a spaceman came travelling

a dusting of pink

his plush, soft pink lips part, allowing a small, warm breath to dance across phil's soft pink cheeks, snapping his soft pink brain back to reality. stumbling back, the black haired man's lungs inflate in a stuttered breath, unsure of how to function upon the first exposure to the sunshine boy.

the slowly reddening man rapidly blinks in phil's presence, and closes his mouth quickly, adjusting to the modified change in company. he continues to stare, uncertain as to how to react to the abrupt addition to his previously mundane circumstance.

then phil's brain is revived. "hello." dan receives a small, ridged wave to accompany the greeting.

"h-h-hey?" the lightly tanned boy stumbles in response, still struggling to find his bearings in the situation.

"um... i'm phil, i guess. phil lester," he offers his hand to shake.

"well, mr bond, i'm dan. i mean howell. daniel howell." dan returns the handshake, smiling through a laugh as he regains composure.

"well, dan, what're you doing here, of all places, while dreaming?"

"i..." dan stops and fidgets with the hem of his sweater. looking down to his fumbling fingers, he replies with a chuckle, "i don't know, honestly."

"well, why don't we get out of here, yeah? do something a little more interesting." a spark lights up in phil's soul for the first time in quite a few months. excitement gleams in his eyes, suddenly caused by his newfound acquaintance.

still admiring the floor, dan softly breathes an acceptance to the invitation, and off phil pulls.

to the tug of his wrist, dan flys across the shiny store's floor and bursts out the automatic doors with phil in the lead. laughing and gaining balance, dan pushes forward ahead of phil, shouting, "keep up!" to the wind, hoping it'll reach the pale boy a few feet behind him as he barrels through the grass of a playing field.

with losing air from the run and bellies aching from the laughter, the boys stumble onto the water-deprived grass in a heap, heaving from the euphoria.

"that was fun," dan spills through a gulp of breath. "we should do that again sometime."

"we shall, but right now i'm absolutely tuckered. can we stay here?" phil breathes, removing his eyes from the flashlight ink sky to dan's sweat and moon glistened face.

"tuckered? really, phil?" dan giggles, turning his cheek to the mildly prickly grass, but adjusting onto an elbow to save his face from the discomfort. "sure. of course we can stay here." returning to the sky, dan leans his head back down on the grass, positioning his hands under his newly matting hair.

while dan is shifting, phil can't help but to notice a black indent where the stars previously were, and the splotch is becoming progressively larger.

"ow, fuck, my nose!" the boy laughs as he mock-wails from the impact of an elbow to the face.

"shit, phil, i'm so sorry. are you okay?" dan scrambles up, leaning over to inspect the harm his gangly appendage caused. "fuck. i'm so sorry. can i help? are you okay? should i get ice? i think i saw some--"

"shut up. i'm alright, see?" phil rolls over onto his back, showing dan that he's truly okay. "i'm sorry i startled you."

"no, you shut up, it's my fault for getting my stupid giraffe limb in your face." dan leans down to get a better look at the damage, using the moonlight to his advantage. "are you sure you're okay? it's a little purple. i can get ice, i'll be back in a second..." dan trails off, suddenly jumping up and running the opposite way from phil. to the goddamn tesco.

"dan! wait! it's... fine." phil gives up yelling and succumbs to a soft smile, finally accepting that getting dan to stop will never work at this point. instead, he lies back down on the cool ground and allows himself to stare up into the endless abyss of vacuums and gases, creating a perfect picture across the atmosphere.

with his eyes slipping closed, he hears soft padding footsteps far away, but drawing nearer. then the accompany of heavy breathing as his new knight in shining armour returns, most likely with a bag of ice.

then nothing. shuffling. thump. "phil," dan whispers, unsure if his dream buddy has fallen asleep or not in the watery moonlight in the night stained grass.

"hmm,"

"are you awake?"

"m," phil's chest jumps from his exhaustion-based acknowledgment.

"i brought you some ice for your nose. i'm still really sorry for that."

phil smiles softly at dan's remark, cracking his eyes open slightly to get a final look at the cross-legged, moon covered boy beside him before slipping into a cool unconsciousness.

"will i see you again?" dan breathes so softly that phil believes it's a dream.

"always."

with that answer sufficing for dan's curiosity, he gently places the makeshift ice pack on the bridge of phil's nose, lays his head in the crook of his elbow, and allows himself to fall asleep with the image of a moon-basked phil on the inside of his eyelids.

01/04/20