Fourteen Days in February

Wrapped Around His Finger

Phil finds himself feeling insecure and even jealous when Dan receives a flood of attention from other men. Dan reassures him and seeks to prove that he only has eyes for Phil.

Time Period: 2009/2010

* * *

Dan commanded attention. There were no two ways about it; Dan Howell was a highly-desired boy, receiving attention from both males and females.

Phil loved it, and he hated it. He loved his boyfriend deeply, and they shared an unprecedented emotional and mental connection. Their sexual chemistry was off the charts; it was palpable.

Phil was proud to have Dan's love and affection. He found Dan irresistible from the very beginning. Even as an eighteen-year-old boy, Dan had Phil's undivided attention.

Phil loved the way the boy's face tapered, the smoothness of his lightly-tanned skin, and the gentle slope of his perfect nose. He loved the shape of Dan's eyes, their depth, and the way that they sparkled when he spoke about something passionately.

Phil would watch the boy's mouth move when he talked, when he smiled, and when he licked his perfect, pink, pillowy lips. Sometimes he would nibble on them when he was nervous or even bite down on his lower lip when they talked about sex.

Meeting in person only intensified Phil's feelings. This was more than friendship and beyond attraction. Phil was in love with Dan.

Once he introduced Dan to his audience, they embraced him with open arms. It was clear, however, that the majority shared Phil's opinion on Dan's beauty. Straight away men and women alike commented on Dan's gorgeous face and boyish body. Phil liked the attention that his new boyfriend and best friend received at first.

It was only three months after their first meeting that Phil had his first wave of regret.

Dan was visiting, and the two uploaded a collaboration video. The comments started rolling in, and they read them out loud together.

"Dan is so hot. Is he single?"

"Damn Phil, that boy is fine."

"Can we get more Dan please?

Dan blushed and shook his head. He felt uncomfortable reading the comments, even in front of Phil.  He noticed that his boyfriend was quiet and reserved, and it genuinely concerned him.

"Phil?" Dan twirled a long section of hair around his finger and  looked up at the head of the bed where Phil's face was being eclipsed by his laptop.

"Yeah?"

"Is something bothering you? You're awfully quiet. Have I done something wrong?" Dan swallowed nervously. This was his first serious relationship with a man, and he was painfully aware of their age difference; he often worried that he would say or do something stupid.

"No, of course not. I guess I do feel a little weird about the comments though." Phil stayed hidden behind his screen.

"Weird?" Dan sat up straight and sucked on the string of his navy hoodie.

"Yeah, everyone is talking about how you look, and to be honest, it kind of bothers me." Phil flipped his screen forward and looked up to meet Dan's dark brown eyes.

Dan opened his mouth and the string fell out and against his chest. Was Phil jealous? "In what way?" Dan fumbled with Phil's stuffed Lion by marching it up his leg.

"I mean, they're not wrong; you are gorgeous Dan." Phil managed a grin, and Dan did too. "But there is more to you than what you look like."

Dan gulped. Phil wasn't jealous, not necessarily. He was concerned that Dan was being sexualized and underrated as a creator. He put his hand over his heart and pouted sweetly. "Phil, you are precious, seriously."