#phanau

“I’m Daniel! I think I actually stand a chance against Phil’s team, WOO! Look at me lunge!” Phil cried, in what was probably the worst impression of Dan’s voice he’d ever heard.

He was ‘lunging’ too- if you could even call it that. His legs were stretched out in an extremely exaggerated fashion, while his tongue was sticking out of his mouth, blowing raspberries like an imbecile.

He wasn’t funny.

What he actually was, was an obnoxious, arrogant jackass. Every damn year Dan’s school had been beaten at soccer by Greenwich. It was an embarrassment really - Dan’s team was undefeated apart from that.

Dan had met Phil way too many times for his liking; the other captain seemed to love making Dan’s life a misery. As a result, Phil would often turn up to games he wasn’t even involved in, purely just to taunt and tease Dan in an attempt to psych him out.

Dan could recall one particular game against another school last season, where Phil had spent the entire bloody game staring at Dan. Just smirking. Dan had quickly decided that Phil’s silent staring was much, much worse and more distracting than any jibes he’d spat out before.

At the end of the game he’d had the audacity to wink at Dan, causing his face to flush bright red in anger. Phil had noticed this of course, and taken it in the complete opposite to what it actually meant.

“Like what you see, Daniel?” Phil had said, eyebrows raised and damned smirk still etched onto his stupid face.

“Shut up, Phil. My face is just red from the game.” Dan had spat back, face turning impossibly redder.

“Whatever you say, Daniel.”

Before he’d even thought about what he was doing, Dan was throwing the muddy ball out from under his arm at the other boy in rage.  Phil had easily caught the ball in his large hands, blue eyes dancing with mischief. Then he’d licked his lips, winked once again and walked off.

Could you see why Dan hated him so much?

“You can tease all you want, Lester, but the game’s ours tonight!” Dan finally replied, rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue out at Phil.

He focused his attention back on his team and called everyone into a huddle. Dan said a few words of encouragement before going into their traditional, albeit a bit lame, pre-game chant.

“Let’s go Westwood, let’s go! Let’s go Westwood, let’s go!” Dan started. Jake joined in soon after, and eventually the whole team was chanting at the top of their lungs.

Dan finally broke the huddle, patting each of his teammates on their backs before running out to the field. They were ready.

-

This was it. Greenwich and Westwood were tied, with only thirty seconds left on the clock. The ball was being dribbled down the field by the one and only Phil Lester. It actually looked more like weird dancing the way he was doing it, obviously in a failed attempt to be funny. Phil kept looking behind him, making ridiculous faces at Dan they seemed to say ‘Look at me! I’m barely even trying and I’m still beating you!’

Well not for long, Lester, Dan thought.

Dan looked to his right - Jake subtly nodded his head in Phil’s direction, before raising his eyebrows at Dan. He knew what he had to do.

Dan sprinted full speed towards Phil, whose back was currently turned away from Dan. “Hey Lester!” Dan hollered in a sing-song voice, easily catching Phil’s attention.

Phil turned around, and Dan swore he saw blue eyes light up for a second before they narrowed back into thin slits to match his smirk. This was just too easy.

“Come to congratulate me on my win, have you?” Phil jested, continuing to dance-dribble the ball towards the goal.

“No.” Dan smiled evilly, and in one swift movement stole the ball from between Phil’s feet and kicked it sideways into Jake’s waiting feet. Jake gave one mighty kick, and in a second the ball hit the back of Greenwich’s goal.

“But you can congratulate me on mine, if you like.” Phil’s face went slack, his mouth gaping open like a fish. His eyes kept darting between Dan, Jake and the goal in disbelief. He could stare all he wanted. It wouldn’t change the fact that Westwood had won. For once, it was Dan’s turn to smirk.

-

They’d done it. They’d actually won. Dan couldn’t believe they hadn’t taken advantage of Phil’s cockiness earlier! Dan smiled at the memory of Phil’s shocked face when he’d realised what had happened. Served him right for being a buffoon.

“Hey man, good game again. You’re still coming to mine after, right?” Jake asked, pulling his bag over one shoulder.

“Nah man, I can’t. My mum said I’ve been going out too much and need to study.” Dan replied sorrowfully. He really wanted to go.

It was a tradition for all the teammates to celebrate their wins at someone’s house after a game, which usually ended up being Jake’s. They couldn’t let his indoor spa, plasma TV and gaming room go to waste now could they?

“Ah, that sucks. Guess you better go home before your mum cracks it then - don’t let Lester keep you back for too long. I’m sure he’ll want to let his frustrations out on you after this loss, if you know what I mean.” Jake wiggled his ginger eyebrows suggestively.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh come on, Phil’s into you, dude. Why do you think he’s always trying to be funny around you, or turning up at basically all our games and making those weird faces at you?”

