"I like the hair, the eyes, the mouth is good too, but the nose is too thin, chub it up Danny."

"Phil, do me a favor and never say that again."

It had been a month since Dan first moved back home. It was different in a sense that he was now a full functioning adult, with friends who were also full functioning adults.

Of course they didn't act like it.

"Marker war!"

Hailey poked Dan in the side with a marker and ran across the room squealing.

Dan rolled his eyes but caped the marker he was doing his sketches with and took off after her.

She smiled ducking under a table. Dan motioned for Santi to help him as Phil watched in slight disapproval.

The two brunets attacked from either side of the table, poking her profusely as she scattered from underneath the table.

"Come on kids, we've been working for weeks and Dan still can't draw a nose, what have we become."

The trio booed as Phil scolded them. Phil had apparently become the Dad Friend of the group, despite him being so childish himself.

"Seriously, we leave in ten minutes, Dan can still make a chubby nose, let's do this." Phil clapped his hands and gave them a cute smile so Dan obliged.

Hailey and Santi went to their work station giggling at her inappropriate joke about nude drawings.

Dan could feel Phil watching him over his shoulder as he drew. He didn't do that often when they were young, Dan only let him watch once. Memories of a certain painting flickered in Dan's mind.

"Do you still have the painting?" Dan asked impishly.

Phil giggled. "You mean the painting?"

"Is there any other painting?" Dan looked up at Phil.

They shared a laugh. Dan realized how close they were and he thinks Phil realized it too.

Stars flickered in his eyes.

He blinked, breaking out of his trance.

"Hey, Phil, I meant to ask, we're building our dinning table tonight, wanna come over and help?"

Phil smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'm always up to watch you get frustrated over Ikea instructions."

Dan shoved him with his shoulder. "Bring Brian, I haven't see him in ages."

Phil hummed and continued to watch Dan.

Around when Phil moved, Dan and Brian put aside their, mostly his, feelings about one another to give Phil a good few months before he left. Which meant the curly haired boy would hang out with them, Dan learned he wasn't half bad. He was funny, wicked, and just down right mischievous. He also had a dark sense of humor, at times the two would be the only ones laughing at certain jokes they would tell the group.

Yeah, Brian was awesome. Dan knew that much.

"Alright, come one boys, Santi said he would pack up, dinning table here we come." Hailey threw her coat on as she called out to the boys.

"Let's go pick up that mad lad." Dan commented as they walked outside.

Hailey snorted. "You Brits are so weird."

____

Brian smiled slickly as Dan opened the car door for him. They gave each other the look, the look you only give that one specific friend, you know the one

Before they entered the car they smiled at one another and busted into a handshake with multiple steps, a possible leg move and several snapped.

Then they got bucked up.

Hailey watched dumbly as they nonchalantly began to ask about each other's day.

"You're so lame, seriously what is up with you two are in a gang or something Danny?"

Phil snorted. "Seriously, you two do that weird pinky holding thing, their handshake isn't that strange."

Hailey dead panned him. "Yeah, and you two do that 'take me now please' look were you look into each other's and eyes and won't look away for a solid minutes, ha ha yeah hilarious."

The car was silent.

"Phillip can I use your glasses to look for the lies that aren't there."

Hailey cackled at Brian's comment.

"Hi I'm Brian."

"Hailey."

Dan smiled. He didn't know what was better, that he didn't seem to mind what she had said, or the look Phil gave him when she did.

____

"That's suppose to hold the table up from underneath, Brian, that's not a leg."

"Shut up Dan what do you know, you can't even read the manual."

Hailey and Phil were on a rampage. One thing He admired about them both was their knowledge on how to build Ikea furniture like it was a four piece puzzled.

Dan and Brian on the other hand would accidentally turn a table into a wardrobe.

"Come over here boys, it was a mistake to let you two work alone." Hailey impatiently said.

The boys scurried over to see what they had completed so far, which was practically half the table.

"Dan thats a leg, hand me it." Phil held out his hand not once looking up from the instructions.

