Phan One-Shots

Pianos and Lullabies

Shrouded in the darkness and silence one can only attribute to the ungodly hours of the night, Dan sighed as he scrolled absentmindedly past edits of him and Phil together, doing some things he found absolutely adorable and some- well, much less adorable. As the years had passed, their fans had become increasingly shameless with their artful creations, though, truthfully, they had had little shame to begin with. Dan often spent his 4 AMs scrolling through Tumblr, finding the most amusing posts to show to his best friend the next morning, though Phil always insisted that Dan should use his time to sleep instead.

Tonight, however, both boys were going against Phil's advice. Across the hall, Phil had tried desperately for hours to fall asleep, but simply could not manage it. Giving up, he groaned softly, standing groggily and stumbling through the hallway that divided their two rooms.

He didn't even notice the tiny grin that danced across his face at the sight of Dan huddled under the covers, only the light of his illuminated phone screen giving away the fact that he was not sleeping alongside the rest of London.

"Dan?" Phil whispered tentatively.

What would usually have been an inaudible sound could, in that moment, have been compared to the dropping of a bomb or the step of a thousand elephants, and Dan started violently, his precious phone slipping from his hands and falling onto the bed beside him.

"Jesus Christ, Phil, you scared me!" Dan exclaimed.

"Sorry," the black-haired one responded, though the silent giggle playing about his mouth made it evident that he was not quite sorry at all. "I just can't sleep, and I wanted to see if I could hang out with you for a little while."

The murderous look faded from Dan's eyes as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with one of fondness and something like joy. He patted the checkered sheets next to him, and his best friend eagerly filled the indicated space.

"Only until you feel really tired though, okay?"

"'Kay," Phil mumbled happily.

"What do you want to do? You seem pretty exhausted already and we've got a big day tomorrow, so obviously nothing crazy."

Phil hesitated. "Um, could you maybe play your piano? Something pretty and quiet might make me more sleepy."

Dan groaned inwardly, but the sight of Phil wrapped in his duvet, gazing hopefully up at him, softened his resolve to decline. "Well... I suppose I could try," he replied.

Phil simply smiled, eyes following as Dan stood and stepped around the bed to his piano. The brown-haired boy let his fingers dance noiselessly amongst the black and white keys in a familiar pattern, allowing them to become reacquainted with their old friend.

As his hands pressed down to produce the first chord, he sighed, realizing that if he was going to play the piano, he might as well go all the way. He opened his mouth to sing softly:

"In the crowd alone, and every second passing reminds me I'm not home..."

As he played and sang, becoming increasingly more confident, Dan plunged so deep into the beauty of the music that he forgot Phil was even there. Phil didn't have a care in the world, though, the lyrics and the lovely melody floating like a cool breeze around him, through him. Had the fangirls been present, they would have fainted on the spot at the expression on Phil's face, for it was the most loving, caring, and joyful Love-Eyes Lester moment one could possibly fathom.

"Glazed eyes, empty hearts..."

As the second verse came to a close, Phil found himself relaxing into the warmth of Dan's bed, eyes drooping gratefully, but he couldn't let the music stop, so he fought to stay awake for just a few more moments.

"Light within, numb my skin..."

As the song finished, Dan gradually emerged from his reverie. Glancing over at the bed, he was not altogether surprised to find his best friend fast asleep. He was surprised, however, by the realization that this didn't irritate him in the slightest. In fact, it made his heart swell with some sort of warm, peaceful feeling that Dan either couldn't quite recognize or did not yet wish to identify. The slightest, yet brightest, of smiles upon his face, Dan slipped carefully into bed beside Phil.

"Goodnight, Lion."