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Dan Howell spends his life in the sugar, flour and the icing. That’s everything that he does all day and everyday. He goes from left to right, doing his creations: from fancy pastries to regular muffins with some new flavours every once in a while. He is always trying to find something new to attract new customers or to make his regulars to come back for more. All of his friends knew that Dan was going to launch his own business because he’s just like that. He was born to lead and be the cake boss in town. No one was surprised when he decided to do so, all by himself and without barely any help at first.
And here he is, almost three years later, thriving in his world of sweets and sugar.
But today is not his usual meeting for a cake or an order for an event of some kind. This one doesn’t have anything to do with his bakery. It’s more about the building itself. Because, you see, Dan is technically the owner of the first floor where you can see the window display of his beautiful creations. And upstairs, that’s where he actually lives. But next door, there is this little studio apartment that can have a tenant. And this is how Dan can live fully with his bakery dream while living financially in peace.
He's met many candidates but none of them truly met his expectations. Unfortunately, Dan is picky. He had bad experiences in the first times he made it available. Since then, he decided that he was going to be a little bit firmer in his decision so he won’t repeat any mistakes that he did in the past.
Since he has some time to spare before the other candidate arrives, he decides to work on an order. He made the cake and the frosting yesterday. Now, he gets to his favorite part: decorating. Dan has all the colors for the frosting in their pipping bags, the cake ready to come to life. Classical music is blasting in the background, Chopin for this instance. Dan loves to play the piano when his long day is over. When he is not playing it, he listens to it when he works, that helps him focus.
“Hello?” a voice comes from the front shop.
Dan stops what he is doing and he rushes to the entrance. When he arrives, he notices this tall blonde guy with all of that pastel attire that could be straight out of Dan’s creations. He has this beautiful turquoise loose blouse with some jean’s shorts with a purple fanny pack as well as a baseball cap with some embroidered flowers on it.
That’s the total opposite of who Dan is with his dark color palette that’s mostly black. Even now, he is wearing a black crochet top with his deep grey apron. He rarely puts some colors on him.
The guy immediately gives some good vibes to Dan, for some reasons. He cannot deny that he is also hot. Get it together, Howell, this is supposed to be a sort of professional meeting for your new neighbor, not a date of some kind, is probably what he is thinking to himself right now.
“Hi,” Dan finally says. “You must be...”
“Phil Lester,” the man immediately pulls out his hand to shake it.
When they touch, Dan wonders if he is turning as red as you can expect. And he is totally blushing in front of the hot guy that will probably be his future neighbor. How could he not be after that?
“Dan Howell.”
“Yeah, I know,” Phil laughs. “I am a big fan of your work on Instagram.”
“Oh, really? Thank you. Come in,” Dan leads him to a table closer to the window so they will be able to talk about the real reason of why Phil is there. “So, Phil, tell me a little bit more about yourself and why I should choose you as my new neighbor.”
“I’m Phil Lester, I’m a tattoo artist that is just looking for a peaceful private studio and apartment. I promise that I don’t make a lot of noise, I’m just a really single dude looking for tranquility.”
Did he just drop that he is single? He sure did! Which, you guessed it, leaves Dan a little bit speechless because that would be exactly the type of tenant that he is looking for (well... not only for tenant title but... he’s got to stay professional right now). And Phil is giving him nothing but good vibes. Which is rare for him to consider someone with good ones in the first meeting. He always has been really... careful on who he is letting in his life.
“Wow, I mean... did you prepare for this or...?”
“I mean, a little bit,” Phil laughs.
“Can I see what kind of tattoo you’re doing? Maybe I follow you on Instagram as well...”
“Sure,” Phil pulls out his phone and shows Dan his work, since technically, he is also an artist.
Dan never really considered himself as one because he cannot draw anything for the love of life. He always admires the people that can draw beautifully. He does have the base notions for it since he sometimes doodles the design of a cake but he never picks a pen and just thoughtfully draws anything.
