Despite almost everyone he knew always hating their birthdays, Phil was rather fond of his. A whole day, all to yourself, presents, cake, family, and now friends. Nothing could be better honestly, plus, Cornelia promised to come over for his birthday which meant his brother and niece would be in a good mood today as well.

"Phil, come on, get up!" Marytn called. "I know it's Saturday but it's also your birthday!"

He groaned a bit, but the smell of pancakes made him arise from his  bed and into the kitchen.

"Happy birthday Philly!" Sarah ran to give him a hug. "I haven't got any money, but I made you a crown." She grabbed two pieces of paper put together by tape off the table and handed it to Phil.

He put it on and Sarah sqealed with joy. "Mum's coming over at three," she reminded him. "So don't be late."

Phil held up his pinky promising not to be late she took it and skipped over to the table.

"Whipped cream, carmel syrup, blueberries and chocolate chips in the pancakes, I'd say I out did myself." Marytn claimed.

"Yeah, thank you Pop." Sarah said digging into her pancakes.

Phil poured his coffee and sat down at the table to eat.

"You can be with your friends till three, then it's family time." His brother said giving him a pointed look.

Phil nodded as Martyn went on. "I didn't know what to get you, since you did tell me anything, so you better be happy mister."

Phil nodded and almost moaned as he bit into his pancakes. Martyn sure did know how to make them, he never failed to make Phil happy.

"Happy seventeenth Phil." He said softly.

Sarah stole Martyn's coffee and took a sip. "Hallelujah."
______________________________________

Once he finished his breakfast Sandwich popped up just as Phil hopped in the shower.

"Phil, Dan's here!" Sarah yelled. "So hurry up."

Phil rolled his eyes, he's never had a little sister but his niece was the closest thing he had to one and damn Zoe was right. Having a  younger sibling was annoying.

"He says he doesn't mind, never mind!" She yelled back again.

Phil quickly took his shower and was out within five minutes. He looked into the mirror and saw that his hair was getting shaggy, too shaggy. He could almost hear his mother scolding him. Lifting up his strands of hair with exaggerated disgust, claiming his hair grew out way to fast. He felt a pang in his chest and got dressed even faster.

"Look, I've made Dan a crown too," Sarah showed Dan off. "Hey, put yours back on."

Phil obliged getting his from the bin were he originally put it, he put it on and was quickly out the door. He grabbed Dan's hand and tumbled down the stairs.

"You guys are a happy bunch today." Dan noticed. For some reason his boyfriend decided it was a good idea to start wearing his hoods up. Phil hated it, he could never properly see his face.

Phil shrugged, wishing he would have brought his journal along so he could ask Dan where they were heading.

As if reading his mind he told him they were going to Zoe's. "She's the only one with a car."

The walk to Zoe's house wasn't to long but Phil felt it partially had to do with Dan being there. He bragged about how he had the best present ever.

"The first ones a bore, but the last one is fucking awesome, you'll love it."

Phil wanted to comment on what Dan was saying, which continued to always be weird. Even if Dan couldn't hear, Phil wanted to tell him everything. Maybe he'd talk again one day, to his friends and family. Though Dan couldn't hear him, he knew he would love if he talked again.

The girls were waiting on the porch with streamers and glitter hats.

"There's our birthday boy!" Zoe yapped.

"Happy birthday Phil." Louise said running to hug him along with Zoe.

"We'd give you a hat but it looks as if you've already got one." Zoe teased him, eyes flinting to the top of his head.

He slightly shoved her and gave them a questioning look, pointing over to her car.

"Oh yeah, we're going to the arcade, video games, pizza, and twelve year olds all in one place!" Dan exclaimed.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad Dan, plus we have an awesome arcade, which Phil missed out on cause he didn't grow up here."

"You know he can't hear you." Louise asked.

She groaned. "I forget sometime, whatever, I'll text him later."

They all began to pile into her car when Louise shouted shotgun.

"No, birthday boy gets front seats, to the back with you."

Louise pouted. "No fair, my birthday was months ago." But she still got into the backseat with Dan.

"I'd thought he would want to be back here anyway, so you know, Dan could give him his 'birthday punches'." The girls laughed, Phil felt his face flush as he got into shotgun.

"Let's go hangout with twelve year olds and eat some nachos." Dan offered.

"Sounds like a plan."
______________________________________

Phil didn't have a normal childhood per se, his parents died when he was only seven and years of waiting for Martyn to finally adopt him, he was practically a moping mess half the time. No kids wanted to hang out with a depressed one.

So going to an arcade was refreshing, there wasn't as much kids as they made it sound like. Flashing lights were everywhere and the sound of machines clashed together in the air.

