If you were me

I'm used to it

A week had passed and everything was normal. Phil was bullied every day and Dan was the centre of attention. They only had English language together so Dan had succeeded in ignoring his feelings towards him all this time but today he had to see him... and he was terrified. It's not that he was completely head over heels, in love with the boy; he just thought he was kind of cute. Maybe. No. Dan Howell does not fancy Lester. The boy who is despised for being gay by Dan's own 'friends'. Oh god this is so fucked up Dan thought to himself as he walked into the classroom.  Who ever heard of a popular kid fancying a freak??? It just wasn't allowed, Dan wasn't entirely sure why but he knew it just didn't happen. Dan was like Mark. Popular, confident, could get any girl in school. He should look down on someone like Lester. But then again he wasn't like Mark. Dan just does what he does to fit in... to not end up like well... Lester. Dan doesn't know what it must be like being him, all he knows is he doesn't like being Dan. His train of thought was cut off once again but this time by Mark. "Dan, bro? Ya listening?" "Huh?" "I was just telling you what we did last week. We totally beat the shit out of Phil and his weird friend." "Phil?" Dan asked. "Yeah." Mark replied pointing at Lester. Huh. Phil. It suited him, Dan thought, smiling a little. "What you grinning about?" Said Mark. "Oh, just the thought of you bashing his face in." Dan retorted, disgusting even himself. "You could actually bash it in yourself, if you come with us after class." "Today?" Dan said, looking over at the innocent boy covered with bruises at the front of the classroom. Completely oblivious to what was coming. With his shining blue eyes and slightly untucked shirt... no. "Can't go, doing something with Chris." Dan lied, ripping his gaze away from Phil. Mark was obviously annoyed about this but he chose not to speak and went back to his seat.

The bell signalling the end of class rung just as Phil almost fell asleep, he hadn't had much sleep over the past week and could tell PJ hadn't either. He slung his black rucksack over one shoulder and left the classroom, determined to get back to his dorm and sleep. Of course this was impossible. Only a few seconds after he left the classroom he heard someone shouting his name not too far behind, he tried his best to get away but failed miserably. "Where you going there, Phil?" One of them (Neil?) said.  Another tripped him up, causing him to fall flat on his face and hiss in agony as he felt every bruise collide with the cold floor. The corridors had emptied now and he was alone with them, not that anyone would help him anyway. Phil closed his eyes as he felt hit after hit against his skin and bones.                 

It was only when Dan got to his dorm 15 minutes later did he find he had forgotten his English book. Sighing, he turned around and headed back to the classroom however he stopped in his tracks when he saw someone lying motionless on the ground not far away from the classroom door. Phil. He looked to find that no one was around and without a second thought began walking towards the figure he could now here shakily breathing. "Erm.. Phil?" Dan asked nervously. Phil still didn't move. Dan knelt down infront of him and noticed his eyes were closed. Dan felt a stab of guilt when he realized he must have passed out. Blood was sticking to his eyebrow and his left arm was badly bruised, Dan couldn't just leave in the middle of the school hallway to bleed to death. He shook his head and stood up. What could he do? Phil was a bit smaller than Dan and probably lighter... could he carry him? Dan knelt back down and put Phil's arm around his neck, sliding one arm under his back and the other under his legs and slowly standing back up, grabbing Phil's bag in the process. Fucking hell. Was he actually doing this? He couldn't really take Phil back to Phil's dorm cause he didn't know where it was so his own was going to have to do.

 Carrying a teenage boy up the stairs was even heavier then a suitcase and Dan sighed in relief as he reached his dorm room. Chris had gone to town until late so he knew they would be alone. He put Phil down on his bed and sat down on the opposite one, wondering what to do next. Luckily they hadn't been seen but what was to stop anyone from coming in now? He had no more time to worry about that however because at that moment Phil opened his eyes. "Where the hell am I?" Phil said, squinting. "In my dorm." Dan replied awkwardly. God this was weird. "Why?" Phil asked, obviously scared and very confused. "Well I couldn't just leave you.." Dan stood up and walked into the ensuite bathroom, grabbing a box of plasters and some disinfectant from the first aid kit. He walked back in to his room to see that Phil was now sat up, looking at a CD that was on Dan's bedside table. "I love that album." Phil said, smiling and putting down Dan's copy of 'The Resistance'. Dan smiled back and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Do you mind if I umm... I mean I don't want it to get infected." Dan mumbled, pointing at the cut on Phil's face. Phil nodded, blushing although he wasn't entirely sure why. Dan moved closer to him and started reluctantly dabbing the cut with a cotton bud. "I'm sorry Phil." Dan said, frowning. "I'm used to it." Phil replied, looking at the floor and making Dan feel even worse. After a minutes silence, Phil was overcome by curiosity  "I don't mean to be rude Dan, but why are you helping me now, it's not like this is the first time I've been beaten up by your friends." Dan thought for a second. "I guess no one was around to see me helping you. To see me interacting with you." "That's pretty shitty of you." "I know." Dan carried on disinfecting the rather large cut, adding "and they're not my friends."  Phil looked back up and watched as Dan put a plaster on the cut, avoiding eye contact with Phil the whole time. "So Muse, huh? Didn't think you were that kinda guy." Phil said, attempting to break the ice. "Yep been my favourite band since I was 11. Chris introduced me to them actually." Dan said, smiling at the memory.  "Favourite album?" Phil asked, raising an eyebrow. "Probably Origin of Symmetry but Black Holes and Revelations is pretty great." "I'm more of a Absolution person myself." Dan looked up and met eyes with Phil. He was beginning to like him more and more and this whole Muse conversation wasn't helping. He put away the first aid box and handed Phil a glass of water.  "If you're not friends with them, then why do you hang around with them?" Phil asked, confused by what Dan had said earlier. "Because where would I be if I didn't?" Phil nodded, he understood. He just didn't agree.

Half an hour of chatting later, Phil's phone rang. "Hello?" "Philip Michael Lester! I have been worried sick! Where are you?!" "I'm fine, I'm just hanging out with my umm... friend." Dan's heart rose a little bit at the thought of being Phil's friend. They hadn't been talking long but they had a lot in common, aside from where they were on the social scale. The rest of the convocation were things like "Yes, I'll tell you next time." "I'll be back soon." "You can't ground me!" Until Phil eventually hung up. "Was that your mum?" "Worse, PJ. He's my best friend. I guess I have to go now then." Dan nodded and walked over to Phil, helping him up and to the door. "Wait Phil! Do you think we could talk again sometime.. maybe?" "Bye Dan." He said, chuckling. Dan closed the door behind him and sat down on his bed, confused. Was that a yes? He then noticed a slip of paper on top of his album, a slip that wasn't there before. The slip read 'text me :)' along with a phone number. He smiled, adding the number his phone before lying down and closing his eyes, still smiling.

Dan didn't know what had begun and he didn't know how it would end but... right now he didn't care. Because he was happy. For now.

I wrote this at 1 am so sorry if its awful but yay they're friends kind of yaaaayyy  xx