❤️FROM
https://archiveofourown.org/works/10729314/chapters/23777112
NASA au
scientist!phil engineer!dan
(not smutty, just normal gay sex
but the storyline is 👌👌👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️)
words:11420
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Phil's mom always called him a night owl. He loved to stay up at night, looking at the stars and wondering how they got there, he liked to imagine that they were all suns for their own little bunch of plants. That every star had a story and sometimes he tried to create them himself.
He'd sit with his mom on nights she couldn't get him to go to bed and explain it all. "See that one mom?" he'd point out the window and she'd nod. "That one is called Sterek and he looks after the other 4 stars there, he's their cool big brother like Martyn is to me." She was amazed by his little 8 year old brain.
With his idea of every star being a sun surrounded by planets he imagined all the possibilities of worlds like and unlike his own. He was 13 when he learned that the universe was endless, and there are most likely stars that go on past what he could see from his bedroom window.
His mom thought it was cute, she bought him books on stars and the sky and she provided him with National Geographic magazines dedicated to searching beyond his planet. She even bought him a telescope so that he could see everything in the night sky that he was so fascinated by. She was his biggest encouragement, but eventually he stopped telling other people the stories of the stars and wrote it down for only himself to remember.
Every night was the same thing, he'd stay up till the early hours of the morning, he mapped out the stars he could see, connected the constellations and pondered what they were like, what their planets could be like, and how the people that were most likely out there would be.
He memorised the Big Dipper, Orion, Cassiopeia and the different planets he could see. His favorite was Jupiter. She was beautiful, she had a green tint to her, she was bigger than the rest, and she was absolutely amazing. The coolest part about Jupiter was all the moons that surrounded her. Lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. And when he could see her at night, those were the best nights.
People thought he was crazy. "Little Philly from Rochester wants to be an astrophysicist and work for NASA, that boy has big dreams" they'd say, but little did they know that with a dream and determination little Philly could one day reach the stars like he always wanted.
Becoming an astrophysicist included a lot of hard work. Phil had to have high grades in math and sciences, which meant countless nights studying and learning and discussing things with his teachers, but he was an amazing student. He joined the mathletes and could solve any problem in the blink of an eye.
His parents bought him a computer, which he spent most his time on learning about advanced physics, calculus and astronomy. All of which came in handy when he entered his AS classes. He ended up being top of his class and one of the most respected students. Not only was he smart, but Phil Lester was the kindest soul his school had ever been blessed with.
Phil's teachers reached out to the biggest universities in the world, telling them about how amazing their student was. Schools like MIT and Caltech were extremely interested in him. His average was a 4.26, and they imagined his SAT scores could be among the best they've ever seen, and sure enough they were.
Phil passed the SAT's with a 1592 and with the average for Caltech students being 1560, they were more than amazed. Phil was a genius and everyone wanted him.
University was some of the best years of Phil's life. He went to Caltech on a scholarship, did 4 years for his Bachelors in Astrophysics and then moved on to a 5 year doctorate course. In the summer months he did research papers, he studied the stars, he mapped them out, and he was even able to even have an internship at NASA to find some new ones.
He was respected by his peers and professors, some looked up to him as if he was the new Stephen Hawking, but he was nowhere near that. He prided himself on his knowledge and his ability to understand things, but his dream was to one day find new life, and he wouldn't be the genius everyone thought he was until he did.
When he was 27 he got a job at NASA. Nothing made him happier than the day he logged into his Facebook and changed his career from "Aspiring Astrophysicist" to "Astrophysicist at NASA" and seeing all the comments of people who once questioned his dream congratulating him.
When Phil had his interview they had already read all his papers, they had known him from his internships and he was basically a shoe in for the job. Because they knew all this already, they ended up asking him what he wanted to bring to NASA and how he could change history.
"I want to find life outside of earth. I know it's out there." Phil said.
"Yes, but how is the question?" The interviewer asked.
"Jupiter's second moon, Europa, is covered in a thick layer of ice. I would like to somehow get under the ice and see if there is water, and if there is water is it like ours? Could it sustain life and is there already life under the ice?" Phil said without skipping a beat. This thought had been on his mind for years.
"Well Dr. Lester, I think we have just the spot for you."
-
Getting the proposal for this mission would be the hardest part for Phil. He had been studying Europa since he was 13. He has been watching NASA conferences and reading journals and studies about it for years. He has a whole hard drive compiled with facts, information and photographs of the moon, he was well prepared. But he needed real proof that life is out there, not just childish ideas that he has had for 10 years.
The first thing he wanted to do was to access the footage from the satellite that was currently orbiting Jupiter because he wanted up to date photos of the surface. It was white and ice covered with a slightly blue tint to it which is what led Phil to believe it was filled with flowing water. On the surface of the moon it was covered in an intricate design of reddish-brown lines and patches of an unknown origin.
His proposal included that the lines could most likely be caused from erosion due to sodium chloride in the water that has made its way to the surface. To prove his theory he was granted access to a vacuum chamber, placed a large sphere of ice inside it, chilled the chamber to minus 270 degrees Fahrenheit, and blasted it with samples of sodium chloride electrons. The electrons left lines on the surface, and his next step would be to add radiation to the chamber to simulate years and years of space exposure.
His theory was correct. The sphere was now covered in reddish-brown lines, providing him with the high probability of salt water being under the moon's ice surface. He was ecstatic, salt water meant that there was a chance of life on the moon, and if there wasn't already life then life could most likely sustain living there.
The rest of his proposal consisted of how he was going to firstly get a robot there and secondly how the heck was a robot going to be able to get under the surface to obtain the samples needed to prove that life outside of earth was possible.
He was an astrophysicist. He knew how he would successfully get a rocket from Earth to space, and he knew how long it would take to get there, and how long it would take to get home. However, he didn't know how to design anything that would be able to do just that.
The first parts of his proposal had already cost NASA a great sum of money and almost 3 months' worth of Phil's time. Everything had worked out, he had a plan with scientific proof and NASA was beyond proud with the new knowledge Phil was bringing to them, surely they wouldn't mind if he asked to have help from a Computer Science Engineer.
60% of NASA's workers are engineers, giving one to Phil so he could poke their brain and get the answers he craved wouldn't be too much of a stretch.
