Phil gripped his cheesy wicker basket tightly and knocked on Dan's bedroom door. "Dan?"
"Wha-?" Dan mumbled, probably from his bed, laptop hot in his lap. He had been there for three days, only coming out to relieve himself and grab an occasional leftover pizza slice.
After the US tour, he had declared he needed to "catch up" and "be away from people for a little bit." But that meant being away from Phil, and Phil didn't like that a bit. It had been three days and the house, their house, was too big for just one (albeit spectacularly tall) man. Well. That and Phil just missed his best friend.
"Dan-I'm gonna need you to put on some clothes. I'm coming in." He heard a sigh and the hopping around of a grown man struggling to put on skinny jeans, and chuckled softly at the image in his head. Until, of course, that image focused on the fact that Dan currently wasn't wearing any pants, and his underwear and-
"I'm dressed. Come in." Phil prayed his cheeks weren't flushed, and opened the door softly, holding up his basket proudly. "You've been in here for three days and I know you haven't eaten well, so we are going to go on a midnight picnic."
"You realize it's 10:30 right now, right?" Dan mumbled, raising an eyebrow sharply.
"Well yes but...fine. A night picnic," Phil re-emphasized.
"And why a picnic? Why midnight? Why not just ordering food?" Dan glanced out his window and rubbed his arms nervously. It had been a very taxing couple of months for the younger man, and his social anxieties had all caught up to him. Leave it to Phil to try and help him in the one way he had never tried: facing the issue.
"Well, for starters, we need some fresh air. While there may be air inside, it'll be good to go out. Secondly, a midnight picnic involves all of the fun of a picnic and none of the hassle of other people; no one else will be outside with us. And last, it'll be fun, Dan! We can sit on a blanket under the stars and eat the food I most definitely made myself and we can talk! I miss you Dan, it's been three days and I miss my best friend." Phil's voice had gone from systematic and calm to almost desperate, bright eyes pleading for Dan to say yes and come with him.
Dan ran a hand through his messy hair and groaned. "You're so cheesy, Phil." The grimace broke into a small smile and Phil almost jumped for joy. "Okay. Fine. Yes. I'll go with you to a midnight picnic. Just let me put on real clothes first."
Phil nodded desperately, grinning. "Twenty minutes." He backed out of the room and grinned brightly, elated that he had gotten Dan to agree to his proposition.
He waited in the lounge awkwardly, crossing and uncrossing his legs and feeling like a teen waiting for his date-which wasn't what was happening at all, no. How silly of him. Eventually, Dan emerged, wearing his Yeezy shirt (that honestly creeped Phil out a little) and black jeans, his light up shoes glowing softly. Phil grinned. "Come on, it's not far away." He led Dan out the door, basket in hand, and down the lit street, until this came to a small park.
In a small corner of the park, a fleece blanket was spread, pillows thrown about, and a single scented candle in the middle. "Phil!" Dan murmured softly. "It's so cute!" He studied the scene and grinned, folding himself onto the blanket and grabbing a pillow, holding on to it almost defensively, yet adorably. "Is this the only light you brought?" He glanced at the single candle, a smirk on his face.
"Well- when I set this up, it was light and I forgot I would need more-" Phil ran a hand through his hair and groaned to himself. "I didn't bring enough."
"Hey it's alright!" Dan grabbed Phil's arm and gently pulled him down into a seated position. "We can see the stars better this way." And see the stars they could!
They were far enough from the city that the sky was clear. The blue-black of the sky provided the ideal image of the countless specks of stars above, beautiful and bright. There were constellations neither of them knew, and the ones that they made up when they were kids, but it didn't matter because the whole thing was breathtaking.
Of course, Dan was the only one looking. Dan's fascinated face was one of Phil's favorite things to see; his features changed and he looked young, innocent, and softer in a way he couldn't explain.
Phil didn't know how long he stared. A few minutes, hours? But when Dan looked back at Phil, he slowly registered he was still staring and cleared his throat. "Um-I bought subs and chips and cookies and stuff. Perfect picnic food." He was glad the darkness concealed his strawberry-colored cheeks. Dan nodded and found his sandwich, watching Phil with an expression the older man couldn't quite comprehend.
They are quietly, staring at the sky and making occasional small talk, until finally Dan blurted, "why?"
Phil started, dropping his chocolate chip cookie. "Why what?"
"Why all this? Why for me? Why were you staring? Why were you making that face? Why is my heart beating so fast? Why do you care so much?" His voice broke sharply and Phil's heart dropped to his knees.
"Dan..." He murmured softly. "Hey." He took the boy's hand and squeezed it gently. "I did all this because I hate to see you cooped up in your room alone. I missed you and I know you were anxious about returning to normal life and I wanted to help you. I was staring because-" he rubbed the back of his neck. "You looked breathtaking. When you were staring at the sky. Like it was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. I'm not sure what face I was making-"
Dan imitated Phil, making the same face he himself used when he stared at the wonders that was the universe above.
"Oh. Well. I guess...to me, you were the most beautiful thing i could see." Phil blushed. "Why do I care so much, Dan? I wish I knew. Honestly I did. But you're my best friend and I love you more than I thought i could, more than what the world says it's okay to, and you inspire and amaze and fascinate me and I-" he couldn't speak anymore, lips covered by another pair. He inhaled sharply and felt Dan's warm hands on his waist as the lips drew away.
"Thank you." Dan murmured softly. "For everything." Phil nodded and grabbed for Dan's face and kissed him again softly, the way he wanted to for longer than he could remember.