Splattered Paint - Dan Howell

Soft Sides and Promises

Phil’s P.O.V

We waited in silence for a few moments until the shower door was heard slamming shut and soon followed by running water. Darcy and I fell onto the couch, her giggling sparking a smile to tug the corners of my mouth upwards.

 “Wow…” I said, not sure how else to break the silence. Life had been so strangely dramatic for the past few weeks and I was glad it had ended. Darcy deserved happiness, everyone deserves happiness and that is impossible when people dislike one another.

“Yeah…” Darcy replied, she was still smiling and that made me smile too. Whenever Darcy was happy, I was also. Her smile was contagious and soon both of us were sitting there grinning like idiots. For me, it was just knowing that such a broken girl could be so optimistic that made me realise how much I loved her, as a sister and a friend.

“I still don’t know exactly what hit him…” She admitted the smile fading slightly, but still visible.

“It doesn’t matter too much does it? At least you guys are on good terms” She nodded, her smile appearing fully again, making me laugh.

Darcy’s P.O.V

Waiting for Dan to finish showering and doing whatever else took seemingly forever, by which point the TV had been turned on and Phil and I had nestled into comfortable positions on the couch.

“Done” Dan announced as he waltzed into the living room, and I couldn’t wipe that stupid grin off my face. Being friends with Dan was already increasing my feelings for him, his soft side so lovable and adorable.

I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and placed it in my pocket, stretching and tying my shoe laces which I had previously been too lazy to do.

“Let’s go!’ Phil cheered and we left the apartment with smiles on our faces.

Lunch gave Dan and I time to chat about each other for a while, Phil joining in when he wasn’t busy playing games on his phone. We shared our hobbies and music tastes, finding common interests and eventually discussing our personalities and backgrounds. We also discussed my dream job and Dan’s job at the BBC, questions constantly being asked of me by Dan. It was almost like he wanted to know every single thing about me, and I did not hesitate to ask him each question in return.

As we finished our food which I had enjoyed more than usual, we walked back to the apartment slowly, continuing our conversations. There was so much about Dan I never knew, and would never have thought was possible. He was extremely polite and neat according to Phil, as much as Dan tried to deny it. He took every opportunity possible to be kind and helpful, only making my feelings stronger and more noticeable in times in which I would have preferred not to think about such a thing.

“Darcy, did you know your birthday is in a week?” Phil asked. September the sixth was my birthday and it had only occurred to me now that it was so soon.

“Oh yeah….” I replied, not sure what else to say as I was not that excited. Unlike Dan and Phil, I did not have a family to celebrate with.

We reached the apartment door, Dan struggling with the key much like how Phil had done so many times in the past.

“God dammit that needs to be fixed…” Dan complained and threw the keys onto the kitchen counter after finally succeeding. I took my Jacket and shoes off, retreated to my room and having a mini fangirl whilst I was alone. After changing into more comfortable clothes for lazing around in, I decided to go back and talk with Dan and Phil in the living room. As I opened my door, a bowl of something held by Dan collided with my front.

“OH MY GOD!” I screamed and started laughing seconds after, the red chucky liquid dripping down my front. Dan looked momentarily horrified, though relaxed after I had begun laughing.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry! I was bringing you some chips and salsa for us to share and I didn’t see you opening the door! If you give me your jumper I’ll go wash it right away” The smile suddenly faded from my face. I couldn’t let Dan see my arms, they were covered in scars.

“No no no, it’s fine Dan. I’ll Just go and shower, it’s all in my hair too” Dan cringed and nodded, moving aside with an apologetic expression.

“Sorry…” He said again guiltily, I laughed and shook my head.

“It’s fine” Dan ran to one of the cupboards and grabbed two towels before opening the bathroom door for me. I thanked him and shut the door, locking it too. I walked over to the mirror and laughed as I saw the chunky red liquid all over my front.

At that moment, an image of pure red flickered in my mind and I clutched the sides of my head in shock, my head aching for a few seconds before fading back to normal. I lowered my hands, gazing back up at my reflection, trying to decipher what had just happened. After a few minutes I brushed it off, assuming it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.

Once my clothes were off, I entered the shower and stood under the warm water with a smile. The water was quick to wash the red off and soon it was all gone. As I was in the shower, I took the time to examine my body. Scars covered my stomach and arms, some red and fresh from just recently, others white and older. It was a pity that I had done it in the first place, surely there were other ways to release my emotions. I regretted every mark I made and in that second in the shower, I made a promise to myself to never do it again. My life was going perfectly smoothly again and there was no need to inflict pain on myself if I was no longer mentally experiencing any.

“Darcy, are you okay? You have been in there for a while now!” I heard Dan’s voice yell from outside the door. I snapped out of my thoughts and turned the shower off quickly, yelling back.

“I’m fine! Just got lost in my thoughts”