With the permission from his supervisor Phil was allowed to interview a handful of computer engineers until he found one that was the best for the job. He needed someone who would be dedicated to helping him get to Europa, someone who was willing to spend late nights making plans and prints and tests, and someone who understood all the different components that would need to go into this robot.
His first candidate was called Frank Cellante. Frank was 36, a regular engineer, balding, and a father of 4. He was smart, he understood the type of robot that was needed but he was not willing to spend hours on end in the lab creating prototypes for Phil. He was crossed off the list.
Nevil Berne was a highly recommended Computer Engineer who went to Virginia Tech. He was newly 30, no family ties, was more than willing to spend time with Phil, flirted with him a little too much and was very skilled in creating a robot that could be useful on Europa. Phil was so close to accepting him before he said, "But I don't know why you want to go to Europa of all places? I mean, Jupiter is the least interesting planet in my opinion." It was an instant no from Phil.
And then there was Ted Feltner, another plain old engineer. He had no clue what Phil really wanted, he said he liked his sleep so he probably wouldn't be available between midnight and 10am, and wasn't interested in making multiple prototypes, he only wanted to make one and send it.
Phil was pissed. This mission was his baby, he had been craving to find life and explore the universe ever since he could ask what the stars were.
His last interviewee was with the only Computer Science Engineer who applied, which meant he had a better understanding of algorithms and design. Hopefully that also meant he was better at understanding how Phil wanted the robot to look, act and move and he hoped even more that he was able to get those things Phil wanted to work.
Dan Howell, age 23, no family, no relationship, liked to work late and was dedicated to his craft. Also British, also a genius. He looked like a good option.
Dan was the only one who actually read the beginning of the proposal. He understood what the planet looked and acted like and why Phil wanted to get to it. He understood that he would need to get below the ice but neither of them knew how deep the ice was, and he also knew that he needed to be able to obtain samples once they got to the water.
"So how do you think you could do it?" Phil asked, for the 4th time, only this time he was excited to hear the answer.
The man sat in his chair, one leg crossed over the other and a clipboard of ideas resting on them. He wore black jeans and a light blue button up, his hair was a lovely dark brown that matched his eyes. He looked really young.
"I have two ideas of how you can get under the ice surface. Either I can make a robot that can drill down, then it can just pull samples up through the hole." He suggests, looking down at his clipboard. "Or a harder option would be to make the robot be able to drill down and act as a submarine."
"Okay," Phil said. "How is that the harder option? To me it sounds like a good idea."
"The hard part about that would be gathering the samples and not wanting to get water in the crucial parts of the bot causing a malfunction and ruining it. I was thinking we could make the sample pod like the hatch on the ISS." He explains everything with his hands, and he doesn't make eye contact very often.
"You'll have to explain that to me more." Phil doesn't know how anything works on the space station, seeing as it's not his area of expertise.
"On the ISS they have a hatch in which people can leave or enter to do their space walks and examine the station." He began, dumbing it down for Phil. Who nods to let Dan know he's following.
"When they reenter the hatch and it closes, it then vacuum seals the room so that they can then fill it with oxygen before allowing them to enter the rest of the station. And the seal also works for when they are leaving so that the air isn't sucked out of the whole station killing everyone.
"We could make a hatch on the robot that can open for the samples to be placed in and allow water to flow in and out of it. But it will be sealed in such a way that the water won't get into the rest of the bot. Then once the bot reaches the surface once more the excess water can be let go, the seal can vacuum and fully closed and the mission will be over."
Phil's jaw almost hits the floor. He would have never thought of that in a million years. "Yes, that is exactly what I want!" Phil shouts. "You've really thought this through."
"Well yeah, when they told me Dr. Phil Lester wanted help making a robot that could find water on another planet and change history I wanted to have my shit together before I met you." He finally looked Phil in the eyes.
Phil was flattered, a lot of people looked up to him and it always made him feel good. "Well I have another question for you Mr. Howell."
"First off, call me Dan, and second, ask away." When he smiled there was a dimple that looked like the crater on the moon on his left cheek.
"When can you start?" Phil asked.
"Right now." Dan answered before getting up to shake Phil's hand.
-
Dan and Phil stayed at work that night till 3am finalising the proposal. Phil made sure his work was correct before adding Dan's ideas. The final proposal ended up being 20 pages long, full of ideas, facts, hopes and dreams. Phil couldn't have been more excited to finally submit it Ted Sanders, the director of NASA, for approval.
"And now we wait." Dan said as Phil hit send.
"Yep." Phil said. He was always bad at small talk.
"You know," Dan started, "If they approve this you could be the youngest person at NASA to run an exploratory mission of this size."
"Really?" Phil asked, I bit surprised, "I'm only 27."
"The youngest person to run a mission was Susan Kapoor in 1996. She was 32. Her mission actually was the mission to get a satellite to Jupiter to take photos, and you actually used it for your proposal." Dan said, he didn't skip a beat. He pulled all that information out from the back of his head.
"Wow. How do you know all that?"
"I spent a lot of my time as a teenager online learning facts about NASA because I always wanted to be here." he says. A huge smile takes over his face as he looks around in awe. Even though Phil's office wasn't something to be proud of.
"Well, thank you for letting me know." With that Phil stood up to grab his coat, "it'll be a while before we know what they say. Meet me here tomorrow at 10am?"
Dan stood up too, nodded and replied, "Of course. Have a good night Phil."
"You too."
-
That night Phil laid in his bed and looked out the massive window to his right. Huston was the perfect place to stargaze, it was hardly ever cloudy and there wasn't a lot of city lights to drain the ambience of the stars.
He was hopeful that his proposal would go through. That all his and now Dan's hard work would pay off and change the course of history.
Dan was nice and kind, unlike any of the other people he interviewed. And Phil never imagined he'd be able to finish his proposal as fast as he did. Dan was incredibility smart and extremely nice. Working with him would be a good thing.
If Phil was going to be in charge of all the people required to make this mission a success he wanted Dan to be the head of his engineering team. Dan knew what Phil wanted before Phil even knew. His ideas were well thought out and far more creative than anything he'd ever seen.
To think that two geniuses from England would somehow meet in Houston Texas and have the possibility of changing the world together was again far beyond anything Phil could imagine. And he'd imagined a lot in his time.
