Dan And Phil

by Fancy32

Dan and Phil meet up. My version on how they met. I've been a fan of theirs for a couple of months. I don't ship them together, together, but I admire their friendship. Theirs is a unique one, and I love it. I hope that I do them justice.

Summary: Dan Howell, and Phil Lester. How does one describe a friendship that began when one of them stalked the other on the internet? Funny thing is, that fate is a fickle creature. Dan put it simply: "For the first eighteen years of my life, I didn't have a best friend, and then I met Phil." So let's rewind shall we? Back to the annals of history. Before there was AmazingPhil, and DanIsNotOnFire. Before the world was cast in awe of two of the most famous best friends in internet history.

The nineties:

Dan Howell, was a loner. He liked being alone, playing video games and just hanging out in his room. Nothing wrong with that. He interacted with his family, but he preferred his space. School was a different story. He hated the largeness of the crowd that made up the majority of the student body. He also was bored in classes. He got good grades though, so his parents never complained about them. But he didn't have a best friend. Sure he had 'friends', they hung out at school, but he never brought anyone home. Someone who had similar tastes as him. Someone he could share himself with. His parents didn't understand. And then there were the anxieties building up in him. For one thing, and it was stupid to say the least, he was afraid of trees. Yup. Down right afraid of trees. Maybe as a baby he'd gotten smacked in the face by a branch? He didn't know, his mum couldn't remember. At twelve he started a MySpace account. He could post all of his sarcastic personality on there, and not be criticized by doing so. And so that's how Dan passed his time. On the internet. He still got good grades, he was still snarky, and he passed time. Slowly...

Still the nineties...

Philip Lester was a mischievous kid, his mum always joked that he was the reason they stopped at two. He was always getting in to trouble, borrowing weird stuff, making home movies, clumsily falling out of trees. But he had a group of friends. A best friend, who had participated in a home movie. The Madness of Matt Schwitzack. It was a great time to be alive. He also loved playing video games, and was on MySpace. He was never alone, and seemed to be a constant klutz. But he was happy. The internet was new to him, and it had to be hooked up to the phone so it could be used. But he didn't mind, he always managed to update his page. And so it went Philip, or Phil as everyone called him, grew up and then came YouTube.

Now this is where it gets sort of muddy, fast forward a few years...

YouTube wasn't anything big, at least not by the standard we know it to be now. Phil, who was in his twenties now, and in university had already put out a couple of videos. No big views, hardly any subscribers. Except there was this one person who always seemed to comment on his videos. That person had an interesting handle. DanIsNotOnFire. Weird. But hey it was something. Anybody could be "Dan". Of course Phil's moniker was AmazingPhil. Yeah not the most inventive nickname, but it suited him. After all, he was a practicing magician now. Well not a full magician but he was getting the juggling part down. He always replied to DanIsNotOnFire, and they seemed to have an ongoing snark fest. Nothing alarming, just back and forth jokes. He could use another friend after all. His other friends were away doing stuff, and they'd grown apart. Oh he still talked to them, but nobody was close anymore. Not like it had been when he'd been younger.

And so it goes...
Dan smiled at the end of one of Phil's videos. Maybe he should try harder, maybe he should make a YouTube video. He was at university studying to be a lawyer, he needed something to distract him when he got so lonely it was unbearable. He still had his parents, and his grandparents, and he still liked to be alone. But maybe if he branched out, did something different, but didn't have to leave the dorm...He decided to get a camera. Why not? He left a comment on the video, and went to study. Maybe on the weekend he'd try and leave the campus, at least for a little while. He was on his laptop "studying" when an AIM popped up. That was still a popular thing after all, and Dan was pleasantly surprised when it was a friend he had been having a casual conversation with. "Hey I know Phil," the person typed out. "No shit?" Dan typed back. "No shit, want me to give him your AIM name? Maybe you two could talk? Or I could just give you his name and you could stalk him?" The person typed back. Dan snorted a little, and cheekily typed back, "Stalking sounds so dirty, but something I'd totally do. I'll stalk him. See what becomes of it." "Knew you would say something like that, so here's what I've got..." The friend typed back. "You bastard," was Dan's response, but it was in a joking manner, so no feelings were hurt.

Stalking...

There it was again, an anonymous person's weird name blinking, LlamaDrama, was online again. Who would name themselves LlamaDrama, where was DanIsNotOnFire? He hadn't responded to any of Phil's videos in a while. Was he okay? Why had it stopped? Phil ignored the request, and shut down his AIM. He needed to get to work, his grades were okay, but he needed a few higher grades. He decided to look up history on the 'net, and accidentally opened AIM again. He didn't realize until a message flashed for him. Phil was hoping it was his friend Shawn, but no. It was LlamaDrama. He sighed, and typed back: "Hello?" "Finally! A response. Do you know how long I've been trying to get your attention?" LlamaDrama typed back. "Well you've got my attention. Now what?" Phil typed in response. "Um, well, do you remember a person who responded to your videos, a person called DanIsNotOnFire?" LlamaDrama pressed. Interest piqued Phil responded, "Yeah. Do you know him?" "I am him. Well I'm Dan, and I'm totally not on fire." Lame joke, but it had the desired effect. Phil let out a squeaky laugh. "You're AmazingPhil aren't you?" Dan went on. "Not so Amazing, I'm Phil Lester though. i just make random YouTube vids when I'm not studying," Phil answered, his face all smiles. "No fuckin' way! I'm at university. I've got some studying to do, but I'd rather be on the computer. School's boring," Dan typed. "You're kidding me right now. Cause I'm at University too. I like studying a little, but my grades aren't the best..." Phil answered, and shrugged his shoulders, even though Dan couldn't see him. "Wish I could help out. I'm pretty good at Maths, and some History," Dan typed back. "Yeah? What are you studying to be?" Phil was curious now. "A lawyer. Lame huh? I'm eighteen and all I wear is black, and I want to be a lawyer, when...Never mind it's not important. So tell me about you," Dan replied. "A lawyer isn't lame. Besides you get to wear a wig," Phil tried to make Dan smile. He couldn't see, but it worked. Dan was definitely smiling. "Bet I made you laugh," Phil said. "No you didn't, berk," Dan snarked. "I'm not a berk, and you're being a twat," Phil joked back. "Say what?! I'll get you for that!" Dan put a smiley face at the end to show he was joking. "What's that supposed to be? That semi colon with the parenthesis?" Phil asked. "It's a sideways smiling face Idiot. Haven't you ever seen one? They're getting pretty popular. Bet in a few years they'll actually be pictures," Dan typed. "Weirdo," was all Phil managed, but he was full on grinning now. "Hey would you want to meet up, in person sometime?" Dan asked. "Why not? It'd be nice to see my stalker face to face," Phil answered. They arranged the place to meet up, and then went on with what they had been doing previously.