Phil’s style is not really set in stone. He does traditional ones as well as semi-trad and more delicate ones. He also likes to play with colors, that’s for sure. Dan absolutely admires another artist that can be versatile and change their styles. He is the type of baker that doesn’t like being put in a box for too long. His menu changes every now and then, following the seasons or certain fruits that are at the markets. He does nothing like the trends or whatever. He likes to deviate from them.
“Hey, I know this one,” Dan notices on one of the pictures.
But unfortunately, he doesn’t have the time to explain anything to Phil whatsoever. At the same time, someone enters the bakery as the bells at the door ring. “Hey, Dan, sorry if I’m late, I... Phil!” That’s Rafaël, one of Dan’s employee and long-time friend. At this very moment, Dan feels like a tsunami is going to hit him as he realizes what is about to happen. “Dan, that’s the one that made me the cool tattoo here. You know, the one that...”
“Yeah, how is the tattoo healing going, by the way?” Phil asks.
Thank god for that because Dan knows that Rafaël was going to point out that when he came back from that appointment that day, he already had plans to match Phil to him.
Dan just never made the connexion because he doesn’t really care about those relationship things. He already accepted that he was just going to be a workaholic for the rest of his life. And even if he doesn’t see his family that much, he knows their opinion of him finding someone to love... it’s nothing but trouble. He went no-contact with them a couple of years ago. He still talks sometimes to his mom and nana but for his father and brother... The only person that he considers like his family is Raf.
And he’s taking the title of the annoying little one because he actually said that Phil was the perfect match for Dan and now... here he is. Isn’t it funny how life can work out, uh?
“So, you’re really searching for a new place,” Raf says to Phil.
“Yeah, I saw that Dan was looking for someone and I figured out that I’d give it a try.”
Rafaël smirks. That was a couple of weeks ago from now so, Raf couldn’t tell Phil that when he had his appointment. Dan remembers that when he came back to show him his new tattoo, he admired it and even stalked Phil a little bit on Instagram but never followed him or realized that Phil liked posts from the bakery. The baker doesn’t really keep up with this kind of stuff.
“He complained about all the other candidates.”
“Raf!”
“What? It’s true!” he shrugs as he goes to the back store to prepare for his shift.
“Was he that much unsufferable during his session?” Dan asks the tattoo artist, deadpan.
Phil laughs. And you know, it makes Dan feels things. He really thought that Raf was exaggerating things at first when he told him that Phil was charming. See, his friend is more golden retriever coded and he sees good in everyone. Dan is more black cat coded and he barely goes outside to actually meet people. Like, he does because he owns the best bakery of the town but making friends outside of it? He only has Raf as his best friend and Louise. But that’s it.
Dan being Dan at this moment doesn’t really know what to do because he has no charisma to respond to that.
“He was chatty.”
“Sounds about right.”
“He talked a lot about you. In good.”
“How unfair is it that you must know more about me than I know about you?” Dan smiles.
Well, that wasn’t as bad as we all thought, right? See, Dan Howell can have some flirting in him. And he clearly hates it afterwards with the surprise on his face.
“Well, does that play enough in my favor to my resume enough for the apartment?” Phil bounces back with a playful smile.
How is he going to respond to that now? Let’s see together!
“Raf! Can you open the bakery for me?” Dan shouts as he takes the keys to the apartment with him.
Dan shows the apartment to Phil. It takes about fifteen minutes. To do so before Dan settles it: he will never find someone else that is the perfect candidate for it. Of course, Phil will have some clients for his tattoos but it’s just as Dan has customers downstairs. He just separates his private and professional life.
“And just like that, you have yourself a new neighbor,” Phil laughs as he signs the papers. “I promise, I don’t take a lot of space.”
“That’s alright,” Dan replies. “It’s a really calm neighborhood. The only thing I have to tell you is that I sometimes play the piano so that can be loud.”
“Oh, really? That’s going to be totally alright, then. I love peaceful music.”
Dan shares the last details before Phil goes on his way. He looks at him from the window until he disappears in the streets before noticing Raf’s diabolical look in the reflection. “What?”
“You know, what.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.”