-
Phil woke up at 8am, his alarm playing the theme song from Game of Thrones and his room illuminated in an orange tint from the early morning Houston sun. He rolled over to check his phone and saw that he had an email notification from the director of NASA. 'That was fast', he thought.
He's a bit sceptical to open it. But he does it anyway.Tapping on the email, he takes a deep breath and begins to read.
'Congratulations Dr. Lester and Mr. Howell, Your proposal for finding a sustainable future on Europa has been approved and we are pleased to have your help in shaping history!
NASA has agreed upon a spending cap of $2 billion and a 48 person crew.
Please come speak with me at 11am today to further discuss the mission.'
Phil can hardly breathe. He's hanging slightly on the edge of the bed with his mouth wide open and not a single coherent thought in his head. This was amazing. His mother is going to cry when she finds out, and he's probably going to cry soon due to pure excitement and disbelief.
"TWO BILLION DOLLARS?!" he yells at the top of his voice, in his 1 bedroom apartment, to himself before dropping his phone and crashing back onto the bed. He waves his feet in the air under the covers and buried his face in his hands.
-
It's not the first time he's met the boss, he was his assistant for a little while during an internship, he taught Phil all about NASA and ran him through every little thing they did. But this time was different, Phil was being briefed on being the director of his own exploratory mission. That was crazy to him, so he took more time than usual getting ready for the meeting.
His pitch black hair was nicely coiffed out of his face, his glasses were cleaner than they have ever been in his life, and the shirt he was wearing had never been this perfectly ironed before. There wasn't a single crease. "This shirt is straighter than I am" he said to himself with a giggle.
He was always very concerned with how he looked, mainly because he was a popular kid at school and also because he wanted to impress people. He was smart enough that people respected him a lot but he wanted to be considered attractive, not just intelligent.
That's when he started dying his hair and wearing contacts, buying really cool shirts and trying too hard. No one seemed to care, and that sucked. He tried and tried to get a girlfriend or a boyfriend in school but people were scared off by his big brain and his imagination. More than once he got the line, "you're cute but we're not compatible."
His mom told him time and time again that one day when he'd have his big NASA job all the people who turned him down would be mad at themselves. That one day Phil would be even more handsome, he's be even smarter and he'd be making good money. Anyone who thought he wasn't worth it was stupid.
That helped him through it. With his big imagination he thought that one day he'd meet someone at NASA and together they would be completely in love and the best power couple anyone had ever seen. He just hadn't met anyone there that he liked yet.
"Morning Dr. Lester." The receptionist said as Phil walked in the building.
"Good morning Cara, how are the kids?" Phil asked, he had gotten to know her quite well on his internships in the past.
"Really good, Charlie asked me to say hi to his favorite scientist." She smiled at him. One time she had to bring her son Charlie into work because his nanny was busy, so Phil stepped up and took him in as his assistant for the day.
That always warmed Phil's heart, little kids with dreams of working at NASA just like him were the best thing. "Tell him I'm really good and I hope he's well, but I have a meeting now so have a good rest of your day." Phil waved and walked towards the elevator.
He was scared shitless for his meeting. He typically wasn't an anxious person when it came to business, it was more in crowds and awkward situations, but for some reason the fact that he didn't know what to expect in this meeting was setting him off.
He went to his office, placed his briefcase on the floor and slumped into his leather chair. His office was big enough to house his desktop computer with enough room for another if need be, as well as a big meeting table. It wasn't extravagant but he liked it.
His meeting was in 20 minutes so he had some time to chill the heck down before he went in. He stared out his big windows into the courtyard, which overlooked the lab buildings, he placed his elbows on the table and his hands on his temples and told himself to breathe.
"Knock, knock" Dan said while simultaneously knocking on Phil's open door.
Phil looked up and smiled, "Good morning partner."
"Good bloody morning!" Dan was chipper in the morning. "Can you believe you got approved so fast? I can because everyone loves you and you bloody deserve it!" he kept getting louder as his compliments went on.
"Thank you, and it was OUR proposal. I wouldn't have been able to send it in if it wasn't for you." Which was true, Phil had the basics of what he wanted but Dan's ideas were what took it off the ground for him.
"It's always been a dream of mine to work with you." Dan said with a blush as he sat in the other leather chair in Phil's office.
"It absolutely floors me to think people look up to me." Phil shook his head, he always has trouble wrapping his head around that concept.
"I was fifteen when you got accepted to Caltech, it was also around the time I got accepted to MIT. Which was cool." Dan fiddled with his thumbs while he talked, he was quite shy.
It took Phil a moment to process that Dan was accepted at age 15. "Fifteen?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm 23 and working at NASA with a masters in Computer Science Engineering." He's also sarcastic.
"Holy shit. What were your SAT scores like?" Phil asks, thinking if he was 15 then he must be some sort of crazy genius.
"Sixteen hundred." He says, flat faced and un-bothered by the fact that 1600 is the highest score one can get on the new SAT's. Phil's mouth hung open a little.
"And you looked up to me? I'm flattered." Phil turns a cute shade of pink and touches his hand to his heart.
"Well yeah, you are really smart and you came from a small town like I did and it was really nice to see someone go as far as you did. And I wanted to follow in someone's amazing footsteps."
"Well look at us now! Two kids from England running an exploratory mission to find life on another planet!" they both laughed.
When they calmed down, Phil stood up and straightened his shirt even more and made his way to the door, "let's go see what cool things we get to do."
The sight of the two of them walking down the hall made some people's heads turn. They were both over 6 feet, they had matching haircuts going in different directions and 2 very wide smiles. They felt on top of the world.
---
The Director is already in his office waiting for them when they arrive. He's waiting with a beautiful blond woman, they both stand when Dan and Phil enter.
"Dr. Lester, Mr. Howell. Congratulations on your proposal." He says before shaking their hands.
"Thank you, Sir." They reply in unison.
"This is Louise Pentland," He gestures over to the woman. "She will be the project manager and my eyes and ears on the floor. Phil you have full control I just need someone to keep you organized and me updated."
"Alrighty, it's nice to meet you." Phil says and nods in her direction.
"You as well." She's also British. How did he manage to move to Texas and still be surrounded by British people?
"I only had one problem with your proposal." He states, and Phil clenches his ass and holds his breath. Scared to death. "I was wondering how you planned on controlling the robot after it lands on Europa?"
