smut warning go wild kids
It was probably safe to say that Dan was panicking. He could feel his entire body shaking as he laid there with his eyes clenched shut, trying to continue to clutch his last dregs of sleep. Because being awake meant acknowledging everything that had happened in the past hours, and Dan felt a larger affinity with say, throwing up, rather than doing that.
"Dan?" Phil's voice whispered, and his hand came up and settled on Dan's shoulder. Dan said nothing, his body curled into a tight ball. "Oh, Dan." Phil was quick to scoot closer to him, to wrap his body around his and just comfort him through the contact of warm skin.
They were both naked, but Dan—for once—didn't feel at all out of place or embarrassed about it. "It'll be okay," Phil said softly. His thumb had taken to slowly stroking Dan's hip where it rested beneath the blankets. Dan still didn't respond. His stomach felt tight and uncomfortable with nerves, and there was this wretched crawling sensation all along his spine. He wasn't cut out to be king!
As if matters weren't bad enough, Cecily suddenly arrived in the doorway and her eyes widened to the size of their royal dinner plates as she took in the sight of them naked in bed together. Dan was grateful, at least, that the blankets were covering his waist.
Distantly, he felt kind of indignant that Cecily had barged in, and he figured that he should probably be feeling horrified and embarrassed at the fact that she was seeing this. Under normal circumstances, he'd likely be half way to firing her—or having her hanged.
Instead, he found that he could hardly drudge up any emotion at all, his entire being just overwhelmed with dread and fear. There was simply no room for embarrassment.
Dan turned over in Phil's arms and pressed his face into his chest, set on ignoring the maidservant.
"Er—is he okay?" Cecily asked tentatively. Dan felt like he should be bristling with anger—don't talk about me as if I'm not here!—but he wasn't. He just clung to Phil even tighter, his fingers digging into Phil's warm, bare skin.
"He's a little shaken," Phil answered honestly. Hearing this, Dan understood that it was quite true. He realized then that his cheeks were wet with silent tears, though he had no clue when they'd first appeared.
"Prin—Your Highness," Cecily said. "You should get up. There are advisers here to speak with you, and there's some paperwork as well..."
Dan let out a sob into Phil's chest, who wrapped his arms around Dan more firmly and drew him closer. Dan was vaguely aware of a kiss being pressed against his forehead.
He didn't even notice that Cecily had left the room, not until she came back, more voices following behind her.
"Is the prince okay?" Bentley was saying.
"King," Alfonzo corrected, and Dan flinched in Phil's arms. Oh God, the king. He couldn't be the king! He hardly knew anything about being king!
"Out of my way," a familiar, stern voice butt in. "The king needs a nutritional breakfast!" Dan then found himself with a room full of guards, a maidservant, and a cook—all of whom he'd never wanted to see him naked in bed.
"I brought eggs," Charlotte informed, stepping closer to the bed. Dan closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of Phil. At least that, in the midst of everything that had changed, had stayed the same.
"I don't think we've ever seen the king naked before," Bentley said cheerfully, and Dan felt his entire body go red.
"Get out of my room!" he croaked, pressing his face more firmly into Phil's chest in an attempt to not have to look at anyone else.
"No can do, Your Highness," Alfonzo said solemnly. "You're in desperate need of moral support."
"I have moral support," Dan answered, squeezing said moral support tighter as he did.
"Yeah, by the balls from the look of it," Bentley muttered.
"Get out!" Dan cried in outrage. "I'm the prince!"
"King," Alfonzo correct.
"There's the prince we know and love," Cecily sighed.
"King," Alfonzo corrected. Dan groaned loudly.
Finally, Dan sat up, the covers still thankfully hiding his modesty, and he glared at the gathered crowd. He could tell that his hair was a mess atop his head, and he could feel the heat climbing up his chest and neck, surely turning red. This was no way for his people to see the king. Phil's hand was resting on his back, which while though comforting, was also a glaring remind that Dan was naked.
"You have to stop calling me that," Dan said finally, shooting a look at Alfonzo. "I—I'm not cut out to be the king. I can't..."
