#completedchaptered masterlist

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven

A month of almosts (ao3) - NiniMeggie

Summary: Phil Lester bumps into (literally) Dan Howell, a smaller YouTuber that he recognizes, on the rainy streets of London on the first of December. As the month progresses Phil finds himself spending more and more time with Dan, and wonders if that nervous feeling in his stomach is what he thinks it is. Will he be ringing in the New Year single yet again, or will this maybe actually turn into... something worth keeping.

All or Nothing (ao3) - phansauce97

Summary: On the surface, it looked like Dan and Phil had everything they could ever want. Sure, some things had changed, but everything still appeared to be pretty perfect - to the Internet, at least. Dan and Phil had incredible YouTube careers and had toured around the world, Dan had successfully raised his daughter despite having her so young, was still best friends with his daughter's mother even though they were no longer in a relationship, Phil also had wonderful relationships with them both, and now...Dan was engaged. To a woman named Heather. Beautiful, charming, good with Dan's daughter, but something just...wasn't right. Or maybe that was just Phil's jealousy talking. The day of the wedding though, Phil is approached by Dan's daughter with a secret about Dan, and as a result, there's a pretty good chance that everything is going to start falling apart. Luckily...Phil is a pretty good confidant.

and if i don't see ya... (ao3) - crepebyradiohead

Summary: phil’s life is a tv show, and he’s the only one who doesn’t know. dan—actor, fan, hot for a badly dressed bottle blond—auditions for a leading role. this goes about as well as dan howell + reality tv stardom could possibly go.

being alive (ao3) - 1j9w8n8

Summary: Dan and Phil acted together in one school production, where Dan developed a one-sided crush. Years later, they come back together to plan a farewell concert for their mentor as she retires.

Between Ballads and Bouquets (ao3) - proudsnackeezowner

Summary: They work for weddings, Dan as a pianist and Phil as a florist.

By Definition (ao3) - obscuringmirror

Summary: By definition, Dan Howell is not mentally well. He’s slowly losing hope and realizing that he’s not capable of having a ‘normal’ life with the list of mental disorders that suffocate his will to live.

Honestly, Dan isn’t sure if it’s really worth it to try and survive.

Until Phil Lester involuntarily steps into Dan’s life and by Phil’s definition, Dan’s more than worth it.

Case File: Us vs. Them (ao3) - vividaway

Summary: Dan Howell built his career on winning. So when he’s assigned to a lawsuit against Phil Lester, a creator accused of breaking contracts, it should be easy.

It isn’t.

Companions Through Life (ao3) - phriendlyghost

Summary: What happens when you realise you need to come out but your feelings for your best friend and roommate of ten years get in the way.

Or, the process between writing "Basically I'm Gay" and releasing the video (plus some more).

Do heroes die in their sleep? A ballada disidenta (ao3) - queerbonafide

Summary: Dan and Phil study together at the University of Poznań. The atmosphere of global crisis means that they have to deal with many issues. Dan begins to discover himself and at all costs he wants to protect Phil from catastrophic times they have to live in.

downtown lights (ao3) - teethmotif

Summary: a story about the healing power of gay love and a great cup of coffee

Even in Dreams, It Was You (ao3) - Lovetoinfinity

Summary: At the academy, Dan Howell is famously impossible to date. He turns down every advance with the same answer: he just isn’t interested.

The truth is harder to explain. For years, Dan has lived another life in his dreams. One where he’s already fallen in love with someone he can’t remember when he wakes up. Then Phil Lester transfers into his course. And suddenly things start to feel… familiar.

(Or: the strangers-to-lovers / dream soulmate AU that no one asked for, but I wrote anyway because I wanted it.)

First Impressions (ao3) - rianawr

Summary: A young, wealthy artist moves down the street. Phil can’t get his rude, arrogant friend out of his mind.

or

A Pride and Prejudice modern retelling, but it’s Phan. Phride and Phrejudice, if you will.

I Don't Need Your Pity. (ao3) - M3ll0n1_v0n_Harm0ny

Summary: Phil Lester is a radio host at BBC Radio 1. One day he walks a different route and stumbles over Dan - a homeless busker. The next day, however, Phil gets assaulted by a couple of junkies and is saved by Dan.

I knew you'd come back to me (ao3) - solarpower21

Summary: Dan almost dies and wakes up in a universe where he and Phil broke up in 2012.

I Was ALWAYS Him (ao3) - vividaway

Summary: Dani Howell has spent twenty four years almost fitting. She is close enough to be seen,

but never close enough to be real. There is a version of her the internet loves, and there is a version of herself that can't stand her own reflection. His own reflection.

It started quietly, and now, it's a life that begins to feel stolen.

i won't break your heart if you can break my spell (ao3) - red-string-of-phate (milo_greyby)

Summary: October, 2009: Dan is meeting Phil for the first time tomorrow. He just has to get through this night.

i'm like a lawyer (me & you) (ao3) - golbrocklovely

Summary: Dan is 32, working as a paralegal while still in school to become a lawyer, and closeted. On a trip to Vegas, he gets incredibly drunk and blacks out, not remembering much other than a blond man and Elvis. A month goes by, and in the mail arrives the surprise of his life.

A marriage certificate. Signed by Dan.

And Phil.

His ex boyfriend from over a decade ago.

If You Ain't Mine Baby, Then Whose? (ao3) - homegrownlesbian

Summary: Phil works at a dyke bar in London. Dan is a divorced transbian who likes to visit dyke bars in London. Phil likes her quiet, modest life, and she's not really dating right now - especially not customers! Especially not rich ones. Dan is guarded, moneyed, and lonely. She's not looking for a relationship - they're nothing but trouble.

Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan.

keeping score (ao3) - phouseinnebraska

Summary: Phil has loved film for his whole life. He loves the idea of making anything beautiful in the right light, from the right angle. He is finally getting ready for his first major movie, when just before filming begins, his film scorer drops out of the project. Scrambling to find a new musician who will be willing to work for such little pay on his low budget film, Phil finds Dan Howell, a talented aspiring musician in need of work with a complicated past and beautiful brown eyes.

Let's Think of Something Better (ao3) - EverythingIsAsItWas

Summary: Dan Howell has no direction in life. No real friends, a job he hates, and suppressing a huge part of his identity, the end of summer 2009 is looming.

Then, he begins to see a boy in reflections, a boy with black hair and blue eyes he swears he could swim in. And then his entire world falls apart at the seams.

Like a Bowl of Oranges (ao3) - cloej88

Summary: Dan has built a solid career for himself as a ghostwriter. He safely hides behind other people’s words, crafting their tales and pocketing the cash without any threat of notoriety. But lately he has been working on a book of his own, itching for a change.

Phil is an indie filmmaker who happened into some huge breaks over the last few years. He wants to use his influence to uplift queer stories for the screen, so he puts out an open call for story submissions. At his agent’s behest, Dan submits his story.

The writer!Dan and director!Phil friends/co-workers to lovers AU that we never knew we needed.

Maybe you are heaven (ao3) - Loo987

Summary: A seminarian has his quiet life turned upside down by the arrival of a new, chaotic novice, but this is the most fun he ever had.

Merry and Bright (ao3) - Celeste (artificialmac), peachlessroomba

Summary: Dan Howell, a semi-successful contributor and one-time model for Attitude magazine is, by all accounts, struggling. So when one of his oldest friends calls with the promise of familiarity and warmth in exchange for help running their hometown community theater’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life, Dan agrees without a second thought. But the past has a way of resurfacing, and it seems like everywhere Dan turns, there is Phil Lester—his old almost-lover, now the local weatherman.

My Sanctuary, You're Holy to Me (ao3) - skygremlin

Summary: Sister Daniel isn't very good at being a nun, but she's stuck living in a convent because she's got no other plans. The church needs a new priest for Sunday mass, and the responsibility falls on her to meet him for the first time. Will he see through her false devotion?