Dan failed to form an intelligible response to this, instead choking out random syllables. Jake just shook his head and laughed while walking out, leaving Dan alone in the changeroom with thoughts.

Jake was being ridiculous, he told himself. There was no way Phil Lester, of all people, liked Dan. No way.

Dan repeated this like a mantra in his head for the next few minutes as he packed up his clothes. He was so immersed in this mantra, that he didn’t even notice the other person who’d entered the changeroom until he was walking to the door the person was leaning on. “You know, I totally let you win out there.” Phil said carelessly, signature smirk on his lips.

Great. The last person Dan needed to see right now. What was he doing here?

“You absolutely did not. As if you’d sacrifice the win - why would you put me before you?” Dan replied, now slightly amused at the mere ludicrousness of the idea.

Phil didn’t reply for a few moments, seeming to have an internal debate in his head. If Dan didn’t know better he would have thought Phil had flicked his eyes down to Dan’s lips.

Ugh, see what Jake’s stupid comment had done to him? Just as Dan was about to ask Phil to move out of the way so that he could go home, the boy finally responded.

“I would if I liked you.”

Dan’s eyes widened, his heart leaping into his chest before he realised this was Phil he was dealing with. As if he was being serious.

“Oh please, as if you like me. You take every opportunity you get to make fun of me.” Dan scoffed.

“Exactly.”

Dan’s brow creased in confusion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m always trying to make you laugh, or to get your attention even if I look like a complete idiot in the process.” Phil’s voice had softened and he was averting his gaze. This was the first time Dan had seen him look anything but sure of himself which could only mean...

Oh god.

This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. Because if it was happening, Dan would have to acknowledge that when his face went red whenever Phil winked at him, it was actually a blush and not just his face reddening in anger. Or when everytime Phil tried to be funny and Dan claimed to hate it, he was laughing inside. Or that he scanned the crowd before every soccer game he played, heart sinking on the days Phil wasn’t there and heart skipping on the days he was.

“Dan. Say something please.” Dan looked at Phil, and was taken aback at what he saw.

Phil looked so vulnerable, like a puppy at the animal shelter that had been abandoned by its owner. His striking blue eyes held a look of fear in them that Dan had never seen before, his hands were wringing together nervously, and for once there were no traces of that damned smirk on his face.

“I-I don’t know what to say.” Dan finally said, internally smacking himself for his terrible reply. Oh god, why couldn’t he just admit it?

“That’s, um - that’s okay. Just, thanks for not making fun of me, yeah? I probably deserve it after all I’ve put you through.” Phil smiled sadly and patted Dan on the shoulder before turning to leave. Dan felt like he’d swallowed a rock. He couldn’t leave it like this.

“Wait!”

He slowly turned around, blue eyes shining with a renewed sense of hope.

“Did you really let me win?”

Phil’s face briefly flashed with a look of disappointment, before he slipped back into his jerk persona.

“Well of course, Daniel. How else would you have won against me? I’m only like, a million times better than you.”

Dan cleared his throat.

“Well then prove it. Come home with me and we can 1v1.”

“But we just had a match, Daniel. I’m tired, aren’t you?” The black-haired boy asked, confused. “Well then we can do um, other things. Talk. Maybe. And uh- play video games. Hang out I guess.”

“Really?”

Phil’s eyes were happy again, practically radiating joy. He was smiling, a real smile- not a smirk, and in that moment Dan decided he was the most beautiful creature Dan had ever had the privilege of meeting. God, Dan was so fucking gay for him.

“Hell yeah.”

-

It wouldn’t be until a few weeks later, when Dan was playing Zelda with Phil, that he finally felt ready to admit to Phil that he liked him back. Phil had just pushed Dan onto the sofa, snogging the ever-loving-heck out of him before saying,

Dan checked his clock; 7:00 am, the school starts 8:00 am and the bus arrives 7:38 am, so Dan quickly went to the bathroom and urinated, and boy did he urinate a lot. After that he got dressed in his grey sweatshirt, black skinny jeans and white converse sneakers, ate breakfast and brushed his teeth

But after brushing his teeth he quickly opened the toilet seat and vomited, Dan panicked, he can't be sick, he has to go to school today and he can't miss it, so Dan took some toilet paper and wiped his mouth, threw it in the toiler and flushed the it, drank a glass of water and brushed his teeth. Again.

