Chapter Text
Phil’s been sitting up in bed for a while now, scrolling idly on his phone and looking down occasionally at Dan, sprawled out awkwardly, limbs all over the place. No matter how intertwined they may be when they fall asleep, Dan’s starfish tendencies always assert themselves at some point in the night.
They’d spent a romantic New Year’s Eve together, with fairy lights strung across the balcony, snuggled under a blanket and kissing at midnight while fireworks sparkled across the London skyline.
He’ll let Dan sleep a little longer, and then he’ll have to wake him up if they want to leave on time.
Just then, Dan starts to stir.
“Morning,” Phil says as Dan blinks awake, and he leans down to drop a kiss on his curls.
“Morning,” Dan replies, yawning. “Is it still early?” he asks hopefully.
“It’s gone 10,” Phil says, “We’ll need to start getting ready soon.”
“Don’t wanna,” Dan grumbles, snuggling himself against Phil’s side. “Why did we say we’d do this again? We could just cancel, I’m sure mum wouldn’t mind.”
Phil doesn’t rise to the bait, just gives Dan a gentle shove. “Come on, sleepyhead, up and into the shower.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just stay here? I’m sure we could think of better things to do.” He runs a hand over Phil’s chest and then downwards, just in case his meaning wasn’t quite clear.
Phil groans and grabs his hand. “Don’t do this to me, Howell. We’re not cancelling, so your choices are to get up now and have a pleasant journey to Paddington, or take your time and have a mad dash across town, and quite possibly a heart attack into the bargain. Which would you prefer?”
“Alright, alright,” Dan grumbles, and drags himself out of bed, giving Phil a reproachful look.
As he exits the bedroom, Phil congratulates himself on resisting temptation. He’s a big fan of their usual weekend routine, spending the morning lazing around in bed together until lunchtime. But today is a big day for Dan, and he wants it to be as stress-free as possible.
He can’t quite believe how far Dan’s come in such a short time. Whenever he tries to point it out, Dan gets flustered and then tries to turn things round on Phil, saying that having just one person who really accepts him has made so much difference in his ability to accept himself.
But Phil can see how hard he’s worked to face up to his fears. He read the endless drafts of the email that Dan had decided was the only way he’d be able to come out to his family. He was there while Dan paced up and down his living room and finally pressed send, then threw his phone across the room in a panic. He’d calmed him down when the phone had rung a few minutes later, and held his hand while he had tearful conversations with his mum and then his nan, and witnessed the weight visibly lifting from Dan’s shoulders as he listened to them tell him how much they loved and supported him.
And now they’re at the point where they're spending New Year’s Day with Dan’s family so that Phil can meet them for the first time, something that Dan’s equally thrilled and terrified about.
“Here,” Dan says, interrupting Phil’s thoughts as he comes back into the room and puts a mug of coffee on the bedside table. “An apology for being a grump.”
“Thank you,” Phil says, and grabs Dan’s hand just as he’s turning away, then pulls him down for a kiss.
“Now you’re the one doing the teasing,” says Dan, batting him away. “You could join me in the shower if you want?” he asks, a hopeful tone in his voice.
“Don’t think we’ve got time to factor in a visit to A&E on the way to the station,” Phil replies. “We’re already on a tight schedule as it is.”
“You’re right,” Dan admits, defeated.
He disappears, and Phil picks up his drink and takes a sip.
He could get used to this, having someone to bring him coffee in the mornings, someone to flirt and joke with before heading off to work. They’ve tentatively talked about the fact that the lease on Dan’s flat is coming up in a couple of months, but in all honesty, he’s not sure if they’re there quite yet.
Even so, Dan’s found his way into every part of Phil’s life. He was nervous about meeting Phil’s friends at first, worried about making a good impression on the people who are like a second family to Phil, but he’s slowly come to find his place in the group.
The first time they all met, Jess and Olly’s house purchase had finally gone through, and they’d extended an invite to Dan to come along to their housewarming where as promised, everyone was expected to chip in with a paint brush in return for pizza. Dan had had a bit of a meltdown the day before, terrified that no one would like him, but Phil had reassured him by saying that any extra pair of hands was going to be welcome, as it meant less work for everyone else.
He’d started off shy and awkward, not straying too far from Phil and barely saying a word. By the end of the evening, Phil had sat across the room watching as, tired and paint-splattered, Dan was deep in conversation with Freddie and Nav about the importance of fashion and music in challenging gender norms, and had forgotten about Phil completely.
Now, it’s hard to imagine what the group was like without Dan in it, although perhaps Phil’s a little biased, he’ll admit. Dan will geek out with Olly over Guild Wars, or pop up to Norah’s for a cup of tea before coming to see Phil, and it’s like he was always there.
Just then Dan reappears, a towel around his waist and his hair dripping. “Now who’s holding us up?” he says, with reproach. “Up and at ‘em, Lester, we’re on a schedule here,”
Phil rolls out of bed and makes his way to the shower.
Despite Dan’s head start, somehow Phil still finds himself hanging around by the front door, waiting as Dan stands in front of the mirror in the hallway, fiddling nervously with his hair and trying to get the curls just right.
As he waits, he thinks back to last New Year’s Day when he’d woken up alone in his flat, feeling sorry for himself. It’s hard to believe that so much has changed in just 12 months. He smiles as he remembers telling Norah that he thought he was in for a boring year, and how she’d been quietly convinced he was wrong.
His life seems so full; with friends, with family, with Dan. He’s got no idea what’s in store for him, how much more change and growth it might bring, but he’s excited to find out.
Dan turns away from the mirror. “So, are you ready to get going?” he asks.
Phil looks over at him and smiles. “Yeah,” he replies. “Yeah, I think I am.”