Before Phil has a chance to think Dan has the answer. "It's simple really, the satellites Adrastea and Metis are currently orbiting Jupiter and if I add a simple 20 character code to the software I will have a stronger connection to the bot once it reaches Europa."
Phil can't grasp the fact that this kids has looked up to him for years and is widely smarter than himself. Never could Phil have thought that on the spot, it would have taken 3 months of research before an answer like that came from him.
Phil chuckles and smiles, "I picked a very smart partner."
"That you did." Louise chimes in. "It seems like you boys have some work to do."
-
"I want to get to know you."
It's 9pm, and he and Dan have been in his office working on plans and going over their ideas for hours.
"What?" Dan drops his pen and looks at Phil with a surprised face.
"We're going to be spending a lot of time together and I'd like to know you as much as you know me." If Dan's looked up to him for this long surely he knows all of Phil's achievements and life story.
"Oh, sure." He huffs and looks down. "I'm not very interesting."
"Everyone's interesting in their own special way." Phil encourages him.
To which Dan smiles, and it makes Phil's heart happy. "I um, I don't know where to start. Give me some examples?"
"Where are you from? What's your favorite dog breed? What makes you happy? Last film that made you cry? Those sort of things. It'll help me know your personality." Phil scoots his chair closer to Dan and sets his head upon his hand which is resting comfortably on the arm of the chair.
"I was born in Berkshire, I love Corgis and Shiba Inu's." He takes a breath to ponder the next question. "Learning new things makes me happy. I'm always researching things and that's how I know so much. And the last movie to make me cry was The Imitation Game."
"Oh gosh I know!" Phil says dramatically. "I cannot believe that he practically saved the world and because he couldn't tell anyone that he was treated so terribly for being gay."
"It breaks my heart to think that I could have been treated like that back then. Thank god the times have changed a bit." Dan agrees while subtly letting Phil know he's also gay.
"So your-"
"Gay. Yep." Dan interrupted him. "I hope that's not a problem." He gets defensive.
"No, no, no. it's no problem" Phil says, waving his hands dramatically in an anxious attempt to make sure Dan knows he's more than fine with it. "I also like men, and woman, and people. So you're completely safe with me."
"Thank you. Some of the guys I went to school with and worked with didn't treat me well so I'm sorry if I come off defensive." He half smiles.
'I want you to be safe with me', Phil thinks. This Dan guy is nice and cute and super intellectual, and they are going to change history together.
-
For the next few days Phil has to interview as many people as he can for the 48 jobs available. He let Dan interview the people working in engineering while he strictly does the scientific research side of the team.
One of the people he takes onto the team is a Man named PJ Liguori who is going to be his Gravity Science lead. PJ's job will be to study what the moon's surface will be like and help Dan's team create something that will be able to move there.
His team is assembled by the end of the week while Dan still needs a handful of engineers to add to his side. He slumps into the chair in Phil's office around 11pm on a Friday making huff and expressing every ounce of exhaustion Phil is feeling.
"Want to get coffee and talk about everything?" Phil asks.
"Yes. If I can move. I just got so comfortable." His eyes are closed and he doesn't show any signs of moving. He comes into the office and does the same thing in that chair every day, no wonder it didn't take long for him to get comfortable.
"Come on" Phil pokes his cheek until Dan smiles and his finger ends up pressed into his dimple, causing Dan to laugh.
NASA has its own 24 hour Starbucks built in for the people who work all hours of the day. The only real action the workers see are from interns and assistants, no one really has the time to get their own coffee.
"Coffee, milk and 2 sugar." Phil says before looking at Dan. "My treat, what would you like?"
"Oh, um. An English breakfast tea 2 milk 2 sugar. I kinda miss home today." Dan says with a half-smile.
Phil pays the lady and they move to the end of the counter to wait. "I know how you feel, by the way. How long has it been since you've been home?"
"Like five years or something." Dan replies, not a care in his voice.
"Oh gosh, why so long?" Phil's genuine shock is seen in both his tone and facial expression.
"Like I said in my resume, no family ties." Again he replied completely unfazed.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. How often do you go home?" Dan asks, changing the subject to a happier one.
"I used to only for Christmas break but now I go back every 6 months." Or else his mother would absolutely lose it. But Dan doesn't need to know about his crazy mother yet.
"1 coffee and a tea." The barista said, placing the drinks on the counter and walking away.
"Want to stay here or go back to my office?" Phil asks.
Dan shrugs, "it doesn't matter to me."
"Let's go be comfortable in my office." Phil suggests and starts to walk forward.
"Your chairs are more comfortable than my bed, if I'm honest." Dan says, a cheeky grin on his face while he holds in a laugh.
The walk back was simple and quiet. Phil was on his desktop, logging the different people he had hired into the system, making it official. Right now he had 36 people hired. That was 36 people who were helping him change history and he was more than excited.
Every time he entered a new person to the system he smiled, by the 20th person he couldn't feel his cheeks anymore. Dan was opposite him at the desk, looking at the notes he had taken trying to narrow down the last few people to hire.
Every time Phil smiled, Dan saw it in his peripheral vision and battled with himself to not smile as well. He failed almost every time. It was cute. They were two dorks who were overly proud and excited of what they were achieving and nothing was going to take this happiness from them.
They mainly sit in silence for a few hours until Dan sleepily and very lightly asks, "Do you ever wonder if crabs get jealous of the fish because they can fly?"
Phil laughs and looks at him with a fond look on his face, "Probably. I mean I get mad that I can't fly like the birds do so it's highly probable."
"I wasn't expecting a serious answer"
"I was expecting a serious question." Phil sarcastically spits back.
"Shut up." Dan says in the least aggressive or serious voice Phil has ever heard.
-
"I'm fucked." Phil exclaims to himself. He went home to get some rest and somehow he has managed to stay up another 2 hours thinking about Dan. A week ago he was thinking about how boring it was being single. He was wishing for someone to wake up next to and spend his time with and now he has a full blown crush on his co-worker.
Phil can't get the same thoughts from circling over and over again in his head.
Was it a crush or was he just appreciating how nice it was to have a friend to talk to all day and bounce ideas off of? Why did Dan's smile and voice make his heart happy and why was his brain suddenly filled with images of Dan's eyes sparkling while he talked of something he liked or how his hair started to curl more as the day dragged on?