“He’s my new neighbor, that’s all,” Dan nonchalantly answers as he puts some of the donuts in the window display behind the counter. “He seems nice,” he admits.
And handsome, he wants to add but he knows that if he ever gets it out loud, he will...
“Handsome, right.”
Fuck his life, is probably what Dan is thinking. He definitely thought about it out loud and Rafaël heard it.
“You said it, not me.”
“Raf.”
“What? I mean, this is probably the first time that I saw you so flustered around another guy.”
And it’s not that Dan didn’t try before. He did. But he never felt the butterflies, this instant feeling of being complete with another guy or to fall head over heels for someone. He’s had crushes but nothing really serious. The only other person that knows him by heart is still present to support him in his projects and his life.
“Was it oblivious?”
“You hide your game right, Dan. It’s just because I know you well.”
“I... you know that...”
“I’m not telling you to sleep with him right away, jeez. Just... let the things happen, for once, you deserve it.”
Rafaël has known him for a very long time. They have been best friends since high school, despite their age difference because they were neighbors, living next to each other. Dan isn’t good at making friends. The cliché of the introvert being adopted by an extrovert is absolutely true for them. Rafaël was there when he was kicked out of his home when his father discovered that he was gay. His family literally welcomed him with open arms in their home. They took care of him.
“We’ll see.”
That same evening, Dan decides to doomscroll on Instagram. When he stumbles across Phil’s profile, he stalks him for some time. He goes to the most recent pictures to the oldest, seeing how much Phil also changed through the years. He realizes that maybe... in another universe, they would’ve been friends because Phil, in his younger years, is the typical emo kid that he used to be. He cannot picture Phil with darker hair when he is indeed blonde.
And emo Phil was quite cute. It made Dan reminisce his own emo years. He was quite depressed but he was accepted by his friends, mostly. That phase never quite left him since he always dressed in deep shades of grey or dark colors. Mostly black. But Phil always had the plaid as an emo.
He doesn’t notice that he’s liking all kind of pictures on his personal account and not the bakery one. Dan also clicks the follow button and Phil immediately follows back.
There is a sheer look of panic in his eyes when he realizes it. Not only that but Phil starts to like some of his old pictures and Dan receives all kind of notifications. He’s so shocked and flustered that he has to put the phone down for a couple of seconds.
Well, well, well, isn’t he supposed to be the one that doesn’t believe in that kind of shit? Love at first sight? Dan feels like a teenager right now, trying to be hard to get and not noticing that Phil is just liking his whole profile. He did the same thing a couple of minutes earlier, after all.
He dares himself to look at his notifications. The only name that appears is Phil. He smiles like an idiot. Maybe Rafaël is right, after all. He should just let things happen and see...
Phil moves in a week later. Dan cannot really supervise everything because he has some deliveries and the bakery to run but he makes sure that his new tenant is ok, even if he has some help from his friends. He sometimes lurks from the window or he offers some coffee to them, on the house, obviously.
“Dan, you don’t have to...”
“You guys are working hard, I know that it’s not an easy job, especially in a second floor. It’s on the house. Raf!” he calls out so he can prepare some batch of pastries or coffees to take it upstairs.
Dan closes the bakery as Phil has finished to move all his stuff upstairs in the apartment in front of him. He offers him to stop by the bakery and make him dinner to which Phil accepts gladly.
“You had an army behind you for this,” Dan says as he puts a part of cake on a plate in front of his new neighbor.
“Yeah, friends and family... it was a lot of work but I’m glad that at least, everything fits in there.”
“Do you still take some appointments for tattoos or...?”
“At the other studio, yes. I still have some but not a lot until I will move. I give myself at least two weeks.”
“That seems reasonable,” Dan nods with a smile.
“You seemed quite busy yourself,” Phil notices. “And you still made sure that we had enough coffee. My mom said that your croissants are lovely.”
“Tell her thank you for me.”
“It’s rare for me to have one since I don’t eat chocolate, so I was quite excited to eat those almonds ones.”
