ADOPTED BY PHAN

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Sorry for keeping you waiting! I needed a break for exams and to spend time with my family. Regardless of how hard it is for us right now, I want to keep writing this fic :-) it helps take my mind off things and your comments make me happy! So, without further ado . . . GET READY FOR A SUMMER FILLED WITH THE HOWELL-LESTER FAMILY . . . and me.

Iris stirs out of her sleep from the sound of something russling a plastic bag. Getting out of bed, she walks out of the room without putting pants on. In just a T-shirt - stolen from Dan - she clutches her phone and ambles down the hall towards the kitchen.

Peeking into the room, she squints at the brightness of the kitchen lights. Though once her vision focuses, she squints and shakes her head disapprovingly. Because standing with his back turned against Iris, slouching over a stolen cereal box, is none other than Phil Lester.

Now, in a normal family, the daughter would immediately question her father's oddity. In the Howell-Lester household, however, Iris cautiously lifts her phone up and snaps a picture. Once she holds this sneaky photo evidence, she pounces onto Phil's back.

"Caught-ya!" Iris whisper-shouts, scaring Phil into dropping the cereal box.

"What?" Phil whispers back, trying to calm his breathing. "What are you doing, Iris?"

Still clinging to his back, Iris states, "The real question is what are you doing, Daddy?"

Phil sputters out incoherent words, trying to justify an innocent act of cereal stealing. His daughter jumps off his back to glare at him instead. She holds up the picture she took minutes before, causing Phil to sigh in defeat.

"Listen," He crouches a bit to make sure Iris can hear his quiet words, "I'll share with you!"

"And what's in it for you?"

"Don't tell Dan that I stole his cereal."

"You know, lying is bad in a relationship-"

"It's not lying! Just . . ."

"Not telling the truth?"

"Yeah. Sure. So, what do you say?"

"Well," Iris extends her hand, "Mr. Lester, you have yourself a deal!"

Phil shakes her hand, "It's been a pleasure doing business with you!"

Halfway through their midnight snack, a small creak is heard from down the hall. Following it, are clumsy footsteps, clearly from someone who's still in the midst of awakening. As the realization that Dan is coming hits them, Iris and Phil waste precious time - that could be spent formulating a plan - to stare at each other in panic.

Just as Dan is about to enter the kitchen, Iris grabs the box from her dad and throws it behind a houseplant. Phil catches on, using his foot to sweep the fallen bits of cereal underneath the fridge. The two then leap towards the breakfast bar stools, trying to make everything appear normal.