Work Text:
For so many people, as they grow up, they lose the magic that lives inside them. Those who would once try to stay up all night, wishing to catch even just a glimpse of Santa Clause, will outgrow it. Wide-eyed children will grow up to wear constant glares on their faces. Hearts and minds that were once filled to the brim with hope and wonder will become heavy and numb. Christmas magic fades away to nothing as we learn the unfairness of life, and most people lose the light that always shone bright in their childhood. Luckily, however, some people never lose that spirit and want nothing more than to spread magic near and far.
~
Phil Lester was what many would call happy go lucky. He seemed to always walk with a pep in his step and a kind smile on his face. He was the kind of man to never arrive anywhere empty-handed; he would always bring something to make someone smile. Yes, Phil always seemed to be joyful, just to be alive, especially around Christmastime.
“Good morning, Mr. Lester; you’re here to see Mr. Howell, yes?” The secretary, whose name was Linda, asked.
Phil dusted the snow from his hair, humming Jingle Bells under his breath. “Yes ma’am. I know I’m a bit early, so I can wait if you need me to.” He replied with a polite shrug.
Linda barely reacted to his words and avoided looking into his eyes. Linda, like every other worker in the building, was wearing a black suit with a gray undershirt. One of the many reasons that Phil hated visiting Dan was that everything around seemed so dull and gloomy. It was halfway through December already, and there wasn’t a festive decoration anywhere in the building.
Phil sat down in one of the many uncomfortable chairs that lined the lobby, shimmying to get at least a bit comfortable. Mr. Howell was never much for punctuality, so Phil could be waiting anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. He tried to busy himself by looking over his notes that he carried with him, but he had already read them so many times that he could recite them from memory.
“Mr. Howell, Mr. Lester is here to see you.” Linda said into the small intercom at her desk.
Without missing a beat, Dan groaned through the intercom, “What the hell does he want now?! Send him up. Be quick about it.”
Linda looked wordlessly up at Phil and offered a small but still kind smile. Phil stood up and smiled back before walking over to her and setting a small tin of chocolates on her desk. Every year he would get her a tin of German chocolates for Christmas. Whether she admitted it or not, she looked forward to this interaction every year. She smiled up at him, pulling the tin closer to herself.
“Merry Christmas, Linda.” Phil said happily before walking to the elevator.
Linda ran her friends through her graying hair, “Merry Christmas, Phil. Good luck with Dan; he’s been worse than normal lately. He almost fired Jasmine earlier, just because she was ten minutes late.Poor thing walks to work most days; it’s hard to do in all this snow.”
Phil sighed and shook his head. He wasn’t even a little bit surprised. He had been working for the Howells since he was only sixteen, and they all had terrible tempers, but Dan's was the worst. Phil was four years older than Dan, and they had known each other for nearly twenty years at this point. Sometimes it was easy to forget that whether Phil liked it or not, Dan was his boss before anything else. Though Phil was the only one who ever got away with calling Dan out on his attitude problems, he still didn’t want to push his luck, especially during Christmas.
The elevator stopped on the top floor, and Phil stepped out, pulling his jacket off and draping it over his arm. He knew that Dan would have the heat blaring, and Phil hated being too warm. He used to joke that keeping his office so warm was just Dan’s way of preparing for the temperatures in hell, but it seemed so true now that it lost its humor.
Rather than knocking to announce his arrival like every other Howell worker would have done, Phil just waltzed right into the overly warm room. Dan’s office was large and spacious, but it also had an almost cozy feel to it. The room was devoid of color, aside from the storyboard in the corner that was filled with artwork from Phil himself. What he really enjoyed about the office—what really made it cozy—was the large set of windows just behind Dan’s desk. The windows overlooked the city, and the snow falling outside seemed cinematic, wondrous, and most of all, magical.
“What could you possibly want now, Phil?” Dan huffed, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. “I already donated money to that orphanage; I sent out hundreds of free copies of your books to hospitals and schools. I even approved Linda’s paid vacation time so that she can help her daughter after she has her baby. I’m not made of money, you know.”
Phil rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his blonde hair, lying his coat on one of Dan’s armchairs. “I need two things, actually.” He said with a smile, walking over to Dan’s desk.
Dan looked up at him from his laptop and sighed before closing it. It was rare for the brunette to give anyone his full attention, so Phil knew he was either in for an unprofessional argument or Dan was going to be swayed with little convincing; there was never any inbetween. Phil smiled and glanced out the large window, admiring the winter weather. He loved watching everyone scramble through the city with last-minute shopping bags in their arms. Everyone was all bundled up to keep warm, laughing and smiling even through the cloudy skies and wind that pinched their cheeks.
“I’m waiting. I don’t have all day, Lester.” Dan grumbled, spinning a pen between his fingers.
Phil chuckled at his impatience. “The snow is really coming down hard today. You know Jasmine walks to work almost every day? Must be hard with the snow…”
“You came all the way here because one of my employees? She was ten minutes late; she knows the rules by now, Phil. I do not take tardiness lightly. She’s lucky she has a job.” Dan rambled on, now doodling useless shapes on a piece of paper at his desk.
The older man shrugged, “It’s not her fault she doesn’t have a car right now. Times are hard, and she’s a single mother. She’s one of your best workers, and you can’t risk losing her. I know that, and you know that just as well.”
Dan looked up at Phil and sighed, “So you did come all this way just for Jasmine?”