“Oh, then I’m glad that you could have mines.”
“They are to die for.”
“Well, I mean... we can always arrange something because I always have some extras at the end of the day. You can have some for your clients upstairs as well.”
Dan doesn’t even know why he offered this to Phil. What the hell is he doing to him? He never let his guards down like this. This is also probably the first time that he chose someone that is closer to his age to be his neighbor. So hey, there is a first time for everything (like everything), right?
“I... I don’t want to make it look like...”
“I mean...” Dan tries to save himself from a situation where he is literally turning like a freaking tomato, “I offered. And... you seem nice. The nicer I’ve had so far.”
“Raf told me about your neighbor adventures,” Phil laughs.
“And... I know that I’m supposed to be your landlord or something but... I think we could get along as friends?”
“We could get along as friends, I think we have a lot in common. So... to a new friendship, then?” Phil raises his teacup so they can cheer to it.
Dan smiles (and blush, like... really hard) as he takes his own cup to cheer to that.
After a long day at work, there are a few things that Dan likes to do. First of all, he removes his black eyeliner and washes his face. He sometimes takes a shower but tonight he feels like he didn’t sweat a lot for that. Then, he puts himself in the comfiest silk pyjama ever that he custom made in Vietnam with a kimono that he got from his trip to Japan. He lights himself a scented candle. Sometimes, he would go a play a cozy game on his devices or put a show and just chill in the background.
But tonight, he feels like playing something on the piano. Dan goes to pick a random one from his repertoire and it falls on Kiss the rain by Yiruma. Which is ironic because it’s spring and it didn’t stop raining for all week long.
His hands touch the keys and it just plays this soft melody. When Dan plays the piano, he feels like the world stops around him. He just completely immerses himself in the rhythm and the notes that he controls with such a softness and calm that he doesn’t always has in him. He prefers playing softer pieces because it calms his anxiety. There is just a connection that he has when he let himself go on the piano.
It's the same feeling when he locks in to decorate a cake, that’s the same mindset that he has when he works. He just let him go a little bit more freely because it’s not his literal job.
When the music stops, Dan feels peaceful inside. Then, he receives a text. From Phil.
From Phil [20:31]: that was really beautiful, wow!
Dan cannot stop smiling about that.
From Phil [20:32]: what is the name of the song?
To Phil [20:33]: kiss the rain by yiruma
To Phil [20:33]: thank you very much, btw
From Phil [20:34]: of course, you’re welcome! it was very lovely
Dan is wearing his black and white checkered sweater for today as he works on some orders for a wedding, since the season is almost about to start. He knows that he is about to get busy really quickly. He likes to play with a classic style of frosting that he masters perfectly, which draws a lot of attention. And it’s always someone that tells someone about his work.
He takes a pause and goes to Instagram and the first post that appears is a new tattoo that Phil did. But that is not the tattoo itself that catches his attention; it’s the music that Phil used for the post.
His heart drops immediately as he notices that it’s Kiss the rain. He doesn’t really know how to react because that is the first time that he’s in this situation. Phil could’ve chosen any songs for his post and he chose the song that he was playing on the piano the other day. The one that Phil asked about the minute he stopped playing it.
And the tattoo is beautiful, really. But Dan cannot believe that the colorful tattoo artist chose that song. His mind is telling him that it’s probably a coincidence. However, his heart is telling a complete other story. He gazes at the picture for way too long, listening to the song playing as he hits the like button.
His cheeks turn ridiculously red as he goes back to his cake, while a Nocturne from Chopin is playing in the background.
When he’s finally finished with it, he snaps a picture and posts it on his Instagram. Phil is the first to like it.
Phil passes by one day and offers to help Dan at the bakery, seeing that he is visibly alone. That’s Raf’s day off and he doesn’t have any other employee there. Of course, this is the best time for him to come and hang out with the baker. Which Dan feels like it’s both a blessing because he is crumbling with custom orders but a curse because he is starting to fall in love with the tattoo artist.
