Chapter Text
Dan heaves a travel bag over his shoulder as he approaches the taxi depot at Heathrow Airport eagerly seeking out the first available taxi to take him home, part of him wonders what time it is although he knows he doesn’t have the energy to care. Checking the time was a task for later, he’s much more focused on finding a way home as quickly as possible. His suitcase trails behind him, he feels it weighing him down and his legs can’t seem to take him fast enough when he spots the only empty taxi.
Dan opens the back of the car and dumps his suitcase down with such urgency he receives a concerned glare from the driver in the rear view mirror, to which Dan brushes off and pretends he didn’t see it. Once his suitcase and bags are safely secured within the back of the car he slides into the back seat of the car with a tired sigh and gets his phone out of his jeans to finally check the time. 6:23am. It should take an hour for him to get back home, and he can already tell it’s going to be the longest hour of his life.
Unsure if Phil is awake, he opens his phone onto IMessage, the last message being from Phil. They talked the night before, until Dan passed out for the night. He took a second to remember the conversation, Phil’s last chat was a meme of a dog. They were talking about anything and everything, it didn’t matter if there was no real topic, the only thing the pair wanted was to be in the presence of the other. His fingers linger over the keyboard, contemplating if he should send a text, or just wait until he gets home. To Dan’s surprise, just as he begins to type, a message from Phil appears in front of him;
[6:28am] Phil - goodmorn
He stares at it for a second with a smile tugging on the edge of his mouth, of course Phil was awake. He doesn’t wait another second before typing out a response.
[6:28am] Dan - slorn
He and Phil had spent so much time together that they had formed some kind of special language that only they could understand, and it meant everything to him.
[6:29am] Dan - not asleep?
[6:30am] Phil - nah, some guy is supposed to be coming here soon. I guess i should see what he wants
[6:30am] Dan - keep that up and i’ll get back on the plane philip
By this point a smile has completely washed over Dan, his face starting to ache. It almost matches the ache in his chest that has persistently yearned for nothing but Phil since Dan left. He lets out a soft, quiet exhale, mostly filled with relief that he’s on his way back home, and partially because he is once again reminded of how he adores Phil.
Dan glances up from his phone, still smiling, to make direct eye contact with the driver through the mirror. His smile fades as he tries to act normal, which is hard when Phil is on his mind, and they’re so close to being together again. The exhaustion from travelling is the least of Dan’s worries, he can worry about that later, all that matters to him right now is being close to Phil again.
****
An hour passes, the car journey has dragged on and Dan is getting extremely impatient, his leg bouncing faster with every inch closer he gets to being home. Dan’s hair curling in every direction, he runs his fingers through the frizz in an attempt to tame it slightly before the car parks outside his house. As Dan feels the car come to a halt, his stomach turns with nerves. Has it really been this long since he had last seen Phil? The nervous feeling that fills his stomach reminds him of Manchester Piccadilly Station, the first time he saw Phil. He thought he was going to faint. It was a mixture of excitement and terror. He can still clearly recall Phil’s face, once he had caught a glimpse of him he struggled to look away. His dark hair had framed his face so perfectly Dan considered for a moment if it were real.
Dan realises he must’ve gotten lost in thought as he is brought back to reality by the driver loudly clearing his throat, signalling that Dan had to hurry.
‘’I don’t have all day, come on.’’
Dan didn’t argue, despite how needlessly hostile the driver’s tone was. He was far too occupied with thinking of how he was mere seconds from reuniting with Phil. He paid the fee of the taxi and eagerly stepped out of the car, almost tripping over his own feet. He heaves his suitcase out of the car, followed by his travel bag that was immediately thrown back over his shoulder. He closes the door with more force than intended, the taxi driver loudly beeps the horn as he drives away, leaving Dan at the path that leads to home.
Dan spends a moment looking around, the morning sun slightly blinding him as he shields his eyes to get a better view of what was in front of him. The nervous feeling persists as he slowly strolls towards the front door, feeling the weight of his suitcase behind him. As he reaches for his bag to rummage for his keys, he’s immediately startled by the sudden opening of the door.
Phil.
Dan jumps slightly at the unexpected greeting, although remains where he is as he processes that Phil really was standing in front of him again. Neither of them move, both completely still. For a moment it felt as if nothing else existed, time had stopped and the only thing that mattered to either of them was each other. Dan stares at Phil for a minute, studying his appearance. The same Minecraft pyjamas and white shirt he had been wearing in the photo Dan took before he left. Phil’s hair hadn’t been tamed since he woke up, and was pointing in every direction. Dan adored Phil in this state, completely natural and slightly unkempt.
Without a word, or another second of hesitation, Dan throws his bag inside with no care for where it lands or what was inside, followed by his suitcase. He rushes inside and slams the front door behind him, instantly he collapses into the warm embrace of Phil, leaving his bag and suitcase abandoned on the floor. Dan rests his head comfortably in the crook of Phil’s neck as Phil tightly wraps his arms around Dan, his hand tangled in Dan’s messy, dark curls.
Dan begins to speak, he croaks as his eyes well with tears, Phil swiftly interrupts as he hears the crack in Dan’s voice.
‘’Shh. I know.’’ Phil’s voice is barely above a murmur, but loud enough for Dan to hear.
Dan responds with a small nuzzle into Phil’s neck, Phil rests his cheek against Dan’s head and gently strokes the back of his neck with his thumb. They stay like that for a while, unable to let time resume or their bodies part from each other. A gentle tear falls onto Dan’s face, except it’s not his. Phil’s eyes had begun to water, tears slowly dripping down his face. Dan pulls back slightly, resting his cold hands on the back of Phil’s warm neck.
‘’Why are you crying? I’m supposed to be the emotional one here.’’ Dan lets out a quiet, breathy giggle as he admires Phil’s face, moving his hand to Phil’s cheek to wipe a stray tear.
