Phan One Shots

Night Conversations and Smooth Keys

A/N: I've had this forever, why haven't I posted it yet? Oh well. Have some nice feels, anyway. I'll be back to posting quite frequently, I think. This should be fun. Enjoy!

Dan Howell looked around nervously as his feet carried him ever closer to the old church on alder street.

He had of course done this many times before, but it had been several months since his last visit.

Dan approached the church. It was a tall building with an exterior of what Dan assumed must once have been white, but the paint was now peeling revealing the dull brown wood underneath. The bell tower rose up above it all, and the cross that stood at the top was covered in Christmas lights, a stark contrast to the otherwise eerie building.

Well, Dan wasn't sure if eerie was exactly the right word to describe it. The old building was more sad and tired looking than anything.

Sometimes, on Sundays he could hear the merry music carrying through the snowy air and reaching him through his bedroom window. The tunes often were familiar to him; jingle bells and deck the halls and frosty the snowman (the last one particularly annoyed him). The Christmas season was in full swing; in actuality that was the reason Dan had come here tonight.

Dan carefully looked around, and upon seeing no one anywhere close, he quickly pulled himself up to the windowsill and slipped through.

He didn't actually attend the church, or any church for that matter. And he didn't come to worship, either. It didn't really strike Dan as realistic that there would be some extreme overlord that knew the number of hairs on everyone's heads.

I mean, why on earth would anybody want to know that?

Dan walked between the pews, and his footsteps echoed throughout the large empty room.

Once he reached the front, he turned towards the side and approached the piano.

Ever since Dan took piano lessons as a kid, he had loved the smooth wood and the beautiful sounds that came from the instrument. He loved the feel of his fingers on the keys, and how he could feel the whole thing hum with each note.

Dan sat down at the piano, stroking his fingers across the familiar keys and kicking off his shoes. He never played with shoes on; the pedals just didn't feel right.

Basically, piano was his escape. Instead of drinking or smoking, he snuck into the church late at night and played piano.

Dan supposed that it would've seemed strange to anyone else, but it was normal for him.

And now was the first time Dan had needed an escape in months.

This time, it was from the Christmas season.

As a child, Dan had always loved Christmas. He loved giving and receiving gifts, he loved the colorful lights and the merry songs (except frosty the snowman of course).

Dan's main problem with Christmas this year was that he had no one to spend it with.

Dan's parents had kicked him out almost a year ago when they found out he was gay. He was making it ok without them; he had a stable job at the local coffee shop and a small apartment that gave him shelter enough (though it had a rather shitty heating system). Unfortunately, Dan being the anti-social internet addict he was, he had been unable to make any friends.

He hadn't really tried. But now that the Christmas season had hit, Dan had been forced to realize how lonely he really was. The only people he talked to regularly were his coworkers, and they were only colleagues.

Dan began playing.

He knew the whole song by heart.

His fingers pressed down gently on the keys. His heartbeat slowed to beat in time with the music. His bare feet curled around the pedals. The music flowed through him, filling him up and washing away all the loneliness.

Dan closed his eyes.

The song reverberated throughout the room, the sad notes rushing out into the night.

Dan's fingers moved perfectly, not one flaw in the melody that refueled his heart and his will to live. They slowly sped up, the notes growing harder and faster and his fingers pressing harder. Dan let himself fall away from the world as his fingers smashed into the keys; but still not one flaw could be heard in the song.

As the song came to an end, Dan let the notes slow, gentle and soft once more.

Finally, the last note echoed through the room.

What followed was a resounding silence, and Dan felt all the feelings flow back into him. Mostly the loneliness, like a pain in his chest.

Dan slumped a little in his seat.

He was still glad he had come here tonight, though. Even if he still felt lonely, at least he had been able to get rid of it for a little while. And somehow, Dan felt a little less lonely.

"Wow." Breathed a voice full of awe.

Dan nearly jumped out of his skin.

He let out a yelp, jerking his head towards the origin of the voice. He was, honestly, the most terrified he had been in a long time.

There, in between the pews, stood a tall boy with ebony hair swept to the left of his face, the opposite of Dan's own hair. The boy looked to be slightly older than Dan himself, and he was staring at Dan with an expression of utter wonder.

Dan just sat there for a moment, or possibly several, really unsure what to do.

"H-how long have you been there?" Dan asked, thinking it a miracle he didn't stutter more than he did.

"Uh... About half the song." The boy said.

He began walking toward Dan, stepping toward the piano. He stood there awkwardly for several seconds before extending a hand to shake. Dan cringed back, curling in on himself before he realized what the boy was doing. He relaxed a bit, looking up from his sitting position to see that the boy had the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen.

"I'm Phil." The boy said, still holding his hand out.

"Dan." Dan said, cautiously reaching out his own hand to shake.

They shook hands.

"Well Dan, I think that was most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life." Phil, his eyes twinkling.

"Thank you." Dan replied, feeling his cheeks redden.

He had no idea what was happening, but an attractive boy suddenly thought his playing was beautiful. Dan certainly prided himself on his piano, he'd worked on it all his life, but the most beautiful thing anyone has ever heard in their life?

They stood- well sat and stood there awkwardly for another minute. Dan then abruptly stood up, and it turned out he was taller than Phil.

"I should be getting home." Dan said, walking past Phil and towards the window. He pulled himself up, ready to jump out and be gone. He was too awkward for this.

"Dan, WAIT!" Phil called.

Dan stopped, crouching on the windowsill and looking back.

"Um, would you like to go for coffee? I mean you're so amazing at piano and I've only just met you, but I don't want to leave here forever wondering where you went." Phil said.

"Sure..." Dan said. This was his one chance for friendship, and Phil seemed pretty nice. He'd already seen into the deepest parts of Dan's soul, so why not give it a go?

"How's Wednesday. At the shop?" Phil asked hopefully.

"Sure, that'd be great. I actually... Er, work there. My shift is over at five, how about then?" Dan asked.

"Sounds awesome!" Phil said, and a smile lit up his face. Dan couldn't help but think that was the most amazing smile he'd ever seen. It lit up his whole face, and his blue eyes took on a light that Dan couldn't even describe. He looked so happy.

Dan couldn't stop the small smile that crept on to his own face.

He jumped off the windowsill and practically ran home, that stupid little grin still stuck on his face.

He might've finally made a friend.