How Did We End Up Here? - A Phanfiction

Chapter Eleven

"Shhh shhh don't cry." Phil bobbed Anna nervously as he and Dan waited for the train to arrive. It was loud here, lots of mechanical noises and people talking, and Anna was getting overwhelmed. They had tried to find the quietest spot they could, huddled in a concrete corner, but there was no escaping the noise.

"Fan incoming." Dan whispered to Phil, and Phil froze. No fans had ever met Anna, and he was scared. He and Dan had already talked about this, they would let people see her but not touch, and Anna wouldn't be making any appearances in peoples' photos with them. Phil quickly put Anna in her stroller, pulling the cover over and cooing one last,

"It'll be okay, you don't need to cry, daddy will be back soon I promise."

"Dan? Phil?" The nervous but excited words quietly whispered out of the girl who Phil assumed was probably about sixteen.

"Hi, what's your name?" Dan asked, smiling.

"Matilda. It's so nice to meet you guys. Are you... wow I feel like a stalker, I promise I'm not I just watched your live show, are you going to one of your famlies' houses?" Dan and Phil both laughed a little, understanding. Yes, sometimes it was weird for people to know so much about their lives when they met in person, but they couldn't blame their fans for that. It just meant that they actually were paying attention to the videos Dan and Phil put out.

"It's alright, we didn't think you were a stalker." Phil chuckled warmly. "Do you want a picture?"

"No, it's alright, I can see you were with your baby, I just wanted to say hi." the girl said quietly, and turned to leave. Phil smiled. She was respectful, and wasn't trying to intrude on their day, just wanted to say hi.

"Hey, do you want to meet her?" He called out after Matilda, surprising himself. He just felt very grateful for the girl's respect, and Anna was crying so he was taking her out anyway.

The girl turned, smiling with excitement but also hesitant.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." Dan responded, finishing Phil's conversation. Phil watched Dan smile at the girl, but then turn his affection towards Phil, gently hanging his arms around the back of Phil's shoulders as Phil pulled Anna from the stroller. It reminded Phil of that incredibly awkward photoshoot they had done years ago, when the photographer made Dan rest his arms and elbows on Phil's shoulders, except that now Phil leaned into the touch, appreciating it, and Dan's hands weren't behind Phil's neck, now they were draped across Phil's chest, lightly grabbing at the fabric of his shirt.

Phil looked up to see Matilda with an adoring smile on her face, and she walked over until she was close enough to see Anna without being too much in their space. She said hello to Anna, who stopped crying when she was met with a new face, mouth agape as she stared in wonder at the girl in front of her. Phil realized that maybe they needed to get out more, this was only the second girl Anna had ever met, and the first person younger than them and their YouTube friends.

"If you put your pinky out, she'll grab onto it." Phil informed Matilda, whose eyes went wide as she slowly and gently reached her pinky finger forward. Anna latched on and her huge smile widened across her face, dimples showing, and a squeaky noise of excitement left her. Matilda's own face was in a huge smile now, and it was infectious, soon all four of them were grinning like idiots.

Phil was happy they had met Matilda. She certainly seemed like one of their fans who had a bit more social anxiety, and Phil recognized the timidness and hesitancy that most of their viewers who informed Dan and Phil that they had some level of depression generally embodied. He was happy that Anna had been able to pull Matilda out of her shell, and whatever this girl's actual story was, she was smiling now, and that's all Dan and Phil ever aspired to do, it's why they both made YouTube videos.