The Next Week:

Coffee shops, a little less claustrophobic but still, full of people. People Dan didn't know, and could care less about. As long as he didn't bump a short girl's boob with his elbow, he'd be fine. He'd almost tripped in the underground. Super embarrassing. He arranged his hair, and walked inside. He went inside, thank the internet he knew what Phil looked like. He coughed a little, and then he collided with a pole. "Whoa steady there..." Dan said under his breath. He looked around and saw a tall, slightly shorter than him, guy with intense blue/gold/green eyes. He was arranging his fringe to the side. His hair looked like it'd been dyed recently. Just then the person looked up and furrowed his brows. Dan walked over. "Dan?" The guy asked. "Phil right?," Dan answered. "Nice hair," Phil smiled. "Yours too," Dan gulped. "Don't be nervous," Phil sympathized. "I'm not nervous, don't be stupid," Dan answered. "Okay, well did you order yet? I am loving these pumpkin spiced lattes," Phil said. "Not yet, but I'd rather have a caramel macchiato thanks," Dan answered. "Get whatever you want. My treat," Phil said. "You don't have to, I can pay for my own," Dan said. "No, I insist, anything for a stalker fiend!" Phil exclaimed turning several heads. "Shhhhh," Dan said and covered his eyes with his hand. "Sorry. But it's kinda funny isn't it? Shawn told me that he gave you the idea, I had no idea you even knew him," Phil started talking so fast, and excitedly that Dan backed off a little. "Yeah well somehow he knew you, even though he goes to my university," Dan shrugged helplessly as he went to the counter to order his caramel macchiato. He got his in a porcelain mug, and then he got a stirrer from the napkin station. He sat across from Phil and started to absentmindedly stir the coffee. "Stir, stir, stir..." Dan said, in a low voice. "What're you stirring your coffee for?" Phil asked, after having sipped his latte and leaving a film of foam across his lips. Dan looked up and then handed Phil a napkin. "Well it just tastes better when it's stirred up," Dan awkwardly shrugged. Phil looked at the napkin that was in Dan's hand and then sipped his latte again, creating even more foam. "You've got foam on your upper lip," Dan said, as he looked from Phil to the napkin and back at Phil. "I got this," Phil wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Dan inwardly cringed. He liked order, and aesthetics. "Gross, just keep the napkin, and use it," Dan retorted. "Okay," Phil chirped. Dan took a sip of his now stirred drink. They sat in silence each finishing their drinks, but then they started conversing about animes. "Seen any good animes?" Phil asked. "Haru," Dan responded. "Oh My God! Yes!" Phil replied, and then they just talked. For hours. They didn't make it out of the shop until eleven or twelve. And even then they kept talking. They planned a meet up for the next week. Anything to keep talking, they even exchanged numbers. It felt nice to have a friend. Dan felt a little bit lighter, and went back to his dorm. Luckily his roommate was out, so he had it all to himself.

They Meet Up Again:

"You really think I should?" Dan asked, putting the mug of coffee down on what was now 'their table'. Phil nodded and spoke, "I really think you should. I mean it's not really terrifying, and you need a camera, but yeah you could make it work. Besides all you do is talk to yourself." "I talk to myself anyway," Dan mumbled. "What?" Phil asked. "Never mind. Do I need a strong camera? Or will any camera do?" Dan asked. "As long as you can record and put it up on YouTube, any brand of camera should work," Phil sagely answered, finishing up his own coffee, and slurping loudly. "Napkin," Dan said, and handed it over. Phil just looked at him. "Never mind..." Dan said again. Dan wasn't really annoyed with Phil, in fact they seemed to be suited for each other, as friends. Having someone so similar but so different from him was really refreshing. They could talk about anything and everything, and Phil seemed to 'get him'. Actually get him. "Hey, I'm moving soon," Phil interrupted. "Yeah? Where to?" Dan asked, feeling as if something was tearing at him. "Don't worry, it's not like the moon or anything. I'm moving out of my dorm. I've found a place closer and I think moving out of my dorm would do wonders for me. Plus not having any dorm-mates wouldn't hurt either," Phil added. "That's good. So you'll still be here? I mean in the city?" Dan asked. "Yeah sure. What'd you think I was gonna do? Abandon you? You're a silly goose Dan," Phil answered. He too, had seen the look of utter shock and surprise on Dan's face, and being the sensitive guy he was, his own heart started to hurt. "Don't worry Dan, I'm still here if you want to chat, and do our weekly meet-ups. It's fun having a chap who I can talk to, and not judge me. It's refreshing actually," Phil said, and patted Dan's shoulder. This time, Dan didn't flinch, which was a big step for him. He had flinched at their first meet-up when Phil had accidentally patted his hand, but this was okay. Maybe he'd be okay after all. "I'd better go. I have a big test coming up and I'd better study. I'd rather do anything else but study. But hey, I want to be a lawyer. Right?" Dan asked. "Yeah, and I have to study for my English and History exams. If it gets too much, call me, maybe we can cheer each other up. Play some online games together or something. You know those new multiplayer ones?" Phil suggested. "Cool, yeah, sounds good," Dan stood up as did Phil and they parted ways. Luckily nobody was in when he got there, and Dan got out his textbooks. He went to his laptop and started his exams.

Phil's P.O.V.:

Phil looked around his new flat. It wasn't big. It had an extra room. And he looked at the boxes that still needed to be unpacked. If only he had a flat-mate to help him out. But if he had a flat-mate then they'd think he was weird carrying about a camera all the time, and uploading videos and totally slacking on studying. Which he still needed to set up his computer and internet, and not think about looking a complete twat. He had a sudden craving for pancakes, but he chose to ignore his stomach. "No Phil, concentrate. Isn't that what his aunt always said? 'Oh Philip why can't you concentrate? Stop being silly'. Ugh! This isn't getting the packing undone any faster...Concentrate Phil..." Phil's little pep talk, somewhat helped, but he took his time. He set up the computer first, and put his webcam beside the monitor. There. Now he was ready to upload more videos. He sat down in the chair, ignoring the rest of what he had to do. It was time to put up a video after all. Maybe he'd get more subscribers. He already had a little following. He turned on his camera, and began to record...

Saturday morning/evening, in the big city:

