A/N: AAAH I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING ON SCHEDULE SOBS but there was a lot of school events and stuff and yeah that's why i couldn't really get on the mac and update a chapter, as much as i wanted to, but eh oh well (also procrastination). i'm here now and that's all that matters yEAH YEAH okay let's get started

summary: Dan Howell had just started college, and he's roommates with someone named Phil Lester, who's quiet and moody. They're similar in a lot of ways, they like the same things, listen to the same music, and they even have matching fringes. They're also basically polar opposites, but that's what makes them attracted to each other, even if they don't know it themselves yet. College AU. Phan, with some kickthestickz.

disclaimer: dan and phil are not mine!

setting: college AU

III.

rain

—

.

.

.

Things are starting to get easier (and better) for Dan ever since he's actually getting used to the college life.

The thought of living in a dorm with another human being is also a nice feeling. After all, he's actually gotten used to Phil a lot more now. It feels weird and slightly cheesy to admit it, but it's true. The two of them usually talked to each other on a daily basis — Phil would sometimes tell him about things that happened during his work, Dan would tell him stuff about his classes, and basically the general idea is that they actually know each other now.

Dan also admits deep, deep down that he enjoys having Phil for company. He's actually pretty cool, and even though Phil uses a lot of profanity in his words, Dan doesn't really mind it. He really was an interesting person, but Dan's sure that he doesn't know his roommate that well enough yet, not as well as Chris and PJ do. The brown haired teen's not sure of how long the three of them had known each other, but they probably have for a really long time now.

Dan's really glad that he's friends with them, because they are quite an interesting and great group of friends. He's happy that he met them.

The only time the four of them are actually together in one place is mainly lunch, but this doesn't stop Dan's classmates and teachers from calling the four of them "The Fantastic Foursome." It's funny because it seems like they've known each other for a long time, even though Dan was recently added to the small group just a few weeks/months ago. All four of them find the name actually pretty funny (yes, even Phil) and now often use it as an 'unofficial, official group name.'

Since it's getting colder, Dan's been visiting the place where Phil works at more often, the coffee shop. Phil's usually working on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from either 5:30-9:15, or from 11:50-1:15. The coffee shop is actually pretty decent, and Dan likes it there since the atmosphere is really cozy and warm, and the drinks are also pretty tasty. The people that work there also got to know who Dan was, him being sometimes a regular customer, and other times because Phil's talking to him while he's on his shift.

So basically, life has been good for him so far. Even though French is still a pain in the ass, Dan can say that he's starting to enjoy college. And it seems like he's always looking forward to going back to his dorm at the end of each day. Sometimes it's a bit quieter when Phil's away working, but when he comes back later Dan always greets him with a grin, always having something new to tell him.

They're friends on some level, Dan and Phil. Not close enough like Chris and PJ, but they're good friends. Phil usually teases Dan about the things he does and him in general sometimes, and Dan does the same. They relate to a lot of things, and they have the same music taste, which is also pretty cool. There are times when Phil is sometimes in a bad mood, and usually when that happens he doesn't really talk much, and Dan just usually returns to his homework.

He's not sure what happened that made Phil like this, he remembers Chris and PJ telling him that he used to be much happier. Chris always told Dan that it's a good thing Phil's not acting worse, much, much worse, because both Chris and PJ have seen that side of him before. He's also told Dan that it's nice to see that Phil's starting to open up more to him, and even though Dan's still not sure if that was supposed to be suggestive, he's still relieved that Phil's accepting him nevertheless.

"Dan? Dan? DAN? DAN HOWELL? Earth to Dan!"

Said boy snaps out of his daydream when he drops a piece of noodle on his lap. Dan's forgotten that he zoned out during lunch, and now Chris is looking at him with a mixture of pleasure and apprehension in his expression. PJ's laughing, and next to Dan, Phil cracks a small smile. Slightly embarrassed, Dan flicks off the noodle on his lap, and dusts his jeans off, setting his spork back down on his tray. "Did you say something?"

Chris laughs. "Have you ever walked out of your house with no pants on?"

"What the hell? No. Why?"

"Just asking questions to get to know you better."

"That makes no sense at all."