"No, actually, but I did hear about the situation. I think we both know what you can do to make sure she isn’t late again. Especially with how much you rely on her…” Phil mumbled nonchalantly, still staring out the window.
A humorless chuckle left Dan’s throat. “Exactly. I could fire her and get a new hire in here by the end of the day today. That way she won’t have a job to be late to.”
“Oh, but you wouldn’t do that. Jasmine brings in some of the most sales, and your mother loves her dearly. Jasmine was hired not too long after me, Mr. Howell. The company relies heavily on her and her good heart. She just needs a little help, and she will be ever better.” Phil smiled, winking at Dan.
Dan groaned and pulled out his checkbook. “Fine, I’ll buy her a car. It will be a Christmas bonus, but that means you won’t be getting one.”
"Oh, that’s fine, Mr. Howell; she needs it more than me.” Phil shrugged, walking back to where his coat was lying. He sat down with a sigh, stretching his legs.
With a raised eyebrow, Dan stared at Phil. He was used to Phil being needy—not for himself but for others. Phil could be downright annoying at times, especially when he had an idea that he couldn’t let go. After knowing each other for so long, Dan could see easily that the man in front of him was up to something, but he couldn’t place what that was.
“Why the hell do you keep calling me Mr. Howell? You never use that level of respect, unless you have bad news. What’s going on?” Dan asked, standing up slowly with uncertainty.
Phil smiled almost sheepishly, his eyes twinkling. The kind of look that could melt even the iciest hearts, at least if you were Dan. The brunette sighed and walked over to Phil, taking a seat next to him.
“What’s going on, Lester?” Dan asked again, leaning back into the chair.
With a shrug, Phil mumbled, “I wanted to ask you something.”
“What could you possibly need now? I like you, Phil; I do. But I can’t keep doing favors for you all the time. Once your coworkers realize I do anything you ask, they’ll take advantage and-” Dan rambled, only silenced by Phil putting a hand over his mouth. He glared at the blonde man in front of him, waiting for an explanation.
“Just hear me out.” Phil ordered sternly, removing his hand from Dan’s mouth.
Dan nodded reluctantly and fidgeted with his fingers. A heavy feeling sat in the pit of his stomach, and worry plagued his mind. He wasn’t quite sure what he was worried about. He knew that even though Phil was demanding at times, he would never ask for something that was impossible or even improbable. Deep down, however, Dan knew that he wasn’t worried about a crazy request; he was more worried that Phil had decided to move on from the Howell company.
“So, you know, tomorrow night I’m being given an award for my children’s books." Phil started, anxiety already building in his stomach.
Dan nodded slowly and observed Phil closely. He was genuinely proud of Phil, not only as a writer but as a person. His artwork in the storybooks was just as mesmerizing as the words that they held. Phil wrote stories from the heart, stories that included characters of all backgrounds. The story that had won an award was about a little orphan boy doing everything in his power to make the other children he lived with happy during the holidays. He would never admit it outloud, but it had made even Dan tear up.
“I don’t really share my personal life, as you know, but I don’t really have any family to come and see me accept the award. Your parents and grandparents are coming to see me, which is amazing, but I would love for my coworkers to be able to come too.” Phil explained in a rushed but quiet tone.
The brunette felt a smile forming on his face, and he worked quickly to hide it. What Phil didn’t know was that Dan had allowed every one of his workers tomorrow night off to go to the awards. Dan had even hired a team to decorate the building for Christmas so that they could all have a party to celebrate Phil’s accomplishments.
“Ah, so you want me to let everyone off early so they can join you?” Dan asked, playing dumb.
Phil nodded quickly, “Uh, yeah. But I also want you to be my plus one.”
Dan’s eyes widened, and he felt his cheeks heating up at Phil’s words. Was Phil asking him on a date? His mind raced, thinking back to all of his memories that included Phil. In a lot of ways, they had grown up together. When Phil first started working for the Howell’s at sixteen, Dan was only twelve and had no idea that he would find a friend in Phil. They always had something of a rivalry and even some stupid fights about work, but when Dan thought of beauty, Phil was the first image in his head.
“You obviously don’t have to, if you think it’s inappropriate for a professional relationship. I just, I guess, consider you my best friend, and I feel comfortable with you.” Phil added, his face turning pink to match Dan’s.
The brunette grinned, his heart breaking slightly at the thought of only a professional relationship. Perhaps they were best friends too, but was it enough? Deep down, Dan knew he would take what he could get. He struggled with human connection most of the time, and if he had a connection of any kind with Phil, he would cling to it.
“Calm down, Phil. I’ll be your plus one, and I’ll make sure we all make it to the award show. But I have one condition.” Dan explained, forcing his face to remain neutral.
Phil gasped, and his eyes brightened, shining like sunshine against fresh snow. “Really?! Yeah, anything!”
Dan smiled at the man beside him, allowing himself to truly smile for the first time in too long. “Before we go to the awards, I want to take you out to dinner. I’ll text you the details later. Now go on, and give this check to Jasmine on your way out.” He said dismissively, handing the signed check to Phil before walking back to his desk and sitting down.
“I,uh, yeah. Thank you, sir. I really appreciate all of this.” Phil said as he walked clumsily out the door.
Dan snickered to himself for a moment before sighing and looking out to the falling snow. He had dreamed of this moment for many years now, and he was excited. Though, for every ounce of excitement, there was panic as well. What the hell had he gotten himself into?