Happy birthday Danny!
This story is heavily inspired by Photographs by Ed Sheeran
"We keep this love in a photograph, We made these memories for ourselves."
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You had always joined your boyfriend, Danny, on tour. Over the years of touring with him, you had always loved taking behind-the-scenes photographs to look back on. Photography had always been your passion, but being able to photograph Danny made you pursue it even more.
However recently, you weren't able to join him on the recent shows. The photographs you had taken were magical keepsakes, you had always kept one in a locket that you wore proudly around your neck. He always sacredly kept one of you in his wallet, showing it off to everyone he met. He always pulled out the wrinkled and well-loved photograph when he was missing you extra, holding it close to his chest and wishing for the next time he would see you to get here as fast as it could.
You lie in bed one night, feeling lost without him. It had been at least 2 full months without picking up your camera, let alone seeing him at all.
You flipped through a hefty photo book you had been placed underneath your bed for safe keeping. Flipping through the pages, you land on a series of photos of your longtime boyfriend, one of him drumming on a sink in the restroom backstage, one of him sitting down and having his rhinestones being applied, another one in which you made him pose for you shortly after the rhinestones were applied. And the last one on the page was one in where he looks like he's reaching out to take the camera from you. You still remember each and every moment that led up to these moments being forever frozen in time.
...
"Look, Y/N!" Danny dragged you into the bathroom.
"It's a private drum solo, just for you." He pulled you in for a smiling kiss.
"Danny!" You swatted at his shoulder playfully. "You know I've always wanted you to serenade me!"
"My girl always gets what she wants." He blushed and then begins to drum a simple rhythm onto the countertop.
"Wait! I need to capture this!" You say, grabbing your camera from the counter and snapping a quick picture. After he's done, you place the camera back in its position and return to his side.
"You blow me away every time. Whether it's an actual drum set or a sink countertop." A smile creeps upon your lips and slither your arm around his muscular bicep.
"Whenever I'm playing drums, just know I'm doing it for you." He wraps his strong arms around you and pulls you in for a kiss before having to leave for the stage.
...
"Danny, you look like a pretty princess!" You turn the corner, your camera in hand.
"Wait! I'm not done yet, hun." He grins, blushing. He's all giddy and nervous. "Look away, I don't want to spoil it before it's ready!"He giggles.
"Okay then, guess I'll just have to wait. But promise me you'll pose for me when it's done. I want to see the finished product."
"I promise. Now, shoo!" He begins to raise his finger to shoo you away.
You snap a quick picture before he could say anything else. You run away quickly, laughter escaping your lips.
...
Danny chases you down the hall once he's done with his rhinestone application.
"Y/N!" He calls out, not even attempting to hide his laughter. He pretends to be angry, but is oh so bad at it.
"Boo!" You pop out from around the corner, a quick 'agh!' Escaping his lips.
"You scared me." He pants.
"I know." You take hold of his hand and use your other to hold the camera to his face. "About that promise-"
"Let's see, with that stunt you pulled back there-" he broke out into more laughter. "Eh, who am I kidding? Let's take some pictures!"
"Yay!" You plant a quick but loving kiss to his lips. "Let's see..."
You instruct him where to sit, but surprisingly he needs no instructions on how to pose. He's a natural. You snap a few experimental shots before landing on the best one.
...
After a long show, all the boys rushed back into the green room. Josh running to the restroom and Jake plopping himself down on the couch. Danny takes a hold of his phone and turns on the song "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners. Him and Sam are beginning to run around the room, bouncing and spinning around to the beat. You stay sat in a velvet chair in the corner, much to Danny's disappointment when you don't stand up to join them. It's all in good fun though as the song picks up, the two best friends continue to dance even more lively and energetic around the small room. He's banging his drum sticks against every appliance and table top in sight.
"Come on Y/N!" Danny encourages.
"I don't dance." You laugh in response.
"Don't be a party pooper! Join us!" Sam joins in.
"Hm.." you hum, picking up your camera as the last chorus begins to play. You snap a few shots of your boyfriend and his best friend having the time of their lives together, knowing they will both be grateful for that moment to be eternally captured. Neither of them even notice you there with the camera, but that's definitely for the better. The photos will turn out better that way anyway.
Right after the song comes to an end, Danny looks your way. You still have the camera raised, snapping some final shots.
"You didn't capture any of that...did you?"
"You bet I did." You nod as he steps closer.
"No!" He jokes, trying to take the camera from your hands. "Oh god, I probably look like a doofus in those!"
