Archive of Our Own

“Hey, our flight leaves in three hours, get home soon okay?”

Phil nestled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he listened to the reply from the other end and responded, “Yeah okay, mmhm, don’t worry, I remembered. Okay okay alright love you bye.”

He dropped the t-shirt he was folding to hang up the call and tossed the phone onto his bed, wincing when he heard it slide off and hit the floor. Oh well, it’s got a case on it, he reminded himself. He then made his way to his drawers and opened the top one; after rummaging through the socks, boxer shorts, and for some reason, a bunny ears headband, he finally found what he was looking for and pulled out a little velvet box. It was jet black and surprisingly light, considering it was  carrying an object of greater gravity than his computer, cameras, and collection of awards combined. Phil breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the ring still sat safely inside. Sliding down to the floor in front of the drawers, he gazed at it for a moment, admiring his own ability in picking out jewelry. It was a simple pavé ring made of white gold, studded with two rows of tiny glittering diamonds. There was no secret to the fact that Dan always had a mild internal conflict when it came to picking between his two aesthetics—minimalism and luxury, so Phil had found the perfect balance. A simple white gold band would pair well with anything Dan would choose to wear, and the pavé diamonds added luxe without being gaudy.

The mid-morning sun shining through the window of his room bounced off each of the tiny diamonds, casting little beams of light on the walls and ceiling, giving the illusion that the room was filled with hundreds of tiny stars. The effect was breathtaking, and Phil knew Dan would think so too. He got a little lost staring at the ring, thinking about what it represented, knowing that if he had told his younger self from ten years ago that he would make it this far, he would have never believed it. Phil was doing something he truly loved next to the person he loved the most in the world. They had just finished a hugely successful world tour and had so many plans for the future for both their professional and personal lives to look forward to.

All he had to do was pop the question.

The sound of the front door opening snapped Phil out of his contemplation as he scrambled to close the box and tuck it inside the side pocket of his suitcase between two pairs of socks. “Dan?” he called, keeping his voice steady as if he didn’t almost get caught holding a ring box, “Are you nearly done packing? We need to call the taxi in an hour.” Phil heard the jangle of Dan’s keys dropping in the ceramic dish where they kept them, promptly followed by his footsteps bounding up the stairs a second later.

“Uhhhh yeah, I just have my clothes left to pack. Oh, and toiletries also.”

Phil rolled his eyes even though he knew Dan couldn’t see. “Dan, that’s nearly everything. I told you to start packing last night. My mum’s gonna kill me if we miss our flight.”

“Don’t worry, I promise you we won’t be late. Maybe we’ll even be early; I know I can have everything packed and ready to go in forty minutes.”

Phil crossed his arms, half jokingly, half accusingly. “Really? Forty? You’re bluffing and you know it.”

“I promise I’m not. Okay, if I’m not packed in forty, then I’ll take the bins out for two weeks after we come back. Deal?”

“Deal. I hope you’re looking forward to making awkward bin room conversation with our weird neighbors.”

Dan, ever the procrastinator, knew for sure that he could pack in forty minutes as long as he acted quickly. The only essentials he knew he had to bring were his wallet, a couple pairs of black jeans, some t-shirts, socks, shoes, a coat, and his phone. Everything else on the list wasn’t as important, and if he forgot something aside from the essentials, Phil’s parents would probably have it at their house or he could survive a few days without it. He mimed a silent prayer to thank whatever deities there were that he had escaped his dependence on his hair straighteners. Bringing them on every trip used to be such a hassle.

While throwing shirts into the suitcase and cramming miscellaneous items in the spaces between, he let himself get lost in thought. It had been such a tumultuous year, but he was so thankful that all of it had happened. He never thought he’d get this far. And now after such a successful but tiring year, he was getting to spend time with his boyfriend and his family before going to see his own. He was living a charmed life for sure.

