Dream a Little Dream // Daniel Howell x Reader

Chapter 18

The three of them walked together under the gloomy skies of London, the chilly air creating puffs of steam with each exhale of breath. While it wasn't currently snowing, the temperature alone was enough to send shivers through their bones, winter coats doing nothing to stop the cold from entering. Phil eyed the sky warrily, unsure of what mother nature had in store for them later today.

He looked to the side of him, thankful that Dan had decided to wear his coat today. Otherwise he would've been a miserable pile once more, forced to wear (Y/N)'s coat because of his unmovable stubborness. Speaking of (Y/N), she was walking at an even pace beside him, her wide eyes surveying the new territory in wonderment. Phil couldn't help but smile as he hoped that deep down, she would learn to love he city just as he and Dan did.

"Alright Phil, where are we going? You said it would be a day out, so now I want to know where." Impatient as always, Dan spoke up beside Phil, his teeth chattering slightly as his body was continuously exposed to the elements. The tip of his nose was turning red as were his cheeks; Phil noted how humorous it was that (Y/N) didn't seem to feel the same effects as Dan did.

"Don't you worry Danny, just enjoy the walk for now." Dan mumbled something out of earshot, scrunching his body into his coat. A gentle nudge from (Y/N) followed by a giggle seemed to momentarily bring Dan out from his moody rut, a smile beginning to form on his features. Phil kept noticing things like this, but he wouldn't say anything about it; that wouldn't be much fun, now would it?

Phil continued to guide the group forward, constantly reassuring them that they would eventually reach their destination. Yet behind his confident smile, one thing was making Phil Lester sweat nervously that he refused to admit to his friends:

He honestly had nothing planned for today. He was just going to wing it.

He kept looking endlessly at the shops they passed, desperately trying to find something that would be a good enough excuse to visit. They could do a cafe again, but maybe (Y/N) would be bored since they already did that yesterday. They could see a movie, but there wasn't anything remotely interesting on at the moment. I would be nice to continue their walk through the nearby park, but judging by Dan's sulking appearance, they wouldn't last very long before he'd be groaning in obvious protest.

Despite the predicament Phil was in, he tried his best to keep his confident smile showing. Even though his mind was racing at a lightspeed's pace, he had to play it cool until he could find something they'd all enjoy. Shop after shop, at this rate they'd end up at the end of the strip...

(Y/N)'s curious tone broke through Phil's worried thoughts. "What's that store?" Phil looked to where she was pointing, his eyes falling on his saving grace. It was a video game shop.

"Oh hey! That's one of the game shops Dan and I go to a lot. Did you want to check it out?"

(Y/N) raised her eyebrows as she thought about it for a second before ultimately nodding her head. Phil breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she was the one who had thought of something, saving him the embarrassment of not knowing where to go. "Okay, to the game store we go! You alright with that, Dan?"

Dan rolled his eyes, his teeth still chattering. "Yes, anything to get out of this fucking cold!" Through clacking teeth, you could hear the audible relief in his stern voice.

Phil smiled and led the group to the door, listening to the familiar ring of the bell once they entered. Instantly, the warmth of the store washed over everyone, thawing out their frigid bodies and filling it with a much needed heat. They would all be back to a normal body temperature in due time and for that, Phil was so grateful.

One of the workers gave them a small greeting before going back to his scheduled job, an armful of gaming merchandise in his arms had he continued stacking them on the nearby shelves. Anytime Phil came in here, he always felt a slight pang of jealousy that he wasn't one of the lucky people who could work here. It would be such a dream to work at a game shop, surrounded by endless amounts of video games and nerdy objects; employee discount too! Fortunately, his current lifestyle suited him much better and was something he had no plans of parting with soon.