Chapter 7:
Phil awoke to the smell of maple syrup and pancakes. He turned over and noticed Dan was already awake. That's strange. Dan never wakes up early. As Phil got up, he remembered last night and smiled to himself. That would be a memory he'd cherish forever, though he'd never tell Dan.
As Phil walked towards the kitchen, he heard the phrase 'freaking Delia Smith pancakes' followed by his mum's laughter. He stopped midway and leaned against the wall, watching his mother teach Dan to flip pancakes correctly. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and Dan was even talking. Phil almost didn't want to interrupt when he felt a nudge on his shoulder.
"Merry Christmas, bro." Martyn yawned.
"Merry Christmas. I think breakfast is ready." Phil said, wondering how long Martyn had seen him standing there.
"You like him don't you?" Martyn asked Phil.
"What? I? NO!"
"You don't have to tell me Philly. I can see it in the way you look at him. Am I right?"
Phil nodded slightly before adding, "But he doesn't like me and he's straight so it's a lost cause."
"You never know Philly, you never know," Martyn squeezed Phil's shoulder before heading towards the kitchen with Phil following soon after.
"MMM! These pancakes are delicious mother!" Martyn exclaimed.
"Did you know that Dan here helped me make them? He's a pretty good chef." Mrs. Lester said, smiling at Dan who blushed.
"Dan, these are excellent!"
"Thanks Martyn," Dan mumbled, stuffing another bite into his mouth.
"Don't you think so Phil?" Martyn asked.
"Yea, they're really good Dan. Maybe you should do the cooking instead of me." Phil joked. Dan shook his head laughing.
After breakfast was done and the table cleared, Mrs. Lester called everyone into the lounge with their presents, asking them to sit in a circle on the ground.
"Alright guys, so this year's Christmas is extra special. After years of hearing wonderful things about Phil's best friend, I've finally gotten to meet him and I can definitely say that he is even better than Phil's description of him. Additionally, Martyn is home for Christmas for the first time in three years. It feels good to have you back honey. Now before I get sentimental, let's open our presents shall we." She handed each of the boys a neatly wrapped gift with a cute little bow on top and they all exchanged presents.
As always, they started with the oldest person, Mrs. Lester. She smiled at the various sized gift boxes before picking up the gift Martyn gave her. She opened it and gasped at the gorgeous glass centerpiece. She opened Phil's next, chuckling when she saw the Lastly, she opened Dan's present to her, a set of fancy scented candles. She always loved candles and wondered how he knew.
Martyn opened his presents next. Phil gave him a R2D2 keychain with "May the force be with you" written on the lanyard. Dan gave him the entire DVD set of one of his favourite shows, friends. Lastly, Martyn opened his mother's present.
"OH Mum! I told you not to get me this! It must have been so expensive!" Martyn said as he admired the new camera. Mrs. Lester just smiled. She knew how much he wanted the camera and he was obviously very happy. No amount of money could pay for Martyn's smile.
Phil was next. His mother gave him a small popcorn maker which served the popcorn straight into a bowl. His brother gave him a neat looking lightning ball. However his favourite present was from Dan. Dan had bought Phil the video game he'd had his eye on for months.
"DAN! THIS IS - YOU BOUGHT ME THE VIDEO GAME!" Phil squealed. He jumped to give Dan a hug, accidentally tackling him to the ground.
After a good laugh and many thank you's, it was Dan's turn. He began by opening Martyn's present: a copy of Fall Out Boy's latest album. Next, he opened Mrs. Lester's present. He was shocked to find a cute white mug with whiskers on it. As he turned the mug around in his hands, taking in the way it felt in his hands and the fine detail, he realized everyone was looking at him.
"I-uh-wow. These are just like the whiskers from the Phil Is Not On Fire videos." Dan stuttered.
"I wasn't sure what you would like, but I remembered Phil telling me you loved coffee and I thought this was appropriate." Mrs. Lester justified.
"I really like it, thanks!" Dan smiled, still admiring the mug for a moment before moving on to Phil's present. Phil had given Dan a stuffed animal, a dinosaur, which walked around when a crank was turned. It was cute and something only Phil would ever think of giving him.