Sister Daniel/Father Philip convent au (Sister Daniel's origin story)

Nothing like Notting Hill (ao3) - Strawggle

Summary: Phil lives a simple life in his family’s bookstore. He doesn’t have big dreams, his friends and his little bit of stability are enough for him. Until one day, Hollywood star Daniel Howell happens to walk into his bookstore by chance. And from that moment on, nothing is ever the same again.

our lips must always be sealed (the night has reached its end) (ao3) - postapologetic

Summary: Two years ago, Dan fled across the Atlantic to leave his home and trauma behind. When he decides to return home over Christmas, he finds himself stuck in Chicago during a snowstorm, where he meets a disarmingly charming stranger. But how much can one person change your life in thirty-six hours?

Panoramic View (ao3) - Maiwe44

Summary: Dan has a very uneventful life, by choice. He works his dream job as the host of a music show at a local radio station. That is, until one day, Dan receives a cryptic message threatening him with a curse of bad luck, which he completely ignores, being the sceptic that he is. That’s when the TikTok tarot influencer and ‘mystic’ AmazingPhil crashes into his life, reading his cards (much to Dan’s disbelief) and offering his (unwanted) help.

But once the effects of the curse start to become too dangerous, Dan has no choice but to accept Phil’s help and welcome him into his life, along with his cards, crystals and magic spells, and they need to work together to uncover the truth about Dan’s curse and Phil’s birth prophecy.

Play A Song For Me (ao3) - caitthecrate

Summary: Dan Howell’s summer is no different from any other, except for the fact that he’s due to start university at the end of it. With only two weeks left, he’s found himself on the precipice of a depressive episode. He’s following his passion in music, something he’s ached to do since forever, and yet there is still so much missing from his life.

Phil Lester just so happens to suck at one particular boss of a video game, and needs whatever help he can get. So, he does what he’s never done before: he sends an unsolicited message to a complete stranger online in the hopes of receiving the advice he’s looking for.

Precious Little Things (ao3) - Strawggle

Summary: Phil is an optimist who believes that everything will eventually work out; Dan believes in nothing and is in constant self-punishing despair

Drawn together despite their differences, they must face an impossible question: can love survive when two people are moving in opposite directions?

punctuation in the rain (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan never meant to meet anyone at Louise’s party.

Then Phil showed up.

All rain-damp hair and easy smiles, and suddenly the night felt different. What begins as awkward small talk turns into something that lingers, even after the rain stops.

Pushing It Down And Praying (ao3) - christianpuppetshow

Summary: Dan is tired of fucking strangers. He realises he had it all with Phil. They meet again ten years later, but is it too late?

Quiet Desperation (ao3) - drvcos

Summary: The past has a way of catching up to Phil.

Safe Spaces (ao3) - TazzySnow

Summary: In a fucked up alternate universe where Dan never stalked Phil on Twitter, he never found his safe space. Filled with self-hatred and internalized homophobia, he's spent the last fifteen years hiding in dangerous places. Until his safe space finds him.

starlight (i will be chasing) (ao3) - DollMew

Summary: Phil moves in a few blocks away from Dan, and suddenly his world is turned upside down by a pair of bright blue eyes and one really honest heart.

Steel Wool (ao3) - Poodle_spit

Summary: Two princes uniting two kingdoms through marriage sounds good on paper.

When Phil is sent to the country of Berkshire to marry Prince Daniel, He honestly rather get mauled by a bear. Dan never asked for this, he never asked for any of this.

Phil is subsequently thrown into a world very different from his own. With his friend PJ along for the ride, they are trying not to let this hell pit break their spirits.

Dan is a good example of what that looks like.

Everything is terrible, but what can he say? There were far worse people to endure this with.

Still, It's Always You (ao3) - Celineooks

Summary: Ghost AU and the inevitability of "In every universe"

stop the world (ao3) - purpurussy

Summary: An AU where they never met in 2009, and Dan became a 33-year-old depressed lawyer living a secret double life as his marriage and career fall apart.

That is, until Phil shows up...

The Death of Our Star (ao3) - queerbonafide

Summary: Dan Howell has always wanted to be an astronaut. As soon as he graduated, the strange message from the deep space has arrived. As one of the most talented pilots of his generations, he's been chosen to this two-people mission with the purpose of finding out who exactly tried to communicate with them. The second person was Phil Lester, an incredible scientist with PhD in theoretical physics and amazing specialist in black holes.

The Knight of Wands (ao3) - ddphan

Summary: Phil's POV of the events in heartbeat in my floor, in which his stalker is a really hot emo guy and Phil just wants to wind him up and watch him go.

The Philver Scream (ao3) - UnorthodoxSavvy

Summary: While Dan's career in the FBI is taking off, Phil is left behind to pick up the pieces of his life after his brother's death. However, he finds himself plagued by strange nightmares that he can't explain. Soon, people around him start dying. Can Dan and Phil's partnership survive the mounting body count?

The town lost in time (ao3) - Asoftdaniel

Summary: the small town love story, healing old scars and helping each other through grief, but with an added twist.

wait, is this fucking book about us? (ao3) - noxhsw

Summary: Dan is a depressed lawyer, Phil is a sad romance author. They meet when they're stranded at an airport, thinking they'll never see each other again. But when Phil writes a book about their encounter, Dan wants to meet him once more.

What a huge mistake (we should have done it earlier) (ao3) - Strawggle

Summary: Dan has just arrived in Manchester to study law, he's lost, lonely, and unsure where he belongs.

Then he meets Phil. Something sparks between them… and then nothing.

They become inseparable, but strictly platonic: soulmates who never cross the line.

At least, not until one moment changes everything.

you've got stars (i've got scars) (ao3) - AllTheNightSky

Summary: Dan is a struggling university dropout with no money, no plans, and no future. He desperately needs a way to keep from losing his flat and his T, but he doesn't have the time or resources to find a better job. Not a real job, anyway.

part one, part two, part three, part four

A Game of Life (ao3) - Koolhotsweetloveberries

Summary: Daniel Howell, an honorable member of the King's Knighthood, does not expect much from his time at court. All changes when the court jester, Philip Lester, enters.

A Home Carved in Darkness (ao3) - phansauce97

Summary: Daniel Howell is next in line to become King of the Southern Kingdom...and literally could not care less. In a perfect world, he wouldn't have to be a royal or worry about running a Kingdom, and could just be...free. So when he learns he is to be wed off to the Duke of the Northern Kingdom, he decides to take matters into his own hands to pursue his freedom. Little does he know...the Duke is thinking the same thing.

Philip Lester, Duke of the North, develops a plan to escape this marriage, starting by disguising himself, then darting into the wilderness.

So, when Dan bumps into a handsome blond stranger in the middle of the woods, he and said stranger soon realize that nothing will be the same again. In a world of gods, superstition, and vengeance, things are about to get pretty medieval. Is the pursuit of freedom even worth it? Will they make it out alive?

And can their true identities remain a secret forever...even from each other?

and you're back again, only different than before (ao3) - dancingroses

Summary: dan used to disappear at odd hours without his phone, leaving phil to sit around anxiously waiting for him to come home. things have been better since wad. when dan takes a morning to himself to process the reality of the terrible influence tour, phil is forced to confront just how much this little habit of dan's used to affect him.

Burning Bibles (ao3) - cherryheartz

Summary: phil lester loved curly headed boys with tattoos on their arms and a joint made with torn bible pages between their soft lips.

and dan howell was exactly that.

Come along (ao3) - ottertrashpalace

Summary: In medieval England, a young knight rides north, sent to serve at the court of the quiet young Duke of Lancaster.

Deeper (ao3) - Scuddleduck

Summary: Inspired by the idea of "Pass Around Party Bottom Dan."