Dan stared at his own hands whilst folding a jumper. Ringless. Nine years together was a long time to go without formal engagement. Sure. they had discussed marriage many times, countless times, laying in bed together late at night as the roar of London traffic passed by. And as nine years were soon to turn to ten, he knew it was inevitable. But the question remained. When? He knew that Phil would probably propose soon as they had talked about getting married late 2019 or early 2020, but he also knew he wouldn’t propose during Christmastime. Dan thought it would be adorably cliché and romantic if Phil proposed to him in front of a Christmas tree or in the snow, but he knew that Christmas was a time for Phil to focus on his own family and not the time for him to be planning how to execute a proposal. So Dan knew he wouldn’t be getting a ring this weekend, but he wasn’t upset about it; Phil would plan a beautifully romantic proposal when the time came.

Dan finished folding the last of the shirts and stood up to unplug his phone charger from the socket, tossing it triumphantly in the suitcase as he called out to Phil, “Phil! I’m done packing, and it’s only 11:17; I have twelve minutes to spare! Guess you’ll be the one taking the bins out for two weeks.”

“Hey, wait!” Phil responded indignantly, “I never said I’d take the bins out if you were able to pack in time. You just said that you’d take the bins out if you didn’t pack on time, and I agreed to that.”

“Oh come on, it was implied that the opposite applies: you’d take the bins out if I did pack on time.”

“No it wasn’t and you know it; you just made that up now.”

“Philll,” Dan whined, lips forming a petulant pout, “But aren’t you proud of me for being so responsible and on time? I think you should still take the bins out.”

Phil had never been able to resist Dan’s whiny voice; it was his second biggest weakness right under Dan’s doe eyes. “Oh my god fine, but this is the last time you get away with stating the terms of a bet so vaguely.”

“Aw thanks, love you!” Dan teased.

“Love you too,” Phil responded with slight exasperation, “Now call the taxi or else we’ll be late anyways.”

~

It was a miracle that security checks went as quickly as they did, with it being the holidays and all, but Phil wasn’t complaining. Even though they now had an hour they would have to kill, this was much preferred to missing the flight. “What’s the gate number again?” he asked Dan, who was holding both of their boarding passes.

“B34, so that way,” Dan pointed to the terminal entrance on their left. “I think it’s actually the same gate we were at when we flew to the Isle last year.”

“Huh, wacky coincidence, what are the odds?”

“Very low,” Dan answered, not fully paying attention to the conversation but instead looking around for something, “Hey, we have an hour, should we go to the Starbucks? It’s at terminal C, but I think we have time.”

“Yeah, it should be fine since our gate’s right at the beginning of terminal B.”

They made their way to the Starbucks in companionable silence. It was moments like these that Phil treasured the most. They didn’t always have to be actively talking to each other to enjoy each others’ company. Just walking with Dan and being in the same space as him made Phil happy, and he knew Dan appreciated it too. Over the years, they had learned love should not always be measured by how codependent they were or if they were constantly speaking to each other. Rather, the true testaments to the strength of their relationship were their ability to communicate with each other without words and their ability to spend some time apart with their own families, knowing that the other loved and was thinking about them.

The Starbucks was busy with people, all waiting for their holiday flights to visit their families or go on vacation. Phil started towards the line, “I’ll order, you get us some seats before they’re all taken.”

A few minutes later, Phil found Dan at the primo location of window seats and headed towards him, caramel macchiatos in hand. He set the two coffees down before taking a seat and promptly picking up his macchiato and blowing on it, hoping to drink it as fast as possible; he hadn’t had a coffee yet this morning. A small smile formed on Dan’s lips when he saw what Phil had ordered. They both loved the exclusive holiday drinks, but caramel macchiatos held a special place in their hearts. It was the drink they both ordered when they met each other for the first time in Manchester, and it was the drink they famously ordered in their Day in the Life video. Dan had brought up the idea of filming another festive Day in the Life this year, but Phil quickly shot that idea down, saying that they already had a lot to do with the Dilmas videos. In reality, Phil knew they could handle editing those videos had it been any other year, but this year, he was too busy planning something else. To combat any suspicion from Dan, Phil chalked it up to lingering fatigue from the tour and his want to have a relaxing holiday season. He may not be a great actor, but he was a damn good liar, which aided him greatly in coordinating his holiday plan without Dan finding out. And so far, his ploy was working perfectly.

