Phil sighed softly as he adjusted his fringe, glancing around at his 'friends'. Phil was known as the leader of the most powerful gang in Manchester, England. His gang mates were labeled as his friends, but in reality, they would stab Phil in the back without hesitation. Fortunately, they were completely afraid of him, which helped him protect his best friend, Dan.
Sweet, pastel, twink described Dan Howell almost perfectly. He was the most innocent teenage boy you'll ever meet, and he was Phil's secret admirer. That's right, Dan Howell was head over heels for the strongest, punkest guy in town, Phil Lester. No one would dare to cross Phil, and in turn, Dan. Phil was always overly protective of Dan, mostly because he loved Dan too, but he refused to let himself get any closer to Dan than they already were, only out of fear of Dan getting hurt.
Phil was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of his gang drawing their weapons, his hand instictively going to grab his own. He tensed up slightly when he saw it was only Dan, fear coursing through his veins. Dan should've known not to come out at this time of night, especially when other gangs hung around the area. He wordlessly signaled to his gang to put their weapons away, as to not scare Dan. He walked up to the boy and sighed softly, brushing his curly mess of hair out of his eyes.
"Dan, you promised you would stop coming out at this time of night," Phil started, trying not to sound too condescending as the boy looked down at his shoes. Dan shivered a little, to which Phil immediately shrugged his warm leather jacket off and wrapped it around the small boy's frame.
"I know, Philly. I just couldn't sleep, and you weren't answering your messages," Dan frowned, nuzzling into the warmth of Phil's jacket. He smiled softly, pulling it tighter around his body as he relished in the scent of Phil.
"My phone died hours ago. I've been out for a while," Phil sighed, a weight being lifted off of his shoulders. He wrapped his arm around Dan's waist and led him to the group, keeping Dan close to his side. Dan didn't protest as he leaned against Phil, his eyes scanning the group tiredly. Phil grabbed a cigarette out of his back pocket and lit it, taking a long drag before blowing the smoke away from Dan's face.
"Looks like your boy toy couldn't stay away," one of the gang members, Chris, teased. Dan blushed darkly and buried his head in Phil's chest, causing Phil to pull him closer.
"I could say the same about Peej, though, he left you, if I remember it correctly," Phil snapped, causing Chris to quickly shut his mouth. Dan snickered a little and shivered, the cold air still affecting him. Phil looked down at Dan and pressed a small kiss to the top of his head, sighing quietly.
"Let's go back to my place, yeah bear?" Phil offered softly as he dropped the cigarette, squashing it with the heel of his combat boot. Dan nodded up at Phil, his eyes tired and heavy with sleep. Phil smiled fondly and pressed a quick kiss to Dan's nose, before turning his back to the gang and walking away.
Luckily, Phil's flat was only a short walk away. His parents had kicked him out as soon as they legally could and left town, leaving Phil with only a few hundred pounds and Dan. Fortunately, Phil quickly found a cheap place and a job, which helped him survive until he became the leader of his gang.
He unlocked his flat quickly and led Dan inside, turning the main lights on. He easily slipped his and Dan's shoes off, smiling as the boy carefully hung Phil's jacket up. He scooped Dan up, causing Dan to cling to him like a sleepy koala. He carried Dan upstairs and into his bedroom before gently placing the sleepy boy down. Dan hummed quietly and burrowed under Phil's duvet without hesitation, causing Phil to laugh. He quickly changed into sweatpants and plugged his phone in, making sure it was charging before getting in bed next to Dan.
"Pajamas," Dan whined demandingly as he snuggled into Phil, pouting up at him. Phil laughed again and carefully stripped Dan down before dressing Dan in one of his old university jumpers and sweatpants, both of which were far too big on him. Dan snuggled into Phil and sighed contentedly as Phil quietly leaned against the headboard, his arms around Dan's waist.
"Cute little sleepy bear," Phil teased softly, causing Dan to whine again and blush darkly. Phil chuckled quietly as Dan buried his head in Phil's chest, his breathing eventually evening out as Dan fell asleep. Phil smiled down at Dan and kissed his forehead, holding him close.
"I love you, so much," Phil whispered before falling asleep, Dan in his arms.
When Phil woke up the next morning, Dan was still asleep in his arms. His hair was a curly mess, messier than it was last night, and he was completely on top of him. Phil laughed a little and pressed a quick kiss to Dan's lips before carefully moving him and sliding out of bed. He tucked Dan back in, slipping his glasses on so he wouldn't be stumbling around like a drunk teenager, before padding to the kitchen and turning the coffee maker on. He started a pot of coffee before grabbing ingredients for pancakes. He was halfway through mixing the batter when Dan padded in, still drowning in Phil's clothes, and hugged Phil from behind.
"Good morning," Dan mumbled into Phil's shoulder before placing a small, almost nonexistent kiss there. Phil smiled and leaned back into Dan slightly, adding butter to the pan.
"Good morning. Coffee's over there," Phil said softly, tilting his head in the direction of the coffee pot. Dan grinned sleepily and shuffled over, fixing himself a mug. Phil carefully scooped out a spoonful of batter into the pan, smiling triumphantly at the sizzling sounds that erupted in the air.
"Wow Phil. You're actually not burning the house down," Dan teased, perking up when he smelled bacon.
"I know. I'm so proud of myself. I deserve a kiss," Phil teased back, tapping his cheek jokingly. Dan laughed before pressing a quick kiss to Phil's cheek, smiling widely.
"Happy?" Dan giggled, leaning against the counter as he watched Phil cook. Phil pretended to think for a moment, biting his lip as he did.
