Head Down (phanfiction)

11 * Taco Bell ft. Dogs in Skirts

"This is quite the first date," I noted, my eyes landing on the strange man sitting with a dog in the corner of the restaurant. He was crouching next to an outlet and was charging what looked like an orange Nokia 2110.

"Why is he even allowed to have a dog in here?" Dan wondered out loud.

"Well, it does have one of those service dog vests," I pointed out.

"Yeah," Dan agreed, "but service dogs usually aren't toy poodles with pink sparkly bows in their fur."

"Maybe the dog is just trying to express itself?" I chuckled.

That poor dog defiantly did not look happy. Maybe they were ashamed to be a fashion monstrosity or maybe they just really disliked Taco Bell.

Dan took my hand and I looked away from the man and toward the menu.

He ordered for us. (I had already told him what I wanted on the walk over.)

"Could we maybe take our food to go?" I asked him, eyeing some of the sketchy characters in the room with us. Ah yes, dear! Let's have our romantic first date sitting next that old woman over there clipping her toenails while eating nachos. How magical!

Dan laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "Phil! Of course we're not eating here! I'm not that bad at planning dates!"

I wiggled out of his grasp so I wasn't feeling so -- for lack of a better word -- scrunched.

"Then where are we going?" I asked, giving him a little poke in the side.

"You'll see," he told me, noticing that our order was ready and picking it up at the counter.

"Where are you taking me, Dan?" I demanded, tugging on his sweater sleeve.

"Don't worry," he said, "Nothing bad."

"You can't just kidnap me like this," I scowled.

"Don't worry," he chuckled, holding the door open for me so I could walk out. "You'll love it."

I badgered Dan the whole time we were walking -- which actually wasn't a very long time, but I figured if I annoyed him enough he would spill the beans.

"Don't worry," he kept saying, "I know you're going to love it."

But truth be told, when we finally made it to wherever we were going I couldn't really see why Dan was so confident I'd love it.

It was a park, just like any other.

A big grassy lawn, swing sets, a couple of slides, and not much else.

It was cute, but I still didn't get it.

"Well?" Dan beamed, spreading his arms out like he was presenting the park. "Don't you love it?"

It took me a minute to realize that it was now my duty, as a loyal and supportive boyfriend, to agree with my boyfriend and tell him that I loved his surprise even though I didn't really understand it.

"You don't have to lie," Dan laughed, cutting me off before I could even start. "This wasn't the bug surprise -- that comes later -- I just thought it would be nice to eat here."

I smiled. "That's sweet."

I still wasn't used to all of the terms of endearment and handholding and eye contact that come with being in a relationship, but -- in a lame attempt -- I wrapped my arm around Dan's waist as we walked toward the swings.

I felt a bit awkward being a six-foot tall teenager hanging out in a children's playground, but Dan didn't seem bothered about it, so I tried not to let it bother me either.

I plopped myself down on one of the swings, excepting Dan to take the one next to mine, but instead, he came up behind me and started pushing me.

"Dan!" I shouted out in my surprise, but I was laughing.

"What?" He shouted back at me, a smile in his voice. "I'm just trying to be cute! I bet we look like couple goals!"

I rolled my eyes even though I knew he couldn't see it, "Whatever, dork."

We stayed like that for a while, taking turns pushing each other on the swing and chewing our food in between conversations.

As time passed, our shadows grew longer and the sun was swallowed by the horizon.

Clouds covered the moon and blocked out most of the stars. It was getting darker and colder by the minute but when I suggested we go home, Dan just gave me his jacket and politely told me to shut up and stop complaining.

Slowly, and curiously, more people started filling the park.

For the most part, it was a much older crowd, couples in their mid-forties to sixties, laden with picnic blankets and food and little fold out lounge chairs.

I was getting more and more confused by the second, but I didn't have to wait much longer to find out what was going on. A small group of people, each caring what I knew were instrument cases, appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and began setting up a sort of stage.

As they did so, I saw that one of them had a violin, another had a flute, and the third had a trumpet. A forth person came a minute or two later with a keyboard and an amplifier.

I looked over at Dan, who was smiling.

"Tada!" He said, and I smiled back.

In all honesty, I never really liked listening to other people play instrumental music. It always annoyed me that either I was not nearly as skilled as the musician on stage or I was so much better that it was unbearable to listen to.

But Dan looked so excited, so proud of himself for coming up with this cute little first date idea, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling and planting a nervous kiss on his flushed cheek.

The show started pretty soon after that, and didn't last for very long. They played The Way You Look Tonight which I enjoyed (but knew I could play better) and some other songs, which included a clunky attempt at Pulaski At Night. I must've made a face when they played that one, because Dan gave me a nudge and asked if I wanted to go home.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I should've thought of something else to do."

"No," I told him, covering my hand with mine with a strange sense of ease. (It seemed I was getting used to this whole "boyfriend" thing.) "I really love it. Even if they're kind of a crappy band, at least I know that I'm way more talented than them and I win."

Dan assumed I was joking, and he laughed.

I could've been joking. But I really did love winning.

The night went fast after that. Soon, the show was over and then we were back at my house and Dan was kissing me goodnight (just a little peck) and then I was watching him walk away though the slits in the window blinds and he was gone.

And I was left there, smiling the biggest, dopiest, smile I could possibly imagine.

(A/N) a short fluffy filler chapter to cheer me up yAy
-Mel (I need some kind of cute sign off)