They finished their coffees as boarding time drew near and strolled back to terminal B. On the way back to the terminal, Dan so desperately wanted to intertwine his hand with Phil’s. Nine years together, and Dan was still the romantic sap he was in 2009, wanting to hold his boyfriend’s hand if even just for a couple minutes on the walk back to their terminal. But the Heathrow airport was packed, and there was bound to be someone who would recognize them in the throng of people. At least Dan knew he could take comfort in knowing that within a year, he and Phil will have come out to their audience and they could hold hands whenever and wherever they pleased.

~

The flight to the Isle of Man was short but bumpy; they couldn’t have expected it to be very smooth given how small the plane was. Dan posted several photos on his story about the plane and basked in how good it felt to be open about visiting Phil’s family. Nine years later and Dan, at heart, was still the smitten fanboy he was in 2009, taking any opportunity to brag about being Phil’s person .

The taxi ride over to Phil’s parents house was short as well and consisted mostly of Phil trying to calm Dan down—he was visibly anxious, fiddling with his hands and running his fingers through his hair. In his head, he knew that the Lesters approved of him wholly and considered him part of the family, but he couldn’t help but be filled with the nervousness akin to meeting a significant other’s parents for the first time every time he went up north with Phil.

When they got out of the taxi, Kathryn was already waiting outside the front door. “Hi mum!” Phil half walked, half jogged his way over to her, suitcase trailing behind him.

She pulled him into a hug, “Oh Phil, I’ve missed you. And yes I know you’re going to say I saw you when you came back from tour, but that feels like forever ago.” She let Phil go and waved Dan over, pulling him into a hug, “Come here, you too Dan.”

“Hello Kathryn, how’ve you been?” he asked, morphing into a perfectly polite version of himself as he always did in front of Phil’s parents.

“Oh, I’ve been well. Just so glad you boys are both visiting; I really need people to help me finish all the mince pies we’ve made, and Martyn and Cornelia won’t make nearly as big a dent in them as I know you two will.”

“You know me too well,” Dan laughed as the three headed inside.

Inside, Nigel was pulling cookies out of the oven, telling Dan and Phil how Kathryn made a couple of batches in anticipation of their arrival. Martyn and Cornelia were sat on the couch, heads bent over Martyn’s phone as they both read something off it. The pair stood up and greeted Dan and Phil when they heard them come in. After all their greetings and hugs were exchanged, Kathryn called everyone to the table for afternoon tea and cookies. Inevitably, the conversation turned towards the future.

“Yeah, Phil and I decided that we were going to take a little break from the gaming channel just for a while. We just want to take a step back and decide what we want to do next. This year was a huge year for our careers of course, and next year, we want to have a little more time to focus on our personal lives,” Dan explained. Martyn shot a knowing glance at Phil, but Dan didn’t notice. “I’m not sure if Phil’s told you, but we’re going to start looking for a house. We’re not going to move for another year or two probably, but we want to start looking for a place.”

“Actually,” Kathryn replied, “Phil hasn’t told us yet, but I wish you two the best of luck. Finding a house in London can’t be an easy task.”

After some more conversation and catching up, Phil got up from the table, subtly motioning to Martyn to do so too. Dan was about to get up and follow, but Phil stopped him, “Dan it’s okay, Martyn just wanted to discuss a small thing about the AmazingPhil merch, not super important, you can stay.”

“Oh okay,” Dan sat back down, jumping back into easy conversation with Phil’s parents and Cornelia.

Martyn and Phil headed to the guest room where Martyn and Cornelia were staying. “Okay Phil, what’s the game plan this weekend?”

“Alright, so the biggest thing is to decide what day I should do it,” Phil replied, “I was thinking maybe after Christmas Eve dinner in front of the tree, but I don’t want to take away from the festivities and all of mum’s awesome planning that goes into the Eve dinner. Is there anywhere else I could do it that would also be super pretty and romantic?”

“Aren’t we all going on a hike tomorrow? What if you did it at the top of the peak? Then you guys could get some really great photos with the mountains in the background.”

“Oh my god you’re so right, that would be perfect! Okay on the hike tomorrow it is.”

