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A fresh start was what Dan had asked for, and a fresh start was what he was getting. Phil had shaken his hand and introduced himself the next day at school, and they had started small – movies and books and TV shows, the picture of politeness and amicability (which, Dan thought, didn’t really fit their agenda of being honest with each other). At the end of the day they walked home, Phil remarking on the closeness of their houses and promising to show Dan around sometime, and they parted ways at the bottom of Dan’s road.

Dan dutifully tapped away at the keys of his laptop as soon as he returned home. It was a decidedly unremarkable write up, but one that Janet was very pleased with. Dan had, of course, been keeping track of his progress with Diego’s crew too, but had neglected to put any of that in the mission files. He was opting not to think about what Janet would do to him when she found out.

He poured himself a bowl of cereal and munched absentmindedly, staring out of the window and thinking about Phil Lester. He was going to be difficult to crack. That much had been clear to Dan from day one, but he had a guilty feeling that that was one of the main reasons he was so intrigued by Phil. He was a challenge, and one that Dan intended to rise to.

He yawned, suddenly not all that inspired by his cornflakes any more. The day had gone so well, to come home and have nothing to do was intensely frustrating. He hadn’t got a TV in his room yet so he couldn’t even set up his playstation.

The house, despite its grandeur, was not large. There were three comfortable bedrooms and two reception areas. Two bathrooms, a study, and of course – the basement. It seemed not a lot for the £1,500,000 it was supposedly worth. Phil’s house was worse – so close to the infamous Egerton Crescent (named the most expensive road in England for the fourth consecutive year) where a four bedroom terrace could easily fetch £10,000,000. Dan wondered vaguely how much the Lester family home had cost. Several million at least, and then there was the brand new Mercedes parked outside and the Lamborghini Michael Lester drove to work in. All a tall order for a mildly successful stationary business to support.

He yawned. Without even realising it, he had left the kitchen and padded barefoot up the stairs to the landing. It was the best spot for pacing. A long, interrupted stretch, with a nice turn spot at either end. He liked to pace while he thought. He couldn’t concentrate sitting still, but, walking up and down at a leisurely pace, he could slip into his fantasy world – wherever that may be.

Right now, it was the Lester household. Dan was conjuring up images of rooms and paintings and ornaments and gadgets. He was playing through the fictitious visit in his head, with Phil showing him all manner of luxuries and lavish adornments contained within the red brick building. But the hallway, for all its pacing convenience, wasn’t really a substitute for a good walk. The turn at either end was only making him more irritated and restless, so he gave up, heading instead to his room and changing into a tracksuit.

He bounced down the stairs and pulled on a pair of trainers, before pulling the heavy front door open. The leafy green square was a nice place for a run. Only nice, however, and Dan crinkled his nose up a little at the neat, green affluence of it all. It was all so luscious and well kept. Even after all this time, he still felt out of place in this area. The other joggers turned their noses up at his attire, and he wished he’d brought some of his more expensive clothes with him. He wondered vaguely if Janet would take the two younger agents on a shopping trip at the weekend, and almost ran straight into Phil Lester as he rounded a corner.

“Oh! Hey Phil,” Dan said, struggling to catch his breath.

“Hey, Dan,” Phil blushed slightly. “Wow. Running. I didn’t take you for that kind of guy, I’m disappointed.”

Dan laughed. “I’m really not. I just ate so much I felt really sick and got inspired. I’ve been running for about thirty seconds and I’m already dead, this was a terrible idea.”

Phil grinned. “Yeah, I did that once. Never again.”

“Definitely not,” Dan agreed. “Where are you going anyway?”

Phil shrugged. “My Dad’s holding a business meeting and wanted me out of the house. I didn’t have anywhere to go though so I was just hiding in a bush playing Pokémon, but now I need the loo.”

“Which Pokémon?” Dan asked.

“Red. I really do need to pee though, do you know any public toilets near here? I’m too awkward to ask in a café.”

Dan shook his head. “Only cafes, sorry. My house is just across the road though, you can use ours if you want?”

“Thanks, that would be amazing,” Phil said gratefully. “So sorry for cutting your healthiness short.”