"I'm here at the camera shop, about to be molested by some random stranger, and I just nearly got kneed in the crotch. What even is my life?" Dan muttered to himself, as he slunk inside the door. He wanted to get a camera so he could express himself without much retribution, and maybe get a few things off his chest that he hadn't told anyone about. He felt in his pocket for his phone. Feeling relief when he found it. Maybe if he called Phil? Phil could give him ideas. He looked at his watch. Nearly ten. Maybe Phil was up. "On a Saturday you twat? Any good, decent, human would still be in bed and not up before noon. Yeah, tell that to my drunken dorm-mates," Dan gritted his teeth, and ventured inside the shop. Just then his phone chirped. Dan fumbled in his pocket and he answered, "Hullo?" "Dan?" Phil's voice crackled over the air waves. "Yeah?" Dan answered. "What'cha doin'?" Phil asked. "I'm standing like a fool in the middle of a camera store, talking to you, and being stared at by the proprietor," Dan answered. "Good, as long as you're not doing anything important," Phil joked. "Yeah, yeah, what d'ya want, ya nob?" Dan questioned, as he started walking up and down the aisles to see what he could afford. "I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out. There's this new anime movie at the cinema," Phil answered. "What time?" Dan asked, as he turned a camera over in his hand to get a closer look at it. "About three," was the answer he received. "Sounds good, hey Phil?" Dan asked. "Yeah?" Phil sounded unsure. "What kind of camera should I use?" Dan picked up another camera to inspect it. "A good one ya nob," Phil answered back. "I get that. Maybe I should just take a pic of all the cameras and you can help me pick one out," Dan inwardly cringed at how that sounded. "Stalker," Phil managed. "Maybe I should change my online name to, 'Phil Trash number one," Dan joked back. "Ha-ha. Maybe you can use that one in the future," Phil answered. "Who says I'll even be hanging out with you in the future? Maybe I'll be a big time lawyer and forget where I came from," Dan answered. "You'd forget me? I'm hurt Dan," Phil answered, and yet Dan could tell that his new friend was joking. "I wouldn't forget you, maybe you'll do something dastardly and I'll have to represent you one day," Dan returned. "Really? I've never been to jail. I don't swear, and who would I hang out with? I don't leave my flat unless it's to meet up with you, or go to school. So how would I go to jail?" Phil pondered. "Who knows what you get up to when I'm not around? Maybe you're really a bad person," Dan retorted. "Maybe I am a bad person. Maybe this goody-two-shoes persona is an act...I've never thought of that before. But then again, I've always wondered what another me would be like. You know? Alternate dimensions and all that. Like in Doctor Who?" Phil was talking randomly. Again. Which was something that Dan was slowly getting used to. "What?" Dan squeezed in, before Phil went off on alternate dimensions, time travel, and yes even a TARDIS. "Hold on a tick. If you're in a TARDIS, time traveling, you can't be in the same universe as yourself. Rose got in trouble for even holding herself as a baby," Dan reminded him. "Yeah, but, whenever she gets dropped in that alternate universe it was okay. She even got married to that alternate Tenth regeneration," Phil answered. "Spoilers," Dan said. "Sorry," Phil said and sighed. "What's wrong?" Dan asked. "Well, I like my new place and all, but I don't like the quiet. I mean I do like the quiet, but the quiet's too quiet," Phil said. "How can quiet be too quiet?" Dan asked. "I dunno, it just is. If it wasn't for internet I'd be so going out of my mind with boredom. I tried doing jumping jacks in the hall, and ended up flat on my face," Phil said. "Did you break anything?" Dan curiously asked, though not in a mean way. "No. Just my dignity and I think I put a crack in the wall. Not a huge crack, but I can see it," Phil's answer made Dan smile a little. "Well next time you do jumping jacks, surround yourself with pillows, maybe you won't get hurt," Dan said, as he picked out a camera and brought it to the cashier. "I will. Hey did you pick out a camera yet?" Phil asked, as his voice got even more chipper. "Yes," Dan said. "Good. Show it to me when you've got time again. I've got to approve of it," Phil answered. "What even are you? You're not my real Dad," Dan said. "No, but I'm your friend now, and I've got the right to approve or disapprove of things in your life. Consider yourself marked," Phil said. "Do you even realize what you just said? You sounded like you were targeting me for murder," Dan responded into the phone, as he paid for the camera and walked out of the store, heading for the underground. "I didn't mean to! I was just saying that I would have your back, and I'm pretty sure you'd have mine, and I didn't mean to sound like a murderer," Phil's voice got a little wobbly. He did that whenever he was unsure if he'd said something that was publicly acceptable or not. "No, no, it's okay, I was just joking with you. Don't worry. Yeah I'll show it to you. It's a cheap one," Dan answered. "Cheap's good. Besides we're poor students anyway. You'd look like a total chav if you had the most expensive camera there was," Phil said in a reassuring tone. "Don't mention those morons to me. Those wanna be cool guys. What's next? People wearing wool beanies all the time? And scarves?" Dan wondered. "Could be. Maybe they'll add sunglasses," Phil mused back. Dan pulled out his Oyster card and slid it against the turnstile. He talked to Phil while on the platform, trying to ignore the mass of humanity squeezed along with him. The train pulled up, Dan hung up, and made his way to the train so that the doors wouldn't close unexpectedly on him. He glanced at his watch, while holding on to the metal pole, and found that it was only noon. He breathed a sigh of relief. Three hours and then he'd meet up with Phil, and he'd be saved the embarrassment of being out in public all alone. He went inside his place, plopped down the camera, and went to get ready to go out. Black jeans, a black shirt, a black belt for the trousers, even though his butt never even held up his trousers in the first place, but he tried. He fluffed out his fringe and then took the camera out of its package. Instructions... Yeah, this seemed simple enough to set up. He went over to his laptop and got into his favorite slouching position on his bed. His knees were drawn up to his chest, and he turned on the implement. It buzzed to life and he went to settings. He set up the camera, and making sure there was nobody around, he put the camera on a shelf. It was on a weird setting, and Dan shrugged. Everything looked good in orange beige anyway. Pausing the record button, and turning it on, making sure it was turned on correctly, Dan took several deep breaths, put his head in the corner and then he un-paused the record button. "Hello internet, my name is..." Dan put out four fingers stretching them out so an invisible rectangle was etched out, and then continued, "Dan." Now that that was out of the way, he rambled on about what was going on in his life, where he was at this point. He told of his mum, his dad, and any anecdotes he could think of. "I guess you know Phil Lester? Well now so do I. In fact, he encouraged me to get a camera..." Dan finished up with, "Bye Internet." That was that. He glanced at his watch and realized it was after two. "Shit!" He exclaimed. He fluffed out his hair, checked the camera, and then his phone chirped. "Are you coming to the cinema or do I have to come and kidnap you?" Phil's excited voice filled his ears. After the excruciating thing he'd just gone through, Phil's voice sounded pleasant and reassuring. "I-I did something," Dan fumbled. "What'd you do? You didn't smash any spiders did you?" Phil asked, concern in his voice. Bless Phil for being older, but yet being concerned about everything in the universe; even spiders. "No, you know I don't like them," Dan answered. "Right, I forgot. So what happened?" Phil asked. "I-I r-recorded a video," Dan finally managed. "No! Really! That's great news Mate!" Phil rejoiced. Dan shut his eyes and cringed, then he sighed. "No it's not. It's boring and dumb, and I don't know how to upload or edit, and I don't even know if I want to upload it anymore. What have I done?!" Dan asked as he grabbed his wallet and key. "You ventured out, you were very brave. I'm proud of you. And I'm sure that it wasn't any worse than my first video," Phil answered. "It was Worse!" Dan opined. "How bad was it?" Phil asked. "Come over after the movie and I'll show you, and you can show me how to upload the damned thing," Dan answered, as he made his way back to the underground. "Oh get off it, no it couldn't have been. I'm sure it was just fine," Phil sounded encouraging. Or at least he tried to sound encouraging. "I'm being serious here, and if I think about how much I embarrassed myself, I'll probably have an existential crisis," Dan replied. "Just get to the cinema, and don't worry so much," Phil returned. "Okay," Dan hung up the phone. Once at the cinema they went inside the building and a couple hours later, they were walking out, and Dan had invited him over. But Phil couldn't. He had a major test he had to study for. "But, I'll be on hand for uploading and editing tips. Promise," Phil began, as Dan bit his lip nervously. Dan nodded, he called a taxi service for them both, and the driver dropped Phil off first. Phil paid the driver, and then Dan was brought back to the school. Shawn eventually showed Dan how to upload the two minute video. Dan was pretty pleased with it, and he went about his business. The next afternoon before his homework, he went on YouTube, and was pleasantly surprised at the views. Four views but still. He had used all his energy to be exciting towards the end. Maybe he'd get better at it. His phone rang and he picked it up. "I knew you could do it! It looked great," Phil's voice filled his ear. "You think so?" Dan asked. "Yeah, well, it was great at the end. You hiding in the corner of the frame made me worry a little," Phil replied. "Worry? You don't even know me that well," Dan answered. "Well, no, but it was a fantastic effort," Phil responded. "You can still show me how to edit right?" Dan spoke up again. "Of course. We're friends now. I already told you," Phil's voice was very excitable. "When?" Dan asked. "When d'you have time?" Phil returned. "After school tomorrow. I've only got one class," Dan decided. "Good. Tomorrow it is. You can bring your stuff over, you know. Your laptop, camera, and I can show you how to edit. Hey you can even make your next video at my house," Phil planned everything out. "Cool," Dan said. "So that's a yes?" Phil asked. "Yes Phil, yes," Dan answered. "Fantastic!" Phil exclaimed. "You're too damned cheerful for your own good," Dan smiled. "That's what my granddad says," Phil's voice shook Dan out of his reverie. "Okay," Dan's noncommittal answer, got a chuckle out of Phil.