Doomed, But Just Enough (ao3) - VendettaWound

Summary: Nothing in Dan Howell's life seems to be going well lately. He hates law school, has literally no friends, and is just going about life on autopilot.

However, the sudden appearance of a mysterious stranger throws a wrench in this whole routine. And maybe, it's all Dan needs to finally let happiness back into his life.

embrace the void (ao3) - elle_oh_ell3

Summary: after the death of his partner, Dan seeks solace in solitude and finds Phil instead.

florist (ao3) - dnovep

Summary: Phil's a florist - he hates it.

Good Omens: The Story of Howley and Aziraphil (ao3) - writingfunstories

Summary: A Demon, an Angel, and the End of the World

I Don't Need Your Pity. (ao3) - M3ll0n1_v0n_Harm0ny

Summary: Phil Lester is a radio host at BBC Radio 1. One day he walks a different route and stumbles over Dan - a homeless busker. The next day, however, Phil gets assaulted by a couple of junkies and is saved by Dan.

I Will Always Love You (ao3) - llama_sidekick

Summary: Where Dan is forced to take a journey on the Titanic in the year of 1912 and a handsome stranger saves him from giving up. Over and over again.

if you really loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second, and other bullshit sentences about love (ao3) - m_katiep

Summary: Bringing back the gaming channel didn't magically fix all the problems in their relationship, but maybe a whole ass tour will. Right? Please? Phil is still madly in love, but Dan is struggling.

Let's Think of Something Better (ao3) - EverythingIsAsItWas

Summary: Dan Howell has no direction in life. No real friends, a job he hates, and suppressing a huge part of his identity, the end of summer 2009 is looming.

Then, he begins to see a boy in reflections, a boy with black hair and blue eyes he swears he could swim in. And then his entire world falls apart at the seams.

life happens, coffee helps (and so do you) (ao3) - halfofacrackedbluesky

Summary: Dan makes friends with the barista at the local coffee shop.

Limerence (ao3) - cherryheartz

Summary: Phil Lester is popular. But Dan Howell is not. Dan Howell likes Phil Lester's raven colored hair and ice blue eyes. But so does someone else…

Lying Makes You Go to Hell (ao3) - skygremlin

Summary: Dan and Phil accidentally summoned a demon while making a DanAndPhilCRAFTS video in 2017. Dealing with the pressure of moving apartments, touring the world, coming out, and a stressful lockdown, they were stuck living with a pizza-loving, goat-shaped roommate from the underworld for seven long years. Keeping it a secret and keeping a demon in check was nearly enough to make them snap. When they returned to crafting in 2024, they weren’t summoning a demon - they were finally banishing him back to hell.

Monochromatic Serotonin (ao3) - skygremlin

Summary: Dan doesn’t wear much jewelry except occasionally in videos or at events, but he’s open to trying a bit of accessorizing when a photo online catches his eye. But sometimes just buying things isn’t an option, and he falls down the rabbit hole learning how and why until it’s four in the morning and he’s sorting every bead he owns by color in the hopes that someone will appreciate the designs he’d made.

(Dan discovers a new hobby in making jewelry.)

My Sanctuary, You're Holy to Me (ao3) - skygremlin

Summary: Sister Daniel isn't very good at being a nun, but she's stuck living in a convent because she's got no other plans. The church needs a new priest for Sunday mass, and the responsibility falls on her to meet him for the first time. Will he see through her false devotion?

Sister Daniel/Father Philip convent au (Sister Daniel's origin story)

no volcano can stop us now (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: Dan and Phil are set to go on their first holiday together to Portugal when a volcano ruins their plans. They end up taking an unexpected trip to Blackpool instead.

(Set in April 2010.)

Not Your Red Riding Hood. (ao3) - M3ll0n1_v0n_Harm0ny

Summary: "Aren't you scared at all?"

"No."

"Hell... can you get scared?"

"No."

"But please? Out of politeness?"

"Unlikely."

Outstanding (My Aesthetics is You). (ao3) - M3ll0n1_v0n_Harm0ny

Summary: Phil lacks freedom and beauty, but he finds them in the boy who's not like the others.

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (ao3) - sleepyslag (galacticneighbor)

Summary: Five years ago, Dan Howell broke his best friend's heart to pursue a music career.

Five years ago, Phil Lester left Manchester to start over in the US.

Now, weeks before Christmas and in the middle of Dan's latest tour, the two of them meet again when Dan winds up stranded in a small town in Pennsylvania. With Dan's tour postponed until after the holidays and Phil's community center at risk of shutting down, can the two exes come together to save it, or will the demands of Dan's career tear them apart again?

shapes and weights to choose (ao3) - queerofcups

Summary: Getting to interview Phil, Phil Lester, feels like the kind of recognition he's been working towards for years and Dan doesn't know how to handle it.

Dan's a sex toy blogger, Phil's a nearly-retired porn star. They fall in love, eventually.

stop the world (ao3) - purpurussy

Summary: An AU where they never met in 2009, and Dan became a 33-year-old depressed lawyer living a secret double life as his marriage and career fall apart.

That is, until Phil shows up...

The Death of Our Star (ao3) - queerbonafide

Summary: Dan Howell has always wanted to be an astronaut. As soon as he graduated, the strange message from the deep space has arrived. As one of the most talented pilots of his generations, he's been chosen to this two-people mission with the purpose of finding out who exactly tried to communicate with them. The second person was Phil Lester, an incredible scientist with PhD in theoretical physics and amazing specialist in black holes.

The YouTube Games (ao3) - dnpangels

Summary: When YouTube threatens the existence of creators on the platform, a bunch of YouTubers are invited to join together in a high-stakes game to solidify their spot on the site. Dan and Phil believe that this will be their chance to revive their channels and connect with their audience again. They could never have expected that they would be thrown into a real-life squid game, battling against other Youtubers to save their jobs. When they realize there is no way out, how will they cope with the thought of having to compete against each other in a competition for survival?

True Beauty Lies Beneath the Skin (ao3) - phansauce97

Summary: We're bringing back Punk AU's, folks, in which Phil Lester is lead guitar player in the popular British pop-punk band, Runaway Exorcist. The band continues to gain more fame day by day, and Phil couldn't be happier with his position in life, after recovering from an unimaginable tragedy and fighting many demons along the way. But even now, there are many gaps that Phil finds missing in his life, and his yearning to fill that gap only grows with each passing day that it remains empty...

Dan Howell is a tattoo artist and body piercer at Zombified Tattoos and Piercings, a popular shop in London. New to the tattoo scene, Dan proves himself to be extremely talented and quickly gains popularity. However, Dan has a bit of a secret. Well, it's not really a "secret" per-se, but it isn't something he tells just anyone either. When a post-tour Phil Lester walks into Zombified looking for some new ink, he and Dan...don't have the best first encounter.

When Dan discovers he and Phil can relate to each other on a more deeper and personal level though, and that Phil has many "secrets" too, they find both their gaps fading, realizing that letting someone in might not be so scary after all.

Undercover (ao3) - phansauce97

Summary: After recovering from tragedy, Phil does his best to get back on his feet. He still had his mom, his brother, his friends, and a good future to look forward to. So, continuing to put one foot in front of the other, he pushes on.

Things turn upside down though when a new student arrives at school one day; tall, mysterious, and wearing all black.

"Dan Howell," or Agent Ten, as he's known, is a master assassin and secret agent. His mission? Go undercover to befriend, study, and ultimately - kill Phil Lester.