"Welcome to one of the best places a child could possibly be right now." Zoe introduced.

"Just don't mention it's his birthday." Dan said. "They'll sing to you, it's pretty embarrassing."

They found a table, while the girls went to order food the boys got to talking.

"I noticed something," Dan said mischievously. "I never gave you a birthday kiss."

Phil rolled his eyes and leaned in to give him a kiss. Dan whined when Phil pulled away and leaned in to deepen the kiss when the girls came by.

"Wow," Louise said. "I thought they'd at least be considerate to the children."

They pulled away as the girls laughed together. Phil glared at them and Dan backed him up. "You're no better with Jake."

The waiter choose that moment to come by and drop off the pizza and milkshakes.

Once the waiter left Zoe took big gulps of her milkshake and nodded. "Yeah, you're all like," she put on a pouting expression. "Oh Jake, oh Jake, I love you so much, marry me please, oh Jake."

Louise elbowed her and gave the boys dirty looks. They all howled as Louise pouted and ate her pizza.

As they ate their pizza and chatted about Phil's birthday gifts, he noticed Dan still hadn't taken off his hoods. His eyebrows crinkled together as he eyes Dan. Louise seemed to noticed because she asked what was wrong. Phil poked Dan's hood, which made him turn around.

They all gave Dan questioning looks and flicked at his hood. He hit their hands away, clearly annoyed.

"Leave it be, you sporks!" He grumbled. "It's cold."

"It's mild," Zoe reminded him. "Nevermind anyway, you can't hear me."

It was awkward until Zoe offered Dan her last pizza and he took it happily, gloating about how he had the best gift off all.

The girls disagreed with him, though he couldn't hear.

"Your gift will look like a piece of shit next to mine." Louise bragged.

"Oh please, you couldn't tell heels from flip-flops, I have the real gift." Zoe fought back.

They finished their food and head into the arcade, playing games like Pacman and Dig-Dug, with the people who weren't playing shouting encouragements at them.

"Let's race." Dan said when they came upon the car machines.

"Me against Dan." Zoe yelped, placing herself in the seat next to his boyfriend.

"You're going down, Sugg."

"Wanna bet, Howell?"

They spent the next ten minutes shouting curse words and damn near breaking the machine, which ultimately lead to Dan winning.

"Beat me at Mario Cart, have you Zoe, not anymore!" Dan laughed.

Zoe rolled her eyes and suggest they go. "Phil has to be home in an hour, so gift giving and then we let the lovely couple make out at Dan's, let's go."

They all agreed, this time Phil let Louise get the front seat this time so he and Dan could be gross and cuddle in the backseat together.

He still felt bad about what happened at the arcade so he wrote 'sorry' on Dan's sweater sleeve with his finger.

"It's okay, we'll be all later."

That made Phil feel queasy but he agreed, snuggling in to Dan's neck.
_____________________________________

"Hi Mrs Howell."

"Cookies?"

"Hi mum."

Phil waved as his friends attacked Mrs Howell's cookies like mad.

She swatted them away. "Back away you heathens, these are for Phil, you'll be lucky if he shares with you after eating half the tray."

They all muttered sorry as Mrs Howell hugged Phil. "Happy birthday Sweetie, how've you been?"

Phil gave her a thumbs up, she laughed and kissed his cheek, she was a naturally happy women, she reminded Phil a lot of his mom.

"We're going to my room mum, okay?"

"Fine, just try to be quite, Adrian's sick."

They shouted yes and ran up the stairs.

"We hid the presents in Dan's closet."

"Yeah, were he hid himself for sixteen years"

"Zoe!"

They all spread out in Dan's room, each with a present bag.

"Me first." Zoe handed him her bag. He opened it and in a plastic box were three small cactus' each different size.

Phil smiled and hugged Zoe.

"Cute right?" Phil nodded and kissed her head.

"Okay, over with that, here's mine." Louise tossed her's to Phil. It was heavier then Zoe's and definitely thicker.

He pulled it out, it was a hoodie with an iHOP logo printed on the front. He actually laughed and hugged it close to his chest.

"Don't thank me, we all know you're a walking pancake house." Louise teased him. Phil stuck his tongue out and reached for Dan's present, who was on his bed with Phil.

"This isn't my real present." Dan whispered in his ear. Phil gave him a look, he was genuinely confused but Dan assured his this present hadn't cost him any money.

Phil opened Dan's, in it was a small charm bracelet with one half of the yin and yang symbol. Dan pulled up his sleeve and showed off his black half of the symbol.