"Since when did Chris ever make any sense, again?" PJ then cuts in, and each of them start laughing, including Chris. He rolls his green eyes and fixes his fringe as the rest of them continue on laughing. Dan's sides are starting to hurt when Chris is arguing that no, he's not making immature jokes 99% of the time and that he actually can be serious once in a while. Although no one believes Chris, it's still pretty funny.

Dan removes himself out of the conversation because he notices that Phil's actually joking and laughing along with the rest of them. Phil's not really paying attention to Dan as he's talking to Chris and PJ about whatever, but it's a really nice thing to see. Dan likes it when he makes Phil smile, even if it might just be a smirk or a scoff. It shows that he's comfortable around him.

And plus, his laugh is pretty soothing.

He refuses to share that with Chris and PJ because he knows they're going to tease him about it again.

But it's true.

Dan breaks his gaze off of Phil at that point, and all of a sudden makes eye contact with Chris, who's smiling creepily. Dan raises an eyebrow in confusion, but not before Chris's smile turns into a smirk. He also raises an eyebrow, and at that point Dan breaks off his gaze and chooses to take an interest in his cup of noodles sitting in front of him. He's not looking at Chris anymore, but he knows that he's still smirking in his direction.

And he says he's not making immature jokes 99% of the time.

After class ends later that day, Dan's kind of tired and he's not really in the mood to do his homework.

So he does something that he's really good at: procrastinate. And even though it's not really a wise decision, it sure does help take his mind off things. After all, it's still just 4:32. He has a Biology test tomorrow on whatever it was he was learning. He knows that he's probably going to end up failing, but what can you do? Phil's not in the room, either, so Dan's just laying on his bed as he thinks of something to do.

It's a Tuesday, which means that Phil isn't working, so what the hell was he doing right now? Usually he'd be back around this time, maybe one of his lessons were taking a little bit longer than usual? What if he was in detention? Or making up a test? Dan frowned. He wasn't exactly sure on why he was this worried. Phil was fine. He should be, anyway. Dan takes this moment to swing himself off his mattress, and looks outside the small window.

The sky is gray and cloudy, and it looks like it's going to rain soon. It's the kind of days Dan likes, because it's still suitable for wearing sweaters and drinks that warm you on the inside. He sighs as he watches his breath fog up the glass, and then turns away from his window. He's about to sit back on his bed when the door to his room opens, and Chris and PJ walk in, both smiling and sweater-clad.

At this point, Dan's used to Chris and PJ's constant breaking in. They've done it enough that Dan had stopped flinching every time he heard the door open. Even Phil had stopped jumping in surprise when Chris would yell in greeting and stomp on the ground obnoxiously loudly. Even so, Dan gives the two of them a small smile as Chris takes a seat on Phil's bed, and PJ sits down on Dan's.

"Hey." Chris then says. "Phil's not back yet?"

Dan sighs as he sweeps a hand through his hair. "No... I don't know why he's not here."

"Hmm." PJ mumbles. "Is he answering his cellphone?"

Dan shakes his head no. Phil had given him his number to Dan a while back, when they started talking. "It went straight to voicemail."

"Hmm. What are you supposed to be doing then, huh? Now that Phil's not here?" Chris asks, and Dan rolls his eyes — even though he can't help but grin at his obvious suggestive remark. He's not surprised, honestly. "You guys seem like you do everything together. Am I right, or am I right?" Chris then finishes, and Dan snorts.

"Actually, you're wrong," he says, picking up his pencil on his desk and pointing the eraser at Chris. "we don't have any classes together. The most we actually talk is in here. And also, we don't do everything together, Chris, don't jump to conclusions." Dan raises his eyebrows at the other male, who pouts and crosses his arms.

He brushes a strand of hair away from his face before talking again. "You may not do anything together now, but that won't stop me from seeing the two of you as a couple. Have you seen the way you two look at each other? It was a match made in heaven, basically. But even your invincible love won't beat mine and Peej's." At that, PJ facepalms, but Chris isn't finished. "I know for a fact that you two talk the most here. Sitting in this dorm is like a national monument. Ten years from now there will be a plaque on the door reading 'Dan and Phil's dorm room,' and the caption will read 'the two teenagers often spent most of their time here, talking to each other before they shortly fell in love.'"