Yet despite his best efforts, this mission ends up being much more challenging than Dan would have previously expected, especially when he begins to fall hopelessly in love with his target.

wait, is this fucking book about us? (ao3) - noxhsw

Summary: Dan is a depressed lawyer, Phil is a sad romance author. They meet when they're stranded at an airport, thinking they'll never see each other again. But when Phil writes a book about their encounter, Dan wants to meet him once more.

you flinch when you lie (and i notice every time) (ao3) - boxcar182

part one, part two, part three

a night to remember (ao3) - grievingwarwidow

Summary: roxie, who prefers the label exotic performer over stripper, is a star amongst people who are out when the sun goes down. who better for a close-minded phil who has despised what he labels as lowlifes to suddenly obsess over than Roxie himself?

aka the one where phil gets pathetically hung up on dan, better known as roxie and is desperate to get to know him better.

Advent Calendar 2021 (ao3) - Phantje

Summary: Phil lives and works in a town in the North called Lylchester. Well, 'works'. He does charitable things in the name of being nice and his (adoptive) parents. Things are fine. Yeah. Fine. Meeting Dan who has strong opinions about peculiar things shakes up Phil's life and he is falling before he can help it.

Dan lives and works somewhere, or anywhere really. By fate, or call it the British Railway train running times, he ends up in Lylchester. Before he can help himself, he has made the first real best friend he has ever had - Beatrix. And suddenly, life does not seem so difficult anymore. Dan appreciates the work he can do, even if it has him interact with the rich idiot Phil more often that he would personally choose.

All the sunlight of our past (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: YouTube is a mess.

Phil's been struggling with it for a while and has just taken a job as a video editor to make ends meet while he figures out whether he still loves it anymore.

Dan's channel has been dead ever since he started working at BBC Radio One and the two haven't seen each other in years.

During a chance meeting in 2019, Dan gets papped coming out of a gay club and his life is sent in to turmoil. He blames Phil, because it had been his idea to go there in the first place, so they're straight back to not talking.

The only recourse Dan has to salvage his career is to return to his YouTube channel after all these years and make a coming out video on his own terms. What he doesn't know is that Phil is the editor he just hired to help him with it.

break free (ao3) - wiccamoody

Summary: Dan is a competitor on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

By the way, I adore you. (ao3) - lxzyfangirl

Summary: Dan is very sick, and the future is not looking too bright for him, thankfully, he has Phil, his best friend, to accompany him through it all. But is Dan satisfied with being just friends?

dancing on the blades (you set my heart on fire) (ao3) - kishere

Summary: Dan Howell is an ice skater in England, a non power player in the world of competitive ice skating. Phil Lester is the greatest ice skater to come out of England in the past decade, part of a family legacy. When Dan is offered a spot at Phil's family gym, he learns what he was missing the most to be the best ice skater he could be.

Or: the yuri on ice inspired au

Dandelions (ao3) - throughtheirsnoses (det395)

Summary: Phil returns to his small town after studying how to improve his power that lets him grow plants with his mind. Phil is anxious and struggling with the expectations put on him to grow new plant-based medicine and on top of it all, his childhood best friend, Dan, gets his heart broken and turns to Phil as a rebound. Phil panics.

First to Listen (To Anything I Said) (ao3) - SylvesterLester

Summary: It's 2004, and Dan Howell is screwing up in school. He can't help that he's stuck in boring classes with boring people and just doesn't care. So when Phil Lester, one of the geekiest kids in school, is assigned to be his tutor, he's expecting this to just be another crappy part of his already crappy life.

But when it turns out Phil might be Dan's first real friend, his hormones threaten to screw all that up. Because that's all it is, right? Hormones?

Flatmates (ao3) - intoapuddle

Summary: oh my god they were flatmates / the fuckboy!phil au we all deserve

I Don't Love You (ao3) - Raspberrysaxophone

Summary: Dan and Phil work in an office and are (unfortunately) sharing a desk. Phil is often away on business or working from home so they are never there at the same time. They both get frustrated with how the other one organises the shared space and tell each other that through notes

- or -

Dan and Phil hate each other, but soon Dan realises that he is developing a crush on him. What will a New York business trip (where they are sharing a room xxx) do to their relationship?

i feel a kick down in my soul (ao3) - chickenfree

Summary: “I’m going to obliterate you,” he says, taking a few long steps towards Phil.

Phil runs. It takes him a minute to realize the ball is in the opposite direction.

light through an open door (ao3) - queerofcups

Summary: The only thing Dan’s trying to do is finish grad school and avoid talking about the very public crash and burn of his last relationship as much as possible. Meeting Phil, who’s working on his PhD in Philosophy, just like Dan’s ex was, is a coincidence. Now Dan’s just trying to finish grad school, avoid talking about his very public break up and try his hardest not to fall for a man who might hurt him the same way he’s been hurt before.

Project Poliwag (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Phil hadn't intended for his garden to become a haven for rescued Pokémon, but it had happened accidentally. This particular rescue wasn't that different, even though he had never rescued 117 Pokémon at once before. But he couldn't leave the Pokémon eggs to be destroyed, and he was willing to raise a whole army of Poliwag on his own if he must.

What Phil hadn't counted on was a stranger with a lost look in his eye turning up on his doorstep and offering to help with the project.

shapes and weights to choose (ao3) - queerofcups

Summary: Getting to interview Phil, Phil Lester, feels like the kind of recognition he's been working towards for years and Dan doesn't know how to handle it.

Dan's a sex toy blogger, Phil's a nearly-retired porn star. They fall in love, eventually.

strike a deal, kiss my lips (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Witches were the only magical beings capable of binding and controlling demons. It required a complicated ritual and crazy amounts of magic.

It happening on accident was practically unheard of until Phil came along and got tangled up with a snarky and dangerous demon named Dan. Suddenly bound together, Phil must grapple with control over a chaotic demon that wants to strip the skin from his bones.

And maybe strip the clothes off of his body as well.

Take a Picture (It'll Last Longer) (ao3) - phantasticworks (steddieworks)

Summary: Dan and Phil meet at 2 a.m. in a coffee shop. Phil is a photographer looking for a model, and Dan can't say no to pretty boys.

The Clock Keeps Ticking (ao3) - tellsfromhale

Summary: Dan has spent over a decade growing comfortable with himself. Finally, he can live his truth, and he can do it with Phil at his side. For the first time, he's excited about what the future holds.

Then, one day, he finds himself suddenly back inside his childhood bedroom a decade in the past, and getting to that future with Phil becomes a lot more difficult.

The Philver Scream (ao3) - UnorthodoxSavvy

Summary: While Dan's career in the FBI is taking off, Phil is left behind to pick up the pieces of his life after his brother's death. However, he finds himself plagued by strange nightmares that he can't explain. Soon, people around him start dying. Can Dan and Phil's partnership survive the mounting body count?

The River (ao3) - Portia331

Summary: Dan arrived in Melbourne two weeks ago with just one suitcase crammed with running gear, psychology textbooks, and a mere fraction of his wardrobe especially curated to fit both his aesthetic and the Melbourne weather.

He's about to start in the role of a lifetime on a 12 month contract, but he's barely ready for the Australian summer heat, let alone what the world is about to throw at him.

The Stress, The Glory and The Afterglow (ao3) - easybubby

Summary: It's 2024. Dan and Phil are overworked and slipping into old habits. The only difference between now and 10 years ago is that their relationship now comes first and they will do anything to protect it, even if they have to spend time apart. They treasure one wild night before they vow to keep their distance for a while.

The X-Philes (ao3) - UnorthodoxSavvy

Summary: Phil is a psychic. Dan is a detective. When Phil is visited by the ghost of his brother, he knows something isn't right. Can he and Dan solve the case, or will they become the next victims?

Two Man Team (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)

Summary: This is the story of two struggling friends who after many trials and tribulations find their way back to each other and build the life they've always dreamed of.

Or how Phil changed his life by talking to random strangers on the internet.

what might come with the dawn (ao3) - cloud-gays (wind_brewed)

Summary: The Island has a Guardian, that's what people say. Phil doesn't know if this guardian is a mythical being or just a piece of gossip; a made-up story to make people feel safe during storm season. A made-up story just to make them feel secure.

