Bruised (Phan) [EDITING]

Epilogue / Merry Christmas!

Well, I figured you guys deserved a little something and I missed writing so here goes nothing... and don't forget to check out the sequel to this book!!!!!!

Update: epilogue edited

Merry Christmas (Phil Lester)

Sometimes Dan baked for me when I was feeling dragged down by the weather. Living in this hotel dead smack in the middle of nowhere you pretty much expect nothing but rain, clouds, and gloom until the heat waves roll around. Honestly, the weather was just bipolar, there wasn't an intermediate between scorching humidity and blistering frostbite.

Okay, I'm exaggerating.

My thoughts are ended when I smell the sweet warmth radiating off of freshly baked brownies. When Dan brings them in there's a stupid, boyish, goofy grin on his face that in turn makes me stupidly, foolishly smile back.

On a dark blue trimmed plate lies two humongous brownies and stuffed inside them are chocolate chip cookies. My eyes widen at them, only to hear Dan give off a proud chuckle. "We're sharing this right?" I ask hastily, not really feeling hungry but not wanting to reject Dan's heavenly baking.

"Obviously, dork," he grins as his fingers pick up the bigger of the two cookie stuffed brownies. I was okay with it, mostly because it was Dan and also because I wanted the smaller piece anyway. He sat beside me, making the bed dip, and grinned my way again. His dimple facing me... What a sad dimple...

He abruptly stood, snapping his fingers and pulling me from my thoughts. "Forgot the hot chocolate, I'll be back," and I could hear his footsteps lighten as he walked farther away from my room.

He shut the door behind him and I lay there waiting. Reminiscing, really.

I scanned my room awaiting Dan's return. The past filled me instantly, mostly memories of Dan laughing. In the corner of the room, where the recliner sat, is where he finally closed his books and refused to open them back up. These books were the ones from the EDU, Dan usually kept himself positive. Eating Disorder books, diets to slowly get back on track, social support from friends and well... myself.

He was very on top of things and to keep himself from slipping he took up a hobby. Of course, it was baking and he usually could be found in the Hotel's kitchen trying out some new recipe.

Although when his recipe was horrible he'd make us all have a taste and agree it was awful... He's a strange one, that's for sure. Sometimes he made them terrible purposefully.

He returned with his fingers wrapped around two mugs of hot chocolate and a can of whip cream sitting under his arm, a grin on his face. After grabbing my mug he took the whip cream and made a mountain of the stuff in my mug. Same to his, swirled like ice cream and a proud smile on his face overtaking him.

Sometimes it was hard to focus around him. Studying him was natural for me, I couldn't tear my eyes away. Sometimes when he read his brows would furrow or he would react to the book without his knowing. His lips would dip or his eyes would widen, it was all pretty amusing.

Or when he baked there was always a soft smile atop his rosy lips and he made sure everything was perfected. He would him when he mixed and tap when he would wait for the pastries. It was all so nostalgic, sometimes I was a bit overwhelmed by how far he's come.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He muses, lips take small sips from his mug. Whip cream sitting lightly atop his nose that made me grin madly. I wiped it with a finger and licked it off, my eyes closing in bliss. These were the moment I lived for, peaceful moments with Dan however soppy they might be.

He took the can between his fingers and sprayed some on my cheek which earned a laugh from my throat. Dan then proceeded to kiss my cheek and slurp the whip cream with a boyish grin.

"You're such a dork sometimes," I found myself saying, which in all honesty was the truth. Dan then proceeded to drag me out of bed, with the mug barely making it to see another day, and dragged me to the hotel's lobby.

There we found Pj, Chris, Joe, and Connor. No doubt about it everyone else was still asleep. We all took seats around the hotel's Christmas tree, a towering thing really with gold tinsel and silver and gold ornaments sitting atop almost every branch. Even handmade ornaments by everyone sat glistening, I loved this place too much. I didn't think I could ever let it go.

As the others were dragged downstairs by Chris, which I'm assuming was the worst because that boy was the crudest person ever to exist, we decided to gather round the towering tree and exchange presents.

Dan went first, handing present, wrapped in hello kitty wrapping paper, to me. A medium sized box in my grasp I grinned to myself. I pushed it aside momentarily, handing him a small box wrapped in black paper with stars on it. Returning his present to my fingers and took a breath. "Let's open it at the same time," I suggested, scared of his reaction.

All around us our friends were handing presents to one another, hugging, laughing, loving. It was the best sight anyone could hope for.

As Dan opened his he practically yanked it out of the box and grinned, a laugh erupting from his pretty rose lips. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He reached in a took out the USB toaster I got him. "Now when you write your smut you can have toast to go with it," I laughed, my stomach already hurting from the fit of giggles.

Pulling my own gifts from the box I immediately laughed more. A pink scarf lay inside, but now just any pink scarf. As I wrapped it around my neck, at the ends, two boobs lay attached. "It's a boob scarf!"

Around us, our friends exchanged romantic presents, excluding Joe and Caspar who got each other literal shits in a box and then proceeded to laugh about it before kissing the other. Chris got Pj a ring engraved with Ligouri in it and a minted jewel in the center while Pj got Chris and engraved ring with Kendall, an agate in the center of it. Cute.

Connor got Troye a composer's book to write his music and attached were two guitar pics. Troye got Connor an anniversary edition, and signed by the editor, version of his favorite book Flowers for Algernon. Tyler got Zoë some type of expensive kiwi makeup, or maybe I'm saying it wrong and it's Kylie, and Zoë got Tyler a new pair of glasses.

We were all so content, our hearts swelling.

"Dan," the boob scarf still around my neck and the boyish grin still atop his lips. He turned, a question in his eyes.

"I love you."

And he grinned even wider, normality of this place long fucking gone with the smell of Joe and Caspar's feces filling the air. Chris telling them to take that shit outta here. But we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Because this place was home. It always will be.

"I love you too."