Dan and PJ exchange exasperated looks. "That's ridiculous," Dan then says, and then mumbles the rest. "I don't like him like that."

"Pffft, yeah right. Look me in the eyes and say it." Chris just replies simply, shrugging, while Dan avoids his gaze, feeling his cheeks burning. Chris is still smiling though, and then changes the subject to avoid the awkwardness. "By the way, have you checked if Phil's at the coffee shop?" His green eyes are curious.

Dan frowns, placing his pencil back on his desk, and leans back on the wooden surface. He runs a hand through his dark hair in deep thought, blinking. "He's not working today, is he? It's Tuesday, and no — I haven't gone there at all today." He looks up at Chris suspiciously, and sure enough Chris is now smirking. "What?" Dan demands.

"Nothing, nothing. But surely, that's the most likely place he might be at."

PJ taps his chin thoughtfully. "You might be right, for once."

"For once?" As Chris retorts back to PJ's remark, Dan bites his bottom lip. He glances out the window — the sky is still choked with gray clouds, and it looks like it's drizzling outside. But he is wondering where Phil is... and also, Dan kind of is in the mood for a hot drink. Dan doesn't say anything for a couple of moments, but he's sure that he's probably worried about Phil anyway. He clenches his fists, and sighs. "Maybe I'll go and check..."

Chris stops talking, and this time he's serious for once. "But you know Dan, you really shouldn't worry. He should be fine."

The brown haired teen doesn't respond. Instead, his eyes trailed over to the clock sitting on his desk — 4:56, it reads. He relaxes for a bit. Chris is right. Phil should be back soon... he doesn't understand why he's worrying this much. Dan shakes his head as he sits down on his chair, exhaling. "Yeah, okay. If you say so." After that, silence falls on the three of them, and then Chris starts snickering.

"I mean, if you're that worried then by all means you can go — "

"Shut up."

Dan ends up studying for that stupid Biology exam that he has the next day.

Chris and PJ left a long time ago. Dan doesn't remember what time they said they were going to get dinner — was that around 7:45? He's not sure himself, but the clock on his desk reads 9:25. It's that late already? Dan must've been so bored that he had to end up studying, which sucked. His worries about Phil had kind of increased, even though Chris and PJ were assuring him that he should be perfectly okay.

For the millionth time, Dan's eyes trailed over to the clock, which now read 9:26. Phil should've been back by now. He should've came back a long time ago, but he still wasn't here, for some reason. Dan himself was feeling a mixture of emotions such as slightly aggravated and worried, he wasn't sure if he was annoyed or worried more. It was kind of a weird and confusing feeling, he was arguing whether or not he would go and find him.

He might be at the coffee shop. Chris's words echoed in his mind. Surely, that would be where he was. But why would he have been gone so late? It was nearing ten, and Dan's worries were growing. Soon enough, the words on the paper he was studying became blurred, and all he could think about was why the fuck Phil wasn't back yet. What the hell was he doing, anyway? And why was Dan so worried? He couldn't even explain these things!

"That's it." Dan then says as he gets up from the chair. "That's it." He's going to find him.

And with that, he dusts off his black jeans, and pulls on his dark gray hoodie, the one with the horns on the hood. He slips his phone into his pants pocket and as Dan yanks his shoes on, he looks outside the window — it was indeed raining. The sky was a gloomy gray-ish black color, and Dan groaned. Of all the days Phil chose to come home late, it was this one. It was pouring outside, but Dan didn't have an umbrella, just his kind of warm jacket.

He pulls his hood on and then leaves the room, closing the door shut behind him, and locking it. The keys were safe in his jeans pocket, but all Dan was focused on was Phil's whereabouts. Dan makes his way across the hall and soon enough, exits the door leading to the outside, and the college campus. The first thing he notices is that there's still some people out, doing whatever. The second thing he notices is that it's really freaking cold. The soles of his shoes are wet with rainwater already, and it's freezing.

Although it's pouring, Dan can still kind of make out where he's going, and fortunately, he has remembered where the coffee shop was located. With that, he stuffs his hands into his pants pockets and walks as fast as he can under the rain, praying that he wouldn't get struck by lightning. Which probably wouldn't happen, but Dan is very accident prone, and he has had many near death experiences in the past.