"Bullshit, Your Highness," Bentley interrupted. Dan stared at him in astonishment. You couldn't say bullshit to the king! "You are cut out for this. And it's not like you're alone—we'll all be here to help you." He gestured at everyone gathered.
"I—okay," Dan said, staring wide-eyed at everyone. He'd agreed more out of astonishment than anything else. "Okay."
"Alright!" Charlotte said, clapping her hands together and drawing everyone's attention. "Now that that's all settled, I suggest you go and get dressed, Your Highness. I've seen enough naked seventeen-year-old for today."
Dan blushed spectacularly, and he drew the comforters more tightly over himself. "I didn't ask for you all to come barging in here!" he cried. "I—this is my private room! I can do whatever I want in here!"
"Whoever he wants..." Bentley muttered, and Dan picked up a pillow and chucked it at the guard's head. It hit him straight in the face and sent him stumbling backwards, Alfonzo laughing heartily all the while.
"Get out!" Dan shouted, and thankfully, finally, everyone filed out, though Charlotte placed his breakfast tray on a table first, and waved cheekily as she left.
Flustered, red-faced, and finally alone, Dan threw himself backwards with a long, drawn-out groan. Phil laughed and rolled on top of him, placing kisses all over Dan's face.
"I promise you'll be a great king, Dan," Phil assured. One of his hands had found its way into his hair and was playing with the curly strands, which felt so good Dan closed his eyes and hummed.
"Or I'll ruin my entire kingdom."
"You're ridiculous," Phil laughed, and Dan couldn't help smiling in response.
A moment passed, and then: "I can't believe they all saw us naked in bed together," Dan huffed. Phil didn't seem too bothered.
"They already knew we were doing it anyway."
Dan spluttered something in response, and Phil laughed loudly before kissing him again.
"I'll never be able to look them in the face again," Dan despaired. "Bentley said 'bullshit' to me!"
All these things Dan saw as problems Phil seemed to think was funny, and soon enough he was dragging Dan out of bed and leading him towards his closet to get dressed, where some of Phil's clothes had started appearing as well, for some reason. Phil hugged him from behind as they stood in the doorway to his closet, examining the options before them.
"First day as king," Phil said suddenly. "You gonna wear a poncy cape?" Dan elbowed him in the gut, not feeling guilty even when Phil let out a groan.
"Yep," Dan answered. "And so are you."
"No I'm not."
"Phil," Dan said dramatically, and he tilted his head back to meet Phil's gaze without having to turn around. "In the last twenty four hours I have been nearly murdered, found out that my father wanted to kill my boyfriend, and had my father sentenced to death. I am now king. You have to wear this cape if you wish to make me happy."
Ten minutes later, Phil was messing grumpily with the ties around his throat, glaring into the mirror. "You are the most pretentious, whiny, manipulative—"
"It's not polite to badmouth a king, dear," Dan said, appearing behind him in the mirror and raking his eyes over Phil's form. "Mmm. You look good in my clothes."
Phil, vengefully, said, "And you look good naked." Dan cursed himself as he—predictably—blushed violently. He pinched Phil's side in retaliation.
"I think you should come with me to all my meetings and things today," Dan suggested, trying to seem nonchalant. It wasn't like he was anxious about them, or anything. Not like he was feeling overwhelmed. He just, you know... wanted company. And wasn't feeling scared. At all.
"Really?" Phil questioned, eyebrows raised. "Isn't there going to be like—secret king stuff in those meetings? You're really going to let me hear a bunch of Hirona's secrets?"
"Sure, why not?" Dan shrugged. "Our kingdoms are allied, anyway. Plus, you know, maybe one day..."
"Maybe one day what?"
"I just—maybe..."
"What?"
"Um." Dan glanced at the clock. "We're going to be late!" he realized. It was Phil's fault, of course, for refusing to get dressed for so long. They both rushed towards the door, shoving bits of toast into their mouths as they did, surprising Alfonzo and Bentley as they hurtled past them.
"Woah!" Alfonzo said, jumping backwards. "That seems more like the Dan we know."
"Good luck today, Your Highness!" Bentley called, before Dan could demand, outraged, since when Alfonzo had been calling him Dan.
