Hey guys xxx have an update! Also, this chapter is best read with the aid of music, particularly Olafur Arnalds (I recommend this on youtube: watch?v=mYIfiQlfaas but really anything by him will do, and of course this is just a suggestion)

Phil woke up in a lemony haze of sunlight, the terror from the night before almost forgotten. He stretched out on the bed, blinking his eyes blearily at Dan, who was still tangled up in the sheets, the tanned boy's breathing not quite deep enough to betray sleep. Phil rolled over onto his side, and kissed his boyfriend on the nose. "Good morning."

Dan smiled, a lazy, morning smile. "Good morning," he replied, returning the kiss, this time full on the mouth. Phil melted into him, heart pounding, hands reaching up and running through the other's hair. Part of him felt silly, the way he got nervous and excited and ecstatic at Dan's touch, how the cinnamon taste of his lips made him blushing and breathless. And then, always, always, he remembered.

You keep the storms away.

Dan brushed the hair out of Phil's eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Um. Better, I think. There's going to be another storm later." he could usually tell- yesterday being the outstanding exception- when a storm was brewing. Something to do with the electricity in the air, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention.

"I know," Dan's eyes tightened with sympathy. "Phil, will you do something for me?"

"I don't do nothing without a condom. I ain't that type of girl, Daniel."

"Shut up," Dan shoved him playfully, kicking off the covers and grabbing a pair of jeans from the floor. "For today, will you promise me to stay in here? I need to run a couple of errands, and I'll bring you food and everything."

Phil sat up and rubbed his eyes, confused. "Sure?" Dan leaned across the bed and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart, " he smiled, pulling a t-shirt over his head. He grabbed Phil's laptop off the floor- why does everything electrical gravitate to places which are not my room?- and almost ran out of the room, excitement buzzing around him like a cloud.

So Phil spent the day in bed. It was kind of nice, actually- sort of like being sick without the actual sickness. I could do with the rest, he thought. Last night was pretty heavy on the emotional-drainage-meter. Dan visited, true to his word, checking on Phil every so often, usually out of breath and hurried but also usually carrying a sandwich. Dan and food were always welcome sights, so Phil was okay, mostly. But as the clock ticked, he couldn't help but notice the sickening sense if dread that was creeping up on him. Because he wasn't sure if he could cope with one more thunderstorm.

Some time later, Phil awoke from a nap he'd never meant to have. The sky was an ominous, gunmetal grey, and he shivered, sitting up to pull the blankets round himself. He noticed that Dan's fairy lights weren't wrapped around the headboard- they were tied to the end of the bed and led out the door, and when Phil approached, he saw a tiny note.

Wear a devastating cocktail dress and meet me on the balcony.

I keep my promises, sweetheart.

Phil laughed at Dan's impossibly stupid humour, but couldn't help but be confused at the enigmatic message. Taking the cocktail dress reference as a code to not look homeless, he showered in record time, grabbing some vaguely clean clothes from Dan's death pit of a wardrobe- other people's clothes were eternally more comfortable, and there was something satisfying in using Dan's tshirts, something that let people know that they belonged to each other and nobody else. The second he was ready, he opened the door, realising that the fairy lights had been tied to others, leading in a glowing path all the way to his destination, the golden lights melting beautifully into the music carrying from the terrace. He pushed open the frosted glass door to see something, well, glorious.

Dan leaned against the railing, silhouetted against the skyline. The music he could hear before was coming from an old gramophone- a real, honest to god, gramophone, making the tones of the music flow over him like liquid, like silk. There were even roses on the table, their petals creamy-white. Dan turned to him, and smiled, a warm smile that only truly showed in his eyes when they looked at each other like this. "Hello, sweetheart," he whispered, taking Phil's hands.

For a moment, Phil forgot all about the storm, losing himself in those eyes, but he snapped back to reality harshly. "Dan! Dan, I can't be up here, the storm's about to hit, I can't be out here, I really, can't-"

"Phil," he said the word like he kissed- deep and light, all at once. "I know. But trust me. I've got you. You've always seen the storms as something to be feared, and I just- I want to show you that they are beautiful, almost as beautiful as you. Because I keep my promises."

Without even hearing it, Phil knew what the promise was. "You're going to keep the storms away." Oh, I love you, Dan Howell.

Dan crossed quickly over to the glass table- Phil noticed it was protected from the elements by two umbrellas. The other boy held two glass flutes of bubbling, golden liquid, and offered one to Phil. "Champagne? Seriously?" Phil covered his mouth, laughing.

Dan grimaced. "Too corny?"

Phil took a sip- the rumours were true, it really did taste of starlight. "No, actually. Just right."

The rain started falling, lightly at first, then in large splashes, glowing alien colours in the fading sun. Phil's hands started shaking, and he placed the glass down on the table. He put his arms around Dan's waist, burying his face in his shoulder. "I hope you know what you're doing." He flinched as the first flash of lightning shot across the sky.

Dan didn't answer, just placed one hand on Phil's shoulder, and taking Phil's own pale, shaking fingers in the other. "Dance with me."

"What?"

"Dance with me." Thunder rolled above them, droplets of water falling on their faces, but the music was there in the background, unfaltering, unaffected by the rainstorm. Taking a deep breath, he began to sway in time with it, gradually becoming braver and braver, and soon the couple were dancing properly against the sunset, staring into each other's eyes, their feet moving from instinct and long-lost memory and something not entirely unlike magic. Phil could feel that part of him, telling him to hide, screaming out in fear, but somehow he couldn't quite feel it. Nothing could touch them here, in this beautiful, shimmering sanctuary- here, they were safe.

Phil looked up at Dan, and realised he was smiling, they were both smiling, and why not, the world was far too precious to be afraid. "Dan, I'm not- I'm not scared. I'm okay. How? How are you doing this?"

Dan spun him round, and pulled him in close, their lips almost touching. "I just had to let you know something. I don't know where I heard it, but I knew it would help."

"What is it?" Other people would have got annoyed by now, angrily demanded an answer, but Phil wouldn't- he cherished this enigma, knew that if they studied each other for a thousand years they could still find something new. That was part of their adventure, just them, Dan and Phil, Phil and Dan, against the world. "What did you have to let me know."

Dan closed his eyes, a smile still playing on his lips. "Life isn't about trying to hide from the storm, sweetheart. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

"Oh," Phil didn't think he'd ever stop smiling. "Oh. God, I love you, Dan. I really do."

"And I you, Phil. Forever and ever. I promise." And then they were kissing, kissing until their hearts would burst, and all around them, the world continued to glow.

Alrighty! Thank you very much for reading this, all your wonderful reviews have been and continue to be greatly appreciated xxx Thanks to NeverlandNat, Arkham's Angel, RainbowPeaches, ElzyPhangirl and an anonymous visitor for reviewing the last chapter.

A side note: The references were from "One Day," a book by David Nicholls, and the weatherman was a reference to Cecil Baldwin from the podcast "Welcome To Night Vale." I own neither of these, and neither do I own Dan or Phil.

I'm not sure what my next fanfic will be, so please send me prompts/ follow me on tumblr, my URL is frankencactus. In the meantime, my previous fanfic "Never Better" can be seen on my profile, so please go give that a review!

Again, thank you very much, and don't forget to leave a review xxx