Second Shot (Bastille)

21: A pun-ny situation

*Freddie's POV*

*December 2013*

Red. Gold. Silver. 

A festive rainbow of wrapping paper scattered across the floor. Ribbons of all different sizes and patterns dangled out of its packaging and strips of sellotape hung off the edge of the coffee table. I assessed the pile of presents I had just finished wrapping and nodded impressedly at myself. The front door clicked open just as I'd cleaned up and Dan stumbled through the doorway with a huge box balancing precariously in his arm. 

"Oh no, don't worry love, don't jump up to help I'm fine" Dan said sarcastically as I stayed sat on the sofa watching him struggle. Chuckling, I stood from my seat and took Dans key and bag from him so he could hold the box with both hands.
"I told my mum 'we don't need much, it's a small apartment after all' and here she's given me enough stuff to decorate an entire mansion." He sighed, freeing his arms of the weight of the box as he placed it on the floor. 

"I'm sure we'll find somewhere to put it all" I reassured as I opened the box and started to empty it's contents.
"Hey Dan," I began warily "Your mum didn't say anything about instructions for putting up the tree did she?" I looked in the box once more but couldn't find anything that told us how to assemble the tree. 

"Is there nothing in there?" I looked in the box once more but couldn't find anything that told us how to assemble the tree. "Oh well, this will be fun" Dan set down two mugs and knelt down next to me and we began trying to work out which parts went where while quiet carols played from the stereo behind me. 

It soon became a competition of who could find the next piece first and both Dan and I became ridiculously competitive, fighting over branches to see if it matched the coloured band on the artificial trunk. Eventually, after many moments of confusion, we finished putting the tree up and soon moved onto decorating it with an assortment of baubles and tinsel.  

"You need some help there shorty?" Dan laughed as he saw me struggling- even on tiptoes- to put the star on top of the tree. I glared at him unamusedly and continued stretching my arm to try and reach. After a minute or two, Dan came up behind me and lifted me up by my waist.

"Thank you. We've done a good job haven't we?"

"I'd say so." Dan checked his watch and then turned to the kitchen "We've got a few hours until I have to go, you want something to eat?" I nodded and we started making an early dinner.
"You tagging along tonight?" Dan asked as we washed up. I was about to say yes but then I remembered I had a project I needed to finish. 

"Ah, I don't know I've got a lot of work to do" 

"You're getting as bad as me for working non-stop. Come on, take the night off." He took my hand and turned me toward him, kissing me and teasingly trailing down to my collarbone muttering quiet persuasions as he did. 

"Alright alright, I surrender I'll come" I agreed before losing myself in Dans kisses and letting his fingers run up and down my spine, his touch warm against my skin. 

-X-

"Alright guys, thank you all for coming out in the cold to come and see us. You ready for me to get up close and personal?" The crowd cheered as Dan grabbed his hoodie and the iconic intro of Flaws began. Sam appeared by my side and put her camera down. 

"Having fun?" I asked, seeing her beaming grin from the corner of my eye. She nodded singing along to the words with the rest of the audience. After a few minutes, Dan appeared back on the stage, dancing but not quite as energetically as he normally did. 

"Is he alright?" Sam wondered as he tried to jump but quickly faltered and grasped onto the end of the keyboard for support. I shrugged uncertainly before shaking my head, thinking of about 20 different situations Dan could have gotten himself into whilst walking around the venue. 

Eventually the song finished and Dan waved his arm to try and get everyone to quieten down. "Okay so... I may have just impaled my foot on a broken glass," Everyone started to laugh and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at his clumsiness "Oh, oh yeah there it is. I'm just gonna have to take a minute to get that sorted. I'll be right back." The audience clapped and cheered again while Dan hobbled across the stage with Dan, Woody and Will behind. 
"Don't you dare laugh" He warned me as he got closer and took my supportive arm. 

"I'm not" I assured despite the cheeky smirk that was tugging at the corners of my mouth. Behind us, we heard Sam and the rest of the band laughing hysterically and against all my best efforts, I couldn't hold in my giggles. "Come on you idiot, sit here" I sat Dan down in the makeshift first-aid corner that was made up of a sofa and a high-stool to elevate his leg. 

"How bad is it?" Dan asked light-heartedly as Dick carefully pulled off his converse and began cutting his sock away from his foot. 

"Well that's what your shoe looks like" Dick showed us the inside of his trainer which was more red that it was white. "I guess you could say there's a hole in your sole" Everyone fell silent for a moment, some of us sighed and shook our head whilst some of us just chuckled. 

"There's some pretty bad blood there too" Kyle chipped in. 

"I bet you're not too overjoyed about this are you?" Added Will. 

"Now's not the time for puns. Just get the fucking glass out of my foot." 

The next ten minutes were spent tending to Dans injury who, despite wincing every so often and despite his face turning a drained white, kept a brave face and was eager to get back on stage and perform the last two songs on the set, against everyone's warning. 

"Looks like your present to Dan will come in more handy than you planned" Sam joked, nudging my side. I scoffed and nodded, thinking of the new pair of burgundy converse that I had bought for Dan not even a week ago.