around his legs so he was curled up in the chair.

He looked so small, Phil noted, like that. He was tall and lanky and by no means a child anymore (he was technically an adult, after all) but something about him looked so innocent and fragile. The elder almost couldn't breathe for a moment. Dan did that to him a lot, actually. Took his breath away.

"Does it hurt?" the Youtuber asked softly, afraid to know the answer.

"Can't even feel it," Dan lied simply, pasting a small smirk on his features.

Phil tried to reciprocate the smile, but couldn't . He'd gone through bullying for his entire childhood but it had always been insults and shoves...never beatings like this. He was silent in his thoughts when Dan cleared his throat.

"Look, I..." he began. "It's been a bad day. I think I'm going to go."

The darker-haired boy shook his head. "Why, though? You always talk to me when you're upset."

"I don't want you to see me like this. You're looking at me like...like I'm broken, or something."

"No, Dan," Phil said immediately. "I'm sorry. You're not, I know you're not. I just wish I could be there to make you happy again and cuddle you when you're sad."

Dan smiled softly at that. "I wish that, too."

"Do you know of any trains that run this late?"

"Phil, don't be ridiculous," the younger said, shaking his head. "Don't waste your money to come here. I'll be fine."

"It's not a waste if you need me."

"Phil..." Dan said, biting his lip. "I don't know."

"Are you home alone this weekend?" he asked, already looking at the train schedule.

"Well, yes, but -" Dan hesitated. "My room's messy. And I look awful, I just didn't think you wanted to see me like this."

Phil gave him a look saying something along the lines of well you're an idiot, then. "I don't care what you look like, if you need me I can be there. Besides, you don't look awful." Before Dan could interject, he added: "Now, do you want me there or not? There's a train that leaves in about twenty minutes, I could be there in three hours and...fourteen minutes."

"Yes, please," he said, hiding his face in the blanket.

Phil nodded and waved goodbye. "I'll text you the whole way," he said before hanging up.

Dan sat in excited silence and moved to get properly ready.

I forgot to get your address. -PL

73 Franta Road. -DH

Are you okay? Like, really honestly. -PL

Yeah, I'll be fine. -DH

Is that the only thing bothering you? You seem so down. -PL

[delayed] Yeah, that's it. -DH

Dan. -PL

I had a really shit dream a couple of nights ago and I can't stop thinking about it. -DH

Like another existential crisis one? Or something else? -PL

It doesn't matter. -PL

I want to hear all about it when I get there. I want to make you happy again. -PL

I've told you, you always do. -DH

I'll be there soon, bear. -PL

3 -DH

3- PL

Phil got off of the bus he had boarded at Piccadilly Station and only had to walk a short block or two to get to Dan's house. When he arrived, he looked up at the house, grinning. Dan lives here. Dan grew up here. Dan. Dan. Dan. He knocked on the door.

He checked his hair one final time, grateful that his flat iron cooperated with him for the most part. Dan had slipped into a sweatshirt (one that Phil had given him) and splashed water on his face when he heard someone at the door. It was Phil, his Phil, who had come all this way just because he was sad. "Coming!" he called, dashing around his room and tidying up as much as he could. When he was done, he raced to the front door, composed himself, and opened it.

They both stared at each other for a second, unable to move. Then, at the same time, the two boys jumped on each other, holding on as tightly as possible.

Dan was grateful to be shorter than Phil at that moment, feeling safe with his head tucked under Phil's chin. "Hey," he smiled, his voice muffled by the fabric of the taller boy's shirt.

"Hey to you as well," Phil beamed, tightening his hold on Dan contentedly.

The younger boy broke apart moments later to pull Phil inside and close the door.

Phil glanced around the home, seeing little trinkets all around that reminded him of Dan. Photos were abundant, too, and he smiled at the image of a young boy with floppy brown hair and a toothless grin.

Dan grabbed his hand and pulled him through the house, pointing out the bathroom on the way to his own bedroom. When he opened the door to it, he threw his arms out in a ta-da gesture. Phil had seen it thousands of times on Skype, but this was different. It was so real. Dan smiled up at him.

The Youtuber took everything in before removing his shoes and flopping down on Dan's bed. He held open his arms and looked hopefully at the brunette, who rushed into them happily.

"You're the best," Dan said softly, hugging himself close to Phil. He was practically on top of him, but Phil didn't mind. He loved it.

They cuddled like that for a long time, just smiling and giggling and gazing at each other. Once it was silent for a period, Dan bit his lip.

"It was about you."

"What was?" Phil asked, pressing his lips to the top of Dan's fringe.

"The dream, you spoon," he chuckled.

"Oh," the eldest laughed along with him. He waited for Dan to tell him more.

His features gradually turned back to solemn and he frowned, pressing his face into Phil's firm chest.

"You died, and I know it was just a dream but...I started thinking about how someday we're going to have to live without each other, y'know? I mean, we only just became this close and someday - even if it's eighty years from now - one of us is going to have to live without the other. And then I got really upset and that's why I haven't slept well."

Phil frowned. "That's sad to think about, yeah, but Dan...we have so much ahead of us. We have careers and moving in together, maybe if you'd want to, and being together all the time, and doing stupid things together...maybe making videos for a long time," he spoke in a comforting tone. "We have a lot to do in our eighty years, bear. Let's focus on the good stuff, yeah?"

Dan smiled, reaching up to press a kiss to the side of Phil's face. "Thank you."

"Besides, with the two of us," Phil added with a laugh, " We'll probably end up dying together from doing something really dumb."

"Right," Dan nodded, laughing with him.

They lay there a while longer, just joking back and forth about the weird ways they would die. Dan would sass the wrong person. Phil would be too stubborn to give up anything. In every scenario, they were together. That's what mattered.

They fell asleep like that, on top of one another and hugging as tightly as they could. They drifted in and out of sleep, happy and content.

The next morning, Dan woke up first. His hair was curling again, damn it. He decided not to bother with it. He smiled at the sight of Phil sleeping and pressed a small kiss to his forehead, brushing his hair out of the way gently. The younger rolled off of him and grabbed a black t-shirt out of the drawers near his bed. He slipped out of the hoodie that was getting rather hot and sat on the side of the mattress, his back to Phil as he tried to get his shirt flipped around.

Phil woke up to the movement, opening his eyes slowly. He saw Dan's back to him and grinned sleepily until he noticed the bruises from yesterday. They were so much worse in person than they were on webcam.

"Dan," he gasped.

Dan jumped at his voice, unaware that the other was even awake. He turned to face him.

"It's not so bad."

Phil shook his head, worry printed on his face, and reached out to ghost his fingers over the purple and blue splotches. Dan stared at the floor, he hadn't wanted his friend to see those. Suddenly, he felt a kiss on his shoulder-blade, and then another. And another. Phil was littering his back with small pecks. All of it was done gingerly and the younger boy smiled.

"You're beautiful," the eldest said when he was satisfied with himself.

Dan turned to face him, a lump in his throat. "You think so?"

"I know so," he nodded enthusiastically.

Dan's eyes went to Phil's lips on impulse and then darted back up to his amazing eyes. They were the most beautiful color Dan had ever seen.

"Phil?" he asked, unable to peel his eyes from Phil's.

"Yeah, Dan?"

"Can I kiss you?"

The Youtuber smiled widely, a blush spreading across his pale skin. He nodded shyly.

Dan leaned in, pressing a hand against Phil's jaw, and met his lips halfway.