Dan quickly got his school bag and went outside and waited for the bus, he doesn't care if he's sick, he can't miss another school day cause then it'll be his fourth day 'skipping' and he can't skip five days cause then he'll be kicked out or get a warning

The bus arrived and Dan quickly got in, he took the seat in the middle which was the only seat that wasn't occupied, he put his earphones in and shuffled his playlist, looking out the window, he likes listening to music but mostly in car rides cause then he's real into his thoughts as he looks at the passing people and trees

When the bus stopped at his school, he quickly got out and pocketed his earphones and his iPhone X

Dan's face was paler now than when he woke up and feels like shit but doesn't want anyone to notice so he tries to act normal, he acts like there's no pain in his abdomen, a god awful headache and the feeling of needing to puke every five minutes

"Dan!", he heard his name being called by his boyfriend, Phil and boy did Dan not want to see him right cause Phil has this magic -in Dan's opinion- that he always knows how he feels and thinks and it bloody scares him, really

"Dan, no I don't have 'magic' inside of me", Phil say'd one evening when Dan was at his house on his bed, just talking and totally not after having sex

"I don't believe you", Dan said, folding his arms and looking away from Phil

Phil giggle and scooted closer to Dan, "I promise, Dan, and it's impossible to have magic in reality"

"Pinkie promise?"

"Pinkie promise."

Dan still doesn't believe him.

"Phil, how are you this fine morning?", Dan said when he arrived to Phil's locker where he was located

"Well shitty first of all cause I almost missed the bus", Phil said and quickly pecked Dan's lips which made Dan worried cause Phil might get sick cause of him and god he doesn't want that to happen again

"That's cause you should never stay up late at night doing god knows what", Dan said opening his locker, which was right beside Phil's

"You're the one to talk", Phil muttered, earning a bump on his shoulder and a 'hey!' from Dan making Phil giggle and bump his shoulder back and that's when he noticed how Dan is a lot paler than usual, "You okay? You look pale", he said frowning

Dan was quick to respond, "Aah! Yeah, guess I haven't been much outside lately", it didn't convince Phil and Dan noticed but hoped Phil would change the topic and Phil knew that Dan wanted to but he wouldn't give up without knowing the real reason

"You sure? And you look like shit, to be honest.."

And he sure felt like shit, "Wow, thanks, Phil", Dan turned away and got his books for the next class; English

"Dan, you know what I mean", Phil said taking his books too for the same class, "If you're not feeling well then you should go home"

"I feel well, Phil, actually I feel fantastic", Dan sighed as they started to walk towards their class, "Like I said, I haven't gone outside lately so that's why I'm little paler", and that's when he felt the puke crawling up his throat and quickly ran towards the nearest restroom

Phil quickly followed him to see Dan sitting by the toilet puking his guts out, he quickly did what he usually does and stroked his back and watched as the disgusting liquid left Dan's mouth

"Dan, you should go home", Phil said as he gave Dan a toilet paper to wipe his mouth with after he finished

"No, Phil, I'll get the fourth strike and that's closer to the fifth", Dan explained and wiped his mouth with the paper and threw it in the toilet then flushed it

"Dan! You're sick, you can't be in school", Phil said, leading Dan to the sink to drink water, "You should be at home, sleeping all day and eat one of those fantastic soups your mother makes"

"No", Dan said stubbornly and wiped his mouth with his sweatshirt

"Dan"

"Phil"

Phil sighed and took both Dan's hands, "Go home"

Dan frowned, "Are you trying to get me away from you?"

"Ugh, no! Dan!", Phil said and grasped Dan's hands harder, "You can make other people sick, and of course I don't want you to get away from you, I want you to be close to me as much as possible but you can't now cause you're sick"

It was Dan's time to sigh and put his face on Phil's shoulder, "I don't want to"

"Dan, I'm worried, okay?", Phil said stroking Dan's hair, "I can escort you home but then I have to go back to school, okay?"

Dan nodded and they started to walk out of the school, hand-in-hand, "But, Phil", Dan started when they were out of the school ground, "You'll be late to class!"

"Being late better than skipping", Phil smiled

When they arrived at Dan's house, his mother was surprised to see her son come early home and Phil with him, "Honey, what are you doing here?", she asked when Dan and Phil arrived to the living room

"He's sick, Ms Howell", Phil said and that's when Dan's mother took notice of how pale Dan was and nodded

“I'll make chicken soup for you, dear"

Dan smiled at her thankfully and was led to his room by Phil, "Do you have to go back?"

Phil frowned and tucked Dan in his bed after Dan got undressed to his boxers, "Well I don't want to skip, I'm already at strike four"

"Come back to me, honey, tell me stories on what happened and don't forget me", Dan said dramatically, earning a chuckle and kiss to the forehead by Phil

"I won't", and Phil that’s when he left after saying goodbye to Dan's mother, who was struggling cutting down the chicken

School was normal and quick to pass by but for Dan it felt like an eternity waiting for Phil

"Honey, I'm home!", Phil exclaimed as he opened the door in Dan's bedroom

"Oh how I missed you, dear!", Dan said quickly and hugged Phil tight when he came closer to the bed, "I thought you'd never return!"

"For you, I'll always return", Phil said, breaking character and laughed which Dan joined quickly in, “Now let’s watch something”