#berry-cute

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Dan’s not usually the nervous type of person, not with things that he is familiar with. Definitely not with things like asking someone out on a date to the movies. It’s not like Dan has had so many dates that it doesn’t affect him anymore, because that’s definitely not the case. It’s just that with things like dating Dan has always felt confident (for some weird reason) and the fact that so far none of Dan’s love interests have ever turned him down has only contributed to that feeling of confidence. 

Tonight is different though, so unbelievably different from anything Dan has ever experienced before. With those other guys he’s been out with it’s only ever been just for fun and to try out new things. Dan has liked them all well enough and there have been butterflies involved in some cases, but never actual feelings.

With Phil it’s something else entirely. He is older than Dan, already in university, and just so much more that Dan isn’t familiar with. The biggest problem though, the thing freaking Dan out the most, is that Dan likes Phil, like really likes him. The kind of like that makes you go crazy and fell all frisky. For God’s sake, Dan gets flustered by the mere mention of his name. 

So really, you can’t blame Dan at all, when he arrives at the movies and doesn’t manage to get out one word when he sees Phil. Fucking Phil, who doesn’t really help with the whole situation either. Not when he’s leaning against the building like that with only one shoulder, his hair ruffled up a bit and his checkered shirt fluttering in the wind, like some scene taken out of a romantic comedy. (And ohdeargod, someone really ought to tell Phil that he needs to stop rolling up his sleeves like that, because Dan feels like he’ll possibly confess his love just from looking at Phil in that shirt). 

“Hey, Dan!” Phil says all calm and not nervous at all, pushing away from the wall to give Dan a quick hug. “I’m really glad we’re doing this tonight.”

Dan nods slowly, trying to get his wits together, but in the end he only just manages to croak out a “yes, me too”, and a smile, he is sure looks positively constipated. Well, if that evening isn’t going to be awkward as hell. 

“You ready to go in?” Phil asks with a grin, and Dan wonders how Phil manages to not be nervous at all - or maybe he’s just hiding it well, because as far as Dan knows Phil’s usually the complete opposite of the collected, calm person he’s claiming to be right now. 

“I- Yeah, let’s go in.” 

They buy their tickets, get some popcorn and drinks, and Dan manages to make even more of an idiot out of himself by stumbling over pretty much every single word he utters and then quite literally stumbling over his own fucking feet right before they sit down in their seats. 

Phil doesn’t comment on any of it, which Dan is utterly grateful for, but it still doesn’t stop him from wondering if that’s the case because Phil’s realized that he isn’t interested in Dan after all and he’s just trying to find an excuse to leave now. 

“Hey, you okay?” Phil asks then, eyeing Dan with concern. “You look a bit pale.”

Dan gulps, taking a deep breath to calm down, and although he tries to do it as nonchalant as possible, it is probably clear as daylight what he is trying to achieve. 

“I’m fine, I, don’t worry,” Dan says, at the same time as Phil says, “You really don’t have to be nervous.”

Dan can pretty much feel the heat rising to his cheeks. 

“I’m not,” he insists, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Nervous, I mean.”

Phil rolls his eyes playfully before taking Dan’s hand in his own and interlacing their fingers. “Relax. I’m not going to run away or anything.”

And maybe it’s kind of ridiculous but Phil’s words actually manage to calm Dan down. He takes another deep breath and smiles at Phil, maybe a little stupidly and a little too much, but it’s okay because the light is finally dimmed and Dan is pretty sure Phil can’t really see his face anyway; or at least he hopes so. 

It’s a lot easier to settle back and get comfortable once the film is on, Dan comes to realize and by the time they are half way through it, he even picks up the courage to lean into Phil a bit, well, as much as their seats allow, and it’s kind of amazing and makes Dan’s heart race in all the right ways. Phil letting go of his hand and instead wrapping his arm around Dan’s shoulders only makes the thing another billion times more awesome. 

Dan doesn’t know when or how it happens or who indicates it (though he has an idea that it is Phil’s doing, because comfortable or not Dan’s a fucking chicken in Phil’s presence and would never work up the courage to do that), but suddenly Phil’s lips are pressed against Dan’s, all soft and light touches, moving in such an exhilarating way, Dan kind of wants to never leave the place they are in right now.