Now that he decides to move in with his parents again, Phil needs the protection. Maybe he needs to reach out to this lonely, black-clothed being; reach out to the lonely man of winter.

part one

A Blue Starfall - wavydanrises

Summary: Phil is a botanist who enjoys going on hikes through the woods, when someday he walks into someone quite… particular. He didn’t believe in coincidences, so maybe it really was fate that guided his steps.

A Familiar Kind of Love - auroraphilealis, ineverhadmyinternetphase

Summary: Born in a world full of magic, Dan spends his days running an apothecary and curing the sick. Potions and antidotes are his only friends, and he lives a happy life of quiet solitude - until a familiar he never wanted takes it all away. Forced to make a decision that’s life or death for one of them, Dan and Phil have to learn to co-exist together, entering a journey of self-discovery… and a familiar kind of love.

a long walk to a dark house - cecilpalmrwriting

Summary: dan didn’t plan to run away, but then again, it may have been for the best. he has an abusive girlfriend, a strange disease, and, in his opinion, nothing to live for. but when a stranger with brilliant blue eyes finds him and offers him a place to stay, dan discovers that he does have a reason to live after all. love.

A Slow Descent - phan-panda

Summary: Falling in love with your best friend is a secret usually best left untold. Phil Lester, however, has never been good at keeping secrets.

All Is Fair - jilliancares

Summary: Dan Howell has made many mistakes in life, the first of which was being born to Aphrodite (or maybe just being born at all, in his uncle’s opinion). It’s never made much sense that he was son of the Goddess of love, seeing as he didn’t even believe in it. Still, maybe there’s time for his mind to be changed when he finds himself going on a quest to retrieve his mother’s “Cupid’s bow” with Phil Lester, son of Ares.

Beautiful Scars on Critical Veins - whalefairyfandom12

Summary: In which Phil works at a cinema to pay off his university fees and Dan is the student he finds sprawled on the floor with deadened eyes and a love of alcohol and fireflies.

Begin Again - curiosityandrain

Summary: Phil never expected Dan to take up a career in theatre but Dan moves to London to pursue it, leaving Phil behind. Three years later, Phil goes to see Les Mis where Dan plays Marius. Thanks to Phil’s friend Louise, they reconnect after the show. With both of their careers growing and going in separate directions, Dan and Phil are faced with the decision of whether or not they want to begin their relationship again.

Black Is the Coldest Color - phils-flower-crown

Summary: A high school senior name Dan was never one to believe in love at first sight. His life is changed when he meets Phil, a young college student with black hair, who will allow him to discover desire, to assert himself as a man and as an adult. In front of others, Dan grows, seeks himself, loses himself and ultimately finds himself through love and loss.

Blossom - crescendohowell

Summary: Phil is a rich businessman who decides to leave the city in favor of buying a house in the country.  He expected to find beauty in the house and the surrounding gardens, but he didn’t account for a cute gardener who loves flowers and hates him.

Burn and Bloom - jilliancares

Summary: Phil’s been hiding the fact that he’s an Earthbender for ten years, ever since it’s been considered illegal when the Fire Nation invaded. And, of course, the only solution to a random Fire Nation soldier seeing him earthbending is to kidnap him, right?

But They Say We’re Made Of Stars - cactuslester

Summary: 3000 years into the future, Dan and Phil meet as kids still in primary school. They follow a journey of becoming best friends to eventually falling in love and trying to navigate through the ups and downs life throws at them: secrets, bad teachers, intergalactic war, the usual.

Details Of An Asteroid - dantiloquent

Summary: “If you think about it, aliens probably believe in us, too. We’ve got our own intergalactic cheerleaders.” 

Famous Last Words - whalefairyfandom12

Summary: In a world where the last words your soulmate will say to you are written on your wrist, fearful and introverted Phil works in a bookstore. His greatest fear? The words counting down the seconds until he meet his soulmate, someone called ‘Dan.’ But it isn’t until he befriends a university student that he nicknames ‘Bear’ that Phil realizes that surviving through fear isn’t the same as living.

Head Down Low - camisadan

Summary: (TW) Dan isn’t right. He’s not like most of the others, he’s not genetically pure. He has no destined path, he has nothing going for him in life. He’ll be lucky to get himself a job in a fast food kitchen, and everyone looks down on him like he’s a piece of dirt stuck at the bottom of their shoe. Except one person: Phil Lester.

Imaginary Friends - adorkablephil

Summary: Nothing’s AU ... except that Dan and Phil have been appearing in each other’s dreams since childhood without realizing it because they’re soulmates. Everything on the outside looks like the reality we’re used to irl.

Misplaced - jilliancares

Summary: Phil wakes up in an alternate universe. And then Phil… wakes up in an alternate universe. Both Phil’s try to navigate back to their own life while simultaneously trying to deal with each others'. (AKA YouTuber!Phil tries to deal with the fact that he’s in a band and he and Dan are enemies, and Band!Phil tries to understand how in any universe he and Dan could be lovers.)

Notifications - notanannoyingfangirl

Summary: Indie movie actor, Phil Lester hadn’t meant to get under Dan Howell’s skin. In fact, they could both had could never have even dreamed of meeting other. So when a shitstorm erupts over twitter claiming that they’re a couple (who knows how that rumor started) and their agents desire to take advantage of the attention to launch a movie featuring the two of them… well the could both be happier.

Oxymoron(ic) - kidpxv

Summary: “Hey I have to photograph someone for class will you be my model?”

((In which Dan hates contrast and Phil is a walking oxymoron))

“It’s Up to You Now” - danalingphil-fics

Summary: in which Phil isn’t normal and it maybe hits Dan the hardest // aromantic!Phil (2009 and 2015 story lines)

Renegade - awesomesockes

Summary: It’s World War 2. Phil, a young German soldier, is stationed in Denmark. There he meets Dan - a rebellious Danish school boy who is intent on making his job hell. But before long, they realise they have more in common than they’d have thought. How do you hide a friendship when you come from two different sides of a war?

Steal My Heart (steal my whole life too) - ineverhadmyinternetphase

Summary: Captain of the Royal Guard and Prince of Morellia, Philip Lester has never been given the chance to find love. Instead, he’s run from a system that works to end class differences and improve equality for its citizens. Happy as he is to make the world a better place, Phil can’t help feeling bitter towards his ancestors for making it impossible for him to find someone who will actually love him for more than just his title, and strives instead for a life of justice and doing good - only to meet his match in the King of Thieves, a man who will change everything he once thought he knew in life. Together, they must depart on a quest to save the kingdom, and, in the process, destroy their differences and find their own form of love.

Sweet Pea - botanistlester

Summary: A nickname that goes bitter in your mouth. Cries for help that no one listens to. Gentle hands that make you quake on the ground you’re standing on. When Phil first met Nico, he thought he was a gift from the heavens. But behind the mask lies something daunting, something unnerving, that Phil never foresaw. Through his journey, he finds solace in Dan, the regular at his workplace, who seems to be the only one who sees through Nico’s mask to the darkness underneath. 

The Blind Boy - jilliancares

Summary: Dan Howell liked to think of his entire life as a series of tragic accidents. Because really, how many people can say that they managed to become blind and obtain a supposedly Cute Boy’s hate all in the span of one year? And Phil Lester has not had the best school life, so in order to avoid bullying or a bad reputation, he refuses to take shit from anyone at this new school. Even if that someone just so happens to be blind.

The Next Night - nebulous-frog

Summary: Germany in 1937 was a hard place for anyone "different". Dan just wanted to live his life, fall in love, and die surrounded by family, but his particular community was too "different". Dan found himself hiding, wishing for a better world, maybe even finding it in the eyes of an unlikely savior.

The Pianist and the Artist - crescendohowell

Summary: Dan is a struggling university student who loves piano that becomes friends with his neighbor, Phil, the artist.

