"I'm sorry, Mum, really. I can't-… I already told you I can't be home for Christmas this year. Phil needs me to stay with him… Yes, yes he's going to his family's house, but so am I. He's my boyfriend and he's had a horrible year, the least I could do is finally spend the holidays with him. I-" Dan threw his hand down against his side; he couldn't be bothered to argue anymore.
Phil was sitting in the lounge, hearing every word of Dan's end, feeling horrible that mother and son were arguing over what had been his idea in the first place. He just wanted to spend Christmas with his boyfriend, especially with the gift he had for him.
Dan honestly wanted to go and spend Christmas with Phil and his family. They'd all been through over six months of hell this year when Phil had been kidnapped; all so afraid they'd never see each other again.
Dan came in and sat beside him a few minutes later, looking stressed but smiling as he took Phil's hand. "She'll get over it," he promised lightly, kissing his knuckles.
Phil nodded, and they didn't speak of it again.
They never asked each other what they wanted for Christmas. They knew the other well enough to get them something they would love, so it was best to keep them completely in the dark by not letting them even influence it. In fact, they went out of their way to not know what his boyfriend wanted, and would have fun teasing by starting to try to say what they wanted.
They were both kneeling on the floor of their bedroom, packing for two weeks with Phil's family. Phil was almost done with his own bags and would help Dan –ever the procrastinator and not nearly finished- once he was done. He carefully snuck his gift for Dan out of view, shoving it into his duffel bag and zipping it shut.
"So do you wanna run through the 'eves'?" Dan asked, smiling over his shoulder.
Phil smiled brightly. "Happy Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve."
Four AM, Christmas morning.
"Phil, wake up."
Phil rolled over in his sleep, almost falling out of bed. He could feel Dan nudging him, but he wasn't quite ready to wake up yet. Dan seemed persistent, though. "Phil, come on. I have a surprise for you."
Phil forced his eyes open to see Dan up and fully dressed in an adorable festive jumper and dark jeans and boots. Phil wondered if he'd slept at all last night. "Mm… Merry Christmas, Daniel," he smiled sleepily.
Dan smiled at his tired boyfriend, bending down to kiss his forehead. "Merry Christmas, angel. Come on, get dressed, we have somewhere to go."
Phil sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Where could we possibly have to go this early on Christmas?"
"You'll see. Get dressed."
They walked through darkness for a while, which made Phil very nervous. He didn't like being out alone or at night, and clung to Dan's arm, walking close to him. He tried to play it off like it was just because of the cold.
Dan saw straight through it, and stopped walking for a moment to turn and hug him tight. "Almost there, baby. It's okay, don't be scared. Almost there."
Phil just stared in wonderment when they arrived at the snowy field. He'd been here before, of course, but he'd never seen it look so pristine, even in the darkness. He hated being out in the cold, but Dan kept him feeling warm just by being there with him.
They settled up on a dry rock, sitting close to each other. Dan reached into his bag and pulled out a thermos and two Christmas mugs and poured coffee for them both. "Cheers!" he grinned, and they clinked their mugs together before sipping at their drinks, warming them from the inside out.
"I would've brought you out here later, when the sun came up, but I knew you'd wanna be with your family once they wake up. This was gonna be the only time on Christmas that we could be alone." He took his hand gently, squeezing it. "I love you, Phil. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone."
Phil smiled and was about to say the same, but he felt Dan's lips on his and he couldn't let that go. He kissed back, someone's tongue licking at the seam of the other man's lips but god knows if they knew whose it was. Dan gently laid his boyfriend down on the rock, his hand between Phil's head and the stone to keep him comfortable; his other hand came up to Phil's neck, thumb stroking his jawline. "I love you," he whispered again between warm kisses.
Phil breath hitched against Dan's lips, and Dan pulled away, expecting to find a look of discomfort but finding nothing but love in his boyfriend's eyes. Dan smiled down at him fondly, not moving his hands away from what they were doing. "Do you want your gift now?" he asked.
"No, unless it's another kiss."
Dan laughed and obliged eagerly.
They had time to themselves again that night. Christmas had been wonderful, and Dan made a mental note to spend it here more often. They hadn't exchanged gifts with each other yet, and Dan was getting impatient to give his.
Phil returned from the bathroom, fully dressed in soft pyjamas after his shower. He found Dan sitting on his bed, the bed they were obviously sharing. "Miss me?" he joked, sitting next to him.
"I did, actually," Dan smiled, kissing him sweetly. "I have to give you your gift."
Phil nodded, smiling nervously at the thought of giving Dan what he had for him.
Dan grinned and fumbled through his bag, pulling out a brightly wrapped box. "Here," he presented, pushing it into Phil's hands. Phil smiled at Dan's enthusiasm and started to pull away the pretty paper.
Inside was a small wooden box, and Phil instinctively open it up. He laughed happily as it started to play a soft rendition of the instrumental version of "Interrupted by Fireworks." "Oh Dan…" he sighed, smile plastered onto his face. He closed it back up and found some writing carved into the lid. He strained his eye to read it…
'October 2009 i want to be there so you dont have to be brave'
His breath caught in his throat. "Dan…"
"I want you to take this with you wherever you may go without me, so I can always still be there." Dan pressed his lips to Phil's cheek gently, and then his lips. "Merry Christmas."
Phil sputtered a bit before throwing himself into Dan's arms, wrapping his own around him tightly and kissing his cheek. "Thank you…" He pulled back and wiped tears from his eyes. "Okay… Time for yours."
He reached into his duffel bag and pulled it out, hiding it behind his back. He took a deep breath before getting down on his knees.
"Dan… Thank you. Just, thank you so much. I want you to know that when I was locked away, all I could think about was you. I wasn't worried for my own safety, just praying that you were handling well. It felt selfish even at the time, but I kept hoping that you would still be waiting, just that you wouldn't be too worried. I… I knew I couldn't blame you if you moved on, but the thought broke my heart. I-… I'm sorry, this sounds so awkward and horrible, but-…"
Dan frowned at how anxious he was getting and pulled gently at his arms to be able to take his hands in his. Phil was in a state where he didn't think to resist, and by the time he realized, it was too late.
Dan stared at the maroon velvet box in Phil's hands, just in shock. As it set in what was going on, he felt tears spring to his eyes.
Phil tried to go on as planned, but any attempt at a memorized speech was completely lost now. He had to improvise. "I know you're young and- and maybe you're not ready to settle down yet, but I've never been sure of anything in my life. I… I bought this last year, and wanted to propose the day we came home. I know it's late now, but… I love you so much… more than… anything…" He let out a shaky breath. "I-I want to try to make you as happy as you can get every day forever. I want to spend my whole life with you –I've wanted that for a long time. So… Daniel James Howell… will you m-marry me?"
Dan's lip trembled and he couldn't vocalize an answer. He nodded, tears slipping down his cheeks and getting off the bed, down to Phil's level and pulling him in close.
"Yes," he managed to choke out, pressing his face into his neck. The familiar smell calmed him, knowing Phil would be by his side for eternity now –as cliché as it sounded. "Yes, I'll marry you."
When they sat down to breakfast with everyone the next morning, neither said anything about the engagement just yet. Dan, however, still made a show of the silver band on his finger, assuring that everyone saw it and knew exactly what it meant. Still, there were nothing but smiles all around, especially for the fiancés with their hands linked under the table.
A/N:That is the 4th Phan proposal I've written: two from Dan and two from Phil! :') Remember, reviews = quicker updates!