Dan snorted. “Yeah. How dare you, I’m very upset by this.”

Dan sent a discrete text to Janet as they walked, crossing his fingers that she’d have her phone with her and see it in time to clear away anything suspicious. He didn’t get a reply though so made sure to direct Phil quickly to the toilet as they got in.

“Jan?” He whispered, poking his head into the kitchen. He cursed quietly as he spotted a stack of files on the worktop that didn’t look much like they belonged to a software company. He heard the toilet flush and shoved the paperwork into the cutlery draw, casting another cursory glance around the kitchen.

When Phil came out from the toilet, Dan was ready and waiting - distracting Phil with tea and coffee while making several attempts to blindly call the house phone from the mobile in his pocket. Finally, it sounded shrilly throughout the house, and Dan breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard Janet pick it up somewhere upstairs. He made a point of loudly offering Phil a biscuit before hanging up and hoping she’d been able to hear.

A few minutes later, Sophie came padding down the stairs in a dressing gown and feigned surprise before introducing herself and apologising for the pyjamas. There was a thud upstairs, and both she and Dan coughed simultaneously.

“Why don’t you show Phil the basement?” Sophie asked, as another hurried thud reached their ears. “It’s easily the coolest room in the house. Mum’s still not happy with how the moving men arranged all the bloody ceramics upstairs, but I expect she’ll be down soon with plates of squash and biscuits or something equally horrific. I’m still terrified she’s going to make us take brownies round to all the neighbours again.”

Dan cringed. “Oh god. It was fine last time, we were like seven so we still had the cute factor. You can keep her distracted though, you’re not at college anymore. Take her to yoga or something.”

~

Phil seemed to have no qualms with turning his toilet trip into a social visit, and cheerfully accepted the invitation. He followed Dan down the narrow staircase, remarking politely at the cleanliness of their house.

Dan raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. He surreptitiously kicked an empty can under the sofa as he flicked on the lights.

“We have one of these,” Phil said, gesturing at the pool table. “I’m not very good though.”

“Want a game?”

“Well, I can try.”

Dan, it transpired, was almost as bad as Phil, but their joint clumsiness made them a good match.

“How long’s your Dad’s meeting going to be do you reckon? Only I’ve got nothing to do, and you promised me the grand tour.” Dan said as he potted the white yet again with a moan.

“No idea. A long time though, probably. That sounds like a good idea. I can be friendly Phil. Although to be honest, I’m quite new to Barton as well. I move schools a lot. Most of the time it’s just my Dad being weird. He has loads of houses all over London and we move around a lot. He gets bored really easily.”

Phil sounded different to how he had sounded before their ultimatum. Less sure of himself, and a little quieter. He stumbled over his words, and Dan got the impression that he was struggling to think up lies that would still allow him to be genuine with Dan. At least, mostly. Phil was having to invent a whole new persona just for Dan, and at lightning speed.

“Why does he have his meetings at your house?” Dan asked casually.

Phil shrugged again. “I don’t know. I’ve never asked, it’s best not to with business stuff. God, this is weird. I’ve never been like this with someone before. I’m trying to think how I’d actually talk to you, you know, if I’d just met you as me.”

Dan didn’t say anything, watching Phil’s face out of the corner of his eye as he feigned concentration, sending the balls spinning into the centre of the table.

Phil bit his lip, bringing his hand up to his face. “Dad does work hard. He’s working all the time. We went on holiday to Tenerife last year, and he stayed in all day on his laptop and refused to go to the beach even once. What the hell, right? Why bother spending the money in the first place. My mum was so mad, she told him just to stay at home next time. They didn’t talk for days.”

“Aw, man, that sounds rough,” Dan said, trying to sound a little awkward.

“Sorry,” Phil blushed. “I haven’t had any friends for so long, I guess I’ve kept it cooped up.”

“It’s fine, seriously, don’t worry about it,” Dan smiled. “I have two ears primed and ready to listen. You’re not annoying.”

“What about you, though?” Phil asked. “Two sides to this duo, when do I get to find out all your secrets?”

Dan laughed. “I’m an open book. Ask away.”

