if dan howell was anything, it would be artistic. he played piano, sculpted, dabbled in film making and acting, loved photography, could write something at the drop of a hat and painted when he needed something to do. the thing that he was the best at, and what he loved doing the most, was drawing. he could look at something, pledge it to memory, and draw it effortlessly. one might think if he weren't directly studying something, he wouldn't get as a good of a result as he could've, but that just wasn't true. dan howell was born an artist, and a fine one at that.

every artist needs a muse, and dan's muse often changed. dan was what he liked to call a surfer - not to imply he was at all athletic, but to say he moved around a lot. the longest he'd ever stayed in a school system was for three years, and those were his first three years of schooling, so it wasn't like he remembered being there, or missed it even. dan had to yet to figure his muse for this year, as he had once again moved. his parents told him they'd be here longer, as his father was sure his teaching job was secure. that was normally why he moved - his dad would either get fired or quit from a school, and they'd have to move to accommodate a new job. dan's dad promised that this was it, as it was where he had dreamed of teaching. dan just nodded along, thinking how is this different from any other jobs?, and said nothing. he didn't want discourage his father, and he had a good feeling about this new town. it radiated good vibes, and dan was ready to tackle it.

although, he certainly would not tackle it. as an artist, he expressed himself through his work, and barely his words. he would be considered mute, if it weren't for the few necessary words and sarcastic comments, made only under his breath. he was quite the shy person, making it even more difficult to be the new kid all of the time. he had figured a year or two ago that if he made sure to be the least interesting he could be, he wouldn't develop any friendships, making it easier to always be moving. so he was quiet, only speaking when he had to and keeping his distance from people.

when he walked through the doors into a hectic school hallway, he wasn't in the best of moods. it was good he started at the beginning of the year, a rare thing for him. he weaved between the high-energy people in the halls, trying to find the office. someone bumped right into dan's back, not hard enough to knock him over, but hard enough to annoy him. he huffed and turned around to scold whoever it was that had ran into him, and was met with quite possibly the most fascinating person he had ever seen - and that was saying something, as dan had seen a lot of people.

they boy had the brightest blue eyes dan had seen on a human being. they were blue as waves, crashing on a beach in the middle of a storm. they were as blue as the sky on a clear sunny day. they were as blue a morpho butterfly, it's gently beating wings propelling it through the air. his hair was a deep black, as if someone had sucked the color out of a raven's feathers and inserted onto this boy's head. his skin was as light as snow, glowing from within. he was tall and lanky, like dan himself. all in all, the boy was one of the most lovely things dan had ever witnessed. he was tempted to whip out his sketchbook in the middle of the crowded hall, but before he could even think to do so, they boy patted his shoulder, saying "watch out for yourself in these halls, yeah?" before leaving dan alone and speechless.

he could feel his face heat up as he hurried down the hall to the office. he already knew his way around, as he had gotten a tour previous to this day. plus, he had a pretty good memory, which proved to be to his advantage. he received a schedule from the secretary, and headed to his locker, grabbing the necessary books and heading to english class. he was glad he got there early, as there were only two or three students in the room, and they didn't even look up when he entered.

"ahh, mr, howell! daniel, is it?" the young, male teacher at the front of the room greeted him. "uhm, dan, if you will," dan said,  not looking up at the teacher. "i'm mr. yarrow," he introduced himself brightly. dan just nodded, staying silent. "you can have that seat, right there, fourth in the the second row, on the right." mr yarrow told him. dan looked up and smiled at him before bringing his books to his assigned seat. he mentally grumbled, as the seats were all in pairs, probably meaning there would be a lot of partner work.

other kids started flooding into the room, chatting with post-summer buzz. dan just rolled his eyes and flipped his sketch book open. he decided to start a sketch of the unknown boy's eyes, as they were what intrigued dan the most. he would add color later. he glanced up to see mr. yarrow pointing kids to their seats. dan silently prayed whoever he was sat next to was quiet, as he was, and wasn't nosy, as most people seemed to be. he turned his focus to his sketch book, hardening the out line of the sketch. he felt someone sit in the desk next to him, and looked up to see the alluring stranger from earlier in the halls. dan felt his jaw drop slightly, and clamped his mouth shut.

the boy looked over at dan. "oh hello, new-boy-whom-i-never-got-the-name-of," the boy said, grinning in a friendly manner. dan only flashed him a small smile. "uhm, it-it's dan," he stuttered softly. "i'm phil," the boy, now know as phil, said. dan smiled again before turning back to his sketchbook. dan got another look at phil's eyes, so he could draw them more accurately. he had just started to block out his pupils when mr. yarrow addressed the class.

"hello everyone! i'm mr yarrow, for anyone who wasn't aware. i'm letting you know before anyone asks, these will be your seats for the whole year, unless i feel i must move you. trust me, you do not want to be moved. the first place i'll move you is to the office." mr. yarrow said. a few kids gulped, and dan visibly stiffened. phil chuckled quietly, causing a warm feeling to spread throughout dan. "what are you laughing at?" dan whispered. phil shook his head. "nothing dan, you're just adorable," he said, grinning, before turning back to face the front of the room, as if what he had just said was one of the most casual things in the world. dan's face was set ablaze in a blush, and phil glanced over at him again, giggling under his breath. dan didn't notice. he was too afraid of mr. yarrow to pay attention to anyone other than him at this point. he droned on about expectations and rules and all the standard first day bull shit that dan knew all too well. 