"You both do!" You smile and snap another photo while his hand is still reaching out for your camera. "That's okay though, you're having fun. Besides, they're for us only."
He approves, his cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink. "For us only." He smiles and pulls you in for a kiss.
...
You close the photo book with an exhale. You missed him so much, and you knew you were missing him too. His birthday was coming up soon too, and all you wanted was to be with him on his birthday. His most important day.
Almost as if it were on queue, your phone rang. It was Danny.
"My love?"
"Danny!" Hearing his voice alone felt like a warm embrace. You tried to call each other every night, which you were successful most nights. However, with the time difference and Wi-Fi not being available at all times, those plans did happen to fall through at times.
"Oh Danny boy. I miss you so much." You are almost brought to tears at the sound of his voice, but you were able to blink them back.
"I miss you too, sweetheart." He tells you sincerely. "I'm having fun here, but I know I would be having even more fun with you by my side. You make everything better."
You sigh. "I could say the same thing."
"Listen, I'll be home soon enough."
"Danny- tour isn't over for another month-" you begin to speak but not before being cut off by him.
"I'll be there." He has a tone of surprise in his voice, like he's hiding something. And it's something big. Something good. "I have my ways."
"Baby-" You sit yourself down on your old worn out couch, your free hand resting between your thighs. You take in a deep breath. "You know how much I want to be with you on your birthday."
"I know. I know. Don't worry about it." Although you can't see him, you can practically hear how wide his smile is on the other line.
You go silent for a moment, your mind racing around thinking of what he could possibly be planning. "I could..I could book a flight to be with you. What city will you be in?"
"There will be no need for that." He giggles suspiciously.
You go silent once again. He's sure that he's making you worry, and that's the last thing he wants. The silence is loud enough as he takes a deep breath before starting up again.
"Wait for me to come home."
...
Daniel's birthday was tomorrow and you were beginning to lose all hope of seeing him on his most special day. You had a suspicion that he would surprise you for his birthday, however you had a sinking feeling he wasn't, not wanting to get your hopes up for nothing. Turns out that feeling was right after all.
Night time crept over you before you could even realize it. The streetlights were on and if he hadn't come home yet, he wasn't coming home at all. You sat at the kitchen table, mindlessly scrolling on your phone. You would do anything to distract you from how badly you missed your love.
You were in a deep rabbit hole on TikTok when you had received a notification.
Danny: Come outside.
You: what?
You read his text over and over a few times before hearing a car pull into your driveway.
You slipped on your nearest pair of slippers and ran out the door. You hadn't showered in a few days or even changed your clothes for that matter, but you didn't care. All you cared about was Danny.
"Daniel?" You peered your head out onto the driveway as you noticed a figure begin to step out of a vehicle.
Danny.
"Oh my god! It's you! It's really you!" You exclaimed, running over to greet him.
"In the flesh, baby." He holds hims arms out, ready to envelop you in them for the first time in months.
His face was perfectly illuminated by the lamppost above you, which was the only source of light in sight.
You jump into his arms, not wasting another second to interlock your lips with his. The kiss was perfect. Even though you had shared many kisses with him before, this one felt so brand new.
"I love you so much. You think I wouldn't want to spend my birthday with you?!" He pulled out of the kiss with a beaming smile. "You have no idea how hard keeping this surprise from you was."
"I love you too." You run a hand through his hair and he does the same, not even caring that your hair is unwashed and a bit tangled. "Happy birthday, baby."
"Hey, you don't have to tell me that until tomorrow. I'll still be here then." He wraps his arms around you and leads you inside.
...
The next day was his birthday dinner. You had surprised him with dinner reservations at his favorite restaurant. You had managed to get them extremely last minute. It was only the two of you, it was very intimate. You would have the rest of the band and Danny's family over for cake later tonight. The glow of the sunset beamed against his face in the most flawless way. He took a sip of his drink, before staring at you. His head rested in his hand as he set his glass back down. He examined your every detail of your beauty. No words were spoken, none needed to be.
You sat there for a few more moments before a light bulb went off in your head. You forgot you had brought your camera. You gasped and pulled the prized possession out of your purse. You lifted it to frame his face perfectly.
This was your and Danny's thing, taking pictures. He knew what you were doing, so no words continued to be spoken as you snapped a picture of him, just sitting there, admiring you. He didn't even need to adjust his position, he was already super photogenic and posed in the best way for you. It was so natural.
"Happy birthday, my love."