The next day:

"Hey guys," Dan chirped into the camera. "I'm over at Phil's flat," Dan continued. He panned the camera over to Phil who shot the camera a goofy look and hand gesture. Dan then went on with his spiel, and then it was time to edit. Phil had been editing his own videos, and was now teaching his new friend how to edit and upload. "It'll take ages to edit, and I suggest you start writing down stuff you want to do," Phil's advice seemed sincere, and Dan took it to heart. As they were going through the process, Dan felt the kinship expand and knew he wanted to do this sort of thing for a long while. Maybe all his life? No. He was going to be a lawyer. Maybe this would be an excellent hobby. Yeah. Hobby. "Are you even listening to me?" Phil asked, and Dan turned his attention back to the process.

A few weeks later:

Everything was going pretty well, Dan was getting the hang of editing and writing down what he actually wanted to say. He wanted to try skits in the future, but for now he was mainly talking. It was therapeutic. He was answering comments and he was getting more and more confident. It didn't hurt so much to be him anymore. With Phil's help, continuing with their weekly meet ups, and Phil inviting him over to his flat every other weekend. Dan could feel they were growing closer as friends. Maybe best friends. "Hey Dan? You okay? You're a million light years away," Phil's voice made him focus. "Yeah, sorry, where were we again?" Dan asked. "I was asking if you wanted to play this," Phil said, and held up a video game. "Why not? I mean it's not like I have anything else to do," Dan looked at the books he'd lugged over along with his laptop and camera. "Oh homework. Yeah," Phil said, and cast a look over at his own leaning pile. "Maybe we should skim, and then play," Dan suggested. "You rebel," Phil's eyes lit up. "Well I do wear black all the time," Dan shrugged. "Yeah and no socks," Phil's nose wrinkled. "Just because you wear mismatched socks, doesn't mean you can judge a non-socks wearing person," Dan returned. "Okay, Okay, I give," Phil mock surrendered. "Damn right you do," Dan muttered, but he grinned at his friend. "Don't swear," Phil said, he was always trying to cover up his swearing by saying nonsensical words. "Shine a light!" Phil said as he accidentally knocked his water over. "You should swear more often, it releases up some goddamned fuckin' pent up frustration," Dan goaded, as he peppered his sentence with as many swear words as he could think of, just to make Phil uncomfortable. "Stop it you n-nerd," Phil stuttered, trying to keep his language at least PG. He felt like he would get hit on the head if he swore. "You were about say something else," Dan teased. "Ha-Ha, let's give us both an hour to study, and then I'll crush you," Phil said, as he wiped up his mess. "Damn..." Dan said under his breath. "Language," Phil chastised. "Whatever, you're not my mum," Dan answered, and they studied for a little while. After about an hour, Phil pulled out his PlayStation and they started their two player game. Dan made noises and cursed, while Phil tried to distract him. "You're supposed to jump there!" Dan yelped. "I know, I forgot, and stop banting, this is serious," Phil said, as he re-spawned and jumped at the right time. "Good for you! Now do it again!" Dan exclaimed, as he went through the same obstacle course on the game. "I am! You're not helping," Phil sighed. "You can't even follow instructions," Dan yelped as he banged a fist on the desk. "You're the one who's shouting and banging on my desk," Phil retorted. "Yeah, well, if you didn't die every five minutes..." Dan's voice trailed off. Had he gone too far? Phil shrugged and nodded. This had Dan taken aback. Usually whomever he was having an argument with would yell back, but apparently not Phil. Phil seemed to be a virtual ray of eternal sunshine. "Well if I die again, I'm ordering takeaway," Phil said, as his stomach started rumbling. "Fine by me. Can we get a pizza?" Dan asked. "Of course," Phil answered. "Great, cause you're dead now," Dan smirked. "You were distracting me, that's not fair," Phil responded, but he was grinning, and pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number. Thankfully the pizza came in thirty minutes. "A minute more and I'm not paying," Phil said in a decisive tone. "Really? You'd skimp a hard working pizza person out of their tips for a late pizza?" Dan just looked at Phil with an 'I can't believe I'm your friend right now' face. "Yeah..." Phil's voice trailed off. "And I'm supposed to be the rebel, and you're the optimist. "There are two sides to every coin," Phil stated. "Philosophy? Let's just not right now. I'm hungry," Dan said, and opened the box, stretching the slice out of the box. "Mmmm..." Dan went to the kitchen to get a couple of plates and napkins. "Ribena?" Phil asked. "Where is it?" Dan countered. "In the fridge where it's supposed to be," Phil counteracted. "Thanks for that. Cups?" Dan queried. "In the first cabinet above the sink," Phil said. "Great..." Dan came back laden with a pizza slice in one hand, and balancing the cups and plates on his other arm. "Voila!" Dan placed everything down, and arranged the plates and cups and then poured the Ribena and munched his slice of pizza, before putting it down on the plate. Phil taking his cue put his slice of pizza on his own plate. They ate in silence for a while. "You never told me what you were studying for," Dan spoke up. As if it was any of his business, and he put another slice of pizza on his plate. "Well I'm studying English, and I don't know what else I want to do with my life at this point," Phil answered, as he too dug into his second piece of pizza. "What about your videos?" Dan curiously asked. "Can you make YouTube into an actual job?" Phil questioned. "I think so. There's a lot of technical stuff, but, I think you can. Just have to upload videos constantly," Dan answered. "How d'you know so much about that?" Phil asked. Dan shrugged. He was just a thorough person. At least he thought of himself as one. "I do like making videos. And your subscribers are saying awfully nice things about you Dan. How you've been very therapeutic," Phil surmised. "Thank you Phil, I'm touched," Dan said half sarcastically. Phil made a noncommittal grunting noise. "Did you subscribe to my channel?" Dan was curious now. "I might've done, I mean hey if you hadn't pestered me we wouldn't be sitting here eating pizza, and playing video games," Phil answered as he picked up the controller as if to emphasize his point. "Another game?" Phil asked. "Sure, why not?" Dan answered. And they settled back into their playing games positions. They didn't stop playing until about midnight. "You know, if you want, you can spend the night in the guest room," Phil said, once they'd finished their gaming sessions. "You actually have a guest room? Why haven't you turned it into an office?" Dan wondered. "I dunno, I just thought that maybe if I had any company over, I could just put them up in there. And since you're here, well you can test it out for me," Phil simply answered. "Sounds good to me," Dan answered and dragged his now tired body to the bed. He face planted into the mattress, and was soon sound asleep. At about four in the morning, when Phil had the munchies, it rarely happened, but sometimes he'd go for a stroll to the kitchen and get some cereal, he took a peek into the room, and found Dan curled up in a ball and shivering slightly. Phil shook his head and went to get a duvet. He covered the skinnier boy up, and then went back to his mission. An hour later a bleary eyed Dan stumbled into the lounge, dragging the blanket behind him. "Did I wake you?" Phil asked between bites of his meal. "Nah. I just couldn't sleep. I was having these weird dreams where we..." His voice trailed off. "We were what?" Phil cautiously asked. "We...elllll it was stupid," Dan hedged. "Dan?" Phil's voice dropped a little. "We were sat in front of the television and a camera was trained on us. I told you. Stupid," Dan said. "Was it because of earlier when you talked about YouTube being an actual job?" Phil asked. "Stop bringing it up. It's stupid," Dan said, and his eyes strayed to the cereal. "I have Shreddies. Want some?" Phil asked. "Yeah. I prefer Crunchy Nut," Dan said. "Sorry we're all out," Phil said. "Ugh! I'll take a bowl of Shreddies then," Dan replied, and Phil directed him where the bowls and silverware were at. Once Dan had his bowl filled and milk, he chewed thoughtfully. "Didn't you do a video where you predicted me?" This time Phil's face turned a deep red. "You saw that one?" Phil hung his head. "It sounded a little like me," Dan replied. "Yeahhhh I guess," Phil shrugged again, and finishing his cereal he put his bowl in the sink."But hey maybe your grandma really did give you 'the gift'. I think it sounds like me. Not to toot my own horn," Dan sheepishly smiled. "I don't know you all that well yet," Phil patted Dan's back in a comforting way. "If we keep being around each other, maybe I will be able to predict everything you're gonna do and say," Dan's mouth curved into a half smile. "Stop being soppy, it doesn't suit you," Dan retorted. "And it doesn't suit you to be a softie. I like it when you're salty," Phil's response made Dan chuckle. "You're not salty," Dan answered. "Nope, I'm the sweet to your salty," Phil answered. "Damn ray of sunshine," Dan bit out, but in a kinder way. "You can always be yourself around me. I'm a phone call away, and if it gets to be too much, I'm a pretty solid person. To take your mind off of stuff, maybe we can make silly random videos together," Phil suggested. "I'd like that. My classes are absolutely nerve wracking," Dan nodded, and he rubbed at his eyes. "It helps when you can do videos. I like it. It makes me forget the outside world exists," Phil's sage words washed over Dan, who yawned. "Get back in bed. I'll try not to wake you up. No promises though. Because I'm really clumsy," Phil said, as he helped Dan up and the younger man half stumbled to the guest bedroom. "You sleep, or if you want, you can use the desktop to go on websites," Phil said. "I'll sleep first then see what I feel like later," Dan shut the door to the room, and fell back asleep. At about ten there was a crash, and a, "Rama Llama Ding Dong!" Jolted out of his sleep, Dan rubbed his eyes threw off the duvet and went to see what was going on. He raced to the lounge, and found Phil face down in the carpet, his legs spread eagle. "Owwww," Phil moaned, as he pushed himself off the floor and then turned his head. "Hi, sorry..." Phil's voice was raspy and sheepish. "I tripped over the ottoman," Phil said again. "Ouch. Do you need a helping hand?" Dan asked, extending his hand forward. "Yeah, thanks," Phil accepted the proffered hand, and then he bent over and helped Phil up. Phil let go of Dan's hand and dusted himself off once he was upright. "Yeesh, I didn't know how I did that. I was on my way to the kitchen to brew a coffee, and boil the kettle for tea, and whoomp there I went," Phil demonstrated. "Whoomp?" Dan's eyebrow raised, but he couldn't help the smile that appeared. "Whoomp," Phil echoed. "Okay, whoomp there it is," Dan said, following Phil into the kitchen, and Phil proceeded to brew some java, while Dan found the kettle and started the water for tea. "Breakfast...Breakie...Whatever shall we have? Pancakes? Waffles? Cereal? What, what what?" Phil sang to himself. "Toast and eggs?" Dan suggested. "Toast and eggs it is. Um I wonder if I have toasting bread and eggs?" Phil put a forefinger to his chin and looked contemplatively at the refrigerator. "Well are you going to look or not?" Dan asked. "Looking, looking, looking for eggs...You look for the toast..." Phil sing-songed at Dan. "It's in the bread box ya numpty," Dan smirked. "I found some eggs," Phil juggled an egg and it fell to the floor and smashed. "Phiiillllll," Dan shook his head. "What?" Phil looked at him. "Never mind Phil, let's get breakfast started. And the pan was found. Dan put the bread in the four slice toaster. And Phil whisked the eggs with a fork. "Don't you have an actual whisk?" Dan asked. "Nope," Phil said. "Okaaayyyy," Dan stretched the word out. A few minutes later they sat up at the table, and were eating.