"now, as for projects," dan's ears perked up at mr. yarrow's words. "all your projects will be with your partner," dan could hear some kids groan, and was mildly surprised when phil didn't. "and right now you have a project," a few more moans were heard after mr. yarrows words. "you have to get to know your partner. ask them about their childhood, their favorite person, their celebrity crush, their thoughts on the economy, anything. just make sure afterwards, you know more about your partner than anyone else in this room." mr. yarrow made a sweeping gesture with his arm. "you'll be presenting the things you find out about your partner, and the project will be due at the beginning of next month. i want all the information possible, and yes, i will be grading this." that cued more moans from the students. "i don't want to hear it. you will have time in class to work on this, but i expect you'll need to have time outside of class." mr. yarrow said. the bell rang, signaling the end of the class. as the students rushed out of the room, mr yarrow yelled, "start today if possible!"

dan sighed, picking up his books and hurrying to his next class. he was determined not to be late on his first day.

/|\

the rest of his classes before lunch were boring, and all very generic, welcoming students back and explaining the rules and such. dan had the latest lunch, meaning he would only have on period left after lunch. he sighed, looking around the packed cafeteria. he saw an empty table near a window, and hurried towards it. he pulled out a sandwich from his lunch bag, and his sketchbook. he had art next, and all he needed for that class was his sketch book anyways, so he wouldn't have to stop at his locker. he opened up his sketchbook to the eye drawing.

dan heard the clink of  lunch tray and the groaning noise of the table as someone sat down. he looked up and saw phil sat across from him. dan didn't say anything, but phil just started talking, as if they were old friends. dan was fine with this, as he wasn't to fond of speaking, and hated silence. "isn't it awful, having the last lunch?" he asked rhetorically. "i mean, we wait all day in class, and we aren't allowed to eat in any of them. it's the worst, especially when you're hungry all of the time." he continued animatedly. dan's eyes swept the lunch room, noting the odd looks he was getting. he figured phil must be some sort of big deal here, as most eyes seemed to linger on him longer than they did on dan. they looked confused as to why phil was sitting with dan, and dan was too.

phil had stopped talking, and dan decided to say something. "i-if you don't-t mind my ask-king, wh-why are you sitting with me? i-i am the new k-kid after all. y-you seem to b-be a popular guy." he muttered softly. phil laughed. "you're cute, and quite compelling," he said. dan just stared at him like a deer caught in head-lights, his face flushed, causing phil to chuckle again. "what?" dan shook his head. "i'm not used to the at-attention." he said quietly. "well i can see that," phil said. "what class do you have next?" he asked, changing the subject. "art," dan said timidly. phil's face brightened. "so do i! would you like me to walk you there so you don't get lost?" he asked. dan nodded, although he knew perfectly well where the art room was. "awesome," phil said, barely getting interrupted by the bell.

phil grabbed hold of dan's arm and snaked him through the bustling hallways. "here we are," phil announced, stopping in front of the room. "thanks," dan mumbled. "you're welcome," phil said, smiling. when the two walked in, several people high-fived and waved to phil. dan awkwardly followed him, until he noticed 'free seats' written in neat handwriting on the board. he sat down at a table near the back of the room. phil sat down next to him moments later. "normally there would be instructions, so today must be a free art class," phil explained. dan nodded, pulling out his sketchbook, flipping to the drawing of phil's eyes. he wished phil would leave him alone. he felt himself starting to want to be around phil, starting to want to befriend him. it would be a lot easier on dan if he didn't get attached to anyone.

"so dan, since we have to start on that project for english, i was wondering if you wanted to go to hang out or something and start on it?" phil asked dan. dan nodded reluctantly. phil's eyes made him weak, as did his charm, which was partly why he agreed to go with phil after school. he'd have to text his mom, letting her know he'd be staying out longer. he must've been zoning out, because after what felt like ten minutes of class, the final bell rang. dan walked to his locker, not noticing phil following behind him. "hey dan, i'll meet you back here, alright? i just have to grab my things." phil said, and dan nodded, watching him leave.

when phil came back, the two left. "did you walk to school?" phil asked. dan nodded. "alrighty, then we'll go in my car." dan's eyes widened. "y-you have a car?" he asked. phil nodded. "yeah, i stayed back a year so i'm a bit older than everyone else." he explained. dan nodded. "there's the beauty!" phil pointed to a baby blue car, sticking out from all the other gray and black ones. dan giggled quietly and got in after phil had. "i-i like your c-car," dan said, smiling softly. "thanks," phil said brightly. "so how long have you been here?" phil asked. "not too long, only about a week." dan answered. "do you  have any favorite coffee shops?" phil asked. "i know i s-seem mainstream for s-saying this, but i do love starbucks," dan cursed himself silently for his ever-present stutter. phil leaned in close to dan's ear, causing dan to blush, and whispered, "don't tell anyone, but starbucks is my favorite too."

the drive was silent and short, but it was a comfortable silence. "i'll get the drinks," phil offered. "what would you like?" he asked. "a vanilla b-bean frap, venti?" dan asked, holding out money for the drink. phil shook his head. "a gentleman always pays," he said. "just sit tight. i'll be back in a minute."

dan watched phil. he watched his graceful movements, walking up to the counter. he looked at his shoulder blades, shifting as he moved. he heard his melodic voice, saying their order, and adding two pieces iced lemon cake to it. he saw his lovely smile as the woman handed him the two cups and the cakes. he noticed his fingers sliding around the cup, bringing it to dan. he noticed the brighter his eyes got when they landed on him. he tried not to notice, but of course, he did.

dan had found his new muse.

< a/n >

word count ; 2458

hi everyone! so for anyone who didn't know, i'm sam the writer of this story. so a few things about the story ;

1. lower case is intentional

2. i will be trying to update every tuesday :))

3. normally the chapters probably won't be this long

4. for anyone who's read my fic same side, yes i know it's sort of like that but this will have an actual plot and such

5. i won't write smut, sorry

that's it :))

-sam