A/N: fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff

-Justin

Every time the voice came over the loudspeaker, I jumped up, hoping the wait was over. I'd been sitting in the lobby of Manchester's Piccadilly Station for what seemed like hours, and every minute that passed brought me closer to seeing him without a computer screen. This was what I kept telling myself as I sat in the mostly empty building, trying not to go insane.

"743 from London." The PA system crackled to life as the woman began reading off the trains arriving in the next few minutes. I waited for her to mention Reading, and when I heard it, I stood up to go stand by the double-doors in the back, where people were waiting to greet their parties. Right as the overhead voice went silent, my phone buzzed.

I've arrived. Now to drown in bodies

I couldn't help but smile, even though it honestly felt like I might throw up. As excited as I was about finally, finally being able to hug him and kiss him and just hold him, I'd been watching him through a screen for so long I almost wasn't sure if he was even real-

The doors opened suddenly, and a small crowd of people poured in. I stepped to the side, watching them all rush past. Most went into someone's arms, but a couple of people looked around somberly before heading toward the exit. I watched one man walk to the information booth, focusing on the way his dreadlocks bounced as he jerked his head around in search of whoever was supposed to be behind the counter.

"Phil?"

I turned in the direction of the voice, not quite registering at first who it belonged to. And then, I was looking at him. Him- Dan- the person I'd been falling for just a tiny bit more every day. He was right there, in the flesh, no screens or computers separating us. Brown hair lying perfectly, chocolate eyes wide and focused on me. He was dressed in black from head to toe- the same as last night.

It was almost involuntary, the way I marched up to him and pulled him close as I threw my arms around his neck. His arms wound around my waist and we stood there in silence, holding each other as tight as possible, and time didn't even exist. He tucked his head into the junction where my neck and shoulder met, and I heard him take a deep breath before sighing softly. I tightened my grip on him and a bit of his fringe fell forward to brush my cheek. I let out a chuckle without realizing.

"Can't believe it," Dan was muttering, pressing his face further into my skin. To my surprise, there was a sudden vibration against my neck as he let out a little whimper.

"You're crying," I stated, pulling away just enough to see his face. Despite the tears now wetting his cheeks, he was smiling more widely than I'd ever seen before. He tugged one arm free and brought his hand up to rub at his eyes. I reached out to swipe his cheek with my thumb, and he sighed again. "No crying now, Bear."

He nodded once and buried his face in my shoulder once more.

X X X

We had our first kiss at the top of the Manchester Eye. It had been Dan's insistence that we get on, and I could see his eyes alight with fascination as he watched the cars going round. There were a few rotations before we were stopped in the center at the highest point and Dan's head whipped around, hair flying every which way as he took in all the things we couldn't see from the ground. All I could do was watch him, mesmerized by the pure innocence radiating off him, and when he finally turned to look at me, chocolate eyes wide with wonder, I leaned in without a second thought. His lips were chapped, but also soft and warm and Dan, and that was the only thing my mind could register as I curled a hand over his cheek to hold him closer. My eyes were closed, but I felt him cover my hand with his palm, fingers clutching gently, and then it was over. Just like that.

X X X

"Um." Dan's eyes darted back and forth between where I stood in the doorway and the bed pressed against the wall. I knew what he was thinking. He took a step back, toward me. "You want me to"-

"You sleep with me, silly," I told him right away, cutting off what I knew was an offer to camp out in the lounge. Part of me wondered how he could even imagine that as the choice I expected of him, but I also knew he was still worried about the things he'd told me last night. Would I be able to tell when he was about to go into that space?

"Oh," he said, a mixture of relief and tension on his face. He looked back toward the bed and scrunched his nose up, and I could guess what he was thinking about. I walked over and wrapped my arms around him. Right away, he melted into the embrace, and he began making a series of soft sounds that sounded very relaxing.

"Let's get ready for bed," I whispered to him when he didn't make any motion to move. He nodded against my chest and allowed me to lead him to the edge of the duvet. I could see his eyes turning glassy, like he was about to cry, and I slipped a hand under his chin to make him look at me. "What's wrong, Bear?"

"Want," he whimpered, and I knew immediately what he meant. I left his side to go dig through his bag, cheering quietly to myself when I found his pacifier. As I held it up for him to see, I realized he was still talking. "Come back, daddy." His eyes zeroed in on the object I held up and both hands shot out, fists clenching and unclenching over and over. "Paci!" he called out enthusiastically as I made my way back to him. He snatched it from my palm and smiled widely, popping it in his mouth and sucking greedily before snuggling into my side. His eyes slowly slid shut and I shook him gently to keep him awake, at least until we could get under the covers.

"Come on, baby," I instructed, standing up quickly. He was latched on to my side and stood up with me, clutching fistfuls of my shirt in his hands. I reached down to pat his jean-clad thigh and said, "Let's get those off. You'll be more comfortable." He looked down at his knees briefly and then nodded his head, releasing one hand to fumble with his belt. It was a fruitless effort seeing as how he was apparently unwilling to let go of me completely, and after five minutes of him trying to undo the button with one hand, I reached down with my own hands and did it for him. My fingers brushed over his happy trail, and he jerked away with a giggle, somewhat muffled around the pastel-coloured pacifier between his lips.

"Off they go," I mused, hooking my thumbs in two belt loops and pulling his jeans down to his ankles. He'd moved his hands to my shoulders for balance, and he lifted one foot at a time until they were off, and then he wrapped his arms around my neck, placing a tiny kiss on the tip of my nose. "Hold on a minute, love," I said as I gently removed his arms. He pouted for a second before plopping back down on the bed and watched in silence as I stripped down to my boxers. As soon as I'd removed the last piece- my favourite yellow plaid- Dan was back in my arms, and I led us to the bed, tucking him in first and then sliding in beside him. He fell asleep almost immediately, but not before he curled himself into a ball and pressed himself as close to my body as possible, head tucked under my chin and fingers rubbing soft circles into my arms. I pressed a kiss to his forehead and turned the lamp off, slowly becoming aware of an almost indiscernible sucking sound that was strangely relaxing. His legs stretched out to tangle in with mine and even though I couldn't really see him in the dark, I twisted my head to look at his face.

"I love you, Bear," I whispered into his ear. He hummed in response.

X X X

I wasn't sure what woke me up, but when my eyes opened, I could just barely make out the shapes in my bedroom. Dim light streamed in through the window and I guessed it was around seven in the morning. Dan slept soundlessly beside me, lips parted slightly and hands still clutching my arm. I smiled at the sight of it, and then I realized his pacifier was nowhere to be found. He seemed okay without it, but I was sure he'd be in distress if he woke up in little space without it.

Luckily it had just fallen between us, and I found it underneath my pillow. I swiped it with part of the sheet and placed it back in his mouth. His pink lips stretched around the rubber automatically as he sucked it into his mouth. A little sigh sounded out as his eyelids fluttered, and then he was looking at me with sleepy eyes. One hand reached up to move the pacifier, and he asked in a rather high-pitched voice, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, love," I assured him, pressing a palm to his cheek. He leaned in to the touch. "Your paci fell out, I was just putting it back." He smiled at my words and shuffled over to curl back into my side. I wrapped both arms around him and pulled him close, one hand stroking through his hair gently.

"Thank you, daddy," he murmured, before taking the rubber between his lips once more. He tucked his head under my chin and I kissed the top of his head as he began tracing circles lazily over my skin. I fell back to sleep with the tingling feeling of his fingers etched in my mind.