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“Hey, Dan?” Phil poked at Dan’s neck. Dan rolled his eyes and looked over at his boyfriend who’s face was plastered with one of those knowing smiles. They were in the middle of watching La La Land for the fifth time.
“What, Phil?” Dan had a feeling he knew what Phil was going to say.
“It’s your birthday in five minutes.”
Dan sighed and shook his head, scooting away from the other boy dramatically.
“I know, Phil. How could I forget with you reminding me every three??”
Phil scooted closer, ignoring Dan’s body language.
“Are you excited?”
“What, to turn 26? Not particularly.”
“Aw come on! When I was your age-”
“No, Phil! We aren’t doing this again.” Dan swatted at his boyfriend as he remembered last year’s teasing. He stood from the couch, almost knocking over their snacks while he was at it. He caught the bowl of Doritos before it could tumble to the ground.
“Doing what again? The thing where I remind you how old I am? You’d think you would jump at the chance to remind me!” Phil stood up and went after Dan who was already on his way to his room - well, their room. Dan stayed silent, rolling his eyes. “What? Really? No remark about how I’m ancient or something?”
“We’re only four years apart!” Dan laughed, turning and stopping his boyfriend from coming into their bedroom. “You’re not ancient.”
“But you always say I’m-”
“Not today.” Dan grimaced, hanging his head. Phil glanced down at the clock on his phone, his eyes then returning to Dan’s sour expression.
“Two minutes,” Phil reminded, his smile fading, however. “Dan?”
Phil must have noticed Dan’s drop in mood, Dan’s eyes were glued to the carpet and his hands were playing with a string from his bamboo shirt.
“Dan? What’s wrong?”
Dan shook his head and sighed, entering the bedroom fully, taking off his shirt like he always did before bed. He wasn’t particularly tired, but he wouldn’t turn down a good sleep. They had been so busy lately that sleep had become a luxury. It was his birthday. He could do whatever he wanted. Starting at 12:00 anyway. Perhaps Phil would be down to cuddle. If he was being honest, that’s all he wanted. He was already nervous enough as it is.
Twenty-six wasn’t a big deal. That's what he told himself anyway. It was just another year under his belt. Another year of success and happiness. Another year of mostly work and little play. He wasn’t complaining but he wasn’t celebrating. He couldn’t really complain around Phil because he was a self-proclaimed dinosaur; on Youtube, in life - with most things actually. But Dan wasn’t really a fan of birthdays. They just made him think very hard about where he was in life and what he was going to do next. This upset him, as it should. He heard that his twenties were the best years of his life and here he was, his boyfriend had left them and he was over halfway through. He wasn’t really in the mood for another existential crisis, but when was he ever?
“Dan?”
Phil was standing there with the look on his face that Dan hated. Well not really. He loved every look on Phil’s face, but this look meant that he was worried. Worried about Dan. He had seen him go through this countless amounts of times. He knew the warning signs when he saw them.
“Hm?” Dan realized that he had subconsciously stripped and readied himself for bed while he was thinking about the end of his “golden era”. Phil looked confused.
“Did I say something? I’m sorry.” Typical Phil, apologizing for something even though he wasn’t sure what he did.
“No. I’m sorry. I’m just…” Dan trailed off. Phil knew him well enough that he didn’t need to finish that sentence to communicate what was on his mind. He was not about to be stubborn right now. He could at least be honest about his mood. Maybe Phil would back off.
But this was Phil. Of course, he wouldn’t back off. And that’s not what Dan wanted anyway. Not really.
Phil smiled softly at Dan, reaching for the bottom of his shirt and yanking it off, his pants already falling as he walked towards Dan’s slumped over body. Soon, Dan was being embraced by the love of his life and he was wrapping his own arms around Phil’s body.
“Hey…it’s gonna be fine.” The hug lasted a long time and when Phil finally loosened it, he kissed Dan’s two freckles on his soft cheek, right beside Derek (the dimple). “I don’t know what you’re worried about, and I’m sure you don’t wanna talk about it, but how about we get in bed and snuggle for a bit?”
Dan almost winced because of Phil’s sweet tone and the way he read his mind. Phil knew every little detail about him. He knew exactly how to defuse the bomb that was his mind and if he wasn’t so upset at the moment, he would have been very appreciative.
“Yeah, okay.” Dan nodded, Phil, kissing him again for good measure, then breaking the hug and gesturing towards their comfortable bed.
They settled themselves in-between the sheets, Phil’s leg finding its way in-between Dan’s. They found this the most comfortable position to sleep in and it was almost impressive how fast they could fall into it. It was routine and usually, when Dan was feeling better, Phil’s leg (where it was), usually stirred up a little excitement. But now, it was just a means of getting close as Dan took solace in Phil’s comfortable embrace.
There was silence for a while, Phil’s blue eyes radiating off of Dan’s fairy lights. Dan loved the way the blue sparkled in the night, his most pleasant discovery since sleeping with Phil.
Although Dan was freaking out about his age, he took a moment to think about how long he had known the other man. They started dating when he was 18 and that was eight years ago. The man beside him had known and cherished him for eight years of his life. Phil knew him better than anyone else and even their friends were jealous of their relationship. As the gaming channel was recently witness to, they could pretty much read each other’s minds. How else could Dan have known what an “R falling down the stairs” looked like?
It was comforting to know that even after all these years, Phil still stuck to him. They were still as close as could be. Dan would always have the security blanket that he would never admit he needed. Luckily, Phil knew. Even though Dan didn’t say anything at all.
He decided that they could lay there forever without saying a word - because Dan was stubborn and sometimes that was how it went. But he thought about the man in his arms and how he would actually sit there forever if Dan needed it. Phil would do anything if Dan needed it.
That’s when every worry in his head was expelled, Phil’s proximity melting them away as usual. It was like a magical trick that somehow never failed. Phil might not have been the best magician during TATINOF, but this he was good at.
Dan felt much better.
His eyes flicked over to the clock on the side table and he returned his glance to Phil’s worried eyes. “Hey, Phil?”
“Hm?”
“It’s my birthday,” Dan said, his teeth forming a cheeky grin. “Where’s my happy birthday, you Spoon?”
Phil’s expression went from caught off guard to delighted. He squeezed Dan a little harder than usual.
“Happy Birthday!” He squealed, kissing Dan, a number following each kiss. Apparently, he was getting 26. He supposed that getting older wasn’t too bad. Especially if he was getting an extra kiss for every year he lived. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Dan gave Phil a delicate kiss once he had received all of his. “Even if you are ancient.”