ART DECO | PHAN

four.

1/15/17

phil lester slept in.

he hadn't meant to, of course, but when he opened his eyes it was half an hour after his class had started.

he jumped up, panic shooting through him. he managed to get dressed in five minutes, putting on deodorant instead of showering, and leaving on his glasses. he didn't have time to put in contacts. he grabbed his bag off the chair next to his bed, and took off.

his first class was foreign studies, which was mostly learning about different cultures and a little bit of language. it was one of phil's favorite classes. he actually liked leaving his own world to explore another. it was nice; a form of escape.

he pushed through the door, blushing and apologizing to the professor before rushing back to find a seat.

the room was a theater type set up, with rows of seats all slanting down towards the front. phil felt a tickle on the back of his neck and quickly located the source; a nervous looking dan near the back, his hair covered in a hood, as per usual. phil walked up to him before he could stop himself, sitting next to him.

dan was very clearly avoiding his eyes, but phil didn't pay any mind. he was probably just nervous- it was his first day, after all.

the rest of the class was taking notes, and dan had a notebook in his lap, a pencil lodged between his fingers. phil watched him tap it against the paper in an indiscernible rhythm.

phil cursed when he reached into his bag and came up blank. he had forgotten his notebook, he must have left it on his desk from studying the night before.

he was about ready to just attempt to memorize everything the man was saying, but a pale hand crossed his vision. a piece of paper was thrust in his direction, dan's wide, kind of sad fawn eyes on him. phil took it, offering him a smile.

"i owe you," he muttered, taking out a pen. dan didn't answer.

after about another half hour of taking notes, (mr. g talked fast, it was almost impossible to keep up), he stopped, facing the class.

"we're starting another big project this semester," he said, receiving considerable backlash in the way of groans and whining. phil grinned, his eyes shining. he loved the projects, they were usually a challenge, and phil loved challenges.

the professor chuckled.

"don't get too excited. but really, i promise this one will be interesting." he turned toward the board. "you'll be making your own civilizations, be it a country, or just a town. you'll need all the basic necessities, such as a system of government, and citizens. however, it will have to be original. you'll be creating your own language." more groaning. "it doesn't have to be too complex, a few words is suitable. any questions?"

a small girl in the front that phil recognized as one of eva's friends, (cece? cecilia?), raised her hand.

"yeah, can we work with partners?"

mr. g nodded. "if you want to, you may work with a partner of your choice. if not, that's fine as well."

phil swore he heard dan let out a whoosh of breath.

"i'll give you a few minutes to figure out who you want to work with, and then i'll call on you individually to tell me your team."

phil watched the room unravel; girls scrambling to claim each other, guys calling to each other from across the room and a slurry of waving and various hand gestures. phil sighed; he would probably end up working alone. it wasn't that no one wanted to be with him- a lot of people usually did, he was the cheerful jock who was dating eva and happened to have good grades- he just kind of liked working alone. that way no one could leech all his effort.

he glanced at dan, who looked increasingly fidgety. he didn't know anyone, there was no one to scramble to be his partner. dan didn't really seem like the type to want to work with someone, though... phil frowned.

"you okay?" he whispered, leaning in his direction. dan nodded tightly, still not looking at him. 

finally the teacher called out for calm, and phil looked back up front.

he started with the girls at the front of the class, checking a clipboard whenever he forgot a name. cece (?) ended up with another of eva's friends, a girl with bleach blond hair who always wore far too tight ripped jeans. as the attention was passed around the first row, it came to phil's attention that everyone so far had a partner.

second row, same thing was true. he could practically feel dan shaking next to him. he bit his lip.

he got it now. if everyone had a partner, how would dan look? he would be known as the new kid with no friends. besides, the anxiety of speaking in front of everyone would bother anyone on their first day. he furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

finally the attention was trailing down the row right before them. only one person was working alone; a girl named katie with bright pink hair and a lip piercing. phil used to have a bunch of classes with her, but she had started showing up less.

"mr. lester? are you working with a partner?"

phil's gaze shot up, looking around. dan let out a soft whimper next to him, sliding down in his seat anxiously.

"yeah," he blurted, sitting up straighter. "i'm working with dan." he smiled, a bright grin, his best feature. the professor smiled back, glancing at dan and checking his clipboard.

"ah, mr. howell! welcome to my class."

dan nodded tightly, turning to stare at phil, his eyes wide. phil shrugged.

"sorry...?"

dan bit his lip, his gaze falling again.

"s' okay," dan mumbled, his face pink. "thanks," he added after a moment. phil beamed.

"no problem."