#phandrabbles

You awkwardly waited at Charlie and Alex’s doorstep, debating whether or not to knock. It was your new flat, well your shared one at least.

It seemed like yesterday that you circled the address in the paper and called Alex Day up. True, it was a month ago, but it still was fresh in your mind.

For some reason, you had developed one of those ‘you’re really cute but I can’t like you because these things never end up well’ kind of crushes. You brushed it away and decided to be flatmates, and not bother with a relationship.

Finally you knocked lightly on the door. You saw a puff of hair bouncing through the glass as the door opened. Alex greeted you and ushered you inside.

That whole day Alex was kind enough to help you unpack your things. Charlie was apparently barely ever home, either at his girlfriend’s or other serious YouTube thing. You didn’t mind, it allowed you to spend more time with Alex.

He even helped you with dinner- classy pasta with sauce. Afterwards he made tea and left you for his bed.

Apparently he was a vlogger, so it wasn’t uncommon to hear him talking to “himself” in his room all day. You didn’t mind; it paid the bills.

The few times you had seen Charlie, he introduced himself and you two spoke over some tea. You recognized him from a newspaper article a few months ago, so it was still a little odd talking to an internet sensation. The ‘bonding’ time you had with him was limited, just a few rounds of Super Mario and short dinner conversations followed by Doctor Who.

For the next week you were settling in and organizing your belongings. Your mother made a few calls, even speaking to Alex for a while before he finally handed the phone to you.

Alex had this friendly glow to him that made him seem judge-free and kind to strangers. He was approachable and very carefree. You were jealous, in fact.

About a week or two into your stay, you noticed the ever increasing pile of laundry in the corner of your room. You cursed at yourself mentally for wasting all your clothes and wandered into the living room to find Alex.

He was, of course, sitting on the couch with his iPad.

“Hey, Alex?”

“Yeah?” He looked up at you and smiled.

“Is there a laundry center or something around?” You asked politely, biting your lip as a nervous habit. He just nodded and turned his precious Apple device off.

“There’s one in the basement,” He walked in front of you down the hallway and stopped in front of his room. “I have some stuff to wash as well. Just get your stuff and I’ll lead you down.” He gave you a friendly smile before venturing into his bedroom.

You went to your room and gathered your mess of jeans, underwear, sweatshirts, and other miscellaneous articles of clothing and managed to shove it all in one basket. With your arms full of laundry, you pushed the door open and walked out.

Just as you left your room, Alex came out of his as well. You bumped into each other. Thankfully you both managed to stand, but a spotted bra on top of the pile slipped and landed on Alex’s shoulder. You bit your lip and held back some giggles, peeling it off him and shoving it to the bottom of the basket.

He just laughed at your now flaming cheeks and led you down some steps into the basement. It was cold and grey down there, creep and menacing like a Saw movie. You shivered as you walked along with Alex.

He was humming an unfamiliar tune.

“What are you humming?” You asked. He looked over at you.

“Oh, just this song Good Morning Sunshine.” He smiled again.

“It sounds nice; I’ll have to look it up then.” You grinned back and continued to walk. A washer and a dryer were stacked against a wall. There was a half-empty bottle of detergent next to it and two chairs across from it.

Alex dumped his dirty clothes on the floor and began sorting through them. You figured that your laundry was going to be washed anyways, so you emptied your basket next to his.

“Hey, should we just combine both our whites in one load?” Alex asked, holding up one of his few t-shirts.

“That sounds good.” You responded by placing your clothes pile on his. You kneeled down and tried to decide if your orange shirt was a light or dark.  Alex’s hand brushed yours multiple times. You tried to ignore the butterflies it gave you but the feeling of being dizzy didn’t leave you.

You finally loaded all your laundry and stood up with Alex following suit. You put most of your clothes in. The orange sweater was still clutched in your fist. Alex was right behind you, pouring detergent in.

“Hey, Alex,’ You turned around to face him. “Is this a light or a-“

You couldn’t quite finish your sentence because Alex had smashed his lips to yours in a needy rush. All the butterflies erupted in your stomach as he put a hand up to cup your cheek, the other going to your hair.

You weren’t sure what to do, so you ended up hooking your arms around his shoulders. You kissed back and as soon as his tongue traced your bottom lip you let him in.

After a minute he pulled away and rested his forehead against yours. His hands held each other as they slid to your mid-back.

You sat on the curb of your school, and waited. Everyone else had gone home now, you and a few teachers were the only remnant of the busy Friday afternoon. It was cold, you were thankful you had a jacket. You tugged it around you and suddenly your fingernails were extremely interesting.

Your phone was dead, so no communication or music. Stupid mom. How could someone forget their own child at school?

“My life sucks right now.” You muttered to yourself, peeling off some nail polish.

“C’mon, it’s not that bad.” A voice replied from above you. You glanced upwards to see the one and only, Dan. To put simply, Dan was the cutest and the utmost gorgeous being on the face of the Earth. Even though he was often picked on for straightening his hair and listening to My Chemical Romance, you still adored him.