“Sure you are,” Phil rolled his eyes. “I’ll let that one slide, for now. I suppose it would ruin the fun if you just broke down your enigma straight out. I’m going to figure you out for myself.”

“Not if I figure you out first,” Dan joked, but his fingers were clenched into a fist under the table and he was drumming anxiously on the wooden panelling.

Phil’s smile wavered a little. “I’m pretty sure my secrets are bigger than yours. I’m only kidding with you, Dan. Don’t try too hard to figure it all out. It’s better if you don’t know.”

Dan almost smiled at the irony of the situation, but he pulled the expression off his face. “Serious Phil again. I’m just messing, too. I promise I’m not going to break into your house in the middle of the night and go snooping through all your Top Secret documents.” Dan’s fingers found the lock pick on the key chain in his pocket, and he allowed the smile to make another appearance.

Phil took his shot and straightened up. “Back to Dan Howell. Your sister seems nice.”

“She’s alright.” Dan shrugged. “Mum’s okay, too. Dad’s not around a lot.”

“Is your mum the type to want to sit around drinking tea and discussing school and stuff? Only, that’s not really my thing.” Phil tugged at the leather band at the end of his cue.

Janet wasn’t, of course, but Dan seized the opportunity. “She might, actually,” he admitted. “If you want, we can just do a runner before she has a chance? You said you’d show me around, right?”

Phil nodded gratefully. “Not that I don’t want to be here or anything. I’m just in a permanent quest for as little awkward parent-socialising as possible. They only really care about your parents, anyway.”

Dan nodded. “I know what you mean. Call it a draw?”

“I was so winning.” Phil snorted.

“And then you abandoned ship,” Dan grinned. “Come on.”

If Phil noticed the sudden absence of the cluster of laptops on the kitchen table when they came back upstairs, he didn’t show it. Janet was sitting on the edge of the counter, sipping a mug of steaming coffee. She made to say hello, but Dan cut her off.

“Mum, Phil. Phil, mum. We’re heading out, Phil’s going to show me round a bit.” Dan said quickly.

Janet nodded. “Nice to meet you, Phil.” She called as they hurried out the door.

~

The air was cold and fresh. Phil had changed into skinny jeans and a grey hoodie since school, and Dan wished he wasn’t wearing such an ugly tracksuit.

“Really I think we’re going to have to find our way around together,” Phil said thoughtfully. “Just as we’re finding our way around each other.”

Dan couldn’t help himself. “Eeey,” he said, and Phil sniggered.

“You know what I mean.”

“Well, yeah, but it was very pretentious and poetic.” Dan teased.

“I like pretentious and poetic. I’m a big fan. I have all their books.”

“Oh, no. You’re going to be unbearable. What have I let myself in for?!” Dan said in mock horror.

“Don’t peel back the layers unless you’re okay with what you find in the middle.” Phil said with a grin.

“Are you comparing yourself to an onion, Phil Lester?”

“Is that a Shrek reference? Save me.”

“Shrek is love, Shrek is life,” Dan grinned. “Ogres are like onions. So you are both an ogre, and an onion. Is that your big secret?!”

“When the night falls, my skin turns green. It’s a terrible burden.” Phil pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, and Dan laughed.

Phil was easy to be around, when he was like this at least. They gelled well together, their sense of humour shared and their rapport comfortable and friendly. Laughter followed them down the street. They bounced off each other. But which layer of Phil was Dan seeing? Was there something else underneath? Dan had a feeling that there was, and the thought made him uneasy.

Back at the house, Janet was running the footage from the basement cameras through facial recognition software. Sophie was watching TV, one eye on the little green dot moving around the screen of her laptop. There was no real reason to be following Dan’s movements, but she was interested.

Phil’s house was silent and lifeless from the outside. Phil pointed it out as they passed, and Dan paused for a moment to look up at the tall building. This was the closest he’d ever seen it in person. He drank in the neat brickwork and heavy set front door. Just as he was turning away, a movement caught his eye. The twitch of a curtain in an upstairs window.

There was a face behind the glass, and just for the briefest of moments Dan locked eyes with Michael Lester.