Phil had been gone through most of the day. He had originally set out to the store for milk, two bags of crisps and more cereal, and then gone to pay the utility bill. That had been around eleven-thirty, and it is now a little past five. Dan had called him a couple times about an hour ago and now he is nonchalantly playing some Sonic game. His phone rings on the table and he groans before stretching out to see the ID. Literal Sunshine, AmazingPhil. Dan smirks and shakes his head, letting it ring once again before answering.
"Hey, Phil. You find another Tortoro to add to the collection?"
"Is this Danny Howell?" A somber woman's voice on the other end questions.
Dan sits up straighter. "Yes, this is Dan."
"This is Lieutenant Le'Toole at Mercy Hospital. You are the number one contact of a Mister Philip Lester?"
"Yes." He answers breathlessly. "Is he okay? Where is he?"
"He's been in a car crash, Mr. Howell. It would"
He drops his phone entirely, ignoring his character's death onscreen. He quickly grabs his keys and wallet, running out the door. Dan ignores everything with only Phil on his mind. In very little yet too long time, Dan screeches into the parking lot. He sets the car off, not in an exact space and he runs inside without a second thought.
"I'm here for Phil Lester! Philip Michael Lester!" He all but screams to the woman behind the receptionist desk. "Are you deaf?" He wails when she doesn't answer. "I was called, he's been in a crash! Where is he?"
"Mr. Howell?" A man strides over.
"Yeah, that's me. Is he okay?"
"Phil Lester?" He asks. "Car crash victim?"
Dan cringes at the word 'victim', but he nods. "Can I see him? Is he awake?"
"You can see him." He replies despondently. "But, no. He isn't awake."
"When will he be?" Dan asks, on the verge of tears.
"Mr. Howell," The man sighs. "I'm afraid he died on site. You'll need to come with me to make positive identification."
After the word 'died', Dan hears nothing else. He mindlessly follows the doctor into the elevator and into the morgue. He cannot imagine Phil gone like this. He'd just gone to the store this morning. He stops walking and hears the doctor, though he cannot make out the words. Finally, the doctor guides him to a cold box in the wall. He pulls it out and lifts the cover. Dan has to cover his mouth from being sick to his stomach. The man lying on the bitter slab is tall and pale with ebony hair. The rest of him, however, is disintegrated. The car crash was obviously worse than he had been let on. This was the work of an explosion. The doctor nods to Dan's crestfallen composure.
"I'll give you some time alone with your boyfriend."
Dan opens his mouth but instead grabs a nearby stool. He leans against the other rows of metallic boxes and shuts his eyes. He cries. After what could've been twenty minutes or two hours, his crying has stifled. He trails his eyes over the skinny man's frame and starts talking to his best friend.
"Oh, Phil. I can't believe this has happened. You're my little Lion. You're my personal literal ball of sunshine." He sniffles. "You told me not to worry what other people are thinking of me. Yeah, it's hard to do that, but you make it easier, Phil. All those 'Phil Is Not On Fire's and 'AmazingDan's. They've been incredible, Phil. I love that little tongue thing you do." He pauses and swallows thickly. "Did. I'm keeping all your ridiculous house plants and I'm never changing your room."
Dan doesn't hear the door slide open. Nor does he catch someone walking in, toward him. He continues to cry and he continues to pour out his heart. "You remember when I got ill and I put on your hoodie and cuddled up with your toy? Remember how I just pushed it off, saying you're my best friend and you made me feel better? That was half wrong. I don't think of you as my best friend, Philly. I think of you as so much more. Why do you think I wanted to make a Sim that was half you and half me? Don't you think I thought about us as an us? I read the phanfiction, Phil. Hell, I've wrote some of the phanfiction. I am part of the phandom. I had a crush on you the day we started talking. Hell, even before that, when I was depressed. I'm hooked on you, Phil. I, I seriously love you."
"I love you too."
Dan jolts from his seat, perfectly hearing the other man's voice. He glances over the burnt man through his tears. In a haunting voice, he calls out. "Phil?"
A set of strong arms wrap around his waist from behind. He can feel tears staining the back of his shirt. Dan has half a mind to hit the person and half a mind to yell and run. Instead, he hears the voice again.
"I love you too, Dan. So much it hurts."
Dan spins around but the arms don't let go. Because of this, Dan finds himself in very lose quarters of the man he has just spilled his heart out to. He gasps and starts crying again. He wraps his arms around the man before him, clenching tightly. He pulls apart with so much love and confusion present in his eyes. He parts his mouth and Phil takes this chance to close the gap. They kiss, long and desperately, yet sincerely. When they pull away this time, their breathing is shallow. Phil is blushing with a grin and Dan blushes as well, but continues to look confused.
"How did you? Then who is?"
"The doctor explained it to me." He responds calmly. "I was in a wreck, yes. I got a few minor cuts and bruises down my back and on my tummy. I had a bit of a concussion and they had me scanned upstairs. In the same spot, after I'd been carted off, my car was leaking gas and another car ran off the highway into it. That's him."
"They couldn't tell?"
"My things were left at the scene and so were his. This was Michael Phillester."
"Phillester?" Dan blinks.
"Similar names, similar looks, similar cars." Phil nods. "But different people."
"Thank God." Dan responds, pulling Phil in for another hug.
Phil chuckles warmly. "Ready to go home?"
.
]]]]]]]]]] I don't know if this is a stand-alone or if I should continue it. Let me know in the comments section. Please review. (Heart Hands) Meow.