Surely he'd get over it. It wasn't the first time he'd thought he'd fallen for someone he knew because he was so happy around them. He's always been the type of guy to crush on his friends, and then watch as nothing happened because no one ever liked him back. He was fine with that.
He pushes the thoughts to the back of his head and closes his eyes. Maybe he'll get some sleep. But the thoughts don't diminish, they move into his dreams and suddenly he's dreaming of him and Dan watching the launch of their rocket, starting its 5 year journey to Europa.
-
It didn't take long for Dan and his team to create a basic prototype for the bot. they made a basic skeleton of the bot out of plastic to test its movement and compatibility first. It has legs so that it can walk on the ice, instead of wheels that could slip or get stuck in the unpredictable surface.
They were ready to add the outside of the bot when Dan had a problem.
"The temperature on Europa is supposedly minus two-hundred and seventy degrees Fahrenheit, I don't think I have a metal or anything that would be durable in that temperature." He said to Phil. They were in Phil, and now Dan's office. Sitting quietly going over Dan's ideas.
"They used a Chromium-Nickel based stainless steel on the Mars rover because it was tough enough in the cold, but Mars is a hundred and ten degrees warmer than Europa." Phil says, the vein in his head showing as he thinks as hard as he can.
Dan ponders what Phil had said for a few minutes. "If we use a plutonium battery to power it for the 10 years it's in space it will create a natural heat that could keep the metal at a durable temperature while also not making it too hot."
"And I was going to ask you about how to battle corrosion from the Sodium Chloride in the water but the stainless steel would also be a good resource for that reason alone." Phil presses on.
"We're so fucking smart!" Dan says, lifting his arms up to high five Phil, both of them missing terribly and laughing so hard they can't feel their faces and their stomach muscles ache.
Once they catch their breath and wipe the tears from their sleep deprived eyes, Phil can't help but think of how amazing Dan is. "Do you maybe want to go see a movie after work tomorrow?" Phil asks.
"Can we? Do we have the time to do that?" Dan asks in return.
"Well I'm the boss and I say we've done enough work in the last month to allow us to have a break." He smiles over to Dan, who smiles right back.
"Okay, yeah. I'd love to."
---
They agreed to meet at the theater giving each other enough time to come home from work and feel less gross from working in labs all day. More than once Dan had come back to the office at night covered in black oil grease and apologized a million times for looking gross, but Phil thought it was cute.
Everything he did was cute. And this wasn't just a little friend crush anymore, this was a full blown 'I'm going to try and make you mine' crush.
Phil left work a little early to go get his hair touched up and trimmed a little so he would look nice, even though they would be sitting in a dark theater where Dan couldn't see him. But the thought was there.
He looked good. His hair was perfect, he wore contacts in case they saw a 3D movie, his shirt was a beautiful burgundy button up that brought out the blue in his eyes. He was happy.
He called a cab and not so patiently waited on a bench in the lobby of his apartment building. Shaking his knee rapidly in his anxious haze. He was sitting there for 5 minutes when he felt a light pat on his back.
"I thought we were meeting at the theater." Dan's soft voice said as Phil turned around.
"Don't tell me we've lived in the same building this whole time?"
Dan laughed, "I guess we have." He smiled down at Phil and Phil felt his heart beat a little faster in his chest and the butterflies in his stomach flutter a little bit more. "You look very handsome." He said after a few seconds.
Phil blushed, "Thank you, you do too."
Dan was in a lovely black button up and jeans, his hair was curly and also freshly cut. He was wearing earrings, which Phil had no idea he did and his nails were a light sparkly color. He looked cute and happy.
"Have you called a cab yet? Cause you're more than welcome to come with me." Phil offers.
"I was going to drive over but I think that sounds better." He says, sitting down beside Phil on the bench.
"Oh, I didn't know you drove?"
"I turned 16 over here and I got my learners and then my full license, I don't even know what it's like to drive in the UK if I'm honest." Dan replied. It made sense, seeing as he hadn't been home in 5 years, for him to be so accustomed to things over here.
"That's awesome." Was all he could reply, small talk wasn't his forte.
"Yeah." Dan's not so much a small talker either.
The car ride over was just like how they were in the office, quiet and doing their own thing but enjoying being together. After a few minutes Phil got a little bored with the silence. "What are we even going to see?" he asked.
"Interstellar is still playing, I've wanted to see it for a few weeks actually." Dan said quickly as if he had been thinking about it as much as Phil had.
"Is it a bit cliché for 2 NASA employees to go see a movie about space?" Phil said jokingly.
Dan giggled, "at least we'll know what the heck is going on."
"Very true. I hope it's accurate though. Nothing pisses me off more than half-assed space movies." Phil's genuine concern is displayed in his voice.
"Christopher Nolan actually came to NASA to ask how black holes worked in space as well as getting accurate information on what the suits would look like and how the body would change over time in space so I think it should be good if that much care and consideration went into it." Dan explains in a way that not only allows Phil to feel better but also excite him.
"I love how bloody smart you are." Phil says on impulse.
Dan's cheeks flood with the softest shade of pink, and a darker pink closer to the freckles on his jaw. "Speak for yourself."
"Sorry to butt in but we're here" The cab driver interrupted with a strong Texan accent, not fazed by the two clearly gay men flirting in the back of his cab.
Phil paid while Dan had a sour face about Phil not letting cover half of it. They settled for Dan paying for the ride back.
Then Phil bought both tickets and Dan was about ready to flip. "Seriously let me pay for the popcorn or something!" he said, grabbing Phil's arm and tugging in an attempt to win him over.
Phil shook his head and kept walking when Dan pulled him into a hug, "please?" he begged.
Phil's whole mind went blank. Dan was soft, and he smelled like vanilla and he was radiating heat. Phil's heart almost stopped and his mind was jumbled with thoughts, yet he couldn't express a single thing. He just hugged back and Dan took it as a yes.
Phil stood behind him in the line while he ordered them 2 popcorn's, 2 cokes and a bag of Hershey's Cookies n' Cream Drops for himself. "I like to put it in my popcorn. I'm a weirdo." He said. But Phil thought it was cute.
The movie was amazing, no one else was in the theater seeing as the movie had been out for a few weeks so the two of them had the best seats in the place and enjoyed some alone time together.
