non-binary → phan (on hold)

8. tae

(um, filler chapter? i'm sorry.) 

i woke up to billie slamming into my side and phil laughing. i opened my eyes, groaning as i shoved her off of me. she landed on her butt, looking up at me with bright and excited eyes. "dan, i have bad and good news!" 

"give me the good news first," i said. i pulled my blanket over my eyes, shielding them from the bright light of morning. "i've had enough bad news." 

billie stood up from the ground and shuffled over to phil. when i peeked over the blanket she was tugging phil over to the bed. "i made a friend here that's my age! finally! phil got to meet him and everything." billie's smile reached her ears. "he's nice and he's from korea but he's not a foreign exchange student like me. he actually moved here with his family. he used to be friends with cat."

i snarled at cat's name. phil nodded his head quickly in agreement. "when will i get to meet this guy?" 

"his name is kim tae-hyung or something like that?" she tilted her head at me. "i know it sounds bad that i don't remember his full name but he said that it would be a lot easier if everybody just called him tae or v. i'm gonna call him tae mostly because everyone else calls him v." 

i rolled my eyes. "that's great and all, but when do i get to meet him?"

she grasped onto my arm, holding on tightly. her fingernails dug slightly into my skin. "come with phil to pick me up from school tomorrow. we both have a project to work on together so i said he could come over to my place and we could make quiche again. he's never had quiche before." 

"is this quiche-making going to be a thing now?" i asked, smiling widely at billie. my smile fell when i noticed billie's bright expression falter. "what is it?" 

"um, i may have forgotten about the bad news." she fiddled with her fingers, looking down at my bed. she shifted so that she was laying down next to me. "tae and i will have to be long-distance friends soon, and the quiche thing will have to be once every summer until i'm old enough to move out." 

i closed my eyes, sighing deeply. "you're moving to america over the holidays, aren't you?"

she nodded sadly. "i'm really gonna miss you, danny." she sat up, pointing at fill with a skinny finger. "and you too, philly." 

"we're gonna miss you too, bils," i said, wrapping my arms around her waist. i felt her arms rest against my back, her fingers tapping against my back. i lifted my head slightly to look at phil. "you look extremely awkward and left out. join the cuddle." 

"is this really what you do with all of your friends?" phil asked, laughing as he wrapped his arms around both billie and i anyway. 

"get used to it, phil," billie said, "dan's gonna need a new cuddle-buddy soon." 

⌲

phil and i both stared at billie's new friend incredulously. he kept his eyes on the ground and his hands couldn't seem to put down the hem of the shirt that he was fiddling with. his brown hair brushed his eyelids; i wondered if it tickled. 

billie was clutching his arm tightly with one hand, directing him to the backseat of the car. "this is tae. don't worry, he's not always this shy." she gestured to phil. "this is phil. he's practically my own free personal uber driver that is also my friend." she pointed at me. "and that's dan. he's been my go-to person to vent, rant, cuddle, and share memes with. wanna say hi?" 

he looked up just enough to glance at both of us in turn. i couldn't hear what he said, but it sounded like something along the lines of "abcdefghhakunamatata". 

my eyebrows furrowed together. i nodded at him. "nice to meet you too?" 

billie opened the back door to let him inside. i turned around to face her as she slid into the seat next to him. "he doesn't seem like the kind of person you would hang out with, bils. i'm honestly shocked with you." 

"he's just shy at first, and it's called human decency, daniel." she rolled her eyes. "and you should know that he can understand almost everything you just said." she pulled her bag off of her shoulder and slung it onto the floor below her. "he was completely alone after cat totally ditched him to start hanging out with me. i felt bad and wanted to make it up to him. besides, cat practically ruins everyone's chance at gaining any friends once she 'corrupts' them." 

"are you both considered one of the 'corrupted'?" phil asked, starting his car up. 

billie shook her head. "i'm not, at least not anymore. i got removed from my status as an idiot by decking her in the face. but if you remember that day clearly enough, he was with her when she barged in. she dragged him along with her as backup and then sorta abandoned him outside without a ride. so he's considered a left-over." 

"high school is so stupid," i grumbled, watching the road ahead of me. "the whole cheer team and jocks and nerds and outcasts thing. i can't believe that's actually a thing." 

"believe it." the faint voice made me jump a little. i watched tae through the rearview mirror; he was staring back at me with nervous eyes. "there's more." 

"i almost wish that i was both you and billie's dad so that i wouldn't even have to think about that bullpoop anymore," phil said, shaking his head. "billie, are you sure we can't homeschool you? and tae now, i guess." 

"i'm sure." she slammed her elbow into the back of my seat, causing me to jump. tae joined her in laughter.

"stop laughing at me," i said, frowning at them. "phil's the one that's in college and literally just said bullpoop." 

"that's because phil is a child, my friend." billie swung her arm over the shoulder of my seat. "and you're stuck with him now because of me, so i guess you'll just have to get used to it because when i'm gone, i guarantee you're going to be seeing these two more than ever." 

i rolled my eyes. "great. it's going to be a long three years." 

⌲

author's note! i'm so sorry but this chapter and possibly the next one (depending on whether it's going to be the halloween update or not) are basically just filler chapters. we'll get to the dramatic stuff soon. ((:
-di