"'Fanks!" Dan yelled around a mouthful of toast.
They sprinted down the corridor, their capes fluttering behind them as they did. Phil couldn't pretend not to like that, Dan was sure. It just looked so cool.
As they ran past the kitchens, they spotted the three kids sitting in the large window-alcove, all eating breakfast.
"Good morning, King Daniel!" Cody shouted, waving a hand frantically as they passed. Dan waved in return, and he and Phil continued on their way.
They finally skidded to a stop in front of a pair of large, double doors—one of the many rooms designed for meetings. Resigning himself to a new life full of dull conversations in these rooms, Dan pushed open the door, Phil right behind him.
—
"Are you sure you'd like to conduct this meeting... with company, Your Highness?" an old, severely balding man with a thick mustache questioned. Dan recognized him as one of his father's previous advisers, possibly named Henry.
"Of course," Dan said. Entering the room with Phil at his heels had been the cause of several surprised looks, but Dan wasn't bothered. He knew he could trust Phil, and having him at his side reduced his nerves by tenfold.
"It's only, some of this information is rather delicate."
"I'm sure, Henry."
"Harold," Henry corrected.
"Yes, that," Dan waved his hand at him. "Phil stays."
With that, the meeting proceeded. It was exceedingly dull, and Dan dreaded all the seemingly useless tasks he was suddenly acquiring. It looked as though Cecily would be waking him up in the mornings much more often, which definitely wouldn't be earning her his favor.
"And on the topic of a wife?" one of the other men surrounding the table chimed in. His nose was huge and looked as if it were about to fall off his face.
"Er—"
"We can continue to arrange for you to meet the finest young ladies, of course."
"No thanks," Dan said quickly.
"But Your Highness," the big-nosed man interjected. "Having a wife is a matter of utmost importance! And an heir—"
"No thanks," Dan repeated. "I'm gay."
"Even so," the man pressed on. "You must—"
"There isn't anything I must do," Dan interrupted. "I'm the king. I plan to marry a man." His advisor looked troubled at this announcement, and seemed to have half a mind to speak, but Henry (or was it Harley?) elbowed him in the side.
"Is that all?" Dan finally asked.
"It is for now, Your Highness," Henry responded, and Dan nodded gratefully. He and Phil left rapidly after that, both relieved to be free from the responsibility of boring meetings.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Phil said sometime later as they walked through the castle. They were meandering in the direction of Dan's rooms, though neither of them had said anything to suggest doing so.
"But imagine what that'll be like when it's the hundredth one I've done," Dan huffed.
"You're the king," Phil pointed out. "I'm sure you could reduce the number of your own meetings."
Dan perked up considerably. "You're right—I can do anything I want!"
"Well, not anything..."
"I could take over Leona!"
Phil smacked him. "You can't smack a king," Dan informed him.
"But I can smack my boyfriend," he pointed out. Dan, despite the fact that Phil was talking about smacking him, felt his cheeks bunch up as his lips pulled into an undeniable grin. He just liked hearing Phil call him his boyfriend.
Arriving at his room, they found Alfonzo leaning against the wall besides the door, quite alone.
"Alfonzo," Dan greeted. "Where's Bentley?"
"He's helping to set up your new quarters. Most of your stuff has already been moved, they're just arranging it all for you."
Dan had completely forgotten that he'd be moving rooms now. The king's quarters were in the strategically safest spot in the entire castle, and they were much bigger as well. Technically, they were designed for two people to share, though Dan hadn't had a problem with sharing his own rooms with Phil recently.
"Okay," Dan finally answered, nodding slowly. "But, um... can we still go in here?"
Alfonzo glanced behind himself at the door, surprised, before he shrugged. "I mean, I don't see why not." And so Dan stepped past him, Phil following quickly behind.
It was strange to see his room so barren—desks and tables and bookshelves missing. Upon walking into his bedroom, Dan realized that even his bed was gone.
"Was there not already a bed in the king's chambers?" Dan demanded incredulously, and Phil laughed.
"Maybe your bed was better."
With a huff, Dan threw himself onto the ground, stretching out over the plush carpet and sighing. "Still, they shouldn't have taken it," he insisted.