Six months later:

Dan had had it! He was over at Phil's flat again, and he was frustrated, he was annoyed, he was everything you could think of for not being happy. Phil was playing a video game, and Dan was silently fuming. He then broke into a frustrated growl, stood on Phil's couch, threw some papers and said: "I Can't Take It Anymore!" "Can't take what?" Phil asked, as he looked up from his game. "This! This lawyer shit," Dan said, indicating the pile of books. "I mean what even am I doing with my life? I can't do this! I can't!" And just like that, Dan was face down on the couch, very nearly sobbing. "Dan?" Phil's game was forgotten. "What's the meaning of life?" Dan mumbled. "To fulfill a destiny?" Phil asked. "What destiny?" Dan asked again. "I don't know. I haven't figured that far ahead," Phil shrugged. "And you might never figure that far ahead. You'll die, and what will you have accomplished?! Nothing!" Dan almost shouted. This was it. He was having an existential crisis. Nothing could console him now. Except when Phil sat beside him it felt like someone was actually taking the burden away for a little bit. But Dan wasn't finished with his crisis. A dark cloud seemed to loom over him still. "So why do I feel like life is pointless? Why do I feel like I'm never going to have kids? Or get married? Or do Anything?!" Dan asked. "But you're only nineteen," Phil insisted. "But I thought I wanted to be a lawyer," Dan answered, still not facing Phil. "Dan...If you need to take time off then do it. Don't kill yourself over this," Phil said, putting a reassuring hand on Dan's shoulder. Just like that the dark cloud seemed to lift. Just quit? Just take time off? Not do anything? Dan took a deep breath and looked up at his friend, "I'll think about it." "Make a list of pros and cons, and don't make any hasty decisions. But as your friend, I'm begging you to take time out and see if you really want this life path or not," Phil said "Okay," Dan mumbled and sat upright. "Okay?" Phil questioned. "Okay, I'll get in touch with the school," Dan replied. "Do that, it'll make you feel better," Phil said. "Meantime, I'll just live in the dormitories," Dan thoughtfully said.

Another six months:

Phil was finished with school. He had moved to London and had found out how to have a lucrative business on YouTube. He was currently updating his AmazingPhil channel, and he looked at his watch. He'd just finished uploading the video. Now to sit back and watch for the comments and views. But something was missing. Someone was missing. Dan was still miserable, and was crashing at their friend P.J.'s place. Since he'd stop studying the school board had decided he couldn't live on campus anymore. So P.J. had taken him in. But Phil had an idea. He called up Dan, "Hey Dan, do you think maybe you want to come live with me?" Phil was direct which surprised Dan, and without preamble he answered, "Yeah alright." "Great, pack your stuff and get over here. You can have the guest bedroom and en suite bathroom. Let's get our careers started," Phil said, and hung up the phone. Both were smiling. "Hey P.J., Phil asked me to live with him," Dan said. "That's great mate. So I guess I'll be seeing you on YouTube?" P.J. asked. He'd started his own channel, and had significant views as well. "See ya," Dan took his wallet and called a cab, and arrived at Phil's in no time. "Dan! Nice you could make it," Phil enthused. "How could I refuse the hospitality. I already said I was taking a break from school, and my fans said that it was okay," Dan answered. "Even if they didn't agree it's your life. Remember that Danny," Phil said. "I will 'Philly'," Dan answered. "Philly?" Phil shuddered. "Danny?" Dan countered. "We'll refrain from nicknames," Phil decided. "Good because I'm gonna eviscerate you if you ever call me Danny again. "And I'll sulk if you call me Philly," Phil nodded. "So where's my room?" Dan asked. "Right this way," Phil led the way, and then he set his meager things down. "I got a bed?" Dan asked. "Yeah, but I did get any sheets. I figure you can decorate the room any way you want to," Phil answered. "Thanks, I have some action figures and fairy lights, and my black and gray duvet and my blue fitted
sheet and my pillows, and..." Dan's voice trailed off as he went about fixing bed up. He put the lights across the headboard, and he put on the sheets. Phil had left him to it.

Chapter two:

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I affiliated with Dan and Phil. Please don't sue me. This is just my imagination/take on their meeting, and I am new to the Phandom, though I don't ship them together. Thank you for reading this.

