A/N: This is a series I've been working on for a very special person. The chapters skip around, but you don't have to read them in any certain order. Each one is a stand-alone oneshot. I hope you enjoy!

-Justin

Dan Howell was in love. He sometimes didn't want to admit it to anyone, but that was only because he was naturally pessimistic and the situation he'd gotten himself into was simultaneously the best and the worst thing that could've happened.

See, a few months ago Dan finally got the attention of his favourite YouTuber ever: Phil Lester. It was nothing more than a reply to one of his obsessive, bordering-on-stalker tweets, and it had only been an agreement that Phil was a huge fan of the band Muse. Phil had suggested they talk, and things had pretty much exploded from there. Skyping every night, constant texts, and hundreds of interchanges on twitter. They were quickly becoming one of the most popular couples on the internet, even though 1) They hadn't yet met in person, and 2) They weren't actually dating (according to the lies they told their followers, that is). Things were winding down pretty quickly, however, because Dan would be catching a train at four in the morning to travel to Manchester, where Phil currently lived.

To say he was nervous would be an understatement, but only because he was terrified of scaring the boy off when Phil inevitably found out about his… well, he didn't really know what it was. It wasn't a disease and it wasn't a condition that he'd ever heard of in the doctor's office. It was more of a mental thing, but not like he was "special needs", as people sometimes said. It was just a…thing, he supposed. A thing he didn't really have control over, but he almost always knew when it was about to happen. Certain things could set it off as well, and he typically tried to avoid those things unless he knew he'd be able to enjoy it.

To put things simply, Dan Howell was a little. What's a little, you ask? Well, it's a special mindset that certain people sometimes go into when they're too stressed or just need a place to meditate and forget about their adult problems for a little while. He'd done so much research in the beginning, when he first realized what was happening to him when he suddenly felt like the only important things in life were his colouring book and Winnie the Pooh. Whenever he'd "come out of it"- hours or days later- he'd usually be exhausted for a couple days even though he spent most of that time sleeping.

X X X X

The sound of Skype's ringtone made him jump. He'd been pretty deep in thought, trying to figure out how to tell Phil before tomorrow. The last thing he wanted was for Phil to find out by watching it happen, because Dan knew that it was enough to scare people away if they didn't understand.

"Hey, Bear," Phil practically sang, clearly excited. Dan couldn't help but smile at the thought, because he couldn't not smile when he was around Phil Lester. The angle at which Phil currently sat was causing a tuft of his ebony fringe to fall down, and he didn't seem to be bothered by it, but Dan was shamelessly staring. One corner of Phil's mouth curled up into a half-smile as he watched in silent amusement. He was used to this behaviour from Dan, and if he was being quite honest, he thoroughly enjoyed the way Dan's pupils would grow so wide he could barely see the chocolate colour in them. He'd heard that it happened when people looked at something (or someone) they really loved.

"Philly," Dan greeted cheerfully- maybe a little too cheerfully, but it wasn't like Phil would ever voice that kind of opinion. He'd known for a while now that there was something a bit…off, maybe? He wasn't entirely sure, but it always happened in the nighttime, and Dan would get a little more animated and sometimes he even had a lisp. Phil hadn't asked about it- he knew Dan would tell him when he was ready. Dan, however, had no idea that Phil was picking up on these subtle signs, but he was still planning to tell him before he got on that train tomorrow morning.

"I can't wait to see you," Phil said, smiling wide enough to show off laugh lines in the corners of his blue eyes. "First thing I'm gonna do is wrap you up in my arms and never let go." Dan's cheeks flushed with colour, and Phil gave a triumphant grin.

"I've been looking forward to it for forever," Dan affirmed with a nod of his head, causing the dark fringe to bounce a bit. He was practically bouncing, he was so excited. Phil held his hands up so they were in view and made a heart- their favourite way of saying I love you. Dan returned the gesture with wide eyes and then he opened his mouth to say, "But there's something I need to tell you first."

"Okay," Phil replied casually, because that was really the only thing he could say. With a somewhat forced smile, he said, "Do your worst." Of course, the worst would be Dan telling him he'd changed his mind, that he didn't think he could do it. Really, anything that involved them not seeing each other or being together. Luckily for the both of them, Phil could hide those feelings.