Phil’s tears are interrupted by a breathless chuckle, Dan always knows exactly how to make him laugh.
‘’Just missed you, doesn’t mean I’m going to get sappy about it though.’’
A smile returns to Dan’s face as he presses his lips to Phil’s. He tastes the coffee that lingers on Phil’s lips, pulling back slowly to press a kiss to Phil’s forehead. Dan returns his head to Phil’s shoulder for a moment, he lets out a heavy, tired sigh. The exhaustion from travelling is catching up, but he can’t bring himself to leave the safety of Phil.
‘’Are you hungry?’’ Phil’s voice is quiet, he presses a kiss to Dan’s ruffled curls. Dan melts under the affection he had desperately craved for so long.
Dan doesn’t bother to respond with words, instead he nods as Phil guides him by the hand upstairs to the kitchen. Dan sits down on one of the barstools and watches as Phil glides around the kitchen to prepare a piece of toast for himself and Dan. Phil places a tall, cold glass of water in front of Dan. Dan carefully brings the glass to his mouth and slowly drinks every drop, realising he hadn’t hydrated since he was on the plane home.
‘’How was it without me then?’’
Phil turns to face Dan, his expression slightly puzzled as he searches for a response. To Dan’s surprise, Phil walks away as if he were looking for something. As Phil re-enters the room, Dan realises he’s holding a rather green towel that Dan had never seen before.
‘’Where did that come from? It’s kind of gross.’’ Dan speaks with a slight laugh, growing more confused as to where this piece of fabric had come from.
Phil responds at a very fast pace, almost embarrassed by the story he was admitting to his partner.
‘’So I might have missed you so much I dyed everything in the house green.’’
Dan instantly erupts into laughter, he finds it difficult to be anything other than confused.
‘’Phil!’’ He squeals, his voice high pitched and filled with laughter.
‘’I’m sorry! I left some things alone, I couldn’t help it.’’
Phil drops the towel onto a counter, returning to face Dan. He reaches to wrap his arms around Dan, but Dan interrupts, his voice seemingly alarmed.
‘’Phil! The toast!’’ He rushes past Phil to take the now slightly burnt bread out of the toaster and dramatically throws it onto the plates Phil had left out.
‘’It’s still edible! Stick some butter on it and eat it. I lovingly made you that.’’
Dan sighs, pretending to be irritated yet his tone dripping with pure adoration despite his clumsy partner’s antics. They sit side by side, quietly eating. Dan couldn’t take his eyes away from Phil, it was like seeing him for the first time all over again. With every glance he took at Phil he was reminded of the former versions of themselves. Through everything, Phil was a constant source of endless love and laughter in Dan’s life.
****
Dan checked the time for the first time since this morning in the taxi, it was now 9:04am and they remained at the kitchen barstools, laughter echoing throughout the house while they caught up. It felt as if maybe there had been no distance between them at all, Dan had immediately forgotten the feeling of being without Phil.
‘’Did you make any plans for today?’’ Dan questions, his voice tired and low.
Phil shakes his head, of course he hadn’t. How could he possibly make plans when he knew Dan was returning to him?
‘’Good. We’re spending the day in bed.’’
Phil has no desire to protest this decision, it seems Dan has made the choice for both of them. Phil cleans the kitchen mess while Dan changes from his uncomfortable jeans into some light shorts, in a hurry to get back to Phil.
Their bedroom is dimly lit, the bed still unmade. Dan sits on the edge of their bed as Phil appears in the doorway. His voice is calm, he speaks slowly;
‘’Hey, you.’’ A smile forms on his face as he looks at Dan.
Dan returns the smile and gestures for Phil to come closer. Phil stands between Dan’s legs, Dan immediately gently wrapping his arms around Phil’s soft waist. His face rests against Phil’s stomach, Phil places a hand on Dan’s back, the other playing mindlessly with Dan’s messy hair.
‘’Did I tell you I missed you?’’ Dan mumbles from the comfort of Phil’s arms.
‘’You might’ve. Sounded like it when you called me the other night too.’’
‘’Oi!’’ Dan exclaims, with a careful push at Phil.
‘’Okay, okay. You were drunk, I know. It was sweet though.’’ Phil’s voice lowers, his tone soft and pouring with affection.
Phil presses another kiss to Dan’s curls before removing himself from Dan’s hug. He wanders to the opposite side of the bed and crawls in, arms open, inviting Dan into a cuddle. Dan doesn’t hesitate before rushing to accept Phil’s offer, his head on Phil’s chest. He listens to Phil’s heart beat, if it were a song, Dan knows he’d play it on repeat. Phil tugs the warm blanket over them, resting his chin on top of Dan’s head. They waited what felt like forever to share each other's warmth again, and now they might just stay this way forever. Dan and Phil don’t need words to know that they’d find each other no matter the distance, in every lifetime they remain intertwined.
Phil gently strokes Dan’s back, pressing small, soft kisses to Dan’s forehead. Dan looks up at Phil and presses their lips together once more before putting his head back onto Phil’s chest. Breaking their comfortable silence, a tiny mumble comes from Dan;
‘’I love you, Phil.’’
‘’I love you, Dan.’’
Dan smiles into Phil’s chest, he knows Phil loves him. It’s been 13 years and his heart still speeds up when he hears it. His exhaustion catching up to him, Dan feels it take over him as his eyes grow heavy and he allows them to close. It doesn’t take long for Dan to fall asleep. This is much better than their previous phone call, Phil has Dan in his arms. Where he belongs. This is where they belong, there’s no doubt in either of their minds about it. Phil drifts off shortly after Dan, the sun peeks through the slightly open curtains as they bask in the presence of each other, intertwined for the rest of the day.