ART DECO | PHAN

twenty five.

2/20/17
116 lbs.

dan howell wrapped his sweater tighter around himself, absorbing its warmth. it was a black and incredibly soft sweater that katie had gotten him nearly a week before.

he absolutely adored it.

he sighed, letting his hands run over the old wood of the gazebo. it was nearly six am; dan had been running (phil had eased up a bit about exercise when dan had started gaining weight again).

he liked being up early, the sky was so beautiful, the air was so calm and chilly against his skin. it was his favorite time of day.

dan hadn't even checked the scale that morning. he had wanted to, but he wasn't particularly fond of watching that little red number rise. it felt like failure. it felt like throwing away months of hard work, rinsing it down the drain as if it meant nothing.

but... he was doing it. he was doing it because he didn't want to go home, he didn't want to go back in time like that. he was doing it for phil.

he did feel substantially better already... healthier, a bit happier, if he managed to ignore that itching, nagging feeling in the back of his head.

dan let his hair blow in his face, his gaze searching the lilac tinted skies above him as the world woke up.

he heard footsteps up the creaky wooden stairs and glanced over, biting his lip when he saw phil approaching, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"hey."

phil let out a slow breath, leaning against the railing next to him. dan could feel his eyes on him.

"hey." he paused. "you okay?"

dan nodded slowly, chewing on his chapped lips. "i'm okay."

"good."

they stood in silence for a moment, taking in the sky. semi-dark clouds were hovering; dan wondered if it would rain. he wouldn't mind a bit of rain.

"are you okay?"

phil seemed to be taken by surprise by the question. "yeah..."

dan nodded, smiling to himself. "good."

more silence. the breeze filled dan's ears, his lungs, infiltrating his head. he closed his eyes.

he still had that prickling feeling that he was being watched, but it wasn't bad when he knew it was phil looking at him.

"i like this weather," dan breathed finally. he could tell phil was listening, hanging onto every word he spoke, and that feeling was intoxicating. "and this time of day."

he could feel phil nodding.

"me too."

dan's skin burned and he became aware that phil's hand was on his. he kept his eyes shut because as long as he had his eyes shut, it didn't matter what he looked like.

"y'know that thing that parents used to tell their kids during hide and seek?"

phil intertwined their fingers, holding dan's hand with both of his. "what?"

dan hummed. "if i can't see you, you can't see me."

phil laughed softly. he brought dan's hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it before breathing over it to warm up his skin. "i don't think that's what they say." he paused. "and what if i want to see you?"

"why would you?"

phil sighed. he pressed his lips to each of dan's fingers slowly. dan shivered, swallowing. "i like the way you look."

dan fell silent again, staring at his eyelids. phil sighed again.

"open your eyes."

dan hesitated before obeying reluctantly, looking at him. the look on phil's face made him melt like liquid metal.

"i like the way you look," phil repeated. dan watched him kiss his palm.

"thank you." he paused. "i like the way you look too..."

phil chuckled, squeezing his hand. "thank you."

dan bit his lip, his curly locks of hair still falling in his eyes every time the breeze overtook them. phil hummed, reaching out to tuck dan's hair behind his ear. then his finger slid down his face, thumbing his lower lip out from between his teeth.

"don't bite your lip, you'll split it."

dan nodded, his eyes wide. he felt like phil had waltzed into the gazebo and stollen the breath from his lungs, but it felt amazing.

"okay."

phil smiled, and his eyes flickered over his face. dan held completely still.

"katie and i have a surprise for you tonight."

dan blinked. phil and katie had been acting suspicious for the last week, but dan hadn't thought much of it until now.

"a surprise?" he asked softly. "what is it?"

phil laughed. "it's a surprise." he smiled. "but you'll like it, i know you will. be ready at seven?"

"how should i dress?"

phil shook his head. "however you want. we want you to be comfortable."

dan's heart flipped but he nodded.

"okay."

phil smiled at him, leaning in and kissing his cheek gently. dan gasped, his skin tingling where phil's lips had been. he reached up, brushing his fingertips over the spot.

phil pulled back, still holding dan's hand as he pushed it into his pocket. he closed his eyes, and dan watched him curiously.

"can you still see me?" phil asked after a moment.

"yes."

phil grinned. "you're cute, but that is definitely not what they say."