He's soaking wet and just about frustrated with his life when he finally sees it.

Even though Dan's exhausted and his socks are cold, Dan runs to the coffee shop, and takes shelter under the building. He takes a few deep breaths, and shakes his head. That was probably the most exercise that he's done... since, well, forever. It's a good thing that the shop doesn't close till midnight, and fortunately there are still people inside the cafe, mostly studying.

In one swift motion, Dan opens the door and greets the warm air blasting on him.

"Welcome!" A girl's voice says, Dan doesn't know who it is but still he smiles at her in greeting. He frowns as he looks around — ignoring some of the students' awed looks at him, since he's soaked from head to toes. His sneakers make a squishing noise when he moves, and he's out of breath as well. But he doesn't see him. Dan's starting to panic now; if Phil wasn't here at the coffee shop, then where the hell was he?

He decides to ask the person at the counter, maybe they knew where he was.

"Hi," Dan says, as he walks up to the cashier, who is a female. She blinks up at him, slightly confused. "Yes? Are you ordering something tonight?" It's the same voice that greeted him earlier when he had walked in the building. He frowns for a bit, thinking of how he should word what he was trying to say. Then she speaks up before he does. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Um... Yeah." He murmurs. "I'm looking for someone named Phil Lester."

"Phil Lester... ?" She then says kindly, looking around. Then she grabbed what seemed to be a timecard, and frowned. "Hmm, he shouldn't be working today... but it looks like his shift ended just a few minutes ago." She frowned slightly. "He shouldn't be too far from here, but you should be careful when walking in the rain, do you have an umbrella?" Looks like his shift ended a few minutes ago. At this point Dan's not even listening anymore — his head is spinning and he feels like he's going to stumble.

"No, no, it's fine. Thank you!" He shouts, as he exits the shop once again. Once he's out, he flips out his phone and presses Phil's contact name, praying that he would pick up. It rang once, twice, three times, four times... and then it when to his voicemail. "Just pick up already, you idiot!" Dan whisper-shouted, as each time he called him it went straight to voicemail. Where was he?

Then he stopped calling, and just stared at Phil's contact in his phone, the raindrops hitting the street softly. The rain doesn't look like it's about to stop soon, and Dan's now extremely worried. Why isn't Phil answering his phone? Where was he? Surely if he left a few minutes ago then Dan would've bumped into him by now... right? He doesn't know what to do except turn off his phone, slipping it back into his pocket.

He's thinking of calling Chris, or PJ. Or maybe not... the two of them would scold him for trying to find Phil. ("He's fine!" they insisted.) But Dan didn't know where he was either. He sighed, and shook his head. Phil's bound to turn up eventually. Dan's not even sure why he's the one fussing over where his roommate was. Chris and PJ weren't even that worried about the situation. And right now, Dan's not sure what to feel. For some reason, he misses Phil — his voice, his blue, blue eyes, his black hair, and well, just him in general.

(He makes a mental note not to tell Chris, he knows what's gonna happen if he does.)

Dan likes Phil, of course, because they're friends, and Phil's an interesting person. He's not in love with him, pfft, despite whatever Chris says, because Chris doesn't even make sense half the time, as proved earlier. But Dan's never met someone like Phil before, not ever. Although Phil was distant from him when they first met, they eventually did become friends. Dan shivers, and puts his sweater sleeves over his hands, cursing Phil under his breath.

"Dan?"

Wow. Now he's hallucinating. It's late at night and the last thing Dan wants to hear is Phil himself, despite his efforts of actually finding him. His eyes are closed — and he's starting to get used to the cold, even though he's still shivering and not really completely dry yet. He draws in a shaky breath, and exhales, as he begins to feel miserable once again.

"Dan!"

Wait. What?

"DAN!"

He wasn't hallucinating, after all. The voice was getting closer. Confused and slightly pissed off, Dan spun around, his eyes open and narrowed — and his heart nearly stops. It's Phil. Phil Lester. Running towards him. He stopped running when he got close enough, and bent down to catch his breath. In the meantime, Dan could only gape at his roommate's sudden appearance. A flurry of emotions are whirling around in his head, mostly annoyance and relief.

"Dan? Where the hell were you?" Phil then says, exasperated.