A/N: I forget to paragraph my stuff, but I like to write, so I like that it flows. I will try and put paragraphs in. Thanks to my one reviewer. :)

And so it begins, the ultimate bromance:

School aside, Phil and Dan settled into a routine. They created separate channels, and were themselves, Dan talking about being socially inept, and Phil talking about Animes, unicorns, fluffy bunnies and anything else that popped into his mind. "And this week on Dan's awkward encounter into the outside world, I actually tripped over my shoelaces, I fell up the stairs, and then I slid across the floor on my back, all in the space of three minutes, and that was before I got my head stuck in the doors of the train. And do they open? No. Normally when you walk into a normal underground train, it's all 'Move aside peasants', and the doors open and close once you're on the train. Did this same grace fall upon me as I tried to get on the train this time? The cosmos looked down on me and decided they were going to hate me. I moved forward, and my head got stuck. I mean really stuck. The doors closed around my neck, and I was stuck. If that wasn't bad enough people were pointing and laughing. So finally, the doors opened, I dusted myself off, and put in my earphones. I tell ya the worst experience in my life," Dan finished, and said his goodbyes before turning off the camera.

Now time to edit. Phil came in an hour later and wiped his hands on his skinny jeans. "How'd it go?" Phil asked, sitting on the floor next to his friend. "I told them the story of getting my head stuck in the door," Dan said. "Awkward, embarrassing, down the rabbit hole. Sounds like you," Phil said. "Yeah, so how was your video?" Dan asked in return. "Unicorns and fluffy bunnies," Phil smiled happily. "A good one then. You know we really should do a collaboration," Dan mused. "Okay we'll do it on my channel first, and then you can do it on your channel, and we'll introduce us to the world. Not just a separate us, but a friendship us," Phil nodded again. "Sounds like it could work," Dan agreed. "Next week?" Phil asked. "Yeah..." Dan's voice trailed off. "Hungry?" Phil asked. "Yeah, and if you've touched my cereal again, you'll have to run. I'm tired of going in there and finding crumbs," Dan said. "I'm one step ahead. I ordered takeaway, and it should be here within the hour," Phil stated. "What are we getting?" Dan asked. "Chinese," Phil said. "Fortune cookies!" Dan cheered. "Whoa look who's all cheerful. Isn't that my job?" Phil asked. "Loser, spork," Dan cracked.

"There's the Dan I know and live with," Phil exited the room, Dan following closely behind, his laptop under his arm, and he headed for the sofa. "Browsing position," Dan said, and lifted his laptop. "Go on Jedi-san," Phil graciously waved his hand in front of the sofa. "Thanks," Dan turned on Tumblr. "Let's see what's going on at Tumblr, and then that new site Twitter. I'm up for some Tweets," Dan said. "And then on to fanfiction and animes," Phil said. "How'd you know?" Dan asked. "Because we've been living with each other for over a year, and I'm an observant person," Phil said as the doorbell rang. "When you're not face planted onto the floor, and or kicking doors, or generally hurting yourself," Dan muttered. "I can juggle and flip pancakes," Phil retorted, and hurried down the stairs to answer the door. He came back up laden with two bags of food. "Fortune cookies and stir-fry. Just what the doctor ordered," Phil said, and set the food on the coffee table. "Yum!" Dan got his white box and pulled its sides apart, while pulling the handle down. The steam rose and Dan inhaled. "Ohhh yeahhhh," Dan smiled. "Chopsticks or fork?" Phil held up the plastic instrument in one hand and the wooden objects in the other. "Chopsticks. You can have the fork," Dan answered, taking the chopsticks from Phil's proffered hand. They sat side by side and munched, feet propped up on the table.

"Hell yeah this is some good eating," Dan smiled contentedly. "Only the very best for you bro," Phil said. "Never call me bro again," Dan snarked. "Your majesty?" Phil counter snarked. "I'll think about it," Dan bit into the stir fry again, and closed his eyes with happiness. Phil did the same. Finished with their meal, they decided on Full Metal Alchemist, and Death Note. Enjoying each others' company and the shows, then back to Tumblr and Twitter. Each opened their laptops and there was silence. Phil had his earphones on, and listened to music as he browsed. It was P!anic At The Disco, while Dan was listening to My Chemical Romance. Rocking out while browsing the net was quite relaxing. A beep was heard and Phil checked his YouTube. There were views, comments and few more subscriptions added. Good. He checked his YouTube balance and there was pending money in his account. This would pad the bills, and his anime comics and anything else he wanted. He grinned.

This was the life. Dan got up and changed the disk in the DVD drive. He settled back down again, and put his feet back on the coffee table. He settled in to their Ikea sofa. The cushions were squishy and there was a crease in it, making it more comfortable for him. His Browsing Position. Oh yeah...Dan put his hands behind his head, and looked at the television screen again. "Oh, more views! Yay! Oh Death Note! YAY!" Phil said in an excited voice, and he clapped his hands. "Get comfy Philly," Dan said grinning widely. "Okay Danny-Boy," Phil obliged, as Dan hit him with the plush Totoro. "Ouch! Violent," Phil yelped. "I'll get even more violent in a minute," Dan chuckled. "Oh no! Whatever. Shall. I Do?" Phil gasped in mock horror. "Run, and hide in your room, probably sneak my Maltesers," Dan answered, not taking his eyes from the screen. "I would never touch your chocolate, now did you get any marshmallows?" Phil asked. "Yeah, in the cupboard," Dan answered, and Phil ambled off towards the aforementioned room. "Don't eat marshmallows until you get a stomachache. Not like last time," Dan said. "Wubby Wunny," Phil answered. "What?!" Dan stopped all his internet browsing, and anime watching. "Wi Waid Wubby Wunny," Phil said, his cheeks full of marshmallows. "What the hell are you doing?" Dan gaped at his best friend. Phil spit the marshmallows into his outstretched hand.

"I'm challenging myself to the chubby bunny game. You stuff as many marshmallows in your cheeks until you can't fit anymore into your mouth, and whoever has the most marshmallows in their mouths and doesn't choke, wins. And you have to say chubby bunny.," Phil replied. "Are you supposed to be playing by yourself?" Dan asked. "You can play with someone else, but I didn't think you'd want to play, so I decided I wanted to play by myself and I can fit six marshmallows in my mouth," Phil answered. "Oh Jesus Fucking Christ on a bicycle. Are you challenging me?" Dan asked. "No?" Phil answered a confused look on his face. "Yes you are! You spork! You're challenging me, betting I'm going to say no, and I'll think about it, and then do your stupid challenge, and you'll gloat about the flat all proud of yourself. Where did you put the damn marshmallows?!" Dan asked, as he tromped to the kitchen to prove to Phil that he could win.

Dan was very competitive. Dan came out with a small bowl of marshmallows and plonked himself down on the couch again. "I'll show you. I can do this better than you. And then what'll you do? Nothing. That's what you'll do," Dan said, before Phil could respond. "Uhhh...Dan? I was just playing. It was a joke. You don't have t..." Phil's voice trailed off as Dan put a pointer finger in the air directed at his flat mate. "Okay, I'll just shut up then," Phil discarded his own melting mallows into the nearest trash bin. He sat down in the nearest chair, and watched as Dan stuffed his face. "Urm? Agh! Patooie!" Dan spit out after the third one. "These are fucking huge," Dan defended himself. "Yeah, yeah," Phil shook his head. "Any other dares?" Dan asked. "Nope. I'm all out of ideas," Phil said, and went to get the marshmallow packet from the kitchen again. "You're not going to eat any more are you?" Dan was flabbergasted. "One more," Phil said chewing and swallowing about four more. "UGH!" Dan discarded his slobbery marshmallows into the bin and resumed what he had been doing.

