Rain pattered down from the softly painted silver sky, typical London weather one should say. The sound of footsteps running down the sidewalk accompanied the light rainfall, the footsteps headed for the closest building which was an apartment building. These footsteps belonged to two boys, both quite young, the tallest one was twenty one years of age while the smallest was eighteen. They were holding hands as they raced towards the building so that they could be sheltered from the rain as it was beginning to get heavier and heavier. Soon enough, they were inside the lobby area of the apartment complex. They shook their longish hair of the rain water, the tallest one's black hair turned even darker and the smaller one's brown hair turned black as well. Now, that they were inside the apartment building, what was there to do?
"What do we do? Where are we? This isn't Manchester. I'm not even quite sure this is the same year. Everything feels different and I feel so much smaller." the tinier male told him in a worried tone, his big brown eyes filled with concern. The taller male brushed his hand against the cheek of his scared companion and his blue eyes shined with reassurance.
"I don't know where we are either, and a lot feels different too. But I'm sure we'll be okay." the-blue-eyed boy murmured, pressing his lips to the brown-eyed boy's soaked hair in attempt to comfort him.
As the two of them whispered to one another, simply standing there in the middle of the lobby and the doorway, they were suddenly bumped into and knocked over onto the ground. The dark-eyed, dark-haired boy looked up to see a man with a similar face to his lover's own with blue eyes that were just slightly lighter. The blue-eyed, black-haired boy looked up to see a man with dark eyes like his lover but his brown hair was much darker than his lover's.
"Oh, sorry mates." the two strangers murmured as they pulled themselves off the young ones; helping them to their feet.
"It's alright," the two younger ones accepted their apology.
"God, I'm more soaked than when I walked." The shorter, but older black-haired male commented, which made the dark-haired boy stare at the floor in embarrassment.
"Phil," the dark-haired man hissed as he nudged Phil with his elbow, making him realize that the reason he was wetter was because of the soaked teenager.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." Phil apologized, the dark-haired boy looked up and blushed a bit "It's okay," he murmured.
"Why are the two of you soaked? Do you live here? Do you need a place to stay?" the dark-haired man questioned worryingly to the two teenagers.
"Dan, you're going to kill them with constant questions." Phil informed him, and Dan simply elbowed him in the side again before turning his attention back to the dark-eyed and the blue-eyed boys.
"We need a place to stay," the blue-eyed boy informed him.
"Don't impose stuff on them!" the dark-eyed boy hissed at his companion.
"He's not imposing anything, when I asked if you needed a place to stay I was offering. Come on, now." Dan beckoned them as the four of them got into the lifts and went to the floor Dan and Phil's apartment were located. The two older boys lead them to their apartment; unlocked the door and lead the two younger ones inside.
"You two probably want to get out of those clothes, we have two bathrooms if you two wish to take showers, and we can also lend you some clothes." Dan offered them. This entire time although Phil was silent he was simply awestruck as he was in complete wondrous as to why his companion was being so kind to the teenagers. Not that Dan couldn't be sweet, of course he could be, but to people he knew. They didn't know these children, why was he letting them into their home? Despite being seemingly innocent and as if they could not hurt flies, one could never be too sure. Dan led the boys into respected bathrooms, and returned to the lounge where Phil was ready with questions like an interviewer,
"Dan, why did you let them into our house? Do you know them? What if they're murderers?"
"Phil, calm down, no I don't know these kids. I'm pretty sure they aren't murderers and I let them in because...I don't know...just felt like I should..the little dark-eyed one got to me."
"Got to you?"
"Yeah, ya know, like I was supposed to help them. Protect them in a way."
"Dan,"
"Phil,"
"You're strange."
"So are you."
Dan and Phil sat on the couch; turned on the television as they waited for the two teenagers to return from their showers. The black-haired teenager was dressed in one of Phil's old t-shirts and a pair of jeans too small for him now. The brown-haired teenager was dressed in one of Dan's old t-shirts and a pair of jeans too small for him now as well. The two teenagers situated themselves on a chair together, and the four of them began to chat.
"So, I'm Dan and this is my friend Phil."
"Hi, I'm James and this is my boyfriend Michael."
"Why were you two out in the rain?"
"Not quite sure, just sort of...ended up here and it started raining."
"Where do you two live?"
"Well, he goes to York University and I go to Manchester University. We were in Manchester, but now, we're here."
"Oh, I see, that's cool. I went to Manchester too. Phil here went to York too."
"That's a coincidence...why have you let us into your house?"
"Well, it seems as though you need a place to stay until it stops raining and I just felt like I needed to help you two."
"Oh, well, that's very sweet of you."
