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The Minecraft pyjamas were the most important piece of Phil’s wardrobe. Not only because they were soft and cosy, or because he could wear them commando. The Minecraft pyjamas were there for all the big and important moments and always brought him comfort.
Phil got them in 2022. They weren’t originally his, though most people forgot that. But they marked an important moment in Dan and Phil's lives. The Minecraft pyjamas first appeared shortly after Dan decided to give his YouTube career one last chance. Phil went through the whole list of emotions, A through Z, in those first few months. He was relieved that Dan felt creative again. He was excited that Dan was getting comfortable in front of the camera again. He was terrified it would end in another mental breakdown.
Phil sat through the filming of every Dystopia Daily episode, serving as the Crisis Manager before being promoted to Remote Crisis Manager for the WAD tour. And he was more than happy to join Dan on camera a few times. It was almost as if they were back on the gaming channel. Letting viewers pick Dan’s outfits was Phil’s idea. He’d tested the concept before and hoped Dan would enjoy it as well. And maybe a small part of him wanted to get revenge for that dreadful cheese outfit.
Phil’s heart raced every time Dan burst out laughing while they filmed. His eyes watered on a few occasions, even. There were times, not that long ago, when he thought he might never hear that laugh again. Most outfits were great and fun, but the Swamp Slut t-shirt and the Minecraft pyjamas were by far their favourite. Of course they kept the outfit, and of course they split it, so each had a half when Dan left for tour.
Phil wore them the last night they spent together before Dan left him for months. He wore them when Dan returned and surprised Phil in the Sister Daniel outfit. He wore them the day they filmed their second Mukbang video, after which they had one of their serious talks about filming their coming-out video and actually began planning it. And he wore them in the most expensive hotel room in Britain, which he got to share with the man he was finally allowed to publicly call his partner of sixteen years. You could say they were Phil’s lucky charm. Or maybe he wore them so often that their connection with the important events and Phil's emotional attachment was inevitable.
Dan sometimes liked to be playfully rough with Phil. And Phil, though he disliked violence in any form, found it amusing and played along, knowing he was perfectly safe in Dan’s hands and that no harm would come to him. That, unfortunately, didn’t apply to Phil’s clothes. He could name at least one piece of clothing from each category, from socks to hats, that had lost its life to Dan’s unmeasured enthusiasm. He was like a golden retriever that kept forgetting his strength and size. And he didn’t treat the Minecraft pyjamas with any extra care when he was too impatient to get closer to Phil’s body, knowing it was the only piece of fabric separating them.
When the first hole appeared, Dan felt so bad that he called Phil’s mum, who explained to him, step by step, how to repair it. Phil didn’t even notice. But by the spring of 2026, they had both lost count of the holes, and Dan had become a pro at fixing them. He was even toying with the idea of buying a sewing machine and pushing his skill to a new level. Maybe he could give both their wardrobes a refreshing upgrade with a personal touch.
“It’s fine. Maybe don’t wear them for filming any more, though,” Dan chuckled, picking at the edge of the Content Warning patch from the Terrible Influence merch collection he’d used to fix the most recent hole, which perfectly aligned with the teeth mark he’d left on Phil’s ass a few days earlier. Phil looked up at him from where he was sprawled on their bed.
“You literally chewed a hole in them,” he complained, pouting playfully at his partner, who lay on his side beside him, an arm tucked beneath his head.
Dan smirked, gently tracing the pixelated pattern on Phil’s ass and thighs with his fingertips, sending tingles through the older man’s body.
“Can you blame me? Look at that juicy piece of ass you’ve got there, hogging it all to yourself,” he mused, giving the skin a smack through the worn fabric.
Phil giggled, blushing slightly. “I was hoping to take them to Portugal, but I suppose my mum doesn’t need to know why they’re in such a state.”
“No,” Dan agreed vehemently. “Besides, it’ll be too hot for them. You’ll want some shorts. Are you looking forward to a holiday with your mum?”