Occasionally Dan would gasp in shock and Phil would make eye contact with him to silently agree on how cool something was, and then they cried at the ending. Phil wasn't a crier but something about slowly falling in love with someone and watching a movie all about space and love set him off.
Dan tried to be subtle, but he was as subtle as a punch in the face. He started out with little tears and then sobs which eventually turned into breathy gasps and a waterfall of tears. Phil grabbed his hand and held it for the last few minutes of the movie. They didn't acknowledge it verbally, but Dan ran his thumb over Phil's knuckles to say thank you when he calmed down a little.
The ride home was nicer than the ride there. They were still in silence but they had big smiles on their faces, their arms were pressed together, and Phil could hear his blood pumping in his ears, he was so nervous. He hoped to god Dan liked him back and this wasn't just a friendly thing, but he'd never ask for fear he'd lose him as a friend.
Dan paid for the cab like they agreed and Phil waited to walk him to his apartment. "What floor are you on?" he asked Phil.
"Fifteen, you?" Phil's soft voice and smile showed the genuine happiness that was radiating from his body.
"Twenty-three. I'll walk you to yours, it's closer." Dan replied.
Phil so desperately wanted to know what to do in this situation. This was originally a friend date but as the night progressed he felt the mood change. What was he supposed to do when he reached his door? Was he supposed to hug Dan or kiss him on the cheek? He was distressed.
"Here we are." Phil announced, pressing his lips tightly together afterwards and looking gently at Dan.
Dan looked down at the floor, his hands in his pockets, and kicked one foot forward, quickly he leaned in, "fuck it, I'm just going to do it." He mumbled and lunged himself at Phil.
Their lips collided, Phil eyes were wide and his body fell stiff in shock. As Dan placed his hands on Phil's shoulders for balance, Phil was brought down to earth. He closed his eyes grabbed Dan's waist and kissed back lovingly.
Dan pulled away, turned a bright shade of pink and licked his lips. "Thank you."
Phil stood there stunned for a second and blinking a few times, "yeah, thanks."
Slowly Dan backed up, smiling as he went, "see you tomorrow."
A smile crept its way on to Phil's face, replacing the gobsmacked expression and allowing some color back into his skin, "have a good night."
Phil didn't know how to stop smiling. His heart kept fluttering when he thought about Dan, and all he could think about was what he could do next. He wanted to make some big gesture for Dan, he wanted to show him he cared and how much he appreciated him. Not only romantically but because of all the advances Dan was helping the team make for the mission.
So he called his mom, midnight for him was 8am for her and lord knows that she was awake. She was a morning person, which often drove Phil crazy. But he loved her nonetheless.
She picked up the skype call on the third ring, "hello dear." Her cheerful voice sounded through his phone.
"Hi mum, how's things?" Phil asked.
For the next half an hour his mother rambled on about life in Manchester, who's with who, who's getting divorced, which of his old school friends were having babies and then she brought up the topic of when he planned on setting down.
"That's actually why I called. You remember I told you about my partner Dan?" Phil asks, and she nodded, "I took him on a date last night, and I really like him."
His mother's smile lit up the screen, "I always knew you'd meet a nice person at NASA."
"I just need some help, I don't know what to do about letting him know how I feel."
"Cook him dinner, buy flowers that remind you of him and shower him with compliments, that's how your father won me over." That must have been a sight. They were disgustingly in love all Phil's life and to watch them fall in love would have been something magical.
"But what do I make?"
After a long conversation with his mother over what to make and how to make it he said goodbye and fell asleep, he had a long day coming. A day filled with endless possibilities of how he could ask Dan over for dinner as well as his meeting with Louise and PJ to go over the task of determining Europa's gravity.
He had an alarm set to wake him up at half 8 but was abruptly awoken to the sound of his phone vibrating on his wooden nightstand moments before said alarm had any chance.
From Dan: morning, I'm driving in at 9:30 if you want a ride?
Phil lets out a long breath and allows himself to break out into a cheeky grin, he's not suppressing this crush, and he's going to embrace it with open arms like Dan did with him last night. That hug and kiss was the best part of his night, his week, heck it was the highlight of his life. He's never felt this way about anyone before.
To Dan: hi :) I'd love that
From Dan: okay ;)
His hair was still okay from last night, his eyes hurt from the contacts so he was back to glasses and he decided on a plain black short sleeve button up. Black was a rare occurrence for him but he was told he looked amazing in it, and he wanted to look good before seeing Dan.
He was worried things would be awkward between them at work, that Dan wouldn't bring it up but it was just him being anxious over the unknown. So far it didn't look like Dan was going to avoid anything, he was texting him which was a good sign.
Phil was about to walk out the door when he heard a knock, he stopped in his place and smiled at the door. If that was Dan coming to get him he wasn't surprised.
Sure enough, he opened the door to find the beautiful man in his same light blue dress shirt and jeans, no more earrings and his nails were bare, he was back in work mode. But his smile was the same as last night, big and bright and displaying his cute dimple.
"You look handsome, like always." Dan said
Dan never failed to make his heart flutter and his stomach do this strange flippy over thing, but he was starting to get used to it. "You're so cute. Thank you."
"I am not!" he said with a surprised smile that made him look cuter.
Phil stepped out and closed the door behind him, locking it and turning to Dan, gesturing that they go. Dan brushed his arm against Phil as they walked to the elevator which made Phil's skin feel like it was on fire.
Once they were in the elevator, Phil rested his butt against the wall as the doors were closing and Dan laid a small peck on his cheek once they fully closed.
"I had a really good time last night. We should do it again." He said and then slipped his hand into Phil's.
"I was thinking the same thing, actually." they smiled at each other for a few seconds, Dan's brown eyes were dark enough that Phil could see his reflection and he'd never noticed all the small freckles Dan had on his face.
"Did you want to have dinner with me tonight?" Phil asked, he was going to wait a little but it seemed like a better time now than later.
"I have to test the bot in the temperature control chamber today but if I finish early I'd love to." Dan said, and this time Phil leaned in and stole a kiss.
"Sounds like a plan."
---
Once they reached the entrance of NASA Dan poked him in the arm, winked and then made his way to the lab leaving Phil to go do his work. Cara saw and gave a quick smile Phil's way.
Coming out of the elevator he saw that Louise and Dr. Liguori were in the hallway of his office waiting for him to get there, they were 10 minutes early like always.
