VOICE ON THE RADIO | PHAN [✓]

t w e n t y o n e (pilots)

It was summer vacation, Dan had passed all of his exams, he had graduated on the honour roll, and he was in some form of a relationship with Phil. They had never made whatever they had as official and Dan honestly didn't really mind. It was something that was more than friends and he was happy, he didn't need a label on what they had. As long as he had Phil, he was fine.

Summer gave him more time to spend with Phil and the majority of their time was spent by the spot by the river. It had become their spot. It was where they could completely be themselves and the one place where Phil wouldn't get noticed and asked for pictures. Vegas had grown considerably in popularity and it was very rare if Phil didn't have at least one group coming up to him every time he was with Dan.

Dan always said it was fine, because it was, but he couldn't help but feel irritated when fans took advantage of the time they had rather than realize that Phil was still a human being trying to have a normal day. Phil never said anything because he knew it made the fans happy, which made it worth it in the end. It was an inevitable barrier that they had to manage around.

The place by the river had become an escape for the two. Rumours of them dating were already circling around the internet and it would only become more frequent as the band continued to grow. Phil would ignore all the questions or just brush it off by saying they were only friends, but it would eventually become quite clear. The two boys had resorted to minimal physical contact and prolonged glances in public. The hand holding and kisses and gazes were saved for when they were alone. They always found a way to make up for lost time. If they had their moments alone, there would never be a time where they weren't holding hands or even just leaning on each other.

They wanted to use all the time they had since Phil would eventually become busy with Vegas again. Soon he'd be in the recording studio for hours on end, and eventually go back on tour. Dan didn't want to think about that for now, he would end up missing him way too much. For now he would appreciate the time he actually had. He didn't want to worry about the future, all that mattered was now.

Dan and Phil were currently laying down on the grass, soaking up the summer sun that shone upon their faces. The blades of grass were tickling their bare feet and arms and their hands were interlocked. Phil had his eyes closed and wore a small content smile. Dan found himself staring at Phil and thinking how he was sent an angel. He really didn't know where he'd be right now if it weren't for Phil.

He didn't want to know who he would be without Phil.

"Dan? Are you okay?" Phil asks as he notices Dan staring off into space.

Dan blinks rapidly, trying to bring himself back to now. He didn't need to worry about being without Phil because Phil was right in front of him, holding him, looking at him with all the care in the world. He nods with a smile because he is okay. With Phil he will always be okay.

-

The months went by and things were changing. Dan had taken a gap year because he truly had no idea what to do with his life and Vegas had taken the world by storm with their newest single. It all happened so suddenly. One moment they were releasing a new song for their fans and then they were charting at number one on multiple song charts. They were played on all radio stations, music videos were getting millions of views, all of their social media followers had doubled in a week. No matter where you looked, Vegas was there.

Dan was beyond happy for Phil and the rest of the band. It didn't matter if his relationship with Phil was a thing, he would always be a Vegas stan at heart and treat the band the same way he did before he had met them. He constantly tweeted his support and he still had a fan account on Tumblr, the only difference was that people now knew who he was. Hundreds of tweets would flood into his notifications asking about him and Phil and whether they were dating or not. He had received support as well as death threats, which he thought were ridiculous.

It was impossible for Dan and Phil to be seen in public together without being bombarded by fans. He knew this change was good for Vegas, but he also thought it may have happened too quickly. Phil's life had been turned upside down overnight and he could no longer act like a normal human being going out to get coffee. He still agreed to pictures within reason but it was obvious that it could easily get to be too much.

Dan and Phil's time together had lessened considerably due to all the new responsibilities Phil had with Vegas. Their management wanted them working long hours on the newest record, especially now that they had become more popular. "More listeners, more need to impress." was the motto they used and though it was true, there was no need to overwork the band. Phil never complained because it was the career he chose, and it was a career he loved. He knew if he wanted this to work, he'd have to put in the effort. Dan just didn't want his sun to burn out.

Phil always found a way to spend time with Dan, even if meant just going over to his house and taking a nap. They always found ways to keep the other happy and everything was going well despite the change.

Life seemed to like finding a way to throw barricades once they made it over the one before.

Due to Vegas' rise to fame, they had to learn how to deal with new forms of publicity and stunts to get attention. Phil was currently sat in his manager's office and he already knew whatever he was about to be told to do would be something he wasn't going to like. He was right. It was something he wouldn't have liked even if he weren't in a band.

Apparently, Phil needed to have a girlfriend, a fake one specifically, to gain publicity. He said no, he practically begged. "No. Absolutely not. First of all, I'm not even straight if you hadn't clued in like literally everyone else has. Second, I'm currently in a relationship and there is no way in hell I'm going to screw it up because of some pr stunt. Third, I'm not going to be thrown into a fake relationship just to get press. I'm in this for the music, not to be someone I'm not."

His manager scolded him as if he were some child and was given a lecture as to how relationships made people interested. Phil argued back saying fans were there because the songs were good and music critics did their job to critique music, not relationships. Everything he said was ignored as if his manager had selective hearing. Nothing he said would change what was inevitably going to happen.

He stormed out of the room and began walking with absolutely no clue where he was headed. He was angry and frustrated and all he wanted was to go back to when all Vegas was was a small band who played shows to people who cared about the content they created, not their private lives. Phil needed to find a way out of this, there was no way he was gaining a reputation based on the people he "dated". More importantly, he needed to find a way out of it so he didn't lose Dan.