“Okay, so how exactly do you want to do it?”

Phil explained his idea, and Martyn nodded approvingly. It would require some help from both Martyn and Cornelia, but it wasn’t anything too complicated or fancy. Phil knew that Dan was a sucker for the simple but romantic gestures, and this was exactly that.

~

Morning light shone through the window of Dan and Phil’s guest room, filtered by the wispy clouds and the curtains. Dan rolled over, opening his eyes to an empty bed. “Phil?” he called out into the house, tensing when he realized the other Lesters may still be asleep and he might’ve just woken them up.

Dan heard soft footsteps on the stairs, and Phil appeared at the door, mug in hand, “Morning, sleepyhead. I brought you some tea.”

“Mm, thanks,” Dan took the warm mug in his hands, “What time is it?”

“It’s eight-forty, everyone is already up. C’mon we’re all having breakfast downstairs.”

“Eight-forty? Everyone is up at eight-forty during the holidays?”

“Yeah, remember the hike? My mum was hoping that we could all head out by nine-thirty and be back by noon in time for lunch.”

“Ohh okay, you go finish your breakfast, I’ll be down right after I get dressed.”

“Okay,” Phil pressed a kiss to Dan’s forehead and headed back downstairs.

Dan had a few sips of his tea and smiled when he realized it was Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey, his favorite. It was a small gesture, but it warmed Dan’s heart that Phil rummaged through the Lesters’ cabinet of tea to find it. Flipping open his suitcase, he checked the weather on his phone with one hand  and looked for clothes with the other. 5ºC, so he could do with a button up and a light coat. He got dressed and grabbed his coat and the earmuffs that Phil always made fun of to bring downstairs with him. The Lesters and Cornelia greeted him warmly with a chorus of “Morning Dan!” and “Come sit and eat!” Halfway through breakfast, Dan realized that last night’s sleep had done him good; most of his anxieties about spending time with the Lesters had faded away. In this moment, laughing and talking with them, sharing anecdotes from the tour and musing about the future, Dan truly felt like part of the family.

“Should we head out now?” Cornelia asked as everyone took their last sips of tea and coffee and their last bites of scones. She was met with nods all around and everyone grabbed their coats. The hiking trail wasn’t far, just a ten minute walk from the house, and the trail itself wasn’t  too intimidating either. Everyone had referred to this as a “hike” in planning it, but really, it was more of a stroll through the hills complemented by breathtaking scenery. It had snowed a little the night before, just enough for a centimeter to settle, just enough to make tiny snowballs which Phil promptly made and lobbed at Martyn and Dan.

The hike was downright scenic. The sun was bright, casting down golden light, but the scattered cloud cover kept it from being blinding. The grass at their feet, made pale by the cold, waved in the breeze, an exquisite dance rarely appreciated by human eyes. And the ocean in the distance was bluer than ever and still enough to reflect your own soul back at you. Martyn was chatting with Dan at the front of the group with the Lester parents behind them and Phil and Cornelia at the very back. “Are you excited?” she asked Phil, keeping her voice low so Dan couldn’t hear.

“Yeah, I am, but I’m also so nervous I’m actually trembling,” Phil held his hand out in front of him to show Cornelia.

“Don’t worry it’ll be fine; it’ll go perfectly, I promise. Martyn and I will distract him like we planned, and when he turns around, you’ll be there, simple,” she said with a smile.

Phil nodded, but there was still worry behind his eyes, “But what if he says no?”

She shook her head lightly with a smile, “Phil don’t be silly, there’s no way he will say no. You’ve been together for nine years now and have a love story that would make Aphrodite jealous. He looks at you like you hang the stars in the sky and set the sun on its course. Plus, you both have already talked about getting married, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s expecting a proposal soon.”

“Oh no, you think he’s expecting it? I wanted this to be a surprise,” Phil said, unable to find a way out of his spiral of anxiety.

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean to make it worse, that’s not what I meant. Look, I’m sure he’ll still be surprised. Even if he’s expecting a proposal soon doesn’t mean he’s expecting one on this trip. He probably thinks you’ll be too busy during this trip to plan a proposal, and you’ve hidden everything quite well, so he has no reason to suspect it’s today.”