"Hm, I kinda think I deserve two," Phil laughed, instinctively pecking Dan's lips. Both of them froze, Dan in surprise and Phil in horror. Dan just smiled and blushed darkly, kissing Phil in return.
"Don't get greedy, Lester," Dan teased, giggling at Phil's surprise. Phil blushed as he flipped the pancake, smiling over at Dan.
"So if I ask for another would that be pushing it?" Phil asked, looking at Dan with mock innocence. Dan nodded, smirking as he sipped his coffee.
"Only if you don't ask me out," Dan said confidently, winking cheekily at Phil. Phil pouted at Dan and pushed his glasses up his nose, huffing playfully.
"Now you're getting greedy," Phil huffed again, starting to make another pancake, "but I guess I'll ask. Dan, will you be my boyfriend?"
Dan smiled at Phil and hugged him from behind again, standing on his tiptoes so he was the same height as Phil's jaw.
"Hm, I'll have to think about that one," he teased, pressing a kiss to Phil's jaw. Phil pouted and flipped the pancake, blushing as he looked over at Dan.
"Now that's just mean," Phil whined, pecking Dan's nose. Dan blushed and giggled, leaning up to kiss Phil again.
"Then I will," Dan whispered against Phil's lips before pulling away teasingly. Phil just wrapped an arm around Dan's waist and pulled him back, kissing him warmly. Though Phil was happy now, a small pit of dread and fear settled in his stomach.
"Dan, love, we're going to have to be secretive about it," Phil said softly, rubbing his nose against Dan's. Dan looked at him confusedly, his eyebrows furrowed worriedly.
"Why?" he asked softly, clearly upset. Phil kissed Dan again before setting the pancake on top of the others.
"Because, with me being in a gang and all, you'll become an easy target. I won't be able to protect you all the time, bear," Phil said softly, his voice filled with regret. Dan nodded slowly and kissed Phil's cheek, smiling.
"Your bacon is burning," he said softly, bumping Phil's hip with his own as he grabbed oven mitts. He carefully pulled the bacon out of the oven and set it on the empty part of the stove to cool off before facing Phil again. He kissed Phil softly, wrapping his arms around Phil's neck to pull him down to his height. Phil wrapped his arms around Dan's waist and held him close, smiling slightly. After a moment, Phil pulled away, studying Dan's face carefully.
"Are you sure you want this?" Phil asked, clearly concerned about Dan's safety. Dan nodded quickly and kissed Phil again, running a hand through his hair.
"We'll take it slow, and keep it a secret," Dan said softly, smiling up at Phil, "Now hurry up, I'm starving!"
Phil just laughed and finished making pancakes for them before fixing their plates. The rest of the morning was spent bantering and cuddling, mostly enjoying the time they had together before Dan's parents came, as they knew Dan was probably with Phil, just like he always was. Once his parents came, Phil kissed him quickly, holding Dan in a tight hug even though Dan's parents were glaring at them.
"Be safe," Phil whispered in Dan's ear, causing Dan to nod. Dan's father came up to them and yanked Dan away, glaring at Phil. Dan's parents had never really like Phil, as they claimed he was a bad influence on him, and that Phil had turned Dan into something terrible. Dan smiled sadly at Phil as he was led away, kissing his cheek before closing the door behind him. Phil sighed once Dan was gone, jumping as his phone started ringing all of a sudden. He rushed to answer it, nearly missing the call as he bolted into his room. He unplugged his phone and accepted the call, slowly paling as he realized who it was.
"So, Philly, who's the twink?" Charlie snickered on the other end of the line, causing fear to bolt through Phil.
"You won't touch him," Phil growled protectively, wanting nothing more than to have Dan in his flat right now.
"I won't have to. His father'll take care of that for me," Charlie laughed, clearly teasing Phil. Phil felt sick to his stomach as he listened to Charlie's laughter, his hands shaking.
"What do you want?" Phil asked softly, feeling completely helpless at this point.
"What do I want? I want you to leave town, and never come back. Take him with you, if you want, but Manchester belongs to me," Charlie growled, causing Phil to get angry.
"And if I don't?" Phil challenged, biting his lip nervously.
"You'll never see Dan again," Charlie replied, hanging up without hearing Phil's response. Phil slumped down against the wall, dropping his phone next to him. He dialed Dan's number quickly, feeling even more sick when he was sent straight to voicemail. Phil sighed softly as he looked up at the ceiling, his hands trembling. Eventually, Phil decided he would do what Charlie wanted and run, even if it meant the end of his income. He packed a suitcase full of clothes. He never had many clothes anyways, which didn't bother him much, neither did he own any of the sparse furniture in his flat. He wrote a note to the landlord before slipped his shoes and jacket on, leaving his flat for the last time.
He quickly walked to Dan's house, as he didn't have a car, and snuck in through the first floor window, quietly slipping to Dan's bedroom. There he found Dan laying in bed, on Tumblr. Dan shot up when he saw Phil, looking at him with wide eyes. Phil held a finger up to his lips, signaling for Dan to keep quiet. Dan nodded as Phil started packing Dan's clothes in another suitcase, along with his phone, laptop, chargers, and toiletries.
"Phil? What's going on?" Dan asked once they were out of the house, looking up at his boyfriend curiously.
"We're moving to London," Phil replied, putting their bags in the back of Dan's car. Dan looked at Phil confusedly, biting his lip when he saw how worried his boyfriend looked.
"You got threatened, didn't you?" Dan asked knowingly, resting his hand on Phil's shoulder. Phil nodded and kissed Dan's cheek, helping him into the car.
"We're going to be okay, I promise," Phil smiled softly, getting into the driver's seat and driving away without another word.