The Next Best Thing (Phan fiction)

Chapter 1

„What are those numbers on my wrist?“ A 5-year-old Phil Lester asks his mum, tugging on the sleeve of her sweater to keep her from leaving his room.

He’s been wondering for a while why those six digits are seemingly inked to his skin. Why he can’t seem to get rid of them, no matter how much soap he uses or how hard he scrubs. Why he can’t even remember how they got there in the first place.

Mrs Lester sighs, sitting down on the edge of her son’s bed. “I’ve already been wondering when you’d ask…” She smiles slightly, brushing a few strands of hair out of Phil’s eyes before she pulls his duvet up to the boy’s chin, tucking him safely into his bed.

“Those numbers…” She trails off. “They aren’t important right now- aren’t important at any time of your life, yeah? They’re just marks, after all…”

Phil looks at her in confusion. “But what do they mean?”

“They- they’re there to help you to find your soulmate.” Mrs Lester explains, absent-mindedly brushing over her own marks on her wrist.

“What’s a soulmate?” Phil asks curiously, looking at his mum with wide eyes.

“Someone who makes you happy all the time.” She says, smiling at Phil. “Someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life, no matter what difficulties might occur or how many fights you might have. Your soulmate is someone who might not be perfect to other people, but they’re perfect for you.”

Phil knits his eyebrows together, thinking hard about his mother’s words. “What about the numbers then?”

“Your soulmate has the same numbers as you on their wrist.” His mother explains.

“Is Daddy your soulmate?” Phil asks then and his mother chuckles quietly.

“He is, dear. He is.” She smiles, patting Phil’s head lovingly, before her face falls. “But it doesn’t always work like that. Finding your father was luck, mostly. He could have lived on the other side of the world, for all I know.
“A lot of people get desperate and lose everything else, like family and friends, because their whole being is focused on finding their soulmate. And it shouldn’t be. I don’t want that to happen to you, okay, dear? No matter how badly you want to find your soulmate, don’t forget about all the other important people in your life.”

Phil nods slowly, taking in everything his mother has said and then throws a toothy grin at her. “Don’t worry, Mommy. I don’t like girls anyway. They’re icky.” Phil screws his face. “I much rather spend time with you and Daddy anyway, or with Peej- Can Peej be my soulmate? Or does it have to be a girl?”

Phil frowns, biting his bottom lip and Mrs Lester just chuckles amusedly. “I don’t think PJ is your soulmate and I’m sure you know that. Mrs Liguori has told me how you two compare your numbers all the time.”

Phil’s face flushes bright pink but his mother just smiles. “And to answer your question: It doesn’t have to be a girl. Your soulmate can be any gender.”

“So I can live with my soulmate and marry them even though they’re also a boy?” Phil asks, seemingly surprised.

“Of course, dear. You can marry whoever you want when you’re older. Gender doesn’t matter.” Mrs Lester says. “But don’t forget that there are lots of different kinds of love. Your soulmate doesn’t necessarily have to be your wife or your husband, you know. They can also be just your best friend. But you’ll have enough time to figure that out when the time comes, Phil. Don’t think too much about it now, okay?”

Phil nods, smiling sweetly at his mum when he’s interrupted by a yawn, escaping from his mouth.

“Enough talking for tonight.” Mrs Lester says sternly, but still with a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Go to sleep now and if you still have questions, we can talk tomorrow, alright?” She stands up from her son’s bed and once again tucks him in, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

“Good night, Phil.” She whispers before walking over to the door and turning the light off.

“Good night, Mommy.” Phil mumbles, pulling his lion plush toy closer to his body and snuggling up to it as sleep gently brushes all thoughts of soulmates and numbers from his mind. 

(this was actually supposed to be a one-shot but then it got too long and now it's a mini fic ^-^)