And then came the games channel:

Another year, and after the Super Amazing Project, during their stint as radio hosts, and all their lesser channels, they decided to actually collaborate on the same channel. After the success of Dan being on Phil's AmazingPhil channel, and Phil being on DanIsNotOnFire's channel, the fans decided they liked seeing the two work together. It was if they'd hit upon bottled lightning. They liked working together almost as much as working alone, they felt their camaraderie grow closer, and knew that they'd hit on the right thing to do. "Welcome to DanAndPhilGames," Dan "spoke into the camera giving it a small wave. "Our new gaming channel for all you little...Sparkletts out there," Phil said. "Sparkletts? Is that the new nickname for our new gaming subscribers?" Dan turned from the camera and gave Phil a mixed look of amused and irritated, though he wasn't really irritated at his mate. "For today it is," Phil simply answered and shrugged, giving the camera his signature wide eyed look and gargantuan smile. "Sparkletts it is. Or Danosaurs, or Phil's Fans, whatever," Dan tried again.

He continued, "Here on this channel we are going to be playing games, and there's a segment on here called Dan vs. Phil," Dan held up a plank they'd gotten from an old table that had aluminum down the middle and their names and pictures on each side of it. "This is where we put stickers of the games we've won on either side, and whoever's the winner, well they get bragging rights," Dan said. "So many bragging rights," Phil agreed. "Which game are we playing first?" Dan turned back to face Phil. "Mortal Kombat! It's an older game, I used to kick my brother's butt at this game . I want to play as Sheeba !" Phil exclaimed. "Fine, and I'll be...Noob Siabot," Dan finally decided. They started playing. Out of the two them, they couldn't remember who won. Probably Phil, but hey, one doesn't call out your best friend. Except when you're editing, and then you could tell them who won or lost. That freaking board was so heavy. But it looked great on the screen. "Are you finished editing yet?" Phil ambled into the room, his camera turned on.

"Not yet, and spoilers," Dan said hastily covering up the monitor, his earphones dangling around his neck. "He says not yet everybody!" Phil eyeballed the camera and then turned it back onto his friend. "Get out of my room ya nark," Dan turned back to editing. "Going, but before I go say something," Phil waited. "Something. Now leave," Dan smiled brightly at the camera and winked. Probably causing fan girls' ovaries to explode or something. "C'mon Dan's busy, I'll show you my new anime cards, and whatever else I bought. Probably a Kinder Egg or two..." Phil stumbled out of Dan's room talking excitedly.

Dan shook his head and turned back to his work. He was still smiling though. Phil was definitely a spark of brightness in his otherwise dreary dark existence. "Death Note and Free! sounds good right about now. But business first," Dan sighed and went back to doing the video. Twelve hours later, more like four and a half hours, but who was keeping count? Dan stretched and stood. He shut down his devices and walked out of the room. He went to put in Free!. But Phil had already put in Food Wars, another anime they liked. "I was in the mood for Death Note," Dan said as he sat down and folded into his 'browsing position'. "After Food Wars?" Phil questioned/answered. "Why not? I'm up for a marathon," Dan said. "Great. I'll get the snacks..." Phil's voice trailed off as he went to the kitchen.

"You just ate!" Dan yelled into the kitchen. "It's been hours," Phil objected. "Has it? Or have you been eating Kinder Eggs?" Dan asked. "Only just the one. And I need to keep my girlish figure," Phil answered. "Okay!" Dan paused the DVD, and crossed his feet on the coffee table. Phil came back with a plethora of snacks. "You know I've been thinking..." Phil started. "Have you now? What about? Is this serious or jokey?" Dan asked. "Serious," Phil answered. "How serious? Moving out serious? We need to talk serious? Fan service serious?" Dan counted off the ways things could be serious enough to pause anime for. "Fan Service Serious," Phil said, Dan could practically hear the capital letters. "What's going on in that little hamster wheel brain of yours?" Dan poked Phil's temple.

"I was thinking..." Phil exhaled a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "I mean we're already writing a book, and our plates are full, and...If you say no, if you say no, then I'll understand," Phil's voice faltered a bit. "When have I ever said no to any of the opportunities that have come up? Our friendship's survived. Just tell me. It'll be okay," Dan's voice got softer and he leaned closer to his best friend. "I'm all ears," Dan said. "Okay, how about this? What if we did a live show? But with a premise? What if I microwaved my laptop in it, and we're in an internet-less universe? It's not all fleshed out yet, but it's something that popped into my head," Phil's voice was excitable and shaky. He looked helplessly at his flat-mate. Trying to gage Dan's reaction. Hope sparked in his eyes, and Dan smiled encouragingly at his friend. "That's a..." Dan paused and Phil looked away.

"Hear me out Mate. It sounds pretty good; it'll take some elbow grease but I think it could come together," Dan said as he got up and went to get his binder, and a pen. "Really?" Phil asked. "Let me get this visualized," Dan, as usual took over. "I'll help," Phil decided and got his own pad of paper and a pen. "Right then..." Dan said, and they pored over their paper and talked well into the night. They put the DVD back on and it was basically the background music. "A big microwave...Dil...And a "Phan" fiction..." Phil's incomplete sentences made Dan smile. "Context. I like context, and I'll flesh it all out," Dan decided. "Like usual," Phil responded. "You bet your sweet arse," Dan answered, and they continued planning.

Tour Time:

Preparations for the tour had gone smoothly they had practiced long and hard and were now on the first leg of their live show tour. The Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire, which was shortened to TATINOF. The ending part sounded like 'off' instead of 'of'. So there they were traveling about in England, and then it happened. Being asleep, when one is jolted out of one's sleep, they become disoriented and a bit confused. Traveling in the tour bus. It wasn't a big tour bus, but it suited them most of the time. Anyway, Phil was soundly asleep, amidst the bumpiness of the roads, and Buffy in his headset, he'd fallen asleep to Sarah Michelle Gellar in his ears, but the headset had slipped off and he was dozing with his chin forward, and all of a sudden he heard a loud: "KERCHEWBLAH!" "What in the world?" Phil asked himself, as he tried to orient himself again. He swung his long legs over the side of the bed in the only room in the back of the bus, and passed by the quartet of bunkbeds. Dan had folded himself into the top bunk, and Phil hesitantly pulled the curtain aside. Dan sneezed again, thankfully into some tissues. "Don't Look At Me!" Dan exclaimed. "How long have you been feeling like this?" Phil asked. "It just hit me this morning...And now it's..." Dan fumbled for his watch the same time as Phil looked at his own wristwatch. "Four-thirty!" They both said at the same time. "Shut up! Ow! My head!" Dan exclaimed again. "Stop exclaiming. I'm sure we have medicines in here somewhere," Phil went to the tiny lavatory, and Dan sneezed again.

"Oi! I'm coming, don't cough or sneeze a lung out," Phil rushed to his friend's bedside, and held out the meager medicines, just as Dan was about to take another handful of Kleenex, he turned to face Phil, and take the medicine, but then as he reached for the supply, he sneezed, right in Phil's face. "ARGH! I have Dan germs now. EW! Pfft! Yuck!" Phil exclaimed. "Shut up, or I'm going to throw something at you," Dan crossly said, well more crossly than usual. "Fine, sorry, take it, get better. We have a show tonight," Phil said. "I know you dingus," Dan irritably said. Phil readjusted the curtain, and he went about his business, first he washed the slime of germs off his face and hands, and then he went to the kitchen.

