Work Text:
It was late enough at night to be considered early morning when Dan heard the first timid knock on his bedroom door. Dan had been startled awake a few minutes ago from some rattling in the kitchen, and he was debating on whether to risk his life and go and investigate when he heard a quiet knock on his door.
Cautiously, Dan stood up and shuffled over to the door, half asleep but still suspicious about why on Earth somebody was knocking on his door at way-too-early-o’clock in the morning. Dan only lived with his flatmate, Phil, but he knew that the older man wouldn’t have any reason to knock on his door.
Right?
Dan was wrong. When the brown-haired man opened his bedroom door just the tiniest bit - not wanting to be murdered before seeing the criminal’s face - he saw the blue eyes of Phil staring at him tiredly.
“What the hell are you doing?” Dan’s words came out much harsher than intended and he saw Phil flinch before quietly speaking, refusing to make eye contact with the younger man.
“I shouldn’t have bothered you, I’m sorry. I’ll just go back to my own room now where I belong because, you know, I pay for it and everything and it’d be a shame to waste it. You pay for it too, that’s not what I mean, I just meant -” Phil’s rambling was interrupted by Dan’s tired voice, gentler this time.
“What’s wrong, Phil?” The two men made eye contact and blue and brown clashed together, chocolate being swept away by a raging river.
“I had a nightmare.” Phil’s voice was quiet and he thanked whatever supreme being that there was that the hallway was dark enough to hide his blush. He was almost thirty years old and here he was, standing at his flatmate’s door in the middle of the night because he couldn’t handle a silly nightmare.
Dan sighed but opened the door wider, inviting Phil to enter his room. The black-haired man greedily took the invitation and stepped inside Dan’s bedroom, grateful to be out of the cold hallway.
Dan stumbled across the room and laid down in his bed with his back towards the door, leaving enough room for Phil to join him and lay down. When Dan felt no extra weight on the bed, he turned around to look at Phil, who was shifting on his feet, hesitating.
“You can’t sleep standing up, Phil. You’re not a horse, unfortunately.” Dan chuckled slightly, patting the space next to him, inviting the other man to lay down next to him.
Phil took the invitation hesitantly, making sure that there was plenty of room between the two men when he laid down.
Dan rolled his eyes and pulled Phil closer, earning an indignant squawk out of the older man but
He pulled the duvet up to his chin and sighed happily, his body already relaxing and the nightmare fading from his mind. Sleepily, Phil turned to Dan, their noses almost brushing.
“Would you prefer me as a horse?” Phil asked, mumbling against his friend’s chest. “Horses don’t like cereal so you wouldn’t have to deal with that anymore.”
Dan chuckled and Phil felt the vibrations against his cheek. “Hmm. Although that’s a valid point, I’m gonna have to say no. Horses also can’t play video games or make YouTube videos with me.” Dan replied fondly, resting his chin on Phil’s head.
“You’ve gotta point there, Danny.” Phil was drifting in and out of slumber, the words coming out of his mouth being his unfiltered sleepy thoughts. Phil knew that he should probably stop speaking now in fear of saying something, but his body was so relaxed and Dan’s bed was so warm that he just couldn’t resist it.
“Mm, g’night Dan. Love you.” Phil felt Dan stiffen at his whispered words but, after a moment, the younger man relaxed, smiling softly.
“I love you too, Phil.”