Simply Meant To Be ||Dan x Reader||

Chapter 3 - Dan Is On Fire

I gasped as the covers were abruptly stripped from my bare skin.

"What are you doing in my bed?" An alarmed voice asked. The luster light that the moon shed was barely enough to illuminate the figure's features. He towered high, obviously a very tall man, and his hair was styled in a fringe. For a split second I thought it was Phil. I panicked, thinking that my friendship with Phil was obliterated and that he only gained my trust to hurt me. I screamed, frantically kicking at the silhouette in the darkness. The figure lunged at me, trying to grab my wrists, but too much fear and adrenaline pumped through my veins so I flailed ferociously. Before I could twist free, the lights suddenly turned on.

"Dan?" Phil switched on the lights and was standing in the doorway, half lidded and half asleep. The person holding me down glanced over at Phil, then back at me. After registering I was just a benign girl, he released his grip on my wrists.

"Bloody hell, who are you?" I eyed the man. He was wearing a dapper outfit that was taut around the frame of his body. I couldn't process any words, still in shock from what had happened not even a minute ago. Phil chimed in, introducing me to the man.

"Dan, this is (y/n), I picked her up at the airport because she didn't have a place to stay, so I thought she could stay here." A light pink dusted over my face in several different shades.

"Then why couldn't she stay in the guest room?!" Dan said in utter perturbation.

"We're having that renovated, remember?" The guy whose bed I was still laying in groaned.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." Dan stomped over to Phil and jabbed a lanky finger in his chest.

"Hey. Let's all go to the lounge and work this out." Phil suggested. Dan and I silently agreed. I ascended from the bed, only wearing a baggy shirt and boxers, and padded into the lounge quietly. Phil and Dan followed closely behind.

We all sat apart from each other. Dan was the first to speak.

"Okay, explain to me why you're still here." He scrutinized Phil, examining him closely to detect any lies.

"I missed my flight. I ran into (y/n), she didn't have a place to stay, I took her in. That's the whole story." Phil bluntly admitted, putting all the cards on the table.

"Why? You can't just take every homeless person you see into our flat!"

"She couldn't find her wallet so she had absolutely no money! It was only polite..." Phil opined. Dan crossed his arms in disapproval. I was afraid of getting caught up in their little dispute, so I shrunk into the corner of the couch. My anxiety started to flare up. At the sound of them arguing I almost wanted to cry. Dan glanced over at me once and noticed the tears peaking my eyes, and his voice lowered.

"Look, I didn't mean to make you cry and I'm very sorry. It's not that I don't like you, it's just that Phil needs to learn we can't take random people into our home." I understood that, but he didn't understand why I was crying. My emotions were building up faster than I could knock them down.

"I-I... You're not the reason I'm tearing up." When I spoke, Dan's expression wavered. I clutched my chest in agony as it started to ache. My breaths became short. Phil got up and left, then returned with a pill and a glass of water. I looked at it uneasily.

"What, what is that?"

"It's for panic attacks. It'll help you calm down." Without hesitation, I took the pill and sipped at the water. Dan scooted next to me and Phil.

"I'm fine. I can get a job and leave so I'm not a burden." Dan and Phil both frowned.

"No no, it's fine," Dan uttered, "just, don't worry about it. We can deal with this in the morning." I fiercely rubbed at the tears in my eyes to wipe them away.

Pathetic, I thought, you're being absolutely pathetic. Phil nodded and helped me up.

"I can sleep on the couch, you can sleep in my room, okay (y/n)?" My head started ache as well, making my temples throb.

"No, the couch is fine for me-" Dan firmly grabbed my shoulders, evidently tired and not wanting to be impertinent.

"You can sleep in my room. Okay?" It sounded more like a demand than an offer, but I too was also exhausted and wanted to crawl back into bed. But with my current mood I wanted to crawl into the sheets just to shrivel up and die. I felt like a nuisance. I hated being problematic to other people. Phil went to the closet and fished out a few loose blankets and a pillow for Dan to use while he slumbered on the couch. Without even changing out of his nice clothes or preparing for bed, Dan just swaddled himself up in the sheets and crashed onto the couch.

"Goodnight guys." Phil called behind himself as he worked his way back up to his room.

"Goodnight Phil. Goodnight (y/n)." Dan muttered, half asleep.

"Nighty..." I squeaked, then scurried off to bed before I made an even bigger fool of myself.

I still couldn't fall asleep, especially after having that panic attack. I relentlessly stared at the moon as if it would put me to sleep like a magic aid. Enervated from tonight's events, I sat up, then decided to go back to the kitchen to grab another glass of water.

I skulked passed Dan and into the kitchen where I helped myself to a tall glass of ice cold water. It was refreshing, but didn't do anything to help me sleep. Not like I expected it to.

As I set the empty glass into the sink the door to the kitchen creaked on it's hinges. I jumped, spinning around on my heel violently to turn around and face whoever was entering. It was Dan.

"I heard you going to the kitchen.." My heart quivered.

"I, I'm so s-sorry, I didn't mean to.." Dan waved his hand to dismiss my apology.

"No, seriously, it's fine. I couldn't sleep anyway. I just got up to apologize to you about my behavior. I was and still am tired and sort of half drunk. I can be inept and kind of a gauche sometimes..." I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and looked off to the side.

"Me too..." I admitted, blushing slightly. It was hard to look him in the eyes. I mean, it was arduous to look anyone in the eyes. But it was even more difficult with him. His face was so fetching and his gaze was so captivating.

"So, we're good?" He asked awkwardly when the heavy silence became too much to hold. I smiled shyly.

"Yeah, we're good." He smiled back.

"Thanks," He pulled me in for a hug. The unanticipated embrace caught me off guard, but I quickly adjusted and hugged him back. We stayed there for a little while. It was actually quite nice. When he pulled away I felt the brisk warmth in my chest escape, "I'm going back to bed. Goodnight (y/n), and sleep well." When he left I sat in the darkness for a moment, trying to register what had happened. I felt like I was trapped in a dream. Everything was so unreal.

I lied back in bed, curling up in Dan's sheets. They shared the same sweet scent that I had smelled on him when we hugged. In time, I dozed off with ease. Knowing I wasn't an issue for Dan and Phil relaxed me very much. But there was something else. Another factor that helped me loosen up. I think I was falling for Dan Howell.