Brian laughed at Dan. Dan hit him with the leg.

They silently worked on the table for a few minutes with the two curly haired boys watching in wonder as the other two went to work on the table.

"So, anything interesting happen since we've last spoken?" Dan asked, trying to screw in a bolt.

"No really-"

"He's got a girlfriend." Phil rushed out.

"Really?"

Dan moved closer to Phil, only because he wanted to hear more about Brian's now girlfriend. Not because Phil smelled like pine and looked extra soft when he worked away.

"Yeah, interesting right?"

Dan snorted. It was hardly interesting when Brian got a girlfriend, as he would usually have a new one every two weeks or so. He wouldn't just go after any girl either, he would go after the real pretty ones the ones that were way out of his league but he would always get with them anyway.

Dan didn't know how he did it, then again he didn't know how he got with Phil in the first place either. It must've been gods work.

"No I'm serious, they've been dating for two months, that's a long time for Brian." Phil said, looking up at Dan for the first time.

"That's so exciting, so must be extra gorgeous if Brian's stayed with her for this long."

Brian frowned. "I'm right here guys."

Phil laughed. "Well I would think so, but I've never seen her, Brian's been extra mysterious."

Dan nodded. Brian was a very open and trusting person when you got to know him. He was a good boy, an honest boy, Dan only ever thought he could do good. Even if he was abused by his parents ultimately ending them both up in jail, and being taken away from his younger sister for months, he always wanted to see the good in everybody.

Despite all that he could be very mysterious.

Realizing they've been leaving Hailey out the conversation Dan decided to chat with her a little bit.

"What's up with Riley anyway, they said they would come by the end of the month and it's almost come, have you spoken to them at all?"

Hailey shrugged. "I dunno, they've been busy."

Dan frowned. That wasn't like Riley, they always made time for Hailey, no matter what's been going on, they always talked. It wasn't rare for them to go days without talking to Dan if they were busy, but they always talked to Hailey.

It didn't make any sense.

"Riley is the other friend of yours, right?"

Dan nodded.

"What are they like, tell me about them."

Dan looked at Hailey. Usually this would be when she jumped into a full blown rant about how Riley was the best and loveliest person she's ever met. But she stayed silent, working on setting up the last bits of the table.

"Well, Riley the real sweet type, such a lovely person, goofy too, once they told Hailey to call them McLovin and she hissed at them."

Hailey looked up. "I did not hiss at them, I told them I'd call them whatever I'd want."

The boys laughed as Hailey's face turned red as her hair. She groaned and finished tighten the last screw to the table them chucked it at Dan.

They continued to laugh.

Hailey's eyes turned to slits, then walked toward the window with the keys in her hands and dropped them.

"I'm tired, go home."

Dan rolled his eyes but got up to take the boys home. He could sense something was wrong with her so he gave her a side hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving after the boys.

They sung along with Gorillaz in the car, one of Hailey's favorite bands. Dan couldn't shake off the feeling something was wrong with her.

Phil reached out and squeezed his thigh. He gave Dan the look they used to give one another when they didn't  communicate words.

Are you okay?

Dan smiled and nodded. "Just worried about Hailey, I'm sorry you didn't get to properly meet her Brian, she's not usually like this."

Brian waved his hand in dismissal. "No worries, we'll get another chance to talk, she seemed like a real cool chick anyway."

He dropped off the boys with a handshake for Brian before he went ahead of Phil. Phil stayed behind to talk to Dan.

"It'll be okay with Hailey, don't worry, I think she'll feel better soon Dan."

Dan smiled at Phil. He was so sweet, always.

"Thanks Phil, might wanna get upstairs, work starts early tomorrow."

Phil nodded and reached out to give Dan a hug. Dan hugged back, he liked hugs. Especially if they came from his favorite boy.

"Night Danny."

"Night Philly."

Dan smiled softly. Phil always made things better.

Everything little thing.

Dan signed as he got into the car. "Yeah, I'm still whipped."