The girls cooed at them as Phil kissed his cheek. They stayed a while talking about, fighting over who had the best present. Dan had the smuggest smile on his face as if he knew something they didn't, but he didn't taunt or fight for his right to the best present throne.

Once the girls gave him a final happy birthday and a kiss on the cheek they were on there way.

"Can we have the rest of your cookies Phil?" Zoe asked before they left.

He nodded and Louise cheered biting into a cookie and sputtered out her final bye.

"Do you want your gift now of later?"

Phil got one of Dan's sheet and wrote on it.

If it's a blowjob I want it later I'm not in the mood right now

Dan snorted. "You wish, you twit."

Phil smiled. Now then

Dan sat up on his bed, and took down his hood. He turned to face forward and Phil saw something in his ear. It wasn't to noticed able but it was there. Dan's hand flew out to a little nob at the side of it and cranked it up. Phil's breath caught in his throat. A hearing aid.

"You know I've had this for a week," Dan's voice was calm, but he sound slightly angry which mad Phil's stomach bunch up.

"And I noticed something," he looked over at Phil with a soft expression. "Why didn't you tell me you didn't talk Phil?"

Phil had so much things he wanted to say, he'd thought of what his first words might be, to his brother, or his friends, but never to Dan. Because Dan couldn't hear.

He tried to say something, but he felt out of breath everytime he even tried. He felt like his throat was about to be cut, or he had ran a mile. He hadn't spoke since he was eleven and since Martyn had adopted him. He remembered what he said. He had said thank you. But that was only four years without talking. He hadn't spoke in six years. Like a curse, he wanted to cry. But instead he reached up and cupped Dan's face in his hands.

"Dan." His voice was raspy and he felt like crying, but Dan was there, and Dan always helped.

"Phil."

They leaned in and kissed each other hungrily. He hoped Martyn wouldn't be too mad that he was late.
______________________________________

As he walked through the streets, fixing his hair, and messing about with the strings on his new pancake hoodie thoughts swarmed around in his head. He felt ridiculous walking through the streets like he just committed a crime.

Could people tell? What would he tell Marytn? Jesus, what if he smelled? What kind of question is that of course he smelled. What the hell kind of person has sex before going to a family dinner. Him clearly. What was Dan doing right now? Had he hurt him? He'd ask later. Now he needed to focus on telling his brother why he's twenty minutes late.

He ran up to the apartment nervously, but as soon as he entered the apartment his worries washed away. Marytn and Cornelia were laughing and Sarah was cutting out more crowns, it almost felt like their old apartment, nights filled with laughing and music. Cornelia noticed him and ran to hug him.

"My boy," she whispered in his ear. "I haven't seen you in months."

He hugged her back tightly, and since he felt rather confident and emotional he whispered back.

"Cornelia." He whispered her name like it was a secret. She pulled back from the hug and looked at him.

"What?"

"Cornelia."

"Oh my gosh, why didn't you tell me Marytn?"

He looked just as shocked as Cornelia did. "I would have told you if I knew."

It looked as if his brother was about to embrace him, but Sarah but in.

"Say my name Philly, say it." He picked her up and said her name clearly.

"Sarah."

She smiled and hugged Phil. "I like your voice Philly, you should talk more."

"Yeah," Marytn agreed, patting his shoulder. "He should."
______________________________________

The diner they went to was great, but it wasn't in town, which sucked since Phil would love to go there again. They ate as they used to, except they had a very excited atmosphere around them. Phil didn't fully engaged in conversation but he answered in one word answers, mostly.

"He's like Eleven," Sarah said. "Only lamer."

He stole a french fry off her plate for pay back. She whined and stole the cherry on his sundae.

"Haha!" She stuck her tongue out.

They messed around for a bit till the end of dinner, apparently he brother had some big news to tell him.

"Listen, this had been a great day, so I need you to not overreact and listen to me, okay?" Martyn said.

Phil nodded. There they were, the butterflies in his stomach again.

"Well first off good news," Cornelia said. "I'm pregnant!"

Sarah gasped. "Really! Is it a girl!"

"To early to tell, baby doll" Cornelia told her.

Phil smiled. "Congratulations." He was genuinely happy, having another kid around would prove to be fun.

"But, the apartment's a bit small." His brother inquired. "So we'll be moving."

Boom. Phil was nervous about asking his next question. "Where."

"To my grandparents old house," She said.

"In Reading?"

They nodded painfully slow.

"In another state." It was a question, it was a claim.

"Listen Phil, I know it's hard and you're happy here-"

"I'm walking home." He got up and made a beeline for the door. He heard his brother call after him, but he kept walking. There was only one person in the whole world he wanted to see right now. And he hoped to god he was awake.