For 5 hours Phil and PJ discussed the different types of gravity that could be on Europa based on the facts that they knew. Either it was a magnetic gravity like Jupiter, 0 gravity like on the moon, or the less likely option of it being like Earth's.
In the case of a magnetic gravity Phil suggested that they have Dan demagnetise the bot the way they did for the satellites orbiting Jupiter, this way it won't affect the bot if it is that type of gravity. And if need be they make it like the moon rover as well to work with any type of gravity thrown at them.
PJ liked his ideas, took them into consideration and said he would give Dan a run through the following day.
Louise stayed behind to catch up with Phil a little. "How are things between you and Dan, by the way?" She asked.
"Uh, good. Why?" This was unlike her to ask something other than mission plans.
"You two seem to spend a lot of time together and I saw you drove in together today." She said raising one eyebrow suspiciously.
Louise and him had gotten along quite well over the last few weeks of working together. They stayed and talked together when they had nothing to do, and when Dan was busy. He really liked her, she seemed like a good friend.
"We're leading a project together and happen to live in the same building." He exclaimed, voice going up an octave higher than normal. "And it's not your business who I spend my time with. I could ask why you and PJ are always together but I don't." Phil snaps back, not sure why he got so defensive.
"I'm sorry, I won't bring it up anymore." she says with a look of concern on her face. "I thought we were close enough to talk about these things."
Phil let out a long sigh, knowing he was being an ass but not knowing where his sudden feeling of irritation was coming from. "I'm sorry. I really like him and he's having dinner with me tonight and I am a little," he pauses to carefully consider his word choice. "Scared, i guess."
She smiles and pats him on the shoulder, "Hun, just be yourself and everything will be fine. I have a feeling he's very fond of you as well."
His conversation with her changed his whole mindset. He went from being slightly on edge from the unpredictability of dinner to being hopeful that it would go well.
He leaves a bit early to get some things for his dinner, and stands at the bus stop to text Dan.
To Dan: I'm going home early to start cooking, any allergies I should know about?
From Dan: nope :) I should be there around 6 if that's alright?
To Dan: text me when you're leaving so I know :)
From Dan: sure thing ;)
Phil liked him. He really, really liked him. Looking back at the last few months they had been working together, he hadn't been too subtle about it and neither had Dan.
They spent all their time together in the office, they took turns getting each other coffee, they'd surprised the other with snacks and sweets randomly, they had some funny late night chats about life, and they had a mutual crush on each other that was finally brought to life.
Phil took his mom's advice and went to the flower shop first getting some white lilies that just screamed Dan, then he went to the grocery store and picked up all the things he needed to make pasta. He also grabbed some fresh bread and a premade salad, he never eat this well when he was alone but Dan deserved the best.
His mom said pasta was a good first date food because it showed him that he could cook and it's also not the hardest thing in the world. He got home around half 5 and immediately went to work on dinner. Throwing some onions and mushrooms to caramelise before adding the ground beef in a frying pan and letting it cook.
The house smelt amazing, he boiled some water and placed the pasta in it to cook and added red sauce to his other pan. He was very impressed with himself. He was so caught up in his cooking that he never checked his phone, suddenly it was 6:10 and he had a knock at his door.
"Come in!" he yelled, the front door being a stone's throw from his kitchen but he couldn't take the chance of anything burning while he answered the door.
Slowly the door opened and in walked a freshly showered Dan. "I hope I'm not late, I had to change." He said, once he was in.
"You're just in time actually." Phil said, moving his attention to draining the pasta water from the pot.
"Do you need any help?" Dan asked.
"Yeah, if you want to grab some forks and spoons from this-" Phil's hands were occupied so he kicked his left leg in the direction of the silverware drawer, "drawer and put them on the table that would be good."
Phil always had the same placemats on his table, even though eating at home was a foreign concept to him,he watched as Dan carefully set them out.
"These flowers are lovely." He mentioned, stroking the freshly bloomed petals.
"They reminded me of you so I got them." Phil said, walking over with two plates filled with pasta. He placed them on the two placemats across from each other before going to grab the rest of the meal.
"You're so cute." Dan said, taking a seat. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble just for me."
"Oh, but I did." Phil took the spot opposite him. "You're special and I wanted to let you know that." they was nothing but smiles and bright pink cheeks as the compliments flew back and forth between them.
Phil's meal was surprisingly delicious, he'll have to thank his mother later. Dan offered to help clean after they finished to which Phil objected. Dan, being himself, took a towel and started drying, asking where everything should go as he went along.
Phil leaned his butt against the counter as he dried his soapy hands, "So. What do you want to do now?" he asked.
"Your couch looks comfy, let's go watch a movie." Dan suggested.
"Alright."
They settled on watching Moulin Rouge because Dan said it was his favorite childhood movie. Phil loaded it all up while Dan sat on his couch, he tucked a leg under his body and got into a comfortable position, Phil smiled at the sight of him making himself at home.
Phil sat down on the cushion beside him, not wanting to get too close in case he didn't want him too, but Dan reached out and pulled him closer. Dan rested his chin on Phil's shoulder and wrapped one arm under Phil's, and he had never been happier in his life.
Phil had had a few relationships in his past, but they never went past cuddling and the occasional making out. He wasn't skilled in relationships or love or sex, but he was ready for it when the time was to come. No pun intended.
An hour or so into the movie Dan started kissing him on the cheek and behind his ear. Phil could feel the blood running to his cheeks, his whole body starting to get hot and shiver with every touch.
Then Dan re-positioned himself, throwing one leg to the opposite side of Phil and straddling him. "Is this okay?" he asked cupping Phil's cheeks and looking into his eyes.
Phil nodded, breathing heavy, "I haven't kissed anyone in a really long time." He admits to Dan, swallowing and making his Adam's apple bob. He was staring up into Dan's big chocolate brown eyes, almost getting lost in them.
"Me either," Dan says before tilting his head to the side and placing a soft kiss to Phil's lips.
At first it was soft and gentle, with each peck Phil felt tinkles flow through his body, his arm hairs were standing up, his skin was beginning to get warm and his hands had found their way to the back of his shirt, then slowly they moved down to the rounds of Dan's hips and pulled him in closer.