The Proposal - fiction-phan

Summary: Dan Howell is the executive chief of a very known company which deals with publishing best seller books. He is hated but everyone in the office but everyone is too scared of him to say anything, unless they want to get fired. Phil Lester is his assistant. As much as he hates Dan and the way he treats him, Phil keeps quiet because of his dream of becoming an editor. When Dan learns that he might be facing deportation charges because of his expired visa, he convinces Phil to marry him in order for all charges to be dropped. The plan is to get a divorce after a few years but a weekend spent in Phil’s family house might just change both their plans, and the way they think.

The Reject - butterflyphil

Summary: Dan might be a little bit in love with his best friend, but it’s okay. Phil doesn’t get crushes, at least as far as Dan can tell, so Dan has spent the last two years pining in secret while learning to accept the fact that Phil might never see him the same way.

And it’s fine. It is. He feels lucky to have Phil as a friend at all, and he is perfectly happy to keep things the way they are. But things are bound to change when he finds some pretty convincing evidence that Phil does get crushes. And, as it turns out, boys who look like Dan are exactly Phil’s cup of tea.

The only problem? The object of Phil’s affection is Dan’s twin brother.

Those Who Trust - theshyauthor

Summary: (TW) Dan used to be a submissive and now he’s just a broken shell of a man.

Unintended - zeldainhiding

Summary: Foreston Academy was the very last resort for angry, lonely Dan Howell. He never could have imagined meeting anyone like Phil Lester, and Phil never could have known that befriending his new roommate would change his life entirely.

Is there such a thing as being too forgiving?

Writing About Blue Eyes - crescendohowell

Links last checked: August 29th, 2025

A Map of My Heart and Mind (ao3) - Cadensaurus (orphan_account)

Summary: Dan and Phil get drunk and wake up married in Vegas, the day after Dan's 25th birthday. Dan thinks they could just get it annulled but Dan knows what marriage means to Phil, how important it is, and he wonders if they can just fake it for a year so it's not a total waste and then divorce. Of course, a year is a long time to pretend to be married and things can always change...

a match and a fuse (ao3) - waveydnp

Summary: Phil is twenty six years old and stuck in a dead end life. He works at Starbucks and may or may not be carrying a torch for his best friend of eight years. He doesn't know who he is or what he wants--or how to go about figuring it out.

That all starts to change when he happens upon the resume of a certain law school grad named Daniel.

Birthday Sex (ao3) - danfanciesphil (thejigsawtimess)

Summary: The rules are pretty simple.

Whoever's birthday it is gets whatever they want, no questions asked.

A bi-annual sex treaty.

It's the perfect answer to getting rid of all of that pent up angst, leftover desire and sexual frustration they feel for each other. And seriously, it'll be fine. There's no way anyone can be manipulated or end up with their feelings hurt or anything like that. Granted, friends-with-benefits has a bad rep, but how could this possibly go wrong?

They've got it all planned out.

Brick by Brick (ao3) - auroraphilealis (peachrosepetals), embarrassing_myself

Summary: No one said having an unmated Alpha and an unmated Omega living under the same roof was going to be easy, but add in a mess of feelings and desire, and things go from bad to worse. When Phil Lester asked his best friend, Dan Howell, to move in with him, he thought he could ignore his feelings and refrain from submitting, but with an oblivious Dan scenting him every other day, he decides he has to put a stop to it. Jealousy and misunderstandings collide to throw their lives into chaos, forcing both men to reconsider their relationship. Will they ever get their happy ending, or will prevalent sexism force them apart?

bruising the sun (ao3) - waveydnp

Summary: the bedsharing friends to lovers roommates au i was always destined to write

Come What May (ao3) - PhantasticFiction

Summary: Phil Lester usualy wasn't one to go to strip clubs. But after being coaxed into it by a couple of his friends he meets the ever hypnotizing Greyson Bear(Dan Howell). Easily falling in love with him Phil works to save Dan from the underworld of prostitution.

Disturb the Universe (ao3) - iihappydaysii

Summary: Dan and Phil are a successful YouTube duo, best friends and next door neighbors. Phil's married with two kids and Dan's long term boyfriend is like the queen's cousin or something. Their lives are fine--perfectly acceptable--but when two unrelated emergencies land Dan and Phil living together for the first time since 2012, they're forced to examine the choices they've made and confront the feelings they've kept quiet for nearly a decade.

First Impressions (Perhaps I Was Wrong) (ao3) - Ablissa

Summary:

Phil Lester goes back to university for his third year, expecting to live in the dorms with his childhood best friend PJ. That's how it's been for the past years, after all. However, due to a mistake of some sort, he finds himself with a new roommate to spend the semester with. Daniel Howell, three years his junior, has rich brown eyes, a laptop to hide them behind, and not more than two words to spare in Phil's direction. Phil is no fortune teller, but he foresees the upcoming months will be filled with a whole lot of awkward silence.

Unless, of course, Dan proves him wrong... Could one little mistake lead to something entirely life-changing? Perhaps it could. After all, nearly everything changes when Phil meets Dan.

In My Way (ao3) - INeverHadMyInternetPhase

Summary: Daniel Howell is 21 and Britain’s newest star. He’s just been cast in the much-anticipated film adaption of Last Man Standing, the popular teen fantasy novel with a huge fanbase hanging off his every tweet. In other words, Dan has made it big.

Phil Lester couldn’t care less. He’s a stressed out PHD student working part time at a bookshop while he struggles to get into post-production. He’s 26 and still lives in a tiny flat on the fifth floor of a building with a lift more broken than it is in use. He loves books, but he thinks big film adaptions screw with the plot too much.

Needless to say, Phil is less than impressed when Last Man Standing is getting filmed in his hometown. And he certainly doesn’t want anything to do with obnoxious, arrogant, so irritatingly perfect leading actor Daniel Howell.

I'm Waiting For the Day (ao3) - japhanforever

Summary: Dan has been working in the Lester's pet store for two years now, but he has been pining after their youngest son, Phil, since possibly the beginning of time. Phil is somewhat of an enigma to everyone, and Dan wants nothing more than to get to know Phil a little better, but since Phil has never given Dan a second look, it seems impossible. That is until Phil asks Dan to accompany him to a pet expo to help expand their business. Then, a whole lot of things seem more possible. (also this will be chaptered i some how messed that up in the description)

Let Me Be Your Call Boy (ao3) - auroraphilealis (peachrosepetals), embarrassing_myself

Summary: After coming out as gay to his friends on his birthday, the last thing Dan is expecting is to be gifted a call boy as a present, let alone one that’s been paid for for the entire night. Allowing Phil to show him the ropes is his first mistake, paying him to come back every week is his second, and using him to convince his parents he really is gay is his third. As a successful lawyer, the money isn’t the problem - falling in love is.

linger on (ao3) - dizzy, waveydnp

Summary: A recent loss has ground Phil's life to a halt. At 33, he's static in his grief and living in the house he grew up in - until his mother kicks him out.

In a fit of indignation and with nothing to lose, he answers the first listing he finds for a room to rent in London... a listing posted by a guy named Dan.

Pretty Odd (Things Have Changed For Me and That's Okay) (ao3) - Cadensaurus (orphan_account)

Summary: Baby!fic in which one day, Phil wakes up with a baby in his bedroom and finds out that apparently he and Dan are the only ones who don't know where this baby came from, as everybody else claims that it's Phil's. What happens next is they then end up raising a baby together, with no less than a few existential crises from both of them along the way, as well as plenty of blunders and mishaps. Oh, and through it all, Phil starts falling for Dan but doesn't dare tell him because he can't risk losing his best friend.

Sidetracked (ao3) - phanimist

Summary: Based on a prompt:

Dan and Phil are both contestants on 'The Bachelorette', but fall in love with each other instead of the girl.