"It's not a problem at all."
"So, how did you two just end up here?"
"We'd sound crazy if we explained so."
"It can't be that crazy."
"Well, Ph- I mean Michael - and I were walking around; we found a blue police box and we took a step inside then we sort of kinda ended up here."
Dan looked at Phil and Phil looked at Dan, both had identical looks of confusion, but then both of them turned to look at the two younger ones. Dan looked between Michael and Phil. The younger's black hair was cut into a fringe-liked haircut like Phil's, but his hair was slightly longer. Yet facial structure and bright blue eyes were all the same. Except Michael's eyes seemed to be much happier and lighter than Phil's. Phil on the other hand looked between Dan and James. Their facial structure and dimpled smiles were clearly the same, James' hair was just lighter than Dan's at this point; his brown eyes seemed lighter than Dan's. A happier shade of chocolate.
"James, is your first name Daniel?"
"Yes,"
"Michael, is your first name Phillip?"
"Yes,"
"James, were you born in Berkshire?"
"Yes,"
"Michael, were you born in Rossendale?"
"Yes,"
"Last time you checked, what year was it?"
"2010,"
Dan looked at Phil and Phil looked at Dan, both had eyes as wide as the moon that glumly hung outside in the night sky while rain continued to fall. James looked at Michael and Michael looked at James. Both smiled softly at one another, but then suddenly their smiles fell as they both realized what was occurring. While James and Michael held hands, Dan and Phil did not. They sat a considerable distance away from each other on the couch as well. As the two younger individuals noticed this, their eyes began to water a bit.
"Why don't you two love each other anymore?" James asked after a long moment of silence.
"...We just kind of grew apart..I suppose...the fans got in the way a bit, and we just...let go..." Dan explained, his eyes locked on James and Michael [or should he say the younger versions of him and Phil?] holding hands. He felt as though someone had taken a piece of glass and stabbed it into his heart; just left him there to die a painful death. He remembered how him and his companion used to be like that. He remembered how in love they were, and how many afternoons when Dan would go over to Phil's home and they would cuddle on the couch when his mum went out to do something. He remembered Phil's lips on his, and he remembered Phil holding him. All of these memories coming back shoved the piece of glass deeper and deeper into his heart.
"Do you still love each other though?" Michael wondered; Phil looked at Dan and then he looked back at his younger self and Dan's younger self. He looked down at their hands clasped in one another's and he felt his heart grow heavy. Why did he ever let Dan go? Why couldn't they had just ignored the poking and prodding of some of their fans and continued with being in love? Phil looked at his Dan, and realized he never stopped loving Dan. They just stopped being invested romantically with one another. Phil felt breathless for a moment and he felt tears prick at his eyes as a sudden wave of missing hit him like ocean tides crash onto a sandy shore. He missed Dan. Even though he was sitting right in front of him. He missed him. He missed his kisses, and he missed holding him. He missed cuddling with him, and he missed telling him 'I love you'. Yet, here was the time to admit it once again. Four years later.
"I do, I still very much love Dan." Phil murmured, Dan looked at him with wide eyes at this confession. But then his wide eyes dimmed into ones of adoration. Ones of love and happiness. Like they used to be.
"I do, I still very much love you too Phil." Dan mumbled, and he slipped his hand into Phil's. Phil felt his sinking heart fly high, and he felt his muscles relax. He felt as though things were right in the world again. The wave of missing was replaced with a breeze of rejoice like a breeze that tickles the cherry blossoms that bloom in the spring. With this new found happiness in his heart, Phil pecked Dan's lips, a quick little kiss like one shared between two new lovers. But they weren't new lovers, they just simply forgot the feeling for awhile. Dan wanted more. Therefore he leaned completely over Phil, and kissed him passionately. He straddled himself on Phil's thighs, and Phil held him steady with his hands placed on Dan's slender sides. Phil moaned into the kiss; Dan bit his bottom lip begging for an entrance that Phil gave him.
It was like air currents meeting to create a tornado, it was like tsunami waves crashing on shore to conquer the land. It was like watching a fire spin out of control and engulf a house, it was like the sudden heat that England so seldom experiences. It was love. A love long suppressed, but a love that was never forgotten.
Steady hands trembled and eyes filled with tears, and those tears dripped on to cheeks.
"I'm so sorry, Phil." Dan sobbed as he collapsed onto Phil's chest.
"Sh, it's okay. It's okay." Phil whispered; kissing the top of Dan's head.
Just before the younger versions of Dan and Phil were whisked away by a man who wore a long beige-colored coat, they smiled at their older selves. Knowing that everything in the end was going to be okay.