“Oh, hi, Dan.” You managed with your mouth gaped slightly open. He smirked and sat down dangerously close to you.

“Hello, Y/N.” He paused to check his phone. “So, uh, why are you here so late?” He seemed fairly concerned. You remembered that over the span of a couple weeks, Dan and you had become quite close. ‘Close’ meaning you introduced yourself and he asked you for money and sat with him once at lunch. You still knew each other pretty well, despite the lack of communication.

“My mum forgot about me.” You huffed. He nodded understandingly as you felt his presence grow closer to you.

“You, uh, want a ride?” He asked timidly. You perked up. A trip in Daniel James Howell’s car? You couldn’t imagine anything better.

“Sure, I mean, if it’s okay with you, like, what are you doing, and if my place is too out of the way I can just, you know, take a bus, I mean that’s always fine…” You rambled but he shushed you by standing up and putting a hand out. You gave in and took hold of his hand. He pulled you up with a light hand on your back. You blushed madly; he replied with a smirk.

He didn’t let go of your hand as he led you through the car lot. You noticed a beat up red jeep at the very back of the lot.  The top was pulled up and leaves were scattered all about. Dan stopped to admire the car before hopping into the driver’s seat. You climbed into the passenger’s seat as he put his keys into the ignition. The familiar tune of ‘Camisado’ blasted through the speakers. Before Dan had a chance to turn it down you were singing along (very loudly). Dan’s voice melted with Brendon’s as he sped down the suburban neighborhood and out of the school zone.

When the song was over Dan turned it down while laughing.

“Lovely singing there, Daniel.” You complimented. He held back a smile and playfully hit your arm.

“You too, love.” He replied and turned into a Tesco’s parking lot.

“Why are we here?” You inquired. He shrugged.

“There’s a Starbucks in there.” He stepped out of the car and followed him across the parking lot. When you were at the pavement Dan took your hand once again and practically pushed you into the coffee shop. You giggled and stood your ground outside the door.

He frowned jokingly and gently pushed your shoulders. You dug your heels into the ground to stay put.

After a few more minutes of pushing your arms Dan gave up and wrapped his scrawny arms around your stomach and picked you up.

You stopped laughing and tried to contain your giggles; settling for smirking. It was obvious that the last gym Dan had been to was indeed a Pokemon gym. He hurried to carry into Starbucks in an orderly fashion. You were only about 5 inches off the ground, but Dan was trying to make it appear that you were no trouble to him.

He let you go once you were in line.

Dan tried to stand tall and puff his chest out, but his cheeks turned hopelessly red. You didn’t say anything, but you did squeeze his cute puffy red cheeks. He responded by swatting your hands away and pouting. You smiled and laughed- he did the same and rested his arm lazily around your shoulders. You smiled to yourself and pulled out your wallet to pay for your drink.

Dan put his hand out onto  the counter to stop your purchase. “It’s on me this time.” He said simply, putting a crisp ten pound bill on the counter. The server raised an eyebrow but got the drinks anyways.

“Fine, but I’m paying next time.” You huffed. He rolled his eyes, got the drinks, and went back to his car.

He laid down the two front seats so they were even with the back. It folded out into a couch/bed. During the time he was making this make shift mattress, you stood outside with the drinks waiting, getting a perfect view of his bum. The whole thing was nice.

The two of you sat in the back of Dan’s car, sipping coffee ad listening to the new P!ATD album, which he promised to loan to you as soon as possible.

You laughed and jokingly crawled up to the front and almost pressed eject on the player.

“No!” Dan cried with a smile. You felt arms wrap around you and pull you backwards. You let out a scream mixed with laughter as you fell into the safety of Dan’s lap. His arms were still wrapped around you securely and his head was buried in your hoodie.

“Hi,” Dan’s muffled voice cutely said.

“Hello,” You whispered back.

“You smell like roses.” He muttered, laying back and letting you use him as a human chair. You blushed.

“Thank you, Dan,” You brought his sleeve up to your face. “You smell like…Axe.” You declared. It was a nice smell, a comforting smell. It was something you knew he was so used to that he couldn’t smell it himself, but if you were close enough you could detect hints of it. You decided you liked it.

He chuckled. “I’m really tired…”

“We’re in a Tesco’s parking lot.”

“I know but I cannot keep my eyes open and you smell lovely.” He whispered in your ear. Dan rolled over onto his side and held you into him. He had a height advantage so his head was right above yours. You could hear him lightly breathing from above you. His leg snaked around yours as he spooned you caringly. You snuggled into his arms and closed your eyes.

“If we get in trouble I’m blaming you.” You mumbled. “This is a bit more than friends be-“

Dan put a light finger to your lips. “Shh, don’t ruin it.” He whispered right above your ear. “I like you. Don’t talk now.” His lips ghosted your hair.