Phil is wearing a graphic white t-shirt with a lucky cat illustration along with some matcha green pants. The total opposite of the black knitted black blouse that Dan is wearing with some black jeans.
“Phil, you don’t have to...”
“I’d like to help you,” Phil offers. “I worked in a grocery store before, I can do basic stuff. I saw the pile of orders.”
Damn Dan and his ideas of sharing things on his stories that everyone can see. He is not going to be able to escape this one, is he?
“Alright,” he accepts.
Phil smiles and it makes Dan feels things inside that he hopes (nope!) that it doesn’t show on his face (it totally does). The baker hands him an apron and gives him the instructions. He didn’t think that he would need some help but this is the high season. And Raf deserves a day off. He doesn’t want to bother him. Anyways, if he knew that it is Phil in his role, he sure wouldn’t be so mad about it, after all.
Dan then proceeds to fulfill some orders. He organizes them from the more urgent to less ones, so he will be able to split them in two days. Sometimes, Phil would come and ask him if he is satisfied by some of the pastries that are out of the oven but Dan completely trusts his new apprentice for the control at the front store.
At the end of the day, he is able to complete about 75% of his orders successfully and decides to rest and go and help Phil at the store part of the bakery.
“Thank you,” Dan says at the end of the day.
They are sitting at a table, while the bakery is officially closed. Phil ordered sushis for them and they are eating it after this long day of work.
“Of course, I’m more than happy that I could’ve helped you.”
“I appreciate it. And thanks for the dinner as well...”
“You deserve it, you worked really hard today.”
“It must be a little similar as what you do, just with different tools,” Dan smiles. Phil works with needles, Dan with a pipping bag, most of the time. It’s the same precision, though. “Well, except mine don’t last forever.”
“Yours can last forever in a picture, right before they are getting eaten.”
“True.”
“I... I have something to show you,” Phil then nervously says. And Dan could swear that the tattoo artist is blushing right now.
Oh god.
“Yeah?” Dan asks, his heart racing in his chest.
“Yeah,” Phil goes to take his tablet from his bag. “I made these while you played on the piano the other night.”
When he turns the tablet, he unveils the drawings of different pastries that Dan offers at the bakery. Dan is completely in awe of it. “Can I?”
“Of course,” he hands him the tablet.
Dan zooms on the drawings and the details that Phil put on them. He cannot quite believe that he did that.
“It’s a flash sheet. I was really inspired the other day when I heard you play.”
“It was Debussy the last time,” Dan informs him.
“Well, you really play beautifully and I was inspired to make a tattoo sheet out of it. And... I wanted to know if... you hum...” And Phil is indeed blushing hard, scratching the back of his head, “... you’d want one for yourself, first?”
“What?”
“One of these tattoos.”
“For me?” Dan points to his chest.
“Yeah,” Phil laughs nervously.
Dan doesn’t have tattoos. It would be his first one. And that would be a first that has been created by thinking about him? Try hard not to say love at this point... It’s an offer that he cannot refuse. He cannot think about saying no. And he can’t think of a better person to make his first one than Phil...
“That... I’d be honored.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Dan smiles, “that’s going to be my first one and... I cannot think of someone better to ink me forever.”
“Which one would you like to have?” Phil asks.
He looks closely at the drawings. He cannot think of anything else than the cake one. The details on it looks just like the frosting ones that Dan likes to do. “That one,” Dan points out.
“Great.”
They settle a moment where they are both available to do it.
“Thank you so much for your help, again,” Dan says as they are about to head to their respective apartment.
“It was nothing, Dan. I’m happy that I was able to help.”
“Goodnight, Phil.”
“Goodnight, Dan,” Phil smiles as he closes the door of his apartment behind him.
Dan stays a little longer as he holds his hand to his heart, not knowing exactly what just happened but it just did. He smiles like an idiot before going to his own apartment.
“Just stop overthinking about it,” Raf tells him. “You’re doing just fine.”
“Am I?”
“Yes,” his best friend reassures him as he puts the lemon filling in the profiteroles. “Plus, you’re going to have a tattoo from him, from a drawing that he did thinking about you hello?”
