Dan & Phil Oneshots

Bae Is Away

(Dan's POV)

"Phiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil. Pick uuuuuuuuuuuup."

I watched as Skype ended the call, sending me back to the home page. I closed the lid on my laptop, letting out a loud sigh as I gave up. It's been two weeks since Phil moved to the US and no word from him yet. I managed to keep the topic down around our mutual friends, not wanting to seem like a puppy desperate for his attention. Thankfully, once they brought the subject up, I found out that they're in the same boat as well.

I got up and went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea, still unhappy from the lack of contact. I know it's not his fault, but really? Two weeks? I watched the water start to bubble, wondering if it could be some deep metaphor in life. Any inanimate object can be a metaphor for life.

A pigeon running head-first into the window just then was the metaphor for my life.

It was summer, and while Phil normally took a long trip to the U.S. and went camping several times, meaning he had no way whatsoever to keep in contact with his friends, it still felt weird not to be able to talk to him. I'd given up on checking every day for a sign from him and simply distracted myself by going on long walks and writing poetry.

The last time we saw each other was three days before he left. I had asked him a while ago out to dinner in replacement for the school's Sadie's Dance, since neither one of us had the social strength to go there. It got so busy before we could find the time to eat that we decided on it being the last time we saw each other before he moved.

Exactly one month, one week, and one day before we had our dinner (yes, I counted), I worked my butt off video taping all of his friends and acquaintances saying their heartfelt goodbye messages. After getting 24 people and a few teachers out of the way, I got to work on my computer making them into a compilation movie, setting up songs that would be loud in between videos and fade away once the people started talking. There was no easy way to do it, and I had to start over countless times, but I finally got it to work. It was so big that I had to split it into two different movies. And though I nearly ripped my hair out at several points during that month, week, and day, his reaction was worth it.

That night, I held my breath as he sat there, watching his friends and teachers wish him good luck and a great life in the U.S. He was blinking away tears, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths, and shaking his head in disbelief throughout the duration of it. After the music faded and the screen went black, he sat there, staring at the blank monitor. I held my breath in anticipation. Was it good enough?

But when he got up and gave me the biggest hug he could muster, I knew it was perfect.

Dinner that night was amazing. We sat out on the balcony and watched the sun set as we ate, occasionally awe-ing at the puppy lying underneath the nearby table. When he finally addressed the video again, I swear I will never forget his words.

"Dan, you never cease to inspire me."

Coming back to reality, I poured the steaming water in a Universal Studios mug and added a tea bag, locating a box of cookies while I waited for it to brew. By the time I had a plate of microwaved cookies, I took the teabag out and resumed my position on the couch, laptop sitting nearby. The Great British Bake Off droned on in the background as I scrolled through Tumblr, occasionally taking a bite of cookie.

I jumped up when I heard my phone go off, chucking my laptop to the side to see if it was Phil. Sure enough, a little notification was on my screen.

"Hey, Dan! I just got my new American phone."

I got onto Skype, laughing at the fact that he had tried to Skype me three times while I was on Tumblr.

"Hey! Do you want to Skype now or later?"

And before I could get a response out of him, the call screen on my laptop popped up. I laughed, clicking the accept button and waited for Phil to pop up. When it finally did so, I saw him sitting in his new room, a smile growing on his face as my image popped up.

"Hey, Dan!"

"Hey, Phil! Sorry I didn't pick up the first three times."

"Haha. It's ok."

"How's America?"

"It's great. It's beautiful! We have a view of the lake right from our front door. I can show you right now."

I sat tight as he got up and walked out of the room, and after going down three flights of stairs, he opened the door and showed me the beautiful dock and lake that stood right across the street.

"Oh, it's beautiful! You've got an amazing view."

He took me back inside and up to his room. "Yep. I love it. I've already been sailing. Our landlord owns a boat and he lets us use it. I'm going to be taking boating lessons in a month or so, so that'll be cool."

"Yea it will! You need to tell me how it goes."

"I will. How have you been?"

"Busy. Even though it's summer, I've got to start thinking of universities. And studying for GCSEs."

"Wow. You're more prepared than I am. Honestly, very impressive."

I blushed, rubbing the back of my neck as I said my thanks. "I just want to be prepared. And so I don't cram everything in at the end. You know."

"Yea, but it's still very impressive."

"Thanks...I miss you."

"Aw, I miss you too. I'll be back at the end of summer, though, so I can see you again!"

"Yay!" I raised my hands in the air, happy that I wouldn't have to wait an entire year to see him in person again. He laughed, poking his tongue out in between his teeth. However, a yawn escaped from him, prompting me to look at the time.

"It's 10:30pm where you are! Don't you need to go to bed? You're tired."

"Yea, but it's fine. I want to talk."

We chatted for a few more minutes before I lied and said I had to go. I didn't want him to stay up late because of me. With one final wave, I pressed the end call button and closed the lid to my laptop. I smiled and went back to Tumblr, not caring that my cookies went cold while we were chatting. I'm now back in contact with him, and I couldn't be happier.