Dan and Phil giggled as they rushed back into the rain, looking back down the now nearly empty street.

"Which way do you live?" Phil asked, pulling up his hood and helping Dan with his.

"No, you don't-" Dan swallowed, cheeks reddening when Phil adjusted his hood. "You don't- I got this, okay? You've helped me a lot already."

"Oh, nonsense." Phil laughed, taking a few bags from Dan. "Here, I'll help you. You can lead the way back to your place."

Dan thought about it for a minute before smiling up at the man and nodding in agreement. It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with Phil for much longer; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Dan was more than ecstatic that his idol and the man he looked up to the most was willing to stick around for just a bit longer.

"So, what are you into, Dan?" Phil asked kindly, walking with Dan down the streets of London.

The rest of their time on the way back to Dan's home was spent talking mostly about music, specifically their common interests of Muse and My Chemical Romance, and what they both studied in school. Phil learned that since Dan's high school didn't offer courses that particularly interested Dan, the younger boy would often read any books or watch stuff on youtube (to which Phil jokingly said "like all of my videos", prompting Dan to swat him playfully with a blush). Dan learned that Phil took a lot of extracurricular art classes, including video editing. He explained that the video and computer classes were so he could improve his vlog.

They were mid-conversation when they arrived at Dan's front door and the younger set the bags down. He let out a sigh and braced himself. His mother could be a bit overwhelming, especially since she was okay with Dan being gay and him bringing a boy back.

He opened the door, leading Phil and and walking to the kitchen, setting the bags on the counter.

"Mum, I'm home!" He called out, hoping she wouldn't bother coming out.

She did.

"Hey, sw- well, hello!" She smiled warmly at Phil, placing her hands on her hips. "Daniel, who is this?"

"This is Phil, mum. I met him on the way to the store and he helped me out."

Phil smirked, glancing at Dan knowingly.

"Phil, huh? It's nice to meet you, hun." Dan's mother smiled again, taking Phil's hand and shaking it.

"Yeah, that's great. We'll just-"

"Wait, your name sounds familiar..."

"Mum-"

"So is your face. Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"Mum-"

"Wait, I know! You're that YouTuber my son watches!"

"Mum-"

"Oh my goodness, he is your biggest fan!"

"Mum!" Dan could already feel his cheeks heating up, trying to steer his mother from the upcoming conversation.

"Oh, is he?" Phil smirked, winking a little at Dan.

"Of course he is!" She gushed, no longer shaking his hand but still holding it close. "Oh, Phil, he looks up to you so much. He adores you. Please, just... keep doing what you're doing, okay?"

Phil smiled endearingly, nodding his head. "I promise I will, Mrs...?"

"Howell. Just call me Mrs. Howell."

"Alright, Mrs. Howell. I'll do my best to be a good role model for your son."

During this entire exchange, Dan had resulted in leaning against the counter, face hiding in his hands. The conversation between his youtube idol and his mom only made him feel so stupid and immature. The way they spoke about him made Dan feel like a small child that needed both his mother's and Phil's protection. It also reminded him how much of an age gap was between him and Phil, and it nearly broke his heart.

"Alright, mum." Dan waved them off, slowly making them break apart. "It's been a fun conversation, but I'm sure Phil's busy." Dan said sadly, lightly pushing Phil to the door.

"Actually, I'm not busy this weekend. We can just hang out or something."

"Really?!" Dan turned to his mom excitedly, awaiting her approval. It was embarrassing, but he didn't want to make his mom mad.

He cheered silently when his mother smiled and nodded, and he turned back to Phil.

"So, what do you want to do, Phil?" Dan asked excitedly, bouncing on his toes.

Phil laughed. "Well, how about you show me your room? I'm curious."

Dan smiled, grabbing Phil's hand and leading him up the stairs. He showed him to the first room on the left, opening the door for him.

"Alright, but no funny business!" His mom called up the stairs jokingly.

"Mum!" Dan whined, slamming the door behind them.

Phil chuckled as Dan shut the door, hiding his laughs behind his hand.

"I like your mom. She's very sweet."

"And highly overprotective." Dan reminded him with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't be such a moody teenager." Phil teased, politely sitting on the edge of Dan's bed. "Speaking of which, I made a promise to her. Is there anything you want to... you know, talk about?"

Dan saddened a little, looking at Phil. He was looking forward to maybe playing video games or just hanging out, not a therapy session. But he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful that his idol wanted to help him.

"You only want to help because my mom said to."

"No, I'm helping because your mom asked and I cared about you enough to agree." Phil smiled, gently pulling Dan over to sit on the bed. "Care to talk? She wouldn't have asked me if there wasn't something wrong."

Dan quieted, looking down at his lap. He slowly played with his fingers, finding Phil's arm around his waist to be comforting.

"I... I get made fun of in school. Bullied. My only real friend is this one quiet girl named Cassidy, and she talks to me in the classes we have together."

"Oh." Phil sighed, pulling Dan into an awkward side hug. "I'm sorry that happens to you. But... You only have two years left in high school. You've survived sixteen years, and you can definitely survive two more. I believe you can."

Dan felt a few tears slip out and he threw himself into Phil's arms, burying his face in His chest.

"I also have... depression. And it really hurts me, Phil."

"Shh, I understand. I went through the same thing. You know what? Here." Phil reached over and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from Dan's desk, scribbling something down. "This is my cell phone number. If you're ever feeling sad or lonely, just text me. Or call. Whatever you want, whenever."

Dan smiled, about to respond when Phil stood up.

"Actually, I need to go. I have to edit my new video and stuff. Call me. Like I said, I'm free this weekend. We can get Starbucks tomorrow morning. I'll see you later." Phil gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and a smile, beginning to walk out.

"Wait, Phil."

Phil turned back to him with a questioning grin, raising an eyebrow.

"Thanks. Your videos always made me feel better after a hard day, and you even helped me today. You really are the greatest person ever. Thank you, Phil."

Phil smiled softly, gently cupping Dan's cheek and stroking it comfortingly.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Text me."

With that, the older boy left, closing the door behind him.