Set Up •●• phan

IV

Dan rested his head against the window and sighed. Since he told PJ that he would go to vidcon there had been a seemingly limitless stream of jobs to do, spaces to book and plane tickets to arrange.

They'd only had three days to sort it all out before they were due on their flight, and Dan had seriously started to reconsider his decision to go if it was going to be this much hassle. Fortunately, he didn't even have enough time to mention this to PJ before a car was pulling up outside and they were driving to the airport.

Their flight had taken off at half past ten at night, which PJ was convinced would let them arrive at the hotel in perfect time. Dan had no idea what they'd be in time for, but he agreed with PJ anyway. He felt a little out of his depth and the feeling of wanting to hide in a suitcase and let PJ carry him there without any hassle wasn't disappearing.

Dan's ears started to pop as the plane began to descend. He leaned back in his seat and PJ smiled over at him.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine - maybe a bit nervous, but fine." Dan looked out of the small window at the rapidly approaching ground.

In a few hours they'd be at the hotel. PJ had told Dan that there was a hotel for all the YouTubers to stay in, so he's be able to meet them before the event.  Dan was unsure whether this was a good thing or not, but he wasn't complaining. At least this way he'd be near PJ and able to rely on him to arrange everything.

The bump of the landing woke Dan from his thoughts. He waited for the plane to stop moving before picking up his bag and collecting the few items he had with him.

He and PJ stood up as the plane doors opened, and they followed the crowd out.

Dan barely registered the passport checks. He was too busy trying to calm himself down about the convention. Crowds of people had never been his thing.

PJ hailed a taxi and pulled a bewildered Dan inside.

California was so different to everything Dan was used to, and he wasn't sure how to react. He knew that without PJ had be completely lost.

"We'll be there in about five minutes," PJ told him.

Dan felt a sudden feeling of terror wash over him. There were YouTubers with millions of subscribers in that hotel - all significant people - and he was going to be there, trying to talk to them, being ignored and pitied because he thought he could join them and that he was good enough to be there.

He struggled to articulate his thoughts in a way that PJ would understand.

"They're all so... successful," he eventually said. "They'll just look down on me and I won't know what to do."

PJ almost laughed but, seeing Dan's face, thought better of it. "Dan Howell. Most people meet maybe two thousand others in their life, and maybe a hundred of those people will look up to them or admire them. You, on the other hand, have over a hundred thousand people who hang onto every word you say, whenever you say it, and you dare to say you're not successful?"

Dan sighed. PJ didn't get it. He tried to think of another way to express himself but was interrupted by the taxi pulling up outside the hotel.
PJ paid the driver and they stepped out of the car.

Dan gaped at the building in front of him. It was the hugest, most eccentric piece of design he'd ever seen. Arches, corridors and balconies littered the walls, statues stood around the roof and steps, and the doors stood like huge rocks in the middle of it all. PJ smiled.

"Like it?"

"How expensive is this place?"

PJ smiled. "Vidcon arrange it all for us."

Dan raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah! It's great. Anyway, do you want to go in?"

Dan tore his eyes away from the hotel to look at PJ. "Ok. Let's do this."