"I wonder why you're so obsessed with having a bed in here," Phil teased, before lying on the floor beside Dan. He was propped up on one elbow, looking down at Dan, who closed his eyes.
"Hmm, no reason. Maybe I just wanted to take a nap on it," he said innocently.
"That sounds completely believable," Phil said. Dan giggled before peeking up at Phil. "You know," Phil added suddenly, "this really is a nice carpet."
"So you've said," Dan responded.
"I'm just saying," Phil said nonchalantly.
"Subtle."
"Like you're ever subtle!" Phil cried, and Dan stretched out over the floor, pinning his hands against the ground above his head suggestively.
"Are you going to keep insinuating that you're going to fuck me on my carpet or actually do it?"
Phil, thankfully, took that for what it actually was (an invitation) and rolled on top of him, even reaching up to actually pin Dan's wrists to the floor. "Remember when I told you your carpet would be good for having sex on?"
"I only remember it, oh, every time I'm barefoot and can feel my carpet under my feet," Dan answered casually. It really had crossed his mind quite a few times, especially since they'd started dating.
"You got so red that night," Phil laughed, and Dan glared at him. "You're adorable when you're flustered."
"I'm going to pinch you."
"With your hands pinned up here?"
Dan tried to free them then, tugging at his wrists, but Phil kept them firmly trapped. Dan slumped. "Looks like pinching's out of the question," he said, resigned. "I guess you'll just have to fuck me then."
Phil laughed loudly, but he did grind down against him. Dan had been sporting the beginnings of a hard on since the very second sex had come up, which seemed to be happening a lot lately. He was entirely too receptive, though lately it'd been working in his favor.
Although grinding was nice, and Dan soon found himself red-faced and breathing shakily, it was undeniable that they were both wearing too many clothes. Dan was just about to relay this when Phil suddenly reached up and pinched his nipple, making him gasp.
"What're you—doing?" Dan panted, wriggling under Phil. It was harder to grind up against him, especially with most of Phil's weight on top of him, and Phil thankfully rewarded him by thrusting down against him again.
"Trying to make you moan," Phil answered shamelessly, and Dan spluttered something incomprehensible in response. "What? It's hot."
"I don't want to moan," Dan said, and he bit down on his lip as Phil's fingers started playing freely with his nipple, somehow still beyond sensitive.
"Why not?"
"It's embarrassing," Dan huffed, though he made a little sound like "ung" as Phil suddenly started kissing his neck, his tongue hot and wet against his throat.
"You're ridiculous," Phil said fondly, after procuring a hickey that was most definitely going to be noticeable. Dan would get revenge later—he was feeling a little too lightheaded to do so now. "And overdressed."
With that, Phil was shoving his shirt up his chest while Dan hastily untied his cape ("Not only are they ridiculous—they're time consuming," Phil growled), and struggled the rest of the way out of it, waiting impatiently for Phil to do the same with his own shirt. They both kicked off the rest of their clothes then, wanting to be completely naked against each other already.
"You should turn over," Phil suggested, and Dan raised an eyebrow at him.
"How come?"
"Best way to have carpet sex," Phil joked, but Dan could already feel his face going red at the thought of the position they would be in. That would leave him completely vulnerable to Phil's view, and he wouldn't be able to see Phil at all.
"Er—shouldn't we get the lube first?" Dan said, stalling, and Phil rolled his eyes.
"I'll get it," he offered before kissing Dan deeply (Dan started trying to grind against him again) and standing. Dan was left panting on the floor, naked and spread out, before Phil returned, tossing the container from hand to hand with his eyebrows raised. Dan decided that he liked watching Phil walk towards him when he was naked.
"So... turn around?" Dan asked tentatively, once Phil was kneeling on the carpet beside him again.
"Yeah, just like that," Phil whispered, his hands running soft and hot over Dan's body as he settled on his elbows and knees, feeling incredibly vulnerable. His face was flaming, he knew, but Phil just gently ran his hands over his back, and then over his arse. Dan clenched his eyes, thinking of how very visible an extremely private part of himself must be, before Phil's hands grabbed the globes of his arse and pushed them apart, his thumbs near to his entrance.
