A/N I do not own Dan or Phil
Christmas seemed to come around fast this year and unlike usual Dan and Phil wouldn't be spending the holidays together. They had both rather reluctantly agreed
to spend Christmas with their families for a change meaning Phil would be traveling back up north and Dan back to Wokingham. It was the first year in a while that
they wouldn't be spending Christmas together and it just hit Dan how much he was going to miss Phil. The boys had started a tradition when they first met in which
they always exchanged their gifts for each other first and opened them together before any other presents. It was an intimate gesture of friendship and something
both boys treasured. Dan felt strange knowing he wouldn't have his best friend there to laugh and joke with or just be around this Christmas. It was comfortable this
thing they had between them and they had become so used to each other's presence that they sometimes took it for granted. Most of their time was spent together
because they never needed anybody else, being perfectly happy with just each other for company. Dan wasn't particularly looking forwards to spending Christmas at
home unlike Phil who was quite excited to be seeing his family. He realised that this might be the longest they had been apart since their skype days back in 2009
and the thought made him feel slightly sick. Dan suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of sadness sweep over him as he came to this realisation. Phil was his other
half and Christmas without him just wouldn't be the same. They completed each other and as cliché as it sounded, if soulmates were real they were definitely each
other's. Anyone with eyes could see they were at their happiest when they were together.
It was the night before the boys were due to travel back home to their families although neither could really call it home anymore. Home was here, in their little
apartment in London where they were together. Not without Phil. Dan was already counting down the days until he could come back to his real home, back to Phil.
Just the two them, how they liked it. They had decided that even though they couldn't be together on Christmas day they would keep up their annual tradition by
opening each other's presents together tonight, before they parted in the morning. Phil went first as Dan insisted. He enjoyed watching the smile grow on Phil's face
as he tore away the paper excitedly. The older boy had such a childlike personality sometimes. Dan loved seeing Phil happy and it made him even happier knowing
that he was the cause of his happiness. Phil's tongue poked through his teeth as he smiled adorably and the giggle that escaped his mouth was enough to send Dan
in to a grinning mess too. "Thaaaaanks Dan! I love it!" Phil laughed, hugging the soft toy and beaming across at his flatmate. Next it was Dan's turn. Sitting cross-
legged in front of their Christmas tree, facing Phil, Dan began carefully peeling away the wrapping paper. In his head he tried to guess what the small, rectangular
package could possibly be. He peeled away the last piece of paper to reveal a phone case, but not just any phone case. This one represented Dan's personality
perfectly. On the back of it was black sparkly sand mixed with gold stars that could move around inside the plastic of the case. Phil knew him well. "I-I thought black
represented your soul and then the gold stars because…well…you know…" Phil stuttered adorably as he attempted to explain his gift to the younger boy, blushing
slightly. "Plus, black and gold, it kinda reminded me of our TATINOF outfits" he added quickly before looking down at the floor, nervously playing with his pyjama
bottoms. Dan watched the older boy the whole time with an adoring look on his face and a smile that was only made for Phil. Amazed at how much thought Phil had
put in to his gift. "It's perfect Phil, Thank you" Dan said softly, leaning forwards to wrap him up in a hug. The last one they'd be having in a while he thought as he
pulled his best friend closer, squeezing him slightly tighter than he usually would and not wanting to let go. He felt Phil relax in to the embrace, sighing in to his
shoulder and squeezing the younger boy back just as tightly. When they finally pulled apart Dan looked over at Phil with a slightly sad look in his chocolate brown
eyes. "I'm going to miss you" he mumbled just loud enough for Phil to hear. The older boy looked up to meet his eyes, smiling sadly and pulling Dan in to another
hug, rubbing his back comfortingly sensing the other boy was upset. "I'll miss you too bear" he whispered in to Dan's ear, affectionately using the nickname he hadn't
in a long time. Not since they were both much younger. This time when they pulled apart Phil grabbed Dan's hand gently, pulling him up from their places on the
floor. "Want to sleep with me tonight?" Phil asked shyly walking them out of the lounge and towards their bedrooms. Wordlessly Dan nodded, squeezing Phil's hand
slightly in reply and following him to bed. They curled up together, Dan's head resting on the older boys' chest, listening to his heart beat and finding it oddly
soothing. Phil's long fingers carded through Dan's soft brown hair, smiling as he noticed it had begun to curl slightly at the front. He always loved seeing the younger
boy with his messy hobbit hair and wished Dan would leave it like that more often. They laid there just enjoying each other's presence before Phil broke the silence.
"It's only 2 weeks, we can do this" he mumbled whilst absentmindedly tracing patterns on Dan's arm. At this comment a few tears escaped Dan's eyes, rolling down
his tan cheeks and dripping on to Phil's shirt making him hold the younger boy closer to his chest, hugging him tightly. Dan wasn't even sure why he was crying and
honestly he felt a little pathetic. Here he was, a grown man crying all because he didn't want to spend a few weeks away from his best friend. "I know I'll be fine" Dan
mumbled in to the soft material of Phil's t-shirt "It's just…this Christmas is going to suck without you" He hugged Phil back, letting out a shaky breath before
eventually falling asleep in the older boys arms.