So Many Stars (ao3) - transdimensional_void

Summary: After graduating with his law degree, Dan decides to move to Japan to teach English for a year. (aka, Dan and Phil are English teachers in Japan AU)

strangers (ao3) - waveydnp

Summary: dan is new to london and living in a mostly empty flat, desperate to forget the mistakes of his past. he's all alone -- until one day he gets a piece of mail addressed to someone in the neighbouring flat, one mr. philip lester. he can't exactly not return it, can he?

The Summer (ao3) - auroraphilealis (peachrosepetals), worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: Dan Howell has spent the last three summers at Camp Bergamot, but it’s never been quite like this before. This year, he faces a summer full of new friends, a new relationship, and an entirely new view on his own sexuality. Perhaps Camp Bergamot should be renamed camp self discovery for all the changes Dan has gone through, but one thing’s for sure - despite all the hiccups and the drama, he just might have found the love of his life.

Those Who Trust - theshyauthor

Links last checked: May 7th, 2026

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six

Beauty and the Beast (ao3) - metalshootingstar

Summary: Once Upon A Time in a far away land, Prince Phil was turned into a hideous beast. The only way to restore him to his true form, was for someone to love him as he was. A few years later, a young man named Dan appears at his castle and is forced to stay only to end up falling in love with the beast.

colors in the gray (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: In a different world living a different life, Dan works at Starbucks and is about to publish his first novel when Phil (literally) steals his way into Dan's life.

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me - succubusphan

Summary: Dan and Phil wake up hungover after an eventful night out in Vegas and now have to deal with the consequences.

Flore Luna (ao3) - strawberrysunflower

Summary: It’s been eighteen months since Dan returned to the Wizarding world, and he’s making real strides. He’s living in his own tiny studio flat. He has a job in a failing bookshop. He’s relearning spells that kids as young as eleven have already mastered.

And he’s developed an unhealthy grudge on the irritating, black-haired florist across the alley.

I'm in love with a criminal (ao3) - queen_of_seratonin_deficiency

Summary: Daniel Howell is the son of a policeman. Daniel's curiosity ends up in a cabin in the middle of the woods, where he is being held captive by a man. Their story begins here and Dan could never have guessed where it would take him.

It'll be okay (ao3) - SleepDeprivedPerson

Summary: Dan didn't believe in love before a certain boy came along

Kiss From a Rose -  succubusphan

Summary: Phil is a hawker trading from town to town and looking for an adventure, but when he is caught out in a storm, a beautiful stranger becomes his only hope.

Laws Of Attraction (ao3) - strawberrysunflower

Summary: When Phil turned twenty-nine, he wrote out a list of all the things he had in his life. One terraced house in Manchester, rented. Two housemates who still buy the cheapest alcohol on offer in Tesco. Three failed long-term relationships.

After a spur-of-the-moment Friday night out on Canal Street, Phil ends up in the bed of a very handsome stranger. It’s a nice yet meaningless distraction from his directionless life. No big deal. Until he bumps into him again. And again. And again...

papercut (ao3) - schnaf

Summary: A cut. A tiny little cut, barely visible - just like a papercut. A cut - and yet, to Dan, it’s so much more. It’s the case he’s working on, the case only he seems to be taking seriously - it’s a serial killer’s signature. So when he gets the chance to track down the murderer, he doesn’t hesitate. And then, there’s Phil, Phil who’s making the chase so much more bearable, Phil who adds something completely different to his task. But things aren’t always what they seem.

Under the Midnight Sun (ao3) - paradisobound

Summary: Every night in London, a midnight circus pops up under the ringmaster Phil Lester’s command. Many of the performers are runaways, looking for a new start at life. One of them is Daniel Howell, a young man who is looking for a new excitement to his life. But slowly, the secrets of the midnight circus and Phil Lester became shown and Dan realizes that he may be in a situation he’ll never be able to get out of

War of Hearts (ao3) - FragmentsOfStardust

Summary: The draft is a thief. It takes and it takes and it takes and Phil has had enough.

Links last checked: March 6th, 2026

part one, part three

Advent Calender - Phantje

Summary: Phil is a renown children's TV presenter. He is probably the only one that is always enthusiastic to leave his house for work. Talking, baking and crafting - his life is amazing. Dan is a single father. His son's mother left two weeks after the best thing in Dan's life was born. With the support of his family and best friend, Dan tries to be the best parent ever. That isn't easy when you have to juggle unemployment alongside all the important parent duties. Two lifes that don't seem to have a lot in common collide. Causing all sort of change.

All Because of Him - Howellsprincess

Summary: Someone leaves a baby at Dan and Phil's flat. Dan doesn't know what to do with a baby, he can barely take care of himself.

and my fate has begun to change - ovely

Summary: Dan has an inspiring piano teacher as a teenager and decides to dedicate his life to music. After he starts uploading piano videos to YouTube, he finds himself unintentionally becoming a popular YouTuber. Then he meets Phil, and slowly finds a life more like that of the Dan we know.

An Unusual Pack - Do_it_with_the_Howell_Lesters

Summary: In a world where supernatural creatures exist, outcasts Dan and Phil find themselves forming an unlikely pack of two to survive in their world.

Behind Closed Doors - Analphancones

Summary: War between mother and son. Dan Howell fights for his step fathers attention, trying to win Phil over and make him pick between his wife, or him. Dan's mother may be his best friend and may be all he's had his whole life, but he is determined to keep Phil as his no matter what the cost. Sex, lies and secrets hidden behind the upstairs bedroom for years until it finally unfolds in a tale of tragedy, love and deceit.

But Love Is Overrated Anyways - DumpsterDiving101

Summary: Dan is an angry mutant with ability to control the cold. He shares a tent with a man Phil, who has powers over fire, but refuses to use it for evil. Dan has no such moral qualms.

Chapter Two - HandleWithCare

Summary: All Phil wanted was the newest Stephen King novel. What he found instead was even better and may have even changed his life. No matter how good or bad chapter one is, sometimes, you just have to be brave and turn to chapter two.

Elastic Heart - goldfishsunglasses

Summary: Dan Howell, age 19, and Phil Lester, age 28, meet online and enter into an “arrangement”, with Phil acting as a sugar daddy to a much younger Dan. They get along great, and the sex is phenomenal, but what happens what that stops being enough? Follow them through a whirlwind year as they dance the fine line between what is acceptable, and what they really want.

In Any World - jestbee

Summary: Returning home after his second world tour, Dan feels lost, bored, and without direction.

But things are about to get much more exciting when, while reading fanfiction in the bath, Dan slips, hits his head, and passes out. When he wakes up, it's to a world that definitely isn't the one he came from, especially because his best friend is in bed with him.

And if he thinks that is strange, things are about to get a whole lot weirder.

Light in the Dark - Yiffandquiff (princesslexi763)

Summary: Phil is the RA (Resident Advisor) for his local college where he manages the residents on the floor of his dorm building. But his junior year in college is about to take a turn when one of his residents, who’s named Dan, is blind. Soon, Phil develops a friendship with Dan as he soon discovers that they were meant for much more than just a platonic relationship. He just hopes that his Alpha abilities won’t scare away the timid Omega.

oh, i'm trying (not to give in to you) - Buttercups

Summary: dan is greg's little brother. greg is phil's best friend.

phil discovers what craving someone actually means.

Phil Lester, The Spy who Shagged me - CactiPhan

Summary: Phil Lester, AKA 009, is an international spy working with MI6 When an unbearably cute boy compromises one of his missions, but they end up becoming secret partners in crime to save the world- till one of them gets hurt...

Play Upon Me Like This Piano - Elleberquist6

Summary: In many ways, Phil's life is perfect: he loves his life in London, he has a wonderful brother and parents, and he has a great job as a radio DJ for BBC Radio One. There's only one thing missing in his life... A rumor reaches an executive at the BBC about a talented local piano player named Daniel. The executive decides that Daniel would be the perfect guest on Phil's radio show, so she sends Phil to speak with the evasive and mysterious piano player. When they finally meet, Phil starts to think that he has found the person who will make his life complete. Unfortunately, Dan has a secret that will make getting close to him difficult.

