Work Text:
The familiar streets of the city flashed by outside the cab’s foggy windows. The car’s interior was a cozy bit of warmth in the midst of the cool Halloween night as they shuttled themselves away from the busy streets overrun with drunk superheroes and clumsy witches who stumbled out of sweaty bars in droves. Dan was in total, blissful peace as he sat next to Phil. It had been a long night for the two, though it had hardly reached eleven o’clock, and Dan had practically melted into Phil’s side in the small backseat while the older man struggled to keep his eyes open.
“We’re so old,” Dan mumbled. “What kind of senior citizens can’t keep awake until midnight?”
“Speak for yourself,” Phil said through a yawn. “I’m a young spry chicken. That’s why I need my sleep.”
“I hope not, if you grow anymore they’ll cast you as a titan.”
“Said the skyscraper.”
Dan only flicked Phil’s cheek in response, not willing to move anymore of his body from the comfortable position it had settled in to antagonize his partner. He tilted his head to stare out the window, cheek still pressed to Phil’s shoulder.
“Look, ghosts,” Dan whispered to Phil who had no intention of opening his eyes. A few papery white ghosts had been strung from a tree overlooking the street.
“Mmm,” Phil hummed in response.
“No, really, look. Orange lights,” Dan urged. The whole outline of a house on the street had been strewn with orange fairy lights, and an assortment of fake gravestones had been placed in the front yard. Phil peaked open an eye to appease Dan and chuckled lightly. The decorations grew less scary but more dense the further they traveled from the bustling town and more into domestic suburbia.
“You could do better,” He moved his arm to Dan’s back to pat it lightly through the thin material of his costume before leaning back and closing his eyes once more. “My little architect.”
Dan blushed and hoped the low light of the car wouldn’t give it away. “Oh, shut up.”
Their own house had no such lights or decorations, but Dan thought he’d done okay with turning the lights a festive shade of orange and throwing around the surviving baking video decorations. Phil certainly had no complaints, though he hardly ever did when it came to Dan’s efforts.
Soon the car made its way to a stop in front of the men’s home and they lazily ambled themselves into standing positions. Phil squinted trying to find the proper key while Dan attempted to lean his full weight into Phil’s back as they stood outside the door. He could just about hear a couple neighborhood kids running past, probably teenagers trying to make away with the dregs of candy left behind in please-take-one bowls.
“Dan, come on, give me a minute.” Phil laughed lightly as Dan only whined childishly in response behind him, pressing his face harder into Phil’s neck. “I’ll carry you into bed if you just wait, mister princess.”
Phil knew this was a false promise, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to carry Dan’s full weight, he tried to count back in his head (2010? 2011?) to clumsy drunk memories, but also assumed Dan was so tired he could probably get away with the lame lie. Dan let go of Phil’s shoulder briefly and held himself up with some effort.
“Here we go,” Phil said to himself when the lock clicked into place and the screeching sound of their alarm system greeted them.
“Attack, attack,” Dan said unhappily as he shuffled to follow Phil inside. “Off, attack, off.”
Phil clicked in the code shortly and ran his hand over his face, still stupid tired but more awake than he’d been in the last two hours from all the stimulation. Dan did not seem to be feeling the same.
“Bedtime?” Phil asked.
“Absolutely,” Dan agreed before opening his arms, refusing to let Phil get away with broken promises.
“Oh, dear,” Phil tried to think of some excuse. Surely it would be better to lie than allow Dan to fall and need to make a quick trip to the ER. “You can make it up the stairs, can’t you?”
Dan glared, “I was promised princess treatment. I look beautiful in my lovely costume. And it is bedtime.”
Phil could not lie, Dan did look wonderful in his costume. The flouncy top hugged his broad shoulder and thin waist, and the flared pants added to the flowy affect. Phil had the awareness to wonder for a moment where Dan had left the cheap black cape he’d tied around his neck before leaving, but not enough to really care. Even what was left of the small trails of fake blood from his mouth, which had begun to wipe away early in the night, popped off his glowing skin in a fascinating contrast. Any other night, or if Dan had only drank a little more, and neither of them would have thought of going to bed as soon as they had returned home. “You are a very handsome dracula.”
Dan started to look more awake, courtesy of the indignity. “Yes, I am.”
“But you are also very tall.”
“As are you, as we established.”
Both men were standing upright now and their voices were no longer drenched in thoughts of sleep. Though the room was still fairly dark, Phil could hear the stubbornness in Dan’s voice and knew his face would be crinkled to match. Of all things to get stuck on, Phil thought to himself.
