Like you (Phan)

2019: presnt day

REMEMBER: NOT MY STORY FULL CREDIT TO
its-just-phun-to-imagine

Quick before this story begins: if you have already read this lovely story on tumblr and are only here for the happy ending that I wrote, please skip to the chapter named "2024: HAPPY ENDING" I did not write any of this story except for the happy ending epilogue. I wrote this because I cannot handle sad endings and my friend suggested to me that I post it.

Summary: Its 2019 and there's a wedding. Phil's saying something, but Dan isn't really listening, his mind's elsewhere...that "where" being ten years ago, in 2009.
Angst/Fluff
TW:  Rating PG-13, Swearing, drinking/drunk
Like You:
2019 Wedding ~
Dan was never really a fan of churches. Sure, he's been in loads, plenty of family outings from when he was little, school trips in secondary school for religious studies, and some primary school hymn sessions, made sure of that. But to him they always seemed...too quiet? Yes, too quiet for Dan, he needed a distraction: a busy mind. The silence made it impossible to distract your mind from its own thoughts, so that you were forced to look at what was actually floating around in there...and Dan wasn't a big fan of that either. Why?
His thoughts normally consisted of dark existentialism, a fuckload of regrets, and old repressed memories, which he didn't really want to revisit...especially as he is supposed to be paying attention to the vicar.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to-" gathered? What's he mean gathered, that makes it sound like people don't want to be here; like they just wandered in uninvited. And beloved? Dan had to actively stop himself from rolling his eyes –which he accomplished by brushing his fringe away from his forehead, an effective and well-practised mannerism, learned to cover up his sarcastic facial expressions by shielding his eyes with his hand. Beloved, he scoffed internally at the notion, he didn't even know half the people in this bloody church...hell, and did Phil know these people? Probably. He needs to stop being so cynical, smile Dan. He took this opportunity to glance over his left shoulder, brown eyes searching for a familiar or "beloved" face. His eyes settled on PJ, sat in the front pew, who shot him a warm, encouraging smile, before snatching a camera out of Chris' poised hands, who had shoved the camera in PJ's face. PJ shook his head at Chris before pocketing the camera – they didn't want a repeat of what happened last time Chris took a surprise photo. Lets just say that the flash was on, and Phil had to sit down for about half an hour as he kept seeing dots when he moved his head. Chris' face had a combination of "PJ you're a killjoy" and "totally worth it" as he folded his arms, turning his face to the front, purposefully directing his body away from his victorious friend.
Dan allowed himself a small smile, glancing downwards, hiding behind his fringe, staring at his feet, which he shuffled over the cold stone floor. He held his hands behind his back, clasped tightly together as he brought his head upwards again, facing the front of the church. He felt a little less cynical now, maybe it was PJ's reassuring smile, Chris' antics, or maybe it was because of the comforting presence next to him - that presence being Phil Lester. Phil was smiling brightly, facing forward, rocking slightly on his heels, as he listened intently to the vicar, who was addressing everyone in the church with a patronising, bit too enthusiastic smile; something profound about love Dan thinks. Dan's eyes fell on Phil's figure, to his left, and he smirked to himself as he noticed something, something only he would notice, which made him smile even more.
Phil had odd socks on. Dan could see them poking out from underneath his black, suit trousers, one red and spotted, the other with green stripes, pulled a bit too far up. Only Phil. He didn't expect anything less, and he was quietly pleased as he grinned to himself about his discovery. Dan's eyes left Phil's feet, only to land on his face, which didn't help Dan's grin in the slightest. Phil's smile had changed as he listened more intently to the words echoing around the church. His lips were pressed together and the right side of his mouth was pulled upwards into a slanted smile, which Dan only reciprocated, eyebrows raising ever so slightly as he studied Phil's face with a particular fondness reserved for Phil, and Phil only. Dan pulled his eyes away for a second, intending to listen himself, only to be distracted almost instantaneously. As his eyes moved curiously round the stone building, they settled on a small, velvety box, placed on top of a table directly behind the vicar, who seemed to have written down an entire selection of different synonyms for "love" which he was reading out. I bet he's actually got a thesaurus, Dan humoured, but that box. That little box, positioned so carefully, it must be important to be there. Oh.
The rings.
Dan shuffled from left foot to right, eyes never leaving that box. He could picture those rings, two golden bands, placed together, matching in every single way, made to be together, made for each other. He glanced over at Phil once more, who remained clueless to Dan's thoughts, then back to the box. A promise. They were a promise: a promise of forever. Forever was a constant state, defined as "for always", meaning never ending or to last, and that's what those rings meant. He had always liked the concept of a forever, of an always. It kept the dark thoughts away, for one. The world didn't seem as daunting when you had an always, something to fall back on, something safe and comforting. Dan had spent the first eighteen years of his confusing existence without one, drifting into a seemingly never-ending void, not knowing his own future, other than one day, he was going to be gone. He never thought he'd get one – or deserved one for that matter – but turns out life had different ideas.
Phil was saying something, beaming as he spoke, but for the first time, Dan wasn't listening. His mind was somewhere entirely different, that "where" being ten years ago, in 2009.