“Okay, okay that makes me feel a bit better, thanks.”

“Anytime. Do you have any idea when the wedding will be?”

“Erm, we were thinking maybe late next year or early 2020? I think it’d be really nice if it could be on October 19th, our ten year anniversary, but whether that can happen or not depends on everyone’s schedules and whatever venue we pick.”

“Aw that’s such a sweet idea, I think that’d be nice too, hopefully that works out,” she glanced up in the distance, “Are you ready? We’re almost at the top of the hill.”

Phil filled his lungs with air and let it out in a controlled sigh, “I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

As they walked up towards the peak, it began to snow lightly. Tiny snowflakes dusted Dan’s curls and settled Phil’s lashes. They fell slowly from the clouds above, occasionally catching the sunlight just so, making it seem like hundreds of tiny gems filled the air. Phil thanked whatever weather gods there were for this. The snow was just enough for a perfect winter scene but not too much so that it was difficult to see or walk through. They reached the top soon after it started snowing and took a few minutes to soak it all in. The sound of the waves crashing in the distance and the intermittent chirping of birds were the only things that broke the serene silence. The hills were bathed in soft, mid-morning light, and the colors of the foliage were washed out from the winter as if in a dream. Dan was stood on a small ledge on the hill, far enough from the edge so as to not fall off. Phil walked up behind him and placed his head on Dan’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around Dan’s waist. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Dan sighed contentedly, “What if we move somewhere like this in the future?”

“What? I thought you loved London.”

“No, I do, I don’t mean soon. I mean when we’re old and grey and retired, what if we move somewhere away from the bustle of the city to somewhere like this, where it’s quiet outside and we can see the ocean from our window?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that at all,” Phil murmured into Dan’s shoulder. They stayed like that, staring into the ocean, thinking about their futures with each other for a moment until Phil spoke, “I think I saw a rabbit over there, I’m going to go befriend it.”

“It’d be so on brand if you got bitten by it and we all have to stop our peaceful walk to take you to A&E.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t get bitten,” Phil giggled as he pulled his arms away from Dan and headed away from the ledge.

That was Martyn and Cornelia’s cue to walk up to Dan and admire the ocean with him. “What was the merch stuff you guys had to deal with yesterday?” Dan asked Martyn.

“Um, we were just trying to figure out how to get the sock orders delivered by New Year’s; the manufacturer was running a bit late, so we were making sure that everything would be back on track soon.”

“Oh okay, gotchu.”

“Congrats on the tour, by the way,” Cornelia piped up, “I don’t think I congratulated you individually in person about it yet.”

“Oh, thank you so much. Me and Phil are so happy with how it all turned out, but we’re dead tired now, so January is going to be a month of rest for us.”

“How are the fans taking the news about the hiatus?”

“They’re mildly upset, but most of them are being so lovely and respectful and understand that we need time to rest and think about what to do next. There’s a lot of theories going around though.”

“Oh?” Cornelia prompted Dan for elaboration.

“From what I’ve seen, some people think we’re moving soon or getting married. And I mean, they’re kinda right, but they’re off about the timeline. We’re not moving next year, and the hiatus isn’t for a wedding. I mean, unless for some reason one of us proposes like in the next week and we somehow plan a wedding in a month,” Dan laughed at the prospect, “But that’s not happening because I know Phil wants a fancy ceremony, and that’ll take at least several months to plan.”

“Have you guys talked about which one of you is proposing?” Martyn asked, feigning ignorance.

“No not really, we’ve just both said we’re fine either way. We don’t feel that strongly about who does it. Although, I do have a small hunch that maybe Phil is planning to propose on Valentine’s day, and I’m not sure if I should beat him to it and propose on his birthday.”

Cornelia scrolls through her phone absentmindedly, “What if one of you proposes and the other also has the ring they were going to propose with with them? Like that video I shared on Facebook the other day.”

“That could happen totally by accident; I wouldn’t put it past us.”

