Collection of Phan One-shots

When we were young

Summary: Phil moved away years ago leaving Dan in London by himself. But what happens when Dan sees Phil at Louise's birthday party?

Genre: fluff and slight angst

WK: 2,321

Dan saw him there in the soft pink hue of the lights. His back was turned but there was no mistake that the man standing there was the man no one had seen in years. His tall figure stood out among everyone and his shoulders were hunched forward as he talked to a girl. His shoulders shook lightly as he laughed quietly and all Dan wanted in that moment was to hear the laugh that once echoed off their apartment walls. When he shifted, Dan saw that the girl he was talking to was Zoella.

He caught Zoella's eyes and smiled as her eyes shifted to Phil meaning to say, "Guess who's here. Come talk to him." Dan shook his head when Zoella glanced back over at him. He saw her frown slightly and that's when he turned to go find Louise.

He maneuvered his way through the crowds and found the blonde chatting with Caspar. "Hey, there's the birthday girl!" Dan exclaimed to gain their attention.

"Dan!" Louise yelled when she saw him, "You're finally here!" Dan could sense that she was hiding something from the way her voice got higher and she seemed apprehensive. He had a feeling it was about Phil being here tonight but was willing to not push when he had already seen him. I mean, how could he not. His eyes always seemed to search for him from the bad habit that formed when he was always around. He just wasn't expecting to actually see him this time.

"I know he's here."

"You do? Look, Dan, I'm sorry. I saw him walking down the street and before I could even think about anything, I invited him to my birthday party. You don't have to stay if it's all too much for you. Perhaps Phil will leave instead. I always know he never wants you to feel uncomfortable. I know how suddenly you-" Louise started to ramble but before she could get into a full blown rant, Dan interrupted her.

"It's fine," Dan said honestly. Okay, maybe not honestly because he still held anger towards the man but overall it was still admiration. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break the person he was when he was eighteen. "What I don't understand is why he's back here."

Phil had moved away from London in a rush. Not just London but England in general. Dan still remembers the day he came home to Phil packing suitcases and him telling Dan that he was moving away, leaving to California because it was an overall more creative area. Dan remembered how he begged Phil to stay but all he did was shake his head and kept insisting that he was leaving and nothing Dan could do would make him stay.

Dan exclaimed in a rush that he loved Phil way too much for them to be apart. They had been each other's lives for years and Dan wouldn't know how to cope with losing his best friend so easily. Phil simply shook his head and went to move past Dan uttering one sentence, "Maybe I was your life but you're not my life, Dan."

Now that Phil was in the same building as him, he couldn't help to feel the fluttering of butterflies in his stomach. Phil just naturally gave them to him. He couldn't help to feel the beating of his heart against his ribcage or the thin layer of precipitation that formed over his hands, making him worriedly wipe his palm on his jean-clad thigh. Phil was in the same building as him and it was only a matter of time until the man saw Dan's figure in the sea of people.

"Dan!" He blinked as a pair of hands clapped in front of his vision, breaking the chain of thoughts that his mind was currently bound in, "Are you sure you're okay with him being here? I can make it my mission to keep you both on opposite sides of the room. Gosh, I messed up didn't I?"

"Louise, it's your birthday party. I'm not going to let him ruin that for you. I'm here to stay." Dan smiled softly at the end and took notice of the way Louise seemed to relax at Dan's words.