A/N: wow it has been so long and I'm really sorry but hey,,,,, I'm posting again!
I took some time off for school and then I got busy with a play and holidays and yeah. But I'm back babey!
"Gerrund, can you get a bath ready? And get Dan's stuff up to a room as well? The one across the hall from mine is fine."
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you."
Dan stood in the foyer, a towel wrapped around him. Phil's and Gerrund's voices drifted from the other room. After a moment, Phil returned with some folded clothes. "Here, you can borrow some of my clothes for the time being. The stuff in your suitcase is damp. There's a bath waiting for you upstairs. Once you're clean, you can come down to the kitchen and have dinner. I'm assuming you're hungry?" Dan nodded. "When' the last time you ate?"
"This morning. I haven't had much of an appetite."
Phil looked concerned. "I see… Are you okay with spaghetti? I would have fixed something better if knew you were coming…"
"No, no, spaghetti's fine, great! Thank you."
Phil bit his lip, examining Dan with worry. "Are you okay? I mean, do you feel sick or anything?"
Dan shook his head, pulling the towel closer to him. "Just tired and cold."
Phil gently cupped Dan's face, running the pad of his thumb over his cheek. He looked like he was about to say something, but stopped, frowning slightly. "Hurry upstairs," he spoke softly, "you need to warm up."
Dan watched as Phil left the room, then headed up the stairs.
…
Dan exhaled shakily as he lowered himself into the water. It was very hot and, though comforting, took a moment to get used to. Once fully submerged in the water, it rose up to Dan's collarbones.
The tub was very deep, much more so than the puny bath that had been in Dan's old apartment. He wondered if the bath had been custom made for Phil's tall form—it was the first time had ever been able to fully extend his body in a tub. A shelf hung on the wall above the tub: Shampoo, conditioner, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, body wash, bubble bath, bath salt, foot scrub, more shampoo… eventually, Dan stopped reading.
"Bitch has a whole spa in here…" He muttered, grabbing the bath salts.
By the time Dan got out of the bath, his skin felt smoother than it had in years and he smelled strongly of "Oak Forest" (whatever that smelled like).
He dressed himself in the borrowed outfit, checking himself out in the mirror. Phil was slightly more built than he was, but the clothes fit well enough. He tossed his used towel in the laundry and met Phil downstairs.
He was hunched over the dining room table, reading over a sheet of paper. He looked up when Dan walked in. "Feel any better, love?"
Dan nodded, taking a seat next to him. "Yeah, thanks."
Gerrund stood in the doorway. "Are you ready to eat, Mr. Howell?"
"Yes, please."
Wordlessly, he nodded his head and left the room, returning a moment later with a large bowl of steaming pasta. Dan hadn't realized how hungry he was until the food had been placed before him, and he dug in greedily.
"Careful," Phil smiled, "don't want to get a stomach ache."
"Fuck stomach aches," Dan muttered, shoving another bite of spaghetti into his mouth.
Phil just chuckled, looking back down at his papers. "My dad stuck me in a pretty high position and I'm still getting used to the sudden change of pace… the workload is ridiculous compared to what I'm used to. Of course, so is the pay."
Dan finished his bite of food. "I need to work on finding a new job as soon as possible. That will be pretty hard without a degree."
"Don't feel any pressure to rush, love," Phil smiled, picking up Dan's napkin and wiping away a splotch of pasta sauce from his cheek, "take some time to you get yourself together. I'll get you whatever you need, okay?"
"No. I can't just mooch off you. I need to work and pull my own weight."
"You're not mooching off me, I'm offering you help because I care about you and want you to have a chance for success like I've had."
Dan looked cross. "Okay. But only for a little while."
"Good. Thank you." Phil smiled and traced his finger over Dan's hand.
The two made light conversation as Dan finished his meal. Phil, though being perfectly friendly, seemed a bit stressed by his work and Dan decided it would be best to get out of his way.
"Thank you again for dinner," the writer stood up, pushing his seat in. He started to pick up his dishes but Gerrund hurried in the room, taking them from him and walking off wordlessly.
Phil chuckled at Dan's surprised expression. "He takes his job very seriously. Always has." His expression turned serious. "Is there anything else you need? Do you want desert or…?"
"No, no, I'm fine, thanks. I'm just tired."
"Oh! Of course, here…" Phil jumped up, "I'll show you to your room, follow me."
Phil led his boyfriend up the stairs then down a long corridor, stopping once he reached his room. Rather going in there, he opened the door across the hall from him, ushering Dan inside.
"I hope this will do, if you don't like it there are other places you could stay instead. I just thought that you might want to be closer to me. In case you need anything, I mean! I would let you stay in my room, but I thought you might like your own space and—"
"It's amazing…" Dan mumbled, looking around the room in awe. The room looked similar to Phil's, but the décor was less personalized. A dainty chandelier hung from the ceiling and a canopy bed sat between two large windows. "Thank you." Dan pulled Phil into a tight hug, burying his face in the crook of his neck.
Phil pressed a chaste kiss against Dan's head, holding him tightly. "Of course, love."
…
Phil bade dan goodnight and returned to his work, leaving his boyfriend alone in his room.
He spent the first few minutes wandering around, gently tracing his fingers across the ornate decorations. Once he had enough of that for one night, he made his way to the connecting bathroom and got ready for bed.
Dan almost moaned when he laid down. The mattress was soft and plush, molding itself to his shape. The covers were a soft, fine cotton and felt amazing against his skin. He took comfort in that the bedspread was a similar color to his own: A rich wine-red. Maybe Phil had made the connection too? He liked to think that he had. It felt comforting to think he had someone who considered the little things like that.
Within minutes, he had fallen asleep.
A/N: okay now let's see if I can write a chapter for my other fic