It's a Small... Universe? (Phan AU)

Chapter 10

Dan's trek to the greenhouse took longer than he thought it would. Maybe it was because of the traumatic series of events that had just unfolded, maybe it was because he was reluctant to leave the closest thing he had to a home on this planet. He would leave his things there, but it would be unbearable to actually spend time in the ship anymore. Without air conditioning or working lights, the heat would surely get to him, not to mention his fear of the dark. He just hoped Phil would let him stay. Preferably not in the humidity of the greenhouse; perfect condition for plants, horrible for naturally curly hair.

Dan, with his slightly crumpled lily still in hand, walked through the gooey doorway into the greenhouse, striding toward the center before hesitating at Phil's door. Phil told him to just come right in, but did he really mean that? His thoughts began to spiral out of control again. Would it be intrusive? What if he's taking a nap and I bother him? But he did tell me to just go in. Ugh, I hate decisions.

In the end, which seemed like hours but was probably only five minutes, Dan knocked on the door before letting himself in. That way Phil had at least a little bit of a heads up, and Dan's conscience could rest easy.  Upon entry, he heard the Mario Kart theme music and couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.  He'd have to tell Phil about what happened to his rocket, but maybe after a few rounds.

His plans changed when he saw Phil sat on the couch, looking over his shoulder at Dan with a glowing smile and wide expectant eyes.  Dan felt like the icy blue was piercing through his soul and knew he would feel guilty if he didn't say something right away.  Phil's gaze swept his body, locking momentarily on the flower in his hands, and fleeting back up to Dan's face with a confused question in his eyes.  Now avoidance wasn't a choice.

"Uh, Phil.  I kind of have a problem?" Dan worded the phrase like a statement, but his intonation made it sound like a question.  Concern leaked into Phil's mind when Dan paused his speech, and he nervously asked, "What kind of problem?  You're not hurt right?"  His eyes flickered quickly over Dan's figure, checking for any obvious wounds.

"No, no I'm not hurt.  This actually sounds really stupid now that I think about it."  Dan launched into the retelling of the events that had occurred just moments before.  Phil couldn't help it, when he heard about Dan's reaction to the moth he giggled, but quickly brought his features back under control after one look from Dan. 

"So, yeah.  The rocket doesn't work, like at all, which is crazy, I mean it was one little flower vase.  Anyway, there aren't any working lights, AC, anything electrical really.  I know this is a lot to ask because we've only really just met two days ago, but I was wondering if I could sta-" "Yes!" Phil exclaimed, cutting Dan off.  "Sorry, I'm just really excited to have a roommate again."

Phil's smile faltered slightly, but he left his statement at that, also leaving Dan to wonder. Before the question could be asked, Phil spoke up again. "Here, let me put that in some water for you."  He snatched the lily from Dan's grasp and whisked off toward the vase cabinet in the kitchen, quickly grabbing one to put the flower in.  He filled it with water and set it on a table in the kitchen, a spot where someone could see it any and every time they entered the room. 

Upon returning, Phil opened his mouth and let the first thing on his mind tumble out.  "So, Mario Kart?" "Yeah, you're on!" Pained grins were exchanged for competitive ones as Phil walked back into the living room and handed Dan a controller, starting the process of choosing a track.

For hours they played, racing on each track at least twice and doing their favorites two or three more times.  The earlier conversation was completely forgotten as they faced off.  Dan would almost always win three out of the four races, but at the fourth Phil would shout "ALL OR NOTHING!"  And from somewhere deep, deep, deep inside, a hidden expertise and competitiveness would awaken inside Phil, like an angry little dragon, and somehow he'd pull out the win. Dan would huff and pretend to be upset but really he just wondered, how does he do it?

Their gaming could have continued for days, but the sound of a roaring beast inside Dan's stomach prompted them for a break. Phil laughed, "If you were hungry, you could've just said so." He flashed the brunette an award winning smile and stood up from the couch, making his way to the kitchen. "What would you like? I really don't have much besides fruits, vegetables, and a few assorted grains, but I think I might still have some jerky in the pantry if you're craving meat."

Dan smirked at Phil. "You know, I did go vegan for a little while, so maybe we can save the jerky for a special occasion. I probably have some dehydrated meats back on the ship, too, if we wanna make the trip to get them at some point. For now though, I could go for a vegetable stir fry maybe?" "I can definitely do that," Phil replied, flashing a signature smile and setting to work.

To say Dan helped a lot would be an understatement. Phil was probably the clumsiest person he'd ever met, and that's saying something because he had to put up with himself. The first mishap on the road to making dinner had been when they were simply trying to chop up some carrots and put them in the pan. Animated hand gestures while wielding a knife sent up red flags automatically in Dan's mind, especially when said blade missed his nose by a hair, and he immediately shouted, "PHIL!?" The older boy stopped talking mid sentence and blushed profusely as he realized he had been flaunting the knife around like a fairy violently waving its wand. That is, if the fairy were out for blood, rampaging through the streets of a big city. Needless to say, Dan was now the sole designated vegetable slicer. Various spill related errors had occurred after what they had deemed the "knife incident."

Even without butter and limited supplies of salt and pepper, their dinner was delectable. The past couple days had been mostly driven by fruit options, so the change in pallets was refreshing to both boys. The fact that they had worked hard as a team to put it together only made the meal that much more enjoyable. The talked over the meal about anything and everything, chattering aimlessly without a single awkward pause.

It was nice. Dan hadn't stopped grinning the whole time they'd been eating. It was nice to just be able to talk with a friend. He didn't have a lot of them, but he definitely already considered Phil to be his best friend. Dan didn't know what it was, but something about them just clicked, even from the beginning. He just felt absolutely comfortable, safe even, around Phil, like he wouldn't be ridiculed for what he had to say. Phil made him feel like his words were valid, like he mattered.

And little did he know, Phil could say the same things about Dan.

A/N:  I know you guys probably have so many questions about Phil's past, and trust me, they will be answered soon.  I hope you liked this Domestic™ chapter and that their bonding didn't bore you too much.  As always, thanks so much for commenting, voting, and most importantly reading!  It means a lot to mean that people simply enjoy reading the things I write, so thank you all for that!!