When you put it like this, it is absolutely insane, Dan thinks.
“He also does put all your repertoire of piano in his Instagram posts,” Raf points out, which doesn’t help his cause.
“I... you know how hard it was for me...”
“I know everything but you deserve to be happy, Dan. You like Phil, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then, it doesn’t have to be complicated,” Raf puts a hand on his shoulder.
Dan goes to hug him. The only friend that he’s ever had and he’s just happy and encouraging him. “Thank you.”
“Of course! So... where are you gonna put this one? Somewhere safe or a little bit more...”
“Raf!”
“What? I’m just curious!”
The day of the appointment, Dan is nervous. He doesn’t know what to do, this is the first time that he’s ever doing this. Raf gave him some tips and Phil as well. But he’s not nervous just because of that. He knows that a tattoo requires a certain level of intimacy. Phil is going to touch his skin, they are going to be closer to each other than they ever did before... Just to think about it makes him feels warm inside.
Dan looks at his watch and he decides to get out of his apartment just on time, since the place isn’t so really far, right? He gets out of it and he knocks on Phil’s door. Phil arrives and he is wearing a green shirt with some flowers on it along with a blue pastel large pant. The complete contrast with Dan who has an old black t-shirt (as Phil suggested) with some black pants as well. That’s definitely not the best looking he’s presented himself.
“Hey,” Phil says with a smile.
“Hi,” Dan replies.
“Come in, come in.”
Dan enters and he barely recognizes the apartment compared to the first time that he presented it to Phil. He really did put his personal touch in it. There are some beautiful pictures around of his work and other of his travels. It truly does feel cozy in here. Phil divided the tattoo space with his more personal one, which is very lovely.
“You really made this your own place,” Dan admires.
“Thank you,” Phil nods. He leads him to the tattoo space. “So, did you decide where you wanted to put it?”
“On my shoulder,” he lifts the sleeve of his shirt to show it.
“That’s a good spot. And do you want some color or just black and grey?”
“Can you only do the cherry red and the rest black and grey?”
“Oh, interesting combo, I love this. Of course, I can do it.”
“Did you expect me to say all black and grey?”
Phil laughs, “I can’t assume anything from you just by the way you dress. Since you also make colorful cakes, I didn’t know.”
Dan doesn’t know what to reply to that because Phil really did read him well. He didn’t even assume that he wanted black and grey. And Dan debated it but he figured that he could add a splash of color after all. That’s going to be on skin forever. He gets to decide of it after all.
Phil gives the instructions and puts the stencil on him where he puts it on the perfect spot. Dan then goes to lay on the chair while the tattooer prepares himself to make some art on his body.
“You’re ready?”
“Yes,” Dan nods.
He then feels a soft poke on his skin. It’s not as bad as he thought it would be. It’s just small pokes constantly on your skin. And Dan feels... relaxed. He’s not as stressed as he entered of before he went in (even if, you know, it was for completely different reasons).
“How does it feel?”
“Not as bad as I thought it would be,” Dan admits. “It’s like a constant tickle.”
“As long as you don’t move too much.”
“I won’t, I promise. I’m generally calm.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
Another thing that Phil noticed about Dan, uh? It’s a reoccurring theme at this point. To be seen and to be loved, they said? Something along those lines.
They talk all about the things that you would normally do in a tattoo appointment. Dan even dumps some lore about his family that only Raf knows about. That’s how comfortable he is in Phil’s company.
“Raf and his family are the only ones that I considered so.”
“Fair enough, I mean. It doesn’t have to always be blood,” Phil says.
“Your family seemed lovely the other day. Your mom stopped by again to buy some pastries before leaving.”
“They love your bakery.”
Wow, already being loved by your future in-laws, also? That’s another win in your book, Dan Howell.
“Really?”
“Yeah, they can’t stop thinking about it but I don’t want them to use me as an excuse to have it.”
“I mean, I’m not so mad about it,” Dan smiles.
“You’re not?” Phil replies with the same quirky tone as Dan.
