Touch - Phan

Chapter 22

Dan's POV

News about Phil's successful surgery spread all over in only days. Dr. Murphy got her fame for her success, and was immediately scheduled to preform the surgery to many other patients in need. I was proud.

I Tweeted that Phil had made it and that he regained his vision, and didn't even care to check for the explosion of replies I expected. Phil was going home today, and I didn't care about anything else.

We sat together on the tube. Phil's eyes wandered about to every corner, taking in faces, colours, shapes, images and more - everything he'd missed. He looked like a child in a brand new atmosphere, trying to figure everything all out at once. I will never take what I have for granted.

Though he didn't have to, Phil still was holding on to my arm for support. I didn't want to tell him not to, so I let him. We walked home, and he was busy just absorbing everything all at once - everything he'd known before was something totally new.

We made it back home and stood to the stairs of our apartment. I was about to offer to help him when I realized he could finally do it himself.

He looked at me and was still smiling, but lost it.

"Dan, what's wrong?" he asked.

I didn't realized I looked upset. I had to laugh a bit. "I just remember helping you up the stairs so often. It seems weird now, I guess."

"Did you like doing that? Helping me?"

"Well, of course I did."

He grinned at me, and jumped at me for a surprise hug. He then grabbed my arm the way he had before when he really needed the help and couldn't see. I looked at him, and his eyes were squeezed shut.

"What are you doing?" I asked playfully.

"Want to help me?"

I quickly understood what he was doing, and I gratefully helped to guide him up to our home.

Phil's POV

Dan helped me in and I opened my eyes in the flat. It was so alive and happy, like how I remembered. I saw a large wooden box-like object on the sofa that I didn't recognize.

"What's that?" I questioned, pointing to it.

"That's the braille board we used to learn braille." He walked up to it and opened it up, revealing all the tiles that I knew only through touch.

"Oh, wow," I awed, feeling them with my fingers again and remembering them all.

When I appeared dome with it, Dan set it down. I couldn't stop staring at him. He was so perfect. He had done all these things for me when I needed him most. He truly was the best friend I had and will ever have, but he was also so much more. He was mine and I was his. I sat closer to him.

"So your vision." he asked. "It's blurry? Not perfect?"

"No, it's about as bad as I had it before. I guess I'll need new glasses."

He smiled. "Yeah."

I took a moment before saying anything else. "But I still don't need glasses to see all you've done for me."

He draped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me close to him. I turned my head to him and wrung my hands near his neck as I kissed him. I didn't want to stop. I had my eyes closed. You don't have to see someone to love someone.

He pulled back for only a second. "I love you. I love you so much, Phil."

"I love you too, Dan. I-I don't know... how...." I began to cry a bit.

"Phil, are you okay. What's wrong?"

"I don't know how I got so lucky," I sniffed, "to end up with the most perfect person in the world. You gave me my life back, Dan."

He went a little red. "I just did what I felt I had to for you. You are everything to me, you know. You always have been, ever since we met."

I kissed him again, turning my head to the side and taking in as much of him as I could.

~~~

Later that night, I was extremely tired, but also saddened. As I climbed into bed, I realized that Dan wouldn't have to sleep at my side anymore. I felt alone in my room without him.

Without any time to spare, all I had done was lain down when the door was pushed open a bit.

"Phil?"

"Dan."

"Can I till sleep with you?"

I smiled. "Please."

He crawled in by my side and cuddled me close. He - like the first time ever - set his puckered lips to my neck. The first time he'd kissed my neck so long ago, it was resistant and nervously done. Tonight, it was loving, confident, and a congratulatory act of relief. I liked it.

I turned around and began to kiss him. I was pressed up against his chest, and I could feel his rapid heartbeat in my own. His arms held me to him. By now, I just wanted to lay there, cuddled to him, my head comfortably resting on his shoulder.

"Dan?"

"Yes?"

"Please be my forever."

"I would have never thought twice about it."

"When should we get married?"

"Do you want to give it time?"

"Yes."

"Maybe a few years."

"That's perfect for me, honestly. Why rush anyway?"

"Yeah." He kissed the top of my head. "It already feels like we're married, doesn't it?"

"Sure does."

"Phil?"

"Yes?" I answer, dragging my fingers over his chest.

"What was it like?"

"Hmm?"

"Being blind, I mean. What was it like?"

"It was dark. You never knew what was near you or who was near you. Every second alone is like hours. You have to constantly worry where everything is and what's going on. It felt like there was some new danger everywhere."

"That's terrifying."

"Yeah, but you get used to it. I don't think I would have handled it so well if I didn't have you. The way you spoke always calmed me down, and you were really the whole reason I got through it. So thank you."

"Please, I barely did a thing."

"Dan?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

He laughed quietly. "Okay, okay. You're welcome, then."

I pushed back and leaned up to kiss his cheek, then settled down again on his shoulder, where for the first time in so long, I could sleep and not worry that I would be alone.