Dan wasn't sure how to begin this conversation. He assumed that Phil had no knowledge or experience in the daddy dom/little boy (DD/LB) world, so he didn't know how much he'd have to explain.

Finally, he parted his lips. "How much to you know about BDSM?" He figured he could start with the most basic information, and they'd work their way from there. Phil arched his eyebrows at this; he knew quite a bit, actually.

"I know more than you probably think," he answered, one hand picking absentmindedly at a thread on his plaid button-up. He kept his eyes on the screen, trying to convey that he wouldn't judge Dan for whatever he was about to tell him.

"Well," Dan continued, tapping his fingers on the desk, "there's, like, regular bdsm, which is like, just bondage and… you know." Phil bit his tongue to suppress the giggle threatening to come out- Dan had never talked like that before, and it was actually kind of adorable, and Dan cleared his throat before trying again. "And then, you know, there's these, like, specialties, I guess. It all follows the same basic plot, but some people are into more specific things."

Phil thought he knew where this was going. He'd read up on most of the sub-categories of bdsm, and he'd suspected what Dan was for a while now, but he'd been too afraid of being wrong to ask about it. Now, though- now, he was almost positive.

"Some people like to be slaves, and then other people like to be cats, but then there's also people who want to be a slave and a cat, which I'm not sure how that works, but"-

"Dan," he started, interrupting whatever he'd been about to say next. Dan snapped his mouth closed and looked at Phil expectantly. Phil took a deep breath. "Are you…little?"

Dan said nothing at first, and Phil was sure he'd been wrong in his assumptions- why'd he have to open his mouth in the first place?- and he started to mumble an apology right as Dan smiled, breathing in a sigh of relief.

"Yeah," he whispered (luckily Phil could read his lips), "I am." He was silent a moment before adding, "How'd you know?"

"Small things," Phil explained. "You act different at night. More excited, I guess. And you kind of have a lisp, too. I always thought it was pretty cute. Plus, I knew you'd tell me what was going on when you felt comfortable with it." He moved one hand to his hair to stroke through his fringe, waiting for Dan's response.

"And you're okay with it?" Dan asked in a tiny voice. He knew it was the deal-breaking question- for both of them. As much as he adored Phil, he knew he couldn't have this relationship if Phil wasn't going to be able to accept it. He should've known, though, that his concerns were absurd and pointless because Phil's lips curved up in a heartwarming smile, and he leaned in a bit to get closer to the screen.

"Of course, Bear," Phil assured him sweetly, longing to reach out and hug him. The best he could do was make sure Dan knew he loved this part of him, too. He could only assure Dan that he loved every part of him. "You can't scare me away that easily."

Suddenly, Dan had a question on his mind. It was something he'd wondered since the very beginning. Without really thinking, he opened his mouth to ask and then snapped it shut before anything came out. Phil noticed, of course.

"What was that?" he asked softly.

"Um."

"Tell me," Phil pressed, leaning forward again.

"Will you, um," Dan tried to say, pausing in the middle to lick his suddenly chapped lips. "I want you to be my"-

"Daddy?" Phil offered, and Dan's eyes lit up with hope. Phil smiled reassuringly as he shifted back a bit. "I'd love to, baby." He'd never done anything like this before, but then again, there wasn't much he wouldn't do for Dan. Dan, on the other hand, was beaming from ear to ear. Not for the first time, he desperately wished there wasn't a screen dividing them, because all he wanted in that moment was to crawl into Phil's lap and be held until he fell asleep. A tiny giggle slipped through when he realized he'd be able to do just that in a few short hours.

"Hey, Dan?" Phil called softly, making Dan snap his chin up. He had one fist under his own chin, propping himself up as he tried to stay awake. Neither of them ever wanted to leave properly and often fell asleep to the sound of each other's breathing through the speakers.

"Hmm?" Dan replied sleepily, feeling the subspace creeping up. He reached off to the side to retrieve a pacifier from the bedside drawer and brought it to his chest, shyly hiding it just off-screen.

"I love you," Phil told him, eliciting smiles from them both.

"I love you, too," Dan replied, and after a moment of thought, he added, "Daddy."