Which takes him by surprise and he almost forgets how to breathe. Phil stops to tattoo his skin and looks at him directly in the eyes. Dan searches for something through his glasses. He never noticed how good he looks in these and he is not mad about it at this very moment.
“Not a bit,” Dan whispers.
They look at each other for what feels like forever (real time: two minutes).
“I finished the black and grey, let me finish the red so... we can talk about it?”
Dan simply nods, mesmerized by the colors in Phil’s eyes before he wipes the ink excess and that he finishes his tattoo. The two of them in complete silence.
At this point, he is not even focused on it. The only thing he is thinking about is kissing Phil as soon as possible. The tattoo? Not even in his mind. He doesn’t care at this point. He knows that it will be the loveliest. That’s not what he wants right now.
He wants Phil, more than everything else.
“It’s done,” Phil informs.
But Dan looks up instead and searches for the same look that Phil had earlier. When their gazes meet again, it’s totally over. Their lips attract each other like magnets. Dan literally feels the butterflies in his stomach as Phil deepens the kiss more intensely. Dan puts his other arm around Phil’s waist. He doesn’t care about not breathing correctly, that is the only thing that he ever needs right now.
“I have to put something on your tattoo so it protects it,” he whispers against his lips, as he takes a deep breath.
“Fine,” Dan says. “Don’t you want to snap a picture as well for your Instagram?”
“Only if you choose the song to go with it,” Phil bumps his nose against his.
“I’d be honored,” the baker agrees as he goes to kiss him again.
The tattoo turned out completely fine as Phil takes some photos. He puts the second skin to protect it. Dan stays over, of course. He waits for Phil to clean his station. When the tattoo artist comes back to the living room where the baker has been sitting, it’s with two cups of tea. Phil comes next to him as he puts his arm around him so Dan puts his head on his chest. Phil kisses his forehead as he let him chooses the photos that he wants him to put and the song to go with it.
Dan goes with Rêveries from Chopin.
“Hope you’ll play that to me, someday,” Phil whispers.
“Anytime from now on, I guess?” Dan replies. “But you’ll have to come to my place and not just listening...”
“Oh, so I’ll get to see the artist playing live as well.”
“Yeah, you will,” Dan goes to kiss him, gently and softly, “that and so much more.”
“I cannot wait for all of that,” Phil replies.
Phil moves in with Dan a month later while the other apartment is only for his tattoo studio so they can separate work and their own space. Which turns out to be very convenient because they are both like indoor cats that like to stay in. They play a cozy video game or Phil would sit next to Dan while he plays the piano. Sometimes, Phil would fill his day off tattooing by helping Dan at the bakery.
That’s when Dan finally says the three magic words to Phil, after a long day baking and making cakes.
“I love you,” he simply says as he leans on the counter, looking at Phil with severe heart eyes.
Phil freezes as Dan realizes what he just said. He straightens up himself as he looks at Phil in panic.
“I love you too, Daniel Howell,” Phil finally breathes as he goes to kiss him, without letting him say anything else.
Dan cannot smile against his lips while they kiss again and again before heading to their apartment.
Dan is absolutely loved by the Lester when Phil introduces him as his boyfriend. Kathryn cannot stop talking about his pastries and how lovely they are together (and about how she knew (like most of their friends) that they were going to end up together from the day she met Dan and saw him interact with her son). And Dan is really happy to show Phil to Rafaël’s family.
For the first time in his life, he just feels like he belongs somewhere else than just his work. That he is living his life as it’s meant to be. He is truly the happiest that he’s ever felt with Phil that makes him feel love with the big L.
At the end of the day, they always end up together. It’s always Dan with Phil and Phil with Dan, wherever they go. They find each other in a crowd full of people. They look out for one another, always.
“I love you,” Phil tells him as they face each other in bed.
It’s their ritual before sleeping. Just to make sure that the other is safe and that they can relax in peace.
“I love you too,” Dan replies before he kisses Phil’s hand to take it closer to his heart, to which his boyfriend smiles the brightest as he closes his eyes.