Work Text:
March 2021
“Dan? Have you seen the news?” Phil asked, pausing his chewing to stare intently at his phone screen.
“What about?” Dan responded lazily, hanging off the couch as he scrolled endlessly on their Netflix account for something interesting.
“About the hockey players…” Phil trailed off, still glued to the screen.
Dan raised his head to look at his boyfriend with narrowed eyes, “Hockey players? Since when have you cared about sports?”
Phil stayed silent, continuing to scroll for what seemed like forever.
“Phil?” Dan asked, sitting up. His tone was more serious now, noticing how shocked Phil looked.
“They were just outed?” Phil said, his tone making it sound more like a question rather than a fact.
“What?” Dan asked, getting up to look at Phil’s phone too.
Phil had the FanMail video pulled up on Twitter, replaying the kiss that seemed to be a private moment between the two.
“This feels wrong to look at,” Phil whispered, closing out of the video to look at some of the comments.
“Wow, so this is a big deal in the hockey world,” Dan added as Phil continued to scroll through all the quotes and comments. It was clear that hockey fans were going crazy over the news.
Phil felt Dan tense up beside him as he stumbled across various slurs and hateful reactions.
“I feel terrible for them,” Phil noted, electing to close out of the app to spare them from more negativity.
“That could have been us,” Dan finally said, sitting across from Phil at their dining table. “How many times did we almost kiss at a vlogger party? How many times did we have to hide out in the corner in hopes of not getting filmed?”
Phil rubbed the back of his neck, “We were careful, though.”
Dan’s composure broke, “We shouldn’t have had to be careful, though, Phil. You’re my fucking boyfriend of over ten years. It fucking sucks that we’ve had to hide for this long because of people like that,” Dan gestured towards Phil’s phone that was now face down on the table.
Phil sighed, “I know, Dan. It hasn’t been easy.”
Dan softened, “I’m sorry I lashed out. I just hate how the internet can be. Didn’t you see how that video was? They looked like they were at home with their friend. They could have never known that everyone in the world would see them like that.”
Phil nodded, “Apparently, they’ve been rival players for over ten years. All eyes are on them right now.”
Dan shook his head, “I feel horrible for them, really. Sports environments are not kind. I can imagine our fans’ reactions if we had been in that same situation a couple of years ago.”
Phil grimaced, “It feels horrible to say, given the circumstances, but I’m glad no one figured out our secret.”
Dan reached his hands across the table to grasp Phil’s. “No one should have to be outed like that. Not us and not them.”
Phil nodded in agreement, “I just wonder what will happen to them now.”
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A few weeks later, Ilya and Shane showed up on Phil’s Instagram, but this time in a series of photos they posted themselves.
“Dan!” Phil called out as soon as he saw them. He hadn’t heard much about them after the FanMail video, but seeing them on his feed again made his heart flutter.
“What!” Dan called back from downstairs, busy playing video games.
“Come here!” Phil yelled back, not wanting to move from his position on their bed. He felt frozen in place, seeing these two men smiling and in love on his phone.
A few minutes later, he heard Dan walk into the room. Phil looked up to see Dan standing in the doorway, his hands on his hips, “What was so urgent, princess?” His tone was sarcastic and Phil couldn’t help but laugh.
“Look,” Phil passed the phone to Dan, waiting to see his reaction.
“Are these the hockey players?” Dan asked, pausing for a second to look back up at Phil.
Phil nodded, “Looks like they decided to confirm it.”
As Phil saw a small smile grow on Dan’s face, he felt his heart flutter again. “They look happy, right?” he asked softly.
Dan nodded, “They do.”
Dan looked at the photos for a little longer before climbing onto the bed next to Phil. “That was very brave of them,” Dan commented, his tone full of genuine appreciation for the two men.
Phil wiggled himself closer to Dan to hug him, “Do you think we can ever be that happy?”
Dan’s eyebrows furrowed, “You’re not happy?”
Phil shook his head, “You know that’s not what I mean.”
Dan lifted his fingers to lightly trace Phil’s cheekbone. His brown eyes searched Phil’s face for a long time before he answered, “I want to be that happy one day. I’m just so scared.”
Phil lifted his hand to grasp Dan’s, “I know.”
Dan’s eyes started to water, “I feel like I’m always letting you down.”
Phil shook his head fervently, “You never let me down. I love being with you. I love our life. Sometimes I just wish we could be free. Like Ilya and Shane. I know they didn’t exactly choose to come out, but they love each other and fuck those that don’t like that.”
Dan laughed wetly, “I can’t believe you know their names.”
Phil smiled, “They inspired me.”
“That’s because they’re hot, Phil.”
Phil hit Dan on the chest lightly, “That’s not why! I just think they’re brave, like you said.”
Dan leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to Phil’s. “They are brave. I want to be that brave one day, too. I think as long as we’re together, I can do it.”
Phil gave him a soft smile in return, “Really?”
Dan nodded, “Not yet, but soon.”
Phil twisted some of fingers in Dan’s curls, “There’s no rush, I’ll wait as long as you need.”
Phil leaned in to press a kiss to Dan’s forehead before resting his head on Dan’s chest. They stayed there for a while, listening to each other breathe as they basked in the warmth.
Dan was the one to break the silence, “I think we need to start watching hockey.”
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October 2025: Post Hard Launch Couple photo post
@danielhowell and @amazingphil: just two partners feeling grateful for everyone's thoughtful messages and insane shitposts
@shanehollander: i’m so happy for you guys ❤️
@ilyarosanov: i think ive heard this story before and this one’s just as hot