Dan wanted nothing more than Phil to hold him, with not a single part of him actually caring about whether or not Phil was capable of lifting him. Phil had attempted to capture Buffy in his shiny red pants and black t-shirt, but no one seemed to understand the reference, and even Dan had not found it a very compelling costume outside of how the tight sleeves accented Phil’s biceps. And he found those sleeves very compelling.
“What if we just sleep on the couch?” Phil half-joked. “I would happily carry you to the couch.”
Dan eyed the sofa. It was comfortable, but it was also about ten strides away from where they stood in the entryway and with the look Phil was giving him that he could pick out from the low light he’d probably drag him by the arms across the floor like a dead body rather than carried regal princess style like he was picturing.
Noticing the wandering eyes, Phil stepped forward and took hold of Dan’s waist. “You so want me to take you to the couch. You so want me to undress you and tuck you in with a blanket on our big, expensive couch.”
Dan pouted but let himself fall apart into Phil’s soft chest. “Fine. I’ll walk.”
“That’s my guy.” Phil strung an arm around Dan’s waist and began to guide him towards the staircase. His limbs were still heavy with tiredness, but Dan’s warmth lit some fire back into his head. It was still early after all, he reasoned.
Phil tugged up the bottom of Dan’s shirt slightly with his hand, just enough to touch the skin of Dan’s waist just above his pants. “God, I love Halloween,” Phil sighed into Dan’s ear, turning into his grip to look down at what he’d revealed.
Dan turned to catch his stare and smiled naughtily as they reached the top of the stairs.
“You’re just horny,” Dan accused. “You didn’t even care about this costume earlier.”
Phil pretended to look offended as he gripped the soft skin a little tighter, still leading the way to their bedroom. “Not true. I said it was cute.”
“Barely looked at me at the party.”
“Well, looking at you too long is always dangerous.” Phil pushed open the door and let go of Dan to step in front of him instead.
Dan jutted out his lip dramatically. “Even Buffy found a vampire sexy once in a while.”
“And I am finding you gorgeous as we speak,” Phil said, tip-toeing around Dan’s crankiness, undoubtedly brought on by a long day and a lack of attention.
“Not seeing any proof.”
Phil reached back out and stuck his hands up the bottom of the shirt, letting his icy hands spread across the bottom of Dan’s back. Dan didn’t even flinch, too caught up in his imagined drama to care. Suddenly, just as Dan was preparing to whine again, Phil dropped to his knees and tugged on Dan’s waistband.
“Time for bed, babe.” Phil slowly unbuttoned and unzipped the black pants, attempting not to giggle as Dan quickly attempted to unbutton his shirt at the same time. When Dan was left only in his boxers, Phil leaned forward to leave a small kiss on the younger man’s hipbone, and stood up quickly. “Go wash your face.”
Dan made a quick whining sound but hurried off to the attached bathroom to do as he was told. While he was gone, Phil undid his own pants and took off the shirt, checking his hair in the mirror, unsatisfied with how flat and oily it had become since leaving hours earlier.
While Dan continued to wipe at the remnants of face paint and fake blood, Phil crawled onto his side of the bed and rubbed at his temples. ‘Maybe I am really getting old,’ he thought to himself. ‘Who can’t stay up to midnight?’
As he began to drift off he felt a sudden weight on his chest. Dan crawled up him, leaning his head against Phil’s lightly beating heart. The edge of Dan’s hair was slightly damp but his comforting weight convinced Phil to ignore this.
Phil swept a hand through Dan’s hair and down to his cheek, feeling the clean surface with closed eyes. “You’re not a very scary vampire, you know.”
Dan scrunched up his face and produced an annoyed grunt.
“You see, you’re just too nice looking. Can’t get convinced you’re going to eat me if I want to eat you first.” Phil’s voice trailed off as he continued to run his hands up and down Dan’s head and shoulders.
Dan made a pleased little sound and cuddled further into Phil’s chest. Phil held him in place as he leaned up and reached towards the end of the bed, grabbing the throw blanket resting there and settling it around their bodies.
Dan moaned softly at the warmth. “You didn’t brush your teeth.”
“Mm.”
“You’re gonna stink.”
“Mm.”
“Won’t kiss you,” Dan threatened. Phil tightened his grip on Dan’s shoulders in response. “I mean it.”
Phil didn’t respond. Vampires are known liars, he decided on the spot. Comfy vampires just can’t say thank you. Tall, beautiful, comfy vampires know they’ll almost always get their way and he must fight the urge to give in as well. And so he lay there, and curled cold limbs around warm ones, and tried to melt into his lover under the hauntingly perfect full moon.