“Of course,” Phil smiled. “And she can’t wait to see you again. I spoke to her earlier, and I felt like it’s me who’s tagging along, not you. She was all like, ‘I can’t wait to give Dan a hug, I hope he likes his birthday present, are you taking good care of him, I’ll buy you both ice cream, and I’ll let only him have an extra scoop.’”
Dan burst out laughing at the near-perfect imitation of Kathryn’s voice. “She did not say the last one!”
“No. But may as well.” Phil pouted again.
“Aww, I’m your mum’s favourite,” Dan drawled, sticking his tongue out mockingly, but warmth flooded his chest at Phil’s words. He loved being the honorary third Lester child, and that Kathryn always found a way to make him feel special ever since he first visited back in 2009.
Phil smiled. “Well, you’re my favourite too.”
“Oh yeah? Does that mean you won’t post embarrassing pictures of me this year?”
“It means I will hand-pick the absolute worst ones with utmost care… and love,” Phil said sweetly, blowing Dan a few air kisses. Dan rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a sheepish grin.
“That’s a pretty fucked up love language, you know. But I don’t think you can beat the frog one from five years ago. Not that I’m challenging you!”
Phil laughed. “Actually, I was thinking I could post some photos from the past sixteen years that I couldn’t show before our coming-out. Like the one where you’re asleep on my lap in your dorm room. Or the one where you’re helping my dad with the Christmas tree, you know, when you thought you’d have to stay with us."
“Phil, that's just a picture of me bending over and showing a crack,” Dan said flatly.
“It’s one of your best,” Phil mused, then yelped and laughed when Dan smacked his ass again. “Why are you spanking me?”
Dan shrugged and looked Phil dead in the eyes. “I like the sound.”
“Yeah? Do you know what sound I like?”
Before Dan could react, Phil sat up, pushed Dan onto his back and straddled him.
“Mmm, I’ll make any sound you like,” Dan moaned and rolled his hips, smirking.
Phil ignored him. “Now I need you to do this,” he muttered and pinned each of Dan’s palms down against the mattress with his knees.
“Erm, Phil?”
Phil pulled Dan’s t-shirt as high as it would go. “This beautiful sound.”
“AAAAAAAA!” Dan shrieked as Phil’s soft fingertips attacked his sides and stomach, tickling him mercilessly. He tossed like a fish out of water, laughing hysterically. He almost threw Phil off before the older man pinned him more tightly.
“Ow, ow, Phil, let go, that hurts!”
Phil shifted and released Dan’s hands, only to be tackled and overpowered immediately.
“Ah!” Phil yelped, wrestling and rolling all over the bed with Dan, laughing and panting, until Dan grabbed a fistful of the green and black fabric in an attempt to pull Phil’s pyjama bottoms down.
Skrrrrt
They both froze and gaped at each other. Dan glanced at his fist, grasping the Content Warning patch with a strip of fabric attached to it, and quickly let go of it.
Phil’s phone buzzed. He gave the screen a quick look and rolled off the bed.
“Phil, I’ll fix them,” Dan said unconvincingly, sitting up.
“Wait, lunch is here,” Phil said, rushing out of the room.
“Phil!” Dan shouted in horror, realising the whole extent of the damage the moment Phil turned. He scrambled out of bed, but by the time he made it halfway down the stairs, Phil was already talking to the Deliveroo guy.
“Phil!” Dan called but didn’t know what else to say. If he told Phil to get away from the door, the guy might think he was being abusive or something.
Phil turned around. “What?”
The Deliveroo guy coughed. “Alright, erm. Enjoy, bye.”
“What?!” Phil turned back to the door. The guy was gone, and the large plastic bag full of takeout boxes lay on the doormat. Phil bent over to pick it up.
“Oh my god!” Dan muttered and picked up the loose strip of fabric to cover Phil’s ass, but it fell back down again.
“Dan? I feel a breeze on my ass. Why?” Phil asked tonelessly.
“Yeah. Um. The–the door is open. Come in quickly so you don’t catch a cold.”