"Where was I? Where the hell were you?!" Dan yells in response; it sounds more like a mixture between a shout and a sob.

"I was working! Where else would I be?" Phil fires back, it sounds like he's shocked that Dan had basically screamed in his face. Dan examines his features — his blue eyes were glaring back at him in the dark. His black hair was soaked from the rain, he wasn't wearing a hood, although it seemed like he was holding an umbrella in his hands. "Why are you even out here anyway? I thought you'd be back in the dorm! I would've saw you if you decided to visit the shop — "

" — you don't normally work on Tuesdays, do you?" Dan interrupts. "You weren't answering my calls, and it's already past ten! Why were you working for so long anyway?"

"I needed to work an extra shift, just today only." Phil then breathes out. "And look, I'm really sorry. I'd forgotten to charge my phone overnight, and it died once I pulled it out to check what time it was." He runs a hand through his wet hair, and sighs, his blue eyes not meeting Dan's brown ones. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you would actually care."

Silence. The rain continued to fall.

"Just..." Dan sighs. "Just don't do it again. Please. Promise me that."

"It's not going to happen again." Phil reassures him.

Dan relaxes, and he finds that all of his frustration has ebbed away by now. He chuckles, and tugs at his sleeves. "I really hate you, by the way." He looks up at Phil, who looks slightly offended. His blue eyes are easy to make out, even in the dark. Phil's wearing a black coat over what seemed to be another sweater underneath. "How come?" Phil complains. "I told you I was sorry already..."

"You disappeared right after your shift ended. You should've been around, but I didn't bump into you on my way here, and I didn't see you inside. You scared the shit out of me. I can't believe I was worried about nothing. Chris was right; you were just working." He huffs, looking back at Phil, his eyes narrowed. He stuffs his hands back into his pockets, trying to warm them up.

Phil's eyes widened. "You were worried about me?"

Dan froze. He wasn't quite expecting that, and didn't realized it slipped from his mouth. Immediately, he felt himself flushing, and found himself looking at his shoes. "Yeah... Er, I was, actually. I'm sorry if it didn't seem that way, but I really do actually care about you..." The more he said, the more Dan felt himself turning red. He couldn't bring himself to say anything more, because if he did, Dan was sure that he would die of embarrassment.

Another silence commenced, a slightly awkward one.

Dan regretted saying it as soon as he said it. But it was true, and since it was true, he couldn't take it back. And he wouldn't. So he just awkwardly stood as he continued watched the rain pour from the sky. It seemed like it would never end. Then he heard Phil start to laugh. Still embarrassed, he looked up at into his roommate's eyes. "What is it?" He muttered.

"It's just... no one's ever said that to me before."

Dan felt his cheeks redden even more at that, and he promptly turned away.

"Well... I guess I need to tell you what happened, too." Phil said softly. "I usually take a shortcut when I leave the place, and it helps get to the dorms faster. When I actually got back to the dorm, Chris and PJ shot out of the doors, and they literally ran into me. The two of them were both soaking wet, and they looked extremely worried. I asked them what was wrong — they said you weren't in the room. Chris asked me where I was, and I told them the same thing I told you, and then he slapped me. I didn't expect that. And then Peej asked me if I ran into you on the way there, I said no, and the two of them exchanged knowing glances. And then Chris told me to go back to the coffee shop, and he gave me an umbrella. After that they went back to the dorm, and at that point, I realized you were actually missing."

He looked back at Phil; this time Phil's fists were clenched.

"I got scared, I'll admit. I was thinking crap I really hope he didn't leave to find me cause then I'll feel bad but then I shook it off, cause my worry was growing. So I ran back over here, and then... I found you. Waiting under the coffee shop building. And honestly, I felt so relieved. I got really worried, because of you and because I might've gotten my ass kicked by Chris if he found out that I might've lost you. And... yeah. That's why I came back."

Dan chuckles. "I did leave to find you, though."

"Yeah, and now I do feel bad." Phil says, but he's smiling. "I guess we were worried about each other."

(Dan also makes a mental note not to tell Chris that.)

Phil then sighs, and gestures to the umbrella he's holding in his hand. "Well, I think we should get back now. We might get sick from the rain." Dan took a step forward, and then he frowned. "Do you only have one umbrella?" He asks, curious, his head cocked a little to the side.