"Phil!" Dan squeaked, embarrassed, and jerked forward slightly. He did not want Phil examining him so closely... there.
"Hmm?"
"What're you doing?" Dan demanded, and instead of answering, Dan felt hot breath against him. "No," Dan moaned. Oh God, if Phil was about to do what Dan thought he was about to do... Dan would have to kill him. No man could put their mouth on his arsehole and live, Dan decided.
He jerked forward suddenly as something hot and wet ran over his entrance, leaving him tingling and shaking all over. Thinking of reprimanding Phil, of telling him to maybe not do that, he opened his mouth. "Phil," he moaned, and then Phil licked him again, and again.
Dan couldn't deny the fact that he was shaking, his entire body practically vibrating against the floor. Phil even sucked on him for God's sake, and Dan was letting out the most embarrassing noises known to man, all sorts or whimpers and squeaks and gasps and moans. And that was nothing compared to when Phil pressed his tongue inside him.
Dan became very aware of the fact that he was dying. No man could have their arse eaten out and live, he decided. Phil was sucking his very soul out of his body and Dan was doing nothing to stop him.
He shivered and clenched around Phil's tongue, which was soon accompanied by a finger, pressing into Dan as his tongue lathed him, making him hot and cold all over. Dan was clutching thick handfuls of the carpet as tightly as he could, and his toes were digging into it as well. Phil's finger pressed against his prostate then, as he sucked on the skin of Dan's entrance, and Dan cried out loudly.
All at once, Phil pulled away, and Dan was left cold and shivering and bare. "Ph-Phil?" he questioned, and then Phil's hands were on him again, running over his sides and over his arse, but not going inside him.
"Don't want you to come yet," he admitted, and then he was pressing a kiss against Dan's lower back. "Want us to come together."
Dan thought they were going to have sex like that, with his ass in the air and his face in the ground, but Phil surprised him again. After fingering him with lube, to make sure he was really ready, Phil pressed him to the ground, so that Dan's cock was trapped underneath him and his head was turned to the side in order to be able to breathe. His legs were spread out, and then Phil was laying down on top of him and easing slowly in, and Dan was moaning beneath him.
It felt absolutely incredible. There was something about having Phil's weight on him, holding him down, that was driving Dan crazy. He couldn't move at all, couldn't jerk against Phil or reach down to stroke his cock. His pleasure was left entirely up to Phil's ministrations, and he was moving slowly, oh so slowly.
"Phil," Dan whined, squirming beneath him. Phil bit the back of his neck, and Dan huffed, his breath sounding like a wheeze. His fingers were wound into the carpet and he couldn't help wondering if he was going to end up pulling chunks of it out.
"You feel good, Dan," Phil slurred into his neck. Dan reached up with one hand and shoved his fingers into Phil's hair before tugging on it, relishing in the gasp it caused Phil to make. He jerked forward inside Dan then, and they both groaned low in their throats.
"Fuck," Dan choked, and he squeezed around Phil for good measure. "You're—fuck."
Phil started moving faster, then, thrusting into him harder and kissing Dan's neck distractedly. Dan closed his eyes and let himself be absorbed in the pleasure, his body bouncing against the soft carpet, Phil's hands fluttering around fervently, gripping his shoulder one second, his hair the next.
Dan was making the most ridiculous noises, but by this point he no longer cared, could barely even register himself making them. He could feel himself getting close and wondered if he would come untouched, Phil's body pressing him heavily against the carpet.
"Close," Dan whined, and Phil hummed in answer, nipping Dan's ear. He moved even faster then, and Dan heaved underneath him, shaking all over, his skin hot. His cock was rubbing against the carpet, soft and smooth against his sensitive skin. He came with Phil's name on his lips, pleasure shooting throughout his body, making his fingers dig so harshly into the carpet that they hurt and making him jerk underneath Phil desperately.
Phil wasn't done yet, and he kept going, kept thrusting into Dan, now sensitive from his orgasm. He was whimpering underneath Phil when he finally came, moaning low in his throat, his face pressed into Dan's neck, and finally stopped and collapsed on top of Dan, still inside him.
