Phan Oneshots

One Million

One Million

Time can be measured. In one million seconds there are 11 days, 13 hours and 46 minutes. In one million hours there are 111 years. Numbers are easy. The answer is right or wrong, the meaning always the same.

There have been 11 days, 13 hours and 46 minutes since Daniel Howell hit one million subscribers on youtube. Maybe you would think it somewhat ironic, in fact, that this was the precise moment in which he was filming his thank-you-for-one-million-subscribers-video. That at this moment there were exactly one million grains of sugar in his tea. That there were one million tiny water particles settled on his body. That his parents were one million centimetres away, 10km South and peacefully oblivious.

One million seconds before

His squeal rang through every corner of the flat, reverberating off the walls. I had mere seconds to fling my laptop out of the way and brace myself before he burst through the door and launched himself into me. The air was knocked from my lungs and I gasped out a laugh, wrapping my arms around his squirming body.

“Congratulations,” I mumbled into his tussled hair, squeezing him tight. “I’m so proud of you.”

He lifted his head, his shining eyes peeking through mussed hair. “It’s all thanks to you though. I couldn’t have done it without you. You deserve it more than me. You’re the best.”

“Oh shut up,” I laughed. “Today is all about you. You made every single video and I’m sure you would have done it eventually without my help.”

He pulled himself up to bring his eyes level with mine. “No I mean it. Thank you, for everything. For getting me started and for being there ever since. For being my best friend. I’d never have got past five subscribers if I was still the depressed, cocky little twat I was before I met you.”

A grin spread across my face. “Oh come here you soppy idiot.” I giggled, pulling him back into a hug.

I could feel him smiling into my shoulder; his happiness was infectious - pushing away all strains of bitterness. “Okay get up, I have a present for you!”

~

“Can we just stay here? It’s really warm in your bed. And I actually love innocently sleeping in the same bed as friends. I mean you already know that, but since we started living together we just haven’t and it’s one of my favourite things.*”

I tried to suppress my grin. “Sure, of course, why not. We can spoon.”

He laughed and curled into me. “You said it!” he snickered, pulling my arm to wrap it around his waist.

We’d both agreed we were platonic lovers; the cuddles and the little kisses were just friendly. We had feelings for each other sure, but so did most best friends at times. Sometimes, you can be talking and laughing and suddenly have the urge to just lean forward and kiss the person opposite. Like you would with a little brother. And that was me and Dan, most of the time. Sometimes; I thought we had a little more. Sometimes I wanted to kiss Dan and go on kissing him right into the night. That part of our relationship had slipped away for a while, but as I lay with my face in his warm neck it was hard to imagine anything else. I sighed. My breath tickled his neck and he squirmed, twisting round to face me.

“Don’t do that you idiot!” he froze for a moment, staring at me; our faces millimetres away from each other. Suddenly, he darted forwards and placed a quick kiss on my cheek – rolling back over in an instant as though nothing had happened.

For a moment, I didn’t say anything.

“Dan..?” I whispered cautiously.

There was no reply. Was he asleep already? Somehow I didn’t think so.