Chapter Text
The lights flickered. It didn’t matter that air was swirling throughout the flat, mine was trapped. Please don’t go out, please please please don't go- click. Thanks.
“Phil…?” I called out into the dark. This was the third power outage this winter and I was completely terrified. My hands were slick with sweat, and I was cursing like a sailor with what I could muster of my shaking voice. If I can't see it, it doesn't exist ….right?
“Phil, please..?” I called out weakly, my voice trailing off. This was never good. Never good at all...
“Dan? Are you okay?” He shouted from a room in the back. Thank god, he’s alive. I might survive this outage, after all.
“I’m curled into a ball, on the floor, in the dark, so…..” Definitely not. Not okay, what so bloody fucking ever.
“Right, I’m coming”. Sure enough I heard clumsy footsteps in the hallway, carefully overstepping the random objects littering the floor, probably falling a few times. Sure enough, a few loud ‘THUMPS’ could be heard as he made his way toward where my voice was trailing from. I listened as they grew closer, until they finally stopped in front of me.
“Hey Danny…” I could hear the tease in his voice. Not the fucking time, Phil!
“Don’t call me that, Philly…” I meant it to come out as a challenge, a fight, but it was closer to a whimper. Yep, much too scared to do anything, right now.
“How about D-Slice?” Shut up, shut up, shut up, get me out of here, Phil. This wasn’t a time for terrible nicknames.
“NO!” Still not as strong as I meant it to be, but it was closer.
“Why not?” I knew he was smiling. Just the smug tone of his perfect-fucking voice, sounding like he just drank fucking rainbows and god it’s perfect...
“Because it is a disgrace to all nicknames anywhere and everywhere, obviously, you twat.” It always helps to be mad when you need a less-childish, sounding-like-a-scared-three-year-old voice, am I right?
“No need to be harsh… we can't stay here, now can we?” I could practically hear the smirk in his voice, teasing me. Jerk.
“I hate you…” I could predict his response, hear him saying it, even: ‘Don’t lie Dan, you couldn’t live without me!’, and then a sweeter than honey laugh. Adorable little fuck.
“Come on Dan, we can go to my room and watch anime on my laptop until the lights come back on…” Close enough. He said, trying to tempt me. It was working. Damn, that adorable little shit.
“Alright, but you have to carry me.” I said, making him groan whilst I smirked in his general direction. Well, hopefully.
“Fine. I hate you” The pout in his voice was clear. How cute.
“I love you, too!” Now, it was my turn to laugh. You’re lucky you’re not in a chair.
“I thought,” he huffed, hoisting me onto his back, “you hated me..?” He actually thought it was possible for me to hate him? That just isn’t fair.
“I could never hate you” I whispered. I immediately blushed, “I m-mean, not forever, obviously! Y-yo-you're my b-best fr-friend…” I stammered. Thank god for the cover of darkness... I swear, if he could see me, he’d have asked who the hell slapped me.
“Of course…best friends...” he whispered. Did that hurt him to hear as much as it hurt me to say? No, I was imagining things.
When we finally got to his room he fell backwards on the bed, landing on top of me. He laughed as I squirmed under his shorter form. Too much physical contact!
“Move your arse!” I shouted, struggling to push him off me. Why don’t I want him to move?
He just laughed, “Not until you let me call you D-Slice!” Oh, Phil, that will never happen for as long as we are alive.
“NEVER” I shouted, and proceeded to push him off the bed. He landed with a thud. “Owwwwww,” he whimpered, probably rubbing where it was sore, “Danny boy, that hurt…”.
I chuckled at the childlike whine in his voice. “That was the point…” I mimicked, stretching out the vowels.
Phil, probably pouting at this point, sounds adorable, almost childlike, I wanted to cherish it. But before I can he reminds me about the anime.
“Right,” I say, clearing my throat, “which one do you want to watch?” Any, none, Yuri on Ice, no never mind, uhhhh...
“I dunno. Which one do you wanna watch?” Phil, don’t do it, don’t you say i-
“I dunno…” God damnit, Phil! I said ‘I dunno’, you HAVE to know!
I roll my eyes at our indecision. “Honestly, how are we alive at this point? We can’t even decide which anime to watch, so how can we choose the right foods, pay the bills, and decide the difference between wants and necessities? We are in our twenties for fuck’s sake, and can’t take care of ourselves…” That hit a little too close to home. Curse my smart arse!
“That’s why we take care of each other!” he replied sweetly, startling me. I didn’t realize that I said that aloud until he responded. Next thing I knew, the older boy was hugging me close to his chest. I smiled into his hair and hugged back.
“Oh, sorry Dan!” he exclaimed, leaping back onto the bed, “I forgot you don't like to be hugged much…” Matter of fact, I didn’t mind Phil’s hugs all that much. What is wrong with me? Everything...
“N-no it's fine…” I said, trailing off. I did tell him about my hate towards human contact, but being in his arms felt so….amazing.
“S-sorry Dan, but I just like h-hugging you…”. I blushed profoundly, my cheeks feeling like a burning inferno. This boy, this amazing, fantastic, gorgeous boy, was going to be the death of me.
My thoughts were cut short by Phil jumping onto the bed and fumbling with his laptop. By the time he had opened it I had gotten over the initial shock of him admitting that he liked to hug me. He logged on and pulled up Netflix. The next thing I knew the opening scene of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was playing.
“Disney?” I asked, smirking. Yep, definitely have a child for a flatmate.
“Why not?” he retorted.
I just shook my head. When my arm brushed his, I realized just how close we were. I blushed profoundly, wanting to hide my head in my hands. Instead I shifted my gaze to his face, trying not to move. The glow of the laptop screen suited him well. His eyes reflected the beautiful colors of the characters on the screen, his pale face’s shade was distorted by the parade happening on the screen. He laughed as the parade people celebrated “Topsy-Turvy Day”. The jester’s silly song amused him. I put my head on his shoulder, enjoying this euphoric moment. He shifted and I immediately detached from him, instead just sneaking a glance. He looked flushed, a bit of color on his otherwise pale appearance. Also, a tad flustered… was he blushing?