They laid like that for a moment, hot and sweaty and panting, before Phil started pressing kisses to his shoulders and slowly pulled out. Together they rolled over, away from the spot now ruined by Dan's release.
Dan flopped onto of Phil, throwing his leg over his waist and pulling him close, using his chest as a pillow.
"That was good," Phil said, moments later, and his fingers started playing with Dan's hair, twisted the strands and scratching softly against his scalp. It felt wonderful.
"Mmm," Dan readily agreed. "Think you're a sex god," he slurred. Phil laughed, and it made Dan's whole body shake, thrown over Phil's as it was.
"I love you," Phil laughed, his hands gentle as they ran over Dan's body. Dan kissed his chest.
"Love you too."
—
Over the next few days, Dan realized that being king really wasn't so bad. He had more freedom than ever before—it was astonishing to him that he could create his own schedule. Cecily had to keep leaning over his shoulder, asking him to please, please not schedule a meeting for nine o'clock at night what in the world was he thinking? But Dan liked the sound of not having to wake up any time early in the mornings.
He discovered the liberties of actually getting to fire people—and the even more satisfying feeling of hiring someone. For example, he got rid of half his advisers, all practically ancient and definitely outdated. Plus, they hadn't done a very good job of advising his father to not kill his own son, so Dan wasn't so sure he could trust them completely. He then hired Alfonzo and Bentley onto his board of advisors, which he definitely hadn't seen the drawbacks of before doing so.
They had somewhat of an inflated ego nowadays, and annoyingly insisted on calling him Dan. He'd tried to demand, on multiple occasions, that they at least call him King Dan, but they didn't even pretend to humor him. They acted as if they were friends, which they most certainly were not!
Not to mention the fact that now, after hiring them as his advisors, they could no longer be his guards. They still lived in the castle and were technically always on call for if Dan needed advice of any sort, and so they couldn't be occupied with standing in front of his rooms all day.
"Wait," Dan had said, realizing with sudden clarity what exactly this meant. "I need to hire new guards?"
This proved to be a terrifying and anxiety-ridden task, because Dan didn't want new people. He already had an abundance of people, most of whom he'd only just begun to tolerate! The thought of having new people, constantly standing outside his room and greeting him every time he walked past them... Dan shivered in disgust.
Alfonzo and Bentley, however, advised him to allow the city's people to apply, and that those who were actually capable could take some time to be trained up first. Taking this advice to heart, Dan did the same with many different positions around the castle, laying off people who didn't seem to like the fact that he was now king. Anyone he... overheard—by coincidence—talking about how he shouldn't be ruling so young, or about how he was gay, or about how any heir he might have wouldn't really be his, was sacked. And they were replaced with young, eager citizens of Hirona, all excited and willing to be working and living in his castle.
In the end, Dan's new guards ended up being a short girl with a disproportionate amount of strength and a buzzcut—Dan had already forgotten her name twice, but with a reminder from Phil, he knew that it was Maya—and a vaguely familiar boy. After meeting him for the second time—the first being the initial interview, and the second being a meeting in which to inform the boy he was hired—he remembered. The boy had been at Phil's trial, and he'd asked Dan if he would be courting men now that he'd come out. His name was Charles and he had a polite smile. Neither he nor Maya looked like the type to be guards, but Dan knew that the second someone tried to attack them they'd be missing limbs, so he didn't mind.
"So you mainly just stand here and make sure I don't get murdered," Dan explained, gesturing to the stretch of wall on either side of his door. Just then, Phil poked his head out of Dan's room, his hair wet from a recent bath.
"I'm in desperate need of cookies," he informed. Charles was gaping at him.
"Are—are other people just allowed in your rooms?" he questioned. "When did he get in there?"
"Phil's always in my rooms," Dan said flippantly, and Maya immediately nodded, a knowing look in her eyes. Dammit! Dan didn't know why, but the thought of people thinking of him and being with another person in the same sentence made him flustered. Granted, it didn't take very long for most people in the castle to catch up on the nature of his and Phil's relationship, but he was still finding it hard to get used to two sets of laundered clothes being delivered to his rooms or the cooks asking "and for the prince?" after he'd finished relaying what he wanted for dinner, without even being able to mention Phil.