Powerless - Phandiction

Summary: Dan is unlawfully thrown into the arena as a criminal to fight a known Hero, Phil Lester. Unexpectedly they are shown mercy and become cell mates. Though cold at first, Dan's strong yet helpless demeanor win the Hero over and the two soon become a thrilling team in the arena and the audience begs for more.

stars - brookwrites

Summary: dan grew up in a normal 1930s london family with his parents and little brother. everything was completely and utterly normal… until the bombs started dropping. When dan was fifteen his father went off to war, and when he was sixteen he and his brother hayden were sent off to a foster family in rural england. he looked up at the stars and couldn’t help but wonder how something that beautiful could exist in such a broken world. just when he thought things would never get better, dan met phil, and he became the shining star of his life. but when phil turned eighteen and went off to war, dan couldn’t help but wonder when, if ever, the stars would twinkle the same way again.

strangers - waveydnp

Summary: dan is new to london and living in a mostly empty flat, desperate to forget the mistakes of his past. he's all alone -- until one day he gets a piece of mail addressed to someone in the neighbouring flat, one mr. philip lester. he can't exactly not return it, can he?

The Act of Control - Phandiction

Summary: Dan gets to know their newest victim, Phil Lester, just like he had with every other victim. Only this time things are different.

"Pay attention to his hobbies. Also, he does video blogging. I’d familiarize yourself with that. Phil is a helpful, kind person. Doesn’t want to see anyone get hurt right? So tomorrow, you’re going to be walking down a London street that we know Phil will be passing by tomorrow and well, someone is going to hurt you.”

You glanced my way and gave me a wave - NeverBeenAWriter

Summary: Phil walks in on something he shouldn't and gets drawn in by the small looking boy in pastel pink.

you're gonna be my wound - obsessive-fics (xoPrincessKayxo)

Links last checked: May 7th, 2026

part two, part three

Behind A Mask - mollieblack

Summary: Daniel Howell has a secret. Since he was young, he's always been able to turn into any animal he wants to.

Dan also has an enemy. Phil Lester, the bully who's seemed to make it his mission to make Dan's life miserable.

Phil has his own secret. He's not the hardened, emotionless person he lets everyone believe. In fact... he has a very childlike love of animals, and when suddenly he starts befriending tons of wild animals he begins to think he must have some sort of secret touch.

Finding a Prince - Plandai

Summary: When Dan's parents decide that they have had enough of their sons fruitless search for a Queen they set him up with the dreaded countess of Perinia. In a desperate bid to escape the life he is destined to face, Dan leaves in search of someone to marry. During his travels however the young prince comes across a certain raven haired florist who seems more than he appears to be.

Fritillaria Meleagris - TsingaDark

Summary: Tattoo Artist Dan moves and opens up a tattoo parlour opposite Phil's flower shop.                                              

Heartburn - Phandomrunners

Summary: Dan is the badass of the school. He only has one friend and everyone else is scared of him or just avoids him. Phil is pretty popular and he gets dared by one of his friends to try and get Dan to fall for him.

Who knew a dare could lead to so much more?

How Did We End Up Here? - mollieblack

Summary: Dan agrees to donate sperm to a lesbian couple who are friends of his. Things go wrong, and the baby ends up without a home, and Dan and Phil are left to figure out what to do with the child, and how this could affect their relationship.

I'm Waiting For the Day - japhanforever

Summary: Dan has been working in the Lester's pet store for two years now, but he has been pining after their youngest son, Phil, since possibly the beginning of time. Phil is somewhat of an enigma to everyone, and Dan wants nothing more than to get to know Phil a little better, but since Phil has never given Dan a second look, it seems impossible. That is until Phil asks Dan to accompany him to a pet expo to help expand their business. Then, a whole lot of things seem more possible.

It Happens - phananddragonsfics

Summary: Phil Lester is one of the brightest students in his class, with good friends, good grades, and a good reputation. When he gets an assignment to complete ten hours of service during a semester of class, he gets asked to tutor someone in his grade, Dan Howell. But there's something Dan isn't telling him: a reason for why he always shows up late (if he shows up at all), why he gets sick all the time, and why in the world he carries around a giant bottle of hand sanitizer wherever he goes.

jigsaw falling into place - awrfhi

Summary: When Phil accidentally takes Dan's suitcase instead of his own after a flight, their lives are suddenly and unexpectedly thrown together. But can something that started out of an accident become something more?

Love And Lies - Phandiction                                                                      

Summary: Phil is a twenty-four year old prince who's stayed anonymous to his people since his birth and poses as the "princes adviser." Dan is twenty years old and poor, working in the palace kitchen making food for both the prince and the prince's adviser in order to feed his mother and two siblings. Unknowing of Phil's secret, they fall for one another. Phil knows he has to tell his secret eventually. Easier said than done when he's finally found someone he doesn't want to loose.

Love You For Always - TwistedRocketPower

Summary: In the UK, an estimated 6,000 children die each year. When Dan and Phil became parents almost seven years ago, they never imagined they would become a part of that statistic.

Moving On - adorkablephil (kimberly_a)

Summary: Post-TATINOF. Wanting to move his content in a more serious direction (not to mention the fact that he's been following Phil around since he was a teenager and has no idea who he is on his own), Dan moves out in order to separate his “brand” from Phil’s. Is there any way their friendship can survive? Or will it be changed forever?

One Step at a Time - TwistedRocketPower

Summary: It’s amazing, the things we take for granted. When Dan is seriously injured while out running errands, both he and Phil must learn to adjust to a new life. One night changed their lives forever, and they have to learn how to handle it one step at a time.

Reality Playing Games - TheMessAfterTheMarty

Summary: The world of Medieval fantasy was one that Dan and Phil knew well. After all, it had been the stage for countless stories, day-dreams and video games played well into the night. They learn the hard way, however, that escapism isn't nearly as much fun when you don't know how you got there, and you can't find your way back home.

restless (ao3) - overwhelmedbysonder

Summary: the one where Phil struggles with depression, PTSD and being mute, and Dan just wants to hug him.

Sea Glass - kae_karo

Summary: Phil arrives on the Isle of Man to house-sit at his family's cabin while it's repaired and sold. Except the cabin's in far worse shape than expected, and Phil's got to find somewhere else to stay (Phil POV)

Stargazing - amczingphil

Summary: Dan has been floating about the International Space Station for about two months when he gets the first phone call from Phil, the newest member of mission control, and somehow a quick conversation helps Dan feel at ease and becomes the first of many.

It's just a shame that there's 400km between them and Dan won't be coming home for another seven months

Taking Baby Steps - phananddragonsfics

Summary: Being parents to a newborn baby isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. There are so many things they don’t quite understand, and there’s a lot they need to learn on this journey. But at least they’re doing it together.

The Abstract Notion of Home - wallflowerchronicles

Summary: An American university AU.

The Bahamas Incident - Do_it_with_the_Howell_Lesters

Summary: Phil is set to be the best man at his brother's wedding, but his mother insists on him bring a real date. So obviously he asks Dan to be his fake boyfriend for the week. Old memories and feelings are dredged up, and it may not go as smoothly as they planned.

The Lovers' Gap - coldphannie

Summary: Dan’s on the greatest adventure of his life. He’s joined by his best friend, Phil. He learns a lot about serving his kingdom, and what’s more, he learns to fall in love.

Phil isn’t his though. Phil is someone else’s.

Two Doors Down - danfanciesphil (thejigsawtimess)

Summary: Dan drums in the dead of night to dispel the quiet. Phil can hear him from two doors down.

where things come back. - commonemergency