Phil was on the other side of the peak, a hundred paces or so away from Dan, Martyn, and Cornelia with his parents. He handed his dad his phone with the camera application open to the video setting, “Okay, so when I give you the thumbs up, just press that red button and it’ll start recording.” He handed his mum a Canon camera, one that they sometimes brought to events when they needed pictures or videos of a higher quality than the iPhone, “Just keep taking pictures throughout the whole thing, and make sure you get the important moments, and—oh, what am I saying, you’ve been taking pictures of mine and Martyn’s milestones since we were kids; you know how to do this.”

Kathryn chuckled in response, “You’re a bit nervous aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I know it’ll go okay, but I want this to be perfect.”

“Don’t worry Phil, it will be. You ready?”

“Yeah,” he pulled both his parents into a hug, “Thanks guys.”

As the three headed back, Phil sent a text to Martyn letting him know that it was almost time; Martyn sent back the thumbs up emoji. When they reached the ledge, they stayed as quiet as possible so as to not alert Dan to their presence. Phil knew that without distraction, he would be content to stare into the ocean for ages, contemplating life and possibly spiraling into an existential crisis. Phil’s parents took their positions right behind the ledge, ready to film and take pictures from two different angles. Phil sent a text to Cornelia, then quietly made his way to a spot several feet behind where Dan, Martyn and Cornelia were standing.

Cornelia pointed out a flock of birds that had landed in the trees. A few of them started crying out in what could only be a mating call, “You should call Phil over, I think he’d have a field day trying to imitate them.”

Dan kept his eyes trained on the birds and laughed along with Martyn and Cornelia as he called out Phil’s name, “Phil! Come look!” He assumed Phil was probably nearby enough to hear him if he yelled loud enough. “Phiiiillll!” Still no response. “Phiiii–” Dan turned around to look for him and found Phil in front of him on one knee. Before Dan could even process the situation, Phil started speaking.

“Dan, the first time we met, I was the nervousest person ever, and right now, I think I’m even more nervous than I was that day, so bear with me if I’m not the most eloquent right now.”

Dan laughed. He had just barely processed what was happening, and the tears were already brimming. He had told himself before he wouldn’t cry at his wedding, but if Dan was already devolving into an emotional sap right now, he knew he stood no chance.

“Before I met you, I wasn’t sure if I believed in true love or believed that anything could be forever. I knew I loved my family and my friends and knew I would probably find someone I loved enough to marry and settle down with, but I never thought I would get to experience a grand love story like those people write about in books and movies. And then I met you. I still remember the first time we met, clear as day. When you got off the train at the station and I saw you, I couldn’t help but feel something that felt like coming home. I couldn’t decipher what it meant at the time, but now I know that that was what it feels like to meet the love of your life.”

“Phil, I’m going to start full-on sobbing if you keep going.”

“I love you, but I don’t care right now, I spent forever writing this in my head, so I will keep going,” Phil smiled up at Dan with a smile that Dan would later swear could end wars, “And then we spent a whole day in Manchester, and I think that was one of the best days of my life. I remember when we were on the big wheel, I just kept thinking about how much I liked you and how I hoped you liked me too. Then, you kissed me, and I was gone then and there. I will never have the words to describe it, but it was like I had gone my entire life needing glasses but never wearing them, and you were the clarity missing from my life. That’s when I knew that you were it for me, that you were the one. And I know this all sounds so cheesy, but that’s really how I felt. I am so beyond happy that I get to have you in my life; I truly believe all of my lucky stars aligned for this to happen. So many things make me happy, but spending time with you makes me the happiest; I could just sit and talk with you for the rest of my life, and I’d die the happiest man on Earth. Forever with you is not long enough. I’d spend a million forevers with you if I could. And I love so many things and so many people, but none more than you. I really, truly think that you’re the best person in the world, and I love you more than words can convey. So,” Phil opened the ring box, “Daniel James Howell, will you marry me?”

“Oh my god,” Dan whispered through tears, “Yes, yes, yes of course I’ll marry you Phil.” Phil stood to put the ring on Dan, but Dan immediately pulled him into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around Phil and knew that he was the luckiest person in the world.

Phil smiled into the kiss as he murmured against Dan’s lips, “I still need to put the ring on you. Plus, my whole family’s watching, we can’t get carried away.”