As the kiss picked up Phil was invited into Dan's mouth, and everything went quiet. Completely taken away by the sensation, he's kissed people before but never has he been so drawn into a person.
Dan's hands start to wander down Phil's shoulders and across his chest, until he breaks the kiss and starts to travel his mouth down Phil's jaw and neck. Paying careful attention to his Adam's apple, nipping and kissing it before running wet trail up his neck with his tongue.
"Can I?" Dan asks, laying his hands on Phil's top shirt button. He nods, scared to open his mouth in case he does or says anything embarrassing.
"Do you like hickeys?" Dan asks, three buttons down and taking his sweet time.
"I've never had one before." Phil admits.
"Well, there's a first time for everything." He says before adding his mouth back to Phil's neck, lazily kissing it before finding his way to Phil's collar bone.
Phil holds his breath for a moment, unaware of the sensation he's about to feel and more than aware of the one currently happening in his pants. He hopes to god Dan doesn't feel it or doesn't care that he's getting hard from making out like a 13 year old boy.
As he sucks a dark spot under Phil's collar bone, he lets out a sharp gasp followed by a broken moan. "You do like them" Dan says and smiles, Phil can feel his hot words against his chest.
He adds another one to the opposite side of Phil's chest for symmetry and then sits back up straight, in doing so he adds some much needed friction to Phil's crotch. He shudders a little at the tough and Dan arches an eyebrow.
"Oh, we have lift off." Dan says before rocking his hips against Phil's once more, this time on purpose.
"Um," Phil starts, but his thoughts are cut off by more movement from Dan, "I uh, I'm a virgin." Phil says, afraid that Dan will want to go all the way and he won't know what to do.
"Do you want to continue? We don't have to do anything you don't want, I'm more than happy to just continue cuddling." Dan's voice is kind and comforting for Phil.
"We can do stuff I just, I'm not ready for the whole thing just yet." Phil says, his cheeks turning a darker pink from both the heat of the moment and his embarrassment.
"Well then, let me take some care of this guy." Slowly he runs his hands down Phil's bare chest once more, stopping to undo Phil's jeans and looking up. Phil nods and slowly Dan undoes his button.
Dan playfully traces his fingers along the outline of Phil's bulge, before pulling down the zipper and giving him more room. He moves Phil's underwear down a little, allowing the head to rest on Phil's abdomen and running a finger over the slit.
Phil tilts his head back and moans, not caring anymore because this was the best experience of his life. Years of touching himself was nothing compared to the magic of Dan's hands.
Dan smiles to himself seeing what a simple touch has done to Phil and grasps Phil's length in his hands. A look of surprise and hunger on his face, Phil's never seen someone look at him like that.
"You're fucking huge." Dan flat out says causing Phil to turn yet another shade darker. "Do you mind if I g-"
"Do whatever you want!" Phil cuts him off, so turned on he doesn't care anymore. And to his surprise Dan is getting off him, pulling Phil's pants down a little further and removing his own. For a moment Phil's confused, he thought they weren't doing anything but then Dan gets himself out and re-straddles Phil's hips.
He moves his hand down, grips both of their hard members and starts to stroke them. Dan's hand mixed with the heat and pleasure of another cock on his is enough to shoot Phil to the moon like a fucking rocket.
The pure sight of Dan working both of them is the best thing Phil has ever seen, "You're so fucking beautiful!" he says to Dan, his voice low from the pleasure. Dan moans in response.
Phil doesn't know what to do with his hands at first, he loosely places them around Dan's neck before pulling Dan in to kiss him some more. It's hot and clumsy, their mouths collide again and again, tongues battling for dominance and a string of moans slipping out.
Dan's pace has picked up and Phil can't hold off any longer, he was ready to come the second Dan started, it's a surprise he's lasted so long. He moves his mouth to Dan's neck and tries to mimic what Dan had done to him a few minutes before.
"Fuck, Phiiil!" Dan moans as Phil licks up his neck.
"I- I'm very close" Phil whispers into the crook of his neck.
"Me too, fuck!" Dan thrust his hips to match the strokes he making, overthrowing Phil with pleasure as he releases.
He comes with a string of curse words and the hand that was resting behind Dan's neck grabs a fist full of hair. He feels Dan's body start to tremble before he too comes all over his hand and Phil's chest.
Dan rests his forehead against Phil's, they're both trying to catch their breath. Dan giggles a little, "I've wanted to do that for so long."
He gets up and tucks himself into his underwear again. Phil watches as he walks over to the kitchen table and grabs a few sheets of paper towel, wiping his hand and returning to clean Phil off.
"How long have you wanted to do that?" Phil asks, surprised to hear what he did.
Dan blushes, "I've been following you on twitter and Instagram for a few years, because I look up to you, and over time I've developed feelings for you." He admits, sitting back down beside Phil.
"Really?" Phil's voice is soft, genuinely happy with the fact Dan has liked him for a while, "How come you never reached out to me? I would have loved to know you longer."
Dan lightly shoves Phil so he'd lie back a little more on the couch and cuddles into him. Phil's shirt still undone and Dan runs his fingers through the small amount of chest hair.
"Because I wanted to work for you one day and get the job because I was smart not because we were friends or because you liked me." his voice is light, too light to be considered a whisper.
"You're so smart, and so cute and I'm so bloody happy I met you." Phil says while running his hand up and down Dan's back in a soothing pattern.
"Thank you. I'm really glad I finally met you too." Dan says, Phil leans down and kisses the top of his head.
He's not sure how it happened, but suddenly it was 8:30 and his alarm that was set for every day was playing somewhere in his house. In his early morning haze he's a bit confused to where he is and what's going on.
He's still in his glasses, his shirt from the night before and he's still on the couch in the living room. Dan's not with him, but Dan's pants are still on the floor by his coffee table and there's a faint smell of pancakes coming from behind him.
He sits up and peeks over the back of the couch to see Dan in his kitchen, underwear and an apron on, making breakfast. It's a cute sight, with his butt cheeks slightly showing and his hair all messy from the night before, Phil loves it.
He gets, up and walks over to him. Without a second thought he wraps his arms around him and kisses the back of his neck. "Morning." He murmurs into his skin, and smiles.
"Hi sleepy head." Dan replies. "I hope it's okay I stayed? You fell asleep and I was too comfortable to get up."
"It's more than fine, and these pancakes are a bonus."