Lean on Me {short phan AU}

4:00 am

      Dan yawned and stretched, kicking his covers down.
He looked over to the clock on his nightstand. 4:00 am.
He wasn't surprised. He often woke up in the middle of the night, and really didn't mind.
He would get up and clean his room, and sometimes (honestly more often than not) he would quietly go into the kitchen and eat whatever he could throw together.
He usually chose cereal if his flat mate, Phil, hadn't snuck it all.
It was slightly annoying to dan, since He was the one who bought the cereal.
But, he had to admit, he found it adorable when he caught Phil in the act. His cheeks would blush, he'd get all fidgety and nervous, and defend himself in that cute voice.

Dan had had a crush on him for almost 4 years now, but didn't want to say anything because of Phil's on-again-off-again girlfriend of five years. Lily. Dan couldn't help but roll his eyes whenever he thought of Lily. Not only because Dan was incredibly jealous, but because Lily had an obvious drinking problem that Dan seemed to ignore. She also yelled more often than not. Especially at Phil. It made Dan so mad.

Dan swung himself out of bed and scratched his neck. Though he was fully awake now, he sleepily shuffled through the hallway towards the kitchen. He opened a creaky cupboard and the smell of coffee wafted out. However, at the moment coffee didn't seem very appealing. He closed the cupboard and opened the one next to it. The empty space where his bag of chips had been surprised him, though he knew just where he'd find them.

Dan turned on his heel and walked quietly back down the hallway. He passed the living room door that was open slightly and stopped in front of Phil's room.
He knocked quietly.
No answer.
Of course, Dan expected this, since he was most likely asleep.
He slowly opened the door and stepped inside. The scent of cologne and cinnamon swirled around him. He glanced over at the cinnamon scented candle that was still flickering, casting a warm orange glow over the room.
Dan squinted, trying to locate Phil on the bed. No luck.
He crept closer and scanned the crumpled, green and blue sheets.
It suddenly hit him.
Phil wasn't there.
Dan looked around the room, thinking he might have fallen asleep at his desk or something.
Nothing.
His heart picked up pace. Phil had told Dan he'd be home by 11:00 last night. He hardly ever broke his word. At least not without warning.
Dan half ran into his bedroom and practically ripped his phone off the charger.
He suddenly stopped himself.
      "He's probably fine." He thought out loud, trying to convince himself that he was overreacting, "he just fell asleep at Lily's. Lost track of time."
His heart sank.
He slipped his phone into the pocket of his pajamas and walked back into the kitchen. He absent mindedly brewed a pot of coffee and sat in the living room. The couch was cold as he pulled out his laptop and sat in his sofa crease.

10 minutes later, Dan's phone buzzed, interrupting his internet browsing. He shifted his coffee into one hand and pulled out his phone, hoping to see Phil's name on the screen.
iMessage
Lilith Johnson
4:28 am
Dan rolled his eyes as he slid the message open. His heart lurched when he read the text.
Hey...is Phil with you at your flat?