Maybe some chicken noodle soup would be calming for the both of them? He rattled around the kitchen, trying to be as quiet as possible, but quiet for Phil, was like a herd of rampaging buffaloes coupled with a bull, who had on cleats and was on a full on rampage. He also tripped a lot, so it didn't help when the saucepan went flying into the air, and the driver asked if he was okay. "I'm fine," Phil reassured the driver, and then he looked in the cabinets but there wasn't any soup.

So he went to get some crackers for Dan and a seltzer water. Still kind of soothing. He approached the curtain bedside with much caution. "Hey Dan?" Phil whispered. "If you don't disappear like the magician you are, I am going to throw something heavy at you," Dan said, but Phil knew he didn't mean it this time. "I've got seltzer water and some saltines," Phil said, and thrust a hand through the curtain. "Thanks," Dan said quietly, and sniffled. "No problem. Just go to sleep, and if you need anything, let me know," Phil said, as he went back to his bedroom, and shut the door, leaving it open a crack so he could hear if things were going to go wrong. He settled on the internet, still keeping an ear out for his friend. Dan, meantime was curled up into a ball, with the duvet over him, part of his shoulders were showing and he was facing his DVD player, pushing the play button on Totoro. One of his favorite animes. He dozed after a while, but he didn't fall asleep, because he kept waking up sneezing and coughing supply of tissues was replenished, and he had some more water, the bus stopped and they were at their venue.

"D'you want me to get you some more medicine?" Phil asked, as he rearranged his fringe for what seemed to be the thousandth time. "No, because if I collapse on stage then what?" Dan asked, as they went through the routine again. Phil sighed and nodded, the fans (Phans) came first. He changed into his spotted shirt that was part of his costume, and hairsprayed his hair so it wouldn't move, and then it happened. Albeit very quietly. He coughed.

"Oh no," Phil whispered, and luckily nobody was near him. Dan was getting his makeup on, and soon it would be Phil's turn. "Heh, maybe I imagined it?" Phil said. "Imagined what?" Dan was by his side looking into the mirror, making sure his own hair was in place. "I imagined that my bowling ball was cracked?" Phil asked, and he turned away from Dan emitting a whispery cough.

"You broke your bowling ball? Phiiilllll," Dan tsked at him. "No I didn't, I just saw a crack, but it was only the light," Phil said. "Go get your makeup on Philly," Dan ordered. "Righty-O Danny Boy," Phil saluted and sat in the chair. They went over their scripts again, made sure that everything was in place. Soon it would be show time. As time crept along, Phil started feeling worse. He cleared out his throat, and then his nose started itching. And they didn't even have the cat whiskers on. What to do? What to do? Phil hurried to the sink and dabbed at his nose with his finger. "Philip, don't ruin your makeup," Becky, one of their assistants said. "Shut Up Becky," Jessica, Becky's older and more annoying sister said. "Sorry Jessica," Becky stated and Jessica rolled her eyes. "OMG, Becky just stop talking, and don't unfriend me on Facebook ever again, or I'll tell Mum what you did with Jeremy," Jessica said. "Sorry Jessi..." Becky tried, as she slunk to the background. Jessica waved her off and went to go see the technicians about something, as Becky gave Dan and Phil apologetic looks. "Why'd we hire them again?" Phil asked. "They came highly recommended," Dan answered. "Oh," Phil reined in a sneeze.

They performed, both feeling under the weather, and after the show they collapsed in the back room. Phil scrunched up his nose and all of a sudden: "KERCHOOOOOOOO!" That made Dan sit up a bit straighter. "Did you just..." Dan pursed his lips. "No, no I didn't. It was all your imagination, and probably some dust or some cat hair or something," Phil stood, even though he was a little shaky on his feet. "Let's get you some medicine," Phil said in an overly bright, and not his usual bright voice. Dan squinted at him.

He followed Phil back to the bus. "You liar! You're ill! How could you just..." Phil turned to face him. "Not here. We'll get caught being domestic, and I don't think our fans want to see us fighting," Phil said, slogging his way to the bus some more.

"Don't you walk away from me," Dan put a hand on Phil's forehead. "You're warm," Dan said. "No, you're warm, and get your hand off of me," Phil tried to squirm away from his friend's fevered hand.

"Oh we are so going to talk about this some more, when we get inside, and I'll ring the driver, and maybe someone will get us supplies, because we both can't be ill, Phil," Dan said, as they both stepped inside the bus.

"Look, Dan, I've not got the plague or anything. It was probably just the dust or something, and I don't think I want the driver to be bothered by getting supplies. "Right, then, I'll get Becky. She's nicer than Jessica is," Dan pulled out his phone. Phil swatted the phone out of Dan's hand, and it went flying and ended up arse first in the sink. "PHILIP MICHAEL LESTER!" Dan dived for the phone. "Don't You Philip Michael Lester Me, Daniel James Howell!" Phil countered. "You just threw my phone, my Nice Phone, Into The Goddamned Fucking Sink!" Dan howled, as he dived for the phone, and then Phil reached for the back of Dan's shirt and pulled him backwards, and grabbed the phone, depositing it down his boxers. "PHIL!" Dan screeched as he attempted to get out of Phil's one handed hold.

"You Let Me Go! Right! Now!" Dan yelped. "No. I'm not dying of bubonic plague, you are, I'll get what you need at the corner store, and don't you fight me on this," Phil lectured, as he played the 'I'm Older Than You, Don't Argue Youngster' card. "You are so," Dan countered weakly as Phil frog marched him back to his bunk bed, and then practically threw him into the bunk space.

"You will stay there, until I get back. No whining, no complaining, and no bothering Jessica, Becky, or the driver. Or I will hear about it," Phil said, taking charge which was something he did when Dan was sick.

"When I get well again, you are in so much trouble Lester," Dan mumbled, as Phil fished the phone out of his trousers and threw it on the bed, along with antiseptic wipes. "Thanks Phil," Dan said, as he wiped the phone off. "Don't mention it.I'll be back soon," Phil said, as he gathered his wallet and rucksack.

He found a drug store nearby, and entered the shop. He loaded up on medicine, and plenty of Kleenex. He even remembered the chicken noodle soup, and decided that his honky rubber chicken would be good company whilst he made the soup. He put the medicine in his rucksack, and went back to the venue. He put some of the supplies in the tiny lavatory cabinet, and then he grabbed the soup, the chicken, and had another go at making the soup. This time it was going to plan. Nothing else went flying and he was just stirring it up, when Dan came into the tiny kitchen and sat up at the fold out table. He looked miserable, and Phil looked over at his younger friend. "Hey there. I've almost got the soup done," Phil said, as brightly as he could manage.

He was met with silence. D'you want to hold Honkers?" Phil asked. Still nothing. So Phil sat the chicken on the table. He turned his back to the soup.

And then the rubber chicken went sailing across the room and upset the soup. Soup went everywhere. On the ceiling, on the floor, on the cooker. It even splashed on Phil. "I'll forgive you, because you're sick," Phil dished out the rest of the soup, and sat across from Dan as he put the bowls in front of themselves. Silently they ate. Not a word passed between them. "Who's going to clean up this mess?" Dan asked, as he observed his mess, and the poor chicken at his feet again. "I will, since you're the procrastinator of the two of us," Phil said, as his head got heavier and his sinuses got clogged even more, and he made a wet coughing sound, which by then he knew, and he had to admit to himself, that he was super sick now. "No riding the river of Denial," Dan said, as he plucked up the chicken. "Alright! I'm sick! Are you happy?" Phil took the bowls to the sink. "No, but I wish you'd been honest with me Phil," Dan sat edgeways in the booth, as Phil got the wash cloth. Suddenly Phil felt dizzy, and he collapsed in the middle of the floor. Dan tried to get him up, but Phil was stockier than he looked. He took a duvet, and covered Phil up. Then he went back to the booth, and clutched the chicken in his arms. He fell asleep.