Dan & Phil: Not of This Earth

24 | This Won't Do...

Word Count: 1792

     Dan sat in front of the camera in his office space. It was recording but he couldn't move. Disaster after disaster was stirring in his mind. His hands trembled, even in his lap.

     Phil walked by the glass wall between the office and the lounge. He quietly sat down with a cup of freshly brewed tea in hand and his laptop in his lap. His eyes quickly wandered to the glass. It was fogged, so he couldn't exactly see Dan but he knew he wasn't moving. Dan liked talking with his hands more often than not, and he certainly couldn't hear anything. He had to investigate.

     The door slid open to reveal Dan with tears painfully streaked down his face. His expression was disheartened but otherwise void of anything. "Dan," Phil chirped softly. He knelt to where the other sat and engulfed him in a hug. "Do you want me to be in the video with you?"

     Dan slowly allowed himself to return the hug. "No, it's fine."

     "I can stay in the room while you record," Phil offered next. Dan nodded on his shoulder. They had an unspoken understanding – this wasn't easy for either of them. While they both feared jeopardizing their relationship with their fans, they were terrified of the government flying in and abducting them much more. They'd be separated for one thing, no doubt, and they'd never be able to keep doing what they loved so much, creating content and bringing happiness to others.

     "How are you so fucking calm?" Dan asked shakily, sniffling heavily.

     "I'm not." Phil put some space between them and kept his hands on Dan's shoulders. "My future feeling won't... It-It's not telling me anything. I can't feel any particular anything about this. This doesn't happen." He let out a nervous chuckle and let his hands fall down Dan's arms, stopping before his elbows. "I don't know what's going to happen. I can't even call on it." His smile fell and the sparkle in his eyes became a teary gleam. "I'm petrified. I just haven't let myself panic properly yet. When I do... it'll be when I'm alone in my room. I didn't want to freak you out with it but you've done a good job of that yourself," Phil confessed.

     Dan led them to hold hands and spoke softly, "You don't have to do that." His thumbs glided along the tops of Phil's pale hands, trying to return the comfort. "We do everything together. Why not panic together?"

☆☆☆

     Dil lay silently in the bath, a mountain of bubbles before him. He lazily slid his hands through the water and breathed in the nearby warmth of a vanilla candle. The bath water itself was opaque with the help of a bath bomb, turning it a swirl of purple and blue with thousands of sparkles.

     His eyes were puffy from crying and his chest was tight in an uncomfortable ache. Each breath was a pulse of pain but it would fade eventually.

     The warmth of the water caressed his body, which had just barely fit into the tub with his height, soothing him, relaxing him. He scooted forward as much as he could, his knees bent, and let the water overtake him. Water filled his ears, blocking out the world. After laying still for some time, he popped up, his hair stuck to his face and his breaths deep. It was nice. Somewhere where no one could bother him, not even the Internet.

☆☆☆

     Dil strolled through the hall in Dan's pajamas until he was met with the kitchen. Specifically, the fridge. He needed comfort food.

     ...

     Correction: he needed to buy groceries.

     He put on a pair Dan's jeans and one of Phil's shirts, topping it off with Dan's black earrings. He looked fine but it was clear the jeans weren't quite right for his stature, coming up a little short at his ankles. Dil wasn't too concerned with it, though. He dug his shoes out from the back of a closet and left.