“Right,” Dan pulled away with a soft laugh and held out his left hand.

Phil slid the ring onto Dan’s fourth finger and breathed a small sigh of relief when it fit perfectly. They could have always gotten it resized if it didn’t fit, but now they could avoid that hassle. Neither of them wore much jewelry, so Phil had had to guess the ring size with the help of the jeweler.

Dan held his hand up to the light, “Oh Phil, it’s perfect, I love it. How did you decide on this one?”

“I mean, I knew you would like the white gold because it fits your minimalist monochrome aesthetic, and of course you would want something glittery and shiny, so what better than rows of diamonds?”

“God, you know me too well.”

“Of course.”

Martyn was the first to wish them congratulations, followed by Cornelia and the rest of the Lesters. Phil’s mum and dad handed him back his phone and camera, assuring him that they got great footage that would make for a lovely engagement video or Instagram post. It was only then that Dan realized they were all in on the surprise, “Wait! Martyn, Cornelia! You guys were just distracting me from them setting up the stuff to film! And when you pointed out the birds, that was to get me to turn around and notice Phil! You guys both knew what was about to happen but you still asked about proposal plans!”

“Well, we had to make sure you were proper surprised when the time came,” Cornelia responded with a laugh, “And you were, should’ve seen your own face when you turned around.”

“Wait, Martyn, you and Phil weren’t talking about merch yesterday then, were you?”

“Nope,” he shook his head.

“My god you guys managed to pull this off so well.”

“They did, didn’t they?” Phil chimed in, “Thanks again so much for helping, guys! Should we take the cliché ring photo for Instagram?”

“Yeah, sure,” Martyn grabbed Phil’s phone that Phil held out to him. Dan held his hand up to show the camera the ring while Phil pulled him into another kiss. Martyn snapped a few photos and handed the phone back to Phil, “They’re Instagram worthy, I promise.”

~

A couple days later, Phil accompanied Dan to the airport so he could fly back south to visit his own family. They knew they would miss each other dearly, but they both loved spending time with their own families and knew they would both be back in London soon. Then they could start the next chapter of their lives as fiancés.

Phil walked with Dan up to the security checkpoint where they had to say goodbye. Dan pulled him into a hug, not wanting to risk the possibility of someone recognizing them, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too. Text me when you land, and have fun, and tell your family I said hi.”

“I will, love you, bye.” Dan pulled away and headed towards the security line. Phil waited until Dan disappeared behind the walls separating the checkpoint from the front of the airport before leaving. He already missed him, but it wasn’t like missing him when they were younger. Back then, years ago, missing Dan was a gnawing pain in his ribcage tinged with fear and the uncertainty of when he would get to see him next. But now, Phil knew that this was just the beginning of forever. They would always come back to each other, and he had nothing to worry about.

~

It was the afternoon of Boxing Day when all the Lesters and Cornelia were sitting by the fireplace, sipping tea and eating yet another batch of fresh cookies Kathryn had baked. Cornelia was scrolling through her phone when she brought something to everyone’s attention, “Phil have you seen Dan’s Instagram post?”

“No not yet,” Phil answered, pulling out his phone and opening the app.

“He cropped out his left hand,” she pointed out, “Do you think he cropped it on purpose or the camera just didn’t get his left hand to begin with?”

“Oh,” Phil laughed, “He definitely did that on purpose; he’s fueling the theories, so everyone will be even more hyped when we announce it. Not that we want a lot of attention for this or anything, but you know Dan, he’s a dramatic theater nerd and would do this just to get everyone excited.”

“Have you boys talked about wedding plans yet?” Kathryn asked from the kitchen.

“Yeah, actually we accidentally stayed up until nearly 4am the night after I proposed just talking about what we want to do for the wedding.”

“So what are the ideas you two have?” Martyn asked.

“We’re not quite sure yet; we’re still deciding, but whatever it is, I know it will be perfect.”

And Phil really did believe that it would be perfect. Even if they weren’t able to have the wedding on October 19th, or if they weren’t able to get the perfect venue or perfect caterer, Phil knew it would be perfect because he would be marrying Dan.