"Do you think they're dating?" Dan asked moments later, once he and Phil were back inside his room and Maya and Charles were starting their first day of guard duty. Before Phil even had a chance to respond, Dan put his finger over his lips and pressed his ear against the door. "They're not saying anything!" he relayed furiously.
"They're probably nervous," Phil said easily. "They'll loosen up. Also you have the worst gaydar."
"Gay-what?" Dan said, offended.
"You think they're dating?" Phil demanded. "Them? And not Alfonzo and Bentley?"
"What about Alfonzo and Bentley?"
"They were obviously dating!" Phil insisted, and Dan gaped at him.
"Our Alfonzo and Bentley? Since when?"
Phil was looking at him as if he didn't have a head. "I don't know, since always?"
Dan felt like his world was being flipped over. How had Phil realized this and he hadn't? Bewildered and insanely curious, Dan had half a mind to go and find his no-longer-guards and have them advise him on the nature of their relationship. Instead, he raised his eyebrows at Phil.
"You know," he said, "Charles asked me if I was going to be courting boys after your trial."
Phil gave him an amused look. "Are you trying to make me jealous?"
Dan spluttered indignantly, before saying, "No!" rather loudly and informing Phil that he would have to be the one to get his own cookies as he was off to take a bath. He should've realized that Phil would insist on joining him despite having just gotten out of his own bath, being the bath-hog that he was.
—
Dan should've known that like all good things in life, it couldn't last. He'd been a fool for thinking it might, and when it finally did end, he was left shell-shocked and angry and upset.
"I have to go back to Leona," Phil informed him, and Dan's immediate reaction was to step backwards. He wanted to step closer, to tug Phil into him and squeeze him close, to ask why and for how long and can't you stay? But he didn't do that, he stumbled backwards and stared at Phil with wide eyes instead.
"It won't be forever," Phil promised. "I'll be back. I love you."
Dan nodded and said something similar in return, but really he could already feeling his insides crumbling apart. He could feel himself closing off, drawing inward, and when Phil finally left, after a night of passionate sex and equally passionate (and emotional) cuddling, the entire castle seemed to reflect Dan's mood.
After watching Phil's carriage disappear into the distance he did what Charlotte might've called sulking, stalking around the castle and sitting in forgotten corners to be angry and sad by himself. He found himself yelling at and insulting just about anyone who crossed his path, even days after Phil had gone. Phil had promised to write, but that wasn't nearly enough to compensate for his actual presence, though Dan wrote anyway, having nothing better to do. Dan had already sent four different letters after just a week of Phil's absence.
Dan could feel the castle's staff coming to resent him again. They avoided him and he avoided them, instead holing himself in his quarters and pouring through books in what felt like an unhealthy amount. Charlotte was back to having to remind him to eat, and Cecily was waking him up on mornings when he didn't even have anything planned, which angered him to no end, though she insisted it was important he didn't allow himself to sleep the day away.
Alfonzo and Bentley, as his advisers, advised him to go ride Alamo, which was actually a great idea. For almost an entire hour he felt much better, his problems and worries seeming to have evaporated from his mind. They came back soon enough, but for the time being it was pleasant.
Still, Dan wasn't finding it very easy to get over the loss of Phil returning to Leona, which he wasn't going to admit to anybody for a second, thank you very much. Everyone was walking on eggshells around him, however, when they bothered to walk near them at all. The fact that they were acting so carefully to keep him calm made him angry—which was pretty contradictory on their part.
Angry and sad, Dan decided to simply wait for Phil's next letter before taking on his kingly duties. He couldn't do them when he was sad, anyway, and a letter from Phil would surely do the trick to cheer him up (at least partially). Until then, he resigned to do his best to not have to talk to absolutely anyone, even going so far as to duck into hidden doorways and alcoves to avoid servants who'd been sent to look for their absent king. And anyone who did find him found themselves threatened of being hanged, though Alfonzo and Bentley always advised him to reconsider.
Life just wasn't the same without Phil around, and Dan wondered how he'd ever gotten by without him before.