"Um, yeah. Why?" Phil asks. He's already opened it up.

"Nothing." Dan mutters, feeling his face grow warm again. "I think we should take that shortcut you use."

Phil rolls his eyes, and Dan joins him from under the umbrella. It's kind of awkward, because in order not to get wet from the rain, Dan has to stand pretty close to Phil; close enough that he could feel his arm at Dan's side. And Phil's pretty warm, too, on the other hand, Dan is very cold and shivering. "Jeez, Dan, how come you're so cold?" Phil then points out, his blue eyes darting over at him.

"'Cause it's raining, that's why." Dan grumbles, as Phil laughs.

"Yeah, yeah."

Soon enough, the two of them trudged through the heavy rain and made it back.

Phil closed the umbrella, and as he opened the door to their room, Dan was happy to find that Chris and PJ were not there, waiting for the two of them. Honestly, Dan was tired — and it was 11:18. He didn't know it was that late already, but a lot of stuff can happen in just two hours. It was pretty chaotic, but Dan was glad that the two of them were back where they belonged.

Luckily there was a heater in their room, and it was warm enough for Dan to stop shivering. "Well, look at us." Phil then sighs, as he crashes onto his mattress. "I probably look like crap, from when I ran in the rain back to the coffee shop..." He fumbles for a mirror, and frowns at his reflection. "I don't look that bad, but I'll definitely have to take a shower tomorrow morning. Are you still cold, Dan?" Phil then says suddenly. Dan looks up from where he was sitting (on his bed) and shrugs.

"I'm not that cold — " he starts to say, but he's interrupted when something warm and heavy lands on him.

He can't see Phil, but he can hear him. "You don't have to lie." Phil says.

It's his coat Phil was wearing earlier. Dan blinks, and then finds himself flushing under the folds of Phil's jacket. "Um... thank you." He says, his voice muffled by the material. He can't help but smile as he sits back up again, wrapping Phil's coat around him. The latter is busy going through his stuff, but Dan thinks that he's hiding his face from him, and it makes Dan smile a bit wider.

"Does your hair often curl when it gets wet?" Phil then says, his eyes darting back to him.

"Yeah — oh, crap, is it curly?" Dan groans. "It's my natural hair, but I really hate it... I look like a Hobbit. Which is why I straighten it every day. But it does do that a lot... ugh." He hides his head under Phil's coat, and looks back up when Phil starts talking again. This time he's shuffling through his school notes. Phil's looking at him now, a bit hesitant. "It doesn't look that bad. I think it looks nice on you, actually."

It's silent, but Dan is furiously tomato red under the folds of Phil's coat. "Um... thanks."

Another silence.

"I'm sorry I worried you earlier." mutters Phil.

Dan smiles a bit at that. "I am too. You should charge your phone."

"I will, don't worry. I know I've said it before, but you're weird, Dan." He chuckles. "No one's ever been like this to me before."

"Not even Chris and PJ?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, they care, they're pretty good friends."

Dan yawns; he's starting to get tired, and Phil's coat is really warm and cozy. "That's nice to hear. But thanks for calling me weird... again." He giggles because he can imagine Phil's expression, his eyes slightly widened, and his eyebrows raised. "You're a weird person too, to be honest. I've never met someone like you before."

"Thanks." He then grins. It's silent once more, and Dan's sure he's about to knock out any moment now, but Phil is still talking. He doesn't seem the slightest bit sleepy, but Dan on the other hand is completely exhausted from the last two hours. "Feeling comfortable, Daniel? Your eyes are barely opening."

Dan shakes his head sleepily, he's too tired to call Phil, Philip. "I have a Biology test tomorrow."

"Hopefully you won't fail it, then." Phil responds. Dan can tell he's smiling. "Goodnight, Dan."

Under Phil's coat, Dan smiles.

"Goodnight, Phil."

A/N: DONE YAY JEEZ THIS WAS LIKE FIVE THOUSAND PLUS WORDS BUT WAS IT WORTH IT I THINK IT WAS

next chapter should be coming up... SOON! hopefully. love you guys! and thank you for all the favs/follows/reviews! :)

-choco xx