If Only The Stars Aligned {Phan}

Diamonds On The Dance Floor

The party was large and extravagant, taking up the entire main hall, dining room and some of the courtyard. People stood chatting with wine glasses in their hands or dancing to whatever song the DJ decided to play. It was nice, and Dan liked it that way.

"Pj! Dan!" The pair was greeted by the smiling faces of Hilly and Hannah. The sisters looked stunning and were dressed in the nicest clothes Dan had ever seen.

"Hi!" Pj exclaimed, giving each girl a quick hug. Dan just waved.

"How are you? We didn't see you yesterday." Hannah asked, smile not leaving her face.

"We're good. Sorry about not seeing you. We didn't really feel up to leaving the room yesterday." Pj explained as Dan remained silent.

"Well it was great to see you tonight. We'll catch up with you later. Bye!" Hilly said, waving over her shoulder as the two walked away.

The boys wandered around the room a little bit more, drink glasses in hand in an attempt to find Ethan while Dan was secretly searching for Phil.

As if on cue, said blue haired boy attached himself to Pj in a hug, chuckling at his startled expression. "Heyo." Ethan smiled, kissing Pj lightly on the cheek.

"Hi." Pj smiled back, giggling lightly.

"Come on! Let's go dance!" Ethan said, grabbing Pj's hand and nodding towards the dance floor.

"You okay on your own?" Pj asked, looking down at Dan who nodded and smiled in return. "Well alright, let's go!"

Dan watched from afar as Pj and Ethan danced to whatever song was on at the time amidst the sea of bodies. They were having fun. Pj didn't get to have fun at these things most of he time. Dan was always there, holding him back. He hated it. He didn't want to be the reason Pj wasn't having fun. But he was. And he resented himself for it.

The room was getting hot and all Dan wanted to do was roll his sleeves up but he couldn't as people would see what he had been drawing on his arm earlier. He settled for sitting outside instead, the cool night air was bound to cool him down.

Stepping out into the part of the large garden being used for the party, Dan couldn't help but notice that not many people were out there. It was much more lit up than the night before. Twinkling fairy lights had been strung through the trees along a path towards an old gazebo. As he walked further and further away from the castle the lights grew more scarce and the few remaining ones twinkled off the stream running through the courtyard.

Dan stopped at the patch of trees he had visited the night before, sitting on the ground with his back resting on the rough bark. The soft hue of the lights bouncing off the stream made the entire thing a very peaceful place to rest.

He rolled up his sleeves, no longer caring about other people seeing the ink along his arms. No one was here. He was alone and he liked it that way. Sure, maybe having a companion with him would be nice but Pj was off having fun and Dan didn't want to stop him from doing so.

"Dan, hey." Dan looked up and was greeted by none other than Phil.

"Hey Phil." Dan replied, using his body to shield his view of the markings on his arms.

He looked up, studying the boy that stood before him. He looked gorgeous. He wore black jeans and a blue short sleeved button down shirt, paired with black dress shoes and his sliver crown sitting crookedly on his head.

"Mind if I sit?" Phil said quietly, nodding towards the ground next to Dan, who replied with a small nod.

Phil sat down quietly, clearly sensing Dan's discomfort. "You okay?" He asked quietly, looking at the brown haired boy carefully.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Dan replied, playing with the sleeve of his shirt.

"You don't look fine Dan." Phil said, gently grabbing Dan's hand, causing the younger boy to still in shock.

"I like your doodles, they look cute, almost like tattoos." Phil hummed, looking down at the inkings on Dan's arms.

"Thanks." Dan said quietly, pulling his hand away from Phil's.

"Am I making you uncomfortable? Do you want me to go?" Phil asked, starting to stand up before Dan grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"No, stay. I don't want to be alone." Dan quietly insisted, pulling his arm away from Phil's.

"Okay." Phil said, settling back down beside Dan and looking at the brown haired boy who stared down at his lap. "Why don't we tell each other more about ourselves. I'll go first, alright?" Dan looked up at Phil and nodded, flicking his fringe out of his eyes.

Phil smiled goofily, causing a small giggle to escape its cage in Dan's throat. "Alright. Well, I'm twenty one years old, I come from the planet Neptune, I have an older brother named Martyn, I'm naturally ginger and I love lions. What about you?"

Dan sucked in a deep breath. "Well, I'm seventeen years old, I come from Jupiter, I have a younger brother, I really like llamas and Pj is my only friend."

"I'm your friend, Dan." Phil said, staring Dan straight in the eye. It was strange, the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye. It can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable.

"Come on!" Phil said, jumping up and extending his hand down for Dan to take.

"Where are we going?" Dan asked, grabbing Phil's hand and letting himself be pulled up, not letting go of the older boys hand.

"I just so happen to love this song." Phil said, pulling Dan ever so closer to him.

As Dan listened to the quiet sounds of the music playing in the distance, he couldn't help but think about how much fun Pj must be having, dancing inside with Ethan. He smiled sadly at the fact that he couldn't be having in like that too.

"Come on, let's dance." Phil said softly, pulling Dan close enough that their chests touched. He placed his hands on Dan's waist and Dan instinctively wrapped his arms around Phil's neck. The two stayed there, swaying gently to the slow melody of the song, like diamonds on the dance floor.