STRAWBERRIES & CIGARETTES | PHAN

nine

he was waiting behind the gate, his fingers pushed through the metal diamonds. it seemed ridiculously metaphoric to see him standing there but dan tried not to think very hard about it.

he was grinning. phil had this grin that made you wanna slap him and lasso a star for him at the same time, it threw you into endless space without a helmet. dan smiled timidly at him, throwing his bag down on the grass.

"how'd it go?" phil asked, his forehead hitting the chainlink fence. dan shrugged, putting his hands up and slotting them through it near where phil's were. phil moved them down so his fingers were on top of dan's.

"fine. my dad dropped me off... the other kids looked at me weird but what else is new."

phil smiled a bit, letting out this stupid breathy laugh.

"you are weird."

dan frowned at him, pulling his fingers out from under phil's defensively. "i am not."

"you are." he was staring at him. "that isn't a bad thing."

dan shrugged, avoiding his eyes. he could feel his skin burning up from underneath. "look, phil, i don't know who you think i am but i c-can't throw myself into some big forbidden romance right now, i can barely take care of myself, let alone someone else..."

phil was still looking at him in a way that made dan feel like he had been born for him. he pressed his face against the chainlink, his hands flush against it above his head.

"i didn't ask you to."

dan sighed, and rested his forehead against phil's; well, kind of against phil's, other than the fence between them. he knew what he wanted and he leaned in, kissing him gently and very fleetingly in the empty space between two metal bars.

"see," phil muttered. "weird. now come over here, i don't plan on spending my hour kissing you through a fence."