All About Us//Phan

Tokyo

dedication to mickey for making the amazing cover for this story <3 larrystylinsonvevo

✖️I'll send you the sunset I love the most, when I'm in Tokyo✖️

"Thank you, Tokyo! Never stop..."
The crowd roared in reply.
"DANcing!"
The lanky man took a bow and jogged off stage, brushing his fringe aside.

"Dan! You've got hobbit hair again. We've got to find a better way to keep your hair straight."

Dan grinned at his manager, still breathing hard from the long performance.
"It annoys me too, Cat. At least the fans like it. They think it's more real." Cat rolled her eyes and adjusted the skewed headset on top of her silver hair.

"Your fans are crazy. No wonder you're so popular in Asia, you weirdo."
Dan shrugged and started heading to the dressing rooms, Cat following close behind with a clipboard.

"We've just got some cleanup duty and one more meet and greet in the morning before we're off. Excited to go home tomorrow?"

Dan stopped and turned, his hand already on the door of his dressing room.
"I guess. I'll miss it here."
With that, he left her in the corridor.

Dan stared at his lanky form in the mirror. He opted to pull on his fuzzy brown hat instead of fixing his messy hair. The fame and adoration had done little to help with his self esteem issues, but he was getting there.

He picked up his phone to check Twitter, the latest and largest model engulfed by his giant hands.

"Fuck. Typo," Dan cursed, his tweet about the show marred by a misspell. It took less than a second for replies to flood in remarking on the mistake.
He sat down heavily in an arm chair and stared at the ceiling.

Dan's climb to fame had been fast and terrifying. He used to perform his original music in coffee shops around Manchester, moving to London after he dropped out of college. A law degree was not suited to his personality or talents.

He was discovered by Cat, marked by her as an up and coming, and registered with her management company all within the space of a year. After that, it was smooth sailing to the top 40. His following in eastern Asia was on par with his more western fans, spurring the worldwide tour he had just finished.

Despite his success, Dan was not exempt from crisis or stress. Constant scrutiny was hard to adjust to. Dan was taken aback at how cruel people were to him without even knowing him.

Dan pulled out his travel notebook and pen and started to write.

Feels like I've been away for a thousand years
So tired of these airports and souvenirs
I shiver in the night and I think of-

Dan put the end of his pencil in his mouth.

"What do I think of?" He mused out loud.

Later that night, Dan finally reached his hotel suite and sank into the luxurious king size bed. Not for the first time, he felt a strange emptiness- not in his stomach, but deeper. His heart; his soul, maybe. Unsettled, he pushed it aside and sank into a dreamless sleep.

•••••••
🔆I stole the boulevards, I stare up at the stars, and wish they'd all align. 🔆

Phil stared at the sky full of stars. Too many for a human brain to fathom. Something about the stars was bittersweet to Phil. Twinkling on until their fiery death, looking down at him and winking.

"Oi! Phil!"
Phil waved a hand lazily.
"Over here." The stars were blocked out by the shape of a person above him. Phil shifted to keep looking at the sky, but Chris moved to match.

"Why are you on the roof, you goofy bastard? I thought we were going to the pub." He scowled at Phil and adjusted his hair, but a twitch of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Just wait a minute, Chris. Look at the stars with me." Chris rolled his eyes, but flopped down anyway. "Imagine who's looking at these same stars right now. Anyone could be. What if your soulmate was? Or maybe your future dog? Or your future dog's mum! Anyone could be."

Chris turned his head to look at Phil.
"Or maybe the person who eventually murders you."
Phil shrugged slightly.
"That too."

Phil sat up and shook his hair out of his eyes.
"You know... I really think this will be my year."
Chris scoffed and folded his hands behind his head.
"Summer's almost over, Phil. You sure you aren't high?"

"I'm not! But I just think that starting now, I'll have a good year. I feel like the stars will align, or something like that."
Chris rolled his eyes a second time, but kept a grin on his face.
"Whatever you say, Phil. Let me know when your new handmade calendar comes out."

Chris stood up and brushed himself off.
"I'm going out without you. Meet me at the Lamb and Flag once you're done daydreaming, if you feel up to it." He saluted and exited the roof.

Phil stayed a little longer to reminisce on his own. Living in London the past few months hadn't been easy, but he loved it anyway.

After Uni, Phil's dreams of becoming a famous author hasn't exactly fallen into place as easily as he'd hoped. Writing was hard, and hardly produced any money. He got by on newspaper work and odd jobs, but all it paid for was a shared apartment with Chris and food.

Phil didn't even have a smartphone. Work had to be done at wifi hotspots in small increments, but by god if he didn't get it done well. Many words described Phil, but lazy was not one of them. He had little to no spending money, and limited time to spend with friends.

Overall, it was a messy and difficult existence; and Phil loved it. He loved the freedom and lack of ties his broke nature gave him, he loved living in London, and he loved being independent. The future worried Phil sometimes, but he was confident that his hard work and good disposition would pay off someday.

Phil opted to go to bed, instead of meeting Chris at the pub. Spending money on drinks hurt him, and there was always next time. As Phil settled into sleep, his cramped and messy apartment melted into a sky of stars that he could fly through; albeit alone.